Home > Culture > Mentor Showcase > The 2007 Best-of Series: Edward Gajdel
The 2007 'Best Of' Series
We have now produced an annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin for the third year in a row. As before, we selected twenty projects for our issue — but this year, we had nearly 200 excellent submissions! It was a tough decision, and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about these projects.
Edward Gajdel, Toronto, Canada
Web site: www.edwardgajdel.com
Project: 4x5-inch studio portraits of the people of 6 St. Joseph’s House
Celebrity portraitist Edward Gajdel departs from his usual clientele in a public awareness campaign to honor inhabitants of a center for artists vulnerable to the challenges of life. Working in the clean light of his studio, Gajdel scheduled ample time for each portrait session. Wardrobe selections or personal objects served as a doorway to conversations with each subject. The immediate feedback of Polaroid film infused sessions with a high level of trust. The resulting portraits convey the beauty, power and grace within each individual — qualities essential to changing lives through the healing power of art.
All images in this article © Edward Gajdel
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
30 years.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
Although portraiture has been and continues to be the keystone of our brand, the idea of specialties is a limiting concept for me as my interests in the world around me are constantly expanding. I find great pleasure in applying my ability to communicate through photography in diverse ways.
ASMP: Please describe the processes and techniques central to the making of this work.
These portraits were shot in my studio in Toronto with my 8x10 camera. I shot Type 55 Polaroid and had the negs drum-scanned to produce 200 MB files. All retouching and file prep was done in studio and final files were uploaded to Toronto Image Works. As well as the scans, TIW produced the 50x60 Chromira prints, mounted the works on half-inch gator board with a Stonehenge sub layer and, ultimately, exhibited the portraits in their newly renovated gallery. Without the generous support of Edward Burtynsky and Jeannie Baxter and the entire staff at TIW, the creation of these prints could not have taken place.
The set-up was very simple. I used one Fresnel spot fitted with a bi-tube head as the only light source. The subjects sat on an old wooden stool placed in a white cove.
ASMP: What do you consider your most valuable piece of equipment?
My heart and my eyes.
ASMP: What is unique about your style/approach or what sets you and your work apart from other photographers?
What is unique about my approach is the same thing that makes every photographer unique, and that is the degree to which we can combine our vision with our hearts. In that mix is the power to change the world.
ASMP: Your approach to these subjects is so gentle and compassionate. How were you approached for this project, and why did you decide to do it?
I was asked by CTR Inc, a marketing firm working with 6SJH, to create a public-awareness campaign for this little-known organization. I was drawn to work with them because they were in engaged in arts programming as the key tool to transforming lives of those who have experienced homelessness and other livelihood challenges.
ASMP: Did you have a choice in the subjects you worked with? If so, what criteria did you use for selection?
I resigned myself completely from the selection process knowing that whoever was selected was going to be willing and able to receive the experience that I set out to provide. Those who were intimately involved with this community were asked to select the individuals.
ASMP: Please describe the circumstances and tone of the first meeting with your subjects? Was the portrait session done at this time or did you have preliminary meetings first?
The subjects arrived at my studio without any prior interaction and usually unescorted. Having been asked to consider bringing with them an object that was meaningful for them, some did and some didn’t. They were also given wardrobe suggestions which were interpreted in a variety of ways. In the end the objects, the wardrobe, were simply doorways to a conversation. The setting was casual; I worked with one assistant, fresh coffee, Japanese green tea and small tasty selection of food. The studio was kept sparse and free of clutter.
ASMP: How much time did you spend with the subjects before deciding how to pose them?
The process was organic and varied from person to person. We scheduled two people each day and afforded ourselves the time to explore the process. Some people were ready to play and express themselves without reservation while others struggled with remnants of a painful past.
ASMP: Your subjects seem infused with dignity and a sense of self-respect, not something you would expect to find given their situation. How did you bring this out?
My intention with everyone was to engage them as co-creators of their portraits. We worked with 4x5 Polaroid which was a unique process for many of them and it provided the immediate feedback which served so beautifully to engage them. I believe the sense of self-respect and dignity one feels from these portraits is because we managed to develop a level of trust with each artist. There was a high degree of mutual respect.
ASMP: What is your approach to lighting the subjects? Do different faces call out for distinctive lighting approaches?
My approach to lighting was the same for all my subjects. I chose a light source which had similar qualities to sunlight. (Profoto ProFresnel) My studio is very white so there is a great deal of natural fill.
ASMP: You make portraits that are both in black-and-white and color. What criteria do you use in selecting your materials? Do you have a personal preference between the two?
My initial instinct is to say that I prefer black & white as I’ve believed that this medium had a more potent vocabulary. However, now working with digital, I see the virtues of color in a new way.
ASMP: What kind of impact has this portrait project had within the local community? Do you see it reaching beyond that?
This project has had a very powerful effect on the community. It has touched some people profoundly. It has inspired a wonderful doctor who has a great interest in the healing potential of art to contact me about expanding this project into the community she cares for. Her work is centered on care for homeless with a special interest in end-of-life palliative care. “Dignity in Despair” is the working title of our project.
ASMP: You work with a lot of celebrities in your commercial work. How were these portrait subjects different? Were there any similarities?
Every portrait subject is unique and brings with them a whole new context and set of circumstances that define the shoot. Specifically the artists of 6SJH had no airs about them — they came with a sense of adventure and awe. All people are similar in their desire to be acknowledged with dignity and grace.
ASMP: In the work you do with celebrity portraiture, how much influence is wielded by publicists? How do you deal with or get around this?
The influence you are referring to is based on ego and can usually be dissolved by compassion. This kind of influence has no real power against a genuine intent to honor their client.
ASMP: Do you find being based in Canada, rather than in the United States, is an advantage in doing celebrity work? Please elaborate.
Not really. However, Toronto has in the last decade become much more aligned with celebrity culture, so that being based here can no longer be considered a disadvantage.
ASMP: As a photographer based in Canada, please describe your relationship with the ASMP. Do you have any thoughts about ways the ASMP can better serve their international membership?
I have long considered ASMP as my primary source of business education. More than any photographic association on the planet, ASMP has the greatest opportunity to empower photographic artists. The world watches you and how you deal with your challenges. I believe that the strength and creativity of ASMP can be greatly enhanced through stronger alliances with other like-minded organizations around the world.
