I embarked on my first day as a photojournalist for The Spokesman-Review in 1988, excited for the opportunity for photographic storytelling. This month, I bid farewell to my career at the very same newspaper where it all began.
I’m a bit more grizzled now – at least in appearance. My body now bears the aches and pains from the years of cameras hanging from my neck and shoulders, and my hair is graying. During the past 38 years, photographing our community for The Spokesman-Review has been such a life-affirming gift.
After lunch is a time Ashley and Nick, center, can spend a precious few moments with each other. Though, showing signs of too much affection is against the rules, some students find out-of-the-way places like behind the gym to steal a few kisses before heading back to class. (COLIN MULVANY/The Spokesman-Review)
I’ve covered major news stories, including the 11-day federal siege at Ruby Ridge, the devastating firestorm in 1991, riots, shootings and other unfortunate events that have plagued our community.
However, it is the quieter moments I captured from behind the lens that I will cherish the most.
One memorable experience was photographing seventh-grader Ashley Muzatko for a school year. She allowed me a glimpse into the chaotic world of middle school in 2000. My favorite photo from that time is her kissing her boyfriend behind the gym. The girls are so tall, and the boys are, well, short.
Before their big game at Holmes Elementary in Spokane, “I got it!” is yelled in unison as these little leaguers try and catch fly balls hit by their coach in spring of 1993. (COLIN MULVANY/The Spokesman-Review)
Another memorable moment was photographing a little league team fielding fly balls from the coach as a warmup before their game. Life Magazine even ran the photo a few months after it appeared in the newspaper. Bonus!
I took pictures of Ana Chacon as she tried to gather up her layers of her Quinceañera dress as she was entering a car. Exasperated with me, she finally asked, “Are you going to help me or not?” It took a bit of shoving, but I managed to close the car door without damaging her prized dress.
One of my most poignant experiences was visiting the pediatric oncology floor in 2016 at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. I found a cancer patient named Lily Duran holding a candle in her dark room, with holiday lights in the park below illuminating her hospital room. I have thought of her passing many times, and this photo continues to haunt me with its beauty and sadness.
After her quinceanera ceremony in a Pasco church, Ana Chacon, 15, tries to gather up her dress before heading to her party at the local Masonic temple. There, making her first tentative steps to adulthood, she was allowed to dance with boys for the first time. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review )
A trip to Romania in 1996 to document Spokane volunteers repairing an orphanage had a profound impact on me. The harsh conditions the orphans endured fueled my anger, and I focused my camera on the children and the crimes against humanity I witnessed during my stay. The resulting 10-page special section, “Into the Heart of Darkness” written by reporter Julie Sullivan and accompanied by my photographs, stirred up a significant response in our community. Thanks to the air transport from a Fairchild Air Force Base 191st Air Refueling Wing KC-135, five tons of donated clothing, medicine and other essential supplies were delivered to multiple Romanian orphanages. Julie and I were on that flight and documented the delivery of warm coats and mittens to shivering orphans during one of the coldest winters in that country’s history.
These photos are just a small selection of the storytelling images I have made since I started freelancing for The Spokesman-Review and Spokane Chronicle fresh out of high school in 1983. In those 43 years, I have faced and embraced the changes and challenges of our industry: from shooting black and white film and printing photos in a wet darkroom to the eventual transition to digital workflows that allowed me to shoot and send photos back to the newspaper from anywhere.
Because these young Romanian orphans at Suta Dragodana in 1996 received only minimal care from uncaring adults, they find ways to take care of each other. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review photo archive houses more than 32,000 of my images capturing events and moments from our community. It’s not just the pictures I remember most, but the interactions I’ve had with the people photographed. I may have only briefly crossed paths with someone I photographed, but I always left with a lasting impression of them. From World War II veterans, patients facing life-and-death medical challenges, business leaders, homeless people and high school athletes, this diverse range of emotions and moments I’ve encountered have etched themselves forever into my memory.
I also want to express my sincere gratitude to The Spokesman-Review ownership, editors, designers, photographers and reporters I’ve had the privilege of working alongside. You have been my extended family, and I have grown from your wisdom and mentorship.
As I say goodbye to The Spokesman-Review, I raise my camera one last time and extend my heartfelt salute to you all.