Photo Shoots
The Empress of Bramwell
In the little town of Bramwell, West Virginia, there once lived millionaires and coal-mining landowners. Today, it is a land that reminds locals little of its glorious past. Yet – people are still proud of their hometown and routines. As I drove around town consuming sights and sounds foreign to my own, I was stopped in my tracks by this woman – who was bigger than life – I just had to photograph her.
It was a challenge to convince her to agree to it as she was in the midst of Sunday choir practice and didn’t have much time. I usually like to spend some time to seek out suitable backgrounds to match the character and outfit of my subject – in this case, I had to make do with our immediate background. The miracle was, it worked out great and I made her day. She was flattered to be photographed wearing her best Sunday choir outfit and beamed with pride.