It has taken a few days but the photography has finally found its place in Nicaragua. We drove to Grenada this morning in order to meet the team at Education Plus, and had enough time in the morning to look around. By happenstance we ended up driving by this small village near the lake, and were embraced by the community almost immediately.
During their entire time in this village, they had never been visited by the countless outsiders visiting their region. They do wave to everyone, but rarely get a wave back. So it was with great surprise that they saw us walking towards them, and with even greater surprise to learn that we were deeply interested in photographing their community.
We talked for some time, and began photographing the oldest girl in the family, the one to my left in the group selfie. She was incredibly confident and truly aware of the moment, making some of the most beautiful portraits thus far. With her as an example to the rest of the children, all stepped forward without hesitation and truly made an impression on all of us.
After the photography we ended up making some spontaneous images, including this selfie with her releasing the shutter. One look at her expression should give the viewer an idea of her personality, of her self-confidence... so impressive. This is after all an 8 year old girl living in rural Nicaragua with a visitor for the first time in her village. What an experience it was, and all credit goes to these beautiful children!
When we were ready to leave for our meeting later this morning, she had one of the most serious expressions ever experienced by me. She truly connected with us this morning, the truest of honors in my humble opinion. We are heading to her village once again tomorrow morning, and let her know that before we headed off for the day.
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