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Petty Crimes:
The faces of everyday criminals, and the articles of their crimes


Pitching 

Photo series created in response to Topic.com’s March issue on crime; specifically the question of what constitutes a criminal. We decided to look at the ridiculous side of everyday "crimes", in order to investigate a darker side - what is designated illegal and what is not. The goal of the series is to highlight the frequency with which ordinary people commit what is officially known as a 'crime', and question where the line between moral ambiguity and societal condemnation lies.

We had to pitch a paragraph outlining the tone of the series, and decided to go with something whimsically saterical, and widely relatable. This paragraph would later accompany the photography in the issue.
 The Team:

 Lina Fisher: Photography, Art Direction
 Bianca Srivastava: Copywriting,  Art Direction






Are you a criminal?


The insidious nature of petty crime infiltrates even the most morally sound in the name of convenience. A piece of gum underneath the table when no one’s looking, jaywalking on red, trespassing on private property for a photo op. The banality of petty crime allows it to go unnoticed more often than not, imbuing a sort of comfortable apathy towards the act. “I won’t do this again”, you convince yourself after taking up two parking spots for the second time in the day. But you will; until the first parking ticket leaves a hole in your wallet, or the condescending glare of a bystander makes you think twice before throwing a candy wrapper from your car window.

“It’s just something I do”, you tell your partner on a first date. It’s your own private thing that you have no problem admitting because it’s wrong, but is it really that wrong? You’re not hurting anyone. You think everyone does it. You’ve justified using a fake ID, shoplifting anything under five dollars. But where does this end? Are your morals loose or simply rationalized? What are you capable of?

Are you a criminal?