Joel Sartore (in photo), an Eagle photographer from 1985 until 1992, was the subject of an interesting documentary Monday night on KPTS, Channel 8. “At Close Range” followed his life as a National Geographic photographer, which isn’t nearly as much fun as you might think.
“If I weren’t Type A and very obsessive-compulsive, there’s no way I’d do this,” Sartore said. “Most shoots I’m covered with bugs. . . . Most of the time it’s physically miserable, and if you weren’t wound tight like me to get good pictures, why in the world would you ever do something like this?”
It’s also hard on Sartore to be away from his family for weeks at a time and to witness so much destruction of nature. “It’s the last of everything I’m photographing,” Sartore said. “It’s really kind of tragic.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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6 Comments
I always thought that this would be a glamorous job. Guess it isn’t.
I have to wonder if former Kansas Photographers are over-represented in these National Geographic jobs.
A type A personality on a remote location must have a bundle of joy to be with.
All the professional photographers I have known have been rather recluse, non-committal and generally absorbed in their trade.
There is something satisfying about the ability to create images that everyone is astounded to see and pondering why they can’t do the same.
Perhaps borrowing from a football quote, one has to “get a little bit ugly to be good.” This phrase parsed to another meaning that you become totally absorbed in your career that you want to know everything and go everywhere to prove your skills.
Nothing wrong with that, but just as the professional football player has to eat dirt, deal with broken limbs, torn ligaments and generally be a permanent whirlpool client, so does the professional photographer have to sacrifice a lot in order to get those good shots.
Sometimes those seeking perfection whether it be the perfect shot or the perfect scene forget to appreciate those who appreciate their work.
It’s a peculiar situation where the product of your work is appreciated more than the producer of the work.
But, hey that’s life and that’s how it is.
We also need to remember another of our own, W. Eugene Smith, a photographer for The Wichita Beacon, who went on to become, if not the inventor of the photo story, it’s primary perfector. As a staff photographer for Life Magazine, he shot some of the most memorable stories ever done! Wichita needs a monument of some kind for him.
I really don’t give a crap about this guy.
Bad day, Jim? Did Wal-Mart or Walgreens or whoever expose your roll of film?
If you really don’t care, why be rude and post?
Steven,I once had a painting teacher who said that “If you learn to paint landscapes in Kansas, you’ll be able to paint them anywhere!”Taking photos in Kansas is good training; you have to work to find the interesting subjects here that would be so obvious elsewhere.