Alexandra Zavala
James L. Stanfield, "Grieving Mother #4"
1978
I selected this image by National Geographic Photographer James L. Stanfield of a woman in Bulgaria mourning the loss of her youngest son. It was the first image of many that I looked through that grasped my attention. Though I did not initially know the story behind this photo I could tell this woman had lost a child. The darkness surrounding her shows emptiness of how she must feel without this person in her life. While the light peaks in the room and hits the picture frame and woman's face I could tell this person was the light of her life. I love the beauty and simplicity of the light shining on the frame and mother as if hugging her one last time. Loss is something that we have all experienced in our lives in some form. This quote I found seems to represent this image very well. "Think pictures aren't important? Wait till they're all you have left."
