The Journey Begins - 30 Years Down the Road

2011-10-20T19:18:00.001-07:00

My first blog posting . . .. such a challenge to start with the weight of time that has gone by . . .

. . .30 years ago - younger, more adventurous, and yet as a photojournalist fortunate enough to be placed in some unique places, in interesting times and amongst people whose way of life - even then - was starting to disappear. Did I even think then that decades later my images would call back to me from the past and ask me to make them relevant again? Is that even possible?

My aim is not to reveal the sweeping passage of time in a short blinding flash - rather a humble attempt to illuminate in a gentle light small parts of a past that I was able to share with others. I desire to find the connections between then and now, to know how and why things have changed, to know how much remains and how much will be relegated to memories. As I look through the boxes of negatives that were set aside but not thrown away I realize that finding any links between my past and my present are my responsibility.

To that end my husband and I returned to Poland in the fall of 2011 with the goal of trying to re-establish some of those connections. We only had a few weeks of actively seeking places I had been previously. Poland has in many ways undergone huge amounts of change and at times it seemed that re-connecting in any meaningful way was merely a fantasy. However, we soon found that as much as places may change - the people don't always change.

I am still very much in the process of analyzing all my thoughts and feelings from the trip. In some small part this blog will be a journey forward with images, impressions and musings. It will also be a backward glance at times and places - some that may only remain as memories and some that may still be revisited in person. . .

Backward Glances

The Journey Begins - 30 Years Down the Road