06
B+W
S
he stands in the middle of the frame, waif-
like, and yet open; vulnerable but confident.
It is as though she has presented herself to
the camera, unafraid and unselfconscious.
Her hair drifts across her face, blown by
the wind, obscuring one eye and a part
of her mouth that seems to be at the stage of pre-
smiling. She is wanting to contribute to the picture
by the giving of herself, a gift to the photographer.
Her status of ‘child’ is still with her but we see signs
of the woman she will become in the stance of her
shoulders and her strongly held head. She seems to
tell us that she is not afraid, but we know she will face,
as we all do, so many things in her life that she is yet
unaware of. She will have to draw on all her strength.
Her eyes – or the one eye we can see – is just a
tiny slit in her face, as though she is weighing up
the situation with a cool head – a kind of serenity
that exudes from her, trusting yet watchful.
Behind her the grasses have grown tall and slant in
the direction of the wind and the lie of the hill; she
stands out against them tall and straight. And yet,
darkness surrounds her, enclosing her from both sides,
the distant line of trees stand out in silhouette and the
clouds brood ominously. Even the tall lamp post is unlit.
What do we make of this child-woman? The caption
tells us so little that our imagination must engage and
make our own stories about her. Did the photographer
meet her by chance on a walk? Was she carrying some
shopping home, or was she out playing with friends
when he saw the potential for a portrait and asked her
to stand before his camera? Did he not ask her name?
By now she will be in her twenties, maybe living close
by with a child of her own, or maybe she is on the other
side of the world, making her way, a talented worker.
We will never know the answers to these questions
and that is what is so intriguing. A photograph like
this, with just a sparse caption that tells us time and
place, allows us to take a journey of imagination
that draws on all we know and have seen, or read or
experienced in our lives. It opens up our love and
need of storytelling and the life of the imagination.Black+White Photography has been
invited by Magnum Photos to choose
one picture each month from their
archive to discuss, dissect, examine
and consider. This month Elizabeth
Roberts looks at an intriguing image
from Australia by Trent Parke.
MAGNUM OPUSBerwick Suburbs, Victoria, Australia 2004.
© Trent Parke / Magnum Photos