As I dive into this photographic roadmap, I frequently look back at the precious moments that my camera has afforded me. On this day I found myself, camera in hand, sitting on a Peruvian field among a swarm of Quechuan kids. Upon recognizing the camera they, like children in any region or language do, started grouping themselves for photos. They'd hear the shutter click and run behind me to see the results. At times there was a group, 20 kids and myself, looking into a digital viewer no larger than 1x1". We played this game until my battery died.
Lost in the moment was the weight, the emotional heft that these Quechuan kids, and the images that they in some way created themselves, would have on me. The way they felt about being photographed, the joy and delight of it, has stuck with me, the way a camera transcends boundaries. They were so young, but their were eyes so strong. For a few hours there was no language barrier and we were simply playing.
I don't know their names, how they're doing, or what's going on in their lives. At the time of this post, these kids are probably in their late teens. I hope that with the images that were captured I have somehow honored their lives, their families, their culture, their hopes and their dreams.
Cheers to the adventure ahead.
Molly