Picture Stories by Stephen Alvarez

Power of Paper and Glue

2012-02-11T09:04:54-06:00

This TED talk is a year old but still amazing. It is an inspirational way to spend a snowy morning.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee

portraits: setting the stage

2012-02-07T06:47:07-06:00

above, Band Yakchel, Iran

It often surprises people to find out that I started life as a portrait photographer. I'm well known for my adventure and underground work, but I learned about light and photography by assisting Doug Merriam on portrait jobs.

above, Katherine Kiko Mongula Uganda

Portraits fascinate me. The challenge is to tell a person's story in one frame often with nothing else in it but them. A good portrait is a moment of clarity between the photographer and the subject. Not honesty, but clarity, a moment when the subject and what the photographer is trying to say line up. A moment when the photographer lets the person come through. Portraits are tough, nerve wracking to shoot, but when they come together very rewarding.

Everyone has different techniques for shooting portraits. In Uganda, I'd make sure to run a long interview with a person first. It helps me understand what I want to say and establishes a connection. It also gets them into the right fame of mind, a place they can be opened.

Corporate work requires a completely different technique. People are very busy and need help concentrating on what we need to do, so when I am doing corporate work I take a different tack. I'll use lights and set a stage.

above, Ashanti Davis, Nashville, Tennessee

When the subject sees the lights set it helps them leave what they were doing in the office behind and concentrate on the photograph.The photo above has 7 lights. The subject has to walk through the lit background to get to where we are shooting. The message is "we are doing something important, it requires your concentration." Every portrait is different, every situation is different. They key is to get your subjects attention and hold it long enough for a moment of clarity.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Phone Friday

2012-02-03T15:47:52-06:00

Last image before the weekend.

Stephen Alvarez

Sinking of the Rabaul Queen

2012-02-02T10:07:35-06:00

I received a terrible email this morning informing me that the Rabaul Queen has sunk while sailing between New Britain and the main land of PNG. Hundreds are feared dead. This tragedy got me thinking about ThePhotoSociety's Reality Check section. How many boats and airplanes have we been on that later sank or crashed?

I've not been on the Rabaul Queen, but have been on a sister ferry that later sank and a freighter out of Rabual that later sank. It gives me pause. But then if you actually live in Rabaul, or New Guinea, or Africa, or the Philippines sinking ferries are a fact of life. If you are a journalist interested in working in those places sinking ships become part of your landscape too.

One of the best night's sleep I have every had was on the deck of this freighter out of Rabaul headed toward Jacquinot Bay. The air was warm and the sea was gentle, every now an then a deep shudder would run down the ship. I slept like a baby on deck. I was later told the ship went down shortly after dropping us off in Pomio.

My heart goes out to the victims of the Rabaul Queen.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Alam Kuh panorama

2012-01-25T19:41:49-06:00

Shockingly little time to write this week, so I'm just putting up this panorama shot at 15,500 feet on Alam Kuh from my assignment to Iran last year. Look at all that snow in June, here in Tennessee flowers are blooming in January. No snow in sight.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Hell Hole, West Virginia

2012-01-20T10:20:15-06:00

Almost 2 years ago I hung over this 150' pit in West Virgina as part of a survey team looking at how White Nose Syndrome was effecting hibernating bats. The incredible thing about this photo is not the guy hanging in in space or even the bat flying around but the capture date. It was February and there were bats flying around in the cold and snow.

The disease seemed to be spreading south and the great fear is that it will infect the large bat colonies that we have in the southern cumberland plateau. So far we haven't seen great mortality in Tennessee, but this winter is when the disease would seriously hit. Fingers are crossed here.

Stephen Alvarez

Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga A.M.

2012-01-20T07:29:10-06:00

In Chattanooga this morning loading in for more portraits...

Stephen Alvarez

There were lots of bad things about being an American in Iran

2012-01-17T10:39:28-06:00

above a wedding near Shahmirzad, Iran

There were lots of bad things about being an American photojournalist in Iran last year. Primarily I had no freedom of movement. I could not go where I wanted to go, I could not do what I wanted to do. I really couldn't even talk to the people I wanted to. For the month I was there I was only alone in the bathroom and even then...?

The best part of being there was how generous average Iranians were with me. Yes, Americans are met with official suspicion, our countries are virtually at war, but Iranians are quick to move beyond the official party line. Greg Crouch and I were staying in a hotel near Shahmirzad, intending to climb some of the nearby big walls. We got invited to a wedding going on in our hotel and were treated like honored, out of town guests.

No one could tell me if the bride and groom had met before, and the wedding itself was something of a mystery. Men danced on one floor while the women had their own celebration locked away on the floor above. I asked to see the women's floor but was told we'd pushed our luck far enough.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Climbing in Iran: 15,000 on Alam-Kuh

2012-01-16T10:54:43-06:00

Spindrift surrounds us at 15,000 feet on Iran's Alam-Kuh. Last year's trip to Iran was full of surprises. Big mountains, difficult government, but as with most places in the world, wonderful people.

Stephen Alvarez

Sewanee, TN

Works in Progress

2012-01-13T13:00:00-06:00

One of my favorite days in January is works in progress day at NG. It is day the freelance photographers gather in the NG auditorium or a closed session to show something they have worked on in the past year. I've seen some astounding personal work there and getting ready for it is always intimidating. My contribution this year is above.

Stephen Alvarez

Washington, DC