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Songs About Being Forgotten: Kyle J. Kohner

October 25, 2020 in interview

Songs About Being Forgotten: Kyle J. Kohner

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those not familiar with you or your work, can you introduce yourself, and give us a brief introduction to your work?

Kyle J. Kohner (KJK): My name is Kyle Kohner; I am a 24-year-old street photographer from the LA area (La Mirada, Calif), but was born and raised in San Bernardino, CA. I picked up photography in my sophomore year in college, was hooked, and with the help of a couple of my professors and photography friends, I never looked back. I mainly do film photography, black and white 35mm to be exact. However, if I am on assignment for work, I will shoot digital. During my final semester as an undergrad, I took a darkroom photography class, and from the course came the genesis of my first body of work, a zine I've titled "Songs About Being Forgotten."

ADM: We're talking about "Songs About Being Forgotten" - where did the concept come from, and can you speak on the title?

KJK: I like to think of "Songs About Being Forgotten" as a not-yet reckoning of fear. This project's title and concept was birthed from fear and uncertainty that I've always felt but could never gauge through words alone. A fear of finality, death, and not being remembered was especially palpable during my final year of college, where years of mental illness peaked. The initial form/draft, which was created during my last semester, was a reactionary pushback to this fear. Still, I'm trying to push back against this fear, and this zine is the vehicle. I call the photos within this project "songs," mainly because music and photography meet at this very magical intersection for me. Combining the two seemed like the perfect way for me to convey this fear of being "forgotten.

ADM: Are there particular aesthetic considerations that you took into account while creating the project - I know the whole thing is in black and white - but is there a particular purpose behind it, and the tonality you used - I know the collage nature of the book is a nod to Phil Elverum (below).

KJK: The reasoning for doing black and white was pretty straightforward—it helps convey the impermanence of decay and things forgotten. Many of the photos are high in contrast, which renders the ephemeral themes dark and drab. As you mentioned, I wanted to give off a collage nature to the book, akin to not just Elverum, but inner sleeves and liner notes of physical music in general. With the very first iteration of this zine, the class project, I did not know much about design or sequencing. In fact, I boringly constructed it out in a simple pattern: page with lyrics, then page with photo, page with lyrics, etc. After a year or so of looking at more photo books and zines, I was able to better understand the importance of sequencing and design, which now, this version of the book compels more in comparison to my first-ever copy.

ADM: Is there a particular narrative form you used for the zine? - I noticed throughout you used some repetition and photocollages - alongside consistent written excerpts.

KJK: I love the concept of an album cover, yet the pressure of picking an image to capture the music inside is daunting. As mentioned a bit earlier, photography and music have always had this fascinating intersect, and the photos inside, again, are these visual songs—album covers even. The book is square, slightly bigger than a CD, and smaller than an LP or EP. Inside, I paired the images with lyrics from songs that have at some point in my life devastated me as I struggle through the concepts of finality and the high likelihood that what I say or create now won't matter 70 years from now. The visual layout, in fact, was largely influenced by the visual work of singer-songwriter Phil Elverum, aka The Microphones, aka Mount Eerie. I love how Elverum designs and incorporates his photography with his music. If you check out his latest album (which is just one long song) on YouTube, you'll see that it's just Phil laying down photos he's taken over the years, one-by-one, to reflect his journey as a musical artist over the past two decades. But he's also thoughtful when designing the album art for his LP's and CD's, inside and out. With most of his projects, he sprawls handwritten lyrics across a collage of photos. His design for The Microphones 2001 album "The Glow Pt. 2" particularly sparked that of my collection of photographs. I'd love to explain the sequencing and narrative, but I'm also a believer that we can create our own stories from photos within a body of work, separate from the artist's intentions, by merely perceiving them. So I'd rather have viewers of the zine to figure it out for themselves.

ADM: From that - what would you say the most essential images are to understanding the project are - what songs did you pair them with, and why?

KJK: This one is hard to answer as I tried not to pin the weight of this project on one photo because I try not to shoot with a mindset of capturing the best singular image or that "decisive moment." But if any, I believe the images of charred buildings speak to me and the project the loudest. These two photos were the genesis behind this project, and I was able to pair it with a song that I felt best captured to the idea of "being forgotten." The track that particularly called out to me—and I hesitate to mention it—was "Carissa" by Sun Kil Moon (Mark Kozelek). On the track, he sings of his second cousin Carissa who died in an improbable housefire. She was a regular blue-collar individual living in the midwest, and Mark barely knew her. And yet, despite how menial her life seemingly was, he wanted to impress meaning upon her life, long passed her death, with this song. I find this most beautiful and admirable. After including this song in my book (paired with these two photos), it came to light that Kozelek is a fucking creep and an abuser. I almost expunged the track from my zine, but then the final product would have been unauthentic and merely reactionary to what had happened. Though I have since removed his music from my life, I cannot deny the impact this song had on me. I would probably point to the image of shoes hanging from the telephone wire as my favorite. It's a bit cliche, but I love how the shoes are still emphasized even when crowded by the bushy textures beneath.

ADM: What do you think the biggest advancements you made were over the course of the project? in terms of sequencing, and also shooting?

KJK: As someone who studied journalism in college, I once held to this idea that I MUST be clear as possible for the sake of my audience. Heck, this level of transparency is and should be applied for a lot of photojournalistic work because vagueness is a sign of an untrustworthy author. But with this project, especially regarding the sequencing, I had to reorient my learned approach to create something more personal and trusting of my audience, instead. I've always feared being misunderstood and not being clear, yet the way I've sequenced and even shot the photos for this zine was a way for me to give that fear up. So I'd say the most significant advancement I experienced through this project was the willingness to trust my audience and trust that the photos would convey more words than I could.

ADM: What was your collaborative process like? Prior to the interview you'd mentioned working with Max Heilman and Brooks Ginnan.

KJK: This project is much more than the zine itself. In fact, I paired it with a split single—two original songs. One track titled "Stream Of Silhouettes" is a super atmospheric piece of post-rock, written and performed by Maxwell Heilman and his band Anhelar. The other is a raw, emotively lo-fi cut titled "The Devil Inside of Me," written and performed by Brooks Ginnan. Aside from being a musician, Brooks also happens to be an up-and-coming model featured in films, music videos, and even in Vogue Italia. Though the songs are two entirely different worlds—one brooding, layered, and room-filling and the other stripped-down, haunting, and intimate—they share the same desperate spirit that yearns through affliction. I've known both Brooks and Max for six years. Because I've stayed connected with them longer than any other friends, they are sort of this antithesis to the idea of being forgotten. They represent laughter, love, and long-lasting memories—things that push back against the danger of being forgotten. Because of this friendship, I had to include them within this project. To best capture the zine's essence, I sent PDF copies to the two of them, and they provided me music they felt best reflected what they viewed. "Songs About Being Forgotten" is the fruit of this collaboration.

ADM: Was there a specific turning point that pushed you to print the zine up and put it out there, publicly?

I think like many people who have created and released some artwork lately, the pandemic really pushed me to buckle down and say hey," let's get this done finally." If there ever was a time to release something into the world, now was the time. It was an opportunity to take what has been a disadvantageous moment in history for everyone, make something beautiful out of it, and collaborate with other brilliant minds. No, I wouldn't call this my "COVID Zine/book," as this photo project has been in the making for almost two years. However, I'm sure we will be seeing a saturation of COVID-related projects from photographers within the next year, haha.

ADM: You've talked about musical influences (though feel free to add more if you'd like) but are there any other visual or photographic influences on the zine?

KJK: Studying journalism in college, I took a few photojournalism courses. The professor who taught all of them wanted us, students, to learn from the greats, sequentially. I loved this approach because it allowed our photographically naive eyes to appreciate the trailblazers of street photography. That said, one of my earliest inspirations was Elliot Erwitt. People point to him and notice the humor and irony in his work (which I always try to draw from), but he inspires me because his pictures are emotion(s) rather than reflective of emotion(s). (Which in fact, he is quoted saying, "I want pictures that are emotion.") I picked the photos I did for this zine for the same reason—I wanted to curate images that are what they feel like. I can also pinpoint three current favorites of mine—some more known than others. As of recent, Charalampos Kydonakis, aka Dirty Harry, is the first that comes to mind. His photos literally jump at you with an uncanny energy. He has an unparalleled ability to capture the oddities of life in all of its mundanity, so beautifully. His work is so surreal and is so incredibly impressive because of it. The second photographer is Dylan Hausthor. Though his photos are clearly tethered to a specific place that my own photography is not familiar with, his work has a spiritual and mythical quality that I aspire to channel with my own (though my attempts do not hold a flame to the magic Dylan captures). His use of light is also unlike anything I've seen from another photographer, especially when illuminating the organic textures a place [like] Maine lends itself to. There are many more photographers and their work I enjoy right now, and I'd love to mention them all.

ADM: What advice do you have for someone taking a pre-existing project (like the one you made in class) and refining it or repurposing it like you did (ie turning it into a collaboration, and a multimedia project)?

KJK: My advice to someone who wants to take a pre-existing project and refining it/repurposing it, is to simply be honest with yourself. I think one of the most horrible yet beautiful things about creating art is looking back at the things you DID. Almost always, for me at least, I writhe in disgust over photos I took even as early as three months ago. But being able to look at your older material and critique it with honesty will allow you to tap into what you truly want to create. For this project, I carried over about half the material from the very first version because I hated everything else in it—though I thought it was the best damn thing when I first put the zine together, haha. But my advice is best served as a double-edged sword. I think that though one needs to be honest with themself, they also need to trust their work and build up the courage to publish that zine, book, series of prints, or whatever they are working on. There comes a point where if you keep waiting, you'll never be satisfied with what you create. Thankfully, I just missed that exit and was able to just say, "Fuck it." For me, that point came with the desire to bring in people I love and cherish into the fold to make it a gratifying experience.

ADM: From Stefan Byrom: Which photographers/artists out there do you admire other than the more well known ones?

KJK: I want to mention Justin Yun. Though he happens to be one of my best friends, I, along with many others in the photo community, would agree he possesses a rare talent for his age. Unfortunately, he tends to keep to himself and remains reserved when putting his work out there. There are countless photographers out there who try to explore the concept of dreams and memories. But no one is as in-touch with these ideas and how to artfully reflect them than Justin. The way he can tap into these dreams and memories has helped inform my ability to go into my own subconscious to take photos that, again, "are emotion."

ADM: What question do you have for the next photographer? - you can answer it yourself if you'd like.

KJK: Outside of other photographers and photobooks, where do you find inspiration for your own photography?

ADM: Thanks again for doing the interview! Any parting words or advice? Where can we pick up a copy of the zine?

KJK: Bring your camera with you at ALL times. If you don't like carrying one around, get a point-and-shoot for casual outings and errands. Support your photography friends. Love one another as yourself; you'll be a lot happier than you could be, I promise. Always be fighting injustice in the world. No matter how small or big the gesture—it adds up—not toward points, but a better world around for those who are disadvantaged. Listen to new music—always. The world needs escaping sometimes, and music is the perfect way to flee.

If you find yourself interested, you can purchase my zine at kylekohner.com/shop and can check out more of my work there as well.

GATOS: Bryan Mederos

June 14, 2020 in interview

GATOS: Bryan Mederos

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): Hi Bryan, thanks for doing the interview! For those not familiar with you, or your work would you mind introducing yourself and giving an overview of your work, photographic and otherwise?

Bryan Mederos (BM): My journey as a photographer started a few years ago when I bought a DSLR camera to make youtube videos. In order to learn the exposure triangle, I started taking the camera everywhere and taking photos with a giant tele zoom lens and a crop sensor. All the photos were super cropped in. I also learned about Lightroom and Photoshop during that time. They were the worst photos ever. These days I primarily shoot 35mm film but I use my phone too.

ADM: We're here talking about your work documenting your job working behind the scenes (as a waiter?) at a hotel in Beverly Hills - do you have a title for the project? What inspired you to document this job/workplace?

BM: Yes the title for the project is called "GATOS," Gato literally translates to cat but it’s also a slang term used in Mexican culture that means “servant” or “goon.” I work in the in room dining department and my job title is "Order Taker". I take the food order from the guest, ring it in and hand it over to the server to prepare for delivery. The servers have a rotation so whenever a new order comes out they say "Next Gato"! Think of like “order up!” or “who's next!” I've been shooting photos of my co workers for years now and have amassed close to 1,000 photographs. The project is a love letter to the immigrant laborers of LA. The unsung heroes of the luxury hospitality industry.

ADM: I know this has been an extended project - are you still working on it? Have you found that your approach to documentation has changed over the duration of the project?

BM: I have all the material I need to compile a hardbound photo book. I'm not shooting as many photos as before but I still bring the camera out occasionally. Every "serious" photographic work I pursue is usually born out of being self aware enough to know that something special is going on around me. It may not be clear at the start but it eventually turns into to a deeper sense of awareness and appreciation for what's in front of me. In this case, its my job so I would argue that I've even changed my perspective towards my day job from a negative experience to a positive, productive one.

ADM: I know you're still working on final assembly of the project into book form, but was there any specific moment or image where the project really took shape or snapped into place for you?

BM: Not really a moment for when it took shape but I can sense that it’s done and I don’t necessarily need to take more photos. Intuition is what’s guided me through the whole process.

ADM: What images do you feel are integral to understanding both the job, and the people you work with, and why?

BM: That’s a great question. I’ve actually never thought about it till now. There’s a black and white photo of my co worker Laurencio (we call him LOLO) sitting at a computer with Forbes five star five diamond awards hanging above his head. I remember he was using that computer to search for a used car for his daughter. I feel like this frame does a good job of superimposing luxury and migrant workers.

ADM: Is there a thought process or criteria when you are/were documenting your job and coworkers, and making images - you talk about intuition, can you expound on that?

BM: I try my best to not shoot photos when there’s a bad vibe in the air. Usually because of some kind of conflict between the servers. They fight over tips and orders which can be hilarious but sometimes I really have to pull back cause they’re genuinely upset. I’ve noticed that I tend to bring out the camera when everyone is in a good mood. I do make some exceptions though.

ADM: is there a particular image or example, or even a story of when you took your camera out, or documented a time when not everyone was in a good mood?

BM: Yeah I've definitely misread situations and made people angry. Especially when using flash. I remember this one time I made my co-worker angry about something and days later in a staff meeting he brought up how I take pictures of them constantly and how I don't ask for permission and how it's rude. He was sour about something work related. I nearly got fired over it but was able to talk my way out of it. I told my boss that I always keep my camera on me and that most of the guys ask for their portraits. Which is true. But I could've been in big trouble.

ADM: In terms of influence, of influences, photographic or otherwise that shaped the project - if so, what and how did it/they play in?

BM: There’s this artist Ramiro Gomez who makes cardboard cut outs of immigrant workers and places them in front of houses in Beverly Hills. His work has been a huge inspiration for me. The idea of making the immigrant worker look like a hero is what attracts me to his work. I hope to convey that in this project somehow. Both of my parents immigrated here from Mexico and I feel like that has something to do with my obsession with telling that narrative through my work.

ADM: Looking a bit forward, how do you think, or now that the main body of work is done, how have you seen, your approach to photography, and life as well (you mention a different outlook on life earlier) has changed?

BM: Photography remains a mysterious process for me. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at it but the truth is I just shoot randomly and hope a good one comes out. Knowing that the main body of work is done, I feel anxious to start a new project. But I’m definitely overthinking it. I haven’t even bound this book yet! I will say this, I feel much more connected to my co-workers. It’s fun to pull up old photos from 3 years ago and show them how much weight they’ve gained.

ADM: What advice would you give to someone else documenting their non-photographic worksite or a job?

BM: Start with a bit of show and tell. Bring your fancy camera and show it off to your co-workers. See how they react. I'm willing to bet that things will happen naturally and they'll be asking you to take their photos. Do this for a few days then you're known as the "photo" guy at work. For me, It's gotten to the point that when something funny or unusual is happening my co workers run to my office and say "hurry hurry bring the camera!" Over communicate that you have a passion for shooting photos and be respectful about it.

ADM: From Erwin Recinos: What is the most important aspect of photography that you have applied to your daily life?

BM: Anyone who has gone out into this world alone with a camera in their hands knows that there's this intimate presence of mind that happens. It can put you in a flow state and you become present in that very moment. You notice things you never noticed in your neighborhood before, you hear things you've never heard. It not only calms the mind, but it makes you feel more connected to the world around you. I try to carry this with me into other aspects of my life. This is by far the best thing about photography.

ADM: What question do you have for the next photographer? You can answer it yourself if you'd like.

BM: Why is Photography so easy but yet so hard?

ADM: Where can we find and purchase more of your work? Do you have an estimate on when your book will be available?

BM: If all goes well, I'm looking to release the book early next year. Feel free to hit me up on IG my handle is @bra_sann.

ADM: Any parting words or advice?

BM: I love to connect with people who are passionate about photography so please do reach out and say hi. My advice to any photographer is to never ever compare yourself to others. You should never wrap up your self worth in something as vain as likes on a Instagram post. Everyone's on their own path so don't judge yourself too hard. Realize that your work may never be seen or appreciated for many years to come. It may be that your work is never discovered at all so love the process over the results.

Hi, if you’ve read this far, thanks for reading! We hope you’ve enjoyed the article. Normally this is the part where we stump for donations, but we’d like to contribute to the ongoing protests and would urge you to donate via this link-tree instead (this whole block is a link).

Thanks - The Management.

David Gilbert Wright in conversation with Will Hopkins

June 07, 2020 in interview

David Gilbert Wright in conversation with Will Hopkins

I was first introduced to David Gilbert Wright’s work by Simon Tasker (@simonltasker), I believe. I quickly became enchanted by his portraits of life in the United Kingdom, and his Brick Lane series felt timely for the news of the day. Not only did he make technically good exposures, each of his photos captured some intangible humanity, and the projects come together to form a whole greater than the sum of their parts.

This is the first time David is sharing some of this work. Much like Simon Tasker’s newly-shared early work and the unprinted works of Garry Winogrand and Vivian Maier, there is something exciting about old photos that are also new. Of course, he is continuing to produce new work, and being able to view his early photos alongside contemporary projects adds even more dimension to the body as a whole.

I hope you enjoy David’s photos and storytelling as much as I have, and learn something new from a veteran documentarian.

-Will Hopkins

Will Hopkins (WH): Could you please introduce yourself?

David Gilbert Wright (DGW): I am David Gilbert Wright. I am English and I have been a documentary photographer for over 40 years. I first became interested in photography while I was doing a Foundation Course at Art College. Initially, I wanted to go on and study painting but found that photography was a quicker way of realising my ideas and also a more effective medium in achieving them. So, I went on to study Photography at the prestigious London College of Printing.

WH: What was it like studying Photography at the London College of Printing in the 1970s?

DGW: It was a turbulent time in both the Art world and also in Britain itself. Punk was just beginning and it was really something that had been happening in the Art colleges of England before it hit the mainstream. I was caught up and carried along with it and it was very exciting. We were all searching for ways to be different and break the rules. I realised that, in order to break the rules you had to know them and also be technically very proficient.

I learned about shooting and processing film, which stood me in good stead for the whole of my career. I shoot only film and process and print everything in order to retain control over the final result. Although I post my work on social media platforms and on my website, it is meant to be viewed as prints. Only then do you get the full experience of the the grain texture and size of the result. I don’t consider [myself] a Luddite, more a person deeply involved in achieving the best possible result through my craft.

WH: What equipment do you use?

DGW: Over the years, I have used different cameras depending on the work I was doing. For documentary work, I have generally used 35mm cameras. I used a Pentax KX for many years. Recently, I bought an old, second-hand 1970s Nikon F2. It is a beautiful camera yielding amazing results. During my landscape period I used a Pentax 6x7, and I use that for more formal documentary portraiture as well. I have a darkroom in my home, and like to work alone at my own speed. I have a De-Vere 504 diffuser enlarger. My film preference is Kodak T-Max 400 and Ilford FP4, both processed using standard stock developer and times.

WH: Explain your way of working in the darkroom?

DGW: Making prints is a long, involved process for me because a negative rarely captures everything with the correct tonal values. It stands to reason, the tonal range possible on film is only a hundredth of what it may be in the scene being viewed. So I have to make judgements at the printing stage about what aspects of the image will need work. It is much easier now on a computer but the actual act of manipulating your hands to mask or burn areas of an image and knowing the times involved are what makes the process so enjoyable but also stressful, I might add.

WH: When did you go to Wales to photograph the miners?

DGW: I went to photograph the Welsh miners in 1977. I spent about a week travelling around different mines and villages. I did not shoot much film, preferring to try to see what was happening in front of me and carefully, almost forensically, probe until the right moment arose. At that time, I was not really aware of the need to develop a relationship with the subjects in the way that the great John Collier (Visual Anthropologist) did. Now, I am much more aware of the benefits of inspiring confidence in the people you want to photograph so that they feel at ease and almost forget you are there. It does not reduce the subjectivity of documentary photographs but does allow life to unfold in front of you more readily.

The 1970s had seen a number of strikes by the miners and with the advent of a Conservative Government and Margaret Thatcher, their future looked precarious. Obviously, I was not to know that the miners strike of 1984-5 would become one of the bitterest disputes with the Government, whose aim was to break the power of the unions. However, I could sense something in their faces and that was what I tried to record in my photographs. Looking back on that series, I can see the importance of the photographs as not only historical documents but also as the generation that eventually had to face pit closures, redundancies, mass unemployment and mental health problems. The series only contains around 11 pictures but I believe it contains some of my finest documentary photographs. The other puzzling thing about the series is that it remained unprinted for over 40 years, along with the Brick Lane photographs

WH: When did you take the Brick Lane series?

DGW: It was 1978 and racial tension was rising in Britain. Groups such as the National Front were beginning to express nationalist views, and people were becoming uncomfortable with their message. However, high unemployment, strikes and the formation of ghettoes in the major cities like London, Bradford, Manchester and Leeds provided breeding grounds for racism. I was not aware at the time how important my photographs would become as historical records of the way local people were being subjected to hatred campaigns as they attempted to go about their work. Looking back, I can see now how I captured the signs of stress, poverty and courage of the people living in what was the semi-industrial area of the East-End. I spent a couple of weeks photographing in the area. Later, in 1980, I had to commute on a motorbike through a part of South London. The hatred had spread to that area and this time it manifested as violence and destruction with shops and cars being set on fire at night, windows smashed and gangs at each others’ throats. A scary time for many. If only, we had all seen the signs and acted more quickly in the late 1970s.

PC: David Gilbert Wright (Disappearing Ireland)

WH: You went on to do a series of photographs in Ireland. What was that about?

DGW: The family had their roots in a small hamlet called Knockgarra, Co.Galway. They were a rural people like many in the area. I began the project in the 1980s with the idea of documenting the farming communities of Western Ireland to show my children something about their heritage. Quickly, it became clear that things were changing and ways of life were disappearing. So I continued the project for many years. It spanned two decades and is made up of around 45 photographs that explore the themes of family, religion, childhood, farming, commerce, culture and age. I started to work on building relationships with the people who I was photographing by getting their stories. Usually this happened prior to them agreeing to let me take their picture and through the conversations we had as I photographed them. The series is organised into a narrative story and became my response to how external finance and influence had impacted on a way of life.

WH: Do you work as a photographer now?

DGW: My career has involved me working in a number of photographic roles including a film processor, a studio assistant, a wedding photographer, a medical photographer and free-lance. I also spent many years as a Photography Lecturer. I no longer do commissions or lecturing, working solely on my own projects.

My experience as an Art School student and then as a photography lecturer was to learn and teach photography was best done through projects. Even training to be a photojournalist, as assignments are projects of a kind. Finding a subject and then spending time exploring it photographically and getting to know the people and their stories yields much more interesting results than simply taking pictures of anything and everything. People just setting out as photographers might consider this as it is how many of the great photographers of the past have worked.

PC: David Gilbert Wright (Modern Tribes of England)

WH: With that in mind, what photographers have influenced you most?

DGW: Jaques Henri L’Artigue for his ability to capture everyday life. Cartier Bresson for his "decisive moment" approach, Bill Brandt for the beauty of his prints, Don McCullin for his representation of the Industrial North and Homer Sykes for his ability to find the quirkiness in our English folk festivals.

WH: What are you working on now?

DGW: I am engaged in two projects - Modern Tribes of England and Survivors. The Modern Tribes project is a large undertaking and will probably take many years to complete. It is based on the idea that people naturally join groups and membership of them can improve their sense of wellbeing. There has been a lot of research around this especially in New Zealand. Having a social network to support you and fall back on during difficult times leads to a greater feeling of well-being. It stands to reason. Human beings are social animals and form communities. The groups I have been documenting over the past two years include Morris, Re-Enactors, Pagans, Railway Enthusiasts, Urban Agriculturalists and Climate-Change Activists. Prior to the Pandemic, I was about to begin photographing Goths. My approach is an anthropological one involving getting to know the group members and gaining their trust so they almost forget I am there photographing them. An interesting thing about doing this is that many of the groups have got so used to me being around that they have asked whether I am actually going to join and become a Morris dancer or a Climate-Change Activist. However, my job is to document the groups not to join them.

The other project - Survivors is about people who have experienced serious trauma in their lives and have got through it and grown in wisdom and resilience. It is about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. The idea has its origins in my own experience. I am a survivor of a stroke and a heart operation. Photography has become my saving grace and enabled me to grow stronger. So, I set out to find people with interesting stories that they wanted to share. I record and transcribe their stories word-for-word. We then work collaboratively to design a portrait. My expectation is that once I have about twenty stories and portraits I will exhibit the work and publish them in a book. The project includes stories such as a medic who served in the Vietnam war, a man pulled under a train and had an outer body experience, a woman whose Aunt, Mum, Dad and husband all died within two years and a young refugee from the war in Yugoslavia. This project has brought me into contact with some incredible individuals. Ordinary people with extraordinary lives.

WH: Do you currently teach?

DGW: No, I don’t teach at the moment as I am working on my own work that consumes all my time.

WH: Have you tried Morris dancing?

DGW: No, I have never tried Morris dancing but been tempted. Maybe one day.

WH: Where do you hope photography as a field will go in the future? Professional photography today looks very different from even just a decade ago. How do you think it might change going forward?

DGW: Professional photography now and in the future seems to have very little room for 'thinking photographers'. News is dominated by moving pictures. Journalists seem to take their own photos. The only places that appear open are social photography, e.g. weddings, school portraits, fashion and advertising. In effect, the commercial aspects that pay for high quality results.

Going forward, photography of my kind will become commodities into high value prints that collectors buy. Alternatively, it will be a space occupied by serious photographers who are not in it for the money. They want to tell stories and express themselves artistically.

WH: From J. Han: If you practice black and white film photography and use a darkroom to print photos, which photographer's (alive or dead) darkroom would you like to have access to and be able to watch work in their workspace?

DGW: The photographer I would most like to meet and work with in his darkroom would undoubtably be Ansel Adams. He is the master of analogue photography. His approach to printing is inspiring. He likened the printing of a negative to conducting an orchestra. The negative is like the musical score. The musical score can be performed in many different ways depending on how the conductor interprets it. Likewise, a negative can be printed in many ways depending on what the printer wishes to accentuate. So for me, the printing stage can be a highly creative experience and to be in Ansel Adams’ darkroom using his equipment and even being guided by him would be exhilarating.

WH: What question do you have for the next photographer? You can answer it yourself if you’d like.

DGW: If you could travel back in time, which photographer from history would you most like to interview for this magazine, and why?

ED: To find more of David's work, you can visit his website Davidwright.photography or on instagram at @davidgilbertwright

Hi, if you’ve read this far, thank you. Normally this is where we’d stump for money but, in light of the ongoing protests, we’d like to encourage you to donate to a cause supporting them instead. This whole block is a link to a link tree of resources.

Thanks,

The Management.

Los Ojos De Muerte: Erwin Recinos

May 31, 2020 in interview

Los Ojos De Muerte: Erwin Recinos

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those not familiar with you or your work, could you introduce yourself and give a quick overview of your work?

Erwin Recinos (ER): My name is Erwin Recinos and I’m a photographer from the city of Los Angeles. For the last ten years my film photography work has revolved around my perspective of the city I live in. I also work with the website LATACO.com and that has also played a big role in my photography work. The film work I produce is a photo album of my life as a son, a father and photographer.

ADM: You've (as of starting this interview) just released "Exposed" which is a compilation of photos shot on Medium format film. What was the impetus to put together and release the zine?

ER: Actually this zine was produced back in 2018. With the Rona & quarantine it’s given me some time to promote my work. The thinking behind making this zine was opportunity to produce a zine for free. I was approached by some folks at Pow!Wow! Mural festival & PaperCutLounge to be apart of a zine release party for the week long event. I was given specs for printed zine and I produced my layouts. Looking at my catalog of photos I had there were produced that year with a Mamiya C330. I show you snippets of life that I capture in and around this vast metropolitan.

ADM: Oh, rad, I've noticed you have a really impressive, and high output of zines - or at least I swear in the last week or two you've promoted a couple other ones in addition to these two. You mention a bit later that you have different goals for different zines, but is there a connecting thread?

ER: The variety of work is the goal. To not have the work feel boxed in or stagnant with a genre or style. The work has to progress and move and grow as I will. My interest and goals are very different from when I started 20 years ago to 3 years ago.

ADM: You're also about to put out a collaborative zine with SER@LA? What's the zine about, and how did you decide to collaborate?

ER: Seratla and I have been collaborating for a number of years now. It was just a matter of time to put it in print form. The photos from this zine are dated back from his beginnings in 2012-2013. Seratla was paste & sticker campaign with a great logo and theme. I was privi to document his mural painting process. All photos were captured with a digital camera. Color was the only option for displaying and capturing his work. That was key through out the process. I would also create videos for some of the mural I documented.

ADM: Oh that's really interesting - did you learn anything new while making a zine for that campaign - also did you find the video-making process influenced the photos you took?

ER: That zine was a learning tool for a lot of projects that proceeded after it. It made me focus and work thru the process and not just rush thru another project. Learning more with printing and shooting and editing video. This in no way narrow my scope but enhance my awareness of slowing down the process and seeing everything thru the end.

ADM: From the base description both zines seem very different - Exposed being all black and white, where the collaborative zine is all color - that's a fairly big stretch in working styles - did you plan to put out two separate zines from the outset?

ER: Of course. Zines have a life of their own. They can be themed zines with volumes of printed editions. Zines can also be short lived bangers with the right paper and content. The work for both zines i made had time to breath from when they were first captured. As a creative you know when the work you are curating is ready to be presented.

Here is an example of my last two zines I produced last year. Both were the same in color but totally different content. One was about graffiti and the other about wrestling. The decision of the color and execution were already decided. Riso printed was the way to go. I talked with Cynthia Navarro of Tiny Splendor in Echo Park, Ca. She gave tips and helped make suggestions on the final printed zines.

ADM: Riso is really awesome stuff - and the previews of that wrestling zine look really great on your website - how did you get into that project - and more generally how do you find your journalism work with LATACO and otherwise contributes to your photography or informs it?

ER: The zine is titled One year of Bar Wrestling and it was my perspective of this niche wrestling scene that popped up in Baldwin Park, California just 16 miles east of downtown LA. A friend of mine, Dennis bought me a ticket to check it out. That started late 2017 and is still going. Attended a show just before the quarantine in March. As everything is theses days it hit social media and nuked the fridge with a spot on Macaulay Culkin when he appeared on Ellen. Great move for them. I'm just glad I was there when I could see it happen or at least take fruit.

All photos were taken with various point n' shoots. Hard to hold an SLR or DSLR with a beer in hand and craziness going around. It made the experiencing of capturing it more fun with a up close and personal feel in the photos.

In 2010 I started with LATACO as an event photographer and documenting my perspective of Los Angeles. From art shows, graffiti, pop-up events and various music concerts. The scene in front of my camera always transitioned that it helped me grow as a photographer. In the last two years LATACO has taken on a role of trusted local grass roots news organization. The eye of documentarian is now the next evolution and it is shifting my work. Another style that is evolving and it’s great to see.

*Here is my author’s page on the website if you'd like to see the work I've done in the last 10 years.

https://www.lataco.com/author/erwin/

ADM: You're a dyed in the wool Angeleno - what do you look for when you're out in the city shooting, if you wouldn't mind extrapolating?

ER: If on assignment for the TACO I have time, place and photo goals that need to be executed. Also, my interest of local sports, art and events with family will take me anywhere in the city. A camera is always with me so my everyday life living in this city is what I believe I'm really capturing.

ADM: In terms of getting out into a city or a culture - like you do with Los Angeles, or working with LA TACO, or getting into Bar Wrestling - what advice would you give to someone looking to capture that or something like that - both as a personal project and a professional one?

ER: Access, work ethic and luck are really the foundations I use when working on personal & professional projects. Knowing the right people and networking to me is still a thing which gives me access to create personal projects or events to get that professional gig. I believe I've put in the work and met enough of the right people to keep growing as a photographer and a person.

ADM: From Adrian Otero Vila: If you could go back in time and stand next to a photographer when they were making an image, which one would it be?

ER: There are three photographers I'd like to do this with: Mike Miller and his famed photo of Tupac Shakur. Jonathan Mannion and his photo of Notorious BIG when he released his first album. Estevan Oriol and his photo of Dennis Hopper.

ADM: What's one question you have for the next photographer? You can answer it yourself if you'd like.

ER: What is the most important aspect of photography that you have applied to your daily life?

ADM: Where can we find your work and purchase your zines? Any other parting words?

ER: My printed zine work is available via losojos.bigcartel.com. Support people who support you. Your local zine community will thank you.

Hi, If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading the interview. This is usually the part where we stump for donations to keep the website up. This week - in light of the riots, we’d like to encourage you to donate to a cause related to helping out. This whole text block is a link to a better link tree.

Thanks,

The Management.

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo: Dustin Davis

May 24, 2020 in interview

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo: Dustin Davis

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you, could you please introduce yourself and give us an overview of your work?

Dustin Davis (DD): My name is Dustin Davis, based out of Fort Worth, Texas. I’ve been hobby shooting for about 10 years. As of the last year, year and a half (after moving to Texas), I’m attempting to make a more serious effort into creating work that matters to me. When I made the move to Texas, my inspiration came from the feeling of insignificance in a place that was much larger than I’m used to.

ADM: What was the impetus to document the Rodeo and Stock Show?

DD: I have always had an an interest in subcultures, as a whole. Growing up, my family and I were big into the BMX racing scene. We lived and breathed it. Interestingly enough, the stock show reminded me a lot of our time racing BMX.

Moving here, I knew what a rodeo was. I didn’t know what exactly the stock show portion of the event was though. Many people suggested to go to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. It was a culture shock for me, to say the least. I think that’s what caused my desire to document it. I’m an outsider, taking in all sights, sounds and smells.

ADM: That's really interesting - did you ever shoot/or document the BMX racing scene when you were in it? also, as someone who's not super familiar with BMX or Rodoes - can you flesh out the similarities for me? Also, if you did document or photograph the BMX races, did you find your approach changing much if at all either due to time and experience, and subject matter when you started to work on the rodeo?

DD: I raced BMX when I was about 12-15(ish), and at that age I had no interest in photography. I was too obsessed with my bicycles. There wasn’t a lot of direct similarities between the two, but the main one was how much of a family event it is. There’s an overall feeling of friendly competition too. And the actual showing of the animal, reminds me of the race itself (just a little slower paced ha). Mind you, this is more of the stock show portion of the event, not so much the rodeo.

ADM: So far the images from the Rodeo that I've seen have all been in black and white. Why black and white over color, and will you continue the project in only black and white?

DD: I debated color vs black and white or even mixing the two before continuing this year. I had started it using black and white and wasn’t sure if including color would help or hurt the project. There is not a lot of color at the events (except the Escaramuza event), so I’m not sure the viewer would be missing out on much. Alternatively, there’s something about black and white that fits this subject matter.

ADM: That's tracks, the photos you have look really great, and it's really cohesive - that said, do you think you'd go back and do a separate section in color on the Escaramuza section?

DD: Thank you! I could see doing that. But I feel I would separate that work from the Stock Show work itself. It would be really great to get some more behind the scenes if I went that direction. Definitely portraits, since all of their dresses are so bright and detailed. I think accessibility would be more challenging for the Escaramuza work though.

ADM: Following that, most of the photos I've seen of the project so far have been fairly topographic or street leaning, and you mention an interest in doing portraits of the people involved - do you have a feeling of how you'd like to do those portraits, or what form you'd like them to take, in context with the rest of the photos you've shot so far?

DD: The portraits would ideally spur of the moment requests of people at the stock show. I’d have to get over the whole fear of approaching a random stranger first. But I just don’t want to overthink it. Some of Louis Carlos Bernal’s portraits resonate with me (his Barrio work is on my ‘to buy’ list) in regards to context of current photos.

ADM: What do you think the eventual scope of the project will be, and what form do you think it will take, and why? Also will you document other rodeos/stock shows, or is the project strictly focused on the DFW Stock Show/Rodeo?

DD: I know people may have negative feelings about stock shows. My documenting is not about being for or against the showing and selling of animals - I just want to share my experience. At some point, I would like to make a zine or small book of the work. I really don’t know when that will be though. I feel this will be a long term project so that will play into any final piece. I do plan on documenting as many as possible. There is really only two that are near me, so I need to be realistic on how much time I am able to invest into actually going to the stock shows. I would like to including portraits of people involved in the stock shows as well.

ADM: Just for context, for me, a yankee - Are the stock shows a regular event, and sometimes separate from the rodeo? I know Houston's rodeo is annual, but I'm not terribly familiar with the practice, beyond that.

DD: The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is every year in January. There’s one a little north of me that happens in August (I think). I’m guessing most of the other major cities in Texas have one every year. From what I gather, the these big events include the stock show and rodeo. The rodeos are the big event at night, while the stock show happens during the day. There are probably smaller stock shows scattered around that don’t have a rodeo event.

ADM: What were some of the main influences on you for this project, photographic or otherwise?

DD: Tough one here. I think the main influence for this would be just the fact that this culture is so foreign to me and I’m fascinated by what’s all involved.

ADM: I'd love to see the zine or book when it's out - what format do you think it'll take, or what do you think the big sections of the book will look like?

DD: You’ll be the first to know about a zine or book! I’ve never created a book (or really put focus into a project like this), so culling and editing the images to flow well will be new for me. At this stage, I’m seeing the images as more of vignettes of the stock show culture and that’s what it could end up staying.

ADM: For someone in the middle of relocating - either to a completely new environment, or a quasi-familiar one, what advice would you have for documenting that (or an unfamiliar event like you have), and adapting to it?

DD: Embrace the experience. For me, the new environment opened me up to enjoying film again, creating work that I enjoy and work that is for me. Without relocating to Texas, i wouldn’t have been able to start this stock show project. I didn’t expect for other people to be all that interested in the topic, so I am excited to document it, for myself.

ADM: From Adrian Otero Vila: If you could go back in time and stand next to a photographer when they were making an image, which one would it be?

DD: Pulling out the tough questions, Adrian! I’m going to say three photographers. First, Matt Eich’s zebra image from Carry Me Ohio, Edward S. Curtis’ Canyon De Chelly, or Gordon Parks’ Negro Woman in her Bedroom.

ADM: What's one question you have for the next photographer? you can answer it yourself if you'd like?

DD: What’s something you’ve learned in the past year?

As I mentioned above, create work for yourself. When you enjoy making the work for you, it will show through in the work itself. We all want to find our audience, but that will come naturally.

Someone recently shared this quote from Alec Soth‘s Magnum course: ‘We all kind of know pictures that other people like , that our friends like, that would get us likes on Instagram... but what you need to do is make work that doesn’t succeed, that takes you to a new place and eventually that’ll find its audience.

ADM: Where can we see more of your work?

DD: Right now, Instagram @_digitaldust. I’m currently working on culling work and updating my website at http://www.dustindavisphoto.com

"You, A Great River That Never Runs Dry" or "The Stranger" : J. Han

May 17, 2020 in interview

"You, A Great River That Never Runs Dry" or "The Stranger" : J. Han (@all_gods_creatures_have_knives)

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you or your work, could you please introduce yourself? and give a brief overview of your work?

James Han (JH): My name is James Han and I live and work in Portland, Oregon. I started making color film photos in 2016 and in 2017 I attended a black and white darkroom class at the now defunct Newspace in Portland, Oregon. Since then I have been hooked. I love making black and white portraits of people, mostly strangers, where ever I go.

ADM: You just put out "You, A Great River That Never Runs Dry" or "The Stranger" which is a set of 5x7 darkroom prints that you've assembled into a book. What inspired you to make a book of your printed work? Is there a central thread that connects the photos contained in it?It seems as though books are the ideal medium for showing photographic bodies of work, rather than a website or Instagram. I enjoy the tactile experience of flipping through a book of photographs rather than scrolling through a website. Though scrolling through Blake Andrews' Tumblr account from beginning to end in one sitting did something to my brain. The central thread that connects the photos in this book is that every person (except one) was a stranger the first time I approached them.

ADM: What challenges did you have assembling your work, and printing it? Did the darkroom process inspire or shape the book heavily?

JH: Assembling the book requires a lot of time and effort; the time and effort it takes to print each page in the darkroom, editing the images and hand binding them together. It is a labor of love. Yes, the darkroom process inspired and shaped the book heavily. The darkroom process allows me to build the book from beginning to end. I do not need to pay a printer to print the books or have to live with a quality of print that leaves me less than satisfied. Some research was done and the quality of printing I was looking for was cost prohibitive or a large quantity of books would need to be ordered to bring the cost per book down. The end result of the darkroom print also shaped this book; once the printing was complete there was an additional edit and 5 photos were cut because the print quality did not match the others. I also enjoy the feeling of holding and flipping through a stack of 5x7 prints more so than copy print paper. The darkroom prints are heavy and thick and it feels like the photos and book have weight and substance.

ADM: The book seems to be made primarily, or entirely of portraits that are fairly intimate - what was your process like for getting your subjects to pose for you, and was there anything specific you had in mind while making the portraits?

JH: The intent at the beginning was an exercise in moving into the fear of people that was imprinted at such an early age. Each time there was movement into the fear and existence within it rather than remaining outside of it, the less power it held over me. It has been a very enjoyable and challenging process; one that has forced me outside of my tiny perception of the world and into a slightly larger one. At the beginning of the process I would approach just about everyone whereas now I am a little more selective as far as who I will approach. There are some triggers, but now there seems to be some energetic attraction that draws me to some folks. Some people are leery of me and the camera but once we get to talking most people will open up and allow me into their space to make a portrait of them. I've been called names and some people have yelled at me as if I had committed some great crime or insult. To this day, I am continually amazed at the fact that people will readily say 'yes' to having their portraits made by a complete stranger. There was nothing specific I had, or have, in mind while making the portraits, I would shoot without much thought or without some goal in mind.

ADM: Did you find or have any particularly big or moving experiences or conversations while finding and working with strangers? If so would you mind sharing?

JH: No, nothing comes to mind. Though one time this person thought I snapped a photo of him and he started yelling at me to delete the photo. I yelled back to him and told him I had not taken a photo of him. He started coming at me from across the street still yelling. Instinctively, I started towards him and in my mind I wondered why am I doing this and what is going to happen next. He then jumped up and bumped his chest against mine. Afterwards, and without thought, my left hand drops down to my side and the next thing I know I’ve got his leg in my hand and he’s hopping on his left leg. I then start to move him so that he is hopping backwards and soon he fell to the ground. I told him I was done. He jumped up and pulled out three or four knives and he threw each one to the ground, one by one and said “let’s fight for fun, no knives.” I responded “no” and walked away. Later on that day my buddy and I circled back around into that part of downtown and I heard “hey come here”. It’s the same guy and I could hear that there was no anger or malice in his tone so I went over and he thanked me. I asked him for what reason. He told me because I had held back and that I could have beaten him up and hurt him. Ever since then we have been friendly towards one another whenever we see each other.

ADM: The book, and by extension, the rest of your feed is in black and white, have you always worked in BNW, and if so is there a reason that you gravitated to BNW? if so how did you get there?

JH: No. When I started shooting photos in 2016 I did not appreciate the beauty of black and white photography and started with color film. In 2017 I attended a black and white darkroom class at the now defunct Newspace in Portland, OR and have been shooting black and white since then. I love the fact that I can roll my own film, expose the film, process the film in the kitchen and make black and white photographs in a darkroom.

ADM: In terms of influence, you mention Blake Andrews - but was there anything or anyone else that you found influential at the time - either as an active or passive influence. You also speak about people being attracted - bruce gilden actually talks about a similar phenomena - can you expound on your experience with that?

JH: Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Diane Arbus, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Mary Ellen Mark, Henri Cartier-Bresson (I spent so many hours looking at his portraits), Eugene Richards, Duane Michals and the list goes on. It seems to be a completely instinctual and an unconscious process. It is also a process of letting go of any preconceived ideas and wants and letting it all just happen. Then effort seems to disappears and there is just this doing and the doing leads to meeting people without consciously looking for something or someone specific.

ADM: What advice would you give to, or do you have for someone who might be new to street portraits, or approaching strangers, and attempting to make a portrait of them?

JH: Keep your heart as open as possible.

ADM: From Chris San Nicolas: What non-photographic thing do you find most enriches your photography/life?

JH: Commuting to and from work by foot and mass transit.

ADM: What's one question you have for the next photographer? you can answer your own question if you'd like.

JH: If you practice black and white film photography and use a darkroom to print photos, which photographer's (alive or dead) darkroom would you like to have access to and be able to watch work in their workspace?

ADM: Where can people find more of your work, and purchase either prints or copies of your book from you?

JH: Instagram. Please DM me if there is any interest in purchasing a print or a book.

Becoming an American: Adrian Otero Vila (AOWS)

May 10, 2020 in interview

Becoming an American: Adrian Otero Vila (AOWS)

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you, or your photographic work could you please introduce yourself, and give a quick overview of your work?

Adrian Otero Vila (AOV): I'm Adrian, a Spanish-American full-time photographer. I create black and white images of scenes that leave me in awe, with this work I try to pass along that same emotion to whoever is looking.

ADM: In your preliminary description you state that "Becoming an American" is, in broad strokes about your personal experience picking up and moving to America from Europe - What did you find was your experience moving to america, and how do you find that that experience was documented or captured in your photographs?

AOV: America is so present in our culture that I think most people (from other countries) have some preconceptions about it before even setting foot here. That included me when I moved to the US a few years ago. I had an idea of what I was going to find, and for a little bit, it was pretty accurate. It wasn't until I moved to Oregon that I discovered "the West". There, and away from everything and everyone I knew, I found freedom and peace. Those vast and remote landscapes gave me a sense of loneliness I never knew I needed. The rainforest of Washington, the coast of Oregon, the magnificence of the Rockies in Montana, the deserts of the SW... they were so incredible that I couldn't help it but to capture what I was seeing. At this early stage in my photography, I had no idea what to do with those images besides sharing them with family and friends, and later on Instagram. I felt I had to do it, though, and that created the spark that made me quit my job and become a full-time photographer. Those images are now part of my new book, "Becoming an American", and together, they tell my story, what I saw and the places and experiences that made me who I am today (for better or for worse).

ADM: Per your description, this book is a private photodiary, not initially meant for public consumption - what was the impetus to release the book to the public?

AOV: Over the years, I realized that the most rewarding aspect of sharing my photography is that many people find it inspiring, and it helps them in their own creative journey.

With "Becoming an American", I wanted to share what's behind my photography, a window to a period of my life that changed so much. Hopefully, it will inspire others not only to share their journey, but to embark themselves in a similar adventure.

ADM: Following that up, what was the assembly of the book like for you? Was there a specific "click" moment when the book came together for you while selecting images for it? or did you know from the outset the book would take a specific sequence or form (even if it may not initially have been aimed at the public)?

AOV: I started working on an initial draft of the book almost 4 years ago, from a selection of around 100 photographs. I laid the book out and actually printed out that first version. I kept looking at it and reorganizing the images for weeks, but I ended up putting the project aside.

I kept taking photographs, and when I felt like one might work for this project, I'd add it to the original selection. I ended up with several hundred photographs. It wasn't until last year when I decided to go through them and came up with a collection of 88 images that finally felt *complete*. Now, I had all the pieces I was missing before.

ADM: When going through the book, you periodically intersperse written narrative or recountings alongside the photos - what was your inspiration for including text, and at what point did you incorporate it? Was it always part of the plan for the book?

AOV: Definitely not. I decided to include them as I was putting the book together. There are almost a hundred images in the book, so I thought that a few breaks in between would be good for the reader / viewer, plus it'd help giving some context to the images.

ADM: Your standard (the majority of what I've seen on your IG) photo aesthetic leans very minimal. Did you find it difficult to work on this, or shoot like this alongside the more minimal work that you're known for?

AOV: Quite the opposite! The snapshots I take help me stay inspired during my photography trips, as I'm always looking for something to capture. I also make videos of my outings, which is much more demanding than these snapshots. I still find them useful for the same reason: to keep my creativity flowing.

ADM: You talk about maintaining a creative flow between your two bodies of work - following that - did you find yourself applying what you learned in this Diary project to your more public work, as you shot it. If so, how, and if not why not?

AOV: I used to be focused on a specific destination: I’d drive or hike somewhere, take a few photos, and head back. Now, I don’t dismiss any location beforehand, I find myself being more aware and paying more attention to everything.

ADM: In your trip around the country, was there a specific turning point for you - and was there a photo accompanying that? I know you note your move to Portland as being a huge step, or the ending point for the trip - but was there any other major turning point prior to the conclusion to the trip?

AOV: The trip to Portland was the beginning of my journey. There was no major turning point per se. In hindsight, I'd say it was on a weekend trip to Utah (and back to Portland) when I realized how beautiful this world is and how much I wanted to capture it. Even though I wasn't fully aware of it at the time.

ADM: What was the inspiration, from the outset, to document your trip alongside the main body of work you produced?

AOV: I take a lot of photos everyday, using whatever camera I might have with me. While my main body of work is my "artistic view of the world", those snapshots are a visual diary of sorts. If I make it to old age, those are the images I'll cherish the most.

ADM: What were your influences, photographic or otherwise on the book?

AOV: It's hard to know what or who influences your work, I didn't think of anyone or anything while working on this book. I can only assume, though, that books of a similar theme and style that I liked in the past influenced me in some way. My favorites are "The Americans", by Robert Frank, "American Prospects", by Joel Sternfeld and "Minutes to Midnight", by Trent Parke.

ADM: What advice would you give for someone making a big life change like you did? And, if they're considering taking on a big photographically driven trip, what other advice would you give alongside that.

AOV: Travel light. I was shooting film exclusively during a 2-month long road trip across the US and brought with me not only gear (2 Bronicas SQ-Ai, 5 lenses, 3 film backs and 100 rolls), but also the chemicals needed for developing and the scanner. I definitely regret doing that.

I brought only my small RX100 cameras on my last road trip, across Germany, Austria and Italy. When the gear gets out of the way, you can focus on what you’re capturing.

About life changes, it depends on someone's specific situation. I’m a big advocate of traveling, I believe that getting out of your environment for a while is a very helpful way to get to know yourself better. But going somewhere else won’t make your current problems go away, so be careful.

Over the last few years, I’ve made some decisions that weren’t necessarily the wisest or safest, but I knew if I didn't go for it, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. So I did.

ADM: By way of Charlie Thom, but directly relevant here - What're you working now, or what are you planning, what's the next project or trip?

AOV: Right now, I should have been photographing Iceland and the UK, but I’m stuck in Spain instead due to the virus situation. Besides those islands, I was planning on doing a lot of hiking in the US this summer and fall, plus shooting some winter scenes in the Midwest. We will see if that can still happen.

For now, I’m going through the thousands of photos from past trips, making some videos for my YouTube channel, working on a couple of zines and a new book.

ADM: What question do you have for the next photographer? you can answer it if you'd like.

AOV: If you could go back in time and stand next to a photographer when they were making an image, which one would it be? For me, that’d be either Koudelka’s image of the dog in the snow, or the photographs of bats and kangaroos from Trent Parke’s “Minutes to Midnight”.

ADM: Thanks for doing the interview! where can people find your work, and purchase copies of the book, as well as your print work?

AOV: Thank you, Andrew! This was fun. My website is the best way to look at my work, and also where the book and prints can be purchased: https://aows.co. I post every day on Instagram (https://instagram.com/aows) and try to upload a couple of videos a week to my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/aowsphotos).

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PARADISE: Sam Lloyd

April 26, 2020 in interview

PARADISE: Sam Lloyd

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you, can you introduce yourself, and your work?

Sam Lloyd (SL): My name is Sam, I'm a tattooer and student of photography in Portsmouth. I shoot both 35 and medium format.

ADM: What's the guiding concept behind Paradise?

SL: The fundamental concept behind Paradise is memory. It's a visual response to growing up in a pretty mundane suburb, as I'm sure many of us did.

ADM: Did you end up finding out anything about your childhood, or the suburban lifestyle through the process of making your zine? How does memory or nostalgia play into what you photographed vs. what you thought you would photograph at the outset of the project?

SL: So the walk is from my Mums house to my friend Gregs house, from the ages of 11-17 this was the longest walk me and friends would have to make at that time. Now it doesn't seem such a tall order, but that's why I chose this route.

On one of my walks photographing for the zine I had Greg with me and we and we discussed in great length what had changed and what remained, who from the past lived where and other places we would frequent as kids. Looking back over the photos in the zine it definitely didn't occur to me (and my memory) just how mundane the backdrop to my childhood was. I guess if you're having a good time with your friends you could be anywhere. Saying that, I did come across a lot of odd and misplaced things!

The main element of memory/nostalgia in the zine is the sequence of the walk. I like that the relevance of it all is only really known to me. I must admit when I came on to this idea I was pretty set on how I would conduct it, but I haven't been back there in a few years so I had no preconceptions on what I would shoot and how.

ADM: What got you into the zine or book format?

SL: I'm an avid collector of books and previously made a DIY zine showcasing my creative peers. When they announced the "quarantine" or what ever I just got busy and finalised the project, I thought it might be nice to share something with my friends while they're stuck inside.

ADM: Interesting - what would you say your favorite or most influential books have been (photographic or otherwise), and why?

SL: 10 years ago or so I was really into collecting the free copies of Vice magazine that you'd find in selected stores, they were pretty eye opening as to what kinds of photography went to print and who was out there. It was obviously unlike anything I had been shown at A level in college. As for favourite books, that's tough, but i'd have to say Roger Ballen. I have a few of his now and I just love how he incorporates illustration, sculpture, portraiture and chaos!

ADM: What was the shooting and image selection process like for Paradise?

SL: I took out a Hasselblad with trusty HP5 an retraced a walk I commonly made as child, I needed to structure my ideas and this seemed like a fitting ritual to follow for my project. The images you find on full bleed in the zine are from a roll I put through a Holga circa 2008/9, I couldn't believe my luck when I came across the negatives and it was a really nice touch to the sequence.

ADM: Going from Holga to Hasselblad is quite a stretch - how do you think working with toy cameras influenced your image-making, and can you speak a little more on how contrasting the holga images from over ten years ago played into the zine? I find it interesting because a lot of the holga images center on your friends rather than the topographics you lived in.

SL: That does sound like a stretch put like that! I've never been too precious about what camera/film combo i'm using, I was an avid car boot sale raider as a kid and bought anything I found that wasn't already home. I strongly believe anyone can make a thoughtful image with any camera. I've recently come across a few people shooting Holga still with amazing result!

The Holga images I came across clearing out my spare room and I'm glad I did. My initial idea was to respond to a rather large instax collection I have amounted from that same period of time. I wanted the reader to encounter them along this this walk I had put together as they were flash backs. I wasn't really happy with how the instax sat with my photographs, so when I found the negs in black and white and square format I really lucked out, not to mention they also captured Greg and his brother whom lived at the end of my walk.

I chose only the photos from the roll that featured people so they had some kind of continuity on their own.

ADM: Also re: the layout - what prompted you to set it up so that the modern images are plainly laid out, with plenty of buffer against the holga images which are full bleed? is there a deeper significance to that?

SL: I wanted it to be obvious and quite abrupt that you are encountering a "flash back" or something from the past to break up the sequence a bit, so the full bleed was to enhance that abrasion and difference. I left a lot of white space and one image to a spread to encourage the reader to take their time with each image, like a slow walk or something.

ADM: What did you learn, putting the Paradise zine together - is there anything you'd do differently on the next zine?

SL: I think I had it pretty easy with this particular project due to nature of the sequence being a walk, but it was a learning curve curating a single body of work opposed to my previous zines which were collaborative!

In regards to doing things differently in the future, I would like to play with different layouts and sequences. Not because I'm unhappy with anything in Paradise, but it's nice to have a new challenge!

ADM: When you talk about growing up in the suburbs - is there a particular memory that you're trying to communicate to the reader - or like a specific piece of nostalgia that might escape the viewer?

SL: I honestly don't have an agenda with this. It's very much "my truth" and more of a shared experience with the reader. I guess it just is what it is to some extent, to some it might be relatable and others a window into another way of life.

ADM: From Sadie Rose Bailey - what other creative outlets do you pursue? And what does it bring you that photography doesn’t?

With tattooing i'm constantly drawing drawing, so in many ways photography is my outlet from that. I'm currently painting a lot of flash and have been playing with cyanotype printing. I'm quite lucky to have a close friend who enjoys artsy stuff too, so we're always playing with new mediums, chasing the next high!

ADM: What question do you have for the next photographer? You can answer it yourself if you'd like.

SL: I think you should carry that last question over, is that allowed? I'd be interested to know what other stuff camera nerds were into!

ADM: Sure, I can let that question ride! Where can we see your more of your work, and order copies of Paradise (if there are any left?)

SL: So my photography is at @fortyeighteighteen on Instagram, I have not deemed myself worthy of website just yet. Copies of the zine are on acidbathvampire.bigcartel.com where you pick up some of my paintings and prints also. I will be ordering another batch of zines this weeks, I had no idea people would actually buy them!

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Game Trails: Jay Neely

March 28, 2020 in interview

Game Trails: Jay Neely

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): Can you introduce yourself and describe your photographic work?

Jay Neely (JN): My name is Jay Neely and I'm a photographer and art director based out of Leavenworth, Washington. I’ve been shooting photos and making books for about 10 years now. My work has largely been inspired by my environment and tends to evolve with my interests and curiosity. Because of this, my work has ranged from conceptual still lives to pseudo documentary and everything in between. That said, I’m primarily project, or concept driven... if I think an idea could make for a series, or a book, I usually pursue it even if it doesn’t fit in the realm of things I’ve done in the past.

ADM: In broad strokes, what is landscape photography to you?

JN: For me, I think landscape photography is primarily about environment and context. A good landscape is the stage for something else that’s happening. Photographs by nature are still representations of a place, or a moment and I think for me, great photographs (in general) imply movement, conversation, or interaction in a way. When I think about landscape photographs that have moved me... the compositional elements of course are there, but I’m really more interested in how the image employs my imagination to see something else that is taking place in that space. Todd Hido talks about this in regard to his houses at night. He talks about how his work really isn’t about a house on a street corner, it’s about what’s taking place behind the glowing windows... the things you can’t see. I think that same idea resonates with me about good landscapes.

ADM: What was the inspiration to put together Game Trails?

JN: A couple of years ago, I started hunting big game in an attempt to be more self sufficient and to build a closer relationship with my food. It has proven to be one of the most important, difficult and meaningful journey’s I’ve embarked on. That said, the way that I interact with the natural world has changed pretty dramatically since I started hunting. Everything is important... every footprint, broken twig, flower, bush etc... anything can be a clue and whether I’m hunting, or not, I find my self paying a lot more attention.

One of the most immediate signs that game is in the area is a series of game trails. These game trails connect these animals to their primary needs - bedding areas, food sources and water. They can switchback up a hillside with impressive efficiency and most often they’re frequented by a myriad of different animals. This series is really a topographic study of these systems. Aesthetically and by design, the similarities between game trails and our own transportation pathways are pretty uncanny. They tell similar stories and they serve a similar purpose and I think this sort of Human / Nature connection is really what I’m most interested in.

ADM: While the photos in Game Trails do document and focus on the titular Trails, the photos have a very textural quality -- was that intentional?

JN: Absolutely, I think the thing that was initially striking to me about game trails was their imprint on the landscape. They cut up the mountains in a super interesting way ... particularly as the mid-day sun hits the hillside - they almost glow in the sagebrush. I feel like when I’m working with subjects that fall into the mundane, it’s important to me to try to photographically point out the thing that caught my eye.

ADM: It's interesting that you bring up natural topography vs. humanity - that's not something I see dealt with very often - did you find that the game trails were often interfered with by humans?

JN: Yes and no... Most of the places that I was hunting were far enough off the beaten path that I wasn’t running into many boot prints. In areas with established man-made trail systems, you’ll definitely find an intersection between the two, which can be quite interesting. In a lot of ways, animal motivations are very similar to that of humans, so the trail systems can lead you to similar places. Game animals find security in elevation, and they require a clear path between food and water which often times mirror the points of interest on common hiking trails. In the wilderness, a person can certainly use game trails to their advantage. If you’re far from a trailhead and you need to get to the top of a mountain, or find a water source, a well trafficked game trail can be a good place to start.

ADM: The choice to shoot the project in black and white is an interesting one, which succeeds in the book. How did you settle on black and white for your images?

JN: When it comes to my personal projects, black and white is really the only way that I’ve ever worked. I was exclusively a black and white film photographer in art school and printing really taught me the depth of a black and white image. I keep telling myself that I’m going to do a color project, but I still have so much to learn in black and white that I feel like I’ll be on this path for a while longer. Aside from that, when I was putting this book together, I was thinking a lot about Robert Adam’s, Along Some Rivers. Adam’s book is an elegant and meditative series of black and white landscapes taken in the Pacific Northwest. The images really feel less about the things in the frame and more about the feeling of being in that place. I think that idea really struck me and a sentiment that I tried to capture in my images. So much of hunting is about being in places that people are not and I think that solace and immersion into the landscape brings about an attentive calmness that I felt was communicated best in black and white.

ADM: What was the shooting and editing process like for Game Trails? did you make your images as you hunted, or did you make dedicated trips to photograph the trails separate from your hunts?

JN: It was a little bit of both, but most of these images were taken while I was hunting. Particularly during the early season, there is a tremendous amount of down time during the middle of the day when the animals are bedded down. Usually you find yourself traveling from one ridge to another ridge, or perched patiently on the side of a hill waiting for the forest to come alive again. It’s a beautiful time to be in the woods and it proved to be a perfect time for me to make these images.

ADM: I agree that it's important to work in series, as well as to make photographs where the focus is about what's not seen - do you have any advice or insight into how to impart that sense of "hidden" narrative?

JN: I believe that narrative can come before, or after a photograph is taken and I think it’s really about defining process. I think my biggest piece of advice would be to first study the work that has been done before. Look at books, read interviews with photographers, artists, filmmakers... Really get an understanding of what you’re attracted to (aesthetically and conceptually) and why. Learn about a variety of processes and take the parts that work and build a way of working that keeps you working. From there, it’s about developing and following your photographic instincts.

For me, I’ve learned that my best work happens when my intentions are loose to begin with. Sometimes I find a thing that is conceptually and visually interesting and I can immediately find a narrative and the book basically unfolds in my head... this is ideal and rarely happens. That said, most of the time, I’ll photograph something, or a series of things that are aesthetically compelling and then from there, I’ll research the subject and let the narrative emerge... it’s sort of a process of discovery... and it’s where a lot of my best work has come from.

ADM: Where can people see your work, and purchase Game Trails, and other books of yours?

JN: You can find my work at www.jaythomasneely.com and on instagram @jaythomasneely

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SMALL ABYSS: Chris San Nicolas

March 22, 2020 in interview

SMALL ABYSS: Chris San Nicolas

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you or your work, can you introduce yourself and give an overview?

Chris San Nicolas (CSN): Hello, I'm Chris. I'm 26 years old, I live in Long Beach, CA, and I've been practicing photography for about 4 years. I started off bringing disposable cameras on trips and eventually grabbed my own 35mm camera, and it's been a steady and constant progression since then. I shoot a mix of street photography, landscape, and occasionally portraits. I don't shoot with an end goal or a specific photo in mind, I take photos as I go about living my life. I see all of the work as autobiographical in nature - with an overarching desire to represent life honestly, as I see it.

ADM: What was the impetus to put together and publish Small Abyss - also will it be a series - there is a "1" on the spine? A bit of an aside - I thought it was really cool how you used the frame marker 1 for that.

CSN: I made a small zine a year into my start with photography and wanted to make another that was more representative of the work I've been making the past 3 years. Since it spanned a longer period of time and I wanted it to be more complex - physically and conceptually - I decided on a small book. In actuality I've been wanting to make a book for a long time, but around November of 2019 I finally thought up a concept that I believed served as an appropriate and interesting vehicle for this period of work.

I don't intend Small Abyss itself to be a series, but the next book/large zine project will have a frame marker for 2 on it - so more of a numbering system for main projects. Thanks, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't partially get the idea from the cover of that Forte Collab Zine you curated a while back.

ADM: I know that the project, while definitely focused, and the photos are well chosen for it - is compiled from photos taken over the last three years - what was the selection process like? Did you find yourself taking more from a specific time period, or end up using more recent photos over older ones?

CSN: The project developed backwards in a way, with the title coming first and being the impetus for the whole project. I knew I wanted to make a large-ish cumulative project but a subject or theme didn't jump out at me just by looking through my photo archives, nor did a project based on one subject or type of photograph particularly interest me. When I was taking the first steps into the project (still unnamed) I was thinking a lot about how individuals perceive reality - how no one's personal experience can perfectly match up with another's, even if they experience the same events. That thought thread led to the title Small Abyss which (though it has many meanings) is a rebuttal to the line "No man is an island" from John Donne's Devotions Upon Emergent Occassions.

I let those competing ideas inform my selections as I looked through all the b&w work I've made since 2016. Since the theme was an exploration of an idea rather than a physical object or space or specific story, I was able to be creative in what photos I chose. I also wanted the interplay between the photos to be an integral part of the project, so I (painstakingly) cut a few of my favorite photographs I've made from the project because it didn't fit the theme or fit well with the photos in the project that did. I ended up choosing more recent photos than older but that's mostly because I took more pictures in 2019 than any other year. I printed ~200 photos in 4"x6" and taped them to my wall and let the layout create itself in a way. I knew I wanted the majority of the spreads to have one photo on the left and one on the right and function as pairs - one of the ways the photos interplay with each other. I also realized halfway through that I wanted there to be a progression that made sense with how the project exists as a book (which made me go back and change a lot of the pairings). I used this framework to guide the actual layout. It was a really iterative and organic process and though it was really fun, it was also frustrating and took a long time.

ADM: In response to how you Assembled the zine: Did you hand print all the 4x6 prints? Also how did you come up with that process of putting the photos on the wall, and constructing your pairs from there - and how do you think that shaped your process rather than doing the process via sorting on a computer, or straight into a layout program?

CSN: No I used CVS for convenience and cost. I wasn't concerned with quality for these prints because they were more an intermediate form of the project. I've always been a fan of tactile processes, so I'm not sure that I can pinpoint a moment where I thought of using a wall. I think it's always made sense and been an aspiration for as long as I wanted to make a book of photographs. The final product was majorly influenced by this process. I had this birds-eye view of the whole project where every loose connection or interesting interplay would draw my eye like the movements of small critters in a large grassy field. When I saw these connections, I could immediately move the photos next to each other, replace one of them with another that works but in a different way, compare them to other pairings and so on with a speed and physicality that I don't know how to reproduce with a digital process. Screens are only so big and there's a trade-off between scope (how many elements you can see at at once) and detail (how clearly you can see each element) which are largely eliminated if you have a wall, prints, and mobility. Maybe I don't know how to use digital tools effectively enough, but I can never experiment as quickly on a computer with the mixing and matching described above and I had the added benefit of seeing the physicality of the photographs. With the goal being a book, this was invaluable. A lot of these frames I had only seen as scans on a screen and I was surprised by how many photographs that I had enjoyed initially, did not hold up when printed.

ADM: The book contains a fairly intricate balance of landscapes (vernacular and traditional) with intimate portraits, and candid glimpses into other lives - how did you strike this balance this, and is there a particular significance to it?

CSN: As I mentioned before, an overarching goal for my photography is to represent life genuinely and I wanted this project to embody all the varied experiences in life. I used the balance of all of these kinds of photos as a way to do that. To reinforce this, I jumped around in scale a lot, for example going immediately from a close up of something tiny to a large sweeping landscape. And though the project doesn't stick to a single type of photo, there's a lot of repetition but also contrast in motifs throughout. A lot of the spreads present two similar things in different ways or two very different things in similar ways - like some kind of oxymoron. This ordered chaos is how I see life and I hope that feeling comes across.

ADM: Was there a particular moment or photo, or even pair of photos - that the overall concept "clicked" into focus for you?

CSN: It wasn't with the photos that the concept clicked. There were two breakthrough points for me. The first was when I wrote the first draft of the poem (or 3 poems depending on how you look at it) in the beginning of the book. I had even used the phrase "No man is an island" in that first draft, which was taken out later.

The second breakthrough was when I was deciding on the overall structure of the book. Initially I wanted the book to be able to be read left to right (normally) as well as outside-in, where you'd start with the inside covers and turn a page on each side in until you reached the middle spread. The idea was for these outside-in "spreads" would work as mirrors or opposites of each other. The main gripe I had was that people don't read books like that and if I'm doing something that weird, it has to reinforce or add to the concept in a meaningful way. I scrapped the idea and played around with a few more related ideas until deciding on one. The final layout has a sense of progression that works with the experience of reading a book and how the photos are presented.

ADM: Going back to the zine being a focused anthology, what would you say your key influences were for it - photographic, or otherwise?

CSN: Presentation-wise, I took a lot of cues from Japanese photography from the 60's and 70's. A Hunter by Daido Moriyama and the Asahi Camera publications come to mind. Both often featured full bleeds on their two page spreads as well as their multi-photo spreads. Another influence was Rap/Hip-Hop which I have only recently started exploring. I've always enjoyed wordplay and turns of phrase. I especially like when someone pivots, talking about a whole new topic based on a double meaning of a single word from the previous line. I wanted the progression of photographs in the book to feel like a series of pivots or turns in phrase maybe even audio samples taken from diverse sources but meshed into the narrative I was trying to create.

ADM: In terms of takeaway, what did you notice about your work, and by extension, about how you and your vision changed over the three year period?

CSN: The biggest takeaway I had was realizing how much of my work had been guided by my subconscious, the same subconscious that attached to the concept of Small Abyss Vs No Man Is An Island. I feel like this idea has always been in the back of my head and after these 3ish years of it quietly guiding my intuition as I made photographs, it finally bubbled to the surface and I had enough work to express it in a satisfactory way. But now that the cat's out of the bag, it's something I feel like I'll always be conscious of and because of that I'm not sure if I'll keep making work like this going forward. This project feels like a bookend, at least for the last few months it has. I haven't been shooting nearly as much once I started making the book and I think it's because I want to tackle a different problem with a different artistic language or medium. I'd say the biggest realization is that I was always working towards something like this and now, at least until I'm no longer burned out on this work, it's time for something new.

ADM: Now that you've wrapped up Small Abyss, what can we look forward to in the future?

CSN: I honestly couldn't say. I'm still taking pictures, just not as frenzied as before. Definitely more photography, probably less exclusive b&w 35mm film work. The project has definitely made me want to do more physical projects. Now that I have the large overarching project done, I've given myself permission, I guess, to do smaller, more niche projects possibly with a more mixed media approach.

ADM: Would you say after this project your working process has changed? if so how, if not why not?

CSN: I'd say it has definitely slowed down. I've been putting a lot of energy into finishing the book and have been shooting less. I hope I'll eventually get back into a groove where I'm shooting at least a roll a week. I think I'll have to start making smaller projects with goals in mind or define more explicit long term projects instead of idly shooting.

ADM: What advice would you give for someone looking to put together a retrospective of their work, especially one covering as much material as yours does?

CSN: Have a concept or theme that you can dig into and also have enough work to fulfill it. Make sure to overview all your work, there might be stuff you forgot about that will work really well. Keep asking yourself questions and don't get married to any one idea.

ADM: Do you have any parting words? Also where can we pick up copies of Small Abyss and see more of your work - I know you do print on demand - both darkroom and inkjet.

CSN: Just stay safe and sane and healthy. Small Abyss will be available on my website www.chrisnicpics.com or through DM via ig at @chrisnicpics. You can also see my work on my website and ig. I do, I'm still figuring it out more consistent print sales but if you follow me on either platform, I'll let you all know on there. Thanks again for doing this interview with me and promoting the project, Andrew. Really appreciate all the stuff you do for the community!

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