In less than 1,000 words James Waynauskas paints a portrait
By John W. Fountain III
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever…it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”-- Aaron Siskind
Photography found him staggering through a series of general education classes at Northern Illinois University and five years after graduation he is one of a few photographers with an all-access pass to photograph Buddy Guy’s Legends' annual events. His photographs of Guy and the club are used in marketing materials, Facebook, and MySpace and in advertisements in The Bluesletter. His artwork is full of contrast and vivid colors. His Cannon 1Ds Mark II allows him to be both reactive and proactive in capturing the passion of subjects or moments. He is as relevant to the Blues community as the artists themselves. He captures them in their element.
“I took one photography class and that was it,” says James Waynauskas. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do before photography.”
He says that instincts account for his live concert shots. And photographing Guy calls for spontaneity and quick reactions. He gets shots from a variety of angles. He tends to catch the details of Guy in action.
“I like to get a lot of close-up shots like, maybe, seeing Buddy sweat,” says Waynauskas. “In my shots I always try to get colored shots, see how the lights are hitting things and try to get shots with a lot of emotion.”
The deep conflicting colors of his studio shots exaggerated by lighting stands out most on his website. There is an element of Film Noir photography accentuated by bright pastel colors. Often times it is the shades of magenta that illuminate the bleak areas. His models show facial expressions of introspection or happiness. It blends well to provide a melancholy outlook. His wedding shots provide the emotional tug intrinsic to memorable moments.
The challenge of photography is the very liberation that it provides. He says that you have to challenge yourself in finding a way to do it better each and every time.
“Photography gives you so much more freedom,” says Waynauskas. “But you can always do better than the time before. Like in photographing Buddy, I always try to remember what I did last time and try to do it differently. I think you can always try to get a better photo.”
Waynauskas says that “concerts are more physically grueling and studio photography deals more with your own creativity.” He believes that being in a controlled setting optimizes the artistic control.
“If I control the lighting it’s more complex,” he says. If do the lighting myself, I like to put thought into it but it’s more creative.”
His on-location studio ranges anywhere from hotel rooms, train tracks, street corners to parks or the side of a rural road. It makes for an authentic approach to the subject. He says that he likes to keep the photo as natural as possible and avoids heavy photo editing. So when asked how the role of technology has played into his craft he says, “I prefer digital.”
“I learned the other way. We had a darkroom in class, but digital has a better turnaround.”
Waynauskas has dreams of a successful studio, photography books and getting into more art galleries. He says that there is a certain satisfaction about the art-side of photography—“taking your work, framing it and having people buy it to place in homes or offices. Galleries have to be convinced that the Average Joe will come in off of the street to buy it. That’s what makes it harder to get into.”
The lone photography class sparked a passion and pictures for the Northern Star, NIU’s campus newspaper, helped hone his skills, but to freeze the moments of a legend as he wraps up an era is altogether monumental. During the home stand, on January 7, he sat on the side of the stage in the VIP section without his camera, before Buddy took to the stage and polarized a moment for his girlfriend. Waynauskas proposed.
For more information on James Waynauskas visit www.jameswphoto.com.