Unknowingly, I had been limiting myself to only expressing my thoughts and feelings through images or writing, separately. It was until I came back from Alaska that I felt that the images I wanted to present were missing an element. They were missing something vital that would help the viewer connect to what they were seeing. Then comes Jim Goldberg with his book “Raised by Wolves”. It blew my mind away because of it’s rawness but most importantly because it did not only present photographs, but they were accompanied by words! I know it was not the first time that I had seen work like this, but I had not paid attention to that, as I was exclusively focused on images. I made my first book, “Our Hands” as a way to express what I experienced during my trip to Alaska, through a project focusing on hands.

The book was well liked, but to me, it felt like unfinished…unrefined. I did enjoy creating it though, and I discovered that I wanted to create more work like this, more books! Quickly I thought of different works to assemble into books. They are projects with a much more personal touch and a deeper meaning. I needed to take my time with them. Time has a way of changing things and although those projects were not forgotten, I was spending less and less time on them. 

Today I came across the image above by Duane Michals. The writing under the image reads ‘This photograph is my proof. There was that afternoon, when things were still good between us, and she embraced me, and we were so happy. It did happen, she did love me. Look see for yourself!’ 

Duane Michals’ photograph “This Photograph Is My Proof” makes me think about something which has happened to me quite recently. I see no better way to start this blog than with his image as a form of motivation. Duane Michals was one of the photographers whose work I began to admire after making “Our Hands”. Thanks to this image I have began to work on my next book, based on my experience of loss…the loss of ‘love’ and of a great friend with whom I had the great pleasure to experience so many things in such a short time. Things to last me a lifetime. The images explored in the work that is to come are my proof.