A few days ago I finished reading Hold Still, Sally
Mann’s memoir. While so much about which she wrote rang true with me, nothing
resonated more than her discussion about the true possibilities of the
photographic portrait. While discussing her body of work that consists of
portraits of African American men, she had this to say:
“The photographer [holds] all the cards. Exploitation lies
at the root of every great portrait, and all of us know it. Even the simplest
picture of another person is ethically complex, and the ambitious photographer,
no matter how sincere, is compromised right from the git-go… Taking the picture
is an invasive act, a one-sided exercise of power… But at a higher level, which portraiture at its best can
achieve, the results can also be transformative expressions of love,
affirmation and hope. If transgression is at the very heart of photographic
portraiture, then the ideal outcome – beauty, communion, honesty and empathy –
mitigates the offense. Art can afford the kindest crucible of association, and
within its ardent issue lies a grace that both transcends and tenders
understanding.”
I’ve wrestled with the challenges of photographing as an
outsider and the notion of so-called (and unfortunately named) “poverty porn”
for many years. In 2006, when I first traveled to Uganda, the centerpiece of
both my photographic and professional work unwittingly became the children
who live at an orphanage in the small village of Kajjansi. As you know, I have
spent the last nine years documenting them and helping them change their lives
for the better. I am forever inspired by the generosity of spirit these
children continue to offer me.
In a few short weeks, I’ll travel to Uganda for the 9th
time. In preparation for my journey, I have been revisiting pictures made
during the last three trips.
Some you may have seen before, but many are being
printed for the first time. They are portrayals of just a few of the strong,
hopeful dignified people – living in one of the poorest countries in the world
- who have enriched me as a photographer and as a human being.
I look forward to the privilege of making more pictures
along the red dirt roads of Kajjansi. My hope is that the new pictures, like
these, will be imbued with beauty, communion, honesty and empathy, qualities
which Mann suggests comprise the ideal outcome of photographic portraiture.
