Ironton and New York City are not only separated by many miles but seemingly worlds apart.

But that is one of the reasons why Timothy Eastman wants to make the journey from the Big Apple to the Tri-State.

Eastman, a 29-year-old photographer, just finished his master’s degree from The School of Visual Arts in New York City and said he is ready to work on his first major project, which he wants to do in the Tri-State.

“I had sort of been looking for some kind of interesting project to sink my teeth into,” said Eastman.

Why the Tri-State?

“I think it’s an area of the country that doesn’t get a lot attention,” said Eastman. “Especially with photography and photojournalism. People like to rush off to places where there are wars or famine, things like that, big dramatic international subjects. I’m really more interested in America personally. I think there just a lot of areas that don’t get much attention.”

Eastman said he first became interested in Ironton and the Tri-State area for his project when his friend Leila visited him in Brooklyn.

Leila, he said, is from the Ironton area and they met while she was living in New York. She has since moved back to Ironton, but the two keep in touch.

“I think just the way she described (Ironton), it seemed like a part of America that’s changing a lot and has changed significantly in maybe the last 20 or 30 years and is continuing to do so,” Eastman said. “So that interests me, the fact it’s a place that’s sort of in flux.”

The photographer said he wanted to capture the lives of people in the Tri-State and how they view the world.

“I have this theory, or belief I guess, that all people are interesting if you talk to them,” he said.

Eastman said he envisions becoming of his project as a book that illustrates people in the area.

“What I’d like it to be, is as large a variety as possible of people age 18-30, all different walks of life and type of people,” he said. “Sort of a collection of their experiences. Photograph them in their daily life and try to get an idea of what their life is like. Also interview them, talk to them and get an idea of what they think and feel and how they look at the world.”

Eastman said he has done a similar project like this in New York about families whose children are in show business. He said he followed them around and photographed them as they went about their lives and interviewed them.

He said his friend Leila would help him find people to interview and photograph, but he also said he would like to hear from anyone interested in being featured in the project.

“It’s the sort of thing that people can participate in that will give them the opportunity to voice their opinions and talk about themselves and how they feel about the world and share what they think and believe with other parts of the world in a manner that’s respectful,” he said.

Eastman said he could be reached by email at teastman@sva.edu and that he has already had people express some interest through a posting he put online. He also said he would be in the Tri-State area on Jan. 20 though Feb. 4 to work on the project.

“I’m excited about it and I’m excited to meet people.”