A Sandy Portrait - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Blog: A Photographer's View

A Sandy Portrait

I photographed a portrait recently of a couple affected by Hurricane Sandy. Someone commented to me that they thought it was a good photo but it was posed. Here’s how the photo was made. I had arranged to photograph the couple for a feature on people dealing with the aftereffects of the storm. Brenda, her husband, Rich, and myself were standing by a large pile of their belongings outside of their building which had been flooded. Brenda is a musician and she held her trumpet, which was saved from the flooding. An electrical inspector was inside the building about to give them news about the state of their place. There was a chair in the rubble that Brenda said used to be one of her favorites and I asked if we could use that as a focal point for the image. I photographed them with a long lens to compress all the elements and give some distance between us. After I told them I was finished she put her head on her husband’s shoulder. Tired, sad, together. I made another few frames. It was a moment I could not have posed.

Images

Vernon Ogrodnek

Sandy Portrait

Brenda Bass Janice and her husband, Rich Janice, of Atlantic City.

A Photographer's View

Vernon Ogrodnek
Photographer
The Press of Atlantic City
E-mail: vogrodnek@pressofac.com
Phone: 609-272-7222
Vernon Ogrodnek is the photography and multimedia editor at The Press of Atlantic City. He has been a staff photojournalist for more than 35 years, the last 25 years at The Press. The National Press Photographer’s Association, the New Jersey Press Association and other organizations have recognized him for his work. He was selected New Jersey Photographer of the Year two times. Over the last few years, multimedia has also been a focus including video, audio, audio slideshows, and 360-degree imagery. His approach to photography can be summed up in the words of Ansel Adams: “ You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
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