All images by Ian Pettigrew. Used with permission.
Photographer Ian Pettigrew has been featured a number of times on this website for his portrait photography projects; and The Living Heroes is his latest work. Ian describes it as “A Photographic Testament to Those Who Served. In Their Own Words. From WWII to Vietnam.” The Living Heroes is going to a 208 page full color photography book. In the process of producing the book, Ian and his crew are looking to photograph 100 veterans from WWII and Vietnam. Each veteran will have their portrait taken and a formal write up next to their image.
The images have a very Mark Seliger or Annie Leibovitz feel to them in respect to lighting and mise-en-scene. Each Veteran is photographed in their uniforms against a non-distracting background then combined with lighting to really make them stand out from the scene. When you look at their faces, you can tell that they’ve been through some tough times.
The print will run about 1,500 copies and if a second printing is requested, then that will be done. To do this, they’re asking for $15,000. Considering travel costs, time, rentals, and even printing, that doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money. Now, if you’re still skeptical, consider the fact that Ian has done this successfully a number of times already.
“To date, we have already taken 12 portraits for the book, and now only need 88 more. The reception so far has been fantastic, and we have no doubt we will easily be able to find the subjects to complete the book. My one book – SALTYGIRLS – became an international phenomenon and helped to raise a tremendous amount of awareness for adults with Cystic Fibrosis.”
Now don’t think that Ian is pocketing the money–he states that a major portion of it is going back to help the Vets. In a time (at least here in America) where it seems like benefits are being cut, that’s a fantastic thing to hear about.
Be sure to back the project on IndieGoGo.
