The Portraits
All of the portraits of people were made using a 4 x 5 view camera mounted on a tripod. Using this large and somewhat cumbersome format requires the consent and collaboration of the sitter. A total of three exposures are made for each photograph: first, a Polaroid which allows a check of composition and exposure, followed by two exposures on conventional film. The Polaroid is presented to the sitter at the conclusion of our work together.
Face New York - The New York portraits were photographed in two locations: in and around Washington Square Park, a 9½ acre parcel of land situated in Greenwich Village at the southern tip of Fifth Avenue, and the Lower East Side, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Manhattan. Both areas are lively, diverse and vibrant.
The Women Kept Looking At Us - los mujeres nos quedaban mirando - Larreynaga is a small, Nicaraguan village located 40 kilometers east of the city of Leon. It is the sister city of the mid-Hudson valley of New York. These portraits were made to document the lives of the people in Larreynaga.
Descended From the Stars - descendido de las estrellas - The portraits of Kuna people were made in the San Blas Islands, an archipelago along the northern coast of the Panamanian mainland. The Kuna are an indigenous people who have lived on the San Blas Islands for at least five centuries.
A Point of Contact - San Benedetto in Perillis is a tiny Italian village, a literal dot along the great backbone of the Apennine Mountains. It is possible to trace its history to medieval times; families have lived there for countless generations.
Europe - Portraits in Paris were made in the Marais, a section of the city where residents are known as Bobo's, meaning "bohemian bourgeois". The Rome portraits were made in Trastevere, also considered to be a haven for a bohemian style of life. Barcelona portraits were made in the Gracia section of the city. Pictures of people in London were made in a variety of neighborhoods. Most of the Lisbon portraits were shot in Alfama, one of the oldest parts of Lisbon.
