Silver / 2024 / Portraiture / Self-Portrait

Talking to the Past

  • Prize
    Silver in Portraiture/Self-Portrait
  • Photographer
    Pamela Hanlan, United States
  • Instagram

I often wish I could go back to talk to myself. To let her know that she is doing her best and there are better days ahead. I am using long exposure here to tell this story. If I could, if we could, time travel to the past what would we say and more importantly would our past selves listen? Could we prevent our mistakes, or would our meddling cause more tragic mistakes? Maybe if I could just hold my hand and whisper in my ear, and enjoy a book together, enjoy childhood again, that would be enough.

It has taken me a while to consider myself a photographer. In my lifetime I have been daughter, sister, wife, mother, empty nester, grandmother, great grandmother, widow and partner. Never in those years was I a photographer. Frankly except for family memories, I didn't have time. Some might and have said that that I am stubborn. I prefer determined. I have also been described as quirky, but only by those who say they love me. I have always seen stories in the world around me but without a camera didn't have a way to tell these stories. Now that I have a camera, the stories are being told

Awards Two Bronze Awards in Rise Awards, finalist and honorable mentions in Urban Photography Awards, Honorable Mentions in 2020 and 2021 International Photo Awards, two honorable mentions in Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, Honorable mentions in Budapest International Foto Awards, Honorable mentions and 3rd place in amateur portrait awards in Monochrome Photo Awards, Short listed Siena Creative Awards, Ist place self portrait in 16th Pollux Awards, Merit Award Fotonostrum Portrait Awards, overall amateur winner Julia Margaret Cameron Awards 2021, second place product, IPA, non professional, hon. mentions and editor's choices IPA, curatorial choice PX3 State of the World, Silver Budapest Awards, official selection London International Creative, published FotoNostrum Magazine.