Chris Chaffee: Helping vets express beauty once again

LightBenders photo course to assist vets who struggle with post-military challenges

When Chris Chaffee retired as a photographer, cameras pulled him out the door by the neckstraps in search of a new purpose.

Chaffee found that purpose by starting LightBenders, a new school of photography for veterans who struggle with the challenges of post-military service.

"They say that overcoming the effects of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is about as easy as bending light rays," he said, referring to how the name was derived. "If these veterans can step up to the challenges necessary to own PTSD more than it owns them, then they are strong enough to bend light rays, and I'm going to show them how."

LightBenders will be a free eight-week photography course to help local veterans deal with the effects of PTSD and other non-physical and physical combat-related injuries. It will be taught at the Veterans Outreach Center at Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center in Spokane Valley, and Chaffee is hoping the first class will start in June.

"I believe this is a divine calling, and I'm following it," said Chaffee, a Vietnam veteran. "I'm probably busier now than I was as a photographer."

Chaffee said LightBenders picks up where VA treatment ends.

"These veterans experienced the unforgettable, witnessed the unimaginable," he said. "LightBenders is here to help them discover and express beauty once again. They were there for us. Now they're home. Let's be there for them."

Chaffee also volunteers at veterans events and takes photos for Real Life Ministries, so starting up LightBenders was a natural for him.

More information on the school is available at facebook.com/lightbenders.vets. Chaffee can be messaged there or people can call him at 651-8134.

The program is not open to the public. Veterans will be recommended to the program by staff at the Veterans Outreach Center and the V.A. Medical Center and Outpatient Clinic.

Class subjects include: landscape and nature photography; portraiture; camera settings; composition and lighting; action and sports photography; and low-light and nighttime photography.

Tax-deductible donations can be made to LightBenders through the nonprofit Veteran Community Response, which is hosting LightBenders.

What did your military background consist of?

I was raised in a military family. We lived in Germany, Guam and several states. My dad (Robert) was an officer in Army intelligence. He spent many years at the Pentagon. A lot of what he did I don't know about. I have profound respect for the military. I joined the Navy at 17. The second day after I turned 17 I was in boot camp. That experience makes me sensitive to veterans causes, and the military got me into photography.

What did your military service include?

I served in Vietnam in the early 1970s both with the Navy off shore and the Marine Corps in country providing reconnaissance and photo services. My nickname was Pancho because I looked like one carrying ammunition for a squad gunner.

How did you get involved with photography?

I've been playing with it since I was 12. A friend owed me $2 and he couldn't pay it, so he gave me a Kodak Instamatic camera and six rolls of black-and-white film. From the first time out of the development tank, the hook was in me and never left. It defines me. My daughter is getting into it now and I'm extremely proud of her.

What has been your photography experience?

I owned Advanced Image and Printing on Seltice Way in Post Falls for eight years. I also worked for the Press Courier in Ventura County, California and the Ventura County Star Free Press. I've also owned and worked in photo labs large and small.

What is your favorite subject to shoot?

I love love nature photography, but I haven't done so much of it lately. A 30-foot camper was part of my retirement plan but it sits at the house untouched. I've got more important things to do than shoot pretty lakes and sunsets. I have fond memories of shooting in Glacier Park and other national parks. Parks is about all I miss about California.

Do you shoot film still?

I don't have time for film anymore. Film is no fun unless you can take it into the darkroom yourself.

Your camera collection is all Nikon. What's up with that?

I first started shooting with Nikon in 1972 in the Navy. I dropped a camera 50 feet onto the flight deck of the U.S.S. America aircraft carrier from a hovering helicopter. It blew the glass elements out of the front, but the camera was still good. Nikon is an optical technology company, and I've always appreciated that. I'm talking to Nikon about sponsoring LightBenders.

How long have you lived here?

I moved here in 1992 and have been living at Hauser Lake for 24 years. I have lived here longer than anywhere in my life, and I have no plans of changing that.

How did LightBenders start?

I discussed starting a camera club with Dr. Ken Cogswell, a psychologist at the V.A. Medical Center in Spokane. I realized while having a conversation with him that it could be made available to veterans who struggle with PTSD. A camera club is just a camera club, so he and I came up with this therapeutic endeavor. This is not sanctioned by the V.A. — it is an unknown therapeutic endeavor — but he encouraged me to pursue it.

When will the first class start?

Hopefully June 1, but that's dependent on a fundraising campaign and if I can get the cameras on time. The Veterans Outreach Center at Mirabeau Park will provide the classroom and they are providing personnel for clinical support. I'd like to get in four classes per year.

How is the fundraising campaign going?

We need $7,000 to kick it off for equipment. So far we have received a $500 donation from Disabled American Veterans Chapter 9 so far. If we don't receive the money before June 1, the class will be delayed. This is not on my timeline. It's on His. The class will not cost veterans anything. They'll return the equipment upon completion of the course. We have received great support from Camera Corral (in Coeur d'Alene) with equipment. I will supply the digital imaging software and computers.

How big will the classes be?

We'll only have six students at a time. We want to keep classes small. There will be classroom instruction then practical field applications. That will give me the opportunity to work with them one-on-one.

How much will you be paid for leading LightBenders?

I will not be paid one penny for what I'm doing.

What happens when students complete the course?

Our alumni will continue to take field trips. The program does not end. PTSD never ends and neither should LightBenders for my students. Alumni will be invited back as guest speakers and instructor assistants. Alumni members will also be invited to class graduation to welcome new members at a dinner ceremony. Additional specialty workshops are planned to further advance their knowledge and technique as photographers.

How will LightBenders help veterans?

There's one veteran who is interested in the program who has wanted to study photography. He agrees that it will be a launching pad to get him out of the house, which will help him socially reintegrate among other people in the community. We will have professional photographers critiquing their work and encouraging them. That interaction with other people will help them with depression and get them out into the field. Most importantly, we are showing them that they have beauty within and they can express it.

Will the veterans' work be viewed?

At the end of the course, we will show their work on a 65-inch TV that they can sit 10 feet way from. I want that for the wow factor. I'm looking forward to that moment when they can say, wow, I did that. A gallery wall of the students' work will also be at the V.A. and at the Veterans Outreach Center. I want them to be proud of the work they do. There may also be opportunities for them to sell their photos. A Facebook page will be created to showcase their weekly photos.

If veterans want to be considered for the class, how do they do that?

They need to register through the Veterans Outreach Center at (509) 444-8287.

Why do you continue to be involved in photography?

Every day I wake up I feel like I went to Disneyland and never left.