Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'From the Heads of the Hollers,' by Shelby Lee Adams (published by GOST Books). We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.

Imagine sitting in a cozy studio surrounded by stacks of photographs, each one showing a piece of life and culture in Appalachia. This is what Shelby Lee Adams has been doing lately, immersing himself in a treasure trove of images spanning from 1974 to 2010. For this article he shared the story behind this project. Shelby reflected on the years he spent balancing his roles as a college professor and commercial photographer, always finding time to return home to capture the essence of his community. “I always made time to visit back home and make photographs,” he wrote, “but darkroom work, which I love, often took a backseat. Now that I’m retired, I can fully devote myself to it.”

Shelby’s excitement came through in his emails as he recounted his collaboration with Stu Smith of GOST Books. They met in the spring of 2023 and quickly decided to create a new book, “From the Heads of the Hollers,” using the wealth of material Shelby had meticulously archived. “It’s incredible to look back at these moments frozen in time,” he remarked. Revisiting these photographs has allowed Shelby to see them with fresh eyes, deepening his appreciation for the rich history and culture they represent. - Martin

“I think of my work as collaborative, working with my subjects to portray themselves, express myself and preserve our culture. My work is subjective and personal. I’m not making an overview of a culture, instead expressing and creating more a personal vision with the people I care about. “

- Shelby Lee Adams

Revisiting the Archive: What inspired you to revisit and print previously unpublished images from your archive spanning 1974 to 2010? How did the passage of time influence your perception of these photographs?

I worked as a college professor and commercial photographer during those years and still made time to visit back home, getting to know people and make photographs, but I didn’t have a lot of time to do darkroom work which I love. Now that I’m retired, I can focus on my darkroom and photographic work completely. Stu Smith of GOST Books came to visit in the Spring of 2023 and we discussed his making a book of my work and we began working together creating, “From the Heads of the Hollers”. I had previously been working on my archive that will be placed at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. We had ample material to work with.

Cultural Representation: Your work intimately portrays the culture and people of Eastern Kentucky. How do you navigate the balance between capturing authentic representations and avoiding stereotypes or exploitative imagery?

I am originally from the area I photograph. I grew up there and love its people. I photograph country folk I personally know, am related to or introduced by others close to me. Having blood kin in this area means a lot. I was 13 years old when the “War on Poverty” era began. Photographers, filmmakers and journalist alike did assignments on poverty in my native area. Some good work was done then, but much photography was searching out poor conditions and publishing the worst without knowing the people or culture.

Folks told me later that photographers promised to send them pictures, but never did. Only through volunteer agencies, helping the people like Vista and the Peace Corp did the mountain people ever see their pictures in magazines. Family photographs mean a great deal to mountain people. It was not the photographs that bothered the people so much as how they were described and written about. Writers would portray a modest home as, “People living in rotting run down shacks.” Country people said to me, “We may not have much, but our home is still our blessed dwelling for our family. We don’t need people running us down the road, especially when we are trying to help them. Their help was against us.”

After art school, when I started making photographs in the mountains in 1974, I bought a used Calumet 4 x 5 camera [later purchasing a Deardorff] with a Polaroid back and tripod, so I could make photos with more clarity and importantly the big camera seemingly was no threat to my subjects because they could see where the camera was, at all times. We viewed Polaroids together within 30 seconds, I always made and left a few Polaroids with my subjects. Later, on my return visit I brought back 8 x 10 inch photographs to give to the people. If a subject did not like a particular photo for whatever reason we agreed, I would not publish that picture. Later, I added Comet location strobe lights to my work so I could photograph in different interior environments where my subjects wanted to be, in low light areas.

Because I came back repeatedly and brought back pictures, people trusted and accepted me. Sometimes the acceptance was immediate. Others would ask me to target practice shooting guns with them, aiming at cans in the creek, a country way to get to know you. Families would invite me to dinner, and I always made sure I ate some of everything, even if I wasn’t sure what it was. We talked, played horseshoes after dinner or just visited.

So, to take on the issue of stereotypes is complicated. Stereotypes have always existed here, and this is something I have always been sensitive to. Often when visiting a family they would be playing on the TV, “The Dukes of Hazzard” or “The Beverly Hillbilly’s.” both commercial TV programs that made fun of mountain culture. Hollywood made its own perspective on Hillbilly’s when they made the dramatic movie, “Deliverance.” I avoided asking about these programs in conversations until I had built relationships. When I did bring up these popular programs, mountain people explained they loved these shows. One woman said, “They are like us, and they make us laugh at ourselves.” In fact, at music festivals in the real Hazard, KY today actors from “The Dukes of Hazzard” are brought in to MC and participate.

When photographing a family for the first time, the man sometimes would put on his grandfather’s overalls and some kind of old hat, while picking up his shotgun or banjo saying, “I’m ready to have my picture took.” Many of the holler people accept the stereotypes of themselves without realizing they are being typecast and what others expect from them. Our grandfather’s generation had Al Capp’s, Li’l Abner’s cartoon series that was syndicated in newspapers across the country to contend with. Other stereotypes have always existed mis-portraying our people.

Growing up on my grandfather’s farms I learned how mountain people lived, their customs, religions, and rituals. As a photographer I have always sought out authentic families living the mountain life not affected by television and the media. I grew up watching and helping my grandpa butcher a hog for example in the late1950’s and early 60’s. A lot of my photography is autobiographical, a search for a deeper meaning and understanding of myself and holler life. To photograph long term relationships within a culture has been my intent. To repeat visiting and photographing people reveals more about a subject’s psychological makeup and demeanor. In doing field work with humanity, one doesn’t find an ideal situation. Humanistic photography always reveals multiple meanings. Some stereotypes are true, and you have to sort out what is authentic for yourself and your own beliefs.

It sometimes takes a few visits for a family to get to know you and for them not to put on the Hillbilly look which some embrace. Others just quietly live their lives instinctively. I would photograph people as they wished and bring them back photos and then ask, if I could photograph them again as they naturally are. This created more dialogue and study of the Polaroids and photographs with my subjects, before making new pictures.

I ask people to make pictures in a place they feel comfortable and where they want to be photographed. When posing, some would say, “What do I do with my hands?” I found often holding something made people more relaxed. So, we photographed for example, with a woman holding a baby for instance. Some men like to be photographed with their favorite hunting dog or in front of their pickup truck. Holding something familiar helps folks to relax and tells us something about the person photographed.

When making closeup portraits I’d ask people to be natural and think about important events both positive and negative that happened in their lives. I’d ask my subjects to look into the camera lens and find their own reflection. At the moment of their discovering their own image, I’d press the cable release. If one sincerely looks into the eyes of another, can we not also find ourselves? Sometimes we would make pictures again and again. I think of my work as collaborative, working with my subjects to portray themselves, express myself and preserve our culture. My work is subjective and personal. I’m not making an overview of a culture, instead expressing and creating more a personal vision with the people I care about.

I want the environments I photograph in to look timeless so the photographs can be appreciated years from now. I may introduce lighting to a particular place to emphasize a specific area, but I do not change the environments, nor ask my subjects to dress up. The authentic person emerges in the photographs, if not right away, after the subject becomes comfortable with me and the process of being photographed. For example, I photographed an elderly woman smoking her pipe or a man might be oiling his shotgun. These are objects important to these people and what they want to be photographed and remembered with. I am aware of the imitations that others make, and I listen to my subjects. I believe my photographs will stand true through time.

During my high school days, I traveled with my uncle a country doctor who made house calls in the heads of the hollers. I have seen difficult situations many have never known, and witnessing those ordeals have deepened my compassion for others. They are a strong and regal people. Those who have learned to live with life’s basic essentials overcome personal desires and help their families. It is their potency and vigor for life I’m seeing and photographing. In my homeland I’m absorbing an insider’s perspective and photographing what many of my subjects want shown. Some people’s lives are difficult, and they want their images seen uncompromised. Folks say, “Take me as I am.”

Giving out my photographs and photo books is partly my way of giving back, something I have always done. The people I photograph enjoy hanging my pictures in their homes with other family photos and this I find rewarding. Sharing with your friends and subjects creates emotional well-being on all sides overcoming and dissolving stereotypes. Doing for other’s benefits everyone. I do what I can afford. When portraits are made with people openly participating and communicating there is a more relaxed comradery created increasing the subject’s engagement.

The only full-time professional photo gallery in Kentucky is the Paul Paletti Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky. Paul, the owner and director has visited me while I photographed in the mountains. When my new book came out, I wanted the photographs exhibited in Kentucky first. Paul invited me to show in his gallery. I always give out copies of my books to my subjects when released. The Louisville exhibit provided an opportunity to invite my mountain friends and subjects to my first opening with, “From the Heads of the Holler’s.” During the three-month venue several mountain families saw the exhibit.

Upon my arrival to the gallery people were present for opening night and the book signing. Two young women came up to me right away and introduced themselves as photo subjects from 1985. In the exhibit and the new book, a baby in diapers was one of these young women, standing before me, now grown up. The title of the picture is “Junior, Rosa Lee and Baby, 85” Jennifer was the young woman’s name [in photo] with her sister Stephanie visiting. They knew I had photographed their parents with Jennifer when only a few months old in 1985.

Stephany and Jennifer learned that I had introduced their parents to each other in the early 80’s before they married. The parents Junior and Rosa Lee had separated years later and moved away from the mountains, so we lost contact with each other. The sisters Stephany and Jennifer knew me through their parent’s talking about me and my photographs of them published in an earlier book. That night we took photos together for mementos and Facebook in the galley and we reminisced about our lives as they grew up. I recalled I had photographed not only their parents but their grandparents, Worley and Darlene before them. I have now photographed four generations with many families. For me, this feels right, and I believe this kind of familiarity and contact with family’s transfers onto the photographs.

“To become familiar is to change your perspective. To change your perspective is to actually know another. When you acknowledge and participate with others often your heart opens to them, but they also unlock themselves to you. To openly interconnect and learn to appreciate each other is the best way to stop aversions, stereotyping and prejudice for all races and cultures. To see ourselves on common ground is to live more peacefully.”

- Shelby Lee Adams

Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund

KY. Governor Beshear has established the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund to assist those impacted by the floods and the severe weather system beginning July 26, 2022. (donations)

In the very area I do my photography, an incredibly damaging flood occurred. The Governor of KY has established an easy accessible fund for people to make donation. One of my friends was drown and many others left homeless. It will take years to bring back these mountain communities.

To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here. (GOST Books)

Shelby Lee Adams was born in Hazard, Kentucky, and spent much of his early life with his grandparents in Hot Spot. His passion for photography began in high school when a Peace Corps film crew visited his town to document Appalachian poverty, sparking his interest in documentary photography. Adams pursued this passion at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he discovered the Farm Security Administration’s photographs of the Great Depression. These images resonated deeply with Adams, inspiring him to document the people and culture of Appalachia, a project he has continued since 1973.

Adams’ work, primarily in black and white, is characterized by its poignant and unflinching portrayal of Appalachian life. His subjects, often depicted in their simple yet profound environments, confront the camera with a proud and matter-of-fact demeanor. Adams’ long-term relationships with his subjects, many of whom he considers friends, lend a unique comfort and authenticity to his photographs. His work has been widely recognized, with grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Polaroid Corporation, and his photographs are included in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. (Facebook, Instagram)

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