[ detail ] Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury photographed by Eric Schwabel
I photographed author Ray Bradbury (89 in this photo) earlier this year, a great hero of mine. This was the second time I hunted a subject down. Writer Deborah Behrens told me she was interviewing Mr. Bradbury and I jumped on the idea of doing some shots, though the client was initially going to use stock shots… Deborah has written numerous articles that I have been lucky enough to capture photos for, including actors Jason Alexander, Kirk Douglas, and Christine Lahti. Deborah interviewed Mr. Bradbury about his upcoming play “yestermorrows” for the LA Stage Blog.
I remember reading Fahrenheit 451 in Jr. High, and briefly being obsessed with his short stories, though I must admit — I have not seen the 1966 Fahrenheit 451 movie. Perhaps next time we screen a film at my studio I’ll put it on the list.
It is, of course, difficult to see a hero in a lessened physical state, but his mind is sharp as ever, and he was a most gracious host to my assistant Collin and I in his Los Angeles home.
For photo-nerds:
This was a quick shoot, and I tested a new camera (well, new to me — I got it on eBay) using the Mamiya ZDb digital back I purchased this summer — a piece of equipment that it seems is already passé. I first tested the back with Dan Martin on my RZ. I wasn’t sure the Dalsa sensor was the right way to go — but for the work I do, it’s unstoppable, and on my “photographer under 30″ budget, being about $10k cheaper than the competition… Seemed about right. Photographic technology is changing every day, but I’ve been using my workhorse RZ since my teenage assisting days, and I’m very happy to be able to use it again. DSLRs just never felt right, and the quality jump is unmistakable.
Perhaps more on that later, I’m not sure…
