Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
On the afternoon of May 18, 2015 I parked my car on High Street, just west of Runnion Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was going to photograph an interesting house nearby.
As I was walking back to my car, I heard a dog growling and snarling. I looked to the house my car was parked in front of and saw a tiny little dog standing under a man sitting in a wheelchair in the door of the house. I yelled, "Hey dog, my cat could EAT YOU!" I had a 23lb longhaired orange cat named Simba who LOVED bullying dogs. There were several dogs I know who were terrified of him! He was quite a big larger than the little dog that was barking at me.
The dog's owner asked me what I was taking pictures of, so I went to talk to him. He asked me if I would take a picture of him; and while I was photographing him, he told me a little bit about himself.
His name was Sterling Hall Sr. He had had his right leg amputated recently, and he was depressed because his adult son had recently died. He and his little dog, whose name was Dot, lived with his mother.
I had a hard time getting the photo I wanted. I wanted to see the dog clearly, as well as Sterling. I wanted to show that he was sitting in the doorway; but the house's design made it impossible to show the left edge of the doorway well, so I decided to not show that side of the door frame. I had to be close to them, using a wide angle lens (my 24-105mm zoom set around 24mm), because I wanted the photo to feel intimate, like the viewer was standing there on the porch talking to Sterling.
I knelt down rather than standing up for two reasons. One was that Sterling was sitting in his wheelchair, so if I (a 5'10" tall man) were standing, I would be looking down at him. I didn't want that, I wanted it to look like I was sitting there talking to him. The second reason was Dot. She stayed under the wheelchair the while time, watching me. She wouldn't come out, but she did quit barking and growling after Sterling and I began talking. I wanted to see her face clearly, and she would have been partly hidden if I were standing.
I promised Sterling that I would give him a print, and about a week later, I brought him a signed, exhibition quality print. His mother answered the door and said that he wasn't feeling well and was sleeping. I told her that I had photographed him and promised him a print, and she said he had told her about me and that he was looking forward to seeing the print.
Several months later, I received an email from Sterling's daughter telling me that he had died on October 10, 2015. She told me that "This was one of his favorite pictures, he loved showing it off. Thanks for adding a small piece of joy to his life."
I love meeting and photographing people like Sterling; and hearing their stories, which I preserve and transmit to others through my work.
lynnb
Veteran
That's a very touching story Chris, and a lesson in itself of how being friendly and open to people can lead to better - in this case, excellent - people pictures.
I like the warmth in Sterling's smile and his relaxed posture. It's obvious he is at ease with you. It's great that you put the camera in a position to also capture Dot, looking at you from behind the protection of Sterling's leg and the wheelchair.
I also like that there's enough light and detail in the background to give Sterling's life some context in his humble surroundings.
There's a little wide angle distortion with his leg and moccasin-clad foot towards the camera (compare foot with head size) but if you'd stood further back with a longer focal length lens there wouldn't be as much of the room behind in view. Maybe I'd have gone more for 28mm or even 35mm to lessen that distortion.
Colours are very natural. Contrast and tone mapping are exactly as I would have liked to achieve in the same light.
I wasn't there so I can't judge what was outside the frame to support your framing/compositional choice, other than what you've stated. I think it works.
It's an excellent portrait.
I like the warmth in Sterling's smile and his relaxed posture. It's obvious he is at ease with you. It's great that you put the camera in a position to also capture Dot, looking at you from behind the protection of Sterling's leg and the wheelchair.
I also like that there's enough light and detail in the background to give Sterling's life some context in his humble surroundings.
There's a little wide angle distortion with his leg and moccasin-clad foot towards the camera (compare foot with head size) but if you'd stood further back with a longer focal length lens there wouldn't be as much of the room behind in view. Maybe I'd have gone more for 28mm or even 35mm to lessen that distortion.
Colours are very natural. Contrast and tone mapping are exactly as I would have liked to achieve in the same light.
I wasn't there so I can't judge what was outside the frame to support your framing/compositional choice, other than what you've stated. I think it works.
It's an excellent portrait.
charjohncarter
Veteran
You obviously took a lot of time to compose this simple looking image. But without that thought it wouldn't have been as effective.
When I first saw this photo, I thought this is a guy that is not healthy yet he is still (half) smiling. Nice one Chris with a good story.
When I first saw this photo, I thought this is a guy that is not healthy yet he is still (half) smiling. Nice one Chris with a good story.
rfaspen
[insert pithy phrase here]
You're a pretty cool dude Chris.
I appreciate the positioning of the dog. It does not strike me as a pose of "dominion" of Sterling over the dog, but one of "protection" -- both the dog of Sterling, and Sterling of the dog. Would have been way, way less compelling if the dog were in his lap.
I appreciate the positioning of the dog. It does not strike me as a pose of "dominion" of Sterling over the dog, but one of "protection" -- both the dog of Sterling, and Sterling of the dog. Would have been way, way less compelling if the dog were in his lap.
mpaniagua
Newby photographer
Did you tried doing that on b/w? Wondering if it would have the same impact than on color. Sometimes color really bright things up.
Agree with the dog's position. Sometimes dogs can be very tricky, specially small races. Seems that they cant stop moving.
Really like Sterling expression. Seems at peace.
Regards
Marcelo
Agree with the dog's position. Sometimes dogs can be very tricky, specially small races. Seems that they cant stop moving.
Really like Sterling expression. Seems at peace.
Regards
Marcelo
Huss
Veteran
Great shot. Some people are of the mindset that photos do not need any explanation and yes, there is an obvious intimacy here. But your text fills out, and pays respect to Sterling.
Sterling and his daughter obviously felt the same way.
Sterling and his daughter obviously felt the same way.
Tim Murphy
Well-known
This picture explains why I don't photograph people
This picture explains why I don't photograph people
Dear Chris,
I won't comment on the artistic merits of the picture other than to say you managed to convey a sense of respect and dignity to a man who to me appeared to be to be going through a rough spell in his life.
I've viewed your Fort Wayne series from end to end several times. To me at least, much of the series seems to focus on despair at one level or another? Please understand that I am not being critical of you and your work when I say this, but that is a theme that I have no desire to pursue.
Give me a bird or deer and I'll be a happy, but probably boring, photographer.
That's all I've got.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg, PA
This picture explains why I don't photograph people
Dear Chris,
I won't comment on the artistic merits of the picture other than to say you managed to convey a sense of respect and dignity to a man who to me appeared to be to be going through a rough spell in his life.
I've viewed your Fort Wayne series from end to end several times. To me at least, much of the series seems to focus on despair at one level or another? Please understand that I am not being critical of you and your work when I say this, but that is a theme that I have no desire to pursue.
Give me a bird or deer and I'll be a happy, but probably boring, photographer.
That's all I've got.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg, PA
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Thanks. My work has long been a collaboration between photography and writing to tell my stories. I'm often frustrated when I see interesting photos posted online because I want to know more. Even something as basic as what the subject is, and many people won't even write that!
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Indiana is hurting. This has long been a manufacturing state. Indiana is often thought of as a farm state; and while the rural areas are covered in farmland, very few Hoosiers actually work in agriculture. Indiana has several cities that were centers of manufacturing. Places like Fort Wayne, Gary, South Bend, Evansville, and Indianapolis. Plus small cities that were major manufacturing centers like Muncie, Kokomo, Elkhart, and Goshen. Most of the factories are gone, and the jobs that are left pay $8 an hour.
There are wealthy people here, but they're not interesting at all. There is little depth to most of them; I find the working class, from which I came, much more interesting. Many of you don't know this, but I was the 6th person in my family's history to graduate from high school. My father was the second! I have a bachelors degree in fine arts and a masters degree in literature, but I haven't forgotten what I am. When I was a high school teacher, I worked in the poorest school in Fort Wayne. After I suffered my stroke, I worked as a substitute teacher for a few more years, and I can tell you this: I would choose working with my "poor white trash and ghetto kids" (that's how some teachers described them!) from the school were I was a regular teacher over the upper middle class and rich kids from some of the schools I subbed at ANY day.
gnuyork
Well-known
Wow! That's heavy. Good work, Chris.
Bob Michaels
nobody special
I am able to see Chris's photo in the context of his other economically struggling Indiana work as I am very familiar with it. That adds so much more than just looking at this singular image.
Chris seized on one of those opportunities that seldom come along then made maximum use of it. The unshaven man wearing a robe sitting in a wheelchair with a nondescript dog provided an ideal palette. He arranged them ideally. I suspect there was verbal communication between Mr. Hall, the subject, and the photographer to create Mr. Hall's expression. I imagine it was a challenge to find that instant where Mr. Hall's expression and the dog's position both fell into place. But good photographers have all other elements at the ready when that brief moment occurs. The same as mastering all the photographically technical aspects which one assumes as normal.
The photo would have been only a bit above ordinary without the commentary. But the description of Mr. Hall's plight added an entirely new dimension in communicating the situation. I did find the words about Chris's cat and talk of excluding the left door frame unnecessarily diluting.
It was so good that Chris's short commentary actually had an introduction, an informative body, and a great close. Good writing skills for a visual oriented person. That is a lesson that I will take away from this, do better with my own captions.
Chris seized on one of those opportunities that seldom come along then made maximum use of it. The unshaven man wearing a robe sitting in a wheelchair with a nondescript dog provided an ideal palette. He arranged them ideally. I suspect there was verbal communication between Mr. Hall, the subject, and the photographer to create Mr. Hall's expression. I imagine it was a challenge to find that instant where Mr. Hall's expression and the dog's position both fell into place. But good photographers have all other elements at the ready when that brief moment occurs. The same as mastering all the photographically technical aspects which one assumes as normal.
The photo would have been only a bit above ordinary without the commentary. But the description of Mr. Hall's plight added an entirely new dimension in communicating the situation. I did find the words about Chris's cat and talk of excluding the left door frame unnecessarily diluting.
It was so good that Chris's short commentary actually had an introduction, an informative body, and a great close. Good writing skills for a visual oriented person. That is a lesson that I will take away from this, do better with my own captions.
cfritze
Established
In addition to the poignancy of story and subject, I like how this photo invites you in. His foot and leg, the door leading you from left frame to the interior, the dog in the space under.
Tim Murphy
Well-known
Dear Chris,
Trust me when I say that I understand the the focus of your pictures. I absolutely meant no offense by my comment of your focus on despair.
I'm from the NE PA coal region born a year and half after the Knox mining disaster that ended life in the region where I was born. When I was a kid it was still a place that people wanted to be, and they tried mightily to hang on, but eventually it just sort of died.
My parent's moved us outside of Philadelphia to place of cookie cutter suburbs. It was a fine place to grow up and my brother's and I enjoyed our childhood. But we kids longed for more.
I moved to upstate NY in the early 1990's, a place in more decline than the coal region my family fled. My brothers moved to Colorado. I moved to Harrisburg in 2001 and have watched it decline over 17 years. At least my parent's followed me and live nearby.
I know the spirit and the heart of the people that you picture more than you could ever imagine. It's simply not my cup of tea to photograph people who long for better times.
So I stick to critters, and birds and for the most part cannot comment on many of the photographic conversations around here. I belong here mostly because I still have an affinity to shoot film and I enjoy the gear talk more than the hand wringing over photographic styles or aims.
Again, I'm glad you chose to photograph what you do. You always do it with respect and you always manage to convey the pride and honor of your subjects. That is something to be proud of.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg, PA
Trust me when I say that I understand the the focus of your pictures. I absolutely meant no offense by my comment of your focus on despair.
I'm from the NE PA coal region born a year and half after the Knox mining disaster that ended life in the region where I was born. When I was a kid it was still a place that people wanted to be, and they tried mightily to hang on, but eventually it just sort of died.
My parent's moved us outside of Philadelphia to place of cookie cutter suburbs. It was a fine place to grow up and my brother's and I enjoyed our childhood. But we kids longed for more.
I moved to upstate NY in the early 1990's, a place in more decline than the coal region my family fled. My brothers moved to Colorado. I moved to Harrisburg in 2001 and have watched it decline over 17 years. At least my parent's followed me and live nearby.
I know the spirit and the heart of the people that you picture more than you could ever imagine. It's simply not my cup of tea to photograph people who long for better times.
So I stick to critters, and birds and for the most part cannot comment on many of the photographic conversations around here. I belong here mostly because I still have an affinity to shoot film and I enjoy the gear talk more than the hand wringing over photographic styles or aims.
Again, I'm glad you chose to photograph what you do. You always do it with respect and you always manage to convey the pride and honor of your subjects. That is something to be proud of.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg, PA
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Dear Chris,
Trust me when I say that I understand the the focus of your pictures. I absolutely meant no offense by my comment of your focus on despair.
I'm from the NE PA coal region born a year and half after the Knox mining disaster that ended life in the region where I was born. When I was a kid it was still a place that people wanted to be, and they tried mightily to hang on, but eventually it just sort of died.
My parent's moved us outside of Philadelphia to place of cookie cutter suburbs. It was a fine place to grow up and my brother's and I enjoyed our childhood. But we kids longed for more.
I moved to upstate NY in the early 1990's, a place in more decline than the coal region my family fled. My brothers moved to Colorado. I moved to Harrisburg in 2001 and have watched it decline over 17 years. At least my parent's followed me and live nearby.
I know the spirit and the heart of the people that you picture more than you could ever imagine. It's simply not my cup of tea to photograph people who long for better times.
So I stick to critters, and birds and for the most part cannot comment on many of the photographic conversations around here. I belong here mostly because I still have an affinity to shoot film and I enjoy the gear talk more than the hand wringing over photographic styles or aims.
Again, I'm glad you chose to photograph what you do. You always do it with respect and you always manage to convey the pride and honor of your subjects. That is something to be proud of.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg, PA
No offense taken, it was a legitimate question.
citizen99
Well-known
A great picture and a great story, which complement each other.
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robert blu
quiet photographer
The photo bring a sense of being there, and the story helps us to share the feeling.
Composition, arrangement of subject and lighting are perfect (as always in Chris photos) and this is a lesson for me. Another example of how much important is to connect with the subject when photographing. Photography is at the end communication .
And I agree normal people are more interesting than wealthy ones...
Words of Sterling's daughter remind us how important and beneficial can be to donate a photo to our subjects.
Thank Chris for this thread.
robert
Composition, arrangement of subject and lighting are perfect (as always in Chris photos) and this is a lesson for me. Another example of how much important is to connect with the subject when photographing. Photography is at the end communication .
And I agree normal people are more interesting than wealthy ones...
Words of Sterling's daughter remind us how important and beneficial can be to donate a photo to our subjects.
Thank Chris for this thread.
robert
Bill Clark
Veteran
That is an interesting photograph. Your photograph shows what good lighting does to make a photograph look real.
I will write the following, as it shows my philosophy of life. Aristotle, a long time ago, wrote something I believe is true. That an important ingredient of each and every human is our search for happiness. It can be elusive for some.
Maybe, maybe not this gent shows this. It does show part of his condition of his life.
I try to make photographs that show the world as a happy place to be living in. Some folks I’ve photographed live like this gent but I still strive to get them to show a glint of happiness, even if it’s only for a moment or two. I believe what Aristotle wrote is true.
I will write the following, as it shows my philosophy of life. Aristotle, a long time ago, wrote something I believe is true. That an important ingredient of each and every human is our search for happiness. It can be elusive for some.
Maybe, maybe not this gent shows this. It does show part of his condition of his life.
I try to make photographs that show the world as a happy place to be living in. Some folks I’ve photographed live like this gent but I still strive to get them to show a glint of happiness, even if it’s only for a moment or two. I believe what Aristotle wrote is true.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
[FONT="]My attention is first drawn by his face, not the missing leg. Even though I suspect he is not very old, he looks beat. Then I see the missing leg and the mutt underneath the wheelchair. A strong image. I am not so much drawn-in by the lighting which I find a bit too over-photo shopped with the interior of the house too prominently displayed. Perhaps a darker interior would make Sterling even more prominent in the picture. Thanks for posting! Peter[/FONT]
