ICP Teen Academy

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Hazel Perez



These photographs explore the quiet tension between solitude and presence in two vastly different environments. The first environment, shot in black and white, captures a lone figure in the stillness of an urban landscape. Despite the towering buildings and silent crosswalks, the subject’s gesture, a phone raised to the ear hints at connection amid the vast, impersonal sprawl of the city. In contrast, the second environment, shot in color, bathes a crouched figure in the organic textures of wild foliage and warm, ethereal light. The flare that washes over the scene introduces a spiritual softness, suggesting reflection, labor, or reverence for nature. Though the environments could not be more different concrete versus soil the human subjects in both images are anchored in a moment of pause. Captured with one camera and one lens, these photographs embrace limitations as a discipline: a way to slow down, to see fully, and to allow presence not gear to shape the story. This is a practice of staying with the moment until it reveals something intimate, quiet, or divine.

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Hazel Perez is a photographer based in New York City. Born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, Hazel is currently a student at the High School of Fashion Industries, majoring in Photography. She began her creative journey with film photography during her freshman year and now focuses on digital photography, always drawn to the timeless quality of black-and-white images.Hazel’s work captures the emotion in everyday life whether it’s the energy of city streets or the quiet stillness of nature. She finds inspiration in photographers like Gordon Parks and Vivian Maier, whose ability to turn ordinary moments into powerful visual stories deeply influence her style.