Photos: Sean O’Neal Is Choosing His Own Adventure
Last year, the son of John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neal unburdened himself of his legacy by changing his surname. Now he is opening his first solo photo show in L.A., with pictures from a life-changing trip to Nepal.
“I walked past this woman on the road to Gorkha, a small village in the mountains. I immediately turned around, and ran back to her. I showed her my camera and asked if I could take a picture of her. She stopped, and looked at me excitedly.
There was something about the way she carried herself, something about the clothes and jewelry she was wearing. When she smiled, I saw what kind of person she was deep down. More than an old woman who had persevered through many difficulties, she was simply a woman who knew how to love life.”
“The Pink Lady” Gorka, Nepal ©2016 Sean O’Neal. All rights reserved.
“I remember thinking when I took this photo how the cracks in the wall mirrored the wrinkles of this woman’s face. An aftershock hit soon after I took this photo. Most of this house collapsed into rubble.
Her husband started laughing and I couldn’t believe that he was joking around after his house was destroyed. I had someone ask him why he wasn’t more upset and he shrugged, smiled and said, ‘What can you do?'”
“Through the Ladder” Mazagon, Nepal ©2016 Sean O’Neal. All rights reserved.
“Dog and Rooster” Bhaktapur, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“Monk” Kathmandu, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“Goat and Basin” Mazagon, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“Woman and the Weeping Wall” Mazagon, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“A Place in the Sun” Baseri, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“The Truth” Gorkha, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.
“Beyond the Horizon” Baseri, Nepal. Courtesy of Sean O’Neal Photography.