Photography, the universal language
Diamond Head, Oahu, HI
Now that phones have built-in cameras that are so easy to use it's become routine to take pictures of everything we like, at any time. This is a new phenomenon, a by product of advances in digital and computer technology. Everyone is now a photographer, and the simple image software that comes with phones makes it easier than ever to create better photos. This was once an arcane specialty, requiring a familiarity with cameras, film, shutter speeds, darkrooms, and last but not least, an understanding of visual art. Basically, to be a photographer, you had to understand how cameras and film worked, but you also had to be a visual artist. Digital photography has changed all this, practically overnight. The mechanical and technological process of creating an image is now almost an afterthought. With the availability of phone cameras image making has become completely democratized. The implications are profound. What began, some 160 years ago, as a new way to produce a portrait or depict a landscape is now the universally accepted language by which we communicate and share information. It's the medium by which we tell one another who we are, what we're doing, what we like, where we are, and what we want. The new technology is also redefining all of this. Our very understanding of the world around us is now informed by manipulated images reflecting our own or adopted values. Photography used to be a way to document the world, and our lives. But as photographs increasingly become the way we relate to everything, and the way we stay connected, has this virtual universe enriched our world, or replaced it?
Notes to Our Sons and Daughters: My Sister's Voice
©2014 Pablo Mason
My Sister's Voice was a Notes to Our Sons and Daughters event by Alexis Dixon featuring photographs by Pablo Mason of forty inter-generationally diverse women emphasizing their life's journey and the wisdom they have gained along the way. The photographs were accompanied by a "note" from each person, elucidating a life lesson important enough to be passed on to the next generation, our "sons and daughters."
Among the women featured in the exhibition were members of the International Women of Courage and Women Peace Makers 2014. This exhibition was a fund raising event benefiting the Center for Community Solutions, http://www.ccssd.org/ a local non-profit organization. The exhibition took place on June 6, 2014, at the Broadway Pier in San Diego, CA. The exhibition was attended by over 450 people.
Thanks to Alfred Pagano of Giant Photo for insuring uncompromising quality in the printing of the photographs. Thanks also to Rick Sturdivan of Rick's Custom Framing for contributing to the beautiful presentation of the work.
My Sister’s Voice – Photographer’s Statement
The photographs in “My Sister’s Voice” are an attempt to bring us closer to the women who participated in the project. The idea was to create portraits that would make each narrative more compelling, giving each story a human face that we could relate to.
By eliminating the emotional distractions of color and hue, black and white photography achieves a universal language that is forceful and direct. Reduced to its basic architecture, a black and white image minces no words in evoking a sense of urgency, compassion or joy. Beauty is rendered timeless, pain unforgettable.
These portraits are not crafted to familiarize us with the subjects. They were conceived to make an indelible impression. They are a testament to the courage, the strength, the dreams, and the cries, in the lives of these women.
We often ignore that a single voice can be enough to confront established perceptions and even cultural traditions, but the women portrayed in this project have seized this challenge to effect positive change. These photographs are also a testament to their vision and their spirit, and their individual and combined efforts. It’s my hope that these photographs will help us identify with each person, their quest and their story. The importance of highlighting the work of each of these women, and their struggle, was the inspiration of Alexis Dixon, the originator of the project. Without his confidence, guidance and enthusiasm this could not have happened.
These women did not seek to be recognized for their courage and determination. Some simply strove to overcome tremendous personal challenges. Others raised their voice to improve their lives, and the lives of their families and their communities, often at great personal risk, facing daunting challenges, and usually against fierce opposition. To photograph them was to humanize and personalize their efforts, and help us relate to the personal sacrifices they’ve made to compel changes.
It was an exceptional privilege to be granted the confidence by these women to portray them, and by extension, their lives and their stories. It’s important that we understand their work and the experiences they’ve shared. I hope these photographs will help this process.
Pablo Mason, 2014