Karo Man, Headrest, Paint, Feather, Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, March, 2010

On the eve of this image, we camp an hour away from this village. The hour can be attributed to the fact that a road is lacking. A rough path is what guides us to this man's home. He belongs to the Karo Community and lives on the east bank of the Omo River. With a population ranging between 1,000 to 1,500, the survive growing sorghum, beans and maize. They are well-known for beautifying themselves with chalk, charcoal and other materials.

The women in this community produce scars on their body in order to augment this beautification process while the men do the same thing but for a different reason, the killing of an enemy or a dangerous animal. The women also prepare their hair with a mixture of clay and organic material, giving it a most beautiful appearance.

This man carries a headrest, one that he uses when lying down so as to keep his head from touching the ground. This headrest also doubles as a small chair.

We arrive on this hot day after camping out nearby. After this morning, my friends decide that seven days without a meal for me is enough and decide to take me to a hospital four hours away. Before the drive however, we make magnificent portraits, both in color and in black and white. Due to a physical weakness this morning, the truck is parked right behind me, protecting me from the sun. A seat is also provided for me to sit upon, allowing me to manage the still and video cameras with ease and without exhaustion.

The portrait above is a still from the video camera.

We have a short discussion with the men and begin the photography after agreeing on a price for the portraits. In the Lower Omo Valley, negotiations are always necessary and a price is to be fixed prior to the photography. This community, like the rest, are used to tourists and requires an amount for each portrait, as well as an entrance fee for their village.

They are unsure of my work since it requires a dozen exposures for each person at times. We agree that a higher price is to be paid in exchange for the possibility that more is needed by me. We advise them that, for most, the payment will actually be higher. This is the balance that is struck.

We photograph the men first, followed by the elders and then the younger men. In this village, the children seem missing and we walk away without any younger portraits. We drive to the next location, four hours away and with the thought that a good doctor will be waiting on the other end of this drive to improve my condition for the remainder of my time in Ethiopia.

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Shannon, Daughter, Student, Model, Cleveland, Ohio, States, July, 2010

Her profile states her location as being Cleveland. In the end, the drive to her family's home takes over one hour, a most refreshing one hour. Upon arriving, her family welcomes me as they would welcome a family member. They take me on a tour of the property to find a location for our session, then hand me a cool glass of freshly-made grapefruit juice, by far the most delicious version of this juice in my life.

Four generations of women are present, with Shannon being the youngest. A most conservative and humble family, they open themselves up to my work without hesitation. Her grandmother walks around with a large bowl of popcorn, something she just adores they tell me.

They are most supportive during the session, offering to me multiple glasses of juice and water. They help me carry the equipment in the beginning and at the end of our evening. Their support is also evident in Shannon's ease with the camera. For this young woman to present herself so to a stranger shows how confident she is with her family.

We begin photographing when the sun is weak, believing that this is all we will have. Slowly over an hour's time, the clouds disappear and the sun shines brightly. We move quickly to make portraits with different pieces of clothing. We then move a table to an open area and she takes her place on its top for the remainder of the portraits.

The images above are from the end of the session. The poses, the expressions are all her own. She is a most creative spirit, taking on a new position with almost every single shutter release. We work until the sun is almost down, giving us enough time to sit down for a wonderful chat, to a most delicious watermelon and locally made ice cream. All this is offered without hesitation and with a kindness natural to this family.

We talk about my travels, about their community, for perhaps an hour.

The people in my portraits never get to see such an American family. Their view of the States filters through the television, through the newspapers. With Shannon's portrait, they will experience people just like them, people connected to the land, communities that work with their hands and understand the value of a day's hard labor.

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Sene'a, Friend, Model, Daughter, Cleveland, Ohio, States, July, 2010

We meet through ModelMayhem and arrange to collaborate at the end of the day. The sun is shining and we drive around looking for a place to make portraits. After a few detours, we find a spot and walk to the end of an open, abandoned space to arrange our equipment.

 

Her equipment consists of a black sheet she has purchased for our collaboration. This to me is refreshing, for at times choices hamper rather than aid the session. She arranges the sheet on herself beautifully and we go on to make a series of portraits with the sheet in different positions.

Sene'a is quite comfortable with herself, posing in an open space with little more than this black sheet. This is our first meeting and the trust she shares with me mirrors the trust that the people overseas show me. She understands the project and its intentions, giving of herself without asking for anything in return, even waiting until my return from two overseas trips before receiving her portraits.

During these overseas visits, the people of my projects witness her portraits, commenting on her grace and her beauty. They marvel at seeing a darker American, one of such beautiful features. They are normally subjected to a different version of Western beauty and find something refreshing in seeing Sene'a.

She is a sister to them now, for they have come to adore her.

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Ebon, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Cleveland, Ohio, States, July, 2010

Ebon decides to come along with her sister for support, her sister being a model.

She ends up being photographed as well, as natural as the subjects from Asia and Africa.

In describing the people in my portfolio, a dear friend named Edith writes the following:

'A wonderful, exotic piece of wood, a hunk of wood from a tree that has not yet made my acquaintance, from a forest not yet discovered by man or woman, perhaps on a few colorful lizards, a slice of wood cut in an unusual way that exposes a grain pattern previously unseen except by a bolt of lightening that split it in that particular way back in 1837, a hunk of wood shaped around a burl produced by a temporary insect transplant...'

'Not just any piece of wonderful wood, you understand...'

Edith is describing someone else, yet her words come to mind in sharing my thoughts of Ebon.

It is my humble opinion that Edith would feel the same way.

By the way, Edith is a Certified Picture Framer and a link to her work is included here.

While of course my opinion is biased, her work nonetheless is exquisite.

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Panda, Friend, Model, Student, Cleveland, Ohio, States, July, 2010

Her name is Panda, or at least this is how we meet through ModelMayhem.

Our initial contact is a response to my casting call. She informs me that she will be out of town during that time and hopes my work will be extended to allow her a chance to be included.

The words that she uses are precise, direct and honest.

Panda writes: 'I love when people call me Sir, then change to Miss, then blush and stutter. I laugh a lot, but reassure them it's okay because they genuinely seem embarrassed.'

She reads the entire description and provides a response that is relevant to my work and brings a fresh approach as well. So many glance over the meaning of my photography while Panda takes the time to understand how she will bring something new to the work while maintaining a flow to it as well.

When asked about a similarity between her and the subjects in my portfolio, she writes:

'I think a similarity is obviously human. I find it funny how race is so emphasized, when in all reality we are one species, and race is a social construct. It's one genome. We've all seen our fair share, you can see it in the eyes and fine lines and markings.'

My work is clear to her even before meeting.

She arrives to the studio on time regardless of difficulty. We proceed to the rooftop and, in the span of a few minutes, she is ready to be photographed. We begin with close portraits and she moves from one pose to another, from one composition to another and from one expression to another effortlessly.

There is something about her; she moves with great delicacy and intent. She knows when it is time to show another face, another facet of her personality. Even though the sun is striking her with sufficient strength, she calmly gives me half an hour before we make portraits in another style.

The three images above are from this initial series.

Even before this session, Panda kindly accepts the thought of being photographed over a span of a few times. She feels that perhaps we can produce a more complete body of work given the benefit of a few sessions. Her patience with me and my work is extraordinary.

Last night she received the images from six weeks ago with grace, regardless of the time taken to produce the work. When asked to use her words for this entry, she responds with the same humility and grace.

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Kiara, Model, Sister, Daughter, Cleveland, Ohio, States, July, 2010

We meet through ModelMayhem a year or so ago and collaborate earlier this month.

Unlike many others, she and her representative contact me consistently regarding details throughout the preparatory process. We discuss the need for natural light and darker outfits. She comes to the studio prepared beautifully and with her two sisters as well.

We work for more than an hour, photographing the entire family as well. All are kind and generous to me and my portfolio, showing interest in being included alongside the women from all over the world. They change clothing when asked and allow me to make portraits while the sun strikes their skin boldly.

The idea behind her portrait is simple, to include faces from the States alongside those from Africa and Asia for example. It never ceases to amaze me when women from other parts of the world view faces from the States and are surprised for various reasons.

It seems to me that the media has sculpted a view of the West that excludes features such as those in my portfolio, that excludes darker skin and features. With the inclusion of Kiara in my portfolio, my hope is that other women in my portfolio can better understand the women in the States and can see even more clearly the fact that they are sisters.

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Girl, Student, Humana People to People, Banganga, Rajasthan, India, November, 2009

This image is made in the morning on my last day of photography, as has been traditional for the last three years in this village. The students and teacher always show their desire to be photographed by being ready as the sun rises, even though the temperature is usually cold enough to trace the anxious breathing of the children.

She has been there from the beginning, from the very first year.

In her village, the teacher and her sister always show me their hospitality equally. As one prepares tea, so does the other. As one prepares dinner, the other prepares dinner. They are neighbors and have eight children between them. As one watches me eat my dinner, the other does the same watching me eat the dinner that she has prepared for me.

As always, the families serve the guests, allow them to eat first and then sit down to eat their meals.

In her village, all the students have uniforms, unlike the other schools. Their education is provided for by Humana People to People India, an education that at this time has ceased to exist due to a lack in funding.

During our session this morning however, she shines like few can do. She is photographed from the left, from the right, from directly in front. She is photographed with one hand on her hips, with two hands on her hips.

In every single exposure, she is without equal and shows me so. There are few that can do such as consistently as this young girl. Should she be the only reason to visit India, she would be reason enough for me to purchase the next ticket.

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Christi, Model, Musician, Daughter, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, June 17, 2010

We meet in a park near her home about six in the evening under a beautiful sky. We talk for a few minutes and make plans for the wardrobe and sequence of photography. Her enthusiasm is genuine, her curiosity true.

Before our session, we exchange a few messages and in one of them she shares her concern of disappointing me. My answer to her is simple: the fact that she feels it within herself to share such a concern means that she cannot possibly disappoint me.

This turns out to be more than true. We work first with one outfit, then move to another seamlessly. During one of these changes, I ask about her boyfriend and she tells me that he lives nearby, offering to call him immediately.

She does so and he arrives a few minutes later, turning the session into a wonderful experience. The sight of this gentle man makes her smile even more so. He changes into an outfit and we make his portrait as well. He does so without effort, with a kindness that people in my portfolio have shown me year after year.

He leaves after perhaps thirty minutes of photography and we finish our session about one hour after his departure. Instead of packing her stuff and leaving immediately, she lingers on sweetly to talk for a little bit. This shows me once again her genuine nature, her most thoughtful curiosity.

Her portrait sits alongside the Mursi from Ethiopia and the ballet dancers from Cuba. She is a sister to them all and walks seamlessly between all of them.

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Widow, Courtyard of Mosque, Zakat Foundation of India, Old Delhi, India, November, 2008

Just like her counterpart below, this woman is shunned by her society and is placed in a situation of need as a result. She comes to gather her bag of dried goods for the next thirty days, until she needs to return the following month.

This is her second time in front of my camera and in the very same spot, the courtyard of a local mosque. The scene outside of the courtyard is one of madness and extreme difficulty in terms of photography, so we choose a place that allows us to make portraits in peace.

However, as our session extends into the second hour, men start to gather inside the courtyard for prayer. Because of timing issues with the foundation, we still have a dozen women in need of photography. Men begin to complain about the camera and also the presence of women in their midst.

One man especially does so a few times, loudly in fact. He continues to do so and his face is familiar to me, he is a face from last year's photography. So instead of asking my translator to quiet this man down, his picture is found in my bag and handed to him quickly by me.

He quiets down immediately, albeit with a sense of disgust, and walks away.

A few men sitting down for their prayers smile as a result.

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Blind Widow, Courtyard of Mosque, Zakat Foundation of India, Old Delhi, India, November, 2008

This man represents a part of society that is generally shunned. He is both blind and a widow, resigned to receiving a bag of dried goods monthly in order to survive.

The people that provide this bag do so through the Zakat Foundation of India, in an anonymous manner. Usually, about twenty to thirty widows gather at a specific site three times a month, three different groups, to collect their bag of goods.

They, or someone that sponsors them, apply for this program and their application is reviewed by the good people of the foundation.

For this session, we use the courtyard of a local mosque. They are kind enough to allow us the space for photography due to the fact that the foundation is well known in the area. The streets are busy beyond our control and the courtyard allows us to make peaceful portraits.

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