A thousand words

IDP camp Ghor, Afghanistan, originally uploaded by frida world.

This weekend in Wellington, New Zealand, an exhibition of my photos from Ghor, Afghanistan will be going up in Deluxe Cafe.

I bought a new camera while I was living in Afghanistan and there were days, maybe even weeks, when I thought maybe the most useful thing I had done in that week was to take photos of people which I could then print out and give back to them.

Then I started sharing some of my photos here, on Flickr and on my photoblog and I noticed something interesting. A lot of people responded with more passion to a single photo of an Afghan father cuddling his daughters than they did to one of my lengthy diatribes on the importance of moving past stereotypes in our global relations.

So I decided maybe it is true, what the old folks say about a picture telling a thousand words. This weekend when the photos go up it will be thanks to a couple of really good friends in Wellington, since I am currently in the USA.

I'm sorry I won't be there to see them up or to hear whether they illicit any kind of response in people. But I feel fairly confident that whatever my photos say, they say it more eloquently than I ever could, so I'm happy to leave them to it.

Comments

[ash]

i love the photos you've posted here and the ones i have seen on flicker. it is my hope over the next year as i prepare to venture from my own country, i can capture the beautiful faces of people around the world...amazing isn't it?

[amy]

congratulations! i have strong memories of the images that you shared with us during your travels. kind and wise eyes are the things that i remember most. i'm headed to NZ for work next week but unfortunately only Auckland. I hope your friends will take some photos of your photos on display. take care.

[Delia]

So exciting, though, to leave your images to speak for you even while you are away. The ones I have seen do have so much to say about your experiences there...
Love,
D.

[susanna]

Congratulations on your photography exhibition, Frida. You have some great friends back in NZ! I'd love to see all the photographs...maybe a photo of the cafe with your photos on the wall? No pressure, though! Have you thought of sending them to a magazine with a little written piece about your experiences in Ghor?

[Di]

Congrats, sorry not to be there to check out the exhibition. I'll put the word out anyway.

[Paris Parfait]

Your photos are amazing - they so beautifully capture the spirit in the faces of your subjects. Sorry you're missing the actual show, but I suspect there will be many more such shows in the future! xoxox

[bethanyzylstra]

I do love how photographs can say a thousand words!! So exciting that yours are up to tell their tales. And nice to see that you are writing again... You inspire me always to think deeper and harder and not be afraid to write about them... Hope your exams go well!!