Author: JS Stewart

One Face in a Sea of Camouflage

One Face in a Sea of Camouflage, QUICK SHOTS
A little girl looks for her uncle in a sea of desert camouflage.

A little girl looks for her uncle in a sea of desert camouflage as troops return home following the first gulf war. Photo copyrighted by John S. Stewart

Following the end of the very brief first gulf war in 1991, troops returned home amidst much fanfare, flag waving and generally a full-blown heroes’ welcome.  The common photo of the day was one of desert tan painted troop trucks lined up on the highway with people standing at the side cheering and waving.

On this day, the troops marched onto a parade field a Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri to the cheers of friends and family and one little girl who broke ranks with the civilians and ran to the center of the field.

She seemed perplexed and even disappointed. I asked her who she was looking for and she replied, “My uncle”. There were several hundred troops on the field.

Following the welcome home speeches and dismissal, I lost track of the little girl and never got the follow-up shot I hoped for of she and her uncle reuniting. It was surely a special moment but wasn’t to be mine.

John S. Stewart

Al Gore Stumps from a Block

Al Gore Stumps From a Block, FAMOUS PEOPLE, QUICK SHOTS

What do you do when your candidate needs to give a “stump speech” and there’s not the usual platform nor even a plain old “stump” to be had on a shopping center parking lot? Grab a couple of concrete blocks, of course! That’ll work.

Al Gore gives a stump speech from a concrete block

VP candidate Al Gore delivers a "stump speech" from a concrete block during a 1996 campaign stop in Springfield, Missouri. (Copyright John S. Stewart)

That’s what happened during this October 1996 campaign stop in Springfield, Missouri. It provided a break from the usual, “look for great facial expression while he’s talking” shot or maybe something with the candidate pressing the flesh in the crowd.

The trick was to get the crowd in the shot as well as the concrete blocks and not have the blocks so small they are barely visible.  A wide lens would have reduced them to a small white speck under his feet. The solution: move way back with a long lens and get as much gray asphalt around the blocks as possible.

John S. Stewart

Two Clenched Fists; Two Slices from the ’70s

QUICK SHOTS, Two Clenched Fists; Two Slices from the ’70s

When I think of “the ’70s”, I think of ugly orange and brown shag carpet that didn’t seem ugly then, sideburns and bell-bottom pants, protests and love-ins, and a feeling of “change”–good or bad–was the order of the day.

1974 speaker on the University of Missouri campus (Copyright John S. Stewart)

In one moment on a sunny fall afternoon in 1974 on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, Missouri, I was a student walking from class to the dorm. In the next moment I found myself in the middle of a group of orderly but somewhat tense mostly African-American students walking in a deliberate direction. I decide to go with the flow and see where I end up.

Beginning photojournalism students were strongly urged to have a camera with them always. It never occurred to me to NOT record the event on film. That’s in the DNA of a photojournalist. But, it also never occurred to me that this was a timely spot news event and that the value of spot news photos have a very short shelf life.

1975 Rock Concert (Copyright John S. Stewart)

For that reason this photo of the impromptu speaker and his iconic clenched fist was never published. That was a hard lesson learned that became more important as my freelance career took me to shooting for wire service clients and then into the digital era when editors began expecting to see images on their desktops not in hours but in minutes after they are taken.

The shot of the second clenched fist was taken during a summer 1975 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band rock concert on an Ozarks’ pasture in Lawrence County, Missouri. The protests in this event came from neighbors who felt invaded.

John S. Stewart

Facial Expressions and a Carnival Sideshow

Facial Expressions and a Carnival Sideshow, QUICK SHOTS

Kids are always a sure bet when you are looking for great facial expressions and facial expressions “sell” the photo. The year was 1977 so the rules of engagement when photographing children (even if they are in a public area) have changed a little since then and with good reason.
Unless you can show (i.e. media credentials issued by a media outlet) that you are shooting for a legitimate purpose, you will likely be viewed with some suspicion when photographing children. Check with a parent or event organizer first.
In this case, the event was a summertime “parking lot carnival” in southern Missouri, 1977.

Summer job with a travelling side show (circa 1977)

A small boy grips a burning piece of paper in his teeth as his father prepares to "whip it" from his mouth. (copyright John S. Stewart)

The boy holding the burning piece of paper between his quivering lips and his father preparing to whip out before the flame reaches his son’s face provided the high drama on this steamy summer evening. Think of the summer vacation memories that kid now has.

A girl recoils at a baby elephant's "hello" during a 1970's traveling carnival. (copyright John S. Stewart)

The elephant ride shot was a pretty ordinary shot until the last second when the elephant decided to greet the little girl the way elephants do and she recoiled with a squeal.

Unfortunately, my feet had been planted and I was unable to get an angle with a less cluttered background and a more straight on shot of her facial expression.

John S. Stewart