Death Valley was unlike any other place I had ever visited in my life. People warned me about going unprepared, but I thought I would be fine. Driving there in a rental car seemed just fine, even with just a gallon of water with me. Then as the car climbed one of the mountains the overheat light turned on. Then I realized that leaving the fan on while driving in this hot environment was not such a good idea. I turned off the A/C immediately and the light disappeared. From that moment on I respected the space much more so, and appreciated all signs of life.
Including this sample from the mountain top, with the valley in the distance. I thought, 'how fragile life was, how seemingly fleeting it can be!'
The frame was exposed with the sun coming from the other direction, giving me a better perspective of Death Valley and life in general.
The purpose of selling these prints on Etsy is to support the social work being accomplished through my photography. Presently we have six sewing centers in two states of India, serving both the Hindu and the Muslim communities. In these sewing centers, young women learn a trade while also making clothing for their families. The centers are located in the rural areas, where young women have only one option normally, marriage and a family. At this moment, due to COVID-19, the work is on hold. However, we plan to restart the centers in 2022 and the funds from the sale of these portraits will be applied to the work in India.
This is a silver gelatin print made by me, the photographer, in my darkroom. It is printed on Ilford MGIVWT glossy fiber 11x14 paper, and toned in selenium for permanence. It is processed in a Zone VI washer to archival standards, and allowed to dry overnight on a screen. The camera/lens combination was a Hasselblad 501CM/100mm, and the frame was exposed onto Ilford Delta 100 using natural light. This portrait is from a library of well over 300,000 negatives exposed over the last 24 years, from four continents and a dozen countries.
