Photographer Charter Weeks shares a story of a life lived internationally, and a portfolio filled with momentous moments. Visit his website to see more of his work.
“Aqueduct” photo montage, photography, sizes vary
I began life as an art student in the 1960s at University of New Hampshire, drawing, painting, and printmaking. I applied to, and was accepted at Rhode Island School of Design. Although I really wasn’t very good, I had the good fortune to begin studying photography with Harry Callahan.
“Kids Street Agadez R2” photography, sizes vary
The world was awash in the most extraordinary social documentary images since World War II. The Vietnam war and the civil rights movement were widely shown on the evening news, the daily papers, and magazines.
“Central Park Tabla Player” photography, sizes vary
As a student and anti war activist, these images had a profound effect on me. I also went on to register black voters in the South.
“Hari Krishna, New York City” photography, sizes vary
After college I went to London and enrolled at The London School of Film Technique. This was to essentially extend my student deferment from the military.
“Ghana Cropped Junk Yard Taxi” photography, sizes vary
Upon graduation, I returned to New York City in 1967. I opened a successful commercial photography studio and film company. Our film company was hired by the British Broadcasting Corporation to shoot all their US news and documentary projects for two years. We filmed in Harlem the night Martin Luther King was killed.
“Sharecropper Family” photography, sizes vary
In 1970, I decided to move to Japan to teach photography and design at an American college based in Hiroshima. In 1971, the world fell into a deep recession. I returned to New Hampshire and built my own house in a rural landscape.
“James Briggs” photograph, sizes vary
Subsequently, I had a series of jobs that included filmmaking, film editing, graphic design, commercial photography, and finally, running an industrial / B2B advertising agency for forty years. I retired from it in 2020.
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