Dean Poling
VALDOSTA — South Georgia can catch a glimpse of India with a free, public reception this evening for Dr. Ellen Eanes Courson’s photography exhibit at Smith Northview Hospital.
With clear vision and a talent for composition, Courson captures the vivacious spirit and culture of India with her series of photographs that are at turns sensitive, insightful, joyous and poignant. Some images capture all of these traits simultaneously.
“There is a joy in India that I cannot explain,” Courson said in a 2006 Times article about her trip to India. “It is expressed in faces of the people and in the brilliant colors of their world. From the clothes they wear to the bright decorations of the surroundings, the colors spell out joy everywhere. From the most rural areas where the native people live in grass huts on the beach to the cities where the natives have all the modern conveniences of life, the Indian people are beautiful in every way.”
This joy is especially evident in Courson’s photographs of India’s children whose faces shine with delight. The beauty is evident throughout the exhibit whether it is the image of a person or her eye for the landscape’s details and interesting designs, such as her “Nature’s Umbrella.”
A native Valdostan, Courson practices obstetrics and gynecology at Valdosta Women’s Health Center. Married to Anthony Courson, they have four children, two sons studying at the University of Georgia, a daughter enrolled at Valdosta State University, and a son who is a Valdosta High School senior.
In 2005 and again in 2006, Courson traveled to Kerala, which is on the southwest coast of India, as part of the Southwest Georgia Medical Mission Team. The exhibited images have been selected from more than 900 photographs taken during these mission trips.
• GALLERY
Dr. Ellen Eanes Courson’s
photography exhibit.
Where: Smith Northview Hospital, 4280 North Valdosta Road.
Reception: 5-7 p.m. today, free and open to the public.
