TPW Photographers Interview Series #75
1) What Photobooks are you currently looking at ?
The photobook which I’m currently looking at isn’t so much a book of viewable images, as it is a book about images. What makes for a truly powerful image has always been of interest to me, and the book Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes has offered fresh insights into the philosophy of an image. Barthes describes the photograph in terms of what he calls its “studium,” and its “punctum.” According to Barthes, the “studium” of an image has to do with such things as proper compositional components, as well as the social symbols and common universal messages that a photo may communicate to the masses. The “punctum” of an image on the other hand, has more to do with a personal connection a viewer may make with a specific element within an image; a gesture, a posture, a look. My closest experience with punctum has to do with a painting located in the Chicago Art Institute. It’s a large oil which depicts the Apostle Peter in anguish just after the cock crowed for the third time. The artist formed deep lamenting ravines of woe with his brushstrokes in Peter’s forehead, which somehow magically captured the full weight of Peter’s lament about his betrayal. For some reason, these deep grooves in the forehead of Peter grab me in a profound way each time I visit this painting – they somehow transform me outside of myself, and give me a glimpse into the universal human condition. In a mysterious way, Peter’s betrayal becomes my own. This, is the “punctum” Roland Barthes articulates in his book.
2) What was the last truly inspiring Photobook you saw?
I love going to flea markets and hunting around for old and obscure photos, magazines, and photobooks. The last inspiring book I found at the flea market, was a little book simply titled, New Orleans. For ten years photographer Stuart Lynn went out every Sunday to photograph the city that he loved, New Orleans. It’s not so much the images themselves that inspire me, but rather his dedication and passion for the project. His love for New Orleans shows in the work, as he took the time to photograph details that most overlook. Having worked projects that take years to complete, I appreciate his dedication to the project.
3) Give us the name of your favorite overlooked or underappreciated Photographer?
The question would be easier to answer if you were to ask “who is the most overrated photographer,” as there is no short supply in that area! I guess the questions are connected in a way, as to ask one is to automatically imply the other. Recently, a very popular street photography website held a top 20 street photography survey which probably serves well to articulate my answer. Voted onto the top 20 list were several studio photographers with very little serious work to offer in terms of street photography, while some of the most incredibly talented street photographers didn’t even make the list. One photographer stands out in my mind: Chicago street photographer, Brian Sokolowski. In my opinion, Brian has some of the best intellectual street photography in North America, let alone in Chicago (Brian now lives in Miami, Florida). It was quite telling that Brian was omitted from the list, while fashion photographers took the top positions!
4) What are your photographic guilty pleasures? Do you have a favorite genre/style?
For me, a photograph has to be part of a public story. My love is the photo essay, so my styles of photography center around that. Street photography, photojournalism, and documentary photography are what I shoot. While I’ve never even considered photographing a wedding, I’ve recently ventured into mixed martial arts photography. I’ve always loved fighting, and MMA fits in quite naturally with my “grit street” style of photography, which tends to concentrate on the struggles, decay, and evils in life.
5) If we came to your studio what would we see?
The wonderful thing about the type of photography that I do, is that I can’t precisely answer that question! My work is out in the natural world where you never know what you might see. Photography has taken me to some pretty dark places, that’s for sure. That’s what I’ve tried to show people up until this point. I’ve tried to dive as deeply into the worlds that I photograph as I possibly can, in hopes of bringing back something from those worlds that most people wouldn’t generally see.
As far as my “studio” where I do all my processing, editing, and production, you would see all the tools of a modern audio/visual artist – a double screen computer, a scanner, and all the latest and greatest software. You would also see all the materials necessary for traditional film photography, as I still shoot quite a bit of film.
You would also find my collection of books covering a wide variety of topics, from history and philosophy, to… well, more history and philosophy, as that’s what I enjoy! I also keep an old Ovation 12 string guitar on hand, just in case I feel the need to break out into song.
6) What’s the best Photobook on (Your nationality) Photography you’ve ever read ?
The best photography book that I’ve ever read had to do with the technical aspects of film photography. They are actually a trilogy of books that were written by the late-grate master photographer, Ansel Adams, titled; The Negative, The Print, and The Camera. These books did more to widen my understanding of the technical aspects of photography than any others.
7) What subject other than photography, are you interested in? That nevertheless informs your work?
For me, it’s all about history, philosophy, and the human experience. Photography is a tool with which I can explore other worlds, and then communicate those discoveries that I’ve found along my journey. The cause and nature of decay, the struggle and will to live, and the opportunity to express the creative spirit during this life, all serve to inform my work.
8) What was the last Photobook that made you happy?
As I said before, I love hunting for old and obscure photobooks at flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores. I recently found a book that has brought much pleasure every time I wonder through its pages. It’s a book of old Chicago Tribune images titled, ‘Chicago Days.’ I’m a fourth generation Chicagoan, so there’s always a surprise in seeing old images of people and places that I know
9) What was the last Photobook that made you sad?
I can’t say that I’ve come across any photobooks that have caused me to be sad, but there are individual images that have made me sad. Generally, images that somehow truly capture the sufferings of the world, move me to sadness.
10) What kind of person were you as a child? And what were your favorite childhood memories, which made you a photographer? how have you grown over the years what has changed what remained the same ?
I was generally a bit of a loner as a child. I’d love to people-watch, and I would also love to sit and listen to adults talk. While the other kids were out playing, I was listening to the adults talking about what was going on in the world. I found school to be quite boring, and would often head downtown (Chicago) to watch all the life, rather than sitting in a dull classroom. Today I photograph that very same urban life that I once watched as a child. I’d say that my people-watching as a child later grew into the type of photography that I do. I see documentary work as an extension of people-watching.
11) Whom do you consider your Photographic Masters? Do you believe in mastery ?
I have two photographers whom I hold in the highest esteem: Eugene Smith, and Don McCullin. I love Smith for many reasons, but it’s his development of the documentary project and the photo essay which I admire the most. I also have respect for the amount of horror to which he exposed himself during WWII.
Don McCullin is my all-time favorite photographer, both for his work, as well as his no-nonsense attitude that comes with years of serious photojournalism experience. Don started out as a poor young man who worked his way up from the streets. It shows in his work. As I like to say, you have to have touched that which you photograph.
12) Which Photographers have had the most impact on you as a Photographer ? Is there a particular Photo that made you want to be a Photographer? Please upload an image to justify your statement ?
There really isn’t any book, nor single image that made me want to become a photographer. In fact, I hope to be known more as a storyteller, documentarian, and social critic than a photographer, as I further develop my work and career. I love photography, and it has become an integral part of my life’s work, but I don’t see myself solely as a photographer. I love to use photography along with audio, video, and the written word in order to record history, tell stories, and provoke thought
13) What gear do you use, and how does your gear, support your photographic vision. How would you describe your photographic Work flow what software, hardware, storage, & filters do you use ?
For me, the most important thing is having affordable camera gear that works. I don’t care about brand, nor do I care about having the latest model. For me, I need gear that works, at prices I can afford. That being said, I shoot Nikon for both my 35mm film, as well as my digital photography. In digital, I shoot with a used Nikon D700. For the money, I think the D700 is the best way to get in to a full-frame digital system. For my 35mm film bodies, I generally use my Nikon F2, but sometimes I’ll break out my trusty Nikon F4. I love that my Nikon lenses can be used on both my film, as well as my digital bodies. I primarily shoot with the old Ai-s Nikkor lenses. My favorite wide prime is the Nikkor 24mm f/2.8. I also love my Nikkor 135mm f/3.5. I can create a story using these two lenses; the 24mm to get the big picture, and the 135mm to pluck out those emotionally charged “decisive moments.” For photojournalism, I like to keep a few other lenses on hand. First is my Nikkor 80-200 f/4… a really smooth lens that just works. I also keep a Nikkor 300mm with a 2x teleconverter for those times when the police have the area blocked off to keep people at a distance.
In this type of photography, you’re always thinking in terms of a story; what is the beginning, middle and end of the story? What types of shots do I need to successfully tell that story? This is what I’m thinking while out in the field. Whether it’s a long-term project, or a breaking-news event, my thought process is the same. I need to capture the beginning, middle, and end of the story. I also need to show the big picture, as well as the detailed and isolated moments. I keep my editing and processing simple. I try not to crop, though I do make slight adjustments to contrast, whites, and blacks. I also like to add titles and captions to my images. I use external hard drives and CDs to archive my work, both digital and film.
14) Do you have any regrets with regards to your photography especially when starting out. What would you do differently ?
Outstanding question, one which I’ve had to ask myself lately. Having completed my first long-term photo project, I now know better than to just take notes and photos, and they try and put it all together later. This, was a huge mistake that I made in my heroin project. I no longer allow things to pile up, and instead I select my images and write the draft of the story while the day is still fresh in my head. It is so much easier having to fine-tune later, when things are already selected and written. This is a much better work flow than having to stare at a HUGE pile of material that you now must somehow compile into a story. If I could go back and do my first project over, this is what I would change.
15) In your genre style of work, what are the challenges/opportunities to your business. How do you envision yourself 5 years from now?
Five years from now, I hope to have at least three photobooks published. I’m currently sitting on a very large volume of material that needs to be crafted into publishable work. I’m also working to expand my photojournalism, as well as my mixed martial arts photography. I love working projects, and look to spend my remaining days doing so.
16) In your photographers Imagination, how do you perceive India. What photographs would you like to make of Her ?
If I were to travel to India, I would love to document the changing culture, from the old traditional world, to that of our present post-modern world. I’d possibly focus on the contrast of these two worlds as expressed in the dress of women. It would be a matter of discovery for me to see in what other ways this contrast could be captured with images. I would imagine this to be an enlightening project to undertake.