By
JOHN SAMMON
Santa
Cruz Sentinel
06/01/2013
 |
| Santa Cruz photographer David Dennis took this portrait photo of two Cambodian girls,... (SCS) |
SANTA CRUZ -- David Dennis will tell you each human face is a potential kaleidoscope of ever-changing emotions.
"A
person's face and their expression can change by the second," he said.
A
well-known photographer in Santa Cruz, Dennis will exhibit photos he took on a
recent trip to Cambodia and rather than the usual tourist-type shots that focus
on temples and pagodas, will instead present a showing of people in all their
reflective moods.
Some
of the subjects appear stoic, some pensive, others curious. Dennis said he
particularly enjoys photographing old people and children because their faces
are so interesting.
Dennis
went on a family trip to Cambodia last winter with his wife and children, aged
13 and 15.
"I've
never been that interested in landscapes," he said. "Though I did
visit Angkor Wat (ancient Buddhist temple complex), I took a picture of two
children there, very small girls. They were selling water to tourists with
their parents when they should have been in school."
The
expression of the girls captured in the picture is one of nine photos that will
be on display.
In
the 1970s a brutal regime led by the dictator Pol Pot slaughtered entire
generations of Cambodians in a mass genocide and the country is still
recovering from the tragedy.
"The
Cambodian people still bear the physical and emotional scars, and their economy
remains dependant on assistance from the international community, particularly
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China,"
Dennis said. "But tourism in Cambodia has grown tremendously, and the
Cambodian people are warm, friendly, family-oriented and resilient.
I've
attempted to capture that spirit in these pictures," he added.
Dennis
will display portraits from his recent trip to Cambodia during June at Jia
Tella's Cambodian Cuisine Restaurant in Scotts Valley. The restaurant will
donate 10 percent of the proceeds from dining room sales from the opening night
of the exhibition to the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation. Dennis will also
donate 10 percent of all customer portrait sessions from referrals gained at
the event.
Dennis,
who grew up in Saratoga but has lived in the Santa Cruz area on and off for the
past 10 years, has 20 years experience taking photos of people from 40
countries all over the world, including such exotic locales as Madagascar,
Borneo, Morocco and Latin America.
He
said the photos to be exhibited will be on display at the restaurant for at
least a month, and were selected after a cross section of his friends and
acquaintances voted on the ones they picked as their favorites.
"You
capture in an instant a portrait that tells a story," he said.
If
You Go
Photo
exhibit
What:
Portraits from Cambodia taken by Santa Cruz photographer David Dennis.
WHEN:
Through June
WHERE:
Jia Tella's Cambodian Cuisine Restaurant, 5600 Scotts Valley Drive, #D, Scotts
Valley.
COST:
Free
INFORMATION:
www.davidennisphotos.com
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