Nelson Ala's photography represents personal experiences as a Filipino American growing up in American suburbs and subcultures. A resident of NYC for over 20 years, he's watched the city change and changed along with it, conquering inner demons, becoming a father and most recently losing a leg to an accident. Like many New Yorkers his age, he's caught between a certain nostalgia and facing his new reality.

Coming up in the punk and skate worlds where the participants were also de facto documentarians, Nelson has been shooting with a variety of camera equipment amassing a portfolio chronicling times in bands and on boards. Currently he documents the newest chapters of his life, always inspired by the ever changing energy of New York City, and undying love for the scenes he came up in.