my [JOE] blog: the dailies of a portrait & documentary photographer. who doesn't take pictures.

An Interview with Alan

Nikko Interviews Alan!

Nikko: The standard question must be asked, why do you take pictures?

Hey, thanks for asking Nikko.

When I smell onions being sauteed, I immediately think of the meal that comes next because this experience has been reinforced over and over again. You can smell them, too.

When I hear an old song, I relive the emotions I've attached to it from hundreds of listens. Sometimes those emotions are based on the lyrics, and sometimes they're based on an event I associate with the song. You can hear the song but may not feel what I do.

But when I see one of my pictures, I remember details that have faded with time. I am reminded of things that I've completely forgotten. These experiences may be from last year or from years ago. But when I see that picture, it comes rushing back as if it just happened. And then I can show others, explain the setting, and convey some of that experience.

Nikko: Can you give an example?

Why, yes I can. This picture was taken for a promotional during my time at LSU. I don't recall whether the promotion was successful or not, and less than half of the people in this photo even remember taking it. For some reason I kept a copy of it, otherwise I may have not remembered it either.

They--the powers that be--wanted a look from the 1800's. So, we put on our best clothes, gathered our weapons, and headed for a local saloon. It was about nine in the morning on a Saturday, and there was no one around (thankfully). I remember riding my motorcycle while wearing that six shooter and hoping the police didn't stop me. But now as we look back on that picture, we instantly remember the experience and the special moments we shared with each other.

Nikko: It looks like you've been involved in photography for a really long time.

Not as long as the picture above would imply. I started taking pictures about a year out of high school. That was the first time I could afford a real camera. So, I'm not counting the Polaroid camera I got when I was 10 years old (sadly, none of those pictures survived). But only in the last few years have I gotten serious about taking pictures again. Hurricane Katrina showed us all how fast things can change. If we haven't made a record of the present, then we forget the past.

This is a picture I took of the Waterbury's Drug Store on Canal Street in New Orleans (circa 1980). The Sheraton Hotel was being constructed around it and was later opened in 1982. Now the drug store is gone, but I can still look at this picture and recall fondly what Canal Street looked like thirty years ago.

When I combine pictures with music, it can convey an ever stronger message.  I'm in the processes of posting a video I made from photographs I took on a BSU retreat during my college days. We all had so much potential. Some of us have gone on to do amazing things...others have just gone on. But, I look back on each and every one of them with only the fondest of memories.

Nikko: Any current projects?

Yes, I've been working with lighting effects and post production. Here's an example:

I took individual pictures of each of these fine specimens using one light positioned directly to their right. The exposure was set to make the background look black. Each picture was then cropped and adjusted to have the look I wanted in post production. Family photos have sure changed.

Nikko: So, what's next?

I'm starting to experiment with video. I hope to have some example soon.

Nikko: Any parting thoughts?

Yes, when we take pictures or shoot video, we're setting markers in our past. We can then return to those markers and remember great detail of our past. I only wish I would have created more markers. If you have the opportunity to create these, then do so with all your creative powers. You won't regret it.

Now, where's the party.

Nikko's Bio (in his own third-person):

Nikko has been in the public eye for over 70 years.  Almost everyone has seen Nikko, but most didn't know Nikko's name.  Nikko was the leader of the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz.  Nikko never spoke in the movie, but today Nikko has much to say on many topics.

Such as...

Electricity.  Too much, hurts.

Donald Page: an interview

Donald in Burkina Faso with the Karangasso Vigue tribe.

I can recall a memory that took place somewhere around the age of six where Donald and I were at his house playing the original Batman on his NES.  This is how I used to remember Donald, but that's been a couple years, er, decades.

So, what's changed since then?  Just the scale of things, you might say.  But don't mistake my "just" for anything ordinary.  Now a days when the name Donald Page comes to mind, few people think of the NES days.  Most know him as a Photographer.  Some as a Pro MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Fighter.  Others still as a world traveler.  But it's safe to say that everyone knows him as an all-around nice guy.

Oh, and did I mention as an advanced Scuba diver?  Yeah, that too.

As you can see, Donald has no lack of ambition when it comes to chasing (or rather catching) his dreams.

I recently caught up with him via Big Brother v.2, that is, Facebook, and picked his brain for a bit.  The thrust of this post is to give a small insight into who Donald is on both the personal and professional level.

Some questions are the standard-interview-questions, like, "what are your hobbies and loves?"  He mentioned all of things you would expect from someone who is, as he puts it, "kind of an adrenaline junkie."  And those are, by no means, boring, but what truly caught my attention was the way he finished by talking about the love he has for his family, taking extra time to dote on his soon-to-be-five year old niece, Lauryn, who, as he says, is "the best kid I've ever met!"

Next, I asked who inspires him.  And before I talk about what he said, I'd like to lend a little clarity; questions like this can often leave open a wide range of possibilities.  Which is my euphemism for 'name dropping' and 'shameless self-promotion.'  You know, like the things I do.

Here's an excerpt from a recent blog post by Scott Kelby, who is, if you don't know, The Mr. Photoshop, and an incredible photographer to boot:

I also talked sports photographers Matt Lange and Don Page (the guys I shot the Louisiana Tech game with last week), into coming to New York for PPE, and we hung out the whole show and I introduced them to “the gang” who took them in like they were old friends. Both are really great guys, and I think they made a lot of new friends, too (Don, RC, and Brad wound up hanging out one night at Joey L’s house until way late along with Jeremy Cowart, Dustin Snipes, and company

Joey L?  Jeremy Cowart?!  Dustin Snipes.  Okay I don't know who Dustin Snipes is, but I looked him up, and he's amazing, too.  In case you haven't picked up on this yet, these aren't "normal" people.  These guys occupy the top 1% of commercial photography in the World.  ...or, it might be the top 2%, but either way, these are the guys who kick butt and don't have to take names.  Chuck Norris stuff.  That's right, I went there.  Note: In case Scott Kelby is reading this (smiling to myself as I type this), it doesn't count as name-dropping when Scott (we're also on a first name basis) does it, because he's one of those top 1%.

So, who inspires Donald Page?  Without ever mentioning all that stuff above, which I had to find on my own, he answers, "meet[ing] someone who truly excels at what they do."  He goes on, "I met a lady at Arby's named Trudy who inspired me once."  Even though this is a humorous antidote, the fundamentals are right on.  As any true artist will tell you, their inspirations often come not from an exclusive and narrow field of like-minded work, but instead from expressions of personality and principle.

Those who have chosen to excel at their craft, as Donald mentioned, have chosen to take it to a point of perfection that surpasses the technical aspects, landing it in a region that becomes a personal extension of one's self.  This is truly where the realm of art begins.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't ask about his marketing strategy. With the advent of Social Media firmly taking it's place in both our personal and business lives, many who five years ago had a comfortable formula for success, are having to rethink how they do business.  Donald says he has nothing formally in place by way of a strategy, only a focus on being transparent to those around him: "I've found that if you are nice to people, have a genuine interest in others, and you have good work, then you won't have to trick people into hiring you."

With a humility and work ethic founded in his Faith and family, he closes, "we all have a man behind the curtain."  It's with our friends' and loved-ones' help that we... are.

Check out his blog, and portfolio.  Facebook will forgive you for a few more minutes absence.  Trust me.  I checked.

Before you click, here are a few to whet your appetite!