06-JUL-2007
Portrait of an artist, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, Colorado, 2007
I found this artist taking a break behind her booth on the opening morning of the festival. She is not posing for a portrait, yet this is a portrait none-the-less. She seems relaxed, and self-confident. She may have good reason to be relaxed – the three paintings hung on the back of her booth are most likely already sold. They add vivid context to the portrait – they reflect her style and interests, particularly the use of symbolic roosters. The rooster is the national symbol of France and Portugal, brings good luck in China, and is held sacred in Japan and in esteem elsewhere in Asia. The rooster as symbol dominates the work of this artist as well. My environmental portrait of her also offers an incongruous contrast – the artist herself dresses entirely in neutral clothing, while the paintings are vividly colored. She seems to have poured herself entirely into her work –and is probably grateful for that cup of coffee.
06-JUL-2007
Bearded Collie, Denver, Colorado, 2007
The key to expressive animal portraiture is eye contact. In the case of Olympia, a Bearded Collie, the eyes are critical because the rest of the face is essentially a mask of flowing hair, a living abstraction. I spent fifteen minutes photographing Olympia at close range with a wideangle lens, trying to stress her eyes above all. My own abstracted hand appears in the upper left hand corner – a gesture of love for this affectionate dog who belongs to my son and his wife. By petting Olympia while photographing her, I was able to distract her from smelling or licking the camera. The image is a study in incongruity – the single eye with its catch-light reflecting a nearby window contrasts strikingly to the heavy coat, which distinguishes this breed. Since Olympia is a monochromatic subject, some might wonder why I chose to use this image in color. The answer rests in my flesh colored hand. In black and white, the hand would appear as a mysteriously abstracted distraction, while in color, it becomes an essential part of the portrait.
26-DEC-2006
Berber cook, Ouirgane, Morocco, 2006
We had lunch with a rural family in Ouirgane. Our hostess graciously allowed me to make this portrait of her in her country kitchen. I do not give directions to my subject. I let them do whatever comes naturally. After a few minutes of awkward self-conscious posing, she became used to my camera and relaxed. She walked over the fireplace to get warm, folded her hands and patiently waited for me to finish. I pulled my zoom back to its widest focal length, 35mm, to get as much of the environment in as I could. I was working with the light from a single light bulb high overhead. The dim light forced me to shoot this picture hand-held, at 1/5th of a second. However, my camera’s excellent image stabilization system allowed me to obtain the equivalent of a 1/20th of a second exposure. I like the way she spontaneously made a triangle out of her arms. She echoes the triangular shape of the fireplace hood behind her. This image goes beyond description. It tells us what kind of a person she is – competent, patient, and good-natured.
26-DEC-2006
Donkey handler, Ouirgane, Morocco, 2006
Ouirgane is a few hours out of Marrakesh, high in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Visitors can take an hour-long ride on a donkey there to visit old graveyards, and men such as this fellow take care of them. I saw peer around a wall as he waited for a customer and thought the gesture gave us a sense of the man – curious, and perhaps a bit impatient. The donkey, meanwhile adds environmental context.
19-DEC-2006
Blue Man, Sahara Desert, Morocco, 2006
The Blue Men of the Sahara originated in Timbuktu. Berber Taureg's, they wear distinctive blue scarves on their heads. This man lives a nomadic life in the Sahara. We visited with him in his desert tent, which allowed me to take advantage of the soft light from the doorway, which was illuminating his head and shoulders. His black robes vanished into the shadows. I normally avoid making head and shoulder portraits unless there is something very special about the head and shoulder area. In this case, there was. The vivid blue –a primary color – sets off the skin tones nicely and gives identity to him as a member of the Blue Man tribe.
27-DEC-2006
Assertion, Marrakesh, Morocco, 2006
One of the advantages of traveling with a company such as Overseas Adventure Travel in Morocco is the continuing opportunity to interact with a cross section of Moroccan society. We had tea with desert nomads, lunched with farmers, and were served meals in the homes of middle and upper class Moroccan professionals. This woman, our luncheon hostess in Marrakesh, was urbane and articulate. A mother of two, she spoke several languages. Here, she explains Moroccan cooking to us. (Her "tangine" was the best I tasted in Morocco.) This image expresses her assertiveness, poise, beauty, and intelligence. I photographed her from a low angle because I wanted the viewer to sense the sense of authority she brings to her presentation.
16-DEC-2006
Produce man, Fez, Morocco, 2006
The produce man tests his product in the souks of Fez. Except for the key hanging from his neck, this portrait could have been 100 years ago. I cherish the rich coloration of this image – it is warm, rich, and timeless. He grips his greens in one hand, and tastes them with the other. I assume he is checking their freshness. This portrait expresses a sense of duty – he seems intense, experienced, and efficient. I like the way the curve of greens in his lap and hand echo the curve of rusted metal next to him. It is very typical of the souks of Fez – ancient, chaotic, jumbled, and often, to western eyes at least, surprising.
09-DEC-2006
Baker, El Jadida, Morocco, 2006
We passed through El Jadida on the way down the Atlantic Coast from Casablanca to Essaouira. I photographed this woman making bread at a roadside restaurant. She was so excited as I photographed her at work. I could feel her energy just looking at this portrait. This image is all about spontaneity – I photographed her for about five minutes, making dozens of images, and this one best expresses her spontaneous enthusiasm. We had lunch here, and I had some of this freshly baked Moroccan bread. It was superb.
20-DEC-2006
A ray of light, Sahara Desert, Morocco, 2006
I photographed this little girl on the floor of her adobe hut, grazed by a shaft of light from its sole window. She watched with fascination as her mother served tea to us. Photographing in backlight such as this is very difficult. We must accept the burned out window – there is no way to hold detail in it and still get detail in the dark room. I underexposed the scene in order to hold the form of the shaft of light, and managed to get enough reflection from it to softly light the face of the child. I wanted to express both the vulnerability and the curiosity of the child. I used burst shooting, making about 20 pictures of her. This was the moment I wanted to preserve.
21-DEC-2006
Youth, Tineghir, Morocco, 2006
This is of the gracious secondary school students who greeted us at Tineghir's boarding institution for girls. I cropped her as closely in my frame to echo the way her scarf crops her face. I moved her to the right of the frame to add a touch of tension to the image. The portrait is softly shadowed, while her response to the camera is one of gentle curiosity. It is a portrait of a young Moroccan woman -- direct, straightforward, and memorable.
17-DEC-2006
Semi-nomads, Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco, 2006
On our way from Fez to the Sahara, we paid a brief visit to the modest log home of a family of semi-nomadic people. They had no electric power or windows -- I made this dual portrait with the light from the single door to the dwelling. Neither woman looks at us, which makes the viewer an observer. The women express a sense of quiet patience – they tolerate our visit with kindness and good grace. The primary subject wears primary red – it warms both the image and the character of the woman who is wearing it. The woman who wears an almost monochromatic sweater recedes into the background, providing context for the primary subject.
20-DEC-2006
Portrait in black, Alnif, Morocco, 2006.
The dusty town of Alnif is on the road from the Sahara to the High Atlas Mountains. This woman in black, probably in town to do her marketing, is my memory of this place. She was staring at me, but we cannot see her eyes. She expresses the traditional Islamic modesty, her face largely swathed in black fabric. Her body language and hands, however, speak to us. In spite of the heat and her enshrouding, she is relaxed, confident, and above all, mysterious.