Light. How it changes everything.
I took my daughter to a food cart to have a bite to eat, and the sun was setting. When she looked up to tell me something, I saw this light in her eyes and I whipped out my cell phone.
Piercing eyes. Dramatic lighting. My daughter. A great little place to eat. What more could I ask for?
Imagine trying to wrangle a beast of a man into a position where he is sitting in front of a camera for an hour…and liking it. Adin Brown, the goalie of the Portland Timbers, came into the studio dead tired from meetings, endorsement sessions, and brutal practices. He had already canceled once, maybe twice when I think about it, and he wanted to be IN AND OUTTA THERE, super quick.
My friend and fellow photographer Sheldon Sabbatini assisted, and we both worked hard to entice him to stay a little bit longer…like, for an hour. He did.
And we loved it.
I had the wonderful pleasure of photographing the remarkable Tracey Katona recently. She lives an amazing life. So much so, she was featured on the website “I Want Her Job” this week. Beautiful person, inside and out, she is.
Holy cow! An interview with Dr. Hamlin!
We thought we would be lucky just to be able to meet her and shake her hand. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be granted an interview and the ability to photograph and film her. We make our way back to the hotel to pick up the equipment and Jay and I cannot help but express our giddiness…and concerns. We had not had time to test out all of the equipment and work flow, thinking that our first interview would not occur until days later. Some of the equipment was purchased hours before we got on the plane, so one can only imagine how we felt going into this interview.
Sound levels ok? Camera functioning? Will everything talk to each other?
We then turn to preparing some questions for her. She is 87 years old and still performs surgery. She came to Ethiopia in the 70’s, thinking she and her husband would stay here for only a few years. The fistula patients made a great impression on their hearts, enough so that they decided to dedicate their lives to this work. A very interesting subject indeed!
On the bumpy taxi drive back, Jay is still testing sound levels to make sure the H4N works properly. I am lost in my head, thinking about how to set up the camera with the least amount of fuss and intrusion.
Dr. Hamlin enters the room, her tall and graceful stature filling the space. Her kind eyes fix on us, and we are instantly at ease. The door opens again, and in walks Mamitu, the famous illiterate surgeon who was once a poor fistula patient and learned how to repair fistulas by working alongside surgeons rather than complete formal training.
My eyes fill with tears as I look at these two women who have had such a profound effect on fistula patients’ lives. It is such an honor to be in their presence.
Jay and I quickly set up the equipment, and we get started on the interview. Our questions were not really a necessity, as Dr. Hamlin has many things to say to us from her own agenda and determination.
I had the exciting pleasure of working on three articles for the Winter 2011 issue of 1859 Magazine. Traveling to the wilds of Oregon’s most remote SE corner to the town of Plush, I photographed the conflict over mining sunstones. For another article, I met several people who chucked their corporate jobs and re-invented themselves. And I met a most special man, John Callahan, the literary executive of Ralph Ellison’s unfinished manuscripts.
Thank you, Kevin Max, for giving me these assignments. They rock my world.
Another street photography workshop has been scheduled for April 8-10! Join Quinton and I as we once again hit the Portland streets to create portraiture and editorial images.
Spaces fill up quickly, as we limit the number of participants to keep the class small, so sign up early!
I have just been assigned a photo essay project for a spread in the upcoming Winter 2011 issue of 1859 Magazine: it is called “My Neighborhood”. Here is a snap I took a few weeks ago of some people I met on Hawthorne Blvd.
I really love my job.
I will be teaching another class this March at Newspace Center For Photography. Hotshot portraits is a great way to get your hands into various lighting techniques, all in one day, and not feel intimidated by the equipment! And the latter part of the day will be spent photographing your friends and loved ones.
Sign up soon – we are limiting the class size on this one.
I have just been assigned a photo essay project for a spread in the upcoming Winter 2011 issue of 1859 Magazine: it is called “My Neighborhood”. Here is a snap I took a few weeks ago of some people on Hawthorne Blvd.
I really love my job.
As I work again with my old film cameras, I am struck by the difference regarding how the subject responds to each camera device. Look at these photos: which ones do you think was taken with a camera that was placed up to my eye, and one that was held at waist level?
