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Sarah Carson,
photographer and world traveler with her husband and
friends. She has shown her photographs in many international
and American art galleries. I was introduced to her when I
directed an art museum in Waco, Texas by another
photographer that I respected his work and his judgment. A
one person exhibition followed of his work that showed the
simple detail and majesty of travel in one foreign country.
In her copy of the newest book about her visions on her
travels,
Montestigliano: A Tuscan Farm,
she wrote: ” I have always appreciated your encouragement
and ideas. Ciao, Ciao.” It is important that the
photographer find the details that is the essence of a life
experience which can be shared through images to the world.
One carries peace in your heart when seeing is your
profession.
The project…is huge. I am in awe of its magnitude, and
realize that it truly has a change to reach people all over
the world. I just hope it can reach some who are not already
thinking in the peace mode. I hope that it can reach some of
those parents who love to hate more than they love their
children, but what possible other explanation could there be
for parents to allow their children to be suicide bombers? I
hope the peace journey reaches into the hearts of at least
some of those who think their person, house, community, is
the center of the universe. As I travel, I shall surely
think of the peace journey, and I hope that I can in some
way further its purpose.
From my book: I think of the early morning when I drove
myself over a dirt road on a crest of a Crete Senese hill
south of Siena. As I head east, sun spots where in my face.
I was pretty sure I had a detached retina, and I had found
an eye doctor who would check it out on this Saturday
morning. An Italian friend had found this German doctor for
me; he had just arrived in the area of her small town and
had agreed to see me at the town’s small clinic. As I drove,
I couldn’t help but think of the possibility that I would
lose some or all vision in my eye. As a photographer, I
realized that this could greatly affect my life; my ability
to see was all important to me. So I felt extremes of
emotion as I drove on this beautiful early morning. I
suddenly saw an unforgettable vision; through the sun spots,
I saw a flock of sheep heading towards me on the road led by
a large Alsacian dog. I stopped my car and reached for my
camera…and I thanked God for this ultimate “sheep shot” on
this important morning., As photographers gather on the
Crete Senese, they look for sheep to photograph, so I could
not help but think of this vision as special blessing. I
thought that this was surely a gift, perhaps an ultimate
photographic opportunity before losing my eye’s sight. So I
photographed the animals as they approached my car. The dog
turned his sheep just as they reached me, and they headed
into a new pasture for the day. The dog turned to look at me
a last time before he, too, left the road. I sat a moment in
the quiet and beauty of the place and could not help but
smile. What a wonderful “sheep shot” I had been served this
morning!
 
 
One more story of travel, not from this book (Montestigliano:
A Tuscan Farm by Susan Pennington and Sarah Carson), but
from a future one: In Estonia in 1987, I visited Tallinn
during its summer festival. Women sold flowers on the
streets, performances were held on a stage in the large town
center square, and the city was packed with visitors. One
afternoon as I walked through a large park to a scheduled
performance, I had an encounter that would be one of my
favorite memories. I noticed a group of young people sitting
in a circle on a small mound of grass away from the path. I
could hear them singing, and because I love to sing, I
walked over to better hear their songs. They were singing
hymns, mostly folk hymns, many of which I knew, so even
though I could not understand their words, I recognized the
tunes. They saw me standing nearby, signing along, and
invited me to sit with them. I did so and for about 20
minutes, I sang some old favorites with them, such as
‘Amazing Grace’; and ‘Do Lord.’ Then they asked me to select
a song, and I suggested ‘Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore’
which we then sang. I stood and said I must go, and thanked
them for letting me join them. As I left this small group, I
realized the enormousness of meaning of this experience. I
was in Estonia; Glasnost was just now arriving. To be in
public singing hymns was a huge risk to safety and freedom
for these young people. Their resolve to openly worship in
this way was a great moment of faith for me. Almost twenty
years later, I can still hear tunes and see the faces of the
singers, smiling and joyous.
When a photograph can mix her
spirituality with visions of happy faces, doing the simple
things that make all of us on this planet human and in
fellowship, it is appropriate to allow it to shine through.
What is wonderful about Rotary is that all Rotarians are
spiritual but they do not believe, or have to believe, the
same things. It is this mix of creative imagery (finding the
special in the moment), spirituality, fellowship (Sarah
Carson always goes on her journeys of discovery with fellow
travelers, friends), a knack for finding the unexpected
through his skills as a professional, and her unique vision
(allowing the inner self to shine through her lenses and her
choices of subjects).
One of her close friends on
this journey of discovery is “Aldo” Jerrel Herron, another
photographer, who wrote:
The Etruscan Warrior
The dust is white silence
around his sandaled feet,
The hills are quiet
and lie in verde green.
His wife is full with child
and to the number of four,
The Wheat is still aplenty
now ready for the spring.
Last year’s wine was good
stored in many barrels,
Cheese round on shelves
suspended by ropes.
The sun slowly fades,
mountains turn purple haze;
Fires from the Roman camps
are beginning to glow.
He wonders about tomorrow
the fighting to begin,
And the warrior’s tears
fall on the Crete Senese.
When creative juices flow,
peace cannot be far away. The details in the photographs are
like the data in education, it fills the mind and the eye
but it is the creative process that sets that mind and eye
aflame. Without that flame, that passion for the moment and
for others who we call “fellow travelers” in the sharing of
that moment, there cannot be peace.
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