”As I continued to photograph I became quite joyous. I knew that I could express the things I wanted to say by giving them form through my eyes”
~ Inge Morath
(1923 - 2002)
Inge lived a full and productive life, and today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth. It was a life full of adventure from escaping the Nazi regime at a young age to becoming one of the most admired pioneering female photographers of the celebrated Magnum Photo Agency. I was forever grateful for Henri Cartier Bresson suggesting she come visit me when she was on assignment in Los Angeles. Her grace and intelligence equalled his own wonderful photographer wife Martine Franck.
When I look at this image I feel I am immediately transported into the pages of one of my favourite novels, Boris Pasternak’s “Dr Zhivago”. As Inge says,
“Pressing the shutter has remained a moment of joyful recognition comparable to the delight of a child balancing on tiptoe and suddenly with a small cry of delight, stretching out a hand toward a desired object”.