On Seeing, A Journal. #330

The Eddie Adams Workshop XXII – “Portraits”

January 14, 2020

Over the course of the last 20 years, I have had the exceptional privilege of participating as a lecturer at the Eddie Adams Workshop, known as “BARNSTORM,” held each October at “The Farm” in Jeffersonville, NY.

After my Saturday morning lecture, I’ve set up a temporary studio at the Workshop to make portraits of the participants, teachers, tech crew, students, support staff and others. The portraits are created in the afternoon.

To keep things interesting (for me and the subjects) I have used different lighting and set-up techniques each year. I’ve written about them in previous “ON SEEING” Journal posts. You can view the Portrait collages made in the previous years here.

For 2019, I wanted to express the idea of celebration, so I used an easily recognized symbol of celebrations, confetti, thrown in some cases by the subjects themselves and at times my assistants. My minimal suggestion to each subject was simply to let go, to be imaginative and to create something surprising for the camera and themselves.  It always helps to say, “It is not possible to make any mistakes, so have fun.”

HS photographing Mirjam Evers and Alice Keeney. Photo: Scott Allen (thanks Scott)

About 80 brave and clever individuals waited in line to have their
portraits made.

Here are some of the celebratory results:

MaryAnne Golon, Assistant Managing Editor and Director of Photography at The Washington Post

Scott Allen, Midwest Regional Director for Media Relations and Public Affairs, US Department of Labor.

Bennie Davis, Associate Editor of Airman magazine, the digital flagship publication for the U.S. Air Force

Tom Kennedy, Executive Director, ASMP

Leah Latella, Photo Editor, WSJ

Scott McIntyre, Photographer, South FL

Jason Potterton, Senior Photo Editor, ESPN

Ronni Moore

Luis Antonio Rojas, Mexican Documentary Photographer

And, finally, my competent and reliable assistant and friend, Randy Sauer: Pack the car with equipment in NYC; Drive two+ hours to Workshop in Jeffersonville, NY; unpack equipment; set up “studio” for portraiture and confetti; assist for three hours. Ready to pack up and return to NYC.