CoolArt: Ron Hammond
I met Ron at my first Group f/5.6 meeting about 5 years ago. As Chief of Stuff, Ron is one of the driving forces behind the photo group. It’s impossible not to like Ron: a jolly elf clad in an old sweatshirt, his grey hair pulled back into a pony tail, a medallion hanging around his neck, Ron is quick to smile, his eyes sparkling like a 7 year old boy who just discovered something really cool. He is warm and generous - traits you can easily see in all his photographs.
I’ve got one thing against Ron, though: he started my photography book addiction (now approaching 100 books - which seems small until you remember that they usually weigh 5lbs and cost $80 apiece). He introduced me to two of my favorite photographers, Robert Doisneau and Peter Turnley as well as several other interesting folks: Eduard Boubat, Willy Ronis, Helen Levitt, and Bruce Davidson. You can see the influence of these photographers throughout Ron’s work. Ron photographs the quiet, yet savory moments of every day life with respect and honesty. I’d love to turn Ron loose in Paris for a month to see what he does.
True, the naked lady on the bike doesn’t exactly constitute everyday life - at least outside Fremont & Capitol Hill. Ron also has been covering the Fremont Solstice and Seattle Gay Pride parade for years and has created quite the collection of shots of people being unusual. Notice, though, that he doesn’t treat them as weirdos and freaks. He photographs them with the same humanist connection he does any of his other subjects.
Ron’s also got a sly sense of humor that pops up frequently. One of my favorite pictures is of a forlorn man, flowers in hand, standing alone, waiting next to a sign that says, “Coming Soon”.
Ron works a little differently than your average street photographer. Most street photographers try to shoot photos discretely, without disturbing their quarry, often never speaking to them. Ron, on the other hand, will happily walk up and chat with the people he photographs, often taking a few more pictures besides. If the he can find them again, he brings them a print of one of these photos. This really warms people up to him, allowing him to take even better portraits. Like I said, it’s hard not to like someone this generous.
It’s a bit of a shame to show his work here on the web. Ron is an excellent printer. Seeing his prints in person is a completely different experience. The tiny scans of prints shown here just don’t do justice to his work. If you’re lucky enough to live in the Puget Sound region, you can drop by one of his upcoming shows.
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Comments
You are more than generous, Rob. If this is (as I truly hope) a fair assessment of my work then I have succeeded.
ron
Posted by: Ron | January 31, 2006 07:30 PM