These photographs were made in the spring of 1998 during my third visit to the small island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, East Africa. These individuals are part of a community all living and/or working within one block of each other.

Portrait sessions were approached as collaborations between the people in the pictures and myself. A large format camera from the 1930's was used with a type of 4x5 inch Polaroid film that made a positive print and negative within minutes of the exposure. Immediate feedback allowed the photographed person to see the results immediately and together we would make adjustments. We would often take several pictures as the creative image making process unfolded. Each interaction was unique and dynamic.

Nine years later in 2007, I retured to Zanzibar with my camera and re-photographed each person. Please check back in the next few weeks to view the complete body of work.

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