James Dean

James Dean continued.......

       After Dean’s excursions through foreign lands, he returned to Fargo to find a perfect opportunity to put his growing interest and talent in photography to good use. A friend and fellow photo lover, Mark Strand, gave Dean the proposition of a lifetime—a chance to be a part of the Dakota Photo Documentary Project (DPDP).
      “This project was a launching pad for James’ photography career,” Mark
Strand, Minnesota State University Moorhead professor of mass communications and director of the DPDP said.
      “James has always had a deep passion for photography, but the Dakota Photo Documentary Project was the first time his work was published,” Strand said.
    The aim of the DPDP was to provide a picture of every place with a name in North Dakota to the state historical society. Strand assigned Dean, along with seven other photographers, to create a photo essay on seven or eight different counties in North Dakota’s 53 counties.
       “It was a lot of fun yet hard and a great way to make a lot of fast friends,” Dean said. “It forced us all to take pictures.”
      The DPDP was funded by a federal grant which paid the salaries of the photographers and lab technicians from March 1 to July 1, 1976.
      “We received just enough money to pay for gas, film and lodging. It wasn’t a big money making project, but it was a wonderful learning experience,” Dean said.
      “Every Place With a Name,” the finished published project, detailed the pictures of DPDP and is featured at the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Many of the pictures were also submitted to other publications.
       “The Minneapolis Tribune published many of the pictures, along with various state agencies that used the pictures for brochures and pamphlets,” Strand said.
      Since the success of the Dakota Photo Documentary Project, Dean continues to use his eye for photography in many different ventures, while maintaining his talent as an architect. Dean keeps files upon files--—more than 20 different categories of his photo documentaries—stored in a house he designed, helped build and now calls home.
      Among these many photographic ventures is a documentary on basketball hoops titled “Rimshots.” The premise behind this unique documentary is a surprising one. “Rimshots” was originally meant to be used as an ad campaign for an insurance company in Fargo.
       “The company approached me to take pictures for this campaign. They were looking for some sort of cartoon or identity to use for their ads. The owner of the business was a basketball player, so I began taking pictures of basketball hoops," Dean said.
      The ad campaign fell through, but Dean discovered he had tons of pictures of basketball hoops in his archives.
      “I gathered all of the pictures together and soon I had a book,” Dean said.
Dean has also published a calendar displaying his works yearly since 1995. The calendars show pictures brimming with irony and humor.
      “James is very critical of how people live. He shows this well in his photography,” Strand said.
       “I love any excuse to poke around with my camera. Working on documentaries and my calendars is fun and a perfect excuse to look around,” Dean said.
      After a lifetime of snapping pictures, Dean says he still views the world the same way and gives this advice to future photo documentarians:
      “Always look around for a different way of looking at things. Always have your camera with you. It's just like any other form of art, practice—don't be afraid to just do it.”

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