By Khalida Sarwari
Creme brulee isn’t a dessert one would normally associate with photographers, but that’s how Bob Ray, photographer extraordinaire, would describe himself. Like the custard dish, Ray has a hard shell on the outside, but is an admitted softie underneath.
In November, Ray celebrated the release of his first book, No Small Thing, which he co-authored with Tom Soma, executive director of Ronald McDonald House in Portland, Ore. The book gives a glimpse, in prose and pictures, into the everyday lives of critically ill or injured children and their families at that city’s Ronald McDonald House, a cause that Ray has been involved in for nearly a decade. As Ray said, the book is about those “who, unlike those of us that struggle for a better life, better pay, they struggle to live one more day.”
“The reason that I do this is to give this as a gift to these families,” Ray said. “I think it’s just another reason to show our support for them and be thankful for where we are in our own lives.”
Though Ray calls Saratoga home–he’s lived in the city for nearly 38 years–he doesn’t stay put for long. In February, a month after marking his 63rd birthday, he will embark on a 33-city tour across the country, starting in New York to teach photography, followed by a European tour with stops in Budapest and Italy and culminating with yet another tour in the United States in the fall. It’ll be an opportunity, Ray said, to see places he hasn’t seen and teach what he loves.
“This is all part of where my career path is now, which is all about giving back,” Ray said. “I made that particular determination with Ronald McDonald House about eight years ago.”
A series of fortunate events led Ray to the path that he is on today. Eight years ago he became involved with the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan, shooting pro bono portraits for the kids and their families. Then, about two years ago, during a visit to New York, Soma stopped by Ray’s home in that city and noticed his photos. He was struck by the images, Ray rec-alled, and asked Ray to visit him in Portland. At the same time, a woman that Ray was in love with had moved from the Bay Area to Portland, so there was an added incentive.
The idea for the book came to Soma in August 2011, Ray said. He was inspired after seeing a photo of a family with a sick child in a hospital that Ray had emailed him, with a note reflecting on the strength of the families that endure the hardships associated with taking care of a sick child. The two teamed up to work on the book in December of that year and presented the final product about six months later.
Since then, Ray has focused mostly on teaching photography and developing a digital application on the side for a daily calendar showcasing his photos of the Ronald McDonald children. What he loves about photography, he said, is that “it presents the opportunity to do things with a camera that you cannot do with your eyes.” Two of his images for Ronald McDonald House in New York recently won Addy awards in local and regional advertising competitions.
Over the course of his career, he was a disc jockey on KLIV in the 1970s, the voice of the original San Jose Earthquakes in Spartan Stadium and station announcer for “The Perfect 36” on KICU-TV for several years. He owned an ad agency in Saratoga for 36 years; it closed two years ago. His résumè also includes a stint as a stage performer at the Old Town Theatre in Los Gatos and voiceover work for commercials.
“I’m so fortunate in my life,” Ray said. “I never, ever in my wildest dreams thought that my life would take the path that it has.”
All proceeds from the sale of No Small Thing will go toward the Ronald McDonald House in Portland. Ronald McDonald House charities is a nonprofit that offers housing to families with critically ill or injured children who must travel for their healthcare needs.
Saratogan spending his days giving back, does so with book ‘No Small Thing’
