Raw, Guileless
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Although I've had an obsession with photography since I built my first pinhole camera back in elementary school, it wasn't until I married a Salvadoran and began to travel to his country that portrait photography became my great passion—photographs of people living their real lives, children, in particular. In El Salvador, then in southern Spain, then in Juarez, San Miguel de Allende, and West and North Philadelphia, I have been confronted, again and again, with the raw, guileless beauty I ache to carry home.
The camera frees me from the need for conversation. It demands of me an observer's stance. It requires no vocabulary—not, at least, right then, when the child stands before me, in her bird-colored dress.
13 comments:
Portraits can reveal so much about a person when they are taken at exactly the right moment. You have achieved this here.
I was trying to write something profound :-)
But two wiggley boys have inspired brevity.
I like my camera, despite the inconsistant results. I like the cocoon I am wrapped in behind the lense. I am encapsulated in my own private world from which I have a moment, a second, to absorb the scene before me. Like that rare moment when a witty comment comes to me at the right moment, versus 3 days later, the camera enables me the clear head to respond and not just react.
That's a beautiful photo. I'm so glad I clicked on it to see the enlarged photo because it shows the detail so much more clearly.
Oh, how I love photography!
p.s. I know you already received it, but I had to give you the zombie chicken award again... just because :)
'Her bird-colored dress' - how perfect that description and what a wonderful photograph, Beth. It is the kind of moment that all of us who use the camera to record the world as we see it, look for very carefully - and more often than not, very quietly. A camera tells you to be silent, don't you think, in order that you focus all your attention on what it is you wish to 'say' when you capture a moment in time.
(I was wondering if you'd like a matted giclée print - the original belongs to a friend - of the painting I posted a little while ago and which made you think of a younger Lady of San Miguel de Allende? My email addy is makula.mafuta@btinternet.com.)
Bird-colored...I love it.
Portraits are some of my favorite things in the world.
Q, have I told you lately how smart you are?
Sierra, beautifully put. I think your boys aid your in your thoughtfulness.
Lillian, thank you for looking so closely.
ER, Tessa, Cuilean, you make this blog a better place....
Sorry, the above was me in the wrong account.
What a wanted to say, is that photography can capture the essence of a person, a place. This photo finds so much. Love it.
Thank you for sharing the beauty you bring home.
I love photos of people in real situations where you get a sense of their lives and emotions.
Beautiful girl, beautiful photograph.
Thanks for sharing.
You have such a gift, Beth - it shows in every one of your shots.
Thank you for taking us into your photographic world....
XO
Anna
How can a picture show you can't talk to this small waif in a language she will understand?
You built your first pinhole camera in elementary school? Of course I had to Google it (told you, virtual time suck) and I am so impressed!
You capture such beauty and it is such a treat to see.
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