ICP Teen Academy

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Maggie Birdsell



I am interested in photographing NYC teenagers in different urban spaces, ranging from smaller intimate areas such as people’s houses, to roaming the streets of the city and raves or parties. In the past I’ve learned I don’t always connect with photos or feel emotion from them unless they’re of my friends so I want to capture images as if seen through my eyes. I would like to explore how teenagers use posture, gesture, clothing, and other kinds of body decoration like jewelry or tattoos to create and celebrate their own identities in a complex urban place like New York. I started with mainly portrait shots but then transitioned to long exposure to give life and a sense of animation to the images I capture. But also to reference the visuals and feelings at shows and in the general nightlife scene of NYC teens and young adults

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Maggie Birdsell was born in the People's Republic of China, adopted as a baby and raised in Greenwich Village, New York. She is a student at City-As-School and is enrolled in the International Center of Photography’s Imagemakers program. Maggie has studied digital photography at the Rhode Island School of Design’s Early College Program and was featured in the NYC DiverCity Lens project. She is interested in portraiture and long exposure photography, and is currently working on a project that explores how youth create and celebrate their own identities.