Community Photography

Maybe it was looking at a photo in the photo exhibit from somebody and you pass by this place any number of times and you say ‘You know, I never saw that spot from that angle before.’  And just the fact that somebody else did makes you think. And that’s what it’s about. It’s about reminding people we just don’t live in the place.  We are community and we can actually live like that. People in this holler or this town hadn’t spent enough time with each other to realize how very much they had in common. And not just on the hard issues they were dealing with. People feel like ‘It’s only like that over here.  We are the only people that has to deal with this,’ and so this project just blew a lot of those lies out of the way.  That was refreshing. Cause most of us already knew all the same things. But we are not accustomed to sitting down saying the things we know and having someone who’s not usually at the table say ‘that’s right.’

- Connie Owens

I helped in grouping the photographs.  To see all the people who took part in the photography project was mind blowing.  The big payoff for all of us was seeing everyone looking at them and talking.  It was great.
 
- Nicole Compton

I grouped a few pictures that had a theme and made a final group.  My group was originally an outdoor theme, but soon blossomed into children outdoors.  It was exciting to play around with the possibilities of different themes.  By my second and third days, our groups were posted on the wall.  I worked with my friend Angie, which was fun, because we enjoyed talking about the pictures.  We were particularly taken by a picture of drugs and needles lying on a couch.  Here in the midst of these wonderful pictures of family and mountains and dogs and churches is an ever-present evil out there that we tend to overlook.  Talking about how surprised we were by this picture made me realize I am not the only blind horse in the race.

- Jessica Goins

Galleries

The Best Of Hard Times

By Heart

Consider It All Joy