Sixty Years On The Hill: People of the Manhattan Project 1943-45 

As I planned, interviewed, and  photographed, I became consumed by the quest. I was always looking down the road for the next subject and another original story. I spent the hours driving to and from Albuquerque or Los Alamos or wherever thinking about what else I could do, whom else I could interview and photograph. I wanted as wide a spectrum of people and their functions as possible, and I worked at making that a reality.

The series evolved from just portraits to portraits with stories. And then I thought it would be interesting to have photos of the people as they looked during the war years. People were generous and trusting; they lent me their pictures to scan into my computer. To locate the people, I initially used a Lab retirement list which  included   retirement dates. I was helped immensely by those who suggested others to interview and photograph, and who sometimes made the initial contact for me by phone.

These are special, human interest stories that have not been previously recorded. I set out to preserve the stories along with portraits of the people who told them to me. I knew there was an immediacy to the project – these are stories from people who lived and worked at a project that changed the world more than a half-century ago – and I was impelled to record their images and their stories.

This documentary series was completed over a period of about two years. The people in this series live in Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Española, White Rock, San Ildefonso Pueblo, or Santa Clara Pueblo. I interviewed them in their own homes before I photographed them because it is necessary for me to establish a bond with each person I photograph to get the best portrait possible. I usually spent two hours talking with and photographing each subject. I looked for the best location in or around the home for the photographs. I preferred to work in the morning or late afternoon, when the extraordinary New Mexico light is most beautiful.

Most of the photographs were taken in available light using 35  mm cameras – a Canon AE-1 or F-1, with a 50 mm. lens. Film was either Fuji Acros or Ilford Delta, depending on the light. The stories were taken from the interviews and, with one exception, written by me.

-aj Melnick