PS The light leak represents the mechanical side, reminds me that chaos is the order of the world... which led to printing it full frame and to embrace the disorder.
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Monday, June 22, 2020
Kylee + Light Leak, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, California, 2019
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Young Syrian + Scarf, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2019
As the series from last year in Lebanon continues, more and more familiar faces rise through the developer. This young girl lives but ten minutes away from my family's home in Zahle, and in the very first encampment which gave birth to my images in Lebanon over two decades.
Her portrait needed to be printed close up, cropped and large, embracing the grain of #kodaktrix and her incredibly strong expression!
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Saturday, June 13, 2020
Best Friends, Syrian Girls, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2019
There’s something magical about the darkroom, the place where light which was faithfully transmitted to film can then be transferred to light-sensitive paper. This is what film photography means to me, from the selection of the negative, to the placement under the light source, to the focus on the easel, to the test strip, to the setting of contrast and finally to the fiber print!
This was printed today, a portrait of two best friends from my time in Lebanon last year. They are Syrians living in Lebanon during these difficult times, and are on my mind as summer approaches. My hope is that their future is as bright as the light in this enlarger, and as pure.
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Cami + Darkroom, El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, Southern California, 2017
Today was spent in the darkroom printing my collaborations with Cami and starting with the first two times we worked together. I have been fortunate enough to have witnessed her incredible art over the years. Here was the first negative printed, and now the prints are on screens to dry for the night.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Jasmine + Darkroom, Cleveland, Ohio, 2020
There’s something magical about the darkroom, the place where light which was faithfully transmitted to film can then be transferred to light-sensitive paper. This is what film photography means to me, from the selection of the negative, to the placement under the light source, to the focus on the easel, to the test strip, to the setting of contrast and finally to the fiber print... the entire process being analogue and made by hand!
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Students in Uniforms, Rural Kenya, 2007
After Lebanon and India, it might be time to go way back to Kenya for the darkroom. The work is very different and will be a challenge in a good way. We'll see.
In this image are students as they waited to be photographed, and watched their friends being photographed. It was an overcast day, so we did what we could to accommodate and photographed all of them in groups. Sometimes two people, sometimes three people showed off their poses to the lens!
In this image are students as they waited to be photographed, and watched their friends being photographed. It was an overcast day, so we did what we could to accommodate and photographed all of them in groups. Sometimes two people, sometimes three people showed off their poses to the lens!
Friday, June 5, 2020
Jasmine and Dry Lake, El Mirage, Southern California, 2017
Last month was spent in the darkroom with memories of Southern California under the enlarger. For this image Jasmine and I drove separately to El Mirage from two different cities, her from Los Angeles and me from San Francisco. We had never met before and were introduced to each other at the perfect time and the ideal space. It was an incredible afternoon, her creativity is truly remarkable. This weekend continues my work with the dancers in Los Angeles, and next week begins the printing of last summer in Lebanon.
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Man with Roosters, Rural Kenya, 2007
These are the moments in between planned photography, when a man walks by on his way home with a rooster under his arm. This happened while in rural Kenya, photographing school children and those working for the sake of community development. I hope to return to the continent of Africa soon.
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Thursday, June 4, 2020
Stylist + Client, Virat Nagar, Rajasthan, India, 2020
While the world around us has at times become unrecognizable, I take comfort in looking at the images made just a couple of months ago. My hope is that we will rebound and find ourselves in a better place.
As soon as we are able to do so, the sewing centers will reopen. In addition to sewing, the centers will now include a parlor course. This was the idea of the teachers, and all students raisedtheir hands when asked if they wanted to participate.
Nobody in the villages has this capacity, and if the young women gain this knowledge... they can then take it with them to their husbands' villages and have a greater ability to support themselves and their families.
In this image two young students are having some fun imitating their older sisters, with Shanu taking center stage once again as the stylist for the afternoon. Her seriousness always amazes me!
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Two Students, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2018
When the girls are provided a moment to be themselves, to show affection for their friends, they are like girls all around the world. It is my honor to speak on their behalf to their headmaster. Each one of them knows that we are there specifically for them, that they are the center of our attention. It is very different than their day to day reality, but my hope is that we can be a part of the change to come soon.
Their headmaster is building a school specifically for the girls in the region, and we hope to help him do so. Of course this can't be done presently, but we believe in a brighter future and feel that these girls deserve more than our admiration.
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Cuando a las niñas se les da un momento para ser ellas mismas, para mostrar afecto por sus amigos, son como las niñas de todo el mundo. Es un honor hablar en su nombre con su director. Cada una de ellas sabe que estamos allà especÃficamente para ellas, que son el centro de nuestra atención. Es muy diferente a su realidad diaria, pero espero que podamos ser parte del cambio que vendrá pronto.
Su director está construyendo una escuela especÃficamente para las niñas de la región, y esperamos ayudarlo a hacerlo. Por supuesto, esto no se puede hacer actualmente, pero creemos en un futuro mejor y sentimos que estas niñas merecen más que nuestra admiración.
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Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Jaedon + Joshua, Southern California, 2015
What a blessing it is to have a darkroom and to have the time to be in it!
Here is one from today, as I continue to print my collaborations with my photographic family from Southern California. On four separate occasions, and spanning five years, I have had the honor of documenting the art of Jaedon.
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Karen, Havana, Cuba, 2018
Caminar por las calles con la maestra y sus alumnos es como el cielo para mÃ, una oportunidad especial. ¡Recuerdo el momento exacto de esta foto, ya que el sol se estaba poniendo al otro lado de la calle con menos de un minuto!
Un comentario la semana pasada de mi querida amiga Karen me conmovió a publicar esta imagen de hace dos años. El recuerdo es agridulce, porque ha pasado mucho tiempo desde mi última visita a Cuba ... y la visita de este verano parece imposible. Sin embargo, una de las lecciones aprendidas de mis amigos cubanos es la de la paciencia. Entonces, mirar hacia atrás en esta imagen me da fuerzas para mirar hacia adelante.
Gracias a la increÃble Gysleda Virginia De La Barca Vega, pudimos caminar por las calles de La Habana sin problemas. Lo que fue aún más increÃble es que las jóvenes modelos tenÃan la dirección de la Maestra durante la fotografÃa. EncontrarÃamos los lugares más bellos, pondrÃamos todo abajo y procederÃamos a hacer fotografÃas mientras las calles ocupadas.
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
A Meal, Humana People to People India, Rajasthan, India, 2006
In an uncertain present I take comfort in looking back at better times. Somehow this past predicts a better future, one where we can once again sit down together and enjoy such a meal. Thus image goes back to my first year in India, when even my snapshots were made on film, with a Contax G2 in this example. The Humana India team was making lunch for the village, and the smell was fantastic. We were there to support a school for girls and are still doing so to this day, 14 years later!
Karen + La Habana, Cuba, 2018
Un comentario de mi querida amiga Karen Machado Vazquez me conmovió a publicar esta imagen de hace dos años. El recuerdo es agridulce, porque ha pasado mucho tiempo desde mi última visita a Cuba ... y la visita de este verano parece imposible. Sin embargo, una de las lecciones aprendidas de mis amigos cubanos es la de la paciencia. Entonces, mirar hacia atrás en esta imagen me da fuerzas para mirar hacia adelante.
Gracias a la increÃble Gysleda Virginia De La Barca Vega, pudimos caminar por las calles de La Habana sin problemas. Lo que fue aún más increÃble es que las jóvenes modelos tenÃan la dirección de la Maestra durante la fotografÃa. EncontrarÃamos los lugares más bellos, pondrÃamos todo abajo y procederÃamos a hacer fotografÃas mientras las calles ocupadas.
Karen es excepcional, porque es modelo y bailarina y mucho más. Ella es capaz de expresarse sin dudarlo. ¡Fue un placer sincero documentar sus talentos, y por mi parte, espero con ansias nuestra próxima vez juntos en el futuro cercano!
Monday, June 1, 2020
Audra + Dry Lake, El Mirage, California, 2019
Today was spent once again in the darkroom, this time with the newest member of our photographic family in Los Angeles. My session with Audra last Fall was made possible by a mutual friend, and we have Cami to thank for this opportunity. Audra was fabulous, and expressed herself with such honesty. I look forward to more prints tomorrow!
Note: A Zone VI enlarger was used to print this Ilford negative onto Ilford Warmtone fiber-based paper... washed to archival standards with a Zone VI washer.
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