Shelby Lee Adams is known for his environmental portraiture of the appalachian hill people of Kentucky. Adams, who is originally from Kentucky, has been photographing the hill people for over 30 years. He has won numerous prestigious awards, fellowships and grants including a Guggenheim and multiple NEA grants.
His images are very objective, with people usually facing the photographer directly. They almost have traditional studio family portrait feel to them, except that there are wonderful details included in the images that would otherwise be stripped from a studio portrait setting. Many of his images are artificially lit in a way that is quite beautiful.
A 2002, Sundance Film Festival wining documentary film entitled, "The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams' Appalachia" was highly critical of what the director felt was Adams constructing images that perpetuate an inaccurate stereotype of poor appalachian people. Essentially, the film director, and other felt that, Adams is taking advantage of his subjects for his own personal gain. Personally, I find his images honest and respectful. I do not get the feeling that he is concocting scenes which exploit his subjects, like others have contended.
I am attending a workshop with Shelby Lee Adams this weekend in Philadelphia and will let everyone know how it goes on Monday.
Robin
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