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Spent a few days in the darkroom this past week, and looking forward to the rest of November in that sweet space printing the work from Nicaragua. Here is a young girl living on the outskirts of Lake Granada, tending land with her mother for another family.
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Note: Frame exposed with a Hasselblad 503 CW/100 mm lens combination.
This beautiful city was also a place my father had traveled to in order to find customers for his textiles. When we arrived I immediately fell in love with it, and the people living on the outskirts of the small city.
From the small burrito store in the center of town to the grand square, the food was beyond tasty. My mind kept thinking if my father had walked these same streets, if he sat in the same square for lunch.
When we arrived we drove around the rim of the lake looking for communities to document. We found a young family earlier, and photographed them in front of the home which they tend for the owners. The family told us that there were many families a kilometer or so up the road, and so we pushed onward to the local school in search.
That is when we noticed a girl with the most incredible hair. Immediately we stopped and walked over to say hello. The family was so receptive, a preview of how we were to be treated in our travels throughout Nicaragua. They were so warm and spoke with us in such an honest, kind manner.
We spoke at length about their lives, how they work well before sunrise and do so in the muddy waters nearby. They do so just to be able to feed their children, and live a most humble life. They live without running water, proper electricity, medical care, bathrooms... while their meals come on a day to day basis.
This was in extreme contrast to the town square which was less than a fifteen minute drive, and of course to communities where all of the above is commonplace. Such is this young girl's life, such is the reality she faces daily.
Yet they treated us as equals, invited us back the very next day and embraced as as family. The people of Nicaragua are beyond comparison, and I for one am proud to call myself a Nica.
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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/100 mm combination.
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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Note: This image was made with a Sony RX100M3.
