APPLACHIAN PORTRAITS
The next photographer who’s looking at Appalachia, is Shelby lee Adams. Who is an American environmental portrait photographer and artist who is best known for his images of Appalachian family life.
Shelby quotes, My work is autobiographical, people-oriented, personal and subjective, with humanistic and artistic concerns. I’ve never said I was a documentary photographer. I’m careful not to. When I teach workshops at the International Center of Photography, among other places across the country, I teach environmental portrait photography and lighting. Still I’m often written about as a documentary photographer and that approach itself has fortunately changed to be more open, individualised, and creatively more all-encompassing. Those changes in photography have happened during my career’.
Shelby works, using a formal view camera, Polaroids and lighting, because of the complexity of this culture. You can have a descriptive photojournalistic documentary image, culturally enriching authentic mountaineer and a socially conscious politically charged picture, all represented in one picture, in one moment here. In essence, my work is about all those things and more with my own autobiographical and psychological pursuits expressed as well. Pictures can get complicated and share multiple purposes, yet remain separate – personal and meaningful to each of us.
The home was referred to as “a run down, rotting shack.” It may have been different from a city brick home, but it still was someone’s home with children inside to consider. This could have been described as a modest dwelling in need of repair. Some were described as broken and poor. If asked, someone might describe themselves as, “one of God’s children, rich in spirit.” It seemed little consideration was given to the people’s feelings or the deeper life they actually lived and certainly the culture was considered and seen only one way – poor.
This series of work is quite motivating and interesting personally to the audience through the way ‘Adam’ has applied the viewpoint of the images, through the closeup portraits and connection you have with the person. Which brings the audiences closer and intrigued to what is happening in the shot. I also feel like this documentary is very narrative based as each shot has a personal meaning therefore I feel like each image could represent a tableau than a series of images. Even though they do work well as a set of images. Although I am not pursuing in the portrait style through my set of images I do still get inspiration and encouragement from Adam’s work.
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