Major Mendel Rivers doesn’t just take in a beautiful sunset or admire a majestic eagle flying overhead. Like a fisherman trying to snag a big catch, he sits and holds his camera to his eye, waiting quietly and patiently — and in the process showing that beauty can lie in both the extraordinary and the ordinary.
“When I pull the camera out, everything else goes away,” said Rivers, who serves as commander of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Central Evidence Facility (CEF).
The DPS Central Evidence Facility is responsible for all evidence transactions throughout the state obtained by SCDPS troopers and officers – including collecting, preserving, and destroying evidence.
As the CEF commander, Rivers and his team are responsible for processing nearly 20,000 pieces of evidence annually. While it can be a daunting task, Rivers’ outlet of photography helps him stay grounded, which is a welcome reprieve from an often stressful profession.
What started out as a dad with a camera photographing his kids’ sporting events and dance competitions, turned into a hobby that is just as cathartic as it is creative.
After his kids got older and went to college, Rivers was hired to photograph a local high school’s athletic events. He enjoyed taking sport pictures, but there was still an itch he couldn’t quite scratch. So, he began taking pictures of birds flying around his backyard. His eyes were opened to a new world of photography, and that seed of creativity began to bloom.
Rivers started out snapping shots of cardinals and blue jays, appreciating their vibrant colors and unique features, but he was still searching for something more. He took pictures of hawks around the area, capturing their fierceness, but he still wasn’t satisfied.
One day, he finally found a bird that is both beautiful and patriotic – the bald eagle. To Rivers’ surprise, he discovered a family of the impressive birds living in a very unbeautiful and unimpressive place — the landfill. Despite the aroma one would expect, Rivers captured stunning images of America’s national bird.
“Once I found that eagle, I knew I had to go back,” he said. “It was like an addiction — but a good one. The picture I got was never good enough. I always wanted to do it better.”
While birds of prey are the focus for Rivers’ photography, he also enjoys taking creative pictures of ordinary structures or objects — from park benches, to stairwells, to lightbulbs. He’s able to highlight the beauty in everyday items simply showing them from a new perspective.
“We walk by things every day and we just don’t notice them,” he said.
Rivers has discovered that presentation is not only essential to his art, but it also plays a huge role in his leadership style at work. “How you present things will determine how it’s received and how someone will respond to it,” he said.
When viewing the world through the camera lens, Rivers can relax and take his mind off work responsibilities for a little while. “I get to enjoy God’s creation,” he said. “It’s cleansing.”
Law enforcement is a profession that often presents stressful situations, so it is helpful — and encouraged — to have some sort of outlet or hobby.
“I think that is a hidden illness that needs to be addressed,” Rivers said of post-traumatic stress disorder. “You have to compartmentalize, because you have to go to work the next day. I think it’s imperative that everyone has something.”
With the advent of spring bringing nature’s warm rebirth and the return of birdlife to South Carolina, Rivers will have plenty to keep an eye — and a lens — on as his newfound passion continues to bloom.
