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J.S. - What advice to you have to aspiring photographers?

"I will give them the same advice that was given to me a long time ago. Be prepared to work extremely hard for 10 years and to make no money learning your craft. Be prepared to work another 10 years defining your craft, and maybe if you're lucky to make a little bit of money. The next 10 would be devoted to making a few real fine photos and doing okay. In the next 10 you will be kicking ass and taking names and making a lot of money. By then you will probably need at least three different pairs of eye glasses, and your best friend will be a chiropractor. But seriously, take what I have told you and multiply it by a factor of 10. It is getting tougher day by day. Some of the best photography I have ever seen has come from the eyes, heart, and souls of amateur photographers. They do it for all the right reasons and none of the wrong ones."

J.S. - Are there any upcoming projects you’re excited about?

"I just finished directing a short film, and that type of work really excites me. I will be working on a documentary of a great musician and great friend, Hugh Brodie. As an adjacent project we have a publisher who's interested in doing a book on older black blues and jazz players. There is one project I'm very excited about that may radically change the direction of my career. Unfortunately, it's a very big secret. I'll have a definitive answer for you in six months."

J.S. - Are you doing any seminars or workshops in the near future?

"Again, I just finished one in San Antonio and I think we will have two or three coming up shortly, but no dates yet. They are Quebec and a rescheduling of Beijing, China, due to 9/11."

J.S. - How much have you integrated digital technology into your work?

"Approximately 10 years ago I did an interview stating autofocus was designed for my grandmother and why would a working photographer use it? Needless to say, today 75% of my photos are taken in the autofocus mode. So that will give you an idea. I'm at least 10 -15 years behind the times. When I called my friend Dave Metz, from Canon, approximately two years ago and asked him about digital photography, he was shocked that the dinosaur, still 10 years behind the times, decided to get with the program. Dave called me two months later and asked me what I thought of the digital camera, and I said it's a great $3,000 Polaroid. Well, here it is 24 months later and digital photography is about 60%-plus of what I'm doing today. It has a tremendous advantage in light-gathering power. In low-light situations it is absolutely fabulous. In mixed light and fluorescent light it's wonderful. In extreme-low-light action situations, it's almost the only way to make a great shot (almost)... I just photographed my dear friend Bill Shatner at the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, and all of the unbelievable action happened indoors with horses moving at 20 miles an hour. The D60 was superior in this situation. Last year we did some advertising for Stock Car Racing Experience (NASCAR). We shot with three Canon wet cameras, EOS 3's and V's and one D30, and every two hours we would download it into my Dell laptop and burn a CD and hand it to the client. At the end of nie hours he had his art director working on some new POPs, ad slicks, and Web page design. I told him the 25 rolls of film would be Fed Exed in 2 days. He said, 'Don't bother. I have more than I need with the digital.' When my client is happy, I'm happy."

J.S. – How did your relationship with Canon come about?

"1984 was a pivotal time in my career, which happened to parallel Canon Camera's really getting a foothold into the professional community. First let me say you can make fine photographs, with any brand of camera-- the camera does not make the photos, the photographer does. Having said that, I genuinely believe that the finest 35mm system, whether it be analog or digital, is certainly Canon. In 1984, I signed a contract with the International Olympic Committee, which required me to shoot exclusively with Canon cameras for the 1984 Olympics. Up to that point, there was never any doubt that Canon made the finest glass, long lenses, and super-wides. In ‘84 their cameras and motors made tremendous strides in moving forward to the new millennium. All of this pointing to the future with autofocus, auto-programming, and multi-metering. I guess the natural progression was digital. Today I believe that Canon has the most advanced professional system camera, digital cameras, and corresponding amateur system. Many new assistants are shocked to see that we have amateur lenses in our repertoire, but to be quite candid, they are all great."

J.S. – What is the most meaningful photo project you’ve worked on?

"In the early 70's, I had an opportunity to have a life-changing experience. I attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism Photo Workshop with Cliff and Vi Edom. Needless to say, it was a very intense workshop. My instructors were the most powerful people in photojournalism at that time -- Bill Garrett of National Geographic, John Morris of The New York Times, Howard Chapnick of Black Star, and Brian Lanker a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, to name a few. While still in New York, I researched a picture story with a little three-year-old girl, who was severely handicapped at birth. It is probably
the only meaningful black and white essay I have ever done. It was shown as a multi-media show as part of my workshop back in the 70's. Recently, I felt a void in my photographic work and decided to find Evon (this beautiful little girl) 35 years later and do a follow-up story. I've put many weeks of research into this and found she was adopted, her name was changed, and she was relocated to Iowa. I'm trying to deal with the powers that be, to allow me to bend some laws and get in touch with Evon. She's never seen the original story, and I would like very much to meet her again and photograph her today."

This story started out as a short profile on an established photographer. But Joe’s enthusiasm for photography and life are too big for a piece like that. Most of his work is commercial illustration or sports photography but his mentor was W. Eugene Smith, and that can’t be overestimated. Recently, he has expressed a desire to do more emotionally meaningful work than the commercial photography that has supported him for the last 30 years. He is an accomplished and respected sports and commercial photographer but I think there’s a very good chance we’ll start to see a different type of work from him in the near future. He’s got a big heart, and he needs to share it.

- John Shafer -

Other Works by Joe DiMaggio: (click on the thumbnail for a larger view)

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