Yesterday, Natalie and I ventured out with two of the mothers and their children to a small, local historical garden that has a fish pond. In the park is an old, stone olive press, a mill stone and several other ancient farming implements. The fish pond was the real designation. Natalie knew Hani, a darling 18 month old, would love it...she goes crazy at the site of water. While we were there, another group of 4 siblings from the neighborhood Measherin (Ultra Orthodox) Jewish community were exploring the area. These children were darling and I wanted to see if I could capture a photo. After Natalie pointed out that doing this openly could get me into some trouble if their mother arrived, I tried to be a little more inconspicuous. Maybe 2 of the ten photos I shot from the hip are framed right, but the preciousness of these children I couldn't resist trying to capture.
And then it happened...
A man from a tour group that had entered the garden wandered our direction and got right up next to my Kurdish friend and her one-year old son. He held up his small camera within 2 feet of her face and took a picture. "What are you doing?" I thought. Frustration stirred inside me. She is not a spectacle. She is a beautiful creation of God, who greets me with a hug and kiss on the cheek each day, who taught me how to make Kurdish food, whose precious son needs heart surgery. She is not a zoo animal!
We have been talking about having a pure heart in our morning meetings as we are studying through the book of Proverbs together as a community at Shevet. What are my motives in capturing photos of life here? Are the pure? Or are they to exploit?
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