markvelasquez
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Alone in the Wilderness, pt. 4
🕑 Added 2020-08-14 15:36:59 +0000 UTCHere is the link…
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FjD7xYwT4S1VxlCnhzQj2_j5Dc10jgqP?usp=sharing
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ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS
We all have good and bad days, but it’s always surprising for me to be able to see them in my photos. My friend Sharon, a photographer from Switzerland, came to visit me and my family for Christmas. I’ve been close her for years and she’d visited here before, the same way I had visited her farm out in Zuckenriet several times since 2013. But this time was different. Her husband of 15 years had just passed away tragically a few months before, and even though it was great to see her and spend time together, the visit was filtered with a somber mood. We spent many nights drinking and commiserating about life together after her kids had gone to sleep, and even though Christmas is my favorite season, that Christmas just wasn’t the same.
Being a photographer that loves to shoot with models but rarely gets the chance, I arranged another shoot for her on her visit, this time with my sweet and reliable friend Erika. They got along swimmingly, and we headed out to a local beach for the shoot. My mood was more serious than usual, and the inspiration, at least in my eyes, was the timeless, dark black and white images that had been filling my mind at the time. I pictured a Robinson Crusoe type shoot, with an isolated woman from the late 18th century stranger and alone, struggling with the fear and solace. Erika, who is always great at conveying the pains and struggles she’s lived in her life, made the series come together easy, and Sharon and I took very similar images throughout the morning.
You will see Sharon in a few of these photos, the pale woman with short, blonde hair. She had a difficult year and I try to do my best to be there for her whenever she needs me, whether it’s for an in-person shoot or a WhatsApp video chat from the other side of the planet. This series is successful, in my estimation, because I can see the mood I was seeking easily conveyed. The isolation, the fear and loneliness. I hope you can, too, and I know many of you can empathize with the feeling.
I hope you all enjoy this beautiful and deeply personal series. Thank you so much again for your continued support of my work, especially during this difficult time. Your sponsorship makes what I create possible, it would not exist without you all and I can never express my true gratitude for all your kindnesses and messages. Please stay safe, where your masks, and stay home as much as possible. Please keep in touch and let me know what you think of these images!
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Here’s that link again:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FjD7xYwT4S1VxlCnhzQj2_j5Dc10jgqP?usp=sharing
