i am excited to announce the creation of my first photo book, with words and photography on the subject of lebanon. here’s a preview.
lebanon will be a mixture of color and black and white photographs, paired with selected journal entries, stories, and poetry.
i hope this small taste will whet your appetite for the book. i expect to have it finished before the fall of ’09… reserve your copy now for a discounted rate!
all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009
as i sit silent, i reflect on my recent experiences in lebanon. and though my thoughts remain dimmed and disoriented, in some sort of schizophrenic fervor, my senses heighten and align when yann tiersen’s la rade floats to my ears.
a rough translation of the french lyrics reveals what i already felt through the universal language of music. it’s not far off from what i felt, walking the streets of beirut, saida, sour, trablous.
la rade (listen)
the bay
by yann tiersen
i see us all sitting in front
but the shoulders fell within
with all eyes in tears before
and it cracks and it crève boredom
i see us all in limbo
and escaping the cold , we feel
as immobile in bed, sleeping
and life slowly ebbs away
i dream we all stand before
descending into the city, walking
you take, you see inside
in the heart, the anger of the people
there standing in front of the bay
once before, the wind coming from the west
you take, you see it now
in the heart, the anger of the people
standing there, and the sea front
in front and the waves coming
you’ll take it, inside you cry
in the body, the revolt of the people
standing there, and the sea front
in front and the waves coming
you’ll take it, inside you cry
in the body, the revolt of the people
my host, rev. walid, naps after picking me up from the airport at 3 am. “everyone that comes from the west gets in at that time… i’m used to it.”
peter, said’s boy, working at his dad’s book store after school.
rev. walid
sarah and salina, said’s oldest and youngest daughters.
said and walid arriving at the reformed baptist church of tyre.
the church is next door to a former hezbollah weapons cache that was destroyed in 2006 by the israelis.
mohammed said with the hat he got at petra the week before.
there are lebanese soldiers and outposts everywhere. in that way, lebanon feels incredibly safe. actually, more safe than i’ve felt in many u.s. cities.
sunset over the mediterranean at the beach in tyre. legendary.
remnants of the roman empire.
there are droves ferrel cats and dogs all over lebanon. i’m still trying to figure out where they came from.
andrew slaton | blog 
