Karissa Carlson

As a class assignment in Documentary Photography, we had an option of participating in the Photo Center Northwest Long Shot Photo-thon. The event is open to anyone and everyone. The idea is to photograph for a full twenty-four hour period, asking people to pledge money for every hour you shoot. It is designed to raise funds for the Photo Center NW and to support local photographers and artists. Shooting for a day straight? And for a good cause? What fun!

So, the Photo-thon kicked off Friday night at 6 PM and ended at 6 PM on Saturday. My classmate Miranda and I wanted to choose a theme so we wouldn’t be wandering around aimlessly with our cameras. I remembered London based “street” photographer Nick Turpin whose street portraits are really dramatic and interesting. He uses snooted strobes balanced with ambient light to create mini studios on the street and to add drama to everyday scenes. I particularly liked his Bridge series. So, Miranda and I decided to do street portraits Friday night, a la “Strobist” style.

Our first set-up was on the path near Capital Lake. Since it was cold and gloomy, there were not very many people out and about. Plus, because this was the first time I’ve ever asked strangers to take their portraits (I’m naturally shy), I think I overcompensated and got a little too enthusiastic. I practically ran at the first person I asked, explaining I was doing a project and if I could take her picture. She just stared at me and shook her head. After that, I learned to be a little more subtle.

Since the walkers and joggers around Capital Lake were getting very few and far in between, we decided to pack up and move to a more central location downtown.

We decided on this orange wall near 4th Street. As it got darker, the street lamps shining through the trees created some pretty crazy shadows. I was amazed at how many people consented to having their photo taken. Some kid even asked me if it cost money! “No, not at all!” I replied.

I was also intrigued by all the different characters we met. There are definitely some crazies out there. We couldn’t get this one guy to leave us alone; he must have talked to us about nonsense for fifteen minutes straight. I just looked at Miranda, pretending to listen but really trying not to laugh. A few people were really interested in what we were doing; a lot of people asked me what kind of camera I was using. Some people even thought our snooted flash was some sort of “gun”…uh it is “flash gun”, I guess!

The photo above is by far my favorite from the evening. This man consented to having his photo taken so graciously. I titled it “Memories” because he looks like he is really contemplating something.

These two were an interesting pair. They really got into posing and talked with us for a while afterward. It is interesting how taking someone’s portrait can establish a form of connection; I found that sometimes the person you are photographing will open up to you and tell you things about their lives that you would have never even asked about!

This was a fun couple. Before the photo the girl asked me if she needed to get rid of her cigarette. I said, “No!” I like how it adds a little red glow to her hand.

I found another photographer participating in the Long Shot Photo-thon!

For our last set-up, we moved around the corner and bounced the light off a shop window (there is also a snooted strobe below the person for a highlight).

I love this photo. He was distracted by some loud street noises and gave me this adorable, timid look! However , by this time it was almost ten o’clock. Miranda and I were both tired and a little wary because of the arrival of more and more shady characters. We decided to call it a night… we were both too tired to try and shoot through the night. So we decided to resume the Photo-thon the next day.

Saturday morning I had a track meet to go to…along came camera. I was not only photographing for the Long Shot project, but also for my final project in Documentary Photography (a story on my sister’s last few weeks at college).

I mostly focused on photographing my sister, but I got a few other interesting shots like the one above.

Participating in the Long Shot Photo-thon was really fun and really exhausting… and I didn’t even make it the full twenty-four hours! Now I just need to decide which ten images to submit. Out of the ten that a participant sends, at least one if chosen for inclusion in the Long Shot Exhibition on June 4th!