Hive! It’s been so long that I’m trying to remember my writing format for blog posts and that’s troubling. It’s been months. I’m in a period of my life where it’s a constant cycle; two steps forward and one step back. I’ve been in a constant state of redefining my identity, friendships and priorities in life. It’s exhausting, honestly. I’ve been working with the local Minneapolis community for the free Palestine movement and I’ve gone through spiritual, mental, emotional and creative iterations of myself and finding new was to express the evolution. Tonight I’ll be sharing a few new photos with a beautiful Palestinian American named Nadia.
We met randomly in a park when she commented on the back patch of my vest. “From The River To The Sea”, and we exchanged socials. As the weeks went on, we stayed in touch through Instagram and began talking about shooting together before the snow began to fall. We wanted to do traditional Palestinian wardrobe so Nadia ordered two new thobes; one natural and one tatreez. We decided to shoot at the same park where we first met. It has a peace garden with fountains, trails and flower beds. Unfortunately, I forgot my 35mm lens and shooting at noon had its challenges with direct overhead sunlight.
Nadia had never done a professional shoot before so the first 30 minutes was just getting her comfortable with being in front of the camera. We found a trail that led to some secluded shaded areas. This is always tricky because you want your sunlight completely on or completely off the face, but not both. It looks some creative posing but we eventually got some strong portraits. We had one wardrobe change into the black and red tatreez and made our way to the fountain and rose garden. Overcoming the hard lighting, we found some great places to shoot.
One thing I really loved about this shoot is that after 25 years in the fashion and beauty industry, there was no production at all. No hair or make-up considerations. We just met up, fresh faced and went into this purely for fun. My heart is so deeply moved by the Palestinian people and culture that I wanted to just capture the story that is Nadia and her family. I’ve been finding my way back to what I loved about photography in the first place without all the travel, the exhausting schedule and the immense pressure with high profile shoots. This was just for fun, and I loved it.