From the Heads of the Hollers

From the Heads of the Hollers – Every summer for over 40 years, Shelby Lee Adams travelled to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to take photographs. Now in his 70s, Adams has returned to his archive of unpublished images taken between 1974 and 2010. His aim was to print those which may have been previously overlooked, concerned that if he did not print them in his lifetime, the photographs would never be made. Nearly 90 of these unpublished photographs are included in his new book From the Heads of the Hollers — portraying the culture and people of his native land.

Adams’ intention when he first began to take pictures had been to ‘photograph what I knew’. His annual summer trips allowed him to renew and relive his childhood in these mountains. He began by taking photographs of his grandparents, uncles and aunts, neighbours and friends. He then asked for introductions when he brought back photographs to distribute to those whose portraits he had taken. Introductions led to further introductions and over the course of four decades he continued to work in this manner, photographing three, four or sometimes even five generations of the same families.

Often, when Adams got to know someone, he would photograph them on return visits, sometimes a couple of years apart, sometimes a decade. Each person is depicted as they chose and felt most comfortable — some sit whilst other stand, some are outside their homes whilst others prefer to be photographed inside, revealing the details of their everyday lives. Some photographs show whole families, siblings, friends or lone figures but the portraits are united by the subject’s unflinching gaze towards Adams and his camera.