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How did you first hear about Misericordia?
My wife and son first heard about it. My wife was friendly
with Eileen Quinn, who was the former governor Pat
Quinn’s mother. Eileen spoke to Sister Rosemary, the
Executive Director of Misericordia, and suggested it would
be interesting to have me come and photograph her. We
gave Sister Rosemary some of the books I’ve published
to look at, and she met with her board and together they
decided it would be a good idea. I think it ended up being
a good experience for everyone involved.
What is the significance of this project to you?
Oftentimes people who have developmental problems spend
their time just in a room, either doing nothing or watching
TV. Some feel that people are looking down on them.
Parents try to help as much as they can but are often limited
in their abilities to provide support. Misericordia began
in 1979 with a small group of residents. Since then, Sister
Rosemary has developed a 61–acre campus on the North
Side of Chicago with 600 residents. It’s just an incredibly
joyous place.
The care and concern given to these people is amazing, and
you see their personalities and emotions emerge. Someone
who might have been very quiet suddenly shows their own
unique character. You walk into a room and someone holds
out their hand and smiles at you and wants to shake your
hand. I hope that this book shows the public what a joyous
place it is. I hope Misericordia’s model will be copied in
other places, so that more people can be helped in this way.
How did you convey the personality of your subjects
through your photography?
You just have to be there and see what’s in front of you.
When you see something that you feel captures some sort of
spirit or mood and is a good picture, you snap the camera.
I didn’t set up anything ahead of time, though; no one is
there to have their pictures taken.
What is your philosophy when it comes to photography?
What equipment did you use for Misericordia?
I don’t crop. I am looking through a viewfinder and I see
the picture, and I try to have all the elements that I want
in it, without surreptitious things in it which don’t add to
the photo. You just develop an eye after a period of time.
I use an assortment of lenses; right now I’m doing most of
what I do on a 28mm lens. I think all of the Misericordia
photographs were shot on a 28mm lens.
What are the elements of an iconic image?
I care about emotion, design, and information. But it’s very
hard to define what an iconic picture is, because often it’s
an emotion you have about the photograph. When a lot
of people feel a certain way about a photograph, I suppose
it’s called iconic. I don’t really do a lot of straight portraits
of someone just staring at you. If I took a picture of you
when you’re talking to me, I’m going to get your mouth
open half of the time. The other thing is, you’re thinking
about me; but I want you to be thinking about yourself, who
you are and what you’re doing. I want to catch you finding
something significant about you or your life.
The best thing you can do is make a lot of mistakes, because
you learn through your mistakes. The important thing
about taking pictures is understanding that you’re looking
for something which is your particular point of view and
also to do things you care about. Misericordia is something
that I care about.
What sets Misericordia apart fromother similar homes?
The care. When you go to old age homes you see nurses
who really couldn’t care less about what they’re doing, and
where people are just left alone in a room by themselves
all day. People are not involved in anything. If you just lie
around not talking to anyone or not really being involved
in anything, then you’re not developing your personality
and being who you are, or who you could be. Misericordia
allows people to become who they can be.
“The best thing you can do is make
a lot of mistakes, because you learn
through your mistakes.”