14-OCT-2009
Layers, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009
These people were preparing a shipment on the street in front of their shop. I used a super wideangle 14mm focal length to stress the size of the package in the foreground layer, yet still include the emotional responses of the shopkeepers in the middle layer and their shop as context in the background layer. The marketplace is always a story waiting to be told. In this case, we wonder why the woman seems to be so dismayed as the man brings an energetic finish to the task at hand.
01-OCT-2009
Public Market, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada, 2009
A superwide 14mm lens embraces the vivid colors of fruits and vegetables on display at a spot where two aisles converge. I used a camera with a flip out viewfinder, and held this wide=angle lens high over my head in order to create this triangular composition. By spot metering on the brightest reflected light here, I caused the aisles and much of the background to fall into dark shadow, further intensifying the impact of both form and color. This marketplace is known for its abundant fresh produce, and this image offers validation.
01-OCT-2009
Shoppers, Public Market, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada, 2009
This image expresses the differences in how shoppers perceive their experience. The woman in the center is the most emotional – her gaze seems to be one of awe and wonder. The woman at right is just as interested in the products she is seeing, but more restrained in her response. Meanwhile, the softly focused man in the background seems more puzzled than excited – offering me a layer of contrast.
12-APR-2009
Bridal shop window, Nogales, Arizona, 2009
These mannequins, displaying wedding finery in a Nogales bridal shop’s side window, are studies in opposites. The figure in the veiled white bridal gown looks away, as if she is being drawn towards the world of married life. On the other hand, the figure in the purple gown and tiara peers seems to peer around a dark panel at us, its arm poised as if it is ready to flee. This pairing of figures tells us that the traditions of marriage, and all that comes with them, may not be for everyone. I’m sure the display window designers did not intend to say this -- it does not fit their marketing objective, but given my vantage point, the play of light and shadow, and the power of gesture, that’s the story I am telling with this image.
09-NOV-2008
Homogeneity, Kairouan, Tunisia, 2008
Eight identical mannequins display eight different costumes in the Kairouan medina. I used a 24mm wideangle lens and moved in as close as I could on the orange dress at the left hand edge to anchor the image. The wider the lens, the greater the depth of focus – at 24mm all eight mannequins remain reasonably sharp. The lack of variation from mannequin to mannequin – only the costumes change – is incongruous and implies that the shoppers here are comfortable with conformity.
13-NOV-2008
Innocence, Douze, Tunisia, 2008
The weekly sheep market at Douze, at the gates of the Sahara Desert, offers visions of innocence. In this grouping, I found a lamb and a ewe seeking shelter under the horn of a ram. The body of another sheep lends its support to all. The image becomes even more poignant when we realize that these animals have no idea of the fate that soon awaits them. Our visit to the sheep market, like so many other places on our tour of Tunisia, coincided with the worst light of the day. To avoid harsh, ugly contrasts, I looked for subjects in the shade, such as this grouping.
08-NOV-2008
Greener pastures, Sousse, Tunisia, 2008
The beauty of this marketplace image is its simplicity. The shopper faces away from the camera, becoming an abstraction. Because we can’t see her face, our attention shifts to the antsy child, who seems to wish he were elsewhere at this moment. I built the image around its coloration – the whitewashed walls and gray floor and stoop echo the gray and white clothing of the shopper. The red counter inside the store repeats the red crate and red advertisements on the building wall.
07-NOV-2008
Sale, Sousee, Tunisia, 2008
This colorful image replicates the view of a shopping tourist, facing a luxury of extensive choice at this stall in the Sousse medina. As we study the image, two bizarre incongruities appear – a mannequin wearing an orange dress, and the head of another mannequin wearing a blue cap. Another incongruity is the presence of price tags, which are rarely seen in Tunisian marketplaces, where bargaining is mandatory.
06-APR-2008
Antique shop, Chor Bazaar, Mumbai, India, 2008
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, was the last stop on our three week visit to India. Its Thieves Market, known as the Chor Bazaar, is overflowing with crowded, dusty antique and bric-a-brac shops. The worn figure, its paint fading and peeling, represents the storybook Bombay of Kipling and the Raj. It, too, has faded slowly away, replaced by an overwhelmingly commercial environment, which I represent with the advertising signage behind the figure.
03-JAN-2008
Economics of the street, Vinh Long, Vietnam, 2008
This image is packed with layers,each of them symbolizing a different aspect of Vietnam's booming economy. The woman in the foreground selling fruits and vegetables represents the agricultural economics of the past, while the motorbike behind her, which has come to symbolize Vietnam more than the conical hat on her head, speeds us into the present. Next to it, a watch salesman plies his trade, gold is being brought and sold, and two mannequins seem to incongruously rush from the store, trumpeting the newest in local fashion. Vietnam is a Communist country with a Capitalistic marketplace. Everything from hot peppers to flashy Chinese watches to slightly used motorbikes to pure gold and silken garments are for sale on its streets, and the prices conform to the laws of supply and demand. By layering all of this into one image, I try to express how Vietnam’s frenetic marketplace is evolving.
05-JAN-2008
Shopping at the floating market, Can Tho, Vietnam, 2008
Hundreds of vendors and buyers alike take to the waters of one of the Mekong's branches to buy and sell goods of all kinds, beginning at dawn. What makes this kind of market so unique is that everything floats and much of it is in motion. It is difficult to separate buyer from seller – sometimes they could one and the same. This woman appears to be shopping – her small boat seems well filled and she is definitely gong somewhere. When photographing such scenes, I look for a center of interest amidst the chaos. In this case, I found it in this woman.
08-NOV-2007
Sales clerk, Hubbell Trading Post, Ganado, Arizona, 2007
The Hubbell Trading Post at Ganado, Arizona, had served the Navajo Nation for over 100 years. It became part of the US National Park Service in 1967, and has been maintained as an active trading post ever since. Nothing has changed here over the years except the goods on the shelves and the prices. We were graciously welcomed by this Navajo sales clerk – he offered us coffee and cookies and told us about the room where works. While he was speaking to us he place his hand over his heart, which to me was a gesture of sincerity. This trading post has always been more than a store – it was the heart of the Navajo community in the region. Today it serves largely tourists, but the local Indians still meet and greet each other here.
