I met her last Fall in Marrakech, Delphine Warin. I had been searching for someone to teach me something about photography, and all roads in the Red City pointed to her. During our first lesson together, she opened her old Nikon and explained in lilting French about aperture and shutter speed. She then took my camera and put it in manual mode, saying simply, From now on, you will only be working in manual.
And so that's what I did. And that's what I still do.
But beyond what she has taught me, I admire Delphine's own incredible gift. She has that rare ability to capture the soul, the actual soul, of a person; the part that hovers beneath the surface, far beyond the forced smile. The part that is accessible to few. Delphine takes her time. Her camera sometimes doesn't come out for hours when she is working; she is busy knowing -- really knowing -- her subject before the click of the button ever happens. She is a woman concerned with essence.
Delphine has just been feted in Paris for her new book, Les Yeux Grands Ouvert or Eyes Wide Open, a photographic portrait of blind mothers. The images and words are poetic and unforgettable. Here a few photographs of a Moroccan mother and an Algerian mother -- a tale of the seeing blind.
See more of Delphine's work right here. She has worked with some of the world's most beautiful and prestigious publications. Available for bookings in Morocco and globally, contact her at delphinewarin[at}mac[dot]com.
