Shawn Mortensen, R.I.P., my friend

Just got some bad news this evening - photographer and artist Shawn Mortensen has passed away. I met him about 18 years ago (if I had to guess), at the Fresh Jive booth at ASR, and we got along immediately. I think that’s the way Shawn was with everyone - he was a quick, funny guy, and extremely friendly. After that, I would run into him at random times in L.A., a few times in New York, even once on the street in London, as though the cosmos had willed it, and I think for Shawn and his many adventures, they often did. When he told you a story, it was usually about the craziest travels and a-list names - and he always had photos to prove it, if you appeared to have any doubts. He knew just about everyone: a delicate and nearly invisible net that only a few people can create was cast by him, connecting so many people that if you’d mention someone you admired or wanted to meet, it was almost certain he’d reply “yeah, I was just with them at dinner last week.”

As a photographer, he was able to combine that talent for friendship with his other skill: being into nearly everything before most everyone else. It allowed him to get very personal photo shoots with up-and-comers, as well as those who had arrived, and he had the ear of many magazines and art directors that would send him to collect the many images he did. Fortunately for us, he was able to craft Out of Mind, a book of his work released in late 2007, after some bouncing around with publishers. An excellent collection of photos that shows just how far-reaching and deep his interests and acquaintances were, Out of Mind reads like a stack of unrelated magazines, butting Kate Moss (figuratively) right up against Zapatista rebels. Genesis P-Orridge, Tupac, Mike Muir all share pages with Mongolian nomads and images from the AIDS awareness conference he attended in Durban, Africa. William Eggleston, Biggie, Beastie Boys, Fema Kuti, Richard Prince… The list goes on and on. Looking at it all, it’s easy to forget that the photos are all from one amazing person. He was seriously ahead of the curve, and he will be missed.

Some of Shawn’s signature images. His picture of Biggie in BAPE (wearing Shawn’s own jacket - he was of course friends with Nigo over a decade ago) should tell you how far ahead this guy was. Get his book. It’s available at a steal from Amazon right now. You won’t regret it.