DOWNEY – I had the great honor of shooting a portrait of one of Downey’s greatest treasures. Dr. Mary Stauffer. I had a portrait session with Dr. Stauffer one afternoon at the Rio Hondo Event Center, which is such a beautiful place. It made for the perfect location. We shot for about 20 minutes, doing a few different poses. Dr. Stauffer was such a pleasure to work with. So polite and open to suggestions.

As a photographer, a portrait of a senior citizen has to be done carefully. When retouching you don’t want to take 20 years off but you do want to make your subject look as nice as possible. I took great time and care with Dr. Stauffer’s portrait. Having it on display at Mary R. Stauffer Middle School is a real honor and one that I took seriously.

At the renaming ceremony, Dr. Stauffer said to me, “John, the portrait is wonderful, I just love it!” That meant more to me that I can say.

Thank you, Dr. Stauffer, the honor is mine.

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Published: Sept. 4, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 21