Ordained—One Man’s Hope
“I remain wary of organized religion, or any entity that ultimately feeds on its own mythology. But I deeply wish to believe in an individual’s potential for goodness. ”
I’m very proud to announce a new release today: Ordained—One Man’s Hope. This is a documentary project, chronicling a three-day journey during which I followed David—a friend I met through a photography workshop—as he became Father David, a priest of the Catholic Church. I address it in the book but, as you might suspect from the opening quote, I look at faith from the outside, with my cultural baggage and the knowledge of a very human system’s repeated failures. So for me, this isn’t a book extolling the virtues of religion, but a tale of transformation, a glimpse into the moments when a person’s life shifted, forever.
Books are always, by their very nature, a reflection of the past, but this one had a particularly lengthy gestation period: the project was shot in Spokane, Washington, in June 2015. To put this in camera terms: I was using and X-T1 and X100T.
I never intended to take this much time. For some reason, the book was like an enigma I couldn’t solve: I’d make progress, only to eventually retreat, questioning the entire direction. Over the years, I must’ve processed some of those images at least ten times, attempting to nail the appropriate look, the right approach. When I finally did, my attention then turned to the story and new questions surfaced: how should this flow? What should I say or not say? Where do my personal beliefs fit into this narrative? Do they even matter? Are there social and cultural implications to this work?
As time went on, as distance and world events added layers to the context of the story, the words and structure changed—some elements were kept, others discarded. The timeline was always going to be linear, but I’d shot a mix of very public and very intimate moments; finding the right combination of emotion and clarity became quite a puzzle once I began assembling a storyboard. My good friend Bert Stephani provided an outside eye at a crucial point, and I can’t thank him enough for his advice.
The book also includes a companion soundtrack: Soundscapes for Ordained—One Man’s Hope, a 31-minute instrumental album that I recorded over several months, as I was working on the images. The album follows the book’s main structure and features only two tracks:
One (Gathering, Rehearsals & Other Ceremonies).
Two (Respite & Becoming).
I’m experimenting with form by assembling various pieces together, controlling pacing and crossfades (nope, the vinyl record metaphor isn’t lost on me).
The PDF is again intended for landscape, but— unlike previous books—I used a double-spread layout this time. I’ve always visualized a print version for this project, so I wanted to work within that two-page format. No idea if or how this will happen, but it’ll be easier to do if I ever decide to take that on.
“Beyond the theatre, there is humanity. This is what I witnessed, and what I chased.
I hope the light shines through.”
If you’ll allow me a rare plug: this new release joins the other 1EYE SOCIETY benefits. Becoming a member gets you a special signed edition of this book, along with downloadable access to my entire digital library—including Something like a Motherland, the expanded edition of 1EYE ROAMING and every other available book. Plus, you get Capture One Style Packs, exclusive articles and more.
Ordained—One Man’s Hope is available today.
