JBS 1982-2010

When I was just starting out and interested only in capturing the running world I was immersed in around me (hey, it was without question the glory days of distance running and I was in mecca) I stumbled down to Hayward Field for the Nike OTC marathon on a typical Oregon Sunday morning. As you can see it was a miserable and rainy day, but Joan Benoit (not yet Samuelson) didn't care as she blazed to what was then an American Best in 2:26:11.

After moving to Maine a couple years ago, and having Joanie run up behind me on the roads, initiating a friendship and a continuing training partnership, I went through my old scrapbooks and there she was - three images I had snapped at the finish line of her victory.

And here we are 28 years later. I'm still snapping pictures of her (Runner's World magazine Heroes issue 2008) and she's still setting records.

ABOVE is the most recent picture I've taken of her, standing on an ice floe near her home in Maine - just down the road from mine.

Of course I missed the 26 years in between when she went on to an Olympic gold medal and world record.

TODAY SHE SET AN AMERICAN RECORD FOR 50+ WOMEN IN THE CHERRY BLOSSOM 10 MILER IN D.C. IN A BLAZING 1:00:52 (that's about 6:05 per mile!)

Wow! This is a great career I've chosen. Hers is not too bad either.

ANOTHER CONTEST

These images were submitted to the PDN Curator Photo Contest, which looks for undiscovered fine art photography. The top prize includes a solo exhibition in NYC.

My challenge on this submission was to take a documentary project and present it in a way that makes it stand alone without the storyline. Well, after many, many edits and shuffling of images I found these six images of disabled soldiers in the SUDS scuba-diving program in Florida that worked very nicely together.

These were picked because I found I couldn't present a group of images from this project without honoring the story of their journey from near-death to new life, but my hope is that the pictures will tell enough a story without the need for accompanying text.

I did choose to "treat" the images artfully by presenting them as toned black and white images. This was designed to distill the content of the image without being distracted by color. The power of these pictures is in the faces and body language of each soldier, and the vividness of the environment takes away from that.

So, is this gallery of images 'fine art'?

Does it appeal to you purely on its aesthetic and emotional merits, or is is just another news story?

Let me know what you think.....

PHOTO CONTESTS

This is the image I entered in a photo contest last week - the PDN Faces competition.

I've never been a fan of photo contests because, cynically, I thought they only ever served the organizers by giving them free images and what must be significant income from the high entry fees, which is why there are so many contests these days.

The big ones, though, are still very prestigious to appear in: CA, Graphis, the first PDN one, etc.

So now I feel it's a win-win: Everyone gets something useful and it's fun to compete.

I'll show you the images for the next contest I've entered next time.

Comments welcome.

This image is of Blake, an autistic kid I met on the on-going documentary film project with Joe Duley and Joe Brunette. This was a purely "walk-by" moment - unplanned, unpredictable, but instantly recognizable as a "moment". I'm outside the house, and Blake is looking up through the screened window. There was a big graduation party going on in the rest of the house at the time, and I think Blake was happy for some peace and quiet by himself.

photo © Kevin Morris

shower scene!

My good friend, Peter MacMillan, used to be a set builder for the Seattle Opera. Now he lives near me in Freeport, Maine and manages the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, but he hasn't lost his skills. When I needed help - and fast - he came to the rescue and really made it happen. Him, and another good friend, Denis O'Brien, who supplied props, sumps pumps, and construction advice, but couldn't get away from his real job to be on-set.

The whole thing started when Maine State Music Theatre contacted me about shooting their ad campaign this season. It was their idea to shoot a guy singing in the shower, and the only way I could see it happening was to BUILD a shower stall that I could climb all over with my camera and lights.

The MSMT shot went great, but after it was done I still had this cool set in the studio - and no one to put in it.

To the rescue came Tobi Nichols, who runs Utobia Models & Talent. She got two fantastic models to come in on very short notice allowing me to shoot something for my own book, and of course, for stock too.

Here's a shot of Rebecca running into a little difficulty in the shower that Peter and I built in the middle of my studio... and below that is one of Paul sudsing up.

photos © Kevin Morris

NEW LOGO!

A new identity for Kevin Morris Photographer is unveiling itself soon. Commissioned by Malcolm Grear Designers, of Providence, Rhode Island - http://www.mgrear.com/ - it represents a brand new direction and level of professionalism for me. 

I am very proud of what Malcolm and Joel accomplished for me with this mark and typeface. It's amazing how something so simple can elicit so much discussion and open itself to so much interpretation. That's what good design is: Deceptive simplicity that solves a problem perfectly, seamlessly. Don't know how many hours went into this - I'm afraid to ask!

Without further ado, here is an advance look at the new design (and I'd love to get your feedback on it):

Nike store opens in Freeport

Joanie Samuelson takes questions from the audience outside the new Nike store

I'm producing a viewbook of this gorgeous property in Casco Bay in Maine for the owner, who hopes to attract renters this summer. It's the type of project that's becoming more and more desirable to my clients. It also a very cool island getaway!

This treasure has beds for 16+ people, a billards hall, a fullsize tipi, and much, much more. My book is over 40 pages and I'm working hard to edit it carefully, but there's a lot to show.

More importantly, I am also producing photo albums and viewbook for other projects, and this is becoming an integral part of what I offer: Photography, design and publication. 

One-off professionally printed books are big right now in the world of digital photography, but there's a jungle of companies out there with varying degrees of quality, and with prices all over the place. It's really easy to be disappointed with the results of a first-time order. I've researched and tested many of them and will continue to refine my search for the best printer for quality and cost.