Shades of Tunisia Inhabit the Oresman Gallery

One day, a group of photographers, including Honey Bernstein, Gerard Caccappolo, Marie Hickman, and Ivan Wolff, sought the ideal location for a photography trip. It started as a fun little idea and grew into a unique collection of photographs that now adorn the walls of the Oresman Gallery at the Larchmont Library.

"We all travel all over the world and it was hard to find a country that would really excite us where no one has been," said Hickman, a Larchmont redident. "We all gave our insight and thoughts, and then we finally picked."

The shutterbugs agreed upon Tunisia and, after a year of planning, the group headed off for their adventure.

"Tunisia was a great place to photograph because it is not a particularly religious country (as is Iran, for example), therefore, most people did not shy from our cameras," Bernstein said. "I read somewhere that a photographer should never 'take' a picture, but should instead 'be given' a picture by the subject. We were given many gifts by the Tunisians and, I hope others will agree, were able to capture their emotions and essence because of their great generosity."

They traveled all over the country, collecting photo memories along the way, and were totally dedicated to shooting photography every step of the way.

"We were really serious; this was not a shopping trip, we were going 24/7," Hickman said. "We were constantly editing our work throughout the trip. I had done several shows [at Oresman] and they wanted me back, and when I saw all this work, I knew this would be perfect for here."

The photos on display include pictures of camels, the desert and the diverse people of the country.

"Star Wars was filmed in Tunisia, so when we went to the site, you start to understand the dessert, and it really looks like the moon," Hickman said. "We really got to see the cities and it was all exquisite."

While the trip was well planned, the photographers were met with some surprises along the way that made for some even better snapshots.

"We had this fabulous experience with being invited to a wedding, which was totally spontaneous," Hickman said. "We traveled, following the wedding for this three-day affair. We saw the relatives giving gifts to the bride… the firing off of muskets… and traveled to the city until we arrived at the bride's house. It was amazing."

"It worked out so well," added Wolff. Everybody had a particular point of view and we laughed a lot and had a good time."

According to the group, the Tunisians, despite the language differences, communicated openly and warmly, and helped make their adventure comfortable.

"My favorite part of the adventure was experiencing the people. They were, of course, of all persuasions, sizes and backgrounds, but most were Muslim, and were friendly and very open to us and our cameras," said Bernstein. "We talked politics and philosophy with them, as well as religion and personal life values. The exchange of ideas was enlightening and stimulating for us, and I believe, for them as well."

To document the trip better, Wolff kept a diary of the entire journey, which is also on display with the exhibit. Inside, you will find anecdotes and photos about their two-week trip.

"When I go on trips, especially complicated ones, I always try to write things down through the course of the day, because when you go back and read it five years later, you find things you wrote about come back to being much more vivid," he said. "Sometimes they are things you forgot about all together."

The Tunisia trip was their first trip together but it definitely won't be the last.

"We are planning another trip," Hickman said. "We're thinking either Central America or Nova Scotia."