Hope Sees with the Heart
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 by Jen Lemen 
Boys playing in an open field, running to greet the girl and me as we sit quietly together under the tree. They eye me first and then the camera.
Do you want to see? I hold the camera out as an offering.
We have no language to share except a common lens. I slip the Rebel around the first boy's neck and then the next until they each get a turn to fill the frame with whatever they deem. The boys laugh, they shine, they sing, joyful in their freedom, unfettered in their delight. With each shot they relax a little bit more until I begin to really see.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. This is what the Little Prince said to the man stranded in the desert. This is what I say to myself as my notions of rich and poor, happy or deprived, melt at what they make of the lens, at how they view one another, when I give up my place, stop working for the shot and let everybody be.
Picture Hope launches in two short weeks. More news to follow.
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Jen and Stephanie will be in The Shutter Suite sharing details on Picture Hope and signing books at our Picture Hope / Blurb reception, Friday June 24th from 4-5:30 in the Suite. Come celebrate Hope with us! Let us know you're coming by RSVPing to our facebook page.
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