08-SEP-2007
The People’s Park, Shanghai, China, 2007
This image expresses the human value of irony. This man finds himself alone in a beautiful park, surrounded by elegant landscaping, yet he seems bored, and perhaps a bit forlorn. Boredom and sadness are also human values, and no doubt other human values can be attributed to this image as well. This photograph leads us to wonder why the man appears so sad. Is he waiting for someone who has not yet arrived? Or is he awash in poignant memories? I want my viewers to identify with this man, put themselves in his place, and think about the human values the image represents.
02-SEP-2007
Rickshaw Driver, Malacca, Malaysia, 2007
Business was slow, the sun was hot, and the man was obviously sleepy. The Malaysian flag, seen at lower left, is similar to the US flag, with its red and white stripes and a blue field in the corner -- only its field bears a golden crescent and sun instead of white stars. He will rest here until there is work for him to do. The hat, flowers and decoration all add context. The image reflects several human values: rest, relaxation, and a casual, informal lifestyle.
04-SEP-2007
Commuters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2007
This couple was waiting for a commuter train in Kuala Lumpur's vintage railroad station. Outside of a few photographers, they had the whole station to themselves. I isolate them by filling half of the image with a blue advertising panel, making them seem even more alone. Isolation is a human value, and so are the love and dependency we see expressed between them.
13-SEP-2007
Determination, Pingyao, China, 2007
This woman uses an old stool as a walker. She moved towards me very slowly, with each and every step a great effort. I could sense her determination, and I tried to express it in this image. Determination, perseverance, patience, doggedness are all human values, and they are all present to a degree in this photograph.
09-JUN-2007
Farmer’s Market, Petaluma, California, 2007
Locals come to Petaluma’s Farmer’s Market to buy food, crafts and enjoy refreshment. The day has probably not been much fun for this dad -- he has probably just refreshed his insatiable young daughter for the fifth time in the last hour. The human values that come through here are irritation and stoicism, mixed with a bit of endurance.
08-MAY-2007
Patience, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007
I photographed this man in the garden of a senior citizen’s residence. He sits in the shade outside his apartment, motionless in thought, with his hands folded on his lap. It is the body language of patience -- the ability to wait things out. Patience is also a human value that can be expressed photographically. The stairway at right, which recalls a time when this residence was a luxury hotel, is marked by stars and leads up and away into the darkness. To me, the stairs symbolize the challenges that may come to all of us during our journeys through life. After taking each step, we earn our own stars. This man most likely has seen his own share of challenges. He probably no longer goes to work. Instead, he comes to this pleasant place to spend his days in rest and in patience.
08-MAY-2007
Isolation, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007
Isolation is a human value. It is the state of being separate. Without the presence of family or friends, many older people must deal with a sense of isolation every day. To express that human value, I photographed the face of a person who was sitting in an alcove in the entry hallway of a senior citizens residence. Although others are near, the walls and depth of the alcove create a sense of isolation. The light source is coming from a doorway on the right. I used my spot meter to expose for the highlights on one side of the face and the glasses. The face seems to float in alone in the darkness. The heavily textured edge of the alcove wall offers the additional symbolic context of rough and aged plaster, intensifying the sense of isolation here.
28-APR-2007
Resident, former Westward Ho Hotel, Phoenix, Arizona, 2007
We came to the remains of the former Westward Ho, one of Phoenix’s first luxury hotels, to marvel at its faded beauty. Yet the most moving part of our visit was the few minutes we spent talking with one of its present residents who we found sitting in a wheelchair, cradling his dog in his arms. He is one of many disabled people who now live in subsidized government housing here. He graciously posed for me, and I made several images of him with a smile on his face. However the most poignant image I made of him was this one, when he turned from the camera to look through a distant door at the outside world. I underexposed the image to darken the tile floor dating back to 1928 when the hotel was built. I placed him off to one side, creating a sense of distance, and room for remembrance. Meanwhile, he gave comfort to his small dog, just as his dog no doubt gave comfort to him. Distance, remembrance and comfort are all human values that need no explanation.
29-DEC-2006
Woman in white, Marrakesh, Morocco, 2006
I did not see many women wearing the characteristic white haik in Marrakesh. It is more often seen in places such as Essaouira. Both of these women carry plastic sacks, a sure sign that they have been shopping. This image uses contrasting costumes to express such human values as tradition vs. modernity, modesty, and mystery. The woman at right is most likely a family member or friend. She walks one step behind the woman in white, which implies such human values as deference and courtesy.
19-DEC-2006
Nomads, Sahara Desert, Morocco, 2006
I was photographing this woman from a distance with a 375mm telephoto lens when I noticed that there was a small child hiding behind her. I kept photographing until the child’s curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked out at me. Curiosity is a human value, and in this case a very important one. These nomads knew very little about us – we must have appeared as aliens from another planet. I have no doubt that both this woman and her child were very curious about us and our presence in their remote land.
16-DEC-2006
In the medina, Fez, Morocco, 2006
I was not sure if this vendor sells bread, magazines or both. But he catches up on his reading while waiting for customers in the labyrinthine Fez medina. This image expresses such human values as diligence and curiosity. Morocco’s literacy rate is very low, which would make one wonder if this man can read the magazines in his hand. Perhaps he is just looking at the pictures. We will never know, so there is a good bit of mystery here as well. The fact that his hands and visible but his face is not brings the human value of mystery into this image as well. The expressive value of this image is essentially based on its abstract approach. The dark, hooded face is far more stimulating to the imagination than a fully illuminated face would be here.
28-DEC-2006
Doomed rams, Attaouia, Morocco, 2006
The Sacrifice of the Ram is a national Islamic holiday in Morocco. At year's end, every family buys a ram and then sacrifices it as part of a religious tradition. We were at the Attaouia Market only a few days before the holiday and saw many rams being brought and sold. This pair has probably been already purchased and is being stored under a net in the back of a truck. They have no idea their days are numbered. While no people appear in this image, it implies such human values as sacrifice, tradition, faith, helplessness, and for some, perhaps even a touch of cruelty.