There's good news and there's bad news. The good news is
that the San Diego Troubadour is lucky to know many fine photographers who have
supplied the paper with great photos on a regular basis - among them Steve
Covault, Gail Donnelly, Dan Chusid, Bengt Nyman, Tim Flack. And we appreciate
them all. The bad news is that one of them will be leaving us soon: our friend,
Dennis Andersen.
I caught up
with Dennis a few weeks ago so he could tell me a little about his plans.
Fittingly, we met at Java Joe's, the old haunt (now at Cafe Libertalia in
Hillcrest) where old friends have gathered and played music for years. Dennis'
contributions to this paper have been invaluable; he has been helpful and
accommodating while on assignment, too. Now, with a heavy sigh, we must soon
bid him farewell, as he will be retiring (from his job of 36 years!) this month
and moving to Panama. Before he goes on his next adventure, however, I wanted
to take the opportunity to write something here, a little tribute to a friend -
perhaps as a way to say "thank you, Dennis," or "you go, Dennis!" ... or
something. Over the years, many have seen him at music events, moving in and
out of the shadows with his camera. Dennis is a friendly, likeable guy, but few
really know about the man himself. Well, I was curious, so I asked.
"[My
interest in photography} all started with my mom and dad," Dennis begins. "I
have an old photo of my dad standing in front of a B-52 bomber plane during
WWII." Explaining that his dad was a photographer in the army, assigned to do
aerial photography, he continues. "He would take pictures sitting in the front
bubble of the plane where the guns had been removed to make room for camera
equipment. He flew all over Normandy and the rest of France.
Dennis
pauses, then says, "A photographer's job is to focus on the subject; it's
important to learn how to tune out the rest of the world and not be distracted.
You have to be invisible - to be able to get in and get out without being
noticed."
One of the
best compliments he ever got was on a photo shoot at a very fancy private
studio. Every year Steinway pianos invites a renowned pianist to come give a
concert to an audience of 300 or more - to show off their wares, so to speak.
Dennis was hired to take pictures of the concert. After it was over and Dennis
had submitted his photos, the man who hired him said, "Where were you? I never
even noticed that you were there!"
There's a definite art
to great photography, and Dennis is one hell of an artist. He's definitely got
his own style and I can usually recognize his work. There's a good segment of
the San Diego music community that's become spoiled having Dennis going to all
of these gigs and events and chronicling it all. He can be very unobtrusive
when he works, and then a few days later, he sends this wonderful surprise - a
link to these awesome pictures from a gig or party. It's always good to have a
friend with a camera, and this
friend just happens to
be a total pro. Bonus. — Charlie
Imes
You might
say that Dennis got serious about photography when he started going to his
daughter's softball games. He always brought a camera with him and soon
discovered that not only did he really enjoy it, he also had a knack for
photography. He took his camera on a surfing trip around the world in the
1970s, retracing the route of the surfers in the movie Endless Summer. It was
at the end of the trip, standing in the New Zealand airport with all his photo
equipment, that Dennis met a man who noticed he was carrying an underwater
camera. By sheer serendipity Dennis ended up working for the man's export
business, shooting tropical fish. It didn't hurt that the man worked in Tahiti
either.
It wasn't
long before one of his photos landed on the cover of Skin Diver magazine. It was then that Dennis knew he was good
enough to pursue a career in photography. He began to get serious.
Dennis
eventually branched out into sports photography. Shooting pictures at his
daughter's softball games had given him the skills and confidence to capture
the action; he also got to know people connected to the sports world, which
would serve him well later on. As his photos got noticed, several of his photos
found their way onto magazine covers for the NCAA. Dennis got jobs taking other
kinds of pictures as well.
For awhile,
Dennis got into rodeo photography. He says, "It was the most exciting,
adrenaline-pumping experiences I've ever had. There's nothing like getting
close to a two-ton bull for a shot - so close that you feel the ground actually
shake. I loved the adrenaline rush!"
The apex of
Dennis career came when he was invited by the women's softball team to go to
the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. "It was an honor to be selected as one of
the few photographers allowed to go to the Olympics," Dennis says. "I was one
of 1,200 selected from about 3,000 photographers."
Dennis
planned his trip to China carefully, allowing 11 days shooting at the Olympics
and 10 days to tour and explore on his own. "You can't go to China without
seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City," Dennis explains. "Lucky as I was
to obtain a journalist visa, you could feel the government's crushing presence
everywhere. It took me two hours going through customs, so they could make sure
you weren't smuggling anything in." That was just the beginning. He discovered
that a translator had been assigned to him who was responsible for making daily
reports of his whereabouts 24/7. "There was even a security camera over the
threshold of my hotel room to record my comings and goings. I really had to
watch myself every second," Dennis remembers.
While
people watched the spectacle of the Beijing Olympics on television, Dennis was
right there, dazzled by the spectacle of it all. He kept himself busy at the
girls' softball games, taking pictures, but came away from the experience with
much more. You can see his photos of the Beijing Olympics on his website:
http://actionsportsphoto.smugmug.com/OLYMPICS-Beijing-China. They are amazing.
During the
10 days he allotted himself for sightseeing in the countryside, Dennis had a
chance to see how the people lived and to immerse himself in the culture. In
addition to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, one of the highlights was a
visit to a family who lived in a house that was 1,000 years old. Dennis had met
a young man on the Internet, who showed him around in exchange for photography
tips and advice. "My goal was to portray, through photographs, the China that
is emerging - contrasting the old
culture with what is happening there today." Needless to say, this was a
life-changing experience.
In 2006,
Dennis ventured into a new territory of photographic opportunity: the local
music scene. He began attending bluegrass society meetings, bringing his camera
along to take photos. He eventually met Sara Petite, who was new on the scene
at that time. Chris Clarke was another musician he met early on and admired. He
discovered that the music world offered endless possibilities. He started
following Sara's band around and offered his services. Dennis says, "Sara is
one of those people who stands out - both in her music and her expressiveness
on stage. Sara brought country music back to where it was before country music
went to hell. Besides Sara, Eve Selis is every photographer's dream. She is a
born show woman and knows how to work with the camera. Not only is she
photogenic, she also displays a savvy stage presence and has an intuitive
knack."
Johnny Kuhlken and I call him Dennis "Robert
Redford-Mitchner" Andersen. ...We have gotten the chance to get to know him, see
his pictures from China and Costa Rica, and hear stories about his trips all
over the world. He went to some of the way off places [author James] Mitchner
describes in his books and his stories about being on a fishing boat. In his
eyes you can see a lifetime full of adventure, stories, and mischief, and I am
sure there is much more to come. - Sara Petite
Dennis
makes it clear that taking photographs is something he does for love, not
money. His photos are available gratis to anyone who asks. His website gets
1,200 hits a day, and Dennis tells me that he gets plenty of feedback from his
subjects; musicians love him. Peter Bolland once said that Dennis is able to
find the "it" thing in his photos. Most people say his photos are "different."
He mentions that there's nothing better than taking photos during a music event
and having photographer Steve Covault shooting right next to him, because he
knows their photos will be completely different.
Dennis has been my
personal favorite "live" photographer. While shooting, he listens and feels the
music and picks his shots accordingly. - Gregory Page
Dennis Andersen
captures moments like few can. He is a fabulous photographer and were it not
for him, the only photos I'd have are ones from happy drunk guys with digital
cameras. Dennis has been a good friend to me and I will miss having a smoke
with him after a show. — Chris Clarke
Dennis
talks a little more about the things he's learned. Sports photography trained him
to find the "decisive moment." "You have to be ready for each shot and capture
that moment. Good photos should be able to convey a history as well as a
future," he says. Dennis follows the five "Cs" rule: composition, cropping,
color, contrast, and compatibility, which means that the photo conveys the
appropriate feel for that particular artist. When he's out there taking
pictures, he sees it as "borrowing the moment" - he's not taking anything away
but giving back to the people who weren't there.
Dennis is
on the verge of a new chapter in his life. He says, "It's too expensive to live
in San Diego. And, for me, it's time to turn the page. Plus I love to travel.
In Panama I can rent a furnished one-bedroom house for $400 a month!" He will
be living in the highlands on the border of Panama and Costa Rica in a rain
forest. He will continue shooting pictures - wildlife, tropical flowers,
sports, and the indigenous people there. He's already got something lined up in
Venezuela to shoot more women's sports events. For Dennis, the possibilities
are endless.
Dennis is part of the
family. We're really going to miss him while he's in Panama, but I'm looking
forward to the photos of the adventure. I may even have to go down there to
find him and join the fun. - Charlie Imes