The work that Donald E. Camp has on display on the third floor of the Berman at Ursinus College is a cultural vision captured in natural composition. The casein and earth pigment combined with the high degree of detail that comes with close up portrait photography resonant a part of American culture that little is said about. The work was started in 1993 to record the identity of the African American male, but goes even further to convey the struggle against intolerance and ignorance.
When walking around the exhibition, the degree of work that went into each photograph is evident. Each photograph has marks where the pigment was applied and areas that show the use of the casein, just enough to even make one think that these photographs are paintings. Along with each of the photographs is a small line about the individual in the picture and then their name. Some describe the individual’s occupation and passion in life while others are more telling about the photographer. The picture I chose to analyze was titled “Brother Who Taught Me to Ride a Bicycle/James Camp.”
The photograph is bold, the dark shades of James Camp’s face is lit by light coming from above his head to the left. This light travels across his face lighting up the ridge of his nose and the high points of both his cheeks and a small wisp of his chin. The outline of the jaw disappears into the white casein on the left where the light is coming down, contrasting greatly with the bottom right corner where we are lead along the dark layers of the man’s chin. The grey tones lead your eye away from the dark features on the right of his face back through the areas of white on the left and then back to the dark areas again. The brow of James Camp is strong and darkens his eyes since the light is coming from above his head, however just enough light escapes under his brow to light up the tips of his lower eye lids. This light also slightly lights up his dark eyes, not enough to define the pupils or the iris but enough to create an elusive resonant darkness. The eyes seem limitless and full of wisdom and experience. Under the brightly lit nose bridge are the dark nostrils that lead us to the skin texture to the left and right of the lips, slightly bumpy and glossy in the light. The white hairs upon the lip then draw attention affirming the gentleman’s age, and giving robust character to the photo. The casein that’s rolled in to create the photo is seen it in its rough strokes, giving away from the detail of the man’s face to small rough flecks of pigment at the top of the picture. The pigment also is scattered in droplets around the photo, the natural movement and creation of this photo grave evident in its rough exterior.
Donald E. Camp took photos of the people around him that he must have respected and admired in creating this exhibition, and this photo is definitely no exception to that feeling. Where this photo has strong emotions of depth and experience it becomes something else when reading the photo’s title. This photo represents brotherhood and esteem, the title takes us into our own pasts and reminds us of our first time riding a bicycle. The age that the man portrays in the photo and the deep eyes and experience shown in the bold facial features, contrasts greatly to that memory of freedom that comes from riding a bike, and shows us the richness of a lifetime. That aspect of respect for those that have taught us about freedom and movement, is captured in this picture, and the dark contemplating brow of the photo reminds us that no matter how old we may get brotherhood lasts forever. The African American male is thus shown to be more than any static stereotype, by showing the process of time that this individual has gone through by alluding to his time as a child, and our time as children, and the universal feeling of brotherhood and freedom. The tones seen in this photo is a platform for understanding culture similarities and breaking down ignorance.