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.
PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film. It was printed in the darkroom to Ilford MGIVWTFB 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.
PS This negative was exposed in 2019 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination onto Ilford Delta 100 film. It was printed in the darkroom onto Ilford's MGIVWTFB 11x14, toned in selenium for permanence.
This is what happens when the digital camera comes out. The girls start to run around, pick friends and get creative. We use available light and sit still while the students direct the photography. I’m blessed to have film portraits of all these girls, and some digital images as a reminder of our times together.
Looking back at my experiences with the Banjara community in Rajasthan, and grateful for their permission to make their portraits. This picture really brings back fond memories of those early days, as we searched for a young girl named Sharda. She was photographed by me on my first visit to India, when I was documenting the great work by Humana People to People India. Ever since that year we looked for her, and found her at this camp when we photographed her yet again years later.
In the darkroom again with the negatives from Utah, with the print sitting in the fixer. A herd of cows were grazing in the field just below this glorious mountain. I just had to stop… Utah is remarkable!
PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/180mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.
In many instances, life after the death of the husband is a life waiting for death itself. So many women are married when quite young to men much older than them. As a result, the death of their husbands leaves them as young women with children and without a security net. The stories are endless, the humiliation eternal.
Depending on position and caste, some of these women are forced to shave their heads, others refrain from wearing jewelry or from presenting their beauty to the world. They are to remain invisible for the rest of their lives, almost as a means to relieve Society from its conscience. With over 40,000,000 widows in existence, this leaves a void difficult to ignore.
PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14 just.
I can’t imagine taking only monochrome film with me to India and am grateful to have taken the chance years ago and especially during last year’s quarantine in Rajasthan!
Thank you Nami Gujjar!
Like many widows, she has been left to defend for herself and for her children. Instead of being looked after by her community, she belongs to the majority receiving nothing from the State and lacking a pension.
In many instances, life after the death of the husband is a life waiting for death itself. So many women are married when quite young to men much older than them. As a result, the death of their husbands leaves them as young women with children and without a security net. The stories are endless, the humiliation eternal.
Depending on position and caste, some of these women are forced to shave their heads, others refrain from wearing jewelry or from presenting their beauty to the world. They are to remain invisible for the rest of their lives, almost as a means to relieve Society from its conscience. With over 40,000,000 widows in existence, this leaves a void difficult to ignore.
I remember her very well. While we waited for softer light, she insisted on being photographed right then and there. Her reason was that she needed to go home. All of a sudden all the girls wanted to be photographed right then. She had a great attitude and did her best with the sunlight!
In many instances, life after the death of the husband is a life waiting for death itself. So many women are married when quite young to men much older than them. As a result, the death of their husbands leaves them as young women with children and without a security net. The stories are endless, the humiliation eternal.
Depending on position and caste, some of these women are forced to shave their heads, others refrain from wearing jewelry or from presenting their beauty to the world. They are to remain invisible for the rest of their lives, almost as a means to relieve Society from its conscience. With over 40,000,000 widows in existence, this leaves a void difficult to ignore.
In between sessions we rarely do any work, other than organization.
This afternoon we happen to be sitting in a small park and notice the traffic walking by us. While speaking about some differences between us, the tripod is extended and the camera mounted.
We continue having a lively conversation and, in between making points, as a person now and then to pause for their portrait. Incredibly, almost all pause for a quick snapshot. The man above does so and makes a minute to tell us about himself.
He loves books and works in a book store. He is always reading and proof of such is in his hands. We make note of his name and address as he bids farewell to us. We finish our discussion and then walk to a restaurant for something to eat.
Having become familiar with formal portraits, this single image makes me wonder a bit about the past few years. It seems just as magical to make portraits in this way, a split second decision without much preparation and anticipation.
In the beginning, this specific tribe is associated with a foundation school near Behror, Rajasthan. Later they move further away in order to remove themselves from the urban chaos and in search of their more traditional way of life.
This results in their children losing access to the foundation's school, one in which they are enrolled for about three hours per day, outside of their daily chores and work duties. While outside of class, these children collect plastic and so forth in order to sell in bulk later. They also approach certain people for donations in the streets.
As noted in Wikipedia, 'women are known to wear colorful and beautiful costumes and have tattoos on their hands.The dress is considered fancy and attractive by Western cultures. They use mirror chips and often coins to decorate it. Women put on thick bangles on their arms [Patli].Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins,chain and hair pleat are tied together at the end by Chotla.'
After we finished with the photography, the teacher gathered his students for a class picture. The school building was just to the left of this space. Visiting this school gave me pause and helped me understand even more so how fortunate we are. I admired this teacher very much and hope that he continues to teach.
Looking back over the past 20 years has made me even more grateful for choosing photography as a path in life. The camera has given me chances otherwise unavailable, such as meeting this Arab woman from Syria. Hers was my first camp, and she made it possible. These experiences have shaped my view of the world, and I’m thankful for that.
The respect that I have for the communities in rural India is immense. Having seen the hard work with my own eyes, watched families share responsibilities in the fields 24/7 and then experienced their generosity without fail has led me to these areas over and over again for the past 16 years. This man for example has worked since he was the age of these young boys, and continues to work without rest. True inspiration!
This is her second portrait in as many years. The first time we met was during my first visit to India, during a special day arranged by Humana People to People India. On this day many activities were under way, including one contest between women walking very fast with containers balanced on their heads.
My first portrait of this young girl was made behind the main tent, with white fabric from the tent serving as the backdrop. This portrait was made the following year at her school, a basic open classroom on the roof of a building donated to the foundation. While she was absent when we first arrived, she showed up later because she heard that we were there to photograph her once again.
A previous entry described this incredible day; suffice it to put down at this moment that over ten dozen images were made of her, ranging from two clips in the hair to one clip to a roll or so without either clip.
The year following this portrait my documentation of her continued, this time in a village a bit distant from the school. By this time, she and her community had moved out of the town to a more remote location. The children had stopped attending the foundation's school and she was working as a house maid as well as tending to the family's livestock.
Two years after the portrait above our collaboration ended. Although we found her once again after asking around, by this time she had become so shy, so conscious of herself, that she refrained from even stepping out of the tent to exchange greetings. The younger girls were making fun of her, even teasing her about the attention she was receiving from this stranger.
So we of course respected her wishes and photographed the younger girls. One day they too will refrain from being photographed. Until that time however we will return.
