Artist’s Statement about the Mississippi Series
… I was trained that photographs should be perfectly sharp, in focus, and well exposed. But now, having experienced more of life, this seems less important. History is clouded with uncertainties due to selective memories. Time past loses its clarity but not its meaning. Thus I chose black and white film to use with plastic and old cameras such as the Holga, twin lens reflex, and later a vintage Hasselblad, to capture evidence of the past with cameras used in the past. The resulting imperfections, the soft focus and light leaks serve as metaphors for how landscape, race, and religion have played a part in the complicated history of Mississippi and still affect lives today. Exploring and photographing is a personal journey for me to better understand past and present, and in time, the images may reveal more of this place where I now live. Betty Press, Hattiesburg, MS
Photographs are printed on archival paper and sized 14 x 14” and 16 x 16”. Some framed pieces are available, please inquire.
House in the Fog (Old House in Buschman/Newman Historic Neighborhood, Hattiesburg), archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Cakewalk, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Pig Races, Juke Joint Festival, Clarksdale, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Two School Chairs, Black Hawk, Mississippi, silver gelatin print. 14 x 14 in.
Hint of a Story (Barbershop, downtown Indianola), archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Kudzu, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Bungee Ride, Pontotoc, Mississippi, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Have a Seat, color archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Foggy Country Morning, Rural Southern Mississippi, color archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Midnight Snack Shop, Midnight, Mississippi, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.
Old School Cooks, Hot Tamale Festival, Greenville, archival pigment print, 16 x 16 in.
Tin Man by Jim Bird, near Demopolis, Alabama, archival pigment print. 16 x 16 in.