sun in an empty room

A Florida Minute

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:33:20 -0500

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:45AM at home in Washington, DC and five hours later, my plane landed in Orlando, Florida. After a fun shoot with the manager of a baseball team, I drove around the outskirts of Orlando for the rest of the day feeling the urge to come back with some record of these hours spent untethered, with no obligation other than to be back at the airport that night to fly back home.

I felt out of practice, as so much of my photography now is mission-driven. Sometimes, it's executing the vision of a magazine editor, other times it's trying to get to someplace new with my own work, but regardless of who I'm answering to, there is intent and a strong desire for there to be some product, some end game. Without that personal or professional accountability, I felt adrift, and took photos that didn't seem to mean much of anything, with a lens that rarely succeeds as more than a gimmick.

Landing at Reagan National Airport that night, I gathered my luggage and loaded it into the trunk of a taxi, feeling like my brief trip through a humid, hazy Florida day may have exposed something of my need to have a reason for everything rather than just letting my mind relax and my eyes wander. It's February, but I'm going to count this as my New Year's resolution for 2012.

Desmond Tutu is still dancing

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:38:59 -0500

my Desmond Tutu photo on the cover of his new autobiography

My wonderful agency passed along some photographs from Desmond Tutu's 80th birthday and the release of his autobiography that occurred last week in Capetown, South Africa at a church that was once at the center of resistance against the apartheid government. The publishers chose an image I shot of Tutu a few years ago for the cover.

photos courtesy of PQ Blackwell Publishers

I don't see photo shoots as opportunities as much as they are experiences, brief moments to be lived through and hopefully changed from in some way or another. What I remember about photographing Desmond Tutu at the tail end of a two day conference was that he had a plane to catch and I had to push a little to even have him sit for me. He was in an enormous hurry and stood there with this beatific smile on his face as he yelled at me to finish up and get a move on so he could get to the airport. There wasn't any malice in his voice and he patted me on the back and gave me that same smile as he rushed out of the tiny, makeshift studio I had spent hours crafting. As far as I know, he caught his plane, and I learned that it's always worth that extra, sometimes uncomfortable effort to approach a subject, even if their time is brief.

While it was enormously gratifying to get a copy of his autobiography with one of those photographs selected as the cover image, the more exciting thing was the enormous fresco of Reverend Tutu painted by local artists based on the image, that will hang on the wall in one of his charities in South Africa.

The title of this post is in reference to the video below, which shows Rev. Tutu getting his groove on during his birthday celebration. The video also shows him checking out the painting (apparently he thought the artist didn't paint his nose large enough) and Bono from U2 singing to him.

Brushing Away the Dust

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:14:43 -0500

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is like an Indiana Jones movie set piece. It was built in a time when people went to museums to marvel at the spectacle of nature contained. Separated from visitors by thick panes of glass, there is nothing interactive here. Yet, hundreds of tiny fingerprints on the glass suggest the unconscious urge to connect to these creatures from the noisy groups of schoolchildren who visit each day.

With my portrait shoot for Discover Magazine complete and my flight home still a couple of hours away, I set about to bring back some photographic souvenirs from this brief trip north. It was a nice surprise when I get the magazine in the mail and saw that they ran a few of these as well.

Andrew Knoll for Discover Magazine

Robert Weland for Washingtonian

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:11:12 -0500

Photo shoots have different rhythms and flow and part of my job is sizing people up and trying to get a read on them pretty quickly. In Washington, where shoots with politicians can last less than five minutes, sometimes establishing rapport and getting familiar with the subject isn't possible and I've come around on embracing the tension that hangs over these briefest of jobs. These portraits speak to the distance and the lack of connection and sometimes that feels as telling to me as the images made after long conversations and buy-in from the subject.

Post Chef Robert Weland

I knew Robert Weland, the chef at Poste in Washington, DC was an avid gardener but I wasn't aware of the extent of his commitment until I arrived at the restaurant and saw dozens of fruit trees, raised beds and herb gardens extending throughout the terrace outside the restaurant. Weland was eager to talk about his growing plans for the year and we commiserated about what the hot weather was doing to our tomatoes, and which herb/fruit combinations worked best for desserts.

I had brought along a bag of organic vegetables that he gamely posed with and I left with some great recipes (beet greens - roast, sealed in foil w/ olive oil/salt/pepper) and photographs of a passionate chef and gardener.

John Safer in Communication Arts Photography Annual

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:39:56 -0500

Just got my copy of the Communication Arts Photography Annual. So much good work in there, and a nice feeling all around to be included.

Seven Days of Gelato and Pasta

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:56:47 -0500

We took a quick family vacation a few weeks ago, passing through Venice, then southwest to Tuscany and the coast. Traveling with a young child can bring stress and little sleep, but also these moments of unfettered joy. In Pisa, Luke made friends with a little boy, each holding dripping cones of gelato that seemed destined to fall to the cobblestone ground, and they ran in wide circles around the pedestrian square, pointing out dogs and buses and laughing, in a world of their own.

With any brief travel, the photographs are more like visual sketches of what's known and unknown. It feels presumptuous to form opinions so quickly, and what's left are little moments and scenes that aren't constrained by the visual overload of something new.

Alec Ross for GQ France

Tue, 17 May 2011 16:07:36 -0500

Alec Ross for GQ France

Some editorial shoots feel like a triumph of logistics and compromise if nothing else. Getting to that point where you're actually staring at your subject through the viewfinder and thinking about how it all might look is a seemingly minor outcome compared to the work that had gotten you there.

In the weeks leading up to this shoot, dozens of e-mails were exchanged, locations were scouted, locations were rejected, and finally, a series of events was agreed upon regarding how the time between 2PM and 2:30PM on April 13, 2011 would look.

Despite this planning, the logical, problem-solving part of me seems to take a backseat when the shoot starts, as new ideas go from abstract to a .CR2 file on a memory card in seconds and I hope instincts, experience and wonder might yield something new and surprising.

These working methods of photographers are something that doesn't get talked about much (plastic flash modifiers and lens reviews seem to generate more traffic). I'm interested in that paradoxical dance of the portrait shoot-- where after spending an hour tweaking how a shadow falls under a subject's chin, I am primed like a photojournalist for that half second of realness.

Alec Ross works at the US Department of State under Secretary Clinton and has brought State into the 21st century, exploring how digital diplomacy can transform societies. I'd like to thank Jamel Benjemaia at GQ France for the opportunity and for Alec for being such a patient and willing subject.

A Dream in Cochin

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:26:44 -0500

We walked through the sliding glass doors of the Cochin Airport twenty-six hours after leaving a nearly snow bound JFK airport. It was early morning in India, and the warm, still air smelling of smoke and diesel felt comforting and humanizing after a day inside a plane. Just outside the doors, a crowd leaned on a metal gate, scanning each exiting traveler, waiting for the flash of recognition. This is the picture I had envisioned on the plane, back lit from the hazy rising sun and the feeling of stepping into a different place entirely from where we came.

After scanning through my film and digital images from the trip, I think the B&W work best captures my second trip to a place that is exhilarating, exhausting and a part of my family's heritage.

Nikki Haley and Mitch McConnell for The Atlantic

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:44:08 -0500

Governor Nikki Haley for The Atlantic

I had two portrait shoots for The Atlantic in November that allowed me to spend time with a couple of the new leaders of the Republican Party. Governor-elect Nikki Haley was still in her campaign office, filled with leftover boxes of campaign paraphernalia, generic furniture and a lived-in dinginess that I've seen in every campaign headquarters I've been in. She couldn't have been more accommodating with her time and after the shoot, her communications director dropped in with an autographed note on letterhead reading "Thanks for the great photos - Nikki Haley." I couldn't decide if I found this endearing or an attempt to sway the photos I submitted, but it was certainly a first for a shoot.

You can read Hanna Rosin's article about Gov. Haley here. Incidentally, a month later, I was at Hanna's home in DC for The Wall Street Journal.

Senator Mitch McConnell for The Atlantic

I think journalist Joshua Green's description of Senator McConnell sum up my impressions of him him better than I could do on my own:

"McConnell, 68, is owlish, phlegmatic, and gray, and often looks bothered, as though lunch isn't agreeing with him. He has been described as having "the natural charisma of an oyster." Yet you sense that this is not so much a burden as a choice, that he has pared away any qualities extraneous to his political advancement."

I'm used to extroversion and polish with the politicians I photograph, and Senator McConnell had neither of these, which I found challenging and (admittedly) a little refreshing. We talked about Lebanon, Kentucky, a small town in his home state where I had once spent a week photographing a family with seventeen children.

He soon stood up from the chair where we'd been shooting, silently announcing that my time with his was over.

Here are a few diptychs from the shoots with some additional images I liked. As always, a big thank you to Jason Treat and Katie Mathy for this shoot. I hold a special place in my heart for the magazine, as they gave me my first magazine cover and continue to produce some of the best journalism around.

Unforeseen Circumstances - Kerala in Passing

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:41:51 -0500

Like many photographers (I suspect), I often keep a camera with a wide angle lens near me while in the car. These images I take rarely serve as more than an instinctual record of scenes that catch my eye as people and places hurtle past. In rare cases, I'm surprised by the visual successes of one of these photos.

The photos here come from my trip earlier this month to Kerala and were all taken from the backseat of an SUV. The purpose of the trip was to visit family there and subsequently we were traveling quite a bit most days. I'm still sorting through the images and waiting on my film to be developed and hope to share a few more images.

2010 in 15 Photographs

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:35:56 -0500

It's difficult to measure progress as a photographer. The whole idea of becoming "better" once one masters the technical aspect is a murky path with many dead-ends and no end point. I don't think it happens in the actual act of photography, when one raises the camera. By then, decisions have already been made about where you're standing and where you're going to point the camera. It's the accumulated knowledge, life experience, aesthetic judgements and maybe what you had for breakfast that day that brought you to that spot and it's this awareness (minus the breakfast part) that is going to guide the photo that you take.

With that thought, I've been looking through my assignments and personal projects from this year and thinking about where I've made steps forward, and where there has perhaps been a wrong turn made, or simple a bit of idling in place. I'm not sure the details of the conclusions I reached are that important, but I do hope the larger realizations might be helpful.

First, it took much too long for me to realize this personally, but the most damaging idea for a photographer is following a preconceived notions of the kind of photographer one is "supposed to be". This trap that imposes limits and a rigid framework on your work. Truth is, on a basic level we all get to choose what kind of photographs to make, it's completely our choice and our responsibility to figure out what we want to say. While external influences exist, those best, most important photos are the ones that reflect upon the photographer himself in an intimate, thoughtful way. Also, I get to shoot for myself, even on assignment, and the satisfaction of a job well done needs to come from within, not from others. As for looking at my own progress, I see it most infused in the assignments where I let go of some of my own faulty framework of what a photograph should be and use the time to try to discover something new I hadn't seen before.

Included here are 15 photographs that I'm happy about from 2010. I'm deeply thankful for the editors at publications like The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Markets, Washingtonian, Guardian Weekend, Smithsonian and Forbes who have entrusted me with work and encouraged finding creative, new approaches to stories and portraits.

I'm also thankful for the individuals who let me into their homes, or just gave me a few minutes of undivided attention for conversation and photos. It feels just plain lucky that I got to meet people like Chris Hitchens, Elizabeth Warren, Ken Feinberg and Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the course of my work.

I'm also thankful to have my work recognized in American Photography 26, FotoWeek DC, Mamiya and American Photo magazine for recognizing my work. And to Mike Davis, for fine-tuned guidance and softly spoken profound thoughts about photography.

Here's to a productive new year, moving ever forward down this path.

DC Here and There

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:06:23 -0500

Michelle Rhee for the Washingtonian

Like many DC residents (44% to be exact), I was saddened to see Mayor Adrian Fenty voted out of office, mostly because of Michelle Rhee. DC has had its share of polarizing leaders, but Rhee might take the cake for her aggressive approach to reforming schools that included firing under performing teachers, closing schools and battling the teacher's union to eliminate tenure.

In short, she got things done, and the improved student test scores during her time as the DC School Chancellor proved her out. So it was exciting to get a call from the Washingtonian about photographing her, just a few weeks before she left town, went on Oprah, and began her new school reform venture.

As usual, it was a brief shoot, made even briefer by a non-working elevator that meant hauling equipment up three flights of stairs. After this unscheduled workout and a quick setup, I ended up with about ten minutes with Mrs. Rhee and guided her around the room through a few different setups before she had to leave.

In these situations, I'm always wrestling with really working a single setup versus pushing for multiple looks and hoping one comes together. Either way, I'm often walking that fine line between spontaneity and preparation, hoping for a moment, but realizing the limits of these brief interactions and what can be extracted from them visually.

In the end, these are sad images to me, of what could have been for DC public schools.

Ted Sorensen, RIP

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:41:19 -0500

Ted Sorensen, 1928-2010

I had the good fortune to hear Ted Sorensen speak about the Cuban Missile Crisis during a conference a couple of years ago. Even better, he agreed to sit for a quick portrait in a studio I had set up back stage. His eyesight wasn't great and I directed him with a gentle hand on his immaculate dark suit to have him face the camera.

As we talked, an organizer from the conference came over and greeted him. Mr. Sorensen turned to her, gave her a bright smile, and I made this picture.

Hats and Leaves: Staying Undercover

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:46:23 -0500

Anas Aremeyaw Anas for The Atlantic

Anas Aremeyaw Anas is an investigative journalist based in Ghana. His work has included posing as mentally unstable to infiltrate a mental institution, and getting inside a Bangkok prison dressed as a priest to meet a Ghanaian drug trafficker. One of my favorite clients, The Atlantic asked me to photograph him during his brief stopover in Washington, DC, this past August.

The nature of his work means that the portraits I made of him couldn't show his face. This isn't the first time I've had to honor this request, but it hasn't become any easier to pull off in a meaningful, effective way. Fortunately, Anas was game for pretty much anything, and came prepared with a pile of hats to cover his face.

What followed was a wonderful couple hours of collaborative photo making, as we walked around DC trading ideas about photo setups, the future of journalism (bright!) and the new media renaissance of investigative journalism. I'm particularly happy with this series of images, which pivots a bit from my usual portraiture work, and thankful to have made the acquaintance of such an important force, and really nice guy, in journalism today.

I highly recommend Nicholas Schmidle's story on Anas entitled "Smuggler, Forger, Writer, Spy." This piece has unfortunately been dramatically edited down from the 6000 word draft I originally read, but still captures Anas's daring spirit and ferocious determination to cast light in dark places.

Notes from a Long, Hot Summer

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:19:07 -0500

Closed Car Dealership in Maryland

I'm happy to be writing again after giving the blog the summer off as I shot some great jobs, dove into some personal projects and had a restful week of (a little bit of) work and play in Paris.

I finally scanned in the last of my 91 days project. The work got more challenging as it went on and I tried to make some sense of the 30x30 square that makes up my backyard.

I was also thrilled to find out that my Closed Car Dealerships story will be displayed at FotoWeek DC. In my years of entering photojournalism contests, I never received as much as an Honorable Mention and it's both satisfying and a little strange that my work was recognized in the "Fine Art" category, and shot on film. I'm still working hard on this project, making long drives and enlisting the help of my favorite freelance photo editor/guru to make sense of it and some other work for a new portfolio. Back soon with more.