JBR introduces new feature, welcomes artist to magazine

Editor’s Note: JBR is introducing a new feature this week — one that highlights photographers and their work. The feature will variously include interviews, essays both visual and written, and artist profiles. On some occasions, the featured photographers will become regular contributors to JBR; their work will be found in the “blogs” section of the magazine.

The first artist featured is Seattle-based photographer, Leasa Fortune — whose work I have admired for many years. She works in several genres, but her best photographs always effect something transformative, stretching generic conventions and finally transcending them.

Leasa will be one of our regular contributors; I’m happy to introduce her to our readers.

About the artist

Born in Oklahoma City, Leasa Fortune was eight years old when she and her family migrated to Seattle.

“I grew up with expansive views of the Cascade and Olympic Mountain Ranges, the majestic Mt. Rainier and vast waterways dotted with lush evergreen islands,” she recalls. “Both my parents encouraged me to observe the beauty around me. My mother constantly pointed out the beauty of nature and it was not unusual for my father to wake us up when he got home from work at 4 a.m., wrap us in blankets and take us outside to see the full moon and stars. These experiences and many others influenced my quest for beauty, which eventually took me to Europe. After years of international travel and living in several US cities, I have returned home to Seattle with a renewed appreciation for its raw, natural beauty, cultural diversity, commitment to the arts and its people.

“My love of art and its power to transmit story has fascinated me since childhood. My first memory of having a visceral reaction to art occurred when I was about eight years old. An hour-long documentary on Michelangelo was showing on public television and my mother sat me up in the kitchen with a tv tray and a Swanson’s Chicken TV dinner, my favorite. I was beside myself with excitement. It was an evening that I had anticipated for weeks, and I got to watch it all by myself, with no interruptions. I had been drawing people since I could hold a pencil. So, spending the evening with Michelangelo … well, this was major. 

“From the documentary’s opening frames, I was swept up by the power and beauty of the images, transported to another time and place. I sat transfixed and was so moved that I began to cry uncontrollably. All I could tell my parents between sobs was that I wanted to be where those paintings were. Fourteen years later, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists, in complete awe, bearing witness to the majesty of the walls and ceiling of Italy’s Sistine Chapel.

“As an artist, I’m intrigued by faces and bodies. A person’s life history can be etched onto their face and how they adorn themselves speaks volumes about their hopes and dreams, their joys and their pain. Digital photography has proven to be the ideal technique for the spontaneous pictures I find most intriguing and challenging. I am often taking pictures of total strangers in urban settings and must establish an immediate trust in order to capture a truthful image, one that reflects the personality or essence of my subject. It’s a developing skill. I am greatly humbled when they trust me to take their picture. Rarely am I refused permission. It’s a unique privilege I do not take lightly.”

Conversation with the artist

JBR: At what age did you first get interested in photography?

LF: I was an adult living in Paris when I became interested in photography — but not with a camera. A couple of friends and I frequented photo booths. It was a lot of fun creating a compelling photo in a tiny booth. One of my favorite pictures of myself comes from a French photo booth.

JBR: What was your first camera?

LF: A friend gave me a little Fuji camera in the ‘80s and it was a revelation. I think I still have it in my storage unit.

JBR: What equipment do you use most frequently?

LF: I take pictures with my iPhone 7 and edit them on my MacBook Pro. I love the convenience and feel of working with a phone camera — though I plan to get a new digital camera this year.

JBR: Where were you born and raised and what influenced you to be a photographer?

LF: I was born in Oklahoma and raised in Seattle. I believe growing up in the Pacific Northwest shaped my keen awareness and deep appreciation for beauty. Once I began traveling, returning home to Seattle with its majestic mountains and waterways has always been comforting and inspiring. Interestingly, since visiting and living in Oklahoma for a period as an adult I have become aware of Oklahoma’s storytelling traditions. Oklahoma folks love to share a good story.

JBR: What photographers do you most admire?

LF: Without a doubt Gordon Parks is one of my heroes and a great American photojournalist, who used his camera as a weapon against social injustice and poverty. He understood the power of a camera and a photograph. His images depicted the dignity and strength of working-class African Americans. He was a master of capturing the souls of his subjects in a profoundly elegant way.

JBR: Did you have a goal in mind when you first got started?

LF: I have always been interested in the arts, fashion illustration and all things related. My love of taking pictures has evolved over the years. I enjoy the spontaneity of it and the idea of capturing a moment. I wouldn’t say that I had a goal other than to simply document a beautiful image that inhabits a poignant story. I think that’s why I am drawn to taking pictures of people. Everyone has an incredible story to tell.

JBR: How do you work on perfecting your craft?

LF: The more you do a thing the better at it you become. I would say that I perfect my craft by taking as many pictures as possible and studying the results with a goal of fine-tuning my eye and skills of observation. What is most interesting is how many surprises you can find in a picture that you might not have seen when taking it initially. That is exciting.

JBR: Do you have a favorite image among your photographs? What are your favorite places and subjects to photograph?

LF: Some of my favorite pictures were taken in Baltimore.  It’s an unpretentious, working-class town with a big heart — and those qualities came through in the portraits I took. Micky was an elderly woman who sat on her stoop. I walked past her a few times a week. She was beautiful and totally delighted when I asked to take her picture, which reflects a woman who has worked hard and had some tough times. Another favorite is a picture I call We the People, of a mother and her two daughters.  

JBR: What is most compelling to you about a photograph?

LF: Its ability to engage the emotions and to make me feel something — which is why I am drawn to taking pictures of people. With street photography you have to grab the shot before the moment passes. The challenge is building spontaneous trust with your subject in order to capture their truth. I like to take public transportation for this reason. It’s street theater at its very best. Urban photography, photos taken on the move, are thrilling when you get that perfect or near-perfect shot. Sometimes I’ll approach an interesting person for a photograph — but I have to be in a certain frame of mind because I’m pretty shy. Luckily, I seem to have a likeable presence and am rarely turned down. And I always offer them a copy. Out of respect, there have been pictures that seem too personal and poignant to take.

JBR: What do you tend to take note of first, and what tends to linger with you?

LF: I see the body as a type of personal canvas. So I am drawn to how a person lives in their body, how they move, how they adorn themselves. I think that has to do with my background and interest in fashion and style. Fashion can be bought; but one is born with style.

I am fascinated by the concept of beauty. What defines beauty? And perhaps more importantly, who defines what is considered beautiful? What are the political implications of certain concepts of beauty and how does it shape culture? How best do I with expand a viewer’s understanding of what I see as beautiful, compelling, and transformative through a photograph?

Years ago, there was a woman I would occasionally see downtown. She wrapped herself in large sheets of heavy opaque plastic in the most elegant way and draped her head with an old plaid overcoat. To most people she appeared to be a street person. Despite her economic and mental challenges, what I also saw was her spectacular aesthetic sense. I wanted to create a photo installation about her. It never happened, though I did get a couple of interesting shots of her. I still remember the visual power of her creative expression.

JBR: What aspects of photography strike you as being an art, and how important is technique in your work?

LF: Photography has the capacity to tell a story — not unlike a well written book. For a photograph to be considered good it must possess many of the same formal qualities of all great art: Tell a compelling story, possess an interesting use of light, shadow, texture, visual balance and contrast. Having said that, the viewer must bring their imagination and personal history to an image. They must “read” the image. For me, technique starts with being open and present to the moment and courageous enough to ask for a shot when necessary. The shots that I have for some reason missed, linger for a long time.

I am fascinated by the concept of beauty. What defines beauty? And perhaps more importantly, who defines what is considered beautiful? What are the political implications of certain concepts of beauty and how does it shape culture? How best do I expand a viewer’s understanding of what I see as beautiful, compelling, and transformative through a photograph?

— Leasa Fortune