Photo series #5: The most beautiful subject

This beautiful old lady is one of the most photogenic subjects I have ever seen. We passed her on our way out of the hospital, and we stopped in our tracks as if we had just seen a rare wild animal. There was something innocent about the way she squatted on the dirty floor of the hospital hallway with her head resting in her hands and wrapped in a simple red scarf. She had deep, meaningful wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth and prominent cheek bones accented by sunken cheeks.

I was frozen with the embarrassment of being a big, white "doctor" taking pictures of people. Before I knew it, Audrey had grabbed the camera and was squatting next to the old lady, talking to her. I could tell from her smiles that she enjoyed talking with Audrey. After a short conversation followed by big smiles and nods, Audrey backed up, lined up the shot, and took some of the best pictures from Vietnam so far.

I'm jealous that I wasn't able to seize the opportunity to take those pictures, but very proud of Audrey's willingness to befriend a stranger and capture her beauty on film. I've done a little cropping and editing for some emphasis, but these pictures are all Audrey.

-Scott