I’ve said before that I do photo portraits of people I like, respect, or connect with.  Those are the good ones.

These are the people of my life; my photography has given me the gift of capturing them openly and honestly. I don’t need a lot of words; the camera does the work.

The character in Alfreda’s face is deep and rich. I always want to take her portrait, but I got a good chance today.  

Today, she wanted to try on my new hat. I jumped at the change – sure, I said, but I need to take your picture.

I’ve known Alfreda for as long as I’ve been in the country.

She is a hero of mine, devoting the best years of her life to working hard every day to support her family far away. What a sacrifice she has made for others.

She has the biggest, and perhaps the toughest heart. And the warmest smile.

People have often treated her insensitively and shabbily; she has no hardness in her soul. She just smiles and shrugs.

She has almost literally given up her life for the people she loves. Her life is her family.

The camera captured her spirit, humor, and strength as she admired my new hat. Note the twinkle in her eyes. Her authentic self emerged. Her face bristles with character and the wisdom of life.

She is a remarkable portrait subject. I don’t see many faces like hers.

She doesn’t whine or balk. She hopes her family, thousands of miles away, will see her photo here on the blog. They are all on Facebook.

It is a gift to know Alfreda, she doesn’t understand much of what I say (Maria and she yak like sorority sisters), and I don’t understand too much of what she says. But we are good friends, bound by our spirits and intuitions.

We always smile when we see each other and laugh out on the back porch tomorrow. She likes my hat and cautioned me not to wear it until the summer. It is a summer hat, she says.