Date: Fri 26-Sep-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

photographer-Roberta-Jones

Full Text:

(feature on photographer Roberta Jones, 9/26/97)

Roberta Jones: A Magician Behind The Camera

(with photos)

BY SHANNON HICKS

There is magic in working with a camera, far beyond the point-and-shoot photos

that are taken when on vacation or at social gatherings. A portrait photograph

of someone, when done extremely well, can really capture a lot of what a

person is like. But to reach this level, there needs to be a certain

give-and-take between photographer and subject.

Roberta Jones knows all about reaching for, and reaching, that level. A

photographer for 20 years, the Newtown resident works at making such magic

every time she creates one of her portrait shots.

"For me, a good picture is like a story," says the photographer. "It's in the

subject's eyes, and the subject's body language, and that invites the viewer

into the picture.

"That's what keeps me going. When that works, it's magic."

Roberta, who specializes in children, young adults and family portraits, tries

to capture not just what someone looks like on the surface, but to see inside

that person just long enough to capture it on film. The result, when looking

through the countless images of her work, is a wonderful collection of people

of all ages who have opened themselves up to a camera's lens just long enough

to be captured infinitely.

"I don't think it's a necessity at all in photography that there always be eye

contact with the subject. But my work, most of the time, there is some

contact. Oftentimes, even with teenagers, there is a breakdown of the

barriers.

"There is a little bit of vulnerability, an openness, where that person

allowed me for just a second to see who they really are. And maybe that only

lasts for a second, and you don't always catch it, but that's what I look

for," she says.

Most of her work is done in black and white, or black and white with hand

tinting. A few pieces are done in color, but with such a preference for the

non-color pieces, Roberta says, "It seems like I visualize in black and white.

I just look at situations and picture them in black and white."

For her black and white work, she handles every step of the processing, from

taking the picture, processing the negatives and then printing the images.

Color film is sent out.

There is a very natural element that connects the portraits Roberta has taken.

No one looks stilted, or uneasy. Instead, she manages to make the people being

photographed appear very comfortable in their surroundings.

Looking natural in a setting is also important to a good portrait. A lot of

times with infants, Roberta will shoot while looking down on them - with the

infants lying on blankets, for instance - which gives the pictures a more

honest look. Children of such a young age are unable to sit up by themselves,

or even hold their heads up on their own, so Roberta looks to capture

something more intimate and realistic. "As opposed to those table-top shots

from the 50s of the kids propped up," she says with a laugh.

"I've noticed that ever since I had my son, my whole approach to photographing

kids has changed, as well as the results," she said. Roberta's son, Dylan, 3,

is featured on one example of her photo-business cards. A very natural-looking

shot, the toddler is facing the camera, hands in the pockets of his overalls,

with a very engaging smile. Without even having to meet Dylan, a viewer knows

this is a happy youngster.

"My perception [of children], and my approach, is different. I think it's more

sensitive," she said. "And kids are preconditioned to smile ... but kids are

complex little beings. They have their own personality. They have their happy,

sad, thoughtful and contemplative feelings. They have as many emotions as

adults.

"With adults, we have such preconceived ideas of who we are, and it's hard to

get past that," she continued. "It's a challenge. I like to say something

about a person, no matter what their age, and hopefully they will see that and

feel that and like the image as well.

"For me, that's the magic."

An Ironic Development

Roberta began taking pictures when she was seven, after she was given a

Brownie camera for her birthday that year. Her father has always been a

"serious hobby photographer," who taught her much of what she knows about

photography. Her father's occupation was in advertising, and her mother was an

artist, so Roberta and her siblings grew up in a very creative environment.

"Years ago, my father told me to hold my breath when I was taking a picture,

to give me a little more stability," she said. "And it's funny, because I

still do that, although not always consciously. I still think of him every

time I do that."

Even though her father was a driving force in developing his daughter's

interest in photography, Roberta always hated to have her own picture taken.

"I was so mean, I wouldn't let him take my picture," she recalled. "Even at

high school graduation. But it's just so ironic that I developed my interest a

couple years after high school. So there I was, wanting to take his picture

then..."

Roberta's first studies in photography were at The Silvermine Guild in New

Canaan. The summer after she graduated high school, she took a summer school

course in photography at Silvermine, which is where she learned darkroom

techniques. She studied for three years at The Art Institute in Boston, then

received her undergraduate degree in art photography from Empire State

College, a division of SUNY/Hartsdale, a few years later.

She continues to work on her masters in art education, and has taught

workshops (for students) and continuing education classes for adults at

Naugatuck Community College in Waterbury. Roberta has also taken a number of

workshops - almost every other year since the early Eighties - at The Maine

Photographic Workshop. Located in Rockport, Me., guest photographers from

across the country - including Arnold Newman, a favorite of Roberta's - teach

workshops or give lectures at the Rockport campus.

She attends the Maine workshops, she says, because of the opportunity they

present for students to study with master and contemporary photographers.

"They've been really pivotal in my work. Several of them were really turning

points for my personal vision and philosophy."

Also important to Roberta's personal development and style is the work of

Imogene Cunningham. Born in the late 19th Century, Ms Cunningham eventually

became one of the first female photographers to be recognized in the country.

She continued to photograph well into her 90s, was one of the first females to

be included in The F64 Group, a group of famous photographers that came

together in the 1930s-40s.

"She is one of the threads that has always influenced me over the years," says

Roberta. Eugene Richards, with whom Roberta studied photojournalism, was also

a strong influence.

While the courses she took at photography school helped her refine her photo

and camera techniques, a few years of working in a commercial studio helped

her become much more proficient with studio lighting.

Recently, Roberta has been doing more photo shoots on location at the homes of

her subjects (or the subject's parents). More people, she feels, are looking

to have their portraits taken in surroundings familiar to them, rather than in

a studio. While she does have a studio setup at home, Roberta's equipment is

also easily portable, which allows her to move from location to location with

relative ease.

"People tend to want their kids, or their family, in a natural setting," she

said. "Especially if they have a nice garden they have done, or a good porch.

She will visit homes about a week in advance, checking possible locations for

background, lighting and opportunities. She also works very closely with the

subjects in terms of what will be worn and what different poses will look

like. This doesn't mean the subject always calls the shots, but Roberta has

learned that there is a cooperative effort that goes into making a successful

portrait, regardless of a subject's age.

"If they have an idea, I like to encourage them and at least try it," she

explained. "If they're really enthusiastic about something, that shows, too.

Nine times out of ten, it'll be successful." This ideology goes right in hand

with her conscious efforts to make people comfortable and a little more at

ease while in front of the camera. These efforts on her part behind the scenes

have gone a long way in making the resulting portraits so inviting.

A viewer does not have to know a subject of one of Roberta's portraits to feel

invited into the image. Her portraits tend to be works that anyone can look at

and appreciate, not just the subject or the subject's family and/or friends.

And that is what makes a good portrait not just a photograph, but a piece of

art.

"The Amish and the Native Americans don't like to have their photograph taken

because they feel it steals part of their soul. I think, in a really

successful photograph, that's what happens: Someone gives away a very private,

personal and special part of themselves.

"On the one hand I think that's what makes a photograph special," says

Roberta. "On the other hand, it's asking a lot of your subject to give that to

you. It doesn't always happen, but I think when it does happen, that's what

makes a really intimate portrait, a successful portrait."