La Colline
A Photograph by Louisa Ben
The woman places both hands on a sunlit, triangular patch of grass. Her recumbent pose is so measured she seems to have known the exact moment she needed to shut her eyes. Yet it is also significant to appraise the precise angling of her face towards the light: how her face might seem prismatic given its sheen, how much of her temperament she reveals in an unspeaking repose.
— Emmanuel Iduma
“Photography allows us to perceive what surrounds us differently.”
This photograph was taken during a residency with the collective Les Cousines in Montreuil, a Parisian suburb. I was photographing youth in the Morillons district and I met Sirandou during. I offered to photograph her near her home and I saw this light which made me want to make her portrait there.
This photograph represents my work well; I mostly photograph women and youth.
I like to photograph in order to meet people. I shoot instinctively and at the same time quite thoughtfully because I work mostly in the long term and with analog photography. Photography is impactful because it allows us to perceive what surrounds us differently. It is also something that endures and allows to be the witness of a moment or an epoch.
— Louisa Ben
About Louisa Ben
Louisa Ben is a French-Moroccan photographer based in Paris. She develops in her work a reflection around the geographical memory and the construction of identity. She works on long-term personal projects and has had her work featured in M le Magazine du Monde, El Pais, and Marie-Claire. See more of her work on her website and on Instagram.
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Updates from the community
Photographer Wesley Verhoeve—with whom Tender Photo collaborated in July—has announced the release of NOTICE Journal, Volume One, a new photo book that builds on the success of his sold-out monograph NOTICE. In this new book, Verhoeve takes readers on a 64-page visual journey through Amsterdam, highlighting the beauty of often overlooked places. Verhoeve’s work has previously appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, and The Washington Post. Every Sunday, Wesley publishes Process, a weekly photography newsletter focused on helping over 13,000 readers find their creative voice. He also curated exhibitions at the International Center of Photography in New York. Buy NOTICE Journal here.
This is the 144th edition of this publication. The newsletter also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.
TENDER PHOTO is a digital platform of African photography, edited by Emmanuel Iduma. Our aim is to use photography to engage with life on the African continent. We publish narratives about the people, places, and events pictured in photographs, contributing to nuanced and layered perceptions.
Every Wednesday we feature a photograph, a short caption about it, and a statement from the photographer. Last year, we published commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter, including CORRESPONDENCES, CONCORDANCE, KINDRED, INDEX, and AFFINITIES.
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