Statue Of Liberty Boosts Photographer's Career

November 29, 1985|By Bill Lohmann, United Press International

ATLANTA — The Statue of Liberty symbolizes opportunity to the tired and poor, so it seems proper that a struggling photographer seized the moment of the lady's birthday to turn a few old pictures into a personal bonanza.

Armed with some eye-catching photos, an innovative marketing strategy and a lot of gumption, Paul Leo Faso sold the The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation on his ideas and has been licensed as the official limited edition photographer for the statue's centennial.

In a matter of only a few months, Faso has evolved from a free-lance Atlanta photographer who drives a 14-year-old Thunderbird into a vital cog in the foundation's fund-raising machine. With passionate optimism, Faso, 40, says he hopes to become the largest individual contributor to the $230 million restoration drive for the statue and Ellis Island.

He also hopes to make more than a few bucks for himself.

''I've been living the starving artist thing, eking out a living as a commercial photographer,'' said Faso. ''What's happening to me now is unbelievable.

''I followed the expression, 'If you see the opportunity of a lifetime, grab it.' That's just what I did.''

The entire situation started innocently enough on a cold January day in 1977. Faso was in New York City shooting some pictures for a commercial client in Manhattan. He had never been to Liberty Island, so when he got a few free hours he hopped aboard the Staten Island Ferry and went to see the Statue of Liberty.

Faso snapped dozens of pictures using a filter to produce photographs with multiple images of the statue, giving the finished products an artistic touch. He developed the photos, enjoyed them and then filed them away with the rest of his work.

When he visited New York in 1984, Faso was aware of the restoration getting under way, so he made it a point to take a look at the statue. What he saw was the statue shrouded by workmen's scaffolding. The lightbulb in his mind clicked on.

''When I saw the scaffolding, I realized they couldn't take any more pictures until after the centennial,'' said Faso, who is an anthropologist by education and got interested in photography as a livelihood only about a decade ago. ''There are millions of pictures of the Statue of Liberty, but I've never seen any like mine. I thought maybe my pictures could be used.''

Faso wrote a letter to Lee Iacocca, chairman of the Centennial Commission, outlining his plans to sell the photographs to businesses, individuals and government agencies and raise millions of dollars for the statue's restoration.

He made in-depth presentations to the foundation three times before members finally relented last July and granted Faso one of only 72 licenses that have been given to companies and individuals to produce official Liberty Centennial paraphernalia. Each turns over a percentage of sales to the statue restoration.

Faso is using several photographs in his limited-edition series, the most prominent of which shows the statue in multiple images rising into a singular image of the torch. For those inclined, there can be some deep imagery in Faso's work.

''There's some majesty there and the whole idea of time,'' Faso said. ''Past, present and future.''

Then, there is the idea of money. Faso's series can sell from several hundred dollars for small pieces to thousands of dollars for mural-size. Each photograph will be reproduced through the dye-transfer method, which ensures color rentention and archival quality.

Faso's marketing plan is extensive, yet very simple. He will try to sell to just about everyone.

He is targeting the Fortune 500 companies for the sale of limited-edition portfolios and practically every other company, government agency, organization and individual that would have the funds and the inclination to purchase photographs of what he calls ''the national symbol of freedom.''

He's also talking about statue T-shirts, hats and other souvenirs bearing silhouette-like reproductions of his photographs.

''We want to go all the way around the world with this thing,'' Faso said. Faso also said he might be able to take some of the heat off the foundation, which has developed an image problem because some companies charge they have been ignored or left out of the fund-raising process.

''What I can do is help the foundation over its image problem,'' Faso said. ''They've dug themselves a hole. I want to counter that by getting all these corporations to participate, by giving them all a chance to say, 'We helped restore the statue.' ''

Faso will donate a percentage of his sales to the statue foundation. If sales go according to plans, Faso could donate a tidy sum that could run into the millions of dollars.