Portraits from the Heartland by Gary Gladstone
For years, Gary Gladstone worked as a corporate annual report photographer taking pictures of buildings, worksites, businessmen, businesswomen and commercial products. Then in the late 1990s, Gladstone realized corporate photography was becoming mundane and decided he needed to become a “different photographer.”On a lark, Gladstone decided to spend a week traveling to different flea markets, shooting for the pure enjoyment of the craft and creating photographs that might give his portfolio a fresh, new look.
I’d never say that I wanted to photograph anyone; I’d say that I just wanted to talk to them,” Gladstone said. “If you say you want to photograph them the reaction is, ‘Oh no, I’ll break your camera.’ … So you can’t say you want to come shoot them. You say you want to ask them questions.
It was fast. Your head is going like a slot machine on three wheels – look at that guy or there’s nothing here. You have to set yourself in scan mode.”
I encourage everyone to buy a vacation to do what they want to do,” he said. “When you shoot what you love, it has a special quality about it. It shines a little brighter.
- Story by Jenny Jones
