18-NOV-2011
Shopkeeper, Jerusalem, Israel, 2011
This portrait of a Muslin shopkeeper, which I made while walking through souks of the Jerusalem’s old city, speaks to me of mixed emotions. He seems neither pleased nor displeased by my attentions. He stares impassively at us, holding a lighted cigarette in one hand, while bracing his other hand on his knee. He bends his head slightly to his right, projecting a sense of patience. He wears the Arab keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf designed as protection from sun and sand. The red and white color of his headscarf is not symbolic – Arabs from many countries and backgrounds wear such scarves. He also wears a taqiyah, a white prayer cap giving him his identity as a Muslim. This mark of faith is the brightest spot in the image. The Jerusalem souks are chilly in November, and a warm, well-made sweater completes his ensemble. He sits on a white plastic chair, surrounded by his wares. I only show a trace of them – I emphasize the man himself here.
12-NOV-2011
Bedouin tribesman, Habu Temple, Luxor, Egypt, 2011
I found this man standing before a carved wall of Luxor’s Habu Temple, which is also known as the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. Its inscribed reliefs depict the triumphs of his reign as Egypt’s Pharaoh from 1186 to 1155 BC. The carving in this image probably tells a small part of that story, while the Bedouin tribesman standing in front of it speaks to us of both past and present. The Bedouins are a desert dwelling Arab ethnic group, divided into many clans or tribes. Large numbers of Bedouins throughout the Middle East have left the traditional nomadic life to become settled citizens of various nations, rather than stateless nomadic herders. I do not know which tribe this man in this environmental portrait belongs to. He wears a white turban, a purple cloak, and carries a staff. He seems to come from another time, just as the carving behind him. Yet he is also most likely an Egyptian, and as such, the temple he stands in here can be seen as part of his own heritage.
03-SEP-2011
The woman in the golden scarf, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I photographed this woman over several days as she worked in her clothing stall at the city’s San Francisco market. I liked this portrait because it captures the care – and love – she brings to her work. Much of what she sells is hand made, and she brings years of knowledge to her craft. I frame her in the colors of her wares, but it is the rich color of her gold scarf and the golden chains on her neck that best define the tradition in which she works.
03-SEP-2011
Shoeshine man, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This man face expresses significant character – he seems to have lived a hard life. His hands, blackened with shoe polish, speak of his occupation. I did not need to show him shining someone’s shoes. He looks away, as if he is wishing he could be somewhere else at this moment. Yet his resting hands are poised upon his equipment bag, ready to resume work at a moment’s notice.
07-SEP-2011
Newspaper vendor, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
The wonderful color of the wall and its journalistic display offers a perfect context for my intentions here. It helps amplify the fact that she works in a traditional culture, yet incongruously helps distribute the most up to the minute news. It is an incongruous portrait in many ways – for example, the tabloids that hang on the wall behind her speak of things that we can hardly imagine her even grasping. Yet the image also expresses a bit of her character. She seems experienced and respected, yet must have lived a life that has not always been an easy one. I sense both resignation and patience in her expression and body language.
24-SEP-2011
At rest, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This woman was sweeping the entrance to the shop in which she works. She stopped for a moment to lean on her broom and reflect on some aspect of her life. In looking at her expression, I think she is about as far away as she can get from her broom without putting it down. It is a portrait that does what an expressive portrait should do – not just show what a person looks like, but also rather define something about whom they are.
27-JUL-2011
Bill Boland, fund-raiser, The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 2011
While visiting the Berkshire Mountain town of Pittsfield, we were able to tour the historic Colonial Theatre. Founded in 1903, it’s ornate hall featured performances by such luminaries as Will Rogers, Al Jolson, Lillian Russell, the Lunts and the Barrymores, until it fell on hard times with the advent of television in the early 1950s and shut down. A construction supply company used its vast spaces while volunteer residents of Pittsfield tried to raise the funds to buy it and restore it to its former glory. It proved to be a half-century long struggle, led by this man, 86-year-old Bill Boland. Today the theatre is back in business, one of the primary venues of the Berkshire Theatre Festival. It offers performances year round. Bill Boland led our tour of the theatre, taking us to all of its nooks and crannies. While we were on stage, I photographed him as he talked to us about his efforts to restore the towering theater that stands illuminated behind him. His body language and expression speaks to the pride of an entire community. He is still raising funds to maintain it, and actively manages its vast theatrical archives.
23-APR-2011
Cashier, Rock City Café, Rock City, Arizona, 2011
I made this portrait as this cashier turned away from her computer for a moment to catch the window light. Her illuminated profile repeats the glowing light on the pillar at right. The image tells us she is on the job, yet her mind is definitely elsewhere at this moment.
23-APR-2011
Patron, Rock City Café, Rock City, Arizona, 2011
A woman waits for someone outside this Arizona roadhouse, famous for its pies. She does not relax – she sits forward in her chair, attentive to what is going on around her. I sense a bit of tension and impatience in the body language and expression. She seems to be asking the question “When are they going to come and get me?”
07-JUN-2010
Restaurant barker, Durango, Colorado, 2010
A stack of menus in hand, a restaurant barker pauses for a moment to look my camera in the eye. I come away with a portrait that reflects the tedium of repetitive work. The barker must convince tourists strolling Durango’s sidewalks to eat here, but at this moment in time there seems to be nobody to convince. We are left with an insight into the frustrating nature of salesmanship.
08-JUN-2010
Engineer, Durango and Silverton Railroad, Durango, Colorado, 2010
An engineer, moments away from launching a journey by steam train from Durango to Silverton, patiently waits for departure. I liked the industrial nature of his traditional costume, the well used grimy glove that rests on the window frame of the locomotive, and the jaunty touch of red at the throat. His vintage white beard seems to fit his role well.
18-MAR-2010
Orangutan, The Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, Arizona, 2010
Zoos can offer us ample subject matter for expressive images. It is important, however, to make a clear distinction between zoo photography and wildlife photography. When we make pictures of
animals in the wild, we can tell the story of nature itself. When we make pictures of animals in a zoo, we are photographing captive animals that are utterly dependent on man for survival. With this portrait of a female orangutan, I try to make that distinction by including the thick ropes and steel bar that provide the basis for her exercise. In nature, she would be swinging from branches and vines, but in the zoo, man made materials replace them. She looks out at us with an expression that is open to interpretation – I see it, along with her relaxed hand resting on the coiled rope, as symbolic of resignation. She seems to have adapted to her unnatural life, and lives it as best she can.
(Note: Some photographers might have photographed her without any man made materials showing, implying that she could be living in the wild. As far as I am concerned, to publish or display such an image masquerading as wildlife photo would be unethical, unless it was clearly stated in the caption that the animal was photographed under captive circumstances in a zoo or game farm.)
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Follow-up note, March 24, 2010: The Arizona Republic has just published a feature story on this very animal. Her name is Duchess, and on March 27. 2010, she will celebrate her 50th birthday. She is the longest-living Bornean orangutan in North America. Her keepers will give her a cake to mark the event, and will break ground for a new $4 million home for the zoo's orangutans on the same day. One of her keepers told the newspaper that Duchess is "streetwise and intelligent. You can't fool her in any way." Bornean oranguatans in the wild don't live past 48. Duchess has a few more years, according to her keepers. She was born in the wild, and arrived at the Phoenix Zoo at age 2 in 1962, just before the zoo opened to the public. She is one of its oldest residents. According to a keeper, Duchess has an attitude that is kind of like "I've been here a long time, and I'm the queen and that's the way it goes." Duchess is known as the "Founder of the zoo's Bornean orangutan Species Survival Plan." She currently has four living children, six grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.
