Afghanistan Series // Vol. III

Here today is Anthony. He's going to be really modest with his first set of pictures because he knows he can do better...but I think these shots are fantastic! He'll tell you, "these are not as good because it was before I had my light meter" or "it was before I had my waist level finder." But I can't get enough of these pictures and I can't wait until he sends his next batch of film. You can catch up on Anthony's other posts by clicking here for vol. 1 and here for vol. 2. These photos were processed and scanned at Richard Photo Lab in Hollywood, CA. Without further ado, here is Anthony's take:

So here we have it: the best shots (I can put on the internet) from my first two rolls of Ektar 100. The color isn't quite what I expected from Ektar, but it is pleasant nonetheless. 

Afghanistan begs to have its picture taken-- literally and figuratively. Maybe it's a photography cliche, but dilapidated buildings and broken glass make for an excellent portrait background. I only have a few photos here (more are in the mail), but if a picture is to tell a story, or give expression to 'the art of one's life' (as Lisa's website suggests), then disrepair and urban decay are very suggestive backdrops to use. Think of the service members you know. Many come from rough backgrounds, and most conceive of the military as a stable job predicated on a very violent and chaotic premise. Others came for a sense of adventure-- to operate and survive on the kinetic fringe of the third world. Cliches? Stereotypes? Maybe, but that's the way many see it. Military service pressures men to place their anxieties in one of a few boxes. The cliche is a piece of a very real and interesting slice of the human condition.

These are the kinds of things we can think about when we take portraits in a setting that may not be, conventionally speaking, 'beautiful.' This is why Afghanistan is an interesting place to take pictures from an artistic-- rather than just an editorial-- point of view.