New in the “On The Street” section of the Portfolio, over 200 images of anonymous faces, captured mostly throughout Los Angeles over the last couple years. The idea is - would a person be flattered, or bothered in some way - to find a moment of themselves, captured by a photographer, quietly and often unnoticed? Can that person ever be found again, in a crowd, or through the web?
As Alex’s daughter, running this site and uploading his creative work, I usually shy away from posting portraits of anonymous people, except for the limited collection in the street photography section. Suddenly I felt compelled to share more of them, unabashedly and unapologetically. And to see whether there is a response. Perhaps someone will come across their own face online one day, perhaps they will feel confused in trying to recall when and where they were when the image was taken. For that is what it is - the taking of an image. The taking of a photo. Or perhaps they might feel mortified, not at all liking the way they “look.” Or that their photo was taken at an inopportune time, by a stranger, capturing them perhaps in a serious frown, or with a look of "why are you taking my picture?" - ending up, paradoxically, with a piercing, direct stare right into the camera lens. In candid photographs such as these, we can sometimes see into a person's soul. The hope is, that in the seeing, we can find more connection and compassion. For we are all human wanderers here on Earth. From city to forest to desert to sea… we must see each other. We must try harder to understand that it’s ok when we are different, and that it’s necessary to strengthen ourselves by uniting in our diversity. My father photographs people on the street because he sees them. Whether caught in a “good-looking” moment or otherwise, he imagines that their essence will be captured for the benefit of something, even if just for a moment. That it will live, and tell of what it lived. A few of Alex's favorite images are available through Lark Gallery Online, a great collective of international artists. |
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