Clark James Mishler posted a daily portrait each day in 2010; Ranju - three studies
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at 4:04PM 
Earlier in the day, before I drove to the Anchorage Museum of History and Fine Art to see a 165 image slideshow edited down from Clark James Mishler's "2010 Portrait 365," I took my usual walk - now part of my preparation to get fit for this summer's upcoming Brooks Range hike.
As I walked, this raven flew overhead.
Come evening, I did not want to drive to Anchorage. I just wanted to stay home and edit pictures. I am so far behind on editing pictures, I don't know what to do. I could spend all day, every day, for the next couple of months editing pictures and I would still be far behind.
But I wanted to see Clark's pictures and to give his project a plug in this blog. As for Clark himself, he needs no plug. I doubt that there is a better known or more successful photographer working in Alaska than Clark James Mishler. In fact, I think I can say almost without a doubt that he is the most successful editorial and commercial photographer in the state. He is a hard-working, intelligent, superb shooter and a good business man. He has earned every bit of his success.
Clark, btw, is the fellow that the sharper focus is on. But don't let the fact that Bob Hallinen of the Anchorage Daily News is in the blur mislead you into thinking that he is less of a photographer than anyone. He isn't. 100 years from now, when someone figures out what photojournalist created the most powerful and important body of photojournalistic Alaska work from our time period, I predict that Bob's name will top the list.
He'll be dead and it won't do him any good, but people of the time will study, ponder, and be amazed.
And Bob loves ravens.
It's just that this night the focus was on Clark's "2010 Portrait 365" Project, so I put the focus on Clark. One day, when the opportunity presents itself, I will put the focus of this blog on Bob.
From my own experience as I stuggle to make a post on this blog every day, I can tell you what Clark did was absolutely amazing. Each day in 2010, no matter what he was working on or what he was doing, Clark shot at least one portrait and every day posted a new portrait on his blog.
He did not miss even one day - and he is carrying the effort over into this year.
There were times when the day was drawing to a close and Clark had nothing, but he would always make the effort, if neccessary, to go out and find someone, stop them, get the picture, or shoot an assitant, or perhaps even himself.
At least one day came to an end when the only portrait that he had was of a dog. He wondered if it was right to include a dog in the project, but decided it was.
Of course it was right! Never mind that the dog's tongue was a bit gross and slobbery - it was an excellent image and that dog deserved to be in the project - and that dog would not be the only one to be portraited in this project.
A cat would have been good, too.
Hey! That gives me an idea of project for my own!
2012 Cat Portrait 365 project!
It is already too late to take on such a project for 2011. The problem is, sometimes I will go into a village and there will not be a single cat living there (yes, I always ask). I will want to spend some of my time in 2012 in villages. I can't discriminate against a village just because no cat lives there.
Speaking of which, I did not succeed in posting an image in all 365 days of 2010. I think I would have, but I got into places that the logistics made it difficult or even impossible to post.
Even under the best of circumstances, it is a huge challenge to post an image every day - especially when you it must be one specific type of image, in this case a portrait - but Clark did it.
Even more challenging is to post a good portrait every day. Clark did this, too - and many, many, many of the images are simply excellent. The breadth and depth that he has captured is phenomenal.
After he showed us the 165 selections from his 2010 project, Clark put on a quick demonstration of how he often uses a very small, compact, portable lighting system that he can carry just about anywhere.
Clark likes to play light against dark and that is what he did here, on the spot, with his simple lighting system.
While our fundamental subject is the same - Alaska and the people in it - Clark and I approach our work with philosophies that are in many ways the exact opposite of each other.
Clark is a sharp-shooter, and I am a quick-draw artist. I can sharp-shoot, and Clark can quick draw - as his photo of Joe Miller taking his one glance of the debate at which he otherwise refused to even look at Senator Murkowski so deftly proves. But basically, he shoots sharp and I quick draw.
Clark shoots with strobe and artificial light not only in his studio and at night but in broad, bright, daylight. In this way, he effectively creates a style that subdues the background and puts the emphasize sharply upon his subject. His colors are rich and vibrant, his contrast strong. He looks at a scene with an eye to making it look better and more visually interesting than it might appear to be at first glance.
While I have made a few exceptions, it has been almost dogma to me that I work only with the light that I find, as that is the light that the life I am photographing is taking place in. When the light grows dim and dingy, then my pictures grow dim and dingy and sometimes very noisy, too, because if I cannot properly expose an image at my highest ISO rating of 6400, then I will underexpose by one or two stops and then do what I can to recover the image from out of the dark frame.
Clark's images all seem to be perfectly exposed. He must blow one now and then, but it sure doesn't look like it.
As he showed his slides, I wondered just how wise I have been to stick so closely to this philosophy all these decades. The fact is, Clark had many excellent images in his slide show that, under my basic philosophy, I simply could not have taken.
I have this little project that I have begun on Iñupiat artists. I am thinking maybe I should artificially light much of it - but I do not want to carry big studio lights around. I think I will go visit Clark and see what more I can learn about his portable lighting system.
;)
In this self portrait with me, Clark and Bob, I am reminded of western movies that depict the time period between 1890 and 1910 - you know, the movies where the cowboy, sheriffs and gun slingers that made their reputations in the days of the wild west have passed their prime and are headed toward old age.
But they don't know it. They don't accept the idea. They keep their guns loaded and woe be to the young hotshots who live by different rules and underestimate them.
A few minutes after the post-show conversations had concluded, I found myself sitting and waiting at a red light. My mind was elsewhere. I was unaware of my surroundings. Suddenly, I realized that this grader was about to flash through the intersection, ice flying.
Oh no! I was too late! There was no way I could get the shot! But I grabbed my camera from my lap and fired anyway.
Quick draw artist.
I would have hated to have missed this moment.
It was just too damned exciting.
And these three with Ranju of India:
I will stick to the theme of portraiture for my India pictures today: Sri Ranjani "Ranju" in the arms of her aunt, Sujitha Ravichandran, at the Bangalore wedding of Soundarya and Anil.
Ranju gets a better view of the world, thanks to Manoj Biradar, Suji's man.
Also in the picture is Bharathi Padmanabhan, Ranju's mom, and, at the right edge my daughter Melanie, who looked so beautiful in her Indian saree and, just barely, Brindha Padmanabhan.
There is an event scheduled to happen between Manoj and Sujitha on February 28. I want to be there. Right now, it looks pretty impossible, but I am not ready to give up the hope just yet.
Bharathi and daughter Ranju.
Reader Comments (4)
Bill: I love your multiple analogies to the old west. In fact, this will, someday, be the old west and we are certainly the old timers. I really love the photo of you, Bob and me; its a classic. I am honored that you came all the way into town just to hear my presentation. Thanks for your kind words. -Clark
Bill, this again is always insightful and interesting to me as an amateur photographer and long time admirer to hear you talk about the style differences and explore the link that is for Clark's photos. The raven is a beauty of a picture and of course all the pictures of India make me wish I had come along with you and Melanie if it were possible. Maybe someday we all can go together!
Take care,
Charlie
thanks for promoting clark. back here in the lower 48 we've never heard of him. my friend carolyn and hubby are scheduling another trip to danali so i gave her your website. they love the grizzlies.thing is, when you tote a camera you've gotta always be ready and, for me, that sometimes means missing the now-ness of the event. ya dig?
Clark - sorry to take so long to respond to comments. I'm glad you liked the photo of the three of us. And I was serious about coming by sometime.
Hey, Charlie - I wish you had come to, truly I do. Know this - before 2011 closes out, it is my intent to step once again on Indian soil. It will hurt like hell and with all those teeming billion of people, India will seem an empty place, but still I am going. So that would be a chance.
Ruth - Ruth, the ground here is frozen right now. It is too hard to dig in at all.