Mary Ellen Mark

Mary Ellen Mark spoke tonight at the Strand Bookstore about two of her books: Falkland Road: Prostitutes of Bombay and Exposure, a collection of her most well-known photographs. She took questions from the audience about how she works and how she gains the trust of her subjects (with persistence). Being a female is an advantage, in her estimation.

I was surprised to recognize most of the images in her books, though I didn't think I was especially cognizant of her all these years. But her photographs are the ones you tend to stare at for a long time - portraits taken at odd angles, often a bit off balance, of people that you might not usually acknowledge.