At some point, serious photographers develop their own style and find their inner eye. Like musicians, athletes, and scientists, there are the competent and there are the exceptional. Few can achieve the level of skill Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jordan or Albert Einstein have. They set the bar high. They also inspire others to work harder. They are the giants with big shoulders for others to stand on and reach new heights.

For photographers, the gold standard is Ansel Adams. He created the foundation modern photographers build on. He literally wrote the book on it, or should I say books. While Adams is known for his black and white photos, Yosemite in particular, his work informs all photography, even smartphone photographers who want to up their game.

Adams had many cameras, but the large format Deardorff 8x10 was a favorite. Very few still use the large format cameras. They’re heavy, and expensive to use, around $20 a shot for the negative film alone. That only scratches the surface when all the peripheral expenses are considered, the lenses, the developing, the miscellaneous accessories, and maintaining a vintage camera. So why would anyone take up such an expensive and time-consuming pursuit?

It’s all in the results. And nothing makes this clearer than the works of LeRoy DeJolie.

DeJolie, who is Diné, keeps the magic alive with the same camera Ansel Adam used, a beautiful Deardorff 8x10. DeJolie’s model was built in 1952 and looks like new. I was familiar with the Canyonland photographer’s work long before I moved to Page. DeJolie is widely published. I first met the big man (and the pristine Deardorff) at his booth at the 2019 Page-Lake Powell Balloon Regatta. Seeing his large prints on display was very different from seeing his work in magazines or on websites. It’s like the difference between seeing a famous painting on a postcard and seeing the original hanging in a museum. It comes alive.

We talked briefly about photography and frames that day. I learned he worked at the Navajo Generating Station. I was fascinated by his prints. It made me want to work harder on my own photography skills. He raised the bar.

My job as a reporter is to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then 2020 brought a new level of bad and ugly. When the opportunity to write a positive story came, I jumped at it. My first thought was DeJolie. He represents the people I’m most grateful for, the ones that raise the bar and inspire others.

I talked with DeJolie a second time Nov. 21 about a wide variety of topics. The conversation made me appreciate his art even more.

DeJolie grew up in the Kaibeto, Arizona, area. He is a second-generation photographer, following the footsteps of his father, a Korean War photographer. He said his father “came back with tons and tons of photography equipment … books, photographs and whatnot. I grew up with photography. I was one of the lucky few, or should I say the selected few to get a jump on photography, and it was all due to my father.”

DeJolie moved to Page to work for the Salt River Project at the Navajo Generating Station in 1978. He still works for SRP. When the plant closed November 2019, he transferred to the Phoenix area.

I asked him if the move affected his photography. He replied, “For the longest time, I’ve concentrated on northern Arizona. I mean everything up in the whole (Navajo Nation), off in Utah, in northwest New Mexico, the Grand Canyon area, the Kingman area––I’ve experienced all those years. Now that I have plenty of photographs of northern Arizona, I’m concentrating a lot now on southern Arizona.”

One of DeJolie’s favorite areas is the Sonoran Desert. He said, “There’s nothing like the Sonoran Desert. It’s just as beautiful as ever.” He also wants to visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument soon.

DeJolie plans to retire in about a year. He said, “I’m looking to retire, if not 2021, in 2022. I can finally say that I can see if the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m extra excited because I think it’s going to be well worth all the effort I put into SRP.”

He is expanding his catalog of photography with new locations. He said, “I’m looking to go from one state to the other. I’m going to put that big camera to work.” He plans to travel to places like Yosemite and Joshua Tree National Park. He said, “The various national parks that I’ve so long been wanting to do. Obviously, holding down the job, it’s kind of hard to get up and go to places like Big Bend, Texas, or Sands National Park in New Mexico. I’ll have a little more liberty to move around and get to the areas that I’ve always wanted to travel to.”

Alongside his work at SRP, DeJolie runs workshops for Arizona Highways magazine. He shares his insights with photographers in places like Bryce, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, and the slot canyons. Though 2020 events were canceled because of the pandemic, four workshops are scheduled in 2021, including the three-day “Bryce Canyon in Winter Photo Workshop” beginning Jan. 23.

DeJolie has mentored many young people over the years. In 2000, he started the My World project. When photographers began moving from film to digital, he asked them to donate their film cameras to the program. DeJolie said, “Folks were giving up their manuals film-style cameras. So, I sent out a little notice [to] let everyone know.”  

He said, “We had about a half-dozen outings with young kids on the (Nation). They were each given Premier film to work with. We would teach them how to utilize the camera, how to operate that camera. The whole idea is to photograph their world, their home, their family, their environment, and if they had sheep, they’d be there in the corrals.”  

The My World project continued for about five years before it became difficult to find sponsors. DeJolie would like to revive the project using digital cameras after he retires. His recognition as a world-class photographer has increased considerably in the last 20 years. Hopefully, this will inspire more sponsors to assist in the worthy cause.

We don’t know what the future holds, but as long as people continue to raise the bar for others to aspire to and beyond, there’s hope.

DeJolie’s art bursts with the spiritual connection he has with the land. His compositions are simultaneously precise and organic, and not by accident. He dedicates the thought and time needed to advance his craft to this level. For this, I’m both inspired and grateful. It adds not only to the richness of my own perspective on photography but to everyone who takes the time to appreciate what he’s accomplished.

About Share Gratitude 2020

We all have reasons to be thankful.
2020 has been a challenging year.
Through it all, we have learned about our ability to persevere and keep faith and hope live - and to find that undeniable attitude of GRATITUDE

The Lake Powell Chronicle would like to share your stories of gratitude with all of our readers. If you would like to contribute email Krista Allen, Editor at kallen@lakepowellchronicle.com.
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