CONTENTS Canyon de Chelly
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Holbrook Indian School
16
The Photographers
26
Mentorship
42
Thank You
54
Contact
61
Cover Photo: Brock Arms 02
Dave Sherwin
Book layout design: Darren Case Š Shae Foundation 2014
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Director’s Note What if we could save more lives simply by the way we tell stories with imagery? Serving those who have the least through our creative giftedness is a key part of our call to be accountable to our Creator.
The Shae photographic safari premise is to give people a unique opportunity to influence and inspire change using their creativity and a camera to share the story of someone in need. It’s a simple but powerful mix that works. People are helped. Lives are saved.
Normally, in the world of doing good, using one’s artistic sensibilities and creativity is not the first thing that comes to mind. To “be the change,” sometimes we need to think outside the proverbial box about how to do that.
May this behind-the-scenes booklet be a reminder of the great times had by all while also inspiring your willingness to be pioneers in the world of doing good.
Amazing results can happen when we’re willing to step out of traditional do-gooding methods.
Please know that before the first Holbrook photography book is printed, you have already succeeded in being agents of change to the Holbrook Indian School, Shae, and beyond. Heartfelt blessings to you all,
Terry L. Benedict Filmmaker and Founder of the Shae Foundation
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Top: Dave Sherwin, Terry Benedict, Dave Sherwin Bottom: Dave Sherwin, Brian Schwartz Next Page Photo: Denzil McNeilus 05
06
CANYON DE CHELLY
Doug Zinke
A favorite place of Ansel Adams, Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in North America. It offers not only incredible natural wonders, but ancient Native American ruins as well. With soaring rock formations, stunning vistas, and the foregone dwellings of the Anasazi and Navajo to explore, no one leaves disappointed.
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Some of the families of students at Holbrook Indian School come from this area. Their history is colorfully rich and tragic. It all culminated when famed Army scout Kit Carson led a campaign to force the Indians out of Canyon de Chelly. This very sad story became known as the Long Walk of the Navajo.
YOU DON’T TAKE A PHOTO, YOU MAKE IT. –Ansel Adams
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Doug Zinke
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Rusty McKee
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Brian Schwartz
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Brian Schwartz
Brock Arms
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Terry Benedict
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Next Page Photo: Denzil McNeilus 15
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HOLBROOK INDIAN SCHOOL
Photographic Safari Objective The Challenge
Photo Assignment
For more than 60 years, the Holbrook Indian School has fostered the intellect and creative spirit of young Native Americans in a values-based curriculum that includes a consistent program of art and culture. Students learn academic discipline while they are encouraged to be good stewards of their heritage and demonstrate leadership in their American Native communities and beyond.
Build a library of poignant images that capture the essence of the Holbrook Indian School.
The Holbrook Indian School has very limited marketing resources. Our photo safari’s mission is to create some groundbreaking marketing tools that tell their colorful story. By sharing their story of success with a broader audience, Shae will increase Holbrook’s sustainability. This empowers the school to offer greater opportunities to the Navajo community.
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Subject 1:
Catch the creative spirit of the students producing cultural works of art that celebrate their Native American heritage. Our imagery will show how they are thriving, creatively expressing themselves, and excelling in academics while being nurtured and affirmed. Subject 2: Give context to the Navajo students and their heritage, culture, and natural geographic grandeur. Our imagery will document the spectacular beauty of the native lands at Canyon de Chelly.
Top: Brock Arms, Steve Lucht, Josef Kissinger Bottom: Rusty McKee, Rusty McKee, Josef Kissinger 19
Josef Kissinger
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Rusty McKee
Dave Sherwin
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Terry Benedict
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Josef Kissinger
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Larry Romrell
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Larry Romrell
Next Page Photo: Brock Arms 25
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THE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Brian Schwartz
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Brian Schwartz Interventional Cardiologist, Kettering Medical Center Springboro, OH
Months before the safari ever began, Brian said he was probably the least creative of the group. It was fun to see him prove himself wrong. No worries. It’s not the first time a surgeon’s hands translate into ‘touch photography.’ We’ll be sure to come see him when we need a steady hand with a scalpel. Brian helped germinate the photo safari idea with Terry. So blame him for the group having too much fun.
Rusty McKee
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Denzil McNeilus Chairman, Sterling State Bank Dodd Center, MN
The first thing we learned about Denzil was how much he loves the high speed auto advance. In fact, we think that’s how we started our top ten list. (see page 52) Denzil has an especially creative eye. He knows what he wants and then figures out how to get it.
Terry Benedict
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Denzil McNeilus
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Larry Romrell
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Larry Romrell Board Member, Liberty Communications (Ret.) Colorado Springs, CO
Larry came to the safari with the biggest lens (400mm). We couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. In the meantime, he went wide and big sky. Nice.
Dave Sherwin
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Rusty McKee Vice President, McKee Foods Corporation Chattanooga, TN
There’s never a dull moment working with Rusty. He provided a constant stream of commentary on everything and everyone. He ran circles around all of us. Literally. However, he was sensitive about intruding on his subjects until we gave him the green light. Then he jumped right into the space of the uncomfortable and got comfortable. Rusty’s strength is point of view (POV) imagery. We like that.
Terry Benedict
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Rusty Mckee
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Brock Arms
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Brock Arms
Dentist Bristol, MI
We were warned that Brock was very quiet and might wander off with no one noticing and come back with pictures no one else thought of. Sure enough, when it came time to review the day’s shots, we were all amazed that Brock had found some peculiar angle or subject. His originality is rooted in his approach to see beyond the obvious.
Josef Kissinger
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Steve Lucht Internal Medicine Physician Springboro, OH
One morning, we talked about storytelling through ‘macro photography,’ also known as working the texture. Later that afternoon, we followed various students through their academic day. In the woodworking shop class, Terry noticed Steve crouched down shooting a wood vice. For the next 30 minutes, the group waited while he created a unique still life series.
Brock Arms
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Steve Lucht
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Doug Zinke
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Doug Zinke Financial Manager MD
Doug has a passion for geology and provided unique topographical insights during our Canyon de Chelly experience. His POV really made the rocks come to life. Joining with Doug was his dad, Ed, an entrepreneur/theologian who has a strong interest in mentorship programs that assist young people. He was fascinated by Shae’s safari project. We learned more about rocks and their origins from them in a few days than a grad course at Loma Linda University.
Josef Kissinger
Next Page Photo: Terry Benedict
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42
MENTORSHIP
Terry Benedict
Josef Kissinger
Dave Sherwin
Being a filmmaker as well as a photographer means that Terry’s all about, “What is the image saying?” Pushing the edges of the frame is his thing. It’s not about the technology. Make no mistake — he loves his gadgets, but storytelling is king.
Joe K has a knack for not being in a hurry to get a shot — even if that means missing it. Remember the turtle and the hare fable? Somehow Joe’s pace always ends up being a good thing.
Dave belongs on a special edition of Jeopardy that’s focused (no pun intended) on cameras, lenses and accessories. He’s a walking, talking wiki-camera dude.
Hey, Joe! Where’s the GoPro?
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Josef balances technology with creativity and knows how to communicate it. That’s what we love about him.
Oh yeah, he’s creative — and has the prints to prove it.
Josef Kissinger
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Larry Romrell
Why Mentorship Works The life-blood of Shae is mentorship.
Time is a valuable commodity.
Most photography workshops are very technical and short on the creative — especially storytelling. It’s certainly important to know how the ever-changing world of photographic technology works.
When it comes to translating esoteric ideas into pragmatic, compelling imagery, the old master-apprentice model cuts down the learning curve. A mentor can provide poignant insights based on years of experience and share those in a matter of minutes. This saves time and nets better results.
Unfortunately, because of the rapid change, mastering the act progressively becomes more difficult. This all too often creates an unwanted distraction and interrupts the creative process. It takes us away from telling the story.
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Our mission is to nurture the creative spirit in each one of us, so we can serve the Creator’s original purpose. Serving others fulfills that purpose by inspiring and lifting up others, especially those that need Him the most.
Josef Kissinger
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COMPOSITION
Dave Sherwin, Josef Kissinger 48
LIGHT
TEXTURE
POV
Josef Kissinger, Terry Benedict 49
Top: Josef Kissinger, Josef Kissinger, Rusty McKee Bottom: Brian Schwartz, Brian Schwartz, Josef Kissinger 50
Top: Josef Kissinger, Josef Kissinger, Josef Kissinger Bottom: Brian Schwartz, Brock Arms, Josef Kissinger 51
The Shae Way 10 Pithy Principles from the Holbrook Photo Safari 1. Consider keeping your friends. Buy the digital camera they have! 2. The lens cap rarely improves your picture. Remove it! 3. You wasted your money on expensive auto features. Go manual! 4. Artificial light is overrated. Turn off the switches — open the doors and windows! 5. Push the edges — change the angles. Don’t be afraid to “re-compose” your subject! 6. Get up close and personal. Stick a wide angle in your subject’s silly face! 7. Pretend to know what you’re doing. Set your white balance to 5500 Kelvin! 8. Know and use the sweet spots of your camera’s ISO: Canon: 160, 320, 640, 800, 1250 Nikon: 100, 400, 800, 1600 9. Get an LED light. Create the “eye bling and b.g. separation”! 10. Train your eye to “live in the moment.” Turn off the camera motor drive! (See page 30 — Denzil)
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Brock Arms
Next Page Photo: Terry Benedict
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THANK YOU
Thank You! At its core, the Shae photographic safari is all about fostering relationships. Your generosity and passion for photography make it possible for the Holbrook Indian School story to be shared with the global community. Because of your effort and the continued efforts of Shae, Holbrook will have the resources it needs to raise the academic bar, better attend to students’ physical needs, foster the creative spirit, and encourage spiritual growth. All because you chose to take some time out of your busy life to have some fun learning more about photography. That’s the magic of Shae — we inspire key influencers and creative professionals to come together and make a difference in the lives of those in need. We thank you for all that you have done.
Thanks: Brian, Denzil, Larry, Rusty, Brock, Steve, Ed, Doug. Thanks also to Brad and Donn (you were missed). You’re all terrific photographers. Also thanks to the Shae photography mentors: Dave Sherwin and Josef Kissinger. Stacy Strode you were sorely missed. (Hope your knee heals up.) Thanks to the Shae Team: Sean McCulley, Lynne Strong, Nathan Sturgess, and Darren Case.
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Many thanks: Pedro Ojeda, Barbara Willis, the Holbrook staff and students. Canyon guides — Leander Staley, his father Daniel, and Uncle Benjamin. Canyon de Chelly Park staff — Nora McKerry, Ravis Henry. Special thanks: Aunt Katherine and Ravis Henry for giving us an important history lesson on the great Navajo nation and their canyon home.
Sean
Brian
Josef
Ravis
Rusty
Terry
Larry
Denzil
Doug
Ed
Steve
Brock
(Dave is taking the picture)
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Exec. Producer’s Note I’ve become close friends with each of the participants over the last several years and with Terry by networking at ASI. We’ve spent many hours together discussing how a photographic safari could accomplish the goals of honing our skills, continuing to build friendships, and leaving behind a legacy of service. The countless hours Terry and his Shae team spent preparing for this trip paid off — exceeding our expectations. We thought the highlight of the trip would be in the canyon, but interacting with the Holbrook students and faculty turned out to be an even more enlightening experience. Shae’s team gave us a perfect opportunity to work in various settings and lighting scenarios that inspired us to make a bigger impact on the Holbrook Indian School than we ever imagined. All participants grew artistically as well as technically in their photography abilities.
Denzil McNeilus has attended several Canon photographic workshops but says he learned far more in the four days with the Shae team than with Canon. We were truly amazed at the professional quality and creativity demonstrated by Shae. Every participant felt that his storytelling abilities dramatically improved through Shae mentorship. Furthermore, our friendships deepened as a result of the time we spent together while pursuing the mission of serving others. Thank you to Terry, Joseph, and Dave for their enthusiasm and the supportive, nurturing environment they created. Thanks also to Sean and Nathan for their behind-the-scenes support and to the Holbrook staff who embraced us with open arms and made us feel welcome. Mission accomplished!
–Brian Schwartz
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Josef Kissinger
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The Shae Effect The powerful thing about Shae is that, unlike any other nonprofit, we are a donation multiplier. By helping nonprofits tell their stories more effectively for greater mission achievement, we turn each dollar into many times its value through our message media model. Supporting Shae means exponential growth and funding for issues we all care about, such as extreme poverty, human trafficking, education, and spiritual growth — even for a humble Indian school in Holbrook, Arizona. However, in order for Shae to realize its full potential, we have to reach Critical Mass. Right now, Shae is still the dream of a small handful of creative professionals, but we are poised to take Shae to a new level of success. We have the human capital needed to shed light on the urgent missions of many organizations, but we lack the financial capital to turn that willingness into reality. We believe you can see the possibilities and passion in Shae. We hope you will continue your relationship with us in as many ways as possible because your support is invaluable to our cause.
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CONTACT US 310-968-7474 Terry@ShaeFoundation.org
501(c)(3) educational and humanitarian non-profit social enterprise
Terry Benedict
Next Page Photo: Brock Arms 61