title: Ernest '59

(see the full-size close-up below)

I especially like this portrait of Ernest Hemingway because it captures not only much of his rugged character, but also his ability to focus intently on whatever he is interested in. This is one of his abilities he used to advantage as a writer/reporter. I took this portrait during his last Pamplona Fiesta in 1959. We met accidentally and when he learned that I had just back-packed through North Africa searching for a fortified mountain that had been a bottleneck for the Allied armies during WWII, he invited me to join his circle of friends at their table in the square.

Though surrounded by the noise of the fiesta, Ernest was engrossed in a conversation with two attractive young women beside him. The one closest to him was 19-year-old Valerie Danby-Smith who years later married his youngest son, Gregory H. Hemingway. When I asked if I might photograph him, Ernest begrudgingly gave me permission, growling, "Just don’t ask me to pose." So I didn’t.

This photograph was made on black and white film with my 2 ¼ x 2 ¼-inch Rollieflex camera. Later I scanned it into my computer and enlarged it focusing on his face. Toning the portrait sepia matched his tan features. The canvas texture matches his ruggedness. Finally, printing it on 13 x 19-inch textured Radiant White watercolor adds the final touch to my favorite Portrait of Papa.

This is a close-up image from the full-size print, showing the detail involved