Lana - the Dreamer

Posted October 03, 2009

A few weeks back I saw a casting call that caught my eye. Her name was Lana and she was was interested in shooting in a few traditional Indian outfits that she and her mother made. To be honest this woman had been on my wish list for months at this point, ever since I first saw images of her. There is an unmistakable energy to her that just draws a viewer to her face like the proverbial moth to a flame. I had to respond.

These two shots were finished ahead of schedule. I have other, older work that needs attention before I dive into Lana's images. But these two said something to me. And no matter how many times I try to put it to words, I keep failing.

The closest I have managed to come up with is this: I see them and feel a strange polarity. They bring me up and down at the same time. It's like flipping through an old yearbook and seeing smiling faces that you miss knowing. It's that sense of nostalgia that draws me to these photos. It's a feeling of sadness and freedom, at the same time, that I cannot seem to explain.

Here are a couple of shots from that day. Expect more as I have time to finish them.