DETROIT – A photographer is aiming to reclaim Detroit’s narrative with a new book.
Instead of taking photos of what’s being demolished, he’s focused on what’s being built.
Cyrus Tetteh is a Detroit photographer who can now add self-published author to his accomplishments with the release of his new book, “Only In Detroit.”
“I want people to think about these moments when they think Detroit,” Tetteh said.
It features more than a hundred photographs snapped between 2017 and 2022.
Born and raised on Detroit’s east side, Tetteh said his goal is to capture exciting moments in Detroit’s history.
“Crafting this book I wanted it to be a celebration for our city,” Tetteh said. “Celebrating in ways that I didn’t see growing up.”
Tetteh is a part of the Mayor’s media department. He said his photos combat “ruin porn,” a budding movement that documents city decay.
“There’s a demo, which is the only one I have in the book, because I didn’t want to focus on that,” Tetteh said. “People come here and take pics of ruin porn and that is a photo showing movement forward.”
The 30-year-old graduated from Cass Tech and UM. He said he’s proud to shine a spotlight on the Motor City.
“My hope is people pick up this book and say ‘I wanna go to Detroit. It looks like the most exciting city in the world,’” Tetteh said.
If you’d like to pick up a copy of “Only in Detroit,” they’re available in the furniture store Throwbacks Home in Capital Park.