16-OCT-2013
Patience, Columbus Circle, New York City, New York, 2013
This food vendor, clad in a striking yellow rain jacket, has just stepped away from his curbside cart. His thoughts seem far away as he awaits his next customer. His stance and expression are relaxed. Hands tucked into his trouser pockets, he expresses the human value of patience. A woman, also wearing yellow, moves swiftly past him on one side, while a semi-circular line of aluminum parking barriers draw the eye to the context provided by the shops and commuters in the distant background.
14-FEB-2013
Off duty, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013
On my way out of this historic Atlanta church, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. once served as co-pastor with his father, I found this Labrador Retriever guide dog curled up on the bright red carpet below a pew in the back of the hall. On the seat above it rests a National Park Service Ranger’s hat, wrapped within a ranger’s jacket. Its master, the National Park Service ranger who manned the desk at the church entrance, is handicapped. The dog seems totally at home here – yet it also seems to take responsibility for watching after its absent master’s property, even though it is off duty at the moment. The human values expressed by this image are abundant: relaxation, loyalty, responsibility, protection, and cooperation are all implied here in an extremely humane manner. The religious context amplifies the values and adds meaning.
14-FEB-2013
At thought, Little Five Points, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013
Caught between a pickup truck and a barbeque shop, this man appears to be lost in his own thoughts. While he rests his arm on the truck, he does not seem to be aware of it. He ignores the presence of the shop as well. His mind is elsewhere. We feel his boredom, and perhaps a touch of weariness as well. We may be reduced to observers, yet we can relate to such human values as these. The photograph asks us to imagine what he might be thinking about, and gives us a chance to find our own answers.
15-FEB-2013
Discovery, Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013
This young student has momentarily detached himself from his schoolmates as they toured the historical exhibits in Georgia’s State Capitol building. He lowers himself to the floor to get a closer view of the contents of a showcase. My camera found him as he became totally absorbed in what he was seeing. He never even looked up. He was studying objects that represented part of his state’s long and troubled history, and was reading the captions about them with awe etched upon his face. Human values such as knowledge and discovery underscore this image, while the warm, reflected light from the showcase implies further values such as innocence and wonder.
07-FEB-2013
Out of luck, Little Havana, Miami, Florida, 2013
As the late afternoon light grazed his weary body, this man was scratching the surface of lottery card after lottery card. The ground is littered with losing numbers. He looks as if the card in his hand has proved to be just as worthless. The image expresses such human values as resignation, frustration, dejection, and exhaustion. The warmth of the colors and the light stand in stark contrast to the lost hopes scattered upon the ground around him.
22-NOV-2011
Bus stop, Kusadasi, Turkey, 2011
I made this shot from a moving bus. The early morning light illuminates the edges of the bus shelter to create a glowing frame around the lone woman who waits patiently within. The light also catches the tops of her shoes and one knee – she seems suspended in in time and space. She ignores the large advertisement that stares at us from within the shelter. The light draws the eye beyond the shelter as well – leading to another large advertisement, well outside the shelter. While indistinct, it still echoes the shape of the poster within the shelter. Patience is a human value, and it is well defined by this image.
27-NOV-2011
Conflicting emotions, Barcelona, Spain, 2011
This woman was sitting along the edge of a Sunday market. She exhibited a range of emotional responses as I photographed her from a distance. The frown on her face seems to express displeasure, yet her interlocked fingers, casually crossed legs, and warm, fuzzy winter clothing seem to contradict the frown by expressing and attitude of casual comfort and relaxation. The conflicting emotions and the visual insights into her personality expressed in this picture underscore the complex role of human values in expressive photography. Humans are complicated individuals, capable of expressing multiple human values – even conflicting ones -- in any given instant.
01-SEP-2011
Bus stop, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
Three women wait for a bus in a steady drizzle. Two of them hold young children, one wrapped in a blanket, the other in a garbage bag. The human values expressed in this image are perseverance, patience, and protection. The intent expressions of the women, along with the pair of bundles held closely to their bodies, convey these values to the viewer.
01-SEP-2011
Waiting, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This woman is also waiting for a bus on rainy day. She holds a small package in her arms, and rests an arm on a large walking stick. The detail that best projects a human value in this image is the traditional Panama hat, wrapped carefully in a plastic bag to keep it dry in the rain. She maintains a cultural tradition, yet fastidiously protects her carefully woven straw hat from the rain. Her expression also conveys a human value – she seems to be somewhat anxious for the bus to come.
01-SEP-2011
Boredom, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I found these teenagers waiting for customers in a stall at Cuenca’s huge Fiera Libra Market. They seem to echo each other’s hand gestures, each of them supporting their heads in a gesture of complete rest. Relaxation, boredom, and patience, are all human values that can be expressed by this image.
07-SEP-2011
Family outing, Biblian, Ecuador, 2011
Four members of this family wear white rounded hats while watching an icon of the Virgin of Rocio being paraded through the streets of this village located about an hour outside of Cuenca. The human value present in this image is tradition – the headgear, the costumes, and the religious procession are all expressive of the Andean Highland culture itself.
12-SEP-2011
San Francisco Market, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This woman is waiting for customers to stop at her clothing stall, one of many that line the huge market in the center of Cuenca’s old city. She wraps herself in jewelry and a shawl, staring impassively at the potential customers who flow past her stall. I see the human values being expressed here as patience, wisdom, experience, and resignation – she has obviously been doing what she does for a long time, and seems to accept the nature of her business. A figure of a man, perhaps a customer who has chosen to rest here for a moment, stands back to back with her, offers a striking background contrast to the white shawl.
14-SEP-2011
Child at play, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
This boy plays on the street at the doorstep of his home, intent on driving a toy truck along the road of his own imagination. Such human values as creativity, fantasy, and control are all expressed through his intense expression and actions.
24-SEP-2011
At the wall, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
The warmth of a rare sunny morning in Cuenca bathes this scene in warm light, rendering the figure of a young man relaxing against a heavily textured wall as a sculpture in light and shadow. He appears to be at rest, yet there is clearly a wary caution present in his posture. I see human values such as anxiety and tension present in this image.
09-MAY-2011
Fun, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2011
These children were attending a picnic at Scottsdale’s Civic Center Park. They were full of energy, and at the moment were engaged in a game of creating "human sandwiches." The child on the bottom is squealing in delight, and has a piece of blue gum hanging out of her mouth. This image expresses the human value at the core of uninhibited childs-play: fun.
14-APR-2011
Ventriloquists dummy, Miami, Arizona, 2011
I found this dummy in an antique store window. Its head-down position expresses fatigue or sadness, both human values. By using my spot meter, I am able to darken the shadows surrounding it, and make it seem abandoned, still another human value.
18-DEC-2010
Favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2010
A favela is the term used to describe a Brazilian shanty town. Most of Rio’s favelas date to the 1940s when the country’s industrialization drew thousands of migrants into the city. They mushroomed in the 1970s, when the flooding of Rio’s low-lying slums drove residents into the makeshift towns on the city’s hills. Today, twenty per cent of Rio’s population lives in favelas. Most of them live in poverty, their lives ruled by drug lords. Garbage is seldom collected – much of it is left piled on the streets. The lone figure in this image is dwarfed by the trash piled below graffiti covered barriers. The image implies a number of human values: endurance, acceptance, and impoverishment all come to mind.
19-DEC-2010
Birthday party, Buzios, Brazil, 2010
This young woman, celebrating her birthday in Buzios, a beach town near Rio, is savoring the moment. She closes her eyes as she brings a celebratory morsel to her lips. No doubt she anticipates its taste, while simultaneously smelling its fragrance. The human values of pleasure, anticipation, and satisfaction are all present here.
28-DEC-2010
Incarceration, Devils Island, French Guyana, 2010
A tourist from a visiting cruise ship clutches the rusting bars of a cell at Devil’s Island, the notorious French penal colony that operated from 1852 to 1946. Most of the 80,000 prisoners who were sent here were never seen again. Such thoughts seem to be in the mind of this visitor – this image could express such human values as empathy, sadness, and despair. The light and shadow playing upon the bars move from light into darkness, underscoring the grim history of this place.
08-SEP-2010
Shyness, Mission Beach, San Diego, California, 2010
I was able to express the human value of shyness in this encounter along Mission Beach. A mother is enthusiastically telling her young daughter about this fisherman and his catch. At the moment they pass the fisherman, the child averts her eyes and bites her lower lip, unwilling to acknowledge the presence of either fisherman or his tiny fish. As soon as the fisherman was gone, the child became herself again, reveling in the evening tide. The next image in this gallery was made just three minutes after I made this picture. It expresses an entirely different set of human values. ( See
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/128757519 )
08-SEP-2010
Exuberance, Mission Beach, San Diego, California, 2010
Three minutes after making the previous image of this mother and child passing a fisherman on Mission Beach, (See
http://www.pbase.com/image/128757516 ), they had moved up the beach a considerable distance. The main the subject, the young child, now generates an entirely different human value: exuberance. She is giddy with excitement as she walks in the surf. I found her exerting maximum diagonal pressure on her mother’s arm as she feels the cool touch of the small waves on her feet. A pair of shorebirds at left and right surrender space to the pair of people who pay them no heed.
19-JUL-2010
Remembrance, West Dover, Vermont, 2010
Four very old tombstones, the flow of green grass, and an American flag comprise an image of remembrance, which is a universal human value. The grass is high, and filled with tiny wildflowers, adding a layer of pinkish texture to the image.
11-JUL-2010
Urgency, New York City, New York, 2010
The human value of urgency is reflected in this image. A child is virtually dragging her mother across New York’s busy 34th Street. Her father and younger sibling casually bring up the rear, while the family crossing in front of her does not seem to be rushing the matter. A flow of other casual walkers fill the background – only the child in the middle of the image seems to have a sense of urgency here. Why the hurry? My guess is that the child is fearful that the light will change in mid-journey. 34th Street is a very wide street at this point.
10-JUL-2010
Contemplation, New York City, New York, 2010
I saw this woman staring blankly at the street in front of her, her hand to her chin. Her gesture expresses contemplation or thought, both of them universal human values. As I shot her in burst mode, a New York City taxi rushed between her and my camera. One of my exposures framed her within the window of that taxi, giving the image a sense of place as well.
09-JUL-2010
Exhaustion, New York City, New York, 2010
In the summer, New York’s subway traps and holds the heat underground, turning its stations into ovens. Only the trains themselves are air-conditioned. I saw this man waiting for a train at City Hall Station. He wears a tank top, which tells us something about the weather. At the moment I shot, he lifted a towel or shirt to his face, as if to somehow cool down. The human value expressed by this image is exhaustion – his hand to head gesture expresses it perfectly.
07-JUN-2010
Family, Durango, Colorado, 2010
The interaction of the members of this family, seated just outside Durango’s railroad depot and gift shop, is rich in human values. I assume that the couple in the middle of this image are the parents of the young child seen here reaching for the bill of her fathers cap. He leans towards the child, encouraging its explorations. The women on either side observe the scene with a sense of humor. The yellow balloon and the yellow shirt of the woman on the left lend a festive air to the scene, and link the family to the yellow wall of the depot just behind. In the window of that depot, a woman shops, unaware of the domestic tableau being played out just below her. The image provides a sense of family, offers a touch of humor, and represents pleasure. All of these are basic human values.
03-JUN-2010
Joy, Settlers Monument, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
A group of teens were enjoying an evening of each other’s company at the base of Santa Fe’s imposing Settlers Monument. I caught this young woman as she threw back her head to laugh. Just behind her, a life-sized sculpture of a steer, its bronze horns rubbed to a golden shine, incongruously seems to listen to her laughter. This image is all about the human values of joy, the lack of inhibition, and of course, the pleasure of friendship.
21-NOV-2009
At the Westward Ho, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
Residents of the Westward Ho, a low-income senior housing complex in downtown Phoenix, seem to congregate around its main entrance. They enjoy passing time with other residents, and sometimes bring a snack to enjoy as well. While on a shoot in Phoenix with one of my tutorial students, I found this woman sitting a few feet from the glass entrance door. The light strikes her from the side, and when she turned towards the entrance, I made this image. It speaks of relaxation and contemplation, two very common human values. The banana in her hand symbolizes nourishment, still another human value. The reflection on the floor underscores her contemplative manner.
11-NOV-2009
Awestruck, Wupatki National Monument, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2009
Pictures of ruined walls rarely interest me. I look instead of images that tell a story and reflect human values. I watched as this man studied the ruin of the Wupatki Pueblo, a 100-room structure that housed 85-100 people about 800 years ago. The Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni still tell stories of what happened here. Perhaps such stories are running through the imagination of this man as he stares awestruck, his hand resting upon his heart, into the structure before him. I made this photograph with a long telephoto focal length from a great distance away. I never interrupted his study – he must have stood there for several minutes, lost in what appears to be deeply reverent thought.
14-NOV-2009
Staying awake, Southern Utah, 2009
It was a miserable day for driving, yet this woman had to safely transport a group of photographers several hundred miles through rain, snow, and sleet, much of it over mountainous terrain. We stopped for coffee midway on the journey, and she carried her cup back to the van, sipping it as she drove. I watched as the light coming through the wet windows cast a diffused glow on her profile, highlighting the intensity in her eye. I shot just as she pressed the plastic lid to her lips and nose. Intensity is a human value, and it is very much on display here. The caffeine (along with some loud music as well as continuous chatter from other five photographers in the van) help keep her alert and awake as she brings us safely towards home.
22-OCT-2009
Calm, Cismigiu Garden, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
Cismigiu Gardens is a large park in the center of Bucharest. It was created in 1860, when 30,000 trees, plants and shrubs were brought in from all over Romania. Today the park serves as an urban refuge, an oasis of calm in the middle of a chaotic city. This man seemed utterly calm as he sat alone on a bench, his leg extended, his heel often rising slightly off the ground. Otherwise he remained quiet, the very essence of that most contemplative of human values.
21-OCT-2009
Authority, Liberty Boulevard, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
An Orthodox Catholic nun raises an authoritative hand to hail a taxi outside the city’s massive House of the People, the second largest building in the world. Her fellow sisters dutifully follow her lead. Authority and duty are both human values, embodied in this image.
19-OCT-2009
Circus, Kiev, Ukraine, 2009
A colorful quilted poster featuring a happy clown is mounted on the permanent home of the Kiev Circus. Dozens of Kievites walked past this poster while I was framing this shot, and none of them seemed as happy, particularly this person, whose blurred form suggests resignation and disinterest. In juxtaposing a symbol of the human value of happiness with a person who seems anything but happy, I am able to create an incongruous image.
22-OCT-2009
Piano practice, Bucharest, Romania, 2009
One of the highlights of our visit to Bucharest was an evening at the home of the local pbase photographer, Lorin Niculae (
http://www.pbase.com/lorin ). Along with Romanian Pizza (delicious) and his magnificent collection of antique cameras, Lorin shared his pride in eight year daughter Silvia’s skill at the piano. I made this image of Silvia as she practiced, putting her out of focus and featuring the massive sheets of music she has mastered. This image expresses the human values of artistry and discipline, both very much part of musical expression. Silvia is also a photographer and made her first images when she was three. She showed me her Minolta A1, and some of the images she has made with it are posted on her father’s site at
http://www.pbase.com/lorin/le_foto_di_silviaioana
24-SEP-2009
Energy, King Street, Toronto, Canada, 2009
Energy is very much a human value. And Toronto is full of energy, a city of vitality, dynamism, and spirit. People often don’t merely walk in Toronto – they stride vigorously, outpacing all before them. I made this image on King Street in downtown Toronto at the height of the evening rush. I focus on a woman, loaded down with three bags, who moves briskly into the sunset, shielding her eyes as she paces forward. I add context by layering a softly focused helmeted cyclist into the foreground. She moves in the other direction, her highlighted bent arm echo the bent arm of the woman behind her. The cyclist’s flaming red costume and backpack play against her shadowy anonymity. Together, these figures express the energy of one of Canada’s great cities.
25-SEP-2009
Knowledge, Aboard The Canadian, Ontario, Canada, 2009
Humans depend on knowledge for their existence. Knowledge is an important human value. For example, even the knowledge gleaned from the pages of a daily newspaper can be important in shaping our own context for understanding the world around us. I found this man reading the business pages of Canada’s national newspaper – The Globe and Mail – in the club car of the country’s prime transcontinental passenger train, The Canadian. I place myself at the edge of a partition, which allows me to show the windowed wall on the outside of the club compartment, as well as the reader, who sits in the interior. The man is anonymous – he represents all of us who care about what is happening in the world, and have the time and desire to leisurely read about it length. And that is exactly what transcontinental train passengers have going for them – time, lots of time.
21-JUN-2009
Delusion, Portland, Oregon, 2009
A trembling hand pressed to a head, barely glimpsed through the window of a bus stop shelter covered with graffiti. The fringes of downtown Portland are laden with homeless men such as this one. It was a sad sight, made more so by the contrasting optimistic warm colors of a summer Sunday morning. Delusion is the human value that most comes to mind here.
21-JUN-2009
The reader, Portland, Oregon, 2009
It is disheartening to walk on the fringes of Portland’s downtown – so many along its streets seem lost -- alive, yet without a purpose in life. However this man reads. He seems to read with intensity and deep thought. The well-thumbed book has passed through many hands. I don’t what he may be reading, but I made the image because it expresses two important human values: using the imagination and thinking about ideas. It is heartening to acknowledge that the imagination can flourish even here in a place where so many live in desperation and anguish.
20-JUN-2009
Baggage Room, Amtrak Station, Portland, Oregon, 2009
There is a certain nostalgia that hangs around a railroad station. For more than century, we moved from place to place by train, and the places of our departures and arrivals were like palaces underscoring the importance of our journeys. Portland’s renovated Union Station displays much of its 19th century charm, yet some of its passengers, like this elderly woman, prefer to wait for their trains in what now seem to be baggage rooms. She clasps her hands, elevates one leg, and listens for the call to board. I saw in this image a number of human values -- some anticipation, a stoic sense of patience, and perhaps a touch of nostalgia, a fond remembrance of things past.
11-NOV-2008
The victor, Tozeur, Tunisia, 2008
I found these men playing a Tunisian game in a Tozeur café. I pointed at my camera and smiled. They smiled and nodded back, resuming their game. I made many images, and this one was my last. The man at left grabs all the tiles on the table and, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, spontaneously pulls them toward himself as he mutters the Tunisian phrase for “I win.” This image is rich in human values. The human values of triumph, possessiveness, enthusiasm are present here. The man in the hat looks at me, as if to distance himself from the moment of triumph, while the man in the scarf at right is already calculating his comeback. We see only the resting arms of the fourth player here. They become a symbol for the passive onlooker in all of us.
22-OCT-2008
Landscapers, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2008
This body language of this landscaping crew, at work here in a Scottsdale city park, conveys the human value of teamwork. The three seem to work as one here, their heads moving closer to the ground from left to right as the job gets more intense. I have abstracted the image to strengthen its hold on the viewer’s imagination. We see neither the faces of the men, or the flowers they are planting. What we see instead is the effort itself, and how these men combine the work of three into one.
13-SEP-2008
Fishing, Lower Falls, McCloud River, California, 2008
Relaxation and intensity are human values, and both are present in this image. The woman at left approaches the sport of fishing from a horizontal position, while the fellow seated at right seems to be virtually willing a fish on to his hook. This photograph also illuminates the choices we have life. How we choose to behave, for example, is really up to us. In this case, there is no right or wrong way to go fishing, and this pair proves it.
20-MAY-2008
Child mortality, Chinese Camp, California, 2008
This is a painful image to look at. And pain is a human value that we all share. The death of young children was a fact of life in the California mining camps during the 19th century. This image expresses a sense of loss that began in 1877 and continues on into the 21st century. Mary Ann Kempston died when she was eight years old. (It appears that her three brothers must have died in childhood as well.) A collection of stuffed dolls surrounds Mary Ann’s tombstone. They are sodden from the spring rains. A blue teddy bear lies face down in the mud. The dolls and tombstone are in shadow here – the warmth of the sun does not reach the gravesite. The prone posture of the dolls echo the sense of pain and loss that is felt by visitors to the Catholic Cemetery overlooking the old gold mining town of Chinese Camp 130 years after Mary Ann Kempston’s premature death. Human values are universal – we do not know these people, but we can emotionally share the tragic event evoked in this image because we identify with the victims and their grief stricken parents.
28-APR-2008
Challenger, Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2008
School children use the museum’s broad steps as both picnic area and playground. This boy seems to be issuing a challenge to his classmates as he dashes down the steps toward them. The clenched fists, red shirt, and the angle of the leg express self-confidence and demand the attention of his peers. This image is a virtual catalog of human values, caught in the blink of an eye by the camera’s lens.
29-MAR-2008
Suffering, Varanasi, India, 2008
India’s cities are often polluted. Engines are not to blame. Auto traffic is relatively light. India suffers instead from air laden with the smoke of a million fires and from dust that lies heavily upon the land. These women are suffering from its effects – they cover their mouths so they won’t have to breathe in smoke and dust. I can see resignation on their faces – there is little they can do about it except cover their mouths. Both suffering and resignation are human values, and they are at the core of this image.
27-MAR-2008
Intimacy, Agra Fort, Agra, India, 2008
I found this couple seated at the end of a gallery, alone in their own little world. I framed them with ancient marble columns, and backed them up with a marble wall befitting the emperors who lived here. They can see none of it. They only have eyes for each other – among thousands of visitors, they have carved out their own space, a space expressing the human value of intimacy.
27-DEC-2007
Handicapped children’s school, Dalat, Vietnam, 2007
One of the most moving experiences of our visit to Vietnam was the few hours we spent with the young students at Dalat's Hoa Phong Lan Handicapped Children's School. Most of the children were delighted to see us. This child is looking at some of the visitors through the window of his classroom. To some, the bars might look as if the children are restrained. To me, the bars simply represent the barrier between two worlds – the outside world, and the world of the school itself. We represented the outside world, and this child’s excitement at the prospect of meeting us, learning from us, and sharing something with us was palpable. The entire experience was an adventure in such human values as curiosity, enthusiasm, confusion, pleasure, and in a few cases, avoidance. You can view other images from this school visit by clicking on the thumbnails below.
26-DEC-2007
Walled off, Nha Trang, Vietnam, 2007
The motorbike has changed Vietnam. They have become inexpensive enough to allow almost anyone who wants one to drive one. There are very few private cars in Vietnam, and these motorized bikes are rapidly replacing the ones powered by pedals. The streets of every city and town are over flowing with hundreds of thousands of these mechanized bikes. And when the motorbikes are not jamming the streets, they fill the sidewalks. There are few, if any, no-parking signs in Vietnam. Mobility is a human value. So is immobility. In this image we see symbols of both. The child is too young to drive, yet her life is already defined and circumscribed by the mass of parked machines that wall her off from friends and family. Mechanization is another human value, and it is rapidly becoming the dominant factor in daily life in Vietnam.
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.
29-DEC-2006
Intersection, Marrakesh, Morocco, 2006
Street corners often will often present contrasting stories – each invisible to the other. I saw this man sitting helplessly on one side of this building – alone, and perhaps homeless, ill and distressed. He holds his hands to his face, hiding from both my camera and the world. I saw three women coming down the other side of the building towards him. They do not notice him yet. This trio appears to be members of a family and their body language gives evidence of support and caring among them. This image incongruously compares the human values displayed by the women to those expressed by the man. The fact that each party is invisible to the other here intensifies this contrast.
26-DEC-2006
Donkey rider, Ouirgane, Morocco, 2006
Visitors to the small village of Ouirgane in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains enjoy riding donkeys along its slopes and into its picturesque valleys. The donkey riders come in all sizes, and this one is probably the smallest. Her tiny figure on the large donkey is incongruous in scale. She is too young to hang on – the donkey driver constantly holds her tiny body on to the big blanket that covers the donkey’s back. The human values of vulnerability, support, fear, and perhaps delight, all come to mind.
28-SEP-2006
Free ride, Gardiner, Montana, 2006
We were just about to leave a supermarket in Gardiner, Montana, just outside the Northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park, when a woman roared into the parking lot on an all terrain vehicle. Her large German Shepherd shares the vehicle with her, a study in equanimity. The dog displays several human values in this context – protectiveness, composure, and mental calmness. The woman, of course, takes it all for granted. And the dog apparently enjoys the free ride.
29-SEP-2006
Disoriented elk, Dunhaven Pass, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
We drove behind this male elk for some time as it plodded slowly alongside of the road. It seemed indifferent and disoriented. Later, we talked to a Park Ranger about this behavior – she thought that this male may have been in a mating battle with another elk and had received a blow to the head. On the other hand, it might just be getting old and a bit confused. We drove on ahead of it, parked at a pullout and watched as it approached us. I made this image, using the s-curve of the white line to trace to illuminate its twisting path. Disorientation is a human value – we’ve all been there. We can appreciate what this elk must be going through.
25-SEP-2006
Nuzzle, Fall Creek horse camp, Bridger National Forest, Wyoming, 2006
We meet Randall Perry, a veteran rodeo rider, in this horse camp just outside of Yellowstone National Park. I was making an environmental portrait of him in the golden light of the forest ( click on thumbnail below ) with one of his horses when suddenly the horse took him by surprise and began to nuzzle him. I made this photo just as they came cheek to cheek. Perry reacted with surprise – we can see it in his facial expression and body language. This image is rich in human values such as affection, humor, delight and surprise.
30-SEP-2006
Conversation, Jackson, Wyoming, 2006
I saw these locals conversing in the courtyard of a shopping complex in downtown Jackson and made this candid image through a doorway to capture the flavor of the place. I don’t know if they are cowboys in for a shopping spree, Snake River guides discussing business, or shop owners. But they certainly are relaxed, at ease with each other, and colorful additions to a tourist town that is famous for its Old West traditions and attractions. They project the human values we would expect from such folks: confidence, ease, and perhaps a touch of swagger.
18-SEP-2006
Store clerk, Cameron Trading Post, Cameron, Arizona, 2006
While on the way to Utah, we stopped off at this trading post on the Navajo Reservation.
I watched this clerk sorting masses of Indian jewelry for several minutes – she was methodical, precise, and as it turned out, a bit tired. When she stifled a yawn, I made this shot. This image expresses such human values as effort, perseverance, and dedication. The racks of jewelry she has to check get no smaller. She has a big job ahead. We’ve all struggled at times to stay alert and can appreciate how she must feel at this moment.
16-OCT-2006
Roofer, Lone Pine, California, 2006
We drove out to visit Lone Pine’s old railroad depot, only to find that it was no longer open to the public. Long abandoned by the Southern Pacific Railroad, the depot had been purchased by this man. Bit by bit, shingle by shingle, he was restoring it. We asked permission to photograph and he graciously allowed us to do so. He was more interesting to me than his building. We found him doing some roofing, a hard and obviously dirty job. Yet he continued to talk to us as he worked, telling us of his laborious renovations. In this gesture I see confidence, pride, persistence, and energy. All are important human values. I structure the image geometrically, allowing his arm to add still another triangle to those already present.
08-AUG-2006
Conversation, Third Avenue, New York City, 2006
has played a significant role in my own urban photography. His work speaks of urban alienation, and lack of communication. I often make images that echo his concerns. However on this visit to New York City, I wanted to make a contradictory statement, asserting that both friendship and communication, pivotal human value, can exist in environments very similar to the one that Hopper uses in “Night Hawks.” This image does precisely that. Hopper’s painting is cased in lonely darkness. I set my image in the context of an early morning – the sun bathes the sidewalk and building in splashes of warmth. As with Hopper, the viewer stands outside, looking in. However I found two women communicating here through both speech and human gesture -- factors deliberately lacking in the Hopper painting. They may be alone, but they are not lonely. They have each other, and the whole coffee shop is theirs as they start the working day.
10-JUL-2006
Train watcher, La Posada, Winslow, Arizona, 2006
La Posada, a former Harvey House, once catered to passengers of the Santa Fe railroad. The hotel was oriented so that its back door faced Route 66 and its front door led directly to the Santa Fe tracks. Passengers arriving in Winslow could walk directly from their coaches into the hotel lobby. The hotel was recently restored to its original condition, and its front door still faces the tracks. The Santa Fe Railroad is gone, and its successor, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, carries mostly freight. La Posada's guests, particularly children, enjoy watching them clatter past. Two sets of relationships express human values in this image. The child’s arms form an inverted “V” as they rest on the fence. Right next to him, an old tree that no doubt once shaded arriving passengers in the 1920s and 30s, spreads its limbs in a “V” as well. It seems to salute both the child and the passing freight train – a salute that echoes both yesterday and today. I also bring the eye into the image with a diagonal curb leading to three empty lounge chairs of vintage design. To me, they represent the spirits of past passengers that always will watch the trains rumble past La Posada.
13-JUN-2006
Facing the fall, Portland, Oregon, 2006
By juxtaposing an abstract symbolic figure of a small man contemplating the awe-inspiring force of an equally abstracted Multnomah Falls at close range, I imply such human values as futility, and our ultimate destination. Using deliberate under-exposure, I only hint at the natural beauty of the falls here – reducing it instead to a fierce plume of surging spray that implies (for the faithful) either a descent into hell or ascent to heaven. The image is also rich in tension – created by contrasting the surging vertical flow of the falls against the horizontal bridge and frame. Ultimately, it is the scale incongruity here that speaks the loudest -- reducing man to trivial size in the face of nature’s massive power. It reminds us all that we are only here for a while, while nature rules for an eternity.
12-JUN-2006
Nightfall, Portland, Oregon, 2006
This is still another image without visible people, yet it is entirely focused on human values. I was with a photo tour shooting a sunset, and found that the man-made portion of the scene to the left of the setting sun provided a more expressive subject than natural beauty by itself. I juxtaposed a lone car against an incongruous contradiction – a golden sky punctured at intervals by utility poles, its natural colors competing with those of a glowing gas station sign and traffic signals. This photograph expresses the human values of loneliness, greed, and ugliness, set against a backdrop of nature at its most beautiful.
10-MAY-2006
Auto graveyard, Phoenix, Arizona, 2006
There are no people in this image, yet it speaks strongly to me of human values. Waste is a human value, and the ravaged hulks of ruined automobiles piled upon each other can be seen as a powerful symbol of a culture that spends much of its wealth on resources that are eventually towed away and junked. An optimist might see this image as a resource in itself because some of this debris might eventually be recycled. Yet I saw and photographed it as a colossal pile of rusted and smashed steel that represented the dreams and perhaps even the identity of the people who once owned these cars. Those dreams also represent human values. My tight framing suggests that this pile of broken cars spreads far beyond the borders of this image – the wastage goes on and on and on. It never really ends, because many of us will eventually throw away much of what we make, buy and use.
28-MAR-2006
Chanting, Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan, 2006
The Longshan Temple, home to more than three different religions, was a cauldron of incense and song the day I visited. I brought my long lens to bear on this worshipper, who holds his incense sticks and chants prayers with great fervor. This image is all about faith and fervor, two very real human values.
05-APR-2006
At rest, Guilin, China, 2006
A few moments earlier this woman had been digging dirt, deep within this trench. She now watches the labors of her partner, who is so deep within the ditch that we can't see her at the moment. The two men in the background pay no heed to either of them. This woman needs these few moments of rest in order to recapture her strength. It is brutally difficult physical work, and in China, such work seems to be performed as much or more by women as men. This image conveys such human values as rest and recuperation, and perhaps a touch of resentment as well.
20-MAR-2006
Readers, Luxun Park, Shanghai, China, 2006
Bundled against the morning chill, these Shanghai residents prefer to do their reading outdoors. Perseverance and determination come to mind here – both are human values that I found demonstrated time and time again on my journey through China.
(I owe a debt of thanks to Shanghai pbase photographer Jen Zhou --
http://www.pbase.com/angeleyes_zyl/root -- for this and other images made in Luxun Park. Jen spent a day and half shooting with me in Shanghai, and it was at her suggestion that we spent several hours photographing people in this relatively obscure but beautiful Shanghai Park.)
17-MAR-2006
Changing of the Guard, Toksugung Palace, Seoul, Korea, 2006
Several times each day, a historical pageant unfolds before this historic palace in downtown Seoul as new guards arrive to relieve the old. And history takes on a human dimension when one of them cracks a small but meaningful smile. Using a long zoom lens to blur the background and bring my subject closer, I framed the smiling guardsman with a series of lances, creating a diagonal counterpoint to his own.
20-MAR-2006
Exercise, Luxun Park, Shanghai, China, 2006
Luxun Park draws hundreds of exercisers each day -- this trio is working out on rope pulling apparatus. The interplay between the two clearly visible facial expressions holds the key to the expression of human values in this image. The man is a study in determination. The woman conveys a sense of duty. Between the two expressions, the motivations for exercising are defined.
26-MAR-2006
Crossing Kokusai-dori, Naha, Okinawa, Japan, 2006
I stood below a traffic light on Naha’s main street for fifteen minutes and watched Okinawans and visitors cross Naha's main street. They came at me in waves. This wave includes a father and his very young child. He conveys a sense of fatherly pride in his bearing, while his ultimate goal is protecting his child on this journey into a busy downtown street. Both pride and protection are human values that all of us can relate to.
02-APR-2006
Teamwork, Baisha, China, 2006
One man pulls while another pushes in order to move a heavily loaded cart up the sloping street of this small farming town just outside of Lijiang. Both move in perfect synch, step for step. No effort is wasted. They had obviously done this before and will do it again.
It’s a perfect demonstration of cooperation, which is an essential human value.
09-FEB-2006
Unknowns, Catholic Cemetery, Silver Reef, Utah, 2006
The ghost town of Silver Reef has two cemeteries. In its Catholic cemetery, most of the graves are marked "unknown." This is one of those images that can take us by surprise. At first glance it is simply an image of seven crosses on the edge of desert cemetery. But when we see the word “unknown” on every one of them, the image takes on an entirely new meaning. The people who are buried beneath them not only died a long time ago, in what has since become a ghost town, but they are anonymous. Lost, forgotten, unknown. One might ask if it even matters. It is certainly an image that triggers thoughts, asking questions and demanding answers about the most fundamental human value --- the meaning of life itself.
10-FEB-2006
Security, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Nevada, 2006
Given the state of the world, there is a heavy security presence at Hoover Dam these days. This officer keeps careful watch on pedestrians and traffic crossing the road on top of the dam. His body language tells us that he is vigilant, concerned, thoughtful and curious. All of these responses reflect human values. His task is not easy, and there is no room for error. He does his job in the open – his four identification badges are in plain view of all who pass him. Yet he must incongruously work from behind a fence.
02-NOV-2005
Morning Hug, Mercado de San Juan de Dios, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005
A huge embrace greets a small child at one of San Miguel’s major markets. I shot this at medium telephoto length --- about 85mm. The key to the image is the expression of the woman and the large scale of her head and hand contrasted to the smaller head of the child. The image expresses intimate, intense and soulful contact between two human beings. It speaks of love and care and protection – all basic human values.
31-OCT-2005
Remembrance, Sanctuary of Atotonilco, Atotonilco, Mexico, 2005
Seven miles outside of San Miguel is the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, where father Miguel Hidalgo launched the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. He took a cloth bearing the likeness of the Virgin of Guadalupe from its altar and raised it as a banner to inspire those who followed him and Ignacio Allende in trying to drive the Spaniards out of Mexico. Today a solitary nun tends the floor of very same altar. She seems to sense the importance of what once happened on those very steps. Using my zoom lens at the classic medium telephoto focal length of 105mm, I created an image based on body language and expression that imply several important human values: reflection, devotion, humility, and thoughtfulness.
27-OCT-2005
Two Worlds, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005
In San Miguel, as in other parts of Mexico, there is often a striking contrast of life-styles between the young and the not so young. These women were waiting at a bus stop, looking at each other in silence. Both women display similarly impassive expressions, but great differences in appearance. I used the full extent of my 420mm telephoto zoom to reach across a busy street and make this image. It is a study in contrasts. One woman wears the traditional shawl; the other wears trousers that drag on the ground. One instinctively hides her arms within her clothing while the other carries a bag of fruit in one hand and bag of schoolbooks on her back. One modestly covers her head, while the other does not. All of these contrasts imply differences between traditional and contemporary value systems within the same culture.
03-SEP-2005
Stone Gate Chapel, Zagreb, Croatia, 2005
This chapel is lodged in the only remaining 13th century gate to the old town of Gradec, now part of Zagreb's historic Upper Town. In 1731 a fire ravaged the area but a religious painting on the wall was left undamaged. Hundreds of visitors a day still come to this chapel to see the painting and stay a few moments to stand or stand or sit in silence before the painting. I waited until the crowds thinned, and only two visitors remained. They chose to sit in the rear, as far away from the actual shrine as possible, yet still be within view of it. Solitude is a human value, and this image is largely about being alone with one’s thoughts and prayers. Peacefulness is another human value, and there is a pervasive sense of silence coming from this image. By isolating just one couple in the darkness of the otherwise empty chapel, such values can find a voice. The woman is the most prominent, because she sits closest to the light of the street that runs through the old gate. A man can be dimly seen behind her. The votive plaques that line the walls of the chapel are also almost invisible. They comprise a contextual tapestry of faith for those who notice them and recognize their significance.
15-JUL-2005
Window Seat, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2005
I found this man seated precariously on a window ledge of a jewelry store. A wooden canopy over the sidewalk throws shadows created by a low morning sun on both wall and ground like, creating a series of diagonal and vertical lines enclosing the man, as if he were hemmed in. The abstracted figure seems to be either dozing or sad. I’ve implied a number of human values here, among them loneliness, despair, exhaustion, meditation, and discomfort. Or perhaps he’s just killing time. This image offers us a good example of how body language and context, combined with abstraction, can express values that all of us as humans can relate to and appreciate.
13-JUN-2005
A hug at sunset, Bruges, Belgium, 2005
A simple hug on this park bench conveys many human values. Intimacy, possession, pleasure, passion, and ultimately love, all come to mind. In this image, made with a long 432mm telephoto lens, I carefully wrapped this couple in foliage as well, adding a layer of nature’s own embrace to this image. The evening light is warm and low, the woman’s dress is passionately red, the greens and browns around them are soothing and comforting, all adding important context and additional human values to this photograph. Even the park bench they are using adds a subtle human value – its legs are fashioned into winged serpents, which in mythology have often been regarded as guardian spirits. The man gathers the woman to him with both arms, the winged serpents provide a stable platform, and the old tree provides a natural canopy, all of which tells us that there is a good deal of protection – another important human value – suggested in this image as well.
08-JUN-2005
Bike Rally, The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium, 2005
In 1695, French guns demolished Brussel's Grand Place. It was quickly rebuilt, and over the centuries it has echoed to the sounds of Napoleon's massed drummers, Wellington's heroic cavalry, and the thud of German jackboots. Today, the loudest noises reverberating off its elegant 18th century buildings come from the shouts of youthful bikers whipping themselves into a frenzy at an early morning road race rally. I abstract the shouting students by shooting them behind, encouraging the viewer to enter the group and cheer along with them, and making the body language tell the story. That body language expresses a number of human values – enthusiasm, energy, competitiveness, companionship, and unity. Some of the students wave tiny flags representing Greece and Italy, so nationalism and pride might be added to the list of human values. I particularly enjoyed the details – the young woman spontaneously leaping on to the back of a friend, the advertising slogans on the backs of the shirts, the triumphant hand gestures, all symbolize human values as well. This was the last cheer – within moments after I made this picture they jumped on their bikes and streamed out of the Grand Place to begin their road race.
22-JAN-2005
Nodding Off, Luang Prabang, Laos, 2005
I was not sure if these young boys were supposed to be collecting donations or studying their lessons, but one of them is dozing and the other is not far behind. A few moments after I made this photograph, a monk's command sent them scurrying. I saw the potential for a number of Human Values to involved here: exhaustion, shyness, immaturity, discipline, and obedience, for example. One of these kids is exhausted, the other is shy. Given the fact that a monk would soon be lecturing them, I can also assume that they were not really supposed to be doing what they were doing at that table, which stood at the entrance to a Buddhist temple. My camera discovered them before the monk did, however, so both discipline and obedience are human values that were expressed shortly after I made this photo and are not actually expressed within it. I organized the image around the brilliant colors and the geometry of the signs, window, molding, table, and table cover. The children fit perfectly in to the composition, and the fact that one child seems to be peeking at us while the other sleeps is at the heart of the expression.
18-JAN-2005
A Lao Welcome, Mekong River Village, Laos, 2005
As I passed this village house, a woman steered her young son to the front door and encouraged him to warmly greet us. He did. For them, the coming of a group of American visitors to their community was a happy event, and happiness is a human value. This image also expresses enthusiasm and energy – the kid’s hands are blurred as he pumps them up and down in excitement.
Recitation, Buddhist Nunnery, Sagaing, Myanmar, 2005
Much of a nun's life in spent in study. The atmosphere in this nunnery was serene, the work intense. The Principal Nun was very gracious and allowed complete photographic access. The young nuns brought great passion to their recitations, which they chanted in unison along with their teacher. I saw great passion in this moment, and passion is a human value. The knowledge the teacher brings to them, on the other hand is revered, and both knowledge and reverence are also human values. I composed this image to intensify the contrast between the passionate student and knowledgeable teacher by creating a diagonal power line from corner to corner, putting the students head at upper right and the teacher’s at lower left. The flow of the nun’s robe, and her folded hands draws the eye down to the teacher, linking passion with knowledge and reverence.
Wedding Celebration, Banathan, Laos, 2005
At Banlathan, we walked into the middle of a tumultuous wedding celebration. Virtually the entire village turned out – most of them relatives and friends of the bride and groom. They feasted on rice, soup, Lao beer, and home brewed "lao-lao" liquor. We were welcomed into the festivities. This rural Laotian wedding was like a wedding anywhere. There was much dancing, and loud singing of songs, chanted to the beat of clapping hands. A wedding celebration itself is reaffirmation of friendship, love, and support, as well as expressions of excitement, joy and merriment. And perhaps a touch of sadness here and there as well. All of these are human values shared among these villagers at this moment. Using my telephoto lens, I shot right down the center a long table as the drinks flowed, songs were shouted, and hands clapped. Most of the human values I’ve mentioned are implied to a degree somewhere in this image. (The bride herself asked me to make a picture of her, and left her clapping guests long enough to walk with me to a village shrine where she posed for me. You can see the photo I made of her at
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/139137/photo23.html
22-JAN-2005
Under the Baskets, Luang Prabang Market, Laos, 2005
A mother clutches her sleeping child while waiting for baskets to be unloaded at Luang Prabang's market. Of all the images I made on this trip, this one reflected the greatest sense of responsibility. A mother must protect her children, care for them, and provide for them. This woman is doing all three here. She works in this market, and whatever may be in those baskets, or perhaps just the baskets themselves, must be essential to her livelihood. The truck that towers over her is overloaded with baskets – she seems overwhelmed by their massive scale. It gives the feeling that the world as she knows it is closing in on her. She was one of many people waiting for those baskets to be unloaded. Her embrace is extremely protective. Her determined expression implies that somehow she will endure. Threat, responsibility, protection, care, and endurance are all human values, and I tried to put them all into this image.
24-NOV-2004
Dog Day, Denver, Colorado, 2004
Denver offers its residents a large fenced park where they can not only can walk their dogs, but even wear them out by letting them run amok to their hearts content with their fellow canines. I stationed myself near the park’s centerpiece and trademark, a non-functioning full-scale fire hydrant placed within a cement circle. I watched and waited until this pair of dogs entered the hallowed circle to sniff the heady aromas there. As they warily circled each other and the hydrant, another pair surged into my frame at stage right, in full flight and full fight. The result: an image of a pair of pairs, defining the nature of the place, and its particular charms. Why is this image in my “Human Values” gallery? Because I see in it many of the same behaviors and attitudes their owners display: sociability, friendliness, competitiveness, wariness, aggressiveness, inquisitiveness, and enthusiasm. The long shadow of one of the owners at upper right reminds us that are our pets can be extensions of our own behavior, attitudes and values
18-OCT-2004
Victorian Hotel, Bridgeport, California, 2004
This old hotel on Bridgeport’s main street is believed to have several resident ghosts, including the inevitable “woman in the white dress who walks the halls at night”
Ghostly or not, I found the front door of the place to be oddly painted. Notice the blue trim on the right – it just stops. Why? It is one of those inexplicable human quirks you’ll learn to pick up as you develop your sense of observation – an essential tool for any photographer. What human values does this odd trim job suggest? How about forgetfulness? Or thrift – if you run out of paint with so little left to go, why buy a new can? Or perhaps it has something to do with those ghosts. Are they trying to tell us something?
15-OCT-2004
Relaxing on the Merced, Yosemite National Park, California, 2004
Two friends leave the chaos of Los Angeles behind to spend a lazy afternoon relaxing on one of the ancient boulders that line the Merced River. I was drawn to scene by the light. Whenever I can relate a bright foreground to a dark background, I know my image will be rich in contrast and emphasis. However as I considered my possibilities, the body language of the fellow in red captured my imagination even more forcefully than the light. His posture expresses a human value we all can relate to – relaxation. He looked even more at ease when I compared his posture to his friend, who sits upright next to him. The Merced River itself makes an idyllic context. My vantage point aligns his legs with the middle of the river itself, virtually wrapping him in dark waters. Yet his body rests firmly on a warm rock that has spent an eternity in Yosemite. He seems to be living a dream, and he was.
29-AUG-2004
GI Cut, US Military Cemetery, Omaha Beach, St. Laurent, France, 2004
The men who tend the vast lawns of this cemetery take great pride in creating a sense of unforgettable peace and serenity. Every blade is groomed with great care and military precision, which is only fitting for a cemetery holding ten thousand World War II dead. I wanted to express that sense of perfection in this picture by placing this man out front of all of those crosses. Using a 24mm wideangle converter lens, I was able to give a feeling of thrust to the lawn mower, a spearhead, if you will, for the silent ranks of graves that range behind it. The living care for the dead with much diligence and great respect, human values that I feel come through in this image.
29-AUG-2004
Beachcomber, Omaha Beach, St. Laurent, France, 2004
Sixty years after more than 34,000 American soldiers landed on Omaha Beach, a lone beachcomber searches its sands for treasures. Given the context of what once happened on this beach, this image takes on new meaning. I was trying to say that this beach, which was one of the great battlefields of World War II, is now a place for solitude and pleasure – both very real human values. These values stand in stark contrast to what happened here sixty years before. Scale incongruity plays a big role in this picture as well – a tiny red figure played against the sweep of sand and sea and the cliffs that once took so many lives.
01-JUL-2004
Bricklayer, Three Gorges Dam Project, Sandouping, China, 2004
Workers are still doing brickwork at the massive Three Gorges Dam visitors center on the Yangtze River. (This fellow seems to be taking a break at the moment.) The opposite of work is rest. Both are basic human values. I organized this image around those rhythmic patterns of bricks but this man is in no great hurry to get to them.
13-JUN-2004
Shy child, Zhujiajiao, China, 2004
A Zhujiajiao family invited me into their courtyard to make photographs, but this young child would have none of it. Shy or perhaps just tired, she seeks comfort from her mother. All of these feelings are human values – we’ve all had them. I was able to stress the child’s feelings by comparing her response to her mother’s. I also make the picture more abstract by partially obscuring the child, which brings the viewers own imagination into play.
14-JUN-2004
Card game, Shanghai, China, 2004
Gambling and card games are old Shanghai traditions. A walk through the old section of the city reveals that little has changed in this regard. It may be raining, but that doesn't stop these men from enjoying the betting. Competition, risk, and friendship are all part of this game, and all are human values. The many small details that make up this photograph, including the bicycles, stools, laundry, and the fellow having a smoke behind tree provide context that is also rooted in human values we can relate to.
19-JUN-2004
Prayers, Buddhist Temple, Jinshang Park, Beijing, China, 2004
The contrast between the intensity of this mother’s devotions and her young son’s curiosity makes this image work. These emotions are so strong that they overcome the somewhat chaotic background. Emotional responses always reflect human values, and these are no exception.
22-JUN-2004
Good luck rub, Xian, China, 2004
The parks of Xian are lined with sculptures of Tang Dynasty figures. A good luck rub on the hands of these fellows is apparently a morning ritual for this lady and others, because the statue’s hand is polished to a brilliant sheen. Superstition is a human value that all of us can understand and appreciate. I also thought the woman’s small hand contrasted to the large metallic hands of the statues, making for strong scale incongruity. This is a very humane image, and the human values it expresses more than make up for any distraction caused by the clutter of random people in the background.
12-JUN-2004
Lunch break, Shanghai, China, 2004
A cart makes a handy bed for this Shanghai worker on lunch break.
Population pressure forces people to adapt and invent, and both adaptation and invention, along with fatigue, are values shared and understood by humans the world over, not just in China. But I did see many people sleeping at midday in public while in China – it is just part of the scene, and accepted as such. I thought this image was particularly incongruous because a cart is not usually perceived as a bed, yet this one serves that purpose well. I also was able to effectively organize this photograph around the repeating diagonal lines offered by the ropes, legs, and pipes.
19-APR-2004
Egon’s Wall, Tecate, Mexico, 2004
Accomplishment is a human value. It is hard to make a photo of an accomplishment unless you can link people to it. That’s what I was able to do with this image. I came upon a group of teenagers on lunch break just outside of their school, and was admiring a nearby wall that had been vividly transformed into abstract shapes and colors, along with many words, representing a community experience of some kind. As I began to photograph it, a student came over and told me that he had painted that wall. He even showed me his signature. He told me that his name was Egon, and that he was thrilled I had stopped to photograph it. I asked Egon to stand before his work, and tell me a bit about it as I made an environmental portrait of him. As he talked with me with me, he reached behind to feel the texture of the stone he had painted, and touched the very point where two arrows dynamically speed towards each other. At his touch, the paint becomes energy, and Egon, the creative catalyst.
14-APR-2004
Two for the Beach, Mission Beach, San Diego, California, 2004
Friendship is also a human value, and I’ve used the context of a long walk on a deserted beach to bring that value home visually. Friendship is all about trust and sharing. In shooting this scene from the balcony of our beach house, I was able to build an image around repeating pairs – the pair of people, one of them wearing a bright red shirt that creates the focal point of the picture, is dwarfed by the expanse of sand and sea. A pair of long shadows anchors the foreground and gives depth to the scene. And even a pair of tire tracks peels off from the mass of tracks at center, as if to intercept them. The sea and beach converge in the upper left hand corner, suggesting that their walk – and friendship – will continue
03-JAN-2004
Commemoration, Magellan Monument, Punta Arenas, Chile, 2004
This dual portrait reflects the living history of Southern Chile. Dressed in vintage costumes, this man and woman stand impassively before a monument to Fernando Magellan as they participate in a commemoration ceremony honoring the great explorer. They were but two of many local residents in the ceremony – I chose them as my subjects because I sensed how much this moment meant to them. They wear their costumes well, and their faces boldly emerge from the softly focused sculpture of Magellan’s ship behind them. I see a number of important human values represented within this image, including a sense of history, dignity, pride, and honesty.
12-JAN-2004
San Telmo Café, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004
Hundreds of visitors have left their marks on the walls of this small café, contrasting strongly to the sole customer in the place, who seems even more alone when framed within a mirror surrounded by the echoes of patrons past. Although two waiters are present, they are both preoccupied. The customer will wait patiently for his change and then leave. This image speaks of loneliness, a human value frequently associated with places of pleasure.
03-JAN-2004
Swimming Lesson, Otway Sound, Patagonia, Chile, 2004
What are a couple of penguins doing in this chapter on human values? Animal pictures work best when they reflect behavior that can be directly related to human experience. Such is the case here. I found this pair of Magellanic Penguins in a rookery on the Straits of Magellan and captured a moment when they seemed to resemble a student and teacher about to embark on a swimming lesson. Both appear to behave in very human ways. The teacher stands off to the side and looks on encouragingly as the student tentatively tests the waters, leaving a circle of ripples behind. The human values involved? Trust? Confidence? Maybe even a bit of courage. Whenever we see a photograph of an animal that we like, we are probably enjoying it for whatever human values it may offer us.
21-DEC-2003
Tuna Fisherman, Manta, Ecuador, 2003
His day is over. The catch is in. He can relax while others finish the job. I found this fisherman sitting upon a net on the cluttered deck of an Ecuadorian Tuna boat. I included the floats and the big tarp as context. His red shirt and the blue hull of the ship offer primary colors that enrich the image and make it stick in our memory. But it is his body language that conveys the human values in this photo. He seems to be at rest. He looks away from me – preoccupied with his own thoughts. Solitude is a human value. This photograph is based upon it.
26-DEC-2003
Greeters, Poconchile, Chile, 2004
Three young ladies, dressed in their best clothes, greet an arriving trainload of tourists with colorful umbrellas at the small Chilean village of Poconchile on the edge of the Atacama Desert. The little girl at center seems intent on holding her umbrella perfectly upright while supporting a doll upon her lap, while her associate at left seems a bit new to this job. Meanwhile, the child at right – the one who wears the brightest clothing – seems skeptical of the whole venture. These children are welcoming strange adults to their little town, each in their own way and on their own terms. Their interaction is rich in human values – bits of curiosity, confusion, apprehension, and determination are all present in this image. The richness of the color, the perfect condition of the clothing, shoes, and umbrellas, even the dangling strand of tinsel that festoons the trio, combine to create a festive context for this memorable scene.
10-DEC-2002
Children, Cape Town, South Africa, 2002
Someone had taken Polaroid pictures of these children a short time before I passed by. Still clutching their photos, their spontaneous enthusiasm was evident, and I was able to make this picture of them. Enthusiasm is a universal human value -- it transcends all language and cultural barriers. When I travel, I try to make pictures of people that convey emotional responses, and enthusiasm is usually one of them.
26-JUL-2003
Condiment vendor, Kostroma, Russia, 2003
Kostroma's lively open air market reflects Russia's economic transition from a Communistic to Capitalistic society. I relate this cascade of condiments -- a far cry from the bare shelves of yesteryear -- to the somewhat neutral response of this vendor. Her matter-of-fact indifference seems a good fit for the abundance that surrounds her -- human values that help me tell the story I'm trying to tell.
09-AUG-2002
Siberian elders, Chukchi Peninsula, Russia, 2002
The great French photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson tells us that "wrinkles are a mark of life. After awhile, everyone gets the face they deserve." In this shot of three village elders in a remote Siberian fishing village, I follow his advice by moving in with a telephoto lens to study the emotions on three human faces. The woman at right was agitated, and several times the fellow at center had to calm her down. Apparently she wanted to say something to us, but was unable to make herself understood. Frustration, resignation, curiosity are among the human values expressed by the people in this photograph.
23-JUL-2003
At Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Moscow, Russia, 2003
A visit to a somber site can be mystifying to a child. In her face I saw confusion and impatience. She does not understand the symbols before her, representing the enormity of Russia's huge losses in the Second World War. She wears special clothes, but the visit seems more bewildering than educational. This photo draws its meaning from how we interpret the human values that both she and this national shrine represent.
Welcome to Budapest, Hungary, 2003
When our river cruise ship arrived in Budapest, this committee of one was there to welcome us, violin at the ready. His determined smile, as well as his music, was appropriate . His repertoire -- as well as his costume -- were from a time long past, expressing the human values associated with Old Budapest: a poignantly romantic tradition, tinged with a touch of sadness.
26-JUL-2003
Church singer at rest, Jaroslavl, Russia, 2003
Surrounded by glowing ancient frescoes, a member of church choir loses himself in a book between performances. His ensemble survives on proceeds of CDs he sells to tourists. Caught in a moment between selling and singing, he enjoys a bit of well-earned moment relaxation, a human value everyone can appreciate.
25-FEB-2000
Policeman, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2000
Balanced uneasily on the seat of his motorbike, this Vietnamese policeman is not sure if he wants to have his picture taken. His body language and expression provide a study in uncertainty and bring tension to this portrait. Tension can help define character in a subject. It is also a universal human value. I thought it worked well in portraying this somewhat edgy policeman.
23-APR-2003
On the Danube Promenade, Bratislava, Slovakian Republic, 2003
An empty Bratislava promenade offers this couple a place for a peaceful riverside chat. They seem to have shut out everyone and everything else. Utterly relaxed, they have created a world unto themselves. Isolating them in space and time, I tried to capture body language and expression that conveys a basic human value: communication.
05-DEC-2002
Craftsman, DumaZulu, South Africa
I asked this Zulu craftsman, through a gesture and a smile, if he would sit for a portrait. He was indifferent to my request, but voiced no objection. I placed my camera on the ground, flipped the rotating LCD viewfinder up so I could look down into it, and went to work. He seemed pleasantly puzzled by the process, and yielded a portrait that spoke of both patience and puzzlement, values understood by humans everywhere.
21-MAR-2003
No Sale, Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2003
On a cold spring day, Native American crafts were selling slowly in front of the oldest public building in the US, Santa Fe's Palace of the Governors. I concentrated my attention on a vendor whose display was separated from the others. Although ignored and chilled to the bone, she stays the course as animated shoppers browse in the background. This contrast conveys the point of the picture via human values – determination and endurance.
11-SEP-2003
State Fair, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2003
Clutching a bag of popcorn and wearing a western style hat, a young fellow enjoys posing for Santa Fe Workshop photographers at New Mexico's State Fair. Using a colorful background of stacked hats, other photographers set up their shots as straight-on environmental portraits. I crouched off to one side, and used a low camera positon to feature his enthusiastic response, and make the towers of hats stacked behind him seem to soar as high as his spirits.
Minding the Store, Pokhara, Nepal, 1988
A long lens helped me reach out and capture this grouping of Nepalese from across a busy street. Using three doorways at a store's entrance, I created a frame within a frame, stressing the gulf separating this man from the three women, most likely members of his family. This photo implies separation -- a very basic human value, and in this case, an insight into Nepalese culture.