Monday, January 23, 2023

Young Girl, Banjara Community, Rajasthan, India


Between 2006 and 2010, this tribe was photographed in collaboration with the good people of Humana People to People India. In the beginning, this specific tribe was associated with a foundation school near Behror, Rajasthan. They then move further away in order to remove themselves from the urban chaos and in search of their more traditional way of life.

This resulted 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 Their ornaments are made up of silver rings, coins,chain and hair pleat are tied together at the end by Chotla.'

Note: canvas print 36” x 36”

Mursi Woman + Paint, Mago National Park, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2010


After a year in the darkroom it’s time to get the prints out. We’ll see how the #etsy crowd takes this work in, and sees the royalty that she truly is.

This young Mursi woman lives in a most difficult environment, and holds true to her traditional culture. Even though you'll see very few other Ethiopians in her area, vans of tourists stop now and then. Each time a group of tourists step out and walk into the village. Once they do the community walks over to them in order to try and earn a living with their goods, mainly the lip and ear plates as well as woven baskets. They also earn a living by being photographed, as each tourist pays a certain amount for a photograph.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Moab, Utah, 2016



The miracle of Delicate Arch has remained with me to this day, as well as the hike to it. Never thought that hiking with my camera equipment was a big deal, until I was resting now and then on my way up. In the end this print makes it all worth it.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14. 

Monday, January 16, 2023

Solar Project, Humana People to People India, Rajasthan, India


Going back to memories of my first few years in India, guided by the great people at @humanaindia in Rajasthan. These woman were taking part in a solar energy project, taking a torch home for the evening and bringing it back to charge the next morning. 

Young Student + Staircase, Shamli District, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2020



We visited her school for the first time in 2020, a month before the pandemic swept the world into a sphere of chaos. Innocent times they were, as we walked around the headmaster's house which also doubled as her school. These girls were receiving religious training and the headmaster wanted to do much more than that. We have included his school in our drive to do just that, and support this good man in his endeavor to improve the level of education for her and her friends. 

Young Woman at Sewing Center, Uttar Pradesh, India


I do miss this young woman and her friends, and have the highest respect for their courage in the midst of indifference and intolerance.

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.

Monday, January 9, 2023

Mursi Girl + Ear Plates, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2010



After a year in the darkroom it’s time to get the prints out. We’ll see how the #etsy crowd takes this work in, and sees the royalty that she truly is.

This young girl lives is a most difficult environment, and holds true to her traditional culture. Even though you'll see very few other Ethiopians in her area, vans of tourists stop now and then. Each time a group of tourists step out and walk into the village. Once they do the community walks over to them in order to try and earn a living with their goods, mainly the lip and ear plates as well as woven baskets. They also earn a living by being photographed, as each tourist pays a certain amount for a photograph. 

Cuban in Front of His House, Manzanillo, Cuba, 2016


I do miss the days when we used to drive into the countryside. We’d never know who we were going to run into, and the sessions were both instant and spontaneous. For this man's portrait we drove deep into the countryside near Manzanillo and ran across a small group of houses. Both young and older people were sitting around chatting when we arrived. They greeted us warmly and we had a conversation about the area, about their neighborhood. Once it came time for the photography they agreed and we set up for their portraits. The contrast between light and shadow deep in the woods was fascinating, albeit a bit difficult to print in the darkroom. I am sincerely blessed to have been introduced to the world through photography and hope to return to this area later this year.

 

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Memories of Utah, Monument Valley, 2016

The grandeur of Monument Valley sticks with me to this day. In 2016 I was blessed to have visited this space thanks to a work assignment in Salt Lake City. On the weekends it was time to visit the national parks, with Monument Valley being high on my list. I just couldn't believe that I was that close to a most iconic space. Having this image on film and printing it in the darkroom was a treat.

PS This negative was exposed in 2016 with a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm combination and printed in the darkroom to 11x14.

Moon + 2 Birds, Virat Nagar, Rajasthan, 2020

During my quarantine in Rajasthan for the early part of 2020, the birds were my companions while walking in the fields. My host family welcomed me without question and gave me a room in which to stay for six weeks until my return home. So I would set up the camera on the tripod in the middle of the field and walk around and around. Once the moon was just right and birds started to fly, I would cross over to the center of the field to release the shutter. So this image has immense meaning for me, and I am thankful to have had such friends both on the ground and in the sky.