Portrait of a Syrian Man
Damascus 2010
The digital darkroom gives a photographer an unending ability to manipulate the original shot. I love to sit at my computer and see what new nuances I can tease out of my photos. Here are some of the results.
First is a stark portrait of a Syrian man. His dark, liquid eyes seem filled with sadness as a result of my manipulation of the light. The memory of this man remains fresh in my mind. In the instant that we interacted, he became an indelible picture in my mind. (Of course, I am partial to a handsome face!)
Damascus Street
A man selling lottery tickets sits up straighter when he notices my lens. He’s a small business man: he has a sideline, a scale near his feet, and he will let you weigh for a few piastres. The young man in the background notices me as well. I got the feeling that he is hoping for more of a future than a card table on the sidewalk of Damascus.
Coffee House Damascus
I softened this photo…normally I’m obsessing about sharpness and the lack thereof. This blurred look, obtained by decreasing clarity to near zero, gives a dreamy quality. The patrons of this old coffee house did seem lost in their dreams and now in the wake of the catastrophe that is Syria, their dreams themselves are lost.
Tamarind Vendor Al Hamadiya Souk
Portrait of a young man who sells tamarind juice by the glassful in the arcade of the Al Hammadiya souk. He noticed me photographing him over and over and never objected to my intrusion. I wanted the perfect portrait. It wasn’t easy because he couldn’t afford to stop selling the juice.
I admire men like this man who earn money by carrying on an ancient tradition. In America, the ” Souk Association” would pay him to sell the juice to add color to the shopping district (and thereby entice shoppers). In Damascus, the only money he earned were the coins from each glass of juice sold.
I notice Mexican men pushing little carts selling juice or frozen fruit treats on the roads in our county. Most of the people doing the physical labor in the huge fields of our rich valley have come from Mexico and when you are hot and sweaty, a glass of juice or a fruit popsicle tastes mighty fine.