Sanlé Sory, Autoportrait au miroir, 1966 and Sanlé Sory, Les Trois Cowboys de la Brousse, 1971
I was first introduced to film photography when I was thirteen. I took classes at the Worcester Art Museum. My teacher taught us the logistics and skills of photography and showed us the work of many famous photographers including people like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, etc. Never once were we shown work by artists of color. Of course there were some photos that white photographers had taken of BIPOC because there is a history of photographers gaining some sort of clout through photographing “marginalized people.” As I move from my career as an artist and a student into my career as an educator this is something that is on my mind. There is a large possibility that I may have the opportunity to teach film photography to the youth of Worcester, like I was taught. It is my responsibility as a white educator to change the racist patterns which have been perpetuated in the art world, especially teaching in Worcester where there is a very diverse community.
Sanlé Sory’s work can be used to show students how important it is to find the perfect exposure while printing a photo. In Sory’s portraits he has clearly worked very hard on finding the perfect aperture and exposure time to get an even range from white to black with all the gray tones in between. His work also tells a complicated story about himself and his community. I think students will find his work much more interesting and relatable than a picture of a mountain taken by another white guy.