Photo project Everyday People a portrait of life in Tulsa

BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT World Scene Writer
Sunday, May 06, 2012
5/06/12 at 1:47 PM

"That's a good one," John Clanton said, bringing his camera to his eye.

A few yards away was local crooner and pianist Heinz Christian, standing in the lobby of a local retirement center, smoothing his hair with his hand.

"Finishing touches," Christian said with a smile while holding a compact mirror.

With a couple of shutter clicks, Clanton immortalized the moment before Christian took to the piano.

That photo will run with a future Tulsa World story.

But Clanton was also there to take a photo of Marian Cubbage, a 103-year-old resident of the Emeritus at Tulsa. She's not famous; she was just there to watch that evening's entertainment.

And that's why Clanton was capturing her photo. Cubbage is one of the newest Everyday People, an online photo series by Clanton, a Tulsa World photojournalist. The series can be viewed online starting Sunday at tulsaworld.com/everydaypeople

"I'm not looking for people who stand out in a crowd," he explained online. "The majority aren't famous or in positions of power. They're just everyday people, like me."

So far, he's taken 126 shots. He'll shoot No. 127 Sunday.

It's a project that's part art and documentary, a mosaic of portraits representing this community, with no news peg, event angle or agenda of any kind. Just people - that's the story.

"I kind of dreamed this up to get reconnected to the city," said Clanton, who moved back to Tulsa last year after a stint in Oklahoma City. "It's working."

Starting Jan. 1, Clanton started taking a photo each day, seven days a week, of someone different. Some, he's met before on past assignments during his first tenure at the Tulsa World; others, he's met on the street.

Before his first shot, he and Tulsa World photo editor Christopher Smith came up with a few rules: Clanton would use the same 50 millimeter lens on his Canon 5D Mark II for each photo.

"And I had to do it every day," he said - not just Monday through Friday, but Saturday and Sunday, too. All year long."

Also, he and Smith decided he wouldn't use a flash or additional lighting. He would only tell his subjects where to stand, not how. Plus, the shots had to be vertical. This consistency is a thread that links the photos - a commonality among a wide range of individuals, from a nun, athletes and a little girl to politicians, a shop owner and, most recently, an English teacher at Union High School.

One of Clanton's favorites is of Mikey Burnett, a former mixed martial artist and owner of Mikey's Gym at 3320 E. 32nd St.

"He was so gentle and thoughtful when I met him," said Clanton, who walked into the gym right before a practice session started.

"Technically speaking, the light was even and soft, and I did a good job hiding a distracting background behind him," Clanton said. "But that's not why I like the picture. His eyes are so striking. He's a fighter and a construction worker, and I think that he's seen a lot during his life and probably been through a lot.

"Somehow, though," Clanton continued, "I think that this picture really conveys how kind and thoughtful he is about his life and his work."

Although he arranges some photos in advance, Clanton often stumbles across his subjects. He might be driving along and spy someone.

Not that they always say "yes."

"My record is five refusals in one day," Clanton said. But eventually, someone agrees to pose for him.

When he finds willing participants, he also asks them to tell him something interesting about themselves. He includes a blurb on almost every person alongside the photos.

"I love meeting people," he said. "I don't think of this whole thing as work."
Original Print Headline: Everyday People

Jason Ashley Wright 918-581-8483
jason.wright@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

Row 1 (From left) Senior Pastor Wang T. Xiong, Kierra Green, Herbert Clayton, Erin Herrmann, Michael Washington, Donna Stover, Jesse Odell ; Row 2 (From left) Sister Maria Howell, Ashley Halbrooks, Ronnie Hernandez; Row 3 (From left) Summer Krause-Wilhelm, Ray Hall, Ahmad Kabani, Kim McDonald, Christie Anderson, Kenny Reynolds, Sean Stewart; Row 4 (From left), Addison Clayton, Chris Terpening, John McBee, Emily Nelson, Mike Lemery, Gaetane Jean-Marie, Bob Savage; Row 5 (From left) Venerable Thich Duc Tri, Colton White, Michelle Collum, Charles Wiseley, Kostis Protopapas, Mari Velasquez, Dr. Leslie Hannah; Row 6 (From left), Sonny Delesandro, Sue Henson, Teresa Porter, Rabbi Marc Fitzerman, Taylor Hurst, Alimay Daniels, Lesa Phillips. Photos by JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Mikey Burnett was a fighter in mixed martial arts and boxing. He ran a gym on the east side. Today he's in midtown, teaching children at a new gym. It's not about fighting as much anymore. He wants to teach kids how to defend themselves, but even more important, "I want to teach them what's worth defending ... help them make positive choices." JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Ray Rose is the manager at Rose Pawn in the Blue Dome District. The pawn shop was started by his grandfather's brother in 1912. It's still a family-owned business. He says he sees a lot of interesting things come in the door. One time, a guy pawned his fake eyeball. They still have it. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Sister Maria Howell stands outside Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Tulsa before a pro-life march. The event marked the 39th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

A seventh-grader at San Miguel Catholic Middle School, Jose says he likes "sports and having fun." He's working on a comedy routine for an upcoming speech competition. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Samantha Kreymborg is a sophomore at Bixby High School. She's at her first high school prom. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World