Face of Texas

A two-time recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for outstanding coverage of the disadvantaged, Michael O’Brien has photographed subjects ranging from small-town heroes to presidents. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Life, National Geographic, Texas Monthly, the London Sunday Times, and the book Hard Ground, which pairs his portraits of the homeless with Tom Waits’ powerful poetry. O’Brien’s photographs are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC; the International Center of Photography in New York City; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection at the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.A lifelong collector of personal stories,Elizabeth O’Brien has worked as a reporter for Life magazine, as well as for newspapers in South Florida. Today, she is a writer and a psychotherapist with a private practice.

O’Brien’s work does not explicitly comment on the passage of time, but the theme pervades this new volume as we read of where many of the photograph’s long-lost subjects ended up. For the celebrities, the effect is charming. We’re briefly reminded of how public figures ranging from Beyonce to Laura Bush to Mack Brown appeared at younger stations in their lives....The wide frames, sober expressions and spare backgrounds make even those subjects without fame and riches - the cops, farmers, churchgoers, and grocers - look like legends in their own right. But set side by side over 140 pages, the photographs take on a haunting atmosphere. (Austin American-Statesman)