RECORD: Ben Mah

When Ben Mah arrived in Salem via Nevada, it was purely family driven. With a sister outside of Turner and a brother in Seattle, he figured this area was as good as any, but his goal was not necessarily to set down roots. He was just looking for something short term until he figured out where he wanted to go…that was almost five years ago.

A period of transition, the change of location also inspired a change of career and while figuring out what direction he wanted to go, Ben, who had a background in video production and dabbled in photography, took a couple of classes at Chemeketa Community College to get back into the feel of things, to “tighten his skills.”

“One of the classes I took was a documentary photography class and the final project was a photo essay. I had not lived in Salem for a year. I didn’t know anything about the town, but I talked to my teacher and he suggested I check out the roller derby. It was a good subject for a photo essay.”

Roller derby welcomed Ben with open arms. Shoot whatever you want, he was told by Salem’s local league Cherry City Roller Derby.

Ben completed his assignment, submitted his essay, and got a good grade…then, two weeks before heading out on a fact-finding mission to Minnesota, for potential relocation, Ben received an invitation “Do you want to shoot our championships?” The event was a day after he was supposed to leave.

“It felt like an opportunity I was supposed to take,” Ben said. “I postponed the trip and stuck around.”

First camera: Minolta XD-11

Favorite lens: “With my current set up, my favorite lens is my 85 mm. It’s a good portrait-length. I like to do a lot of creative portraiture.”

Favorite type of photography: Portraiture

Why Black & White: “Working in black and white, I think I see things…not better, just differently,” Ben said. “There is something about black and white that makes you really focus on the image. Take out the color and you are left with what’s happening…the scene. I like that about it.”

Why roller derby? “It’s the polar opposite of everything I do. Fast. Unpredictable. Dynamic…and the worst conditions to shoot in. It’s challenging and who doesn’t like a challenge. I think it makes me a better photographer.”

Where to find him: www.benmaphoto.com 

This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 1 (Jun/Jul 2018)