This elderly man stands watch over the school in his village on a daily basis. During the day he sits in front of the school hoping to receive donations for the school from cars passing by on the road. He also has a wonderful voice as we were honored to record one afternoon. It's been my privilege to have known this man.
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In this village my collaboration with @humanaindia began in 2006, and the photography continues to the present. For this portrait we walked around the village with the teacher and visited the homes of the students. These experiences have enriched my life more than words can express. The girls just loved to role pay, and this young girl stood for her portrait in the family's open kitchen as the light came through the doorway.
Let's just say that my interactions with her students are nothing short of miraculous. Here we are, welcomed into the most prestigious school for models in Havana, and allowed to interact equally with her students. These relationships over the years have turned into true friendships, and the collaborations are like times with friends.
Patricia is all the above and more, as this session in the countryside exemplifies. She brings a great attitude with her, as well as a great selection of clothing. Some say that this is anything but real photography, that photography in Cuba should be about photographing life as it presents itself in the streets. I say why not photograph the people as they would like to present themselves, as models and dancers and actors?
Well here is Patricia as a model, something that she has aspired to be in her young life. A incredible one truly in my humble opinion.
I remember this image like it was yesterday. We had driven out to the eastern part of the island and were concentrating on a family living in the city for the photography. We also were able to drive to the countryside and meet some wonderful people. This young boy actually lived in the city but liked to visit his grandparents in the countryside. Alejandro was able to pull up within 100 meters or so of the house, but was limited due to the muddy path.
So I decided to get out and walk the rest of the way to speak with the family. They were very kind and welcomed me onto their property. Their home was a traditional one, constructed of wood. Their grandson showed interest in the camera and so we decided to play around, as he grabbed this tool and headed into the rice field. It was a great experience and one for which I am forever grateful. This is what the island means to me, incredible people and honest interactions.
PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.
I can’t imagine taking only monochrome film with me to India and am grateful to have taken the chance years ago… the colors of the shawls and faces in Uttar Pradesh!
¡gracias a los trabajadores fuertes en el campo!
PS Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 503CW/100mm combination, the print toned in Selenium for permanence.
Otro motivo de extrañar mis veranos en Cuba es este gran artista, el responsable de esta imagen. Además de hacer el papel a mano, grabar cada detalle con cuidado ... este artista se dedica al cultivo del tabaco y su influencia en la cultura de la isla.
Los sábados suele sentarse con su hija en la principal avenida del arte de La Habana, Paseo del Prado. Uno de mis recuerdos favoritos es el tiempo que pasé con este increíble artista, ya que hablamos de arte y de la vida en general. ¡Han pasado tres años desde que vi su trabajo, y espero llevarme a casa algunas de sus creaciones más nuevas el próximo año!
'Orígenes' por Rapé, 2017
It’s time to get back to the portraits, just had a lot of fun with the landscapes. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Zion National Park in magnificent Utah.
PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.
I do miss these young girls and their friends, and have the highest respect for their courage in the midst of indifference and intolerance. Their village is the one in which I sleep during my stay in Uttar Pradesh, thanks to @chmunshadali and his beautiful family.
Their village is their world, and more exactly their home is their world. Unless they are attending school, they are almost always within the confines of their homes.
They’re fully aware of the hardships facing them and yet they persevere and endure through it all. In this classroom they could be themselves and act out their creative thoughts. It’s been an honor to be at their side all of these years.
So glad I took color positive film with me to Ethiopia back in 2010, and to have had the privilege of photographing the various tribes of the Lower Omo Valley. While the trip was a most difficult one, the images have brought me a sense of peace from the experience. My hope is to return one day and to do more than just visit, photograph and disappear.
My visit to Nicaragua came as my 50th year approached, the same age my father had when we left in the aftermath of the 1973 earthquake. The feeling of walking the same streets as my parents cannot be described. The embrace by the rural communities as we travelled took me by surprise and made me realize that I was home after so long.
Such was this morning session near Miramar. The people of this neighborhood embraced us immediately, such as this young and her family. Their lives are extremely hard, as they endure an existence without running water, access to healthcare, proper electricity, sanitation... while living in homes with dirt floors and open windows. These were the people that I wanted to meet, these are the lives that I needed to document.
I can’t imagine taking only monochrome film with me to India and am grateful to have taken the chance years ago… the colors of the shawls and faces in Uttar Pradesh!
Note: this frame was made with a Hasselblad V System and a 100mm C lens.
Thanks to Yudel Contreras and Gysleda with ModaEgos for helping me a better photographer, and for enabling this series. The dresses of Yudel are just magnificent, and Gysleda's vision is incomparable. More than 14 years have passed since we first met at ModaEgos and the relationship continues building to this day. My hope is that 2023 sees us collaborating once again in the streets of that incredible city, La Habana.
Thank you Patricia for that great morning with you in the streets of your beautiful city!
PS Negative exposed with a Hasselblad 503CW/180mm combination.
Pierre Verger’s portraits in this region were on my mind as we walked onto the beach of this fishing village. It was hard enough to walk into the crowd as the only non-African, but the crowd was more than friendly. After setting up the camera many were curious enough to allow their portraits.
This is the reality for this young women, her aunts, her nieces and neighbors. Her community trades in sex, and the women are the products which the men of the community trade.
Our minute of our imagination is her reality for 1,440 minutes each day.
Although I love the portraits, it's time to take a short break and print the landscape images from California and Utah. While working my first corporate gig a few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the States and bring my camera along. This landscape is from Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California.
PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.
