Poland
I visited Auschwitz several years ago, a profound experience. We had just left the Birkenau part of the camp when I realized that I wasn't ready to go, that I needed more time to absorb the experience. We went back in and immediately encountered this group of orthodox Jewish men. We greeted each other quietly and ended up walking together, alternating between periods of silence, prayer, and song. The experience was deeply moving and helped me feel more anchored in this most disturbing of places. In the photo, we are at the site of the "ramps" where the Nazis decided which of the new arrivals would be killed immediately (80%) or become slave labor.
Abiquiu, NM
I found a house abandoned after a fire in Abiquiu, NM. It made a good photographic subject because the walls were so textured. This wall with text and handprints particularly interested me - even more when I realized that it said "Help me" in Spanish.
Market in India
I saw this woman in a market in India. I don't why she is disfigured - if it was an acid burn or a burn from cooking oil. She gave me permission to take her photo and I took several, the others with her son.
Medfield State Psychiatric Hospital, Massachusetts
I visited this shuttered psychiatric hospital to take photographs, not knowing what to expect. It was an eerie place that brought back disturbing memories from one of my early social work jobs. The buildings were closed so we couldn't go inside. (You can find interior shots online.) Plans are underway to convert the site into a housing development, something that's been done with most of the state's other psychiatric facilities.
I was surprised by how much there was to photograph. I was most taken by the muted, subtle and interesting colors - all unexpected in what was undoubtedly a very dark place.
