STILL

22nd August 2013

So after a whirlwind return I’ve finally emerged from a few days scanning and I’m now eager to jet off again NOW please…

On reflection the stuff I shot in Romania is obviously incomplete but great practice and has inspired me to learn more. This weeks post is from one of the tales I decided to explore on a village consisting of widows. The village has a reputation as ‘The widow village’ as despite it’s small population (approx. 77 houses – some of which have been abandoned) the majority who live there are widows. The ladies I met joked: ” God has taken all of the men to build a heaven for us”.

Some husbands died of old age, sickness, others freak accidents -(one man fell off a carriage), each had a tale to tell of losing their loved one. I decided to photograph stills of an object that they had left behind from their husbands. It is tradition in Romania for the belongings of the deceased to be given away or burnt. However each woman had one or two things left over. Here is a small picture of Elena’s husband Jon Mihaila who died in 1999. Each Polaroid accompanies a portrait of the widows….OAO x