Jim Gill
Staff Photographer
Q&A
How did you get involved with the Wisconsin World War
II Stories project?
I initially got involved doing promotional shoots for the project. I went
on several interviews with Mik Derks and David Hestad and photographed the
participants during the interviews so that WPT would have images of the vets
to promote the project. For me as a still photographer, much of the time spent
on a video shoot is waiting for my opportunity to take pictures. Because of
this, I got to hear the stories that the vets relayed and was tremendously
impressed with the impact that this experience had on their lives and how
they had woven that experience into lives after the war.
It was especially important to me personally because both my
father and my father-in-law are World War II vets. My father was a navy corpsman
and my father-in-law an air force co-pilot and P.O.W.
How did you decide to do a photography
project on the subjects?
I just felt that not only were the stories fascinating, but their faces as
they told the stories went back to that time in their lives, and I wanted
to try and capture that in a series of photographs.
What can you tell us about the technique you used for
photographing them?
I used a technique that I used for shooting the University of Wisconsin-Extension
Annual Report in 2001. It involves using a 4x5 view-camera — an old-fashioned
tool — and a type of Polaroid film that gives you both a positive and a negative.
In this way I can involve the participants in the shot instead of just making
a number of photographs and then choosing one to print later. This way the
subject gets to see each shot right after I take it, and we can decide together
what is working and what isn't.
Much of the photography appears soft.
I do this by tipping the back of the view-camera, which changes the plane
of focus. The idea behind this is to make the eyes the focal point of the
image and have the rest of the image go soft.
The images have an old-fashioned look to them. How is
this accomplished?
They are actually tri-tones using three different color inks: black, a warm
brown and a warm gray. I scan the negatives into a computer using an Agfa
scanner and then open the images in a software program called Photoshop. Then
I remove dust spots or other imperfections and apply the tri-tone to the images.
I then print them out on a Epson Ink-Jet printer, which is a great tool. It
allows me to print archival-quality images in a very short time and with great
repeatability.
What has been the best part of this project for you?
Always the best part for me is getting to meet and then photograph these individuals.
They are all unique and have led very interesting but very different lives.
They all shared a common experience and now are able to tell their stories
and have them heard by the people of Wisconsin.
Biography
Jim has been the staff still photographer for Wisconsin Public
Television since 1980. He has been involved in many productions and projects,
including Get Real!, Safe Night USA, Airwaves magazine, the Creating Health
Women's Health Exhibit and many more. His photographs have appeared in many
publications, including the Wisconsin State Journal, The Capital Times,
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Christian Science Monitor and The New
York Times.
His photographs are used both locally and nationally to promote
and illustrate Wisconsin Public Television's productions. Jim has received
many awards, including local ADDYs, as well as Gold and Silver awards from
the Broadcast Designer's Association and PBS.
The photographs Jim took for this project reflect his strong
interest in portraiture as well as his respect for World War II veterans.
