The Profile of Love Reflection

American photographer Dian McDonald has showcased a many-faced and expressive portrait of Belarus at her personal exhibition. The two halls of Minsk Region Library named after Pushkin housed about 100 pieces of her artwork. Most of them feature people of various age and social status, including children, WWII veterans, musicians and artists.

Ms Dian McDonald is not a professional photographer. She is a diplomat, a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Embassy in Minsk.

— My exhibition is called Profiles of Belarus, — Dian said. — Many people ask me, why profiles? I like people’s profiles, the answer is as simple as that. I believe that a shot of a profile can tell a lot more about a person than a full-face snap. Pride, happiness, intellect, enthusiasm, interest, tranquility, tolerance, friendliness and decisiveness — these feelings, emotions and features of character reveal themselves to the camera lens. I sincerely hope that viewers of my exhibition will gain access to the experience that I had when I made the photographs.

However, Dian had another reason to concentrate on profiles.

— I felt like inventing an off-the-beaten-track concept, which can present a challenge for a photographer, — she said. — Profiles are harder to shoot due to a number of reasons. For example, it requires more time to get a better shooting angle and demands closer relations with the model. It is rather complex, but interesting. The photo experiment of mine introduced me to people of different professions and walks of life. Over the two years, which took the project to get implemented, I rejoiced at the readiness of Belarusian people to pose for me. No one said “no”, even complete strangers agreed.

For her sessions Dian used her 8-year-old camera that is small enough to fit in a purse.

— This project is not aspiring to make some outstanding achievement in terms of technical progress, — she admitted. — The most important thing is that it gave me a positive and unforgettable communication experience. Working on it, I managed to imprint both swift-passing and significant moments of the Belarusian life. This project leaves me with good memories about Belarusian beauty and spiritual generosity of people.

The exhibition shows the moments of life through the eyes of a photographer.

It is evident that Dian’s works are filled with love and reflect both her photographing skills and the interest to the country, where she used to work.

Anna Kitayeva