PamEla FleSner

 I bought my first 35 mm camera in early 1969.  My first roll of black and white film was shot in a Sydney, Australia public park the following week.   I was instantly hooked and have been photographing ever since.  Portraits and what I call "ordinary slices of life" intrigue me with their endless possibilities to record a brief moment in the vast continuum of time.  More recently, I have turned my viewfinder inside-out to focus on personal subjects of family and surroundings, weaving my intense connection into the images and pushing my own emotional boundaries. I often annotate my images with the words and symbols that flow from my emotional connection to the visual presentation.

Strings of words have had an even longer fascination for me.  As my first grade teacher surely recognized, I have always preferred letters to numbers.  My first writing was composed to mark the death of my father when I was twelve years old...a child's plaintive tribute which is recorded in these pages.   Some 23 years later, another writing gave words to my mother's impending death.  Without warning or planning, other strings of words have entered my mind throughout my life.  These are set forth here.

Each of us has a unique story to tell, but our common humanity connects us.   If any of these images or the brief written offerings resonate in your heart or mind, I would be glad to know.