L'Italo-Americano

SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano W h e n v i e w i n g the work of former S e a t t l e Times chief photographer J o s e f S c a y l e a , c e r t a i n adjectives keep popping up: stark, dramatic, powerful, bold. S c a y l e a , w h o d i e d i n 2004, was a local treasure known for creating portraits of working men and women that are honest and down- to-earth. Often these indi- viduals would be captured in their work environments – maybe on a ferry or fish- ing boat, in front of a barn o r g a t h e r i n g h a y i n t h e fields. H e w a s k n o w n f o r h i s spectacular outdoor photog- r a p h y , t o o – a p a i r o f f l y fishermen at Snoqualmie F a l l s a n d a s k i e r d o i n g a backwards flip on a moun- tain slope. Then there are the landscapes with their dramatic lighting and visual intensity, looking more like abstract art than photogra- phy. B o r n i n 1 9 1 3 , J o s e f Scaylea spent 35 years at the Seattle Times where he rose to become chief pho- t o g r a p h e r . T h e s o n o f Italian immigrants from northern Italy, his family h a d s e t t l e d i n S o u t h G l a s t o n b u r y , C o n n . T h e family name was originally Scaglia, but Josef changed the spelling later in life so it w o u l d b e e a s i e r t o p r o - nounce. H i s f a m i l y m a n a g e d a fruit orchard and, as a boy, Josef wandered the hills and fields of Connecticut, notic- ing the changing cloud pat- terns and studying how sun- light hit the landscape. He decided that photography was his calling. In the mid- 1930s, he left New England t o a t t e n d p h o t o g r a p h y school in New York. At the time, there were plenty of outlets for photographers and he soon started receiv- ing assignments and selling his work to corporate and trade publications, includ- ing Ford Motor Company. In December 1941, just days before the Japanese a t t a c k e d P e a r l H a r b o r , Scaylea was drafted into the A r m y A i r F o r c e s . D u r i n g World War II, he flew on p h o t o g r a p h i c m i s s i o n s , recording battles over the Pacific near Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines. At one point, he was stationed at Paine Field, about 20 miles north of Seattle, as well as M o s e s L a k e i n G r a n t County, where he marveled at the diversity and beauty o f W a s h i n g t o n S t a t e . H e vowed to make the Pacific Northwest his home. A s m a l l m a n , S c a y l e a s t o o d a b o u t 5 ' 2 " a n d w e i g h e d n o t m u c h m o r e than 100 pounds. Despite his diminutive size, his ener- gy and drive were gigantic. H i s s t y l e o f p h o t o g r a p h y was revolutionary for its day and he helped bring a more magazine-style approach to t h e p a g e s o f t h e S e a t t l e Times. Readers responded positively. "He worked for a newspa- per but he wasn't a photo- journalist," said Jerry Gay, a former Seattle Times pho- tographer and Pulitzer Prize winner who was mentored by Scaylea. "He was interest- ed in qualities of light, not in news. The audience loved him. Every time one of his s c e n i c p h o t o s r a n i n t h e p a p e r , p e o p l e w o u l d respond in the thousands, asking for copies." Newspaper photography was just part of his career. He published seven books o n p h o t o g r a p h i c t h e m e s , including the 1967 publica- t i o n , M o o d s o f t h e M o u n t a i n , w h i c h s h o w - cased 20 years of his photos of M o u n t R a i n i e r , cap- tured through the seasons and from different vantage p o i n t s . H i s p h o t o g r a p h s were also featured in Look and Life magazines as well a s S p o r t s I l l u s t r a t e d , Newsweek and the Saturday Evening Post, among others. He won more than 1,000 photography awards in his l i f e t i m e , i n c l u d i n g b e i n g n a m e d W e s t C o a s t Photographer of the Year 10 times and one of the top 10 Press Photographers of the Nation – an honor he also received 10 times. O n e o f h i s m o s t w e l l - known photographs is an o v e r h e a d v i e w o f t h e University of Washington rowing team (think "Boys in t h e B o a t " ) w h i c h h e t o o k from the Montlake Bridge. In 1954, the image was cho- s e n a s L o o k M a g a z i n e ' s Sports Photograph of the Year. Scaylea thought nothing of waiting hours for the light t o b e j u s t r i g h t , a n d h i s nature shots show his deter- mination and skill. Horses a r e c a p t u r e d s t a n d i n g patiently in the foggy mist on a farm in Woodinville, w a v e s b r e a k a l o n g R u b y Beach on the Washington coast, and scores of snow geese take to the skies over La Conner. But it's his portraits that make the viewer stop and take notice. These strong, intense images – especially the ones in black and white – s h o w c a s e h i s u n i q u e vision and the dignity he brought to his subjects. "I wanted to show real people: a farmer in the Palouse, a horse breaker in the Yakima Valley, a Scandinavian fish- erman," he once said. And photograph them, he did. There's fisherman Andy Churlin, tying a rope around a wooden barrel and grin- ning widely. Businessman R u d i B e c k e r , o n c e n i c k - named Seattle's most color- ful citizen, is dressed in a bulky Nordic sweater and Greek cap, looking for all the world like a Northwest Ernest Hemingway. Pizza m a k e r V i n c e G u i f f r e i s caught in mid-throw as the pizza dough spins in the air. W h e n h e t u r n e d 7 0 , Scaylea was asked to retire f r o m t h e S e a t t l e T i m e s , which was the norm at the time. But that didn't stop him. He continued to take photographs, relying on his H a s s e l b l a d c a m e r a a n d Zeiss lenses. No digital cam- eras for him, although he once said he had nothing against those who preferred the new technology. "I strive f o r b e a u t y i n i t s m y r i a d f o r m s a n d f o r a f a i t h f u l r e p r o d u c t i o n w h i c h w i l l carry a special message to each person," Scaylea said. "I believe photography can- not be effective unless it is completely honest and with- out gimmicks." Scaylea died at the age of 91, survived by four daugh- ters, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. RITA CIPALLA Vince Giuffre, keeping his eye on his flying pizza dough, 1954 (MOHAI collection, photo by Josef Scaylea) Josef Scaylea: Northwest photography icon

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