Thursday, October 19, 2017

Elder + Field, Outskirts of Kisumu, Kenya, 2007


She sat on a wooden chair in front of a field of grass for her portrait. One after another stepped forth to be photographed. Just when we thought all of the villagers had come and the line was at its end, more people walked up and took their place in line. 

The scene was surreal, especially in light of the fact that it was spontaneous, with nothing arranged in advance. Everyone walked at the slowest of paces, and stood in line with anticipation. What began on the spur of the moment turned into a most formal setting, like a studio had been set up in the middle of the village.

So it was that the black chair was volunteered, and each took their place perfectly. Even when the sun was getting a bit hot, we continued and raised the camera in order to minimize the shadows under the eyes, and neck. The faces were extraordinary, and make me want to get into the darkroom immediately. The fact is that these negatives have never been printed, a full decade later.

There is much to do!


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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad V system.

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