DeborahShapiroPhotos

Big Apple Circus

I no longer enjoy seeing animals performing in circuses, except domesticated animals like dogs or horses; I find the use of wild animals a sad form of exploitation that we could do without. But when I shot this photograph 20 years ago I was only thinking of getting a good shot without using flash, which is of course not permitted in the circus. I used Fuji Neopan 1600 film and shot at around 1/60 sec at f4, using the bright circus floods and waiting until the performers struck a pose.

This being New York, the helpful passerby didn’t dare to let go of his bicycle while pushing the stalled car.

These Moroccan girls spotted my camera while I was walking on the beach and they flocked around me, begging me to take their picture. The uncle of one of them spoke French and translated. Apart from their openness and charm, what really fascinated me was the behavior of the little girl in the right foreground, who quickly removed her blouse and carefully pulled her undershirt down to reveal one nipple before I took the picture. In a society where no woman appears on the street without a head covering and ankle-length coat, where did she learn this? The Mediterranean sea is in the background of this picture and Spain is visible on the other side, its television signal easily picked up in Morocco. It’s not necessarily a good influence. What do we teach our girls?

Central Park, April 7 2012

Although I haven’t finished editing this photo, I wanted to put it up on my blog anyway. He reminds me of a Buddha with earphones.