My mother, Michele, was the first person to introduce me to photography. She took pictures of me and my older sister, Antwanett, wherever, whenever. Growing up in the nineties we started with Kodak film. Remember those small yellow cameras and having to drop off them for processing and development?
During my Kodak era, bathrooms were my main subject. I captured the intricacies of the bathroom's interior design - the way the light reflects off the sink, the texture of the tiles, the colors of the walls, and the design of the toilets. Why a bathroom? I am still trying to figure it out. It could be my moment to be alone, to be creative, to let go, and to be a little silly.
Around 2006, we upgraded to our first digital SONY camera. While I did not enjoy being my mom's model so much, I fell in love with taking pictures when I could. Being behind the camera gave me a feeling of purpose. My photography continuously grew during middle school and so on through High School.
Mr. Wayne Zink was my photography teacher and my unforgettable photography mentor. He introduced me to all the possibilities that photography has. He showed me how to work in a dark room, the early powers of Photoshop, and how you can photograph textures and he introduced me to the works of Annie Leibovitz's style. An American portrait and also, my favorite, photographer. My love for photography was solidified. Just before graduation, I would go on to make my first sale. To this day the buyer was never revealed to me. I think it was Mr. Zink. I hold a sentimental value to my High School art, which is why I still have it.
There is beauty in life all around us—landscapes, architecture, and faces. I have a variety of subjects although portrait photography is my favorite. No one person or thing is the same, looks the same, acts the same, or photographs the same, everything is different. I want my photos to showcase life. When a moment catches my eye, I want to freeze time, that is what inspires me to shoot - the ability to capture life as it is in that moment.
I hope that you can see the life that I see in his eyes. This is a man who has made life, lived life and is full of life. Every detail on his face tells a story of a past and present time, a past and present life. A man you want to get to know. As an author, he is someone who has a story to tell, someone who has lived many lives. My subject, E.W. Doc Parris, says “...we’re here to make the reader confront the unabashed nuttiness of reality and their place in it.”
Well, reader, can you do that?
By: Lenita Stewart