Beyond the Battlefield
My last day at the Evansville Courier & Press I received a phone call from New York. I had applied to a bunch of papers, but none on the East Coast, so I was curious but figured it was probably a wrong number. To my surprise, it was The Huffington Post. My name had been passed on to them by friend Rob Carr in Baltimore when they began looking for shooters to help with a book they were putting together from a larger project on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other complications that exist for soldiers when they come home they started in March of 2011. Beyond the Battlefield focuses on individual soldiers and their stories, but also on the armed forces and the challenges they face at home as well.
The assignment itself was fairly easy. The pieces were being compiled into an e-book and they needed a portrait of a soldier in Evansville. Justin Gourley gradually began to suffer from severe PTSD after returning from the Navy in 2004. The condition is mostly under control now, but it’s been a long road to where he is now. Justin and his wife Shawn were very easy to work with, but the weather didn’t help the day of the shoot.
It was pouring rain in Evansville, and heavy overcast skies. I didn’t want to light the portrait as we only had the couple’s living room to work with in the middle of the day, and it was a little tight to try and set up lights. Outside wasn’t an option at all though. Luckily the D3s is the best camera I’ve ever used. I pushed the ISO, grabbed some window light and after a few differed positions, I had what I needed.
It was nice getting to see some work I’ve done published again. The seven weeks have been far too long between assignments.
An excerpt from the book can be seen here and the book can be downloaded for $4.99 in the Kindle Book Store here.
Justin and Shawn Gourley pose for a portrait in their home in Evansville, Ind. on Sunday afternoon, December 4, 2011. Justin served in the Navy, and came home in 2004. Since then he has gradually developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but is now receiving treatment.
