STORIES OF LIFE EXPLAIN THE IMAGES

Steve Parr interviewing one of the finalists in this year’s contest. The Top 40 images are displayed with no names or captions during the community voting.

Photographer and subjects interviewed

It’s trite to say that a picture is worth 1,000 words, yet the truth is even that’s an underestimation. By Steve Parr.

The photographers who have spoken with us have often had entire novels to share! As an intern with hope in shadows, I’ve had the privilege of diving into the stories behind the photos.
These interviews will form the 2007 exhibition. and 2008 calendar. The calendar choices will be from the top 40 images based on the community vote.

The interviews also form part of a larger oral history project documenting some of the stories and people connected to the hope in shadows calendar since its 2004 inception.

Since July 3, we’ve been tracking down and interviewing the 33 winners of this year’s hope in shadows photo contest. As with previous years, some people get more than one image into the top 40 despite that fact that over 4,000 images were initially judged by the professional panel.

In conversations lasting up to an hour, I’ve listened to the artists describe the aesthetics and narrative contexts of their photos. I’ve interviewed nine people so far, and will hopefully have an opportunity to interview a dozen more.

Interviewing is a variable challenge, shifting with each new person. Everyone interviewed is eloquent about their photograph, their reasons for taking it and what it means to them now that they’ve been selected as a winner.

However, neither myself nor the photographers are robots programmed to spit out reflection on our lives and our art, so I’ve learned that interviewing must be as dynamic as any other conversation.

I’m delighted to share the company of these artists and to listen in on their creative process. Each interview is an opportunity to learn more about holding space, building comfort, practicing empathy and learning more about myself.

Steve Parr is entering his final year of an honours women’s studies degree at UVic, with a minor in theatre for social change.

This article is from the HOPE IN SHADOWS newsletter Snapshot. To downoad the pdf of Snapshot, click here (417 KB)