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THE LENS, BUT SOME FAMOUS\ \
STORIES AND PHOTOS WITH A SAN\ \
WE'LL HEAR FROM HIM IN JUST A\ \
CAMPAIGN GENERATED 30,000\ \
WHAT IS NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE A\ \
\ WATER, HIGH-SPEED RAIL, AND\
\ THE POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO\
\ >>> WE ALL KNOW THAT ICONIC\
\ PHOTO OF THE AFGHAN GIRL ON THE\
\ COVER OF "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC",\
\ BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE MAN\
\ WHO TOOK THE PICTURE LOOKS LIKE.\
\ BUT NOW WE DO, THANKS TO SAN\
\ DIEGO PHOTOGRAPHER TIM MANTOANI.\
\ HE HAS BEEN ON THE LABOR OF LOVE\
\ MAKING PORTRAITS OF\
\ PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO CREATED SOME\
\ OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES IN\
\ RECENT HISTORY, AND HE JOINS ME\
\ NOW.\
\ THANKS, TIM, FOR BEING HERE.\
\ >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.\
\ >> I WAS READING ABOUT THIS\
\ PROJECT.\
\ THE FIRST QUESTION THAT CAME TO\
\ MIND IS: HOW DID YOU CONVINCE\
\ ALL THESE PHOTOGRAPHERS TO BE IN\
YOUR PICTURES?\ \
\ \
>> IT CERTAINLY WASN'T EASY, AND\ \
IT WAS A PROCESS.\ \
THE FIRST PERSON I PHOTOGRAPHED\ \
WAS LEGENDARY ROCK 'N' ROLL\ \
PHOTOGRAPHER JIM MARSHALL.\ \
ONCE I PHOTOGRAPHED JIM, HE\ \
OPENED ANOTHER DOOR, AND THAT\ \
WAS THE PROCESS, ONE\ \
PHOTOGRAPHER LED TO THE NEXT\ \
WHICH LED TO THE NEXT, AND I\ \
KIND OF GAINED THE TRUST OF\ \
CERTAIN PEOPLE, AND THE DOORS\ \
OPENED, AND IT EXPANDED FROM\ \
THERE.\ \
>> WHAT LED YOU TO THIS IDEA,\ \
THIS CONCEPT?\ \
>> I GREW UP SHOOTING ON FILM,\ \
DATING MYSELF NOW, BUT THIS\ \
POLAROID CAMERA THAT I SHOT THIS\ \
PROJECT WITH IS A MONSTROUS 20 X\ \
24-INCH POLAROID CAMERA, AND\ \
THERE'S A HANDFUL OF THEM IN THE\ \
UNITED STATES THAT YOU CAN RENT.\ \
THERE'S ONE UP IN SAN FRANCISCO\ \
NEAR WHERE I GREW UP.\ \
\ I JUST WANTED TO TRY TO SHOOT\
\ WITH IT.\
\ AS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CAME IN, I\
\ GOT AWAY FROM SHOOTING LARGE\
\ FORMAT, KIND OF USING THE TOOLS\
\ THAT WERE THE BLACKSMITHING OF\
\ OUR TRADE.\
\ NOW WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY,\
\ EVERYTHING IS DOWN TO A\
\ 35-MILLIMETER CAMERA, AND NOW\
\ I'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO SAY OH, MY\
\ BROTHER HAS THAT CAMERA.\
\ IT WAS A MEDIUM THAT WAS\
\ VANISHING, AND A FORMAT THAT WAS\
\ UNIQUE TO THE PROFESSIONAL\
\ MARKET THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE\
\ SHOT WITH.\
\ >> ARE YOU GOING TO TELL US HOW\
\ MUCH THIS CAMERA WEIGHS?\
\ >> WELL, THERE WERE A COUPLE\
\ THAT EDWIN LAND MADE BACK IN THE\
\ 70S, AND ORIGINALLY IT WAS TO\
\ TAKE PICTURES OF THE\
\ SHAREHOLDERS AT HIS MEETING.\
\ AND THE FILM, THE PEEL-APART\
\ POLAROID, CAME OUT OF THE\
FACTORY ON THESE GIANT ROLLS,\ \
AND SOMEONE SAID, "CAN YOU MAKE\ \
A CAMERA BIG ENOUGH FOR THIS\ \
PARENT ROLL OF FILM?"\ \
AND SO IT ALL STARTED FROM THAT.\ \
I THINK THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF\ \
THEM, I THINK THERE ARE FIVE\ \
REMAINING, AND I JUST SAID WHAT\ \
THE HECK, LET'S TRY THIS OUT.\ \
ONCE YOU SHOOT WITH THAT FORMAT,\ \
YOU GET HOOKED.\ \
IT'S AN INSTANT POSTER, JUST\ \
BIGGER THAN LIFE, AND THERE'S\ \
NOTHING LIKE IT.\ \
EVEN SHOOTING DIGITAL, IT'S\ \
INSTANTANEOUS, BUT IT'S NOT IN\ \
THE PRINTED, TACTILE TYPE OF\ \
NATURE THAT THIS PROCESS IS.\ \
>> AND IT'S HUGE TO LUG AROUND,\ \
AND HEAVY, YEAH.\ \
SOME OF THESE IMAGES THAT WE'LL\ \
RECOGNIZE -- SOME OF THEM ARE\ \
QUITE FAMOUS.\ \
>> THERE IS THE AFGHANI GIRL, AS\ \
YOU MENTIONED, ARGUABLY ONE OF\ \
THE MOST FAMOUS PORTRAITS OF ALL\ \
\ TIME, STEVE McCURRY FROM\
\ "NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC".\
\ BILL EPPRIDGE'S PHOTOGRAPH OF\
\ THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION AT THE\
\ AMBASSADOR HOTEL, NICK UT'S\
\ PICTURE OF THE GIRL BEING BURNED\
\ BY *** IN VIETNAM, JEFF\
\ WIDENER'S TIANANMEN SQUARE\
\ TANKMAN PHOTO, AND IT GOES ON\
\ FROM THERE.\
\ THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF\
\ PICTURES.\
\ THERE'S A WIDE RANGE, THE MAN\
\ WHO SHOOTS WEIMARANER DOGS, AND\
\ PHOTOGRAPHERS AND PHOTOGRAPHY\
\ THAT AREN'T AS MAINSTREAM LIKE\
\ LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHER GRANT BRITAIN\
\ WHO PIONEERED SKATE PHOTOGRAPHY,\
\ SKATEBOARDING, SO IT'S A WIDE\
\ RANGE OF SUBJECT MATTER.\
\ >> IT'S NOT JUST THE PHOTO, TOO.\
\ ISN'T THERE THIS HAND-WRITTEN\
\ STORY BENEATH THESE PHOTOS?\
\ >> YES, THAT WAS SPONTANEOUS.\
\ THE FIRST TIME I SHOT THE\
\ POLAROIDS WITH JIM, YOU HAVE\
THIS GIANT INSTANT PRINT, AND IT\ \
WAS KIND OF LIKE, "WELL, WHY\ \
DON'T YOU WRITE A LITTLE STORY\ \
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME,"\ \
BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD TO\ \
PURCHASE THEIR ORIGINALS, SO\ \
THIS WAS AS CLOSE AS I WAS GOING\ \
TO GET, BUT IT BECAME AN\ \
INTERESTING PART OF THE PROJECT\ \
WHERE YOU GOT TO SEE THEIR\ \
HANDWRITING, AND I THINK IT'S\ \
REALLY TELLING ABOUT THEIR\ \
PERSONALITIES.\ \
SOME GUYS ARE TYPE-A, IT'S\ \
PERFECT, ARCHITECTURAL TYPE, AND\ \
NO MISSPELLINGS, AND OTHERS JUST\ \
GRAB A SHARPIE AND WRITE AND\ \
CROSS IT OUT.\ \
BUT I LOVE THAT IT'S NOT\ \
PERFECT.\ \
EVERYTHING IS SO SPELL-CHECKED\ \
AND PHOTOSHOPPED AND REFINED AS\ \
FAR AS PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THIS WAS\ \
A WAY TO EMBRACE THE\ \
PHOTOGRAPHERS AS THEY ARE AND\ \
SHOW THEM WITH SOME SORT OF\ \
\ EQUAL WEIGHT TO THE PHOTOS THAT\
\ THEY'RE KNOWN FOR.\
\ >> AND USUALLY THEY'RE NOT\
\ KNOWN, AND I READ A QUOTE IN ONE\
\ OF THE ARTICLES ABOUT YOU, THAT\
\ YOU'VE BEEN POINTED OUT, EVEN\
\ THEIR NAMES, THE CREDIT THE\
\ PHOTOGRAPHER GETS IS SO TINY,\
\ AND NOW THIS IS OUT IN THE OPEN,\
\ WHAT KIND OF INSIGHT DID YOU GET\
\ ABOUT THESE PHOTOGRAPHERS IN\
\ DOING THIS PROJECT?\
\ >> WELL, I THINK THE BIGGEST\
\ THING -- SOME OF THESE, LIKE\
\ ADIDAS SHERMAN IS 99 YEARS OLD,\
\ AND JULIUS SCHULMAN WHO DID A\
\ LOT OF THE ARCHITECTURAL\
\ PHOTOGRAPHY PASSED AWAY\
\ RECENTLY.\
\ HE WAS 98 WHEN I PHOTOGRAPHED\
\ HIM.\
\ THEIR PASSIONS LED THEM TO\
\ CHOOSE THEIR GENRE, AND I HAVE\
\ REALIZED THAT YOU'RE BUILDING\
\ THIS TIME CAPSULE.\
\ WHAT WE SHOOT TODAY THAT SEEMS\
VERY COMMONPLACE 50 YEARS FROM\ \
NOW WILL SEEM EXTRAORDINARY TO A\ \
NEW GENERATION OF PEOPLE, SO\ \
IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THESE\ \
PEOPLE WHO SPENT THEIR LIVES\ \
PURSUING THIS PASSION, AND\ \
CREATING A BODY OF WORK IN THIS\ \
TIME CAPSULE THAT WILL NEVER BE\ \
REPEATED.\ \
>> DO YOU HAVE A WEBSITE?\ \
>> YES, AT MANTOANI.COM, AND\ \
ALSO A VIDEO ABOUT THE PROJECT\ \
ON BEHINDPHOTOGRAPHS.COM.\ \
>> THANKS FOR BEING HERE, TIM.\ \
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.\ }