In Gloria McDarrah's book, The Photography Encyclodedia, "Art photography: photography that is done as a fine art--that is, done to express the artist's perceptions and emotions and to share them with others."
With a few minutes to spare before getting home to make dinner, I ducked into a local gallery to see the exhibition. It didn’t take long in the small, white walled gallery to see the well framed and intriguing photographs displayed around the room. I stood in the middle of the space and with one swoop tried to take them all in. As I turned to head for the door, my momentum halted, grabbed by an image with a setting of snow and birch trees. In this photo a slender, black haired woman in a red mandarin dress stood in sharp contrast to the white winter scene.
I walked closer. Her perfectly postured back faced the camera. One leg was in a position suggesting impending movement. I was beguiled. For one, I love the color red. Secondly, I love that cut of dress. And thirdly, I wanted to know where the woman was going. Who was she? Why be out in the snow without a jacket?
Forgetting about making dinner, I looked at all the other photographs and read the small brochure on the table. Her name is Ni Rong. Her photographs are self-portraits. I wanted to meet this photographer.
Overtime, I came to know Ni. During a charming and delicious Chinese lunch on her stone patio overlooking Rockport, Maine harbor, she shared her portfolio with me and told me of her search for identity through her photography. The three photographs shown here hang on my wall. I believe they tell a story. I treasure these images that serve as a daily reminder that many of us are doing just that—searching for our identity through our creativity. And I treasure the friendship that came out of that serendipitous gallery visit several years ago.
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