Joanne began her photography studies under Brett Weston in Monterey, California, in the late 1960’s. A visit to Ansel Adams’ studio forever changed her view of photography. Though always carrying a camera and continuing to photograph, it wasn’t until the late 1990’s, after three decades as gallerist and fine art dealer, that photography became her passion. She immediately began experimenting with the wonders of Polaroid film and many alternative processes.
Her new work was published in a book titled Polaroid Manipulations by Kathleen Carr, Amphoto Books, 2003. She has exhibited in galleries nationwide and her award-winning photography has appeared on television, in many online publications, as well as being in the permanent collection of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Her portrait of Huston Smith is on the cover of his memoirs, And Live Rejoicing, with Phil Cousineau, which has been printed in English and Chinese. Warfield’s photography, art, and writings have been included in three other books by Cousineau and other publications.
The Beauty of Afghanistan Remembered, photographs Joanne shot in Afghanistan in 1977, appeared as the feature article in the August, 2004, issue of the Afghan Journal. The article includes a four-page spread with the story of her adventures, and served as inspiration for costume design for the movie, “The Kite Runner.” These photographs were also the October featured photo essay in the Women in Photography International eZine resource magazine, Afghanistan, Beneath The Veil 1977-2001, as well as appearing in other eZines.
Today, Joanne is on a mission to exhibit the photographs from The Beauty of Afghanistan Remembered world wide to create a greater awareness of Afghanistan and its people during a time of peace and flourishing. Her goal is that her photographs will inspire Afghans everywhere, bring hope to the present, and serve as a positive historical reference for everyone.
Joanne is a Project Partner of c3: Center for Conscious Creativity, a 501(c)3 charitable corporation, and all donations are tax deductible. Funds raised through this project will help with education, medical care, and safe houses for Afghan women and children, and go towards the preparation of the photographs for national and international exhibitions to bring these wonderful images of hope to the world.
“The Beauty of Afghanistan Remembered” photo essay was published for the first time online in 2001. Since then, I have received wonderful letters from Afghans all over the world, whose families escaped the war decades ago and were thrilled to find this visual record of their countrymen. Those who had fled as children, or had been born in other lands, were seeing Afghans in their native land for the first time. I am very touched by all their heart-rending mail. —Joanne Warfield