The photos represent a reflection of me, the unseen man behind the camera.
In most of my Portraits, the viewers would notice, that I often isolate my subjects from the rest of the crowed. I also prefer to photograph people in their natural environment. The young the poor and the old are my true inspiration.
When I shoot a portrait, I try to be as honest as possible to my subjects and convey all details of their cloths and faces as well as the direction of light. I always try to remember the surrounding smells and sounds when I am in printing in the darkroom. Consciously or subconsciously, I remain an advocate of the authenticity in photography, honouring the uniqueness of the face, singled out from the crowd by my camera, and, however arrogant it may sound, by my will.
From my photos, I hope the viewers will be able to read my feelings…as I sought to convey my emotions via my subjects’ wrinkly faces and the gestures of their hands.
In a local market, my imagination comes alive in the air filled with the fragrance of mint tea. As I turn around I see bright palettes of sacks of spices, their colours glow in the sun rays which penetrate through a hole in the tent of an old bearded market seller.
Each of these faces, like a divine guide through the history and culture of my people, to those who seek to understand them. For me, wrinkles on the face of an elderly woman who sells parsley and coriander nearby our house are a code to her past and a signs into her present and future. By the expression of her face and even by the way she folds her arms we can find out this lady’s cultural ethics and her religious devotion.
I always have a deep psychological connection between me and many of my subjects. When I am about to take a photograph of a person, I would often ask myself before pressing the shutter button whether I am ready to let this person inter the life within each frame of the film and subsequently inter my life.
The people portrayed by me become my protégés. I care about them, protect them from possible criticism. I often wonder whether my subjects are still alive; have enough food, and whether they are warm in the cold winters. I often stare at the finished photographs for hours and wonder if my subjects might be embarrassed by my glances and those of thousands of viewers that see them. I ask myself if they would condemn me for interfering with their private lives. Opening it up to the outer world?
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