Black Lives Matter Rally portraits for KUOW 94.9
Had an incredible opportunity to photograph a Black Lives Matter rally for KUOW in April. My editor, Isolde Raftery, asked me to make portraits of attendees in a similar style to my personal work at a rally last spring for Donald Trump. It was great to meet so many dedicated and passionate people in the streets! Once again, I used my studio lighting outside and on-location to highlight the marchers and make portraits.
“This movement is true for this time,” said Dwayne Stelivan, who goes by King Slim, standing at Westlake Park during a Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “Everybody has their agenda, but everything that is here on Earth is good.” Photo by Daniel Berman
Joanne Bohannon, center, with her husband, Giles, and son, Todd, stand alongside Lena Roth and her mom, Sandi Gerling, during a Black Lives Matter rally at Westlake Park in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman
A view of the Black Lives Matter rally beginning at Westlake Park in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman
Della Kolstelnik Juarez, left, brought her daughter, Julia, 16 – standing alongside Amina Hamdan, 12, and her mom, Kifah, and brother, Bilal, 15, who participated in a Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “We’re Muslim and we see nowadays what’s going on but we are here to show we care,” Kifah said. “The difference is going to come from the youths. If you teach them to stand up for injustice, maybe the world will be a better place.” Photo by Daniel Berman
“If you feel it in your heart that means the drum is working,” said Mama Love, during a Black Lives Matter rally and march in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman
The Black Lives Matter march was on the same day as events like SakuraCon and a tax rally. Nancy Shawn, center, holds a sign of support alongside Pharaoh Hecker as the Black Lives Matter march makes its way down 4th Avenue in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “It’s great to see the appreciation for the cause and abolishing the hate that’s been in the police force for years,” Hecker said. Photo by Daniel Berman
Jasmine Freiheit, 16, and Abi Pruitt, 17, both of Sumner, Washington, marched in the Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. “I’m happy to see all the people join in,” Freiheit said. “I think it’s amazing to be a part of it.” Photo by Daniel Berman
Seattle Police Officers observe marchers moving down 4th Avenue during the Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman
Marchers made their way to the Federal Courthouse at 7th and Stewart to protest during a Black Lives Matter rally in Seattle Saturday April 15, 2017. Photo by Daniel Berman
Essentially Ellington Jazz girls for KUOW | Seattle editorial photographer
I worked on a fun piece for KUOW 94.9 about an all-girls jazz ensemble hoping to compete in the prestigious Essentially Ellington competition in New York. They asked me to write a little bit about the experience:
This was my second time working with reporter Marcie Sillman. We arrived about 30 minutes before the girls were set to begin their regular weekly night practice at Washington Middle School.
In the moonlit parking lot, I loaded a cadre of stands and lights onto a dolly cart and rolled toward the school, the sweet scent of the Franz Bread Factory next door cascading by. We passed the gymnasium and basketball scrimmage and headed into the band room, where I met briefly with the group’s director, Kelly Barr-Clingan. I took her suggestion to set up in the back practice spaces where I could be out of the way while they did their thing.
KUOW Digital Director Jenna Montgomery was inspired by the idea of Kelly at the center of a Brady Bunch-style portrait, and I went to work setting up a mini portrait studio complete with electric blue backdrop. Marcie wandered off to interview Kelly and record the practice.
It was warm in there and I could hear the performers tuning their instruments as I took practice shots on myself to quickly test the settings. I made some final adjustments to the lights and went to the boy’s locker room to wipe my face.
The girls walked over in small groups, and sat down one by one. I told them they could do whatever they wanted to start. Then I asked them to play their instrument a bit, or to sing me something they knew.Â
With only about an hour to photograph each of the girls in the group, time was limited. I wanted to see their personalities. I wanted to see the passion.
You have to build trust pretty quickly. I do that by keeping things light and fun, being friendly, and acknowledging the sometimes awkwardness of the process. You do this for long enough and you know what fears to assuage.
As I sat on a piano bench across from them and clicked away for a minute or two, I was impressed to hear these amazing acoustic and acapella performances. It was a moving and beautiful experience and I wish all of these talented musicians best of luck in this competition and the years ahead.
Harry Partch instruments for KUOW | Seattle editorial photographer
It’s not every day that you get to see and hear a piece of history. Make that pieces. I got an assignment last week from KUOW to photograph Charles Corey, the 30-year-old caretaker of the Harry Partch instruments collection at the University of Washington School of Music. In a fun story by Marcie Sillman you can actually hear the renowned, intricate instruments. Partch created the instruments between the 1940s and 1970s, and they are based on the Just Intonation scale, not anything like what we are used to hearing from traditional instruments. You can find some really intense theatrical productions of Partch’s arrangements on Youtube too that help put his life’s work in context. He wasn’t just a composer and musician, he was also a playwright and auteur.
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. Corey demonstrates the Adapted Viola. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. Corey demonstrates the Chromelodeon, created in 1941. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. A view of the Cloud Chamber Bowls, created in 1950. The bowls are the sawed-off bottoms of large glass bottles made by Pyrex, and produce different tons when tapped on the top or bottom or scraped along the side. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. Corey demonstrates Bass Marimba, which requires standing on a large bench to reach playing height. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. Corey demonstrates the Kithara II, created in 1954 by Partch. Glass tubes are moved up and down on the sides to create varying pressure and different tonality. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Chuck Corey, 30, is a faculty research associate in the University of Washington School of Music where he curates the Harry Partch instruments collection. “I’ve been doing this almost 13 years now,” Corey said. The instruments were created between the 1940s and 1960s by the American composer Partch. The instruments are renowned for their complex and unique sound structure abilities based on the Just Intonation scale, which was designed to more naturally imitate human voice pitch. Photo by Daniel Berman for KUOW
Seattle Photographer Daniel Berman | Seattle editorial photographer | (206) 387-3767 daniel@bermanphotos.com 
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