The Wall Of Fame [Paperback]

Richard Ressman is either a lunatic or a genius. He allows no middle ground. He is unapologetic and uniquely himself. This photographic collection, which I have taken the liberty to subtitle: Portraits with a Punch Line, serves well to introduce his personality and artistry. What can be said about a grown man who insists on carrying a backpack containing fifty pounds of camera gear everywhere he goes, and I do mean everywhere? But it is precisely that kind of behavior that lies at the heart of, how in the world could one man take so many photographs? It is remarkable, as you will see. He has been camera ready for nearly fifty years. This collection, it must be noted, is but a sample of his magnum opus: wall of fame. His home contains a wall of confluent portraits stretching floor-to-ceiling, thirty feet wide (and there are stacks of unused gems in closets). Over the past three decades, I have been the recipient of these unsolicited 8x10 photographic gifts. The breath and depth of these photographic representations are the result of Richards confident mastery of his own eye, camera (always the gigantic Nikon), lens (the more glass the better), light and dark (he always looked for both), subject (preferred locating notables), and software (a minimalist when it came to Photoshop). Which brings up an interesting fact. He was a very early adapter of digital technology. I believe he bought a new camera about every six months for ten years in order to keep current as the technology evolved. His obsession did not end with camera bodies though. He has cases of lenses, a room of Apple computers, five back-ups, and printers (one the size of a Subaru). Madness can be expensive. Behind every artist is a persona trying to appear normal. Richard did this by appropriating the education and training necessary to become a board certified orthopedic surgeon. My theory about artists is simple: normal people see the world, well, normally, like a bell-shaped curve in statisticlCq