John Walsh - All Dress Forms
Photographer and Partner
Born in Hyde Park, New York, John is a published, prize winning photographer whose experience in photo-journalism started during the riots in Chicago during the '68 Democratic Convention. The following year he traveled to Europe and published photographs from hot spots in East and West Berlin, Northern Ireland, Czechoslovakia and
was one of the few who covered a demonstration in support of Haile Selassie
(The Lion of Judea), ruler of Ethiopia which was held in Malmo, Sweden.
John received his Master of Arts from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. He has worked in the field of Community Mental Health for more than 35 years and has specialized in emergency services, forensic evaluations and Critical Incident events (disasters).
Presented here are a few words of technical information (for those of you interested in that) and a précis of his photographic orientation.
From John:
"My interest in photography grew while attending Bradley University in Peoria, IL. I was already a published writer and contributed a weekly satirical humor column “Scarlet Ribbings” to the college newspaper. I was the assistant editor of Anaga, the university’s yearbook and wrote for other on-campus publications. My association with the yearbook staff challenged me to explore photography, using one of those old boxy Speed Graphics cameras.
I began doing some glamour photography by shooting the monthly “Slide-rule Sweetheart” for the university’s engineering college magazine. (Great way to meet co-eds, especially since my short-term goal was seeking a well-rounded education. The “sweethearts” were nothing if not well rounded.) Graduating with an M.A. in clinical psychology, I entered the field of community mental health.
The Vietnam War was heating up and so was the city of Chicago. I was employed by the Chicago Board of Health and worked at a community mental health center.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assassinated and riots broke out in the area where I was working. My photographs were now a bit timelier. I was shooting primarily existing light photography with two 35mm cameras (a Nikon and a Miranda Sensorex) and a Hasselblad 500. The Miranda is pictured at the end of this text.
The cauldron continued to boil as another popular leader, the slain president’s brother Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in California. By the time the 1968 Democratic National Convention reached Chicago, the city was a powder keg. A swarm of 100,000 anti-war protesters from around the nation converged upon the city to demand to be heard and to party.
The City mayor’s office was ruled by one of the last of the powerful big city bosses, Mayor Richard J. Daley. He and his police commanders were afraid protesters would join forces with the black community and really tear the city apart.
By now, I was represented by an agent and sponsored by a local business group to document the pending uproar. The week was a time of running chaos, smashed windows, bloody faces, all enveloped in a fog of tear gas and anger.
During a riot a wide angle lens is preferred. If camera movement is seen to become a problem, one trick is to quickly face a wall, street pole or any other solid structure and determine the eye level. Then, place the back of the camera on the support and you now have a stable mount. A pole offers an extra advantage in that you can rotate your camera slightly to cover a wider field of action. With the camera stabilized on the wall beside you, your pictures will come out clear and focused. Also standing beside a structure you will become less noticeable. Free from chasing the world through your view finder, you will have a more objective overview of the scene and time to attend to those other freelance duties, like ducking, dodging or getting out of the way.
A year later I traveled to Europe. The Wall was still up. Nixon was still President There was a general strike protesting the Soviet occupation of Prague. Riots flared in Berlin and Northern Ireland. Buddhist monks were setting fire to themselves in protest. I was taking pictures.
As a photographer, you want to be alert to any direction where there’s a photo op. I carried three cameras with me. One had a telephoto lens; the second had a wide-angle lens and the third carried film that could be processed at, at least, 1000 ASA.
In a politically dangerous setting, a sudden flash can bring unwanted attention. You need film that will respond to a low level of light. You should also have your shot set up beforehand. You should have already predetermined the zone of space in front of you that will be in focus. When the subject enters that “box”, camera up, stabilize the shot, click, camera down and walk away. This is not the time to stand around and compose your photo.
I took some photos on Berlin’s old S-Bahn subway, which ran under East Berlin. The train would not stop, but each station had its armed soldiers armed with their Kalashnikov at the ready to prevent escape. Propping myself beside the doors and waiting for the subway to stream through the underground station, I was able to take plenty of photographs before the militia had time to react.
Back home in Chicago, I continued my work in mental health but, unfortunately, there was a break in and all my camera and stereo equipment was stolen. This is the reason for the prolonged gap in my photojournalistic explorations.
I rediscovered my interest in photography a few years ago and purchased a Sony Mavica CD1000 Digital Camera, which I used to take the images displayed on this website. The Sony is pictured at the end of this text.
I’m trying something different now. The photos you see here are not intended to document an event, but to communicate a mood through light, color, texture or design. The photograph, “Solitude”, in the Landscapes section, is not just a picture of a wooden walkway but, hopefully, an image that evokes introspection and daydreams to the viewer.
I hope you will enjoy the trip."
John Walsh
