THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 8, 1994 TAG: 9410070112
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
LOOKING LIKE A short, scruffy version of Nick Nolte, photojournalist Jim Hubbard takes his place in the shooting circle.
He stands out in this camera-toting group. First, because he is white. Second, because he has earned national attention for coaxing revealing photos from homeless and Indian children.
The novice photographers with him live in Hampton's Aberdeen Gardens. They were recruited to document their community through a Virginia Beach Center for the Arts project called ``Open Shutters.''
The 51-year-old Minneapolis photographer was flown here in late September to inspire the community shooters during a four-day encounter. (Other experts who came were Milbert Orlando Brown, staff photographer for The Chicago Tribune; Craig Herndon, staff photographer for The Washington Post; and Michel duCille, the Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning picture editor.)
The Aberdeen group is sitting on the grass on a Saturday afternoon, discussing a morning photo session that focused on a neighborhood parade and festival.
``Think of it like this,'' Hubbard begins. ``Visually, you're saying something. In January, your pictures will be on display'' at the arts center.
``What do you want to show people? What image do you want to portray?''
The shooters' expressions turned inward.
``What's your best shot today?'' he continues.
``The parade!'' said Shana Goodman, 15.
``I got a picture of a little baby looking at the parade,'' chimed in Kristinia Washington, 15.
``That's love. That's a love thing,'' said Hubbard, speaking above a nearby band's pop treatment of ``Jesus Loves Me.''
``You know, you could make that a theme. Like that song in the background. You could have a love theme.''
Compassion stirred Hubbard in 1981 to begin documenting homeless people in Washington, D.C. The result was his 1991 photography book, ``American Refugees.'' He was a United Press International photographer in that city, and saw the large numbers of children among the homeless.
He noticed that the kids were drawn to his camera. One boy, Dion Johnson, really wanted to take pictures, so Hubbard started taking him on weekly ``shoots.''
As Hubbard spent time with Dion, other kids begged for his attention and training. So he began enlisting other volunteer photographers.
Soon the simple impulse exploded into ``Shooting Back,'' an exhibit of the youngsters' photos at the Washington Project for the Arts that ended in a 1991 book and a four-year tour.
These days, Hubbard heads ``Shooting Back,'' a nonprofit organization with a five-member staff and a $250,000 budget. A book of photos by Indian children is being released in November, and Hubbard is starting to work with Southeast Asian kids, too.
``We're trying to show kids hidden in America,'' he said. ``It's using photography as a tool to build compassion.''
``Shooting Back'' received much media attention, prompting hundreds of calls to Hubbard for advice on starting such a project, he said.
Mostly, he just offers advice. Occasionally he joins in, as he did in Virginia Beach, a favorite vacation spot when he lived in D.C.
Some of his calls have been fairly unusual.
``Hey, Harper's Bazaar may do a spread with fashion photos by kids from all over the country,'' he told his shooting circle. ``I might be wanting to reach you to shoot some pictures of fashions for other kids.'' by CNB