At PhotoNola last December I kept hearing this phrase – Have you seen the blind prom pictures? You gotta see these images…

Well I tracked Sarah down, and was really all the better for it. I found them so beautiful, rich in color. Her subjects, The Texas School for the Blind students, so full of life, I didn’t want to stop looking at them. She took the PhotoNola Review Prize and I look forward to seeing more and greater things from her.

I enjoy deconstructing the ideas we have about beauty, strength, our weaknesses and flaws. We spend our time so used to understanding beauty as a view of a supermodel, and here we have young adults who are so compellingly radiant, we want to be part of their joy. I want to know them, be part of their lives.

Based in Texas after graduating from NYU’s Photo program, she has another compelling project based on Jasper, Texas called the Road to Redemption. Shot in Black & White, she captures the tension and questions the issues of race, justice, the Death Penalty and ultimately a certain level of forgiveness. I’ll save that for another time.