Photojournalism professor displays photos

The professor documented luthiers, which are people who make or repair stringed instruments.

By John Henry

Published Nov. 6, 2008

Photojournalism professor Rita Reed displayed photography she contributed to a recent exhibit to staff, students and community members on Wednesday in the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology.

The exhibit, Work is Art and Art is Work, examined the craftwork and actions of six Missouri luthiers. Luthiers are people who make or repair stringed instruments.

Lisa Higgins, MU Folk Arts program director, chose Reed to take pictures for the exhibit after securing funds from the Missouri Arts Council. She said she already knew Reed and the quality of her work.

"I knew that she had the personality and the respect to do it with care because I wanted them to be presented well," Higgins said.

Reed took pictures of luthiers who had participated in Missouri's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. After Higgins had selected the luthiers who would be the exhibit's focus, Reed and Folk Arts Specialist Deborah Bailey went across the state to cover the luthiers' work.

Higgins said the luthiers involved in the exhibit were honored to be a part of it.

"It is sort of shining the light, literally, on what they do and then for them to take those instruments and go and perform in conjunction with this really kind of told the whole story," Higgins said.

The exhibit traveled through eight Missouri communities, including stops at libraries in Kansas City, Springfield, Mo., and California, Mo. The exhibit, which began in May 2007, ended in July of this year.

Reed shot all of the pictures for her exhibit with a digital camera.

She said she took her pictures in color to add emotion as well as reality. Reed said she also made an effort to make sure all of her portraits were consistent with one another, modern and had the proper lighting needed to create mood and show texture and detail.

Reed said when taking a portrait, it is necessary to have a comfortable relationship with the subject. She said it takes a little bit of time before the subject becomes at ease around the photographer and stops trying to pose.

"You are around for a while and finally they get tired of doing what they think they are supposed to be doing and just do what they do and that's when it starts," Reed said.

Although she took pictures for the exhibit, Reed said she still performed her job like a photojournalist. She said she approached each subject like she would if she were shooting a story.

Reed said she was a bit nervous about the exhibit at first because of its relation to art and was uneasy about having to talk and participate in the art community.

"I would never consider what I do art, I consider it a craft," Reed said.

Junior Janelle Delmez is a photojournalism major who would like to someday produce work like Reed's. She attended the exhibit and found Reed's photography to be very good.

"The way she was able to capture the people's emotions so well, you could really tell the story just through pictures," Delmez said.

In order to produce quality photography for the exhibit, Reed said she followed a basic rule of photojournalism that she tells her students.

"You want the viewer to see it the way they would see it if they were there," Reed said.