Timeless India

Just last night, I found out that my photographic series "Timeless India" was accepted into Review Santa Fe. I was thrilled! RSF is a prestigious portfolio review event that involves meeting with influential people such as gallery owners, museum curators, publishers, etc. This event will occur the first weekend in June, so I have plenty of time to gather promotional materials and organize my thoughts.

India is such a colorful place that I was surprised to find certain images worked better in black and white or sepia. I sifted through hundreds of images to experiment. Here are a few of my favorites. In the case of the photo of women stooping to sweep leaves, I think color and black and white work equally well. What do you think? The beggar in front of the wall turned away from me when he saw my camera, but I love that he is looking perhaps wistfully at adverts for places he could never go. Or maybe he wasn't really looking at them at all. The musician, the weaver, the little girl with such intense eyes...without color, there is nothing to distract from the essence of these images.

Color, for a change

Spring in is the air (sort of, I'm in Michigan at the moment) so let's bring in some color!

My photographic expedition to India in November 2009 introduced me to a riot of colors and smells and sounds, oh my, all of which can easily overwhelm a westerner like me. It was by far the most intense experience of my life.

I took over 2500 photos in India. That seems outrageous, but let me explain one of my methods of capturing the right moment. If I see a background that I like, for instance this painted Sai Baba wall, I find a good vantage point. then I stand there, frame the scene the way I like it, and wait for passers-by. It takes patience and intent. Plenty of people walked past that wall one direction and the other, and I have about a dozen different photos to document that fact. This one stands out. The balance of colors and movement work well. The wall by itself is only mildly interesting, and the men are much more so in this context. And of course I'm wondering...are they going to go to the gypsy dance?

One of my favorite scenes to stumble upon was the swarm of saris (I just made that up, but it works) at a village market. These young women were buying shoes, laughing, talking, trying them on. One on the far left turned to regard me, but I didn't see her at the time. When I saw the image I realize that it is her gesture that makes the photo come alive.

The flower vendor at the market has such a sweet face, a contast to the sadness in the gypsy boy's eyes.