Teens Through the Lens of Danielle Levitt

You may not have heard of photographer Danielle Levitt, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen her work. She’s done spreads for GQ, Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, and other publications. She lives in that fast-paced world of celebrity culture, snapping runway models, actors, musicians, from Tina Fey to Rihanna. But she took some time out to turn her lens on a different subject altogether – the American teenager. For nearly four years, Danielle traveled to big cities and small towns across the country, photographing young people in their bedrooms, school gyms and proms, or hanging out at the state fair. Goths, football stars, baton twirlers, surfers, skaters, beauty queens… to create a portrait of what it’s like to be a teenager. She gathered these photos in a book called We Are Experienced, and she joins us now to talk about the book and what she learned from her subjects.

See images from We Are Experienced