30-MAR-2008
Entrepreneur, Varanasi, India, 2008
I found this man in a back alley, sitting next to a pile of small branches. They are called Neem and are used for brushing teeth. When chewed they form bristles. The medicinal qualities of Nee prevent gingivitis. He seems utterly relaxed at this moment, no doubt because he knows that I am not a potential customer. He leans against the old building behind him as if it is a part of him.
30-MAR-2008
Saddhu, Varanasi, India, 2008
Saddhus are Hindu holy men – renouncers who have left behind all material and sexual attachments and live in caves, forests and temples all over India. This one was standing on a ghat along the Ganges. The softly focused Indians in the background go about their lives in this holy city without giving him a second look. He seems oblivious to everything. His long beard, golden costume, and face paint seem theatrical, yet in this case all must have religious significance.
29-MAR-2008
Life in the shadows, Varanasi, India, 2008
Street portraits often emerge from odd places. I found this woman surrounded by bars. It is as if she is caged. She seems to accept her fate – this is where she lives and how she lives. My portrait allows viewers to come to their own conclusion.
28-MAR-2008
No smlles, Khajuraho, India, 2008
This child never smiled. She stares into my camera as if she has never seen one before. Most of the time, I found Indian children enthusiastically forcing themselves into my pictures. This child was a welcome exception. Crudely painted advertisements on worn walls bound the world she lives in. Yet she wears a white dress, which matches the white washed concrete beneath her.
26-MAR-2008
Holy men, Fatehpur Sikri, India, 2008
These turbaned holy men were meditating in an arcade surrounding the mysterious ghost city founded by Akbar the Great in the 16th century. They look like his contemporaries. This a dual portrait – the men are similar yet different. They both are bearded and wear green turbans. Yet one remains in the background, and looks at us in a more relaxed manner than the man in the foreground.
25-MAR-2008
Village bus driver, Rajasthan, India, 2008
This man clings to the steering wheel of his makeshift bus as if it was a security blanket. He is at one with his work.
24-MAR-2008
Woman and water buffalo, Abhangri, India, 2008
We had a very brief visit with this woman who farms in a small village in
Southeaster Rajasthan. She lives very much as her ancestors did. Little changes in this part of India. She comforts the buffalo, yet her thoughts seem far away. The folk art on the wall behind her adds environmental context.
22-MAR-2008
Ashram elder, Rajasthan, India, 2008
This man had powerful eyes. He holds us in his gaze and does not let go. Most of him is in shadow, which abstracts him, showing less and hopefully saying more.
22-MAR-2008
Ashram, Rajasthan, India, 2008
A travel portrait not only expresses the nature of character. It can also give us a sense of place as well. While visiting an ashram in rural Rajasthan, one of the residents came to the door and silently watched our group of tourists as our guide was briefing us. I not only photographed him – I also included half of a mural that covered the wall just outside the door. He watches us with patient curiosity. I devote most of this image to the sacred cow in the mural. It wears garlands of honor, and tells us that we are in India.
26-DEC-2007
Sweeper, Suoida, Vietnam, 2007
We stopped for a half hour or so to visit the remnants of the Cham people, who live deep in Vietnam’s rugged Central Highlands. They seldom see tourists there, and the whole village turned out to watch us walk up their main street. This woman has been sweeping her porch and she stopped to stare at me as I can by. I returned her attention with my own. I made portrait after portrait of her, and she never changed her curious expression. This environmental portrait adds important context, such as the costume, the unusual broom, and the simple, rustic porch. It tells more about her than a head and shoulders portrait would.
23-DEC-2007
Craftsman, Hoi An, Vietnam, 2007
Much of Hoi An is a well preserved 400 year old city. People such as this man have helped do this with their own hands and knowledge. He is a craftsman, now in his 80s and takes great pride in his ability to keep the spirit of Hoi An's old buildings alive. When I made this portrait, he had been refinishing the old building just behind him. He was a perfect subject, incongruously active and fit for a man his age, able to be himself in front of the camera instead of posing with a self-conscious grin, and in a perfect environmental setting. The curve of the window echoes the curve of his head, creating a relationship that links the man and his mission. I include just enough of his worktable to echo the diagonal thrust of his arm. While we were making our pictures, our group was peppering him with questions and his response expresses the cool, thoughtful nature of his character.
04-JAN-2008
Florist and family, Sadec, Vietnam, 2008
Entire streets of Sadec are filled with the wares of entrepreneurial merchants such as this woman. Her children will soon become part of her business. I use a 28mm wideangle lens for this environmental portrait, which allows me to make my portrait of her at very close range, yet also include her children on the periphery. As always, I make many pictures of the same subject, changing my vantage point and framing, and allowing the subject to change their position and expression at will. It also allows time for self-consciousness to wear off – she was a bit stiff at first, and it took awhile for her awkward, embarrassed smile to be replaced by a business like expression. Expressive portraiture takes time and work, and in this case, a lot of both were necessary.