Saratoga Doc Photography with Daesha Devón Harris

Daesha Devón Harris presenting in Emerson

On October 17, Saratoga Springs native photographer Daesha Devón Harris gave an artist talk as part of MDOCS' fall series, Portrait and Biography. "Through a native lens: Portraiture, social documentary and narrative in Saratoga," was delivered to a standing-room only crowd from the campus and community. Art Professor and photographer Robert ParkeHarrison introduced the speaker and moderated the discussion.

Daesha Devon Harris spoke eloquently about local (Saratoga Springs) history to speak to the universal American, as she explained. Harris provided a PowerPoint presentation filled with her photography while reading a piece she wrote to the audience. She captured photography as a way to not only seize a moment but also to create one. For Harris, photographs were not enough when it came to effectively telling her stories; she wanted to be able to tell the background of her subjects. In order to provide her audiences with a fuller picture of her

Professor Robert ParkeHarrison moderating the Q&A

work, Harris said that she likes to accompany her photos with biographies. I found this idea interesting, since a classic debate about documenting with photographs revolves around whether or not written words are useful for still images. On the one hand, through words the audience is given more information to interpret. On the other hand, text could take away from the photographs by engaging your focus elsewhere.

Daesha Devón Harris talking with attendees