Saturday, July 28, 2012

Family Portrait

People that I see everyday, I ask to take their pictures, I show them the images on the camera view and they are happy.  Then everyday I make the trek across town to the only photo printer place in Vrindavan, hand him a flash drive with the enhanced images.  They are sent out of town for printing.  I pick-up printed photos as I drop off new images.  I carry the  freshly printed 4 x 6 photographs in my shoulder bag as I walk around town.  When ever I come cross people I know that I’ve photographed, I give them their photographs.

Monsoons flood the streets of Vrindavan
This morning's rains brought flooded street to Vrindavan. Mena and I went down to Ranjeet Mundi to pick up printed photographs and drop off more digital images to be printed.  The whole area was flooded so we rolled up our pants/sari and waded into the foot deep fetid water with the rest of the crowd.  After picking up a batch of newly printed photographs, we headed back through the water again towards home.


A young girl was waiting for me on the muddy path leading to my house.  She had heard that I took photographs and gave them to people, so her family sent her out to find me (red hair; sunglasses; camera...I suppose was the description given of me..) to take their family portrait.  I followed her back to her house and ended up taking pictures not only of her and her family, but all the neighbors as well.  
Family Portrait


I think I was more happy than they were!  To be  allowed into their lives and so graciously permitted to capture their beautiful images; I just get blown away by it every time I am invited into their private lives.


In the grand scheme of things, a photograph of one's image is not a big deal, but in the daily details of human life, it can preserve a feeling of existing in a time and space uniquely your own.


Sometimes, it's the only photograph they have of themselves.

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