II've known Crystal DeVore (or Cress, depending on mood) for over 7 years now, and in that time we've been through a lot together. We've laughed and cried, we've argued and made up, we've seeen Tori Amos and made up lists of why we hate Sean "Puffy/Puff Daddy/P-Diddy" Combs. Through it all, however, we've been friends. I consider her one of my best friends in the world, and I wouldn't trade her for anything.
That said, I'd like to dedicate this gallery to "crinkle" and her being. When I first took up photography as an art, she was one of my first subjects, and she patiently worked with me as I tried to figure out the difference between an f-stop and ASA. We haven't had a serious photo session in a while, but I'm hoping someday soon we can get together and do some photography.
Here's to ya, Crystal!
One of the earliest shots of
Crystal I have, I took this as part of a series I took for a USCA
production of "Steel Magnolias". She was playing Shelby,
and we needed a series of pics of her and "her" baby
she could show the other people onstage. The baby in the pic is
Tyler Haas, the son of our then-technical director.
Steel
Magnolias
March 1996
The Salley House, USCA
This
is a photo of Crystal on the loading dock of the USCA Etherredge
Center. I took it while she was talking with someone, and she
wasn't paying any attention to me. I really like the relaxed,
casual atmosphere of this one. It's one of my favorite photos
of her, and I think it's one of hers, too. C'mon Crystal, back
me up on this.
Cigarette
September 1997
Praktica LTL-5
This
is one of a series I shot at Crystal's then-apartment. I was doing
a project for my Beginning Photography class. It had to be a group
of photos tied by a common theme. I decided to take pics of my
family and friends, incorporating candles in each photo. I got
a great series of photos out of this session, even though the
camera I was using (an East German Praktica) stopped advancing
the film properly in the final frames. Love the calm, contented
look on her face, thus the title.
Contentment
November 1997
Praktica LTL-5
This
is a shot I took during a rehearsal for the USCA Playground Playhouse
production of "Aladdin". I was costumer for the show,
and I wish I had some shots of the show to display. Crystal played
a mime in the show, and ended up looking like a hip version of
Charlie Chaplin. Here, she gets ready to "fight" Aladdin
(Chris Booth), in order to trick him into warming up for the play.
Karate Kidz
October 1997
Praktica LTL-5
This
was shot near her apartment, at a nearby park. I needed to do
a motion study, and figured this would be a great place to get
both stop-motion and blurred shots. This particular day she showed
up late, having just come back from seeing her ailing father.
She was a trouper, though (as she always was during photo shoots),
and helped me get some fantastic shots.
Jumper
October 1997
Praktica LTL-5
This is a shot from the last
formal photo shoot we've done to date. I found this fantastic
outcropping near my house, along with an empty lot, and thought
it would be a great place to take pictures with a sort of desolate
theme. The contrast of Crystal (who is not a tall woman to begin
with) to the huge cliff before her has always been fascinating
to me.
Little Girl in a
Great Big World
September 1998
Pentax K-1000
This is one of the most recent
photos I have taken of Crystal, shot during a visit to Columbia
to have lunch with her (the pic was shot, not Crystal). She did
this great Marilyn Monroe pose after noting that it was a bit
windy outside that day. I later took this pic and transposed Crystal
into the famous "Seven Year Itch" shot of Marilyn, and
you can see the results here.
The Seven Year Crink
October 2000
Minolta SRT-102
