How Has Photography Changed Me?

Professor McMullin asked the question in class, "How has photography changed you?"

How has photography changed me? With some time to digest and process the question, I have come up with the following response.

It has changed the arc of my life. In a way, it saved me and gave me a (new) purpose. Through the practice of it, it has enabled me to see new places and meet new people that have changed my life even further. It has allowed me the opportunity to share my photography experiences with young photographers in the classroom.

Here's a story. In my final semester at Art Center, my friend and classmate Jeff Noble asked me if I wanted to come along with him to do a series of interior test photos of Muhammed Ali's house in Los Angeles. The shots were meant as a scout for a possible real shoot later on down the line. 

My reply: "Muhammed Ali? Really? I'm so there."

So the appointment is set, we pack up our gear and head on over. We arrive, check in and start bringing in gear to a central room, IN MUHAMMED ALI'S MANSION. Once finished, we make our way into an interior room that looks like a library, and there he quietly sits. In his lap is a very large boom box. The volume on the tape player is down a little so Muhammed is leaning in a little closer to hear more easily. He's carefully listening to a cassette tape of a man asking for money. The man is behind on some bills and could really use some help. He could get caught up with a thousand dollars, and Muhammed... is really.... studying..... the solicitation. I thought for a moment, does this happen often to him? Do people think that celebrities that have so much, should give so easily? Is this one price of fame?

So Jeff and I have a seat. Muhammed notices us, smiles, turns the player off, shakes our hand, and steps out of the room for a moment. Jeff and I look at each other, and smile. (WE'RE IN MUHAMMED ALI'S HOUSE!) Now it gets interesting.....

Muhammed returns with what appears to be a red fishing tackle box. He pulls up a chair, sits down next to us and opens the box. He grabs something and shows it to us. It's about a 8", pencil-thick green stick with black stripes on it. He waves it around and shows it to us again. Now the stick is red with black stripes. (Huh?) Then he grabs a small handkerchief sized piece of fabric, and places it over his clenched fist. Using the index finger of is other hand, pushes the fabric down into the closed fist. He rubs the fist and opens it up. The fabric is gone. He does it second time, but shows us the secret of how it's done. Hint: clear plastic thumb cover. (MUHAMMED ALI IS DOING MAGIC TRICKS FOR US, INSIDE HIS LOS ANGELES MANSION!) This goes on for about another ten minutes. He stops, we thank him for the show, and it's time to get to work.

Then Jeff and I do the stroll around the house, sans the escort, and see what we have to work with. It's pretty impressive. Here are some of the shots:

Day two starts with where we left off the day before. By mid-afternoon we are making our way into the formal dining room, complete with jade-green flocked wall paper (ick). I start to set up some lights on stands and I hear someone enter through the front door. Then two little girls, around ages five or six, appear. They're in school uniforms; hair fixed in pigtails, dark grey pleated skirts, white ironed blouses, white cotton socks with shiny black shoes..... and they're chasing each other. Down the hallway they run, laughing and screaming. They wind up cutting through the dining room, and the trailing chaser stops. She's winded and sucking air. She ends up right by my light stand and grabs it to steady herself. (And I'm thinking, if you pull that stand over and break my light, I am so going to kill you.) She looks me in the eye and smiles, and is off running again. It turns out that little girl was Laila Ali. She later became a professional boxer like her father, and could so kick my ass today. Back then, I could take her. It might have gone fifteen rounds, but I'd have won.

We wrap the shoot mid-afternoon on day three. Before we get all the gear out, Jeff asks Muhammed if he can shoot a quick portrait of him. He very generously agrees. We quickly set up a soft box, load a 120 roll of Plus-X in the Hasselblad, and Jeff starts shooting. With two shots left on the roll we ask Muhammed if we can do a shot together. Please....please...PUUULEASE? Again, he gladly approves. Jeff jumps in with Muhammed and I shoot a frame, and it's my turn. Hmmmmmm...... what do I want to do in a shot with Muhammed Ali? I'm thinking promo poster for a heavyweight boxing match. This is my double portrait with Muhammed Ali, shot by Jeff Noble:

And I must add, Muhammed Ali is an extraordinary human being. Very kind. Very warm. He treats everyone like they have been lifetime friends. What an amazing World treasure he is, and an Ambassador of Mankind.

My point here is that I never would have had the opportunity to go with my best friend to meet Muhammed Ali. And be welcomed in his house. And have magic tricks done for us. And to have my very silly photo taken with him. And to be able to tell you all of this........ without photography. 

I often tell my students, "you never know who you'll meet, because of you and your camera". 

True dat.