Thursday, June 27, 2013

Of White and Black "Restricted Waters"

             In this world we as humans are constantly disagreeing; arguing about the differences in one another and our respective ways of life. Often times it is mentioned how much hate is in the world, how much anger and deceit fill our lives. Which always leads to the sayings such as: “Why can’t we all love one another?” “We need less hate, more love.” “Why can’t we just get along?” Here is why. As long as love is a staple in our society, hate will be as well. Love needs hate. Love needs hate like good needs evil. Think about when a certain group of people be it race, religion, sexuality or any other sort comes under attack of those who hate what it stands for. Look at how quickly other members of said groups bind together to show love for those who are being persecuted. Love then thrives, it grows stronger. Stronger and stronger it continues to grow in order to stand against its persecutors. Hate is the same way though. It is just as easy if not easier to have a mutual hatred of something than it is a mutual love. The reason I say it is easier is this. I may like the orioles, and you the red sox. We are able to find a mutual ground despite having a difference in favorite teams however within in our hatred of the Yankees.
            So what is the answer? If more love isn’t the answer, what is? I think more respect is the answer, a mutual respect of one another as humans with differing opinions. I try very hard to respect others that I come into contact with, which can be hard because so many in this world don’t have respect for themselves let alone others around them. It’s our job as individuals to be a voice in this fight. In public it is our responsibility to be the bigger person, to not give in when others wrong us, but to step back, analyze the situation and handle it rationally as grown human beings with a bit of dignity.
I shot Brooke a few years back with her family at the time. I distinctly remember a photo of her and her father by a fence in the woods. Of course she looked a lot younger then. Even still I could see that she would grow into a stunningly gorgeous woman. Let me tell you this, I was right!
Brooke contacted me about being a part of my “Of White and Black” series a few weeks ago. I hadn’t seen her in person to know who I was looking at in several years. Naturally I did what every red blooded human who is active in social networking would do……I stalked her photos. I use the word stalk loosely. What I mean is that I went through her photos learning what angles she looks best at, what colors flatter her. What features she has. All of these things play a pertinent role in deciding what the shoot will entail.
            Going into my shoot with Brooke last Friday morning I knew two things that I wanted to capture. The first being her hair, hair is one of the most attractive things on a woman to me. Hair can either make or break a woman’s physical beauty in my eyes, her collar bones being the second physical feature that I had noticed.
            The first location that Brooke and I went to called for us to walk through an upper level of an abandoned factory to a distant door leading onto the roof of said factory. After climbing a ladder to a second level of the roof we found ourselves atop one of the tallest places in town. The roof nearly blinding us because of the white material it is made out of, not to mention we had just walked through nearly complete darkness through the factory. Growing accustomed the brightness and wind we began shooting. The white of the roof along with the black of Brooke’s dress made her skin glow.
If you have been following the other sets from this series then it will come as no surprise to you that one of the main things I try to capture in these photos is a state of grace. I feel confident that the 2 main images from the rooftop really captured Brooke’s graceful nature.
             It was at the next location that I really began to get to know Brooke. The first set of shots I took laying on the ground. What I didn’t realize before lying down was that there were ant hills all along the area we were. Mid shot I jumped up swatting these biting ants off of my arm violently while trying not to drop my camera. Needless to say Brooke got a little kick out of that. You know what they say though, “Anything for the shot.”
             After a failed attempt at creating a crown out of flowers we moved along to this next area. Down a hill, crossed a stream, and through some woods it was off to grandmother’s house we went. Crawling atop a fallen tree I positioned Brooke’s body and bouquet of flowers and began shooting the next set of images. Nearly falling on too many occasions I finally captured those beautiful collar bones perfectly, with the piercing strength of her eyes as a bonus.
             Brooke is gentle, her mind is innocent, and her spirit is both caring and aware, but strong and driven as well. She knows who she is and who she wants to become. A sense of pride enables her to stand up for herself and those who disagree with her choices as a woman.
While eating lunch with Brooke after our shoot together it became evident that a foundation for a wonderful friendship had been built. Constant joking along with serious dialogue made for a beautiful fit. I’m glad I had the opportunity to spend time with Brooke. I wish there were more amazing humans in the world like her.
I hope you enjoy the images I was able to capture of Brooke.














1 comment:

  1. love the creativity of your writing that is coming through with these blog posts. I also appreciate how you highlight unique personality qualities in each of your subjects, not just physical attributes.

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