——A photo and testimonial of fisherman Dennis Fisher Sr. of Buras, La., by Terri Garland.  This work and others are featured in “Gulf,” an exhibition at the New Orleans Photo Alliance that opened Saturday. Over the next few days, we’ll feature more of the work of Garland, a longtime photographer of the South.

She shot portraits of people in the Gulf following the oil catastrophe and paired them with statements by those in the photos.  Here’s what she says of the project:

“These pictures made following the Deepwater Horizon explosion are to honor the people of the Gulf Coast.  Once again, their strength and fortitude has been challenged, both by the catastrophic consequences of corporate greed as well as a local perception of ineffectual federal response.  In asking these people for a bit of their time,  I briefly join with them as a witness to record their stories for future consideration.

“This was not my first visit to southern Louisiana and Mississippi.  Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I spent long periods of time in these locations, photographing both the physical evidence of the devastation as well as making portraits of those burdened with the task of rebuilding their lives when all had been taken away.

“For all the importance of images of destroyed wetlands, dead or injured wildlife and harried executives, there was an absence of photographs of the residents themselves, individuals with specific stories, particular losses and private sorrows. So it was with sadness that I returned to an area that was still riding the cusp of recovery. I chose to photograph against a black backdrop, if at all possible, to force attention to the faces and the statements.

“For every person that allowed me to make his or her portrait, there is another latent presence – someone afraid of harming future chances of obtaining clean-up work with B P. I have spent hours listening to the rage and fear of those ignored by BP, many of whom are desperate for temporary jobs from BP; the dichotomy of the situation is nothing if not tragic. It is as if a giant puppet master is controlling all the strings, a sorry state of affairs for a fiercely proud and formerly independent people. Chris DeBarr of New Orleans aptly describes the reactions of many:  ‘The damage of this oil disaster is personal to me, like everyone in the Gulf is losing their grandfather – all of us – all at the same time – and all because of stupid hubris and greed!’”

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Photo by Terri Garland used by permission.  Not for reproduction without permission of the artist.