Teens Create Portrait of the US with Their Photos

Take a break from the rigors of writing your college essays and filling out the !@#$% Common App - courtesy of The New York Times.  UPDATE: I had a chance to look at all 145 photos posted, and they are really spectacular. You won't be disappointed.

What would happen if you asked high school students to help create a 21st-century portrait of the country by turning their cameras on their neighborhoods, families, friends and schools?

You would have “My Hometown” — a vibrant document of 4,289 images submitted by teenagers in school- or community-based photography programs across the United States, including rural villages and urban neighborhoods, wealthy suburbs and blue-collar Rust Belt towns.

While participants only photographed their own communities, together, the images create an important and lasting document of America today as seen by teenagers. They are published today in an interactive feature that opens with a selection of 145 photographs and is also searchable by state and by photographer. Many of the images will be archived at the Library of Congress in the Prints and Photographs Division.

CLICK HERE TO LOOK AT THE PICTURES