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The 2006 'Best Of' Series
For the second annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin, we selected twenty projects from a field of nearly sixty candidates. It was a tough decision and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about the projects featured in print and here on the ASMP Web site.
Self assigned story on Aunt Alma and her 100th birthday party
Part of a 10-year self-assigned project to document her relationship with her extraordinary Aunt Alma, Ellen Denuto’s intention to capture preparations for her 100th birthday celebration turned into a documentary of Alma’s passing. It was a challenging process: Not only did she have to be sensitive to the feelings of other relatives, she also had to confront, before her very eyes, the idea that there is an actual limit to the human lifespan.
Self-portrait of Ellen Denuto
All images in this article © Ellen Denuto
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
ED: I’ve been in business for over 25 years.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
ED: Fifteen years. I’m one of the founding board members of the ASMP New Jersey chapter, serving as president and vice president several times. I am currently chapter vice president.
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
ED: I am a lifestyle and fine art shooter and am known for shooting mostly people, almost exclusively with available light.
ASMP: Please summarize the equipment / processes used in this work.
ED: My fine art work is generally shot on a Hassleblad, Holgas or a Nikon FM2. I use T-max 400 film and no cropping. The final images are fiber based gelatin silver prints. My commercial work is shot with a Cannon 1DS Mark2 and prints are made on my Epson printers.
ASMP: Why did you choose to begin this project and how long did you work on it?
ED: The images for this project happened in a 24-hour period, but the documentary of my subject has been on going for about 10 years during our travels together. She was an extraordinary person and role model for women. She never lost her enthusiasm for life, learning and was astonishingly current in her awareness, dress and thinking. I used to tell her she was truly a 35 year old trapped in a 99-year old body.
ASMP: Did your relationship or rapport with your subject(s) change over time?
ED: We became the best of friends and spoke regularly on the phone. We enriched each other’s lives in different but equally powerful ways. She always really listened, remembered and cared, while never interfering.
ASMP: What was the most challenging aspect of this project for you?
ED: It was difficult to watch age rob Alma of her independence and make her fearful and upset at being dependent on anyone but me. She was anything but that. It was the first time I was confronted with the actual limit to the human lifespan. She was 100 years old and just simply did not have years to live anymore. That took my breath away.
ASMP: Please describe any impact this project has had on your relationships with family members.
ED: They have always loved the Alma I capture on film. I will have to show them the final piece so the images won’t appear too strong to them. They’ll be thrilled that she has been memorialized.
ASMP: Did family members react to the presence of your camera?
ED: My family is used to my camera and me. Only one of Alma’s Canadian nieces was disturbed by my photography, but I was coached on this by Hollis and everyone else when they noticed what I was doing. I usually manage to become invisible.
ASMP: Were there technical or creative challenges that you needed to address when photographing in the hospital?
ED: The miserable lighting and fact that I had to be so sensitive to what was happening and the feelings of her relatives. Under the circumstances, I only felt the Canon 7-megapixel to be appropriate to work with, so I was also a bit limited creatively.
ASMP: How does this self-assigned project relate to other aspects of your work or business?
ED: Most of my work captures an immediacy and intimacy of the subjects photographed. Since I found my voice through photography, my self-assigned projects visually give voice to those who are ignored, unseen or forgotten. I’ve explored this concept in several series: “The Artist as Art” and “The Other America” which both explore the lifestyles and challenges of the people in those parts of our society.
ASMP: Do you feel this work has relevance beyond your immediate family? If so, are there particular hooks that you feel will be helpful to marketing the work?
ED: Death is such a powerful and private issue. So many emotions are attached to it — yet it comes when it chooses whether we are ready or not. The ability of our family to turn what could have been a disaster into a celebration is something all families can relate to as a possibility.
Alma lived her life in that delicate balance of intention and possibility. Knowing her as I do, she never wanted to be a burden or take anyone out of their way. She was tired and couldn’t enjoy life as she had, so it was time to let go. Having us all there at once solved clearing out the apartment, a funeral service and celebration (her birthday and New Year’s Eve) all at once, after which there was nothing to do but return to our respective homes.
She created the possibility of enjoying a gathering of two families and intended it to happen, and it did happen, as if she had orchestrated the entire thing.
ASMP: Do you have plans to exhibit or publish this work?
ED: I would like to do both.
ASMP: What did you learn from this project that you can apply to your photographic career?
ED: Always follow your gut. It knows the truth, so go with it.
