A shot at success

Torus Tammer

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- Three years ago, after being given a camera as a

gift, Chris Mortimore decided to get serious about his hobby and work

toward becoming a professional photographer .

The 28-year-old Fountain Valley resident has moved a step closer to

his goal by winning the grand prize in the recent city-sponsored Fountain

Valley Hot Shots Around Town amateur photo competition with the picture

he took of a barnyard on the old Callens farm property, a half block east

of Brookhurst Street in Fountain Valley.

Mortimore, who said that winning the contest made him feel as though

he was a real photographer, described how he came up with the inspiration

for the winning photograph.

“I like to ride my bike around the city and that made me think about

what Fountain Valley was like when I was growing up. I was inspired to

take a picture of Callens corner because with buildings popping up

everywhere, it is one of the last great things in the city.”

Mortimore has been dabbling in photography since he was a student at

Fountain Valley High School. But it was seven years ago, when he was

working in a hospital as an emergency room file clerk, that a transition

in his life began.

Mortimore, who was also a budding actor at the time, was told about a

job by a writer that he knew. The job, driving a make-up trailer for

high-end fashion magazine photo shoots, was so interesting, he applied

for and got it.

It was during those years spent around the world of photography that

Mortimore developed more of an appreciation and understanding of the

profession. He also met and learned from the many photographers that he

worked worth. The most notable influence on him, according to Mortimore,

was photographer Greg Gorman.

However, Mortimore, who began appreciating the art of photography in a

way he had never done before, still did not have a decent camera with

which to practice and hone his craft. His first real camera was given to

him three years ago by longtime friend Matt Perlis.

“I won a photo competition at Orange Coast College, and the prize was

a new camera,” Perlis said. “The winning picture was an abstract of

Chris, so when I won a camera, I gave it to him as a gift because he had

helped me. I also knew he was interested in photography but didn’t have a

real camera.”

Mortimore said the new camera allowed him to experiment, and the job

kept him involved in both the aesthetic and economic realities of the

photography world.

“I didn’t really realize you could make a good living doing it

[photography],” Mortimore said. “But working in transport on photo

shoots, I realized there were millionaires in this field.”

Although he has been able to work with and observe the likes of such

high-end photographers as Annie Leibowitz and Steve Lippman, Mortimore

said he is planning on eventually being out on his own, photographing

real-life images.

“My goal isn’t to be a superstar photographer,” he said. “I just want

to make a living shooting the stuff I like to shoot.”

Highly acclaimed black-and-white photographer Greg Gorman has captured

the likes of Al Pacino, Andy Warhol, Mickey Rourke and Bette Davis, just

to name a few. Over the past four years, Mortimore has befriended the

respected photographer and sees him as somewhat of a mentor, claiming a

lot of what he is able to do, he owes to Gorman.

Gorman sees Mortimore’s potential as a photographer and said the

Fountain Valley resident has what it takes.

“It really wasn’t until Chris visited me at my home in Mendocino that

I realized what a profound eye he has,” Gorman said. “Upon our return

from my home, I received some photos taken on our trip, only to discover

that he [Mortimore] truly captured the essence of my retreat. Many people

think of themselves photographers, but it is only those with an

experienced eye that will prevail. Chris is well on his way.”

Mortimore said that he was happy about the $500 cash and that he

couldn’t wait to test out the Toshiba digital still camera that he won.

“I got married the day after I was awarded the prize,” Mortimore said.

“We drove to Vegas and drove through Death Valley, where I took my wife

to some of my favorite spots, and we took some pictures.”

But more important than the prizes, winning the Fountain Valley photo

contest gave Mortimore a boost of confidence. He said it has helped him

to ascertain a game plan for the coming year; which he feels will bring

him closer to his objective of getting paid to shoot pictures.”My next

step is that I want to stop driving trailers and start working as a

photographer’s assistant,” Mortimore said. “Every great photographer I

have seen or worked with has had a great assistant or a team of them. The

assistant has to know a lot and for me, being an assistant will be my

opportunity to learn. It’ll be my schooling.”