Polishing Fossils in Erfoud, Morocco
Erfoud, Morocco 1997 A young Berber man polishes fossils on a back street in this small desert town.
Dust from grinding the stones covered the man and his surroundings. He used his chech (turban) to try to protect his nose and mouth. I couldn’t help but worry about his health in the future. Yet, how could he let himself think about what might happen years in the future when he and his family needed to eat that day.
This is a ‘high-key’ photo. All pale grays and whites (with detail, don’t forget that). There are some blacks in this photo: notice the shadows: just a touch of rich black adds the right amount of contrast.
This was easy to print in the darkroom as the camera meter read the dust at 18% gray. I didn’t need a gray card to get an accurate metering.