Many photographers are self-employed, whether they operate commercial photography businesses, travel the world as photojournalists, or function as artists—creating self-assigned projects for sale to collectors and museums. They may also teach photography, or supplement their incomes with print sales.
The photographs displayed here were created by such free-lance photographers and suggest the wide variety of subjects, approaches, and techniques which the documentary spirit embraces—from images of American politics to depictions of musicians and their instruments; from preserving family history to recording accidents and the horrors of natural disasters. The images also illustrate a broad range of contemporary photographic media and techniques, including panoramas and stereographs, digital prints, and traditional silver gelatin prints.
All the images are recent Archives Center acquisitions, kindly donated by public-spirited creators who believe in the mission of museums and archives to document history, to educate, and to inspire. The Archives Center gratefully acknowledges the generosity of these talented photographers.
JOSEPH VITONEVitone, a professor of photography at St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas, contributed annotated studies of members of his extended family, photographed with an 8” x 10” view camera. These photographs are from his portfolio, “Family Records,” created between 1998 and 2004.
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| JOSEPH VITONE Mike Musgrave ready to butcher a snapping turtle, Ohio, 2003 Silver gelatin print. |
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| JOSEPH VITONE Sisters Angie Hummel and Missy Rudd by blackberry bushes, Norton, Ohio, 2000 Silver gelatin print |
DYLAN VITONE
Dylan Vitone, the son of Joseph Vitone, whose work is shown above, is a professor of photography at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He often creates horizontal panoramas through multiple exposures, and an occasional vertical “panorama,” such as the one shown at the left.
DYLAN VITONE
Miami, 2009
Digital inkjet print
ANNABEL DUNSTONE
Annabel Dunstone is a student of Joseph Vitone at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. In early 2011 she participated in a class documentary project to photograph the small town of Lockhart near Austin. Twelve students, including Dunstone, were asked to donate their Lockhart photographs to the Archives Center because they represent a model for a focused, yet varied group documentary project. Shown below is an image from her untitled portfolio.
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| ANNABEL DUNSTONE Lockhart Car Crash, February 8, 2011 Digital print |
AARON REISSIG
Reissig is another of Joseph Vitone’s students. This image is from his Lockhart portfolio, “Lilly and Kirk.”
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| AARON REISSIG Big Dog Neon Bar, Lockhart, Texas Digital print: Epson K-3 ink on Ilford Gold Fibre Sile alpha-cellulose paper |
NANCY SIRKIS
In recent years Nancy Sirkis has concentrated on two large continuing projects: “Five Boroughs,” a study of New York City, and “Small Towns,” for which she has traveled widely across America. Many of her images are panoramas, created by taking multiple incremental exposures rather than a single panoramic view.
Decker, Montana, 2007
Digital print (image to be added)
DAVID J. MARCOU
David Marcou is a free-lance photographer and writer who frequently photographs politicians and other celebrities.
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| DAVID J. MARCOU Mike Huckabee’s wife takes his photograph with fans, La Crosse (Wisconsin) Center, February 14, 2008 Digital print |
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| DAVID J. MARCOU Obama’s Army with their Commander-in-Chief, 2nd and Pearl Streets, La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 1, 2008. Digital inkjet print |
EMILE WAAGENAAR
Waagenaar, who lives in Breda in the Netherlands, has been an enthusiastic fan of the Cajun music of Louisiana and nearby regions. He has been visiting the United States to interview and photograph Cajun musicians of all ages and circumstances for over twenty years.
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| EMILE WAAGENAAR D’Jalma Garnier, Carencro [Louisiana], 2008 Digital inkjet print |
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| EMILE WAAGENAAR Don Montoucet, Scott [Louisiana], 2001 Digital inkjet print |
FERNANDO SANDOVAL. Washington, D.C. native Fernando Sandoval has documented the streets, entertainers, and events of his home town for decades.
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| FERNANDO SANDOVAL Mr. Lee’s Guitar, Downtown [Washington] D.C, early 1980s Silver gelatin print |
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| FERNANDO SANDOVAL Underground Night Club, 11th St., N.W. [Washington, D.C.], mid-1990s Silver gelatin print |
Melody Golding spent a year photographing the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and recovery efforts in her home state of Mississippi.
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| MELODY GOLDING See Through House, Gulf Coast, Mississippi, 2005 Silver gelatin print |
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| MELODY GOLDING Smashed House, Gulf Coast, Mississippi, 2005 Silver gelatin print |
ROBERT COVINGTON
Covington makes stereoscopic (three-dimensional) images during his travels. Shown here is his untitled portfolio of these images, complete with viewing glasses, and two prints from the group.
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ROBERT COVINGTON Looking South from North Tower, WTC [World Trade Center, New York City], 1999 Silver gelatin print |
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ROBERT COVINGTON Brooklyn Bridge Walkway, 1990 Digital inkjet print |
PAT AND CHUCK BRESS
The husband-wife team of Pat and Chuck Bress photographed renowned jazz musicians performing at two important Washington, D.C., night clubs in the late 1980s--Charlie’s Place, which closed years ago, and Blues Alley, still a significant venue for jazz.
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PAT AND CHUCK BRESS Dizzy Gillespie, 1980s Silver gelatin print |
PAT AND CHUCK BRESS
Ernestine Anderson, 1980s
Silver gelatin print (image to be added)
JONATHAN SINGER
Singer is a podiatrist who pursued a second career as a photographic artist, receiving notoriety in national magazines for his images of orchids. He has since turned his attention to guitars.
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JONATHAN SINGER Gibson ES-5, 1951, SN AS7321, 3 P-90 pickups; Gibson Es-5 Switchmaster, 1959, SN A27764, 3 PAF pickups Digital inkjet print, 2011 |
JAKE JACOBSON
Jacobson photographed musical instrument makers across the United States for his project, “Heart and Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America,” resulting in a book and a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service exhibition by the same title.
Lloyd “Butch” Heidt, Henegar [Alabama], ca. 1996-1998
Inkjet digital print from 35mm film transparency (image to be added)
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This looks great on line -- almost like seeing it in person. Great Photos!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your nice article on Si siris blog spot.
I like for your good writing.
Thanks
Thank you for this overview of photographers as donors, David. I didn't know that Jonathan Singer has also been photographing guitars until I saw your blog entry. Dr. Singer is the photographer and donor of SI Libraries' double-elephant-folio 5 v. copy of Botanica Magnifica (2008), a really amazing work housed in the Cullman Library of Natural History f TR724 .S56 2008 v. 1-5 SCNHRB --Diane Shaw, SI Libraries
ReplyDeleteThank you David for all the work you did for this exhibit and for placing this great blog!
ReplyDeleteHope to see all the photo's life in the Archives Center in February and see you there too.
Emile Waagenaar, Breda, the Netherlands.
Mr. Haberstich,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for including two of my Campaign 2008 photos in this Exhibition and Blog. I'd guess all the contributing photographers feel as I do -- very honored to be included in these displays. Thank you again, and I hope we can work together, in future, too.
Best Regards,
From David Joseph Marcou, Photographer-SI Donor.