Widow, Mosque, Old Delhi, India, 2008

She stands along with her friends in the shadow of a local mosque. The walls keep the chaos of the street at a distance. Outside is a mass of people moving from one point to another using every form of transportation known to a road.

We photograph for about thirty minutes and then men begin arriving for prayers. The foundation, meaning well, nonetheless schedules all the widows from their Widow's Program to be photographed on the same day. This is a bit much and our photography flows over into prayer time.

The men of the foundation tell me that we need to finish. I see about ten women waiting for their portraits to be made. The men go about washing their feet, hands and faces without giving us much notice. They respect the difficulty that we are facing, both the photographer and the women, and allow us to continue with our work amidst their praying.

She stands in the shadow of the mosque, looking to her right, with the sheer fabric barely hiding her expressions.