Howard had a long history in the field of architecture, graduating with an Associate's degree in 1948 and a Master's Degree in Architecture in 1952. He worked for many years at Crites & McDonnell, best known for developing the Iowa State Center and designing C.Y. Stepehens Auditorium, the latter named "Iowa Building of the Century" in 2004.
I had Howard as my architectural photography professor in the fall of 2005. It was my third year in college and while I had always had an interest in photography, I wanted to move beyond the basics of my little HP point-and-shoot camera. I remember the first day of class: Howard was very soften spoken and somtimes hard to hear, but he was also tough as nails. He would call on students in class who were not paying attention and was still very sharp at his age. I remember the first week being a little intimidating.
But the more time spent getting to know Howard, the more I really came to respect him and his sometimes harsh criticism. Howard was no coddler; he would tell it like it was. If he didn't like an angle chosen or the time of day of the shoot, one would hear about it. But he was always there to offer suggestions, and when he praised a photograph, you knew he meant it.
Our final project was to select a building to photograph and present it to the class in Powerpoint format. Little did I know that the building I had chosen, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium, was one that Howard had been deeply involved in. As I quickly found out, that meant that Howard expected a lot from my presentation!
My early photos were less-than-stellar. Howard knew the good angles of C.Y. Stephens, and I had not found them yet. One was taken at sunset and had (what I thought was) an interesting orange reflection on the glass, but Howard was instantly drawn to the out-of-place yellow school bus in the middle of the photograph. At an in-class review, I distinctly remember Howard commenting that I chose the most unflattering angle of C.Y. Stephens I possibly could have. Plenty of criticism, but good criticism.
As the semester wore on, I learned about context, timing, and themes. My photography improved greatly, thanks to advice from Cameron and Howard. I recall photographing the interior of C.Y. Stephens and being in awe of the building's scale and timeless design. Our final review was a fifteen minute slideshow; I presented my best work set to a storyline detailing the history and concept behind C.Y. Stephens.
I will never forget one of Howard's comments during that final review. I had taken a photograph at twighlight from the northwest near the Scheman Building, capturing the theatrical glow of the floodlights on the facade as they welcomed show-goers on a cool fall evening. Howard said it captured the moment well, and it was one of the best photographs he had seen of C.Y. Stephens over the years. But he also commented--it needed more people!
Howard Heemstra was a great professor, an insightful person, and a fair critic. While he came off tough at times, his ultimate goal was that we learn from our mistakes. Howard taught us how to tell a story with our photographs, and that is a lesson that I continue to take with me in my career.
