Timothy Archibald -- Great Relationships + Great Cannoli's @ Lezza & Sons in Chicago

In listening to Timothy talk about what made a recent production his dream job of 2010, I was surprised to later find myself thinking about Theo. Theo whom I’d met in September 1984. Something about a wild night and about a Harley translated that Theo had a prosthetic leg. In 12-ish years working together, we never much discussed if it ever got in the way, not even when it flew off on the log ride at Splash Mountain. And I hadn’t thought about Theo or prosthesis for the last few years until Timothy was awarded a 4-city, 8-portrait assignment for Otto Bock’s C-leg Relationship Campaign. Otto Bock being a German prosthetics company situated in Duderstadt—it was founded in 1919 by its namesake prosthetist, Otto Bock.

Not only did Edenspiekermann’s US concept want to focus on the patient’s and their CP’s but the portraits would need to reinforce the intense partnership and trust forged in their bond. Final images were to be 4-color black and white. Which meant to Timothy that this one would be all about a creative freedom borne from what he decided would be a very intimate production. When I asked him about what had been different, he shared that a unique component had been coordinating his one-on-one phone interviews that had taken place prior to the shoots. The conversations were ‘very free flow, no discussions of disabilities, only abilities - very human while respecting boundaries’. And why the Canon 1DS, Mark II - ‘It was heavy, a camera to have a relationship with.’

Click here for words from Timothy over at the Archibald blog