Ellen Kok

Photographer and Writer
  
American Moments
Public Project
American Moments
Copyright Ellen Kok 2024
Date of Work Jan 1996 - Ongoing
Updated Jun 2022
Location USA
Topics Americana, Children, Culture stories, Documentary, Photography, Teens, USA, Youth
By photographing young Americans in their daily lives since 1996, I am, as a European photographer and writer, looking for an answer to the question: What does it mean to be an American? The young people in my photos are still finding out for themselves, consciously or not, how to become a member of American society. I am hoping to learn from them.

This ongoing book project, with the working title American Moments, has had several offshoots, subjects that I intended to work on for a few weeks, but that ended up engaging me for months or even years. My books Cadets, You’ll Hear Us Roar, and The Other Farm all originally were meant to be part of American Moments. Some of the project's photo stories have been published in Dutch media over the years to make money to be able to continue working on it.

Because of the life span of the project I was able to revisit several of my main characters after a number of years and make updates about the progress of their lives.

American Moments, the book, will contain photo stories, single photos, as well as written narratives.
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Also by Ellen Kok —

Project

I Am Asking for Your Vote

Ellen Kok / USA
Project

Precious Stream Through a Dry Landscape

Ellen Kok / USA, New Mexico
Project

Happy Birthday! Dutch Children’s Parties

Ellen Kok / The Netherlands
Project

The Final Days of a Dairy Farm

Ellen Kok / Kamerik, The Netherlands
Project

Farming for the Neighbors

Ellen Kok / USA, New Hampshire; The Netherlands, Linschoten
Project

I Have a Tribe, They Are Only Americans

Ellen Kok / USA, Colorado, Fort Collins, Loveland, Denver
Project

The Laundromat

Ellen Kok / USA, New Hampshire, Vermont
Project

Cadets

Ellen Kok / USA
Project

Drewsville & Beyond

Ellen Kok / USA
Project

On the Land

Ellen Kok / The Netherlands
Project

You'll Hear Us Roar

Ellen Kok / USA
Project

You Are a Girl and You Want to Milk Cows

Ellen Kok / The Netherlands
Project

School

Ellen Kok / Woerden, The Netherlands
Project

A Very Personal Animal

Ellen Kok / The Netherlands
Project

Farewell, With Elegance

Ellen Kok / USA, Vermont, Springfield
Project

The Other Farm

Ellen Kok / USA, The Netherlands
Project

With God and Ayudante Across Guatemala

Ellen Kok / Guatemala
American Moments by Ellen Kok
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