Amity
Nora R.
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I took this picture for my first portraiture assignment in my photography class at the Civic Center Farmer's Market in Marin. I remember my hands shaking on the shutter, feeling like an impostor, a nervous high school student dressed up as a photographer. The mirth and warmth emanating from the band as they chatted and tuned their instruments was palpable. I made my move, walking up to the two leading ladies adjusting their microphones and asking if they minded a picture. "Oh, do we!" The women fell into pose immediately, contagious laughter floating through the air and lifting a weight from my shoulders. It doesn't take much to make someone's day. Whether or not they would remember me was irrelevant; I thought of those two kind strangers long after I took their picture. There are a multitude of reasons modern photographers choose to make black-and-white images, but for me, the decision was as simple as seeing that these women didn't need to be depicted in color for it to shine through anyway. I think there is something so beautiful in the simplicity of the interactions between friends, and so I called it "Amity" for how they shared it with me.
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For me, creativity is what draws you to the things you are curious about, and creativity is how you make what you perceive in the world your own.
