Page 182 - index
P. 182
A Artist Profle
A few months after I started photographing the roots
of trees, I asked a friend if I could take some photos
of his locks. He agreed. I went to his house, located at
the top of a mountain, with a panoramic view of where
the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet. It
was breathtaking! I took photos of his locks, and when
I looked at them together with the photographs of
tree roots, I said, “Wow!” I could not believe my eyes.
The similarity was astonishing. It was as if it had been
prearranged. I knew that was impossible. This was not a
coincidence. I sensed a greater consciousness guiding
me. It was a presence I had felt before, but not connected
with my photography. I embraced its guidance and started
to explore this new perspective, the human subject.
My journey led me into remote areas of Trinidad and
Tobago, where people’s daily lives are consistently
connected to nature. My path was laid out for me: all
I had to do was keep an open spirit and be prepared.
Selecting my subjects was more of a visceral process,
based on sensing a person’s energy rather than the length
of their locks.
Sensing a person’s spirit is an intuitive process
achieved by being spiritually conscious. I approached
photographing the tree roots and my human subjects
with the same openness of spirit. It provided me with the
opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues with men
and women who have been wearing their hair in locks.
For some, it seemed natural, free, at one with nature
and symbolic of a cosmic force, unfettered by society’s
constraints. For others, locks represented a connection to
an ancient order dedicated to a pure and holy life. Locks
were not seen as a novelty or style.
If we view creation as a continuous process in nature,
with the Creator existing in all things, we can see
its intricate role in shaping the spiritual and cultural
development of humanity. This holistic approach, of
worshiping God’s manifestation in Nature, is still practiced
today by many indigenous cultures around the world.
Curtis McHardy
Photographer
Trinidad
183
182 183
A few months after I started photographing the roots
of trees, I asked a friend if I could take some photos
of his locks. He agreed. I went to his house, located at
the top of a mountain, with a panoramic view of where
the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet. It
was breathtaking! I took photos of his locks, and when
I looked at them together with the photographs of
tree roots, I said, “Wow!” I could not believe my eyes.
The similarity was astonishing. It was as if it had been
prearranged. I knew that was impossible. This was not a
coincidence. I sensed a greater consciousness guiding
me. It was a presence I had felt before, but not connected
with my photography. I embraced its guidance and started
to explore this new perspective, the human subject.
My journey led me into remote areas of Trinidad and
Tobago, where people’s daily lives are consistently
connected to nature. My path was laid out for me: all
I had to do was keep an open spirit and be prepared.
Selecting my subjects was more of a visceral process,
based on sensing a person’s energy rather than the length
of their locks.
Sensing a person’s spirit is an intuitive process
achieved by being spiritually conscious. I approached
photographing the tree roots and my human subjects
with the same openness of spirit. It provided me with the
opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogues with men
and women who have been wearing their hair in locks.
For some, it seemed natural, free, at one with nature
and symbolic of a cosmic force, unfettered by society’s
constraints. For others, locks represented a connection to
an ancient order dedicated to a pure and holy life. Locks
were not seen as a novelty or style.
If we view creation as a continuous process in nature,
with the Creator existing in all things, we can see
its intricate role in shaping the spiritual and cultural
development of humanity. This holistic approach, of
worshiping God’s manifestation in Nature, is still practiced
today by many indigenous cultures around the world.
Curtis McHardy
Photographer
Trinidad
183
182 183
