Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
For a moment, the work stops.
A fisherman sits at the edge of the river.
His hands rest around a long wooden pole. His hat shades his face. His boots are planted on the wet boards beneath him. Behind him, Celilo Falls continues to thunder.
Richard notices the pause.
That may be what makes this photograph so affecting.
There is nothing theatrical about it. The man does not appear to be performing for the camera. He seems absorbed in his own moment between actions.
And Richard lets him be.
Look at how much the young photographer tells us without requiring his subject to face us.
The worn clothing.
The hands around the pole.
The boots.
The wet platform.
The equipment scattered nearby.
The falls blurred behind him.
This is portraiture through observation.
Decades later, Richard Stefani would become known for photographing people. Here, at twenty-three, we can already see one of the instincts that would serve him throughout that career.
He understood that a person's presence could sometimes be revealed most clearly when they were not looking at the camera at all.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
10 × 10 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
20 × 20 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
30 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
Richard Stefani (1933–2022)
From Before the Water Rose: Celilo Falls, 1956
For a moment, the work stops.
A fisherman sits at the edge of the river.
His hands rest around a long wooden pole. His hat shades his face. His boots are planted on the wet boards beneath him. Behind him, Celilo Falls continues to thunder.
Richard notices the pause.
That may be what makes this photograph so affecting.
There is nothing theatrical about it. The man does not appear to be performing for the camera. He seems absorbed in his own moment between actions.
And Richard lets him be.
Look at how much the young photographer tells us without requiring his subject to face us.
The worn clothing.
The hands around the pole.
The boots.
The wet platform.
The equipment scattered nearby.
The falls blurred behind him.
This is portraiture through observation.
Decades later, Richard Stefani would become known for photographing people. Here, at twenty-three, we can already see one of the instincts that would serve him throughout that career.
He understood that a person's presence could sometimes be revealed most clearly when they were not looking at the camera at all.
Estate Edition
Printed from Richard Stefani's original 1956 color negative.
Chromogenic photographic print on Fuji Crystal Archive DP II paper, produced in Germany and mounted under matte, reflection-reducing acrylic glass with aluminum Dibond backing. Presented in a handcrafted Basel black oak floater frame. Ready to hang.
Each work is accompanied by Richard Stefani Estate documentation recording the photograph, edition number, edition size, production specifications, and provenance.
10 × 10 in.
Edition of 25
$1,500
20 × 20 in.
Edition of 15
$3,200
30 × 30 in.
Edition of 10
$6,500
Edition sizes are fixed and will not be increased.
