The Art of photography

RespondingtotheSubject:

Love

"Ithinkhavingafamilyisoneofthegreat

humanexperiences,'

• 
  

saysphotographer

AlexWebb,"and,nothavingonemyself,

Imissit."ButWebb'ssearch

forfamily

love,whichledhimtothelivingroomof

anapartment

in

upper

Manhattanwhere

hetookthephotographatleft,wasnotso

muchasentimentaljourneyasitwasthe

result ofsometough-mindedanalysisof

theassignment.

"Ithoughtaboutdoing

somethingwith

somebodywholovedcollectingthings,

butthenthatseemedalmost

likeacquisi-

tiveness,greed.Ithoughtofdoingsome-

thing

with

a

socialworker,orsomeone

whoworkedinahospital,orapsychiatric

center,butthosesmackedtoomuchof

professionalcareandnotenoughof

true

love."Then,asWebbwasmullingover

otherpossibilities

—

suchasa

pictureof

peoplegreetingeachotheratanair-

port—an

opportunityaroseforhimto

photographinthehomeofafamilywitha

livelyfour-year-old

boy.

"Ithoughtitmightbeeasiertofind

whatIwaslookingfor

in

a

family

witha

youngchild—especiallyaHispanicfam-

ily,"

saysWebb,who

oftenworkedin

Caribbeancountries."Ihopedthatthey

wouldbe

demonstrative."

Atthebeginning,Webbrecalls,"Iwas

obviouslyanintruder.ButI'veworkedin

alotofdifferentsituations,

andIcan

get

peopletofeelrelaxedwhenI'maround.

Therearesomeplaceswhereyouare

nevergoingtofitin,buthere,afterthe

initialgiggles,thetwopeopleinthepho-

tograph,theboyandhisuncle,beganto

openupandplaywitheachother,and

did not

worry

about

me.Theywerepinch-

ingeachother,andmimicking,andthere

wasa

funnytension.Therewasanag-

gressivenessaboutthekid,but

it

wasa

lovingaggressiveness.

"Ithinkapicturelike

this—aboutplay-

fullove

—

shouldnotbetoobalanced.I

wantedthe

figures

a

littletotheleft—

I

don'tlikepictureswhereeverything

isin

thecenter.

Ilikedthekidbeinguponthe

backofthecouch."

**.