"Sharon Killer"

© van ditthavong

This is a photo OF a photo of Sharon Keller (the Court of Criminal Appeals presiding judge) from her 1970 high school year. Known to many as "Sharon Killer" she is in some hot water at the moment. She's "been caught closing the door on a dying man's last request." Read the story here...TEXAS MONTHLY.

kyle myers

© van ditthavong

The phone rings. The assignment is in Del Rio, Texas - a border town. The subject is Kyle Myers (who lost 80 pounds). The magazine, Men's Health. We head to the park where he has been training. Kyle is going to be a pilot. He's been stationed in Del Rio for a few years now and he's headed out of town - finishing up his duties there. Also, in a few days after the shoot he was going to get married in Oklahoma. Are you going to miss Del Rio I ask... Not really he says.

my cousin aaron

© van ditthavong

Down syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described the syndrome in 1866. Aaron has the chromosomal disorder, but he also has one of the most beautiful smiles you'll ever see.

eric + cooper

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Eric walks around the room with his son in his arms, thanking everyone for coming today. He seems like a natural... well, they both do. It's Cooper's first communion. He's just a little over 3 months. Eric turns to me and says, "How's it feel to be the godfather?" I immediately thought - I better shape up now.

ian + his bb gun

© van ditthavong

Being a kid is fun. It's not always about video games.

in a hotel ballroom

© van ditthavong

Brett walks in the ballroom. He is a calm, cool customer. With a friendly voice he says, "Ok, tell me what you'd like me to do." He seems relaxed with only a tiny hint of nervousness... a perfect state for a subject. I respond, "Can you look towards the light?" For some reason or other - some folks need little direction. He was one of those folks.

ian + belle

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Yes they have their fights and disagreements, but Ian's a great older brother. He includes Belle in pretty much everything he does... and even when he doesn't really want to. It's been a year since this photo and next month we get to make some new ones.

kathy arroyo

© van ditthavong

We met in the fall of 2007. She was in the midst of her battle with breast cancer. At that time I was working on a project about the women of The Bridge Breast Network... The Bridge saves lives by linking low income, uninsured individuals to diagnostic and treatment services for breast cancer. What I remember about that afternoon was how Kathy would say how helpful and caring her neighbors were. We talked about her family, her treatments, our crummy healthcare system, and which hospitals and doctors would tell her - sorry you're dying but we can't help you cause you don't have insurance.  But she wasn't angry or mad.  She was grateful... to The Bridge, to her family, and to her friends and neighbors.  Kathy passed away last month - and I am grateful for the chance to have spent a lovely afternoon with her.

cameron hughes

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Cameron Hughes lives his dream. He gets paid for being a fan. Whether it's in an NBA or NHL arena... his job is to get the crowd going - by clapping, dancing, yelling, and more dancing. Actually the truth is... he simply just has to be himself. The week before it was Cleveland and Lebron James - this day we are in Oklahoma City - right before the "bottom of the standings" OKC Thunder team take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Like a good athlete - Cameron stretches, mentally prepares, and tapes up body parts before he walks through the tunnel and takes on 15 thousand people.

gray

© van ditthavong

Understandably he was a little hesitant at first. Meeting someone new isn't the easiest of things but Gray was very comfortable in front of the camera. In an attempt to draw out a different reaction I asked him, "What do you do when you score a touchdown?" ... hoping he would demonstrate. But with a slight furrow of the brow, he answered, "I don't know... I haven't scored one yet."

the suburbs

© van ditthavong

Our subject ended up having a broken leg so the art director slightly switched the shoot agenda - capture the feel of the community. The Verandah is a new development in Royce City, Texas. It was eerily quiet that day - all you can hear were the winds swirling around. Most of the houses were yet to be occupied and tons were in the midst of being built - so it had that feeling like we were in a movie set. Actually, it reminded of the town in Edward Scissorhands... very cookie-cutterish, very suburbia.

alpha mc

© van ditthavong

Alpha MC finishes his set. We head into the back room, where the light is falling perfectly. "Oh, don't forget your CD," I said. He answers, "That's right."

u-god

© van ditthavong

U-God of Wu-Tang Clan fame and a glass of wine.

the yellow plane

© van ditthavong

You can hear the engine roar. Thankfully it was getting closer and closer... making a mundane sky a little more interesting. But more importantly making the image a little more interesting. Like an ice cube is to a glass of whiskey - this yellow plane is just what the image needed to "knock the edge off."

doors

© van ditthavong

I like doors. I've been staring at this one for over a year now - not knowing how I would use it. Then Trevor came in one day to take my portrait... and I took his.

before the smoke clears

© van ditthavong

The smoke was still in the air just outlining the rays of light coming through the blinds. If you look closely you can see the dust particles dancing around. Josh walks through the door. I hurry to close it - afraid the smoke will leave. He steps forward and says "is this good?" I respond, "can you step back a little... perfect."

the fix

© van ditthavong

I saw his truck in the distance… he was working on a light pole. We talked a bit. He told me he has been an electrician for his company for 50 years. I asked, "Have you ever been electrocuted?” He answered, “Yes, lots of times” … and then pointed to his chest.