A Redefining Conversation with Randy Bacon

Photo Credit: Heidi Herrman

Randy Bacon is a contemporary American portrait photographer and filmmaker based in Springfield, Missouri. He has an extensive history in portrait photography and documentary filmmaking, as well as humanitarian work. At the core of his work is the ability to present emotive, authentic visual stories of the people he photographs. Randy and his work have been featured in numerous print and broadcast coverage. In addition, his artwork has been displayed in solo exhibitions across the United States and internationally, including Hickory Museum of Art, Springfield Art Museum, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Norfolk Arts Center, Brick City Museum of Art at Missouri State University, Leedy Voulkos Art Center, Pool Center of Art at Drury University, Davis Art Gallery at Stephens College and elsewhere. Randy is also co-founder and artist behind the nonprofit people empowering story movement, 7 Billion Ones.

Randy began studying art and photography at Missouri State University before changing to psychology and earning his Bachelor of Science degree. Since 1984, Randy has been practicing photography professionally and has been in demand since, including traveling to destinations across the USA and internationally.  His portrait photography has received many awards, including All About Photo (AAP) - Winner, Portrait, CPC Portrait Awards - Grand Prize Winner, Umbra International Photography Awards - Grand Prize Winner, Tokyo, International Photography Awards - Winner, Portrait, American Photo Magazine- Portrait winner, Monochrome Photography Awards and others.

When describing Randy's portrait artwork, it is uncompromising, poetic, and rooted in the textures of lived experiences. His photography often spotlights aspects of society that are comfortably ignored and or inaccurately misjudged. He poignantly illuminates and humanizes complex themes, including illness, mental health, death, homelessness, poverty, disability, addiction, suicide, and countless other life challenges that people face, either directly or indirectly. Through portraits and heartfelt narratives, Randy approaches each person with compassion, honesty, and vulnerability, which results in a special bond between him and the subject. His work can be thought-provoking and emotional, including even being melancholic at times, yet his goal clearly is not to grow despair and hopelessness. His photography speaks the polar opposite of this. Randy's work is there to illustrate the beauty, strength, and power of human perseverance. As individuals and humanity, we can be victorious over the most difficult life experiences and live out a full life of hope, love, joy, and purpose in the midst of it. Randy states, "Ultimately, my photographic work is there to motivate us to engage in difficult conversations and challenge us to do better for each other in these increasingly fragile and volatile times...to realize just how incredibly special and important each 'one' is in this world of over seven billion people."

Randy's film career began in 2011 with the release of his directorial and production debut, "The Last Days of Extraordinary Lives." The movie garnered significant coverage and awards, including being broadcast on PBS. "The Last Days of Extraordinary Lives" ran the film festival circuit and accumulated an impressive fifteen film festival official selections, and won fourteen awards, including Best Documentary, Best Picture, and Best Director. Shortly after that, Randy released his second full-length documentary, "Man Up and Go," which received an official selection at nine national/international film festivals. Both films are signed to the Academy Award-winning film company Earthworks Films and are distributed nationally by FilmRise. 

In 2015, Randy founded and launched the nonprofit humanitarian story movement, 7 Billion Ones, which documents lives, shares stories, connects communities, and empowers mankind. 7 Billion Ones is dedicated to using the art of photography, motion films, and narratives to present people's unique stories in an artful, honest and impactful manner.

I had the pleasure and honor of asking Randy about his numerous projects that focus on the core elements of humanity, including his latest project, 7 Billion Ones, how is the role of humanitarians and artists similar, how artists and humanitarians are identical, and so much more.

Randy's most recent exhibit entitled "7 Billion Ones - A Randy Bacon Retrospective" is on view at the Hickory Museum of Art.

UZOMAH: How can art reduce stigmas on issues such as mental illness and other pressing causes facing humanity?

RANDY: First and foremost, I do fully believe that art has a power, a beautiful power, to reduce stigmas and other issues that we face as humanity.  In my opinion, artists have been given a very special gift with their artistic abilities and passion to create.  However, with this gift, I also think artists carry a serious responsibility to create work that is not only aesthetically pleasing and interesting to view but literally can reach the depths of viewers'  hearts, minds, and souls.  When this happens, this is the magical point when art can create growth and change within individuals and society.  However, personally, I just wish more artists fueled their work with a burning compassion for people and humanity too. Combining artistic abilities with passion AND compassion creates a megaphone universal voice that can bring much-needed light, hope, love, and change into this world.

U: What made you want to start taking photographs? 

R: From a very young age, I was always interested in art and the creative process.  As a kid, art was what I did for fun. And, to me, it was a whole lot of fun!

Then, when I was 15 years old, my mother surprised me with $150 to go and buy a camera, which turned out to be a used Pentax 35mm camera with a 50mm standard lens. Up to that point, I literally had never taken any photos, to speak of.  And at the time, I had no idea what this contraption made of metal, glass, and plastic would do for me personally, but I can completely say photography changed my life.  The camera wholeheartedly became my paintbrush, so to speak, to create work that, hopefully, people would see the artistic value.  The camera became my muse, and even after all of these decades of being a photographer, this love affair has endured the test of time. For a fact, I find I am more fascinated and interested in photography now, more than ever.

U: What artist, actor, or public figure past or present with a mental illness would you like to take pictures and tell their stories and why?

R: Well, I really can't say one specific person since literally there are countless artists, actors, and public figures that I would greatly love to photograph!  And mental health, in one form or another, impacts everyone. Really, no one is exempt from its reach. 

However, for me as an artist,  the driving force behind my work comes down to my unending intrigue with the simple fact that we each are a one-of-a-kind work of art.  I am fascinated that when I photograph someone, I literally have never photographed anyone like them before. Add to this that we all have a unique, special story, and an integral part of a person's story relates back to the difficult, sometimes overwhelming, life challenges we all face, such as mental illness. The truth is that our raw, vulnerable story is important and even becomes part of our life purpose.  A purpose, at its core, is to help others; to connect humanity; to bring a bit of hope and love in this world; to let people know they are not alone.  So, being able to photograph individuals that are well-known in the public eye excites me because of how that one-of-a-kind person and their story could literally inspire multitudes of people.

U: How has the community of Springfield responded to your expansive projects exploring humanity with actual residents?

R: I was born and raised around Springfield, Missouri, which is a smaller city of about 200,000 residents. After studying at Missouri State University and then began developing my artistic style of photography, I thought I would have to move to the East Coast or West Coast to really build a career in portrait art and still stay true to my vision. Oh, how I was wrong! Simply put, the community here has embraced my work and has allowed me to fully grow and realize my artistic purpose.

A big part of my portfolio consists of people from my community. However, as my career has unfolded and grown significantly over the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to travel to a majority of the United States, as well as many countries capturing portraits and stories.  I have to say, and it is such an honor knowing that people in my community and far beyond believing in me see the importance of my work I am creating, and they see the beauty, authenticity, and artistic value of my portraiture. It blows my mind realizing my work has a global connecting power. 

"Georgeanna", 32"x32", 2015, Giclee inkjet photograph with archival lamination surfacing, included in "7 Billion Ones:  A Randy Bacon Retrospective" exhibition

U: Too often, the light is shed more on men taking their lives than women. How did you go about displaying Georgeanna’s story so that women would get attention and also shed light on an issue that still does not get much discussion even though it is a pressing concern?

R: When I hear that someone died by suicide; whether I know them or not, it floors me. It breaks my heart imagining the hopelessness, loneliness, and despair that person was going through that resulted in that ending. When you look at society as a whole, four times more men die by suicide than women, which is staggering. Still, the truth remains millions of women are dying by suicide each year, and they need a voice too. Georgeanna wants to be that voice. With my series of portraits and stories of suicide survivors, that's exactly what I want to do.  I want to create a voice for the voiceless and begin conversations about topics people avoid, don't understand, and negatively judge.  In actuality, most of my work is trying to do just that.

Interestingly, when I photographed Georgeanna and recorded her story, I actually did not even know beforehand about her struggles which led to her suicidal thoughts and actions. Georganna vulnerably and bravely revealed many personal details about her life, including this part of her story. But here's the thing. Georgeanna took that big, scary step to talk about suicide, hoping that her story could help other women AND men who are feeling so lost and hopeless like she was. In my book, that makes Georgeanna a hero.  Actually, with pretty much every portrait and story I capture for my exhibitions and projects, the motivation of the person revealing such intimate facts about their life goes back to their sincere hope to help even one person. 

"Ashley", 34"x78", 2020, Giclee inkjet photograph with archival lamination surfacing, included in "7 Billion Ones: A Randy Bacon Retrospective" exhibition

U: The story of Ashely is untold, one that people often think they are familiar with the topic. However, you were able to amplify one of her statements about how abuse becomes a part of you. Your ability to depict this in your image of her brings a humane side to being a victim. No one is asking for it or wants to accept the abuse. What do you want viewers to take away from Ashely’s story, and why was her story compelling to you?

R: Yes, Ashley's story was untold. The stories of millions and millions of other domestic abuse survivors are untold. But these are people, victims, that deserve to be heard. Again, I want to create a voice for the voiceless that will begin conversations. 

What I learned from Ashley and the many other domestic abuse survivors I photographed is that it can be anyone.  It can be a family member, a neighbor, a friend, or a coworker.  I discovered that it impacts all ethnicities and all socio-economic demographics. No part of this world is immune from this difficult problem. As a society, we cannot avoid this problem. People need help. 

Thinking about Ashley's story and the impact it had on me, it goes back to her perseverance to not give up. She wanted to do whatever was necessary to ensure a better, safer life for her kids and herself. That just made me think that no matter what mountain of a problem any of us face, we have to just keep pushing on. We have to get through this day and then the next and then the next. We have to believe that we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for and that we can be victorious.  We have to believe in our hearts that life can be better...that the best is yet to come.

"Kenny", 32"x32", 2016, Giclee inkjet photograph with archival lamination surfacing, included in "7 Billion Ones: A Randy Bacon Retrospective" exhibition

U: What about Kenny’s story stuck out to you? How did you strive to show the stigmas Kenny was struggling with in the world with no home? Kenny’s story takes a different turn, as people assume that you come from poor living conditions if you are homeless.

R: A little back story about Kenny. When he first came to my studio to be photographed and share his story, he left very suddenly because he got so emotional sharing details of his life. I already had his portraits taken at that point, but I did not get his story. Then a month or two later, he came back and said he was now ready to share his story.

What grabbed me about Kenny is that being homeless can happen to anyone.  And I really want people to know, that Kenny is a wonderful, sensitive, interesting, and likable person. I have literally photographed hundreds of homeless individuals, and I can tell you I call each of them friends. Ultimately, that is really what I hope people walk away with from Kenny's portrait and story, as well as the many others I have shared.  The homeless are people, just like you and me.  They have dreams, and aspirations, and want to love and be loved.  They want and deserve dignity.  They want to feel they matter.  As Kenny told me, "How to help the homeless? An easy thing is simply talking to them, you know. Ask them if they need something, and try to help your fellow man. And just quit stereotyping people, because everybody is the same when it comes down to it. Nobody is better than anyone else. We’re all the same."

"Trent", 36"x36", 2018, Giclee inkjet photograph with archival lamination surfacing, included in "7 Billion Ones: A Randy Bacon Retrospective" exhibition

U: With Trent, he discusses things he can not do because of his down syndrome that his brother and sister can do. He also mentions his friendship with Jesus. How did you capture that hope he still has?

R: With Trent, it was so easy capturing that hope and excitement he has for life. Why? This is because he is naturally overflowing with those qualities.  Trent loves life, even with his challenges.

Trent, and others living with Down Syndrome, have a refreshing way of looking at life that cuts through the things that are important and those things that are not important. I learned so much about living life from him and the others that are part of this series of work.  I actually remember Trent telling me about how he gets up before sunrise every day simply to see the sunrise. He does this to see the beauty and majesty each and every day.  With the hustle and bustle of life, the huge majority of us never slow down and or take the time to see the miracle of a sunrise or other magical things that happen throughout each day.  So simple but so powerful.

U: How did you convince each person involved to be vulnerable with their illness? How did you make everyone comfortable during the process of capturing them?

R: I am continually amazed at how people openly share themselves and intimate details about their life with me. With all of my photo sessions, I keep them as real and organic as possible...whatever happens, happens. Definitely, I never try to convince anybody to do or say anything. That applies to the way they are posing for the portrait and to the stories they share. I want my work to be as much about the subject as possible and as little to do about me. In the end, I think this represents my work's special qualities that resonate with viewers. People can instantly look at my work and feel that it is raw, real, and truthful.  People crave these qualities.

During my shoots, I want to personally and deeply connect with the subject on a human level. I want them to understand that I truly see them and their story as incredibly special. I also want them to see themselves as being incredibly special. This is important because, as humans in this society, it is so easy to look at ourselves and be negative and critical. We don't see the miracle that we are. So I present an atmosphere that grows trust, acceptance, openness, caring and love during my shoots. Again, whatever happens, happens. I think my subjects sense all of this, which helps them to completely just be themselves and share their story.

"Wesley", 36"x36", 2019, Giclee inkjet photograph with archival lamination surfacing, included in "7 Billion Ones: A Randy Bacon Retrospective" exhibition

U: When you took Welsey’s portrait, how did you work to show his story of how he details the difference between being disabled and able-bodied? What can people learn from Wesley about the biggest struggles of being disabled?

R: Wesley's story was so tragic, yet turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened in his life. Here was this very young man who made a couple of bad choices and was shot and paralyzed. In an instant, his life was forever changed. 

Wesley went through the grief and severe depression of the situation, coupled with the new physical challenges he would face in his new world. But he had that one thing in his life that kept him pushing forward; in Wesley's case, it was his daughter. I think every one of us has a "special something" in life that keeps us pushing on through our challenges. Wesley so powerfully presents that we have to grab on with all of our might to those things that matter most. These become our strength to push full steam ahead, in spite of our circumstances, and live out a wonderful life.

Now Wesley is literally living his best life.  Yes, he still deals with some physical challenges, but they are not holding him back.  That is what I want people to understand.  Whether it is a disability someone is dealing with or any other life challenge, you can still live an amazing life filled with opportunities. As Wesley said, "Everything happens for a reason. The man who shot me saved my life. Once I embraced my reality, I was able to free my mind and transform my life into what it is today. This transition taught me how to be fearless. It taught me how to be confident -- to be more."

U: How is the role of humanitarian and artist similar?

R: For me personally, the role of humanitarian and artist are completely intertwined. I now see my fascination and compassion for this thing called a human as being my biggest inspiration to create my best artwork. And, I have to say, this keeps me very excited about creating new work and growing as an artist.  With the sheer uniqueness of each person and that these portraits and stories can impact lives, I really don't ever see myself stopping being a photographer. It is essentially my lifeblood.

U: What is the best benefit from working with people from different situations and circumstances that are often overlooked?

R: I see that our situations and circumstances don't have to define who we are. We can be a wonderful addition to this planet and have a great life, in spite of the junk we deal with as individuals. From the thousands upon thousands of people and their stories that I have captured, I have also realized that everybody is dealing with some kind of mess either now or at some point in their life. Nobody is exempt from this.  So, as we look at other people or even ourselves, we all need to learn more grace... we all need to learn to be more understanding...we all need to learn not to be so judgmental..we all need to learn how to love more...we all need to see more clearly that each person is a miracle, no matter who they are.

For more information about Randy’s work, please visit his site, and for more information about his non-profit 7 Billon Ones, please visit the site.