The photographer I have chosen this week is Eric Gottesman. The photos are from a series that is now a published book. I believe all of the photos in this series are polaroids. In the assumption of the use of a polaroid camera it is interesting to me that he has a shallow depth of field, specifically highlighting his subject in the third picture shown. It is also slightly than the subject in the first portrait with less obvious intention. I also love the choice of black and white.
These photos are taken of children with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. This subject is quiet important because the photos were shot when the disease was more stigmatized. It also shows how these people actually lived in contrast to the extreme poverty they were portrayed in by the mainstream media. The sensitive topic matter of the photos matched with the subject's innocence make these pictures very powerful.
I enjoy the theme of these photos the taboo subject of HIV/AIDS is important to de-stigmatize especially in a place like Ethiopia. Being that Ethiopia has such a little middle class population, these children can either afford the care they need or they can't. Cultural pressures also present an issue for HIV/AIDS patients in this culture as well as our American culture. It is easy to think of people with this disease as lepers but these pictures humanize people suffering from the disease.
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