photobook

Brackish River Valley: Eric Kaczmarczyk

December 20, 2020 in interview

Brackish River Valley: Eric Kaczmarczyk

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

Eric Kaczmarczyk (EK): Hi, my name is Eric Kaczmarczyk, I'm an artist-photographer living and working in the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York State. My artwork is primarily made within the environment in which I live; whether it be a landscape, a cityscape, a still life, an abstraction, or the occasional portrait. Photography for me is a way to connect with my surroundings and ultimately, a way to process my own psychology. As I continue to explore, film photography has been my medium of choice, in part due to its slowness - developing, scanning, editing, printing -gives me time to sleep on it all.

ADM: We're talking about Brackish River Valley - you open with the words that make the title being defined, and have a brief afterword - could you expound on the concept and impetus for the project?

EK: The photographs I've made over the past several years were without a specific intention or end goal in mind. Before coming up with the final name for the book, I had the word "river" stuck in my head... and I kept thinking, what about river, why river. As I learned more about the area, I came to understand that the Hudson River is brackish; a mixture of salt and freshwater. When the ocean tide rises, the river flows northward; when the ocean tide falls it flows southward - at least in the lower part of the river. In the afterword, I mention that the "mayor was covering everything in concrete" as a way to acknowledge that there were several large scale construction projects going on around this time, erecting residential towers and complexes. Not everything was being covered, in fact, there was some uncovering. There used to be a large parking lot in the center of town which they removed and re-exposed part of the Saw Mill River that was buried underneath years ago. There was still little-to-no grass in the nearby parks, most everything was concrete with a few trees and some flowers.

ADM: I find the photos in Brackish River Valley to be very formally pleasing - is there a particular meaning or throughline in the photos? What was your process for image-making - and following that - you handmade/bound the project - is there extra significance to that handmade approach?

EK: Symbolically - the mixture of salty and fresh water, flowing two different directions, the struggle between concrete and nature and the conflict of old and new - were all on my mind while making this work. Not only did this help me understand the environment that I stepped into, but also helped me understand my internal dialogue. I used to be a very rigid creator, thinking of a concept then illustrating that concept. For me, this left me stuck behind the emotional walls that I've unintentionally built. Through making this work specifically, while undergoing a life transition of my own, I felt the impact of covering things in concrete. I think making this book by hand is relatable back to why I shoot film - it was a slow, intimate process, giving me a lot of time to gain clarity.

ADM: Are there any images that you would point to explain the project to an outsider, or that encapsulate the project best (from your perspective), and why or why not?

EK: I’d say, look at the pair of images where on the left is a light fixture and on the right is a building without a roof. This is one of my favorite uses of metaphor in the book where the light appears to illuminate the roofless building as a symbol for searching and introspection. Additionally, note the presence of a large shadow cast on the hillside, obscuring the view. Also, take a look at both the black-and-white image of the busy road and the color image of the parking garage with water in the foreground. Both of these images depict two examples of where the Saw Mill River was uncovered and parks lacking nature were built.

ADM: Recently, I saw you mention on IG that "Brackish River Valley has two more sequels coming next year, what are they about, and how does the book fit into that larger cycle?

EK: Yes! I have two more books planned, with different titles yet to be determined. This first book contains photographs from 2017 and 2018, all made within Yonkers which borders New York City to the north. The next book will contain photographs from 2019, all made between Yonkers and Sleepy Hollow, New York. During this time, I've transitioned to a new location further up the river. And finally, the third book will be photographs from 2020, all made within Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Generally, the further north you go from New York City, the greener the landscape becomes. This may sound obvious to some, but for me, as I break down my emotional barriers, nature has played a major role.

ADM: Do you have a greater overall goal for the cycle of photobooks? does it have a name?

EK: Ever since I relocated to the Lower Hudson Valley several years ago, I’ve been fascinated by the river and the rivertowns. Not pictured in this first book, another geographic feature that caught my attention is the Old Croton Aqueduct which is now a hiking trail spanning 26 miles, running parallel to the river. Previously, the aqueduct provided fresh upstate water to New York City. Aside from the river being a mode of transportation for water and boats, it felt like a place to meditate, transporting thoughts. My overall goal is to document this transportation of thoughts while connecting with the physical environment. There is no name for the overall project yet.

ADM: In terms of influence, what were the major influences on Brackish River Valley, and the cycle at large? they can be photographic, or non-photographic.

EK: Several artists that come to mind are Sophie Calle, Laurie Anderson, Pipilloti Rist and Sol LeWitt. Aside from artist inspiration, one major influence on Brackish River Valley has been weekly talk therapy with a psychologist. I’ve always been an intuitive artist but, through depression and anxiety, this has helped me connect with my photographs in a more direct and conscious way. Another major influence goes back about 10 years, a college professor of mine who encouraged me to go out and make photographs without thinking or planning beforehand. This helped me ward off overthinking and make more room for reflection.

ADM: You've mentioned therapy and mental health - lately I've found a lot of photographers (myself included) use the medium as an outlet for their personal struggles - in your own words, or opinion, what is it about the medium that makes it so intuitive to the topic of mental health or illness?

EK: For me, one thing about photography that makes it such an intuitive medium is within the ephemeral nature of pressing the shutter button. Personally, in regards to my mental health, my ability to process emotions in the moment can be quite difficult, it takes me a while. If I make work with this in mind, and relinquish some control, this leaves a lot of room for the subconscious to do its work. Letting my mind wander and letting my intuition tell me what to make a picture of. In this state of mind, I feel that it's easier to simultaneously experience the moment and also make the picture, processing the emotions later on.

ADM: What does the Photobook format mean to you, and do you find it to be substantially different from the zine?

EK: I always found photobooks to be a great way to hold art in your hands and feel what the artist might’ve been feeling. Truthfully, I wasn’t fully certain whether to call this project a photobook, a zine or a chapbook… to me, it’s a type of hybrid between a photobook and a zine. I did want an intimate smaller book, and in a several book series, like a zine. I don’t find the various formats to be substantially different; they are all books and serve the same purpose of communicating artistic expression.

ADM: What advice or insight would you give to someone looking to contextualize their mental health or findings in therapy through photography?

EK: My best advice would be to not restrict yourself into one style, one theme, one type of photography. Having gone to art school, often, I felt that you can be pushed into overly developing a style in order to fit into a niche within the industry. In regards to mental health, and art, this can be quite suppressive. If you’re only photographing one subject matter, in one way, it will not be possible to access the far reaching complexities of one’s psychology. My second piece of advice would be to never stop asking questions to yourself; reflect, analyze the symbols, analyze the colors. Unrelated to my book, in college, I made gross food combinations, placed them on the sidewalk, asked four people to stand around, then photograph the scene from the knees down. About 10 years later, I realized it was a sort of rebellion to the superficial environment I was raised in, where food and appearance were the most important thing, more important than feelings.

ADM: From Al Palmer: What was the biggest single turning point for you as an artist?

EK: At first thought, I began to scan my recent achievements, my technical upgrades, my emotional freedom… even with some of this feeling like they’re big steps, it still feels more like a long term progression. Therefore, I’d have to say, the biggest turning point for me is not recent; it was as a teenager, the purchase of my first camera. It was my first major coping tool. I was able to navigate my world, soothing anxieties, the usual “hiding behind the camera” perspective. I tried expressing myself through drawing and painting but, I felt more clarity while looking through a lens. Personally, this is the most important to me because I discovered that I could communicate in ways that I could not with words.

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

EK: What does a day in the life as a photographer, as an artist, as a person, look like for you? What time do you wake up, go to sleep? Outside of photography, what are some of your favorite hobbies?

ADM: Where can people purchase a copy of Brackish River Valley? I saw that you'd sold through your initial batch (congratulations!) will you have another pressing for sale alongside the next books in the cycle? Do you have any other parting words? -- Thanks again for the interview!

EK: Fortunately and unfortunately, the book is sold out! The next books in the cycle will be a continuation of similar subject and format and a good chance to pick up a copy. At the end of the cycle, I am hoping to put the several books together into one larger, hardcover book… but we will see! In the future, I may consider a second edition, but will not be handmade like the first edition. Lastly, for those who liked the book, or who missed the book, I am releasing a batch of images from the book as special edition prints that will be going up for sale soon. My only other parting words are a big thank you to frozenwaste.land for offering to interview me and to all my friends and colleagues who’ve shown invaluable support throughout this process.

Walker Evans’ American Photographs: the bullet points, for idiots, like me.

July 28, 2020 in Book Talks

Walker Evans’ American Photographs: the bullet points, for idiots, like me.

When I announced the ongoing series I’m running of book talks on photographers and their key books, I promised to write up at least a one page essay, or something to that effect on the photographer, and the book, much in the same vein of a “What I Learned Shooting.” Like that series this shouldn’t be taken too deeply - I’m no expert and these are essentially my personal cliff notes, because I need to actually write out and think out anything before discussing them. Feel free to drop a comment if you have corrections or counterpoints - or just email me.

So now that I’m done the preamble, I’ve broken down my essay/recap/notes into a few segments, starting with:

History:

American Photographs was the first solo exhibition of photography at the Museum of Modern Art. Evans was the primary curator of the exhibition, though he worked closely with Kirstein on finalizing his image selection in the exhibition, and later the book. This seems to have played a huge role in setting up the Museum as sort of the de-facto “Church” of photography in the US. Along with helping establish MOMA, the book was also an early lynchpin of the american photobook tradition, per Galassi. The book, and exhibition first ran in 1938.

Technical Notes:

Evans used an 8x10 view camera for the entire book. While this is not particularly impressive on it’s face - the book itself is not particularly large, so we can’t really appreciate the full size of the plates - even as contact prints - it is quite impressive in the first half the book where evans manages to capture quite a few candid moments with a strong degree of - a fact that Kirstein acknowledges in his essay that comes with the book.

Context of Book, Notes on Style and Construction:

Evans was noted for his commitment to documentary photography, and as one can readily see in the book itself the vast majority of the images were made from 1929-1936, across the Eastern US - Up and down the coast, and deep into the south. Newhall states that while Evans had a great eye for images, and created them consciously, many of the images were stronger in composition than the simplest possible document - though Evans frequently did employ very head on and straightforward compositions throughout much of the book.

The book is set into two halves - the first focusing largely on the American Populace, their local environments and scenes, and features which they surrounded themselves with. While many of the images are strict portraits of the scenes shot head on, when Evans steps out to document people, particularly in their environment, it tells a distinct story of people’s relationship with each other, and their place. Evans seems to have a particular fascination with advertising, both the ads themselves and how they’ve aged, as well as the placement of advertisements within those settings. Much of the best or most informative work in the first half are Evans’ environmental portraits - tying the scenes he documented to the people. This isn’t to say that his straight forward portraits are bad by any stretch, but that they don’t contain as much pure data or context as the environmental portraits. There are some vernacular landscapes in this first half, as well as interiors, but unlike the later landscapes, the factories, tenements and houses, these photos are very much portraits of place rather than comprehensive “landscapes.”

Newhall says of the second half that Evans was attempting to create “an Indigenous American Landscape.” Though, personally I’m a bit loath to say indigenous, as the book documents construction on the American, largely due to non-indigenous settlers. As previously mentioned these photos are more in the traditional landscape arena - and read much more as surveys of place or constructed photos. That said, the second half does reference the first half when the Evans documents many of the houses, and their architectural details - though I suppose these houses and their details make up the firmament of the towns and landscapes -

Many of the landscapes, and beyond contained in the second half of the book are of towns, and dwellings, and have more layered or complicated compositions than the first half - I believe this in part due the nature of landscape photography - unmoving, allowing the photographer to adjust and construct a frame based on their own needs - which Evans was not intrinsically against - though that approach did run contrary to much of his straight on mentality that he employs in the first half. I suppose landscapes which don’t move, and aren’t direct documents like many of the pure portraits, and there’s nobody to manipulate. The other half of this is that many of the landscapes and cityscapes that Evans photographed were themselves complicated, or more complicated than their surrounding environment. In the end, this tends to suggest Evans views a sort of odd entanglement between Americans and their environment - perhaps via the towns themselves or in some cases the job sites that overshadow the town and their environment.

Influences, Descendants, and Contemporaries:

Timothy H. O’Sullivan: O’Sullivan was a photographer during the Civil War, then went on to to document the west as a surveyor - I believe that, referencing the Beaumont Newhall quotation again, Evans takes influence perhaps indirectly throughout the second half of the book. Evans uses more contorted views of his landscapes where O’Sullivan’s are often very flat - and his images tend to give equal importance to everything in the frame - which makes sense given that he’s photographing essentially purely nature and natural topographies, which necessitate equal importance. That’s not to cut down the aesthetic importance of O’Sullivan’s Landscapes.

Robert Adams: Most likely the quickest “descendent” I could come up with - Adams’ work often dealt with similar entanglements between human suburban settlers and their topographies, and many of their compositions are really similar. Though Adams was much more the naturalist, where Evans focuses more on the human aspect.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: Largely a contemporary, though they did overlap in new york - they both focus on similar subjects though their approach or fundamental viewpoint is wildly different. I believe Newhall noted HCB as being distinctly whimsical or french, as opposed to Evans’ simpler more straightforward approach. Bresson did have some landscapes and urban scenes, but they don’t tend to get quite the focus Evans puts on his.

Dorothea Lange: Lange was a fellow FSA photographer, though she leaned more towards people - and her constructions are more graceful, and less forceful. If you’re reading that as a put down, you’re an idiot. I’m tired and haven’t gotten a good book of hers yet, but I’m going off what I can easily google, because she’s frequently checked as a contemporary of Evans’.

For those like me - the intellectually disinclined (dumb observations):

1. The book is much smaller than I’d imagined. It’s a bit disappointing, because many of the images would likely benefit from a bigger display size, especially in the back half

2. The images throughout the book are relatively high in contrast - not comically so, though.

Softer contrast seems to be a relatively recent movement in photography.
I wonder when it became a “thing?”

3. Evans isn’t completely committed to sharpness, I believe he was a part of the “straight photography movement, and was a hardened documentarian, but a few of the images throughout the book are a little soft, showing a bit of motion.

If you’ve read this far - thanks for reading, I hope you found it useful, or if not useful entertaining, or just got a good hate read out of it. If you liked it, consider grabbing a zine in the shop, or donating (via the donate button) to us so we can keep the website up. We also are on patreon.

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Landscapes of Nostalgia, and Beyond: Karl Bailey

January 08, 2020 in interview

Landscapes of Nostalgia, and beyond: Karl Bailey on nostalgia, travel, and the zine.

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): Hi Karl, thanks for doing this interview. For those who aren't familiar with you and your work can you please introduce yourself, and describe your work a little bit?

Karl Bailey (KB): Hi, my name’s Karl Bailey, I'm 28 and live in Portsmouth which is a sea city on the south coast of the UK.

A lot of my work is about looking backwards. Many of the locations I've shot at have been inspired by or even from, my own childhood. I'm also keen to preserve and document history and the many changes that we observe over our lifetimes. Ultimately I wouldn't say I aim to have a specific style of work or shoot with a style in mind but I'm always told my work evokes nostalgia.

ADM: I'm curious, when did you pick up photography? Mining a little deeper in, do you think it's linked to your focus on nostalgia? and following that up, what specifically about nostalgia do you find so compelling, both individually, and culturally?

KB: My dad took a lot of photos and video and even had his own darkroom at one point, I was always carrying a little point and shoot on family outings, so I think that's how it was picked up/passed on. I got really into it when I was about 15 and studied Media and Photography in college where I got to use the darkroom and shoot video. From that point on I was part of a local video group that made an amateur sci-fi series for small local TV channels, Then I started picking up photo and video work professionally and ended up shooting all sorts, weddings, corporate, promotional etc but it burned me out and I didn't touch a camera for years. When I finally did in 2018 I realised it was the natural thing that was missing from my life. There is definitely a link somewhere down the line, I love the idea of archiving and not letting any part of history slip away, for no one to remember it; the thought that something or someplace has created so many memories for people and could be knocked down with little thought makes me quite sad even if I'm not personally connected.

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

KB: I love creating and making things, this stemmed from a diy record label I owned with my friend about 10 years ago. We would release music on CD's, Tapes and Vinyl and I was always pushing myself to create interesting and appealing packaging. It just feels natural to carry on that physical aspect in what I do now. Having something to hold and enjoy is really important even more so for photography, printed work is so much better than looking at it on a screen.

ADM: What does a typical shoot day look like for you?

KB: Some days I will carry one camera, and others I will end up carrying too much. Ultimately it's about exploring new places or turning down roads I've never been down before and seeing what will crop up, usually I will walk miles on end as this is the best way to explore. I always carry a camera on me wherever I am so technically everyday could be a shoot day!

ADM: How do you conceptualize your projects, and what's your selection process like?

KB: I've yet to shoot with a project in mind, although this is something I have started exploring just this month. A lot of my projects (then zines) are born from a moment in time that I've been shooting in. Themes and ideas usually come to me once I have the photos and I can tie them in that way. The selection process goes from contact sheets, narrowed down to printed A6 photos and then I lay them out or pin them up, I'll leave them for weeks and slowly look at them every now and then, make notes and finally pick the ones for a project/book... assembly I'll try to find connecting themes and elements depending on how I lay out the book initially.

ADM: Having read All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, and also having seen work from Greece and End of Summer on your Instagram, it seems like a lot of your work has to do with both travel, resort towns, and decay. What about those subjects do you find so compelling, or what drives you to make projects with those themes?

KB: To most people these things are just ignored, they see the beauty in the shiniest and newest things and not the character that I see when taking these photos, Again it comes down to history and not wanting these things to just be gone one day and for no one to care or see them. Greece was a nostalgia piece for me, I went there as a child and I remembered so much of what it was once and instantly felt the need to document the remnants that were left.

ADM: I know you were living/working in China recently -- do you have an upcoming project with work from there?

KB: This has been my biggest project to date, sifting through 1300 photos to try and get a reasonable number of photos for a project was extremely challenging and daunting.

I currently have 300 A6 photos that I will start laying out for the book and I'll probably end up cutting back at the same time. The project will be one-half of China photos and the other half Hong Kong photos, the China half will be titled 'I don't know why the caged bird sings' which is a social commentary piece on the joy and happiness that I experienced from the populace, despite them living a somewhat oppressed lifestyle under the rule of communism without even really knowing about it. The book will be appearing on Kickstarter in the first quarter of the year and I will be holding a gallery show in my hometown in August.

ADM: Off the some of your other responses you've given, you found your hypothesis for the book after going out and shooting and documenting a lot. Can you speak on what some of the big moments or images you captured were that led you to focus your book on The Joy of the people of Hong Kong and China despite the oppressive nature of their government?

KB: Living in China was such an eye-opener, I strived to understand and talk to as many people as possible about history, culture, family life, politics and the future, I think at the end of it and having experienced some of the more dangerous sides of China It was an almost natural conclusion. Walking around the apartment complexes, going to the food markets and living in the poorer area of the city gave me a real glimpse at the people, sometimes they would come and talk to me, or sometimes we would just communicate solely with body language but most experiences I had were that people seemed happier, more open, more willing to help... it was a lot different to living in England where everyone is so cagey and polite. For Hong Kong it's very different, the city is naturally a mix match of cultures (British/Chinese) and it's totally and utterly unique because of that, it's an amazing and beautiful city with photographic moments to be had around every corner.

AM: For those considering getting into photography -- film or otherwise -- what would advice would you give? Also, for those who might be interested in making a zine, but don't know where to start, do you have any tips?

KB: Just go out and do it! Visit galleries, buy books, find photographers you enjoy, expand your knowledge... don't get hung up on buying gear, don't get hung up on Instagram likes/follows... more importantly, just have fun and use it as a creative outlet... something I think has been somewhat lost in this modern generation. I think understanding design/layout is really important, study from the greats, find your subject or theme for your book, be critical and ask for opinions. Be somewhat sure of yourself and your work, make a zine worthy of owning and not just for the sake of making a zine.

AM: Have you found any particular photobooks or photographers that have strongly influenced your work? If so, who, and can you talk a little bit about why, and what books or work of theirs you'd recommend?

KB: So many photographers, I'm always excited to see old or new work and I love collecting books...

Modern Color by Herzog stood out to me a lot this year which I think is apparent in my 'End of Summer' zine I've also been enjoying books by McCullin, Parr, Laura Wilsons 'That Day' and the Magnum Contact Sheets book. I can't stress how valuable these are to a photographer!

AM: Those are great recommendations. Thanks again for doing this interview! Where can people find and buy your work, either your zines or your prints right now? Do you have any other parting words ? Can we expect you back to talk about "I don't know why the caged bird sings" when it's closer to completion?

KB: www.karlbailey.co.uk for all zines, occasional prints but I tend to put them up as one offs on IG stories (@karlbailey). Thanks for having me on to do this, it's been really fun! I would love to come back when the time comes!

Together, We Wither Away and Know Worries: Dylan Rozzelle

December 18, 2019 in interview

Together, We Wither Away and Know Worries:

Dylan Rozzelle (@objectsofridicule)

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): So, for the readers, Can you introduce yourself, and give a quick overview of your photowork? (beyond the examples we've incorporated here?)

Dylan Rozzelle (DR): I currently live and work out of Richmond, Virginia. My work is entirely based on life as it’s happening around me. I can’t say I’ve ever set out to hone a particular style, I just enjoy documenting things in an unadulterated way. The process of shooting has just become ingrained into my lifestyle. After learning how a camera works, everything else just sort of fell into place for me. Humanity creates my images, I just have to focus and press the button.

ADM: I remember from having talked with you before, your instagram handle "@objectsofridicule" is actually the name of an overall project, is it more your zinemaking/bookmaking output, or your overall body of work? also what's the story behind the Name, and how does it interplay with the work you select for it?

DR: It’s more or less a moniker that just ended up just sticking with me. I like making things for friends and people with similar interests as myself. Photo zines, poetry, pins, patches, anything I was creating and giving out in numbers really, I just started stamping with the name. It was never meant to be taken too seriously, and still isn’t. I’m not trying to create a brand in anyway, it’s just something that’s become an ongoing project -- one that as of recently has shifted away from my own work and moved towards others as well. I have a love/hate relationship with the name, but I think that’s inevitable with anything you’ve submerged yourself into for multiple years, and grown older with.

ADM: From the zines I've read of yours, a lot of your work seems to be done while traveling rather than in any given/set location -- is there a primary reason for that, and what is it specifically that draws you to travel, and how has it influenced your work?

DR: It’s not planned that way specifically. I carry a camera on me at all times, so anywhere I happen to be, I’m taking pictures. Last year a lot of time was spent meandering different countries, so the zines just happened to follow the experiences. When traveling alone, I shoot a lot more, but the focus tends to turn more towards the streets. Being alone and in new places, I find myself less distracted than any other time I’m out shooting, mainly because the only comfort I have is in holding a camera. It’s easy to romanticize new places, though, and shooting daily life is just as important to me.

If you’ve ever gone to a local library and looked through the photo archives of where you’re living, it will teach you not to take for granted what you see on a routine basis. Every city is consistently under construction and will be vastly different decades from now. The hand painted ads, cars, clothing, those things that gives older photographs their charm just happened to be the way life was existing then. There’s no true proof of the past other than the photos that were taken. Time has made mediocre photographs much stronger now than they were when the shutter first opened. Everyone that is documenting the places they have lived will have much more compelling content 40 years from now. The factory your father worked in as a teenager is now a tacky condominium and the record store you used to catch punk shows at is now an Urban Outfitters. You can’t get those stories from street photography in foriegn places. I try to find a balance between the two, because I see the value in both.

AM: Got it. I take it we/I/your audience in general can look forward to at least one, if not more Richmond based zines in the near future? The nod to documenting your life as part of history is interesting -- did you grow up in Richmond?

DR: I have a few things in the works, absolutely. In July I put out a zine titled Together, We Wither Away which is comprised of images from the east coast, with a large focus on Richmond. In the brief period between getting back from overseas to releasing that zine, I had gone home (a town called Norfolk about 100 miles south of Richmond) twice -- both of which were for funerals of people who played valuable roles in my life. As soon as I got back from the second funeral, I formatted that zine and then put it into print. It was an attempt to make a statement against detrimental lifestyles and self-harm, as well as a way to help cope with my grief after their deaths.

Since then I started putting my efforts into a project called Know Worries. They are 4-way collaborative anti-profit zines. Once I curate and publish them, each artist receives 25 copies to do what they will, other than to make money. Know Worries II was released last week.

AM: Your portfolio is entirely black and white, and it has a pretty distinctive edge to it -- how did you settle on it? what were some of your influences for your look?

DR: I shot strictly color through cheap cameras for years. I was soaking films in any chemical I could think of to get bizarre color shifts, and completely destroying emulsions, cross processing as well, just to see what would happen. I didn’t care, I just liked to shoot and experiment. I ended up becoming good friends with a guy who was vastly more knowledgeable than I about photography. He helped guide me towards better cameras and glass, showed me books by the greats and it shifted my focus. That’s when I began to start taking it a little more serious. I switched to black and white because we were processing the film ourselves in my apartment. In turn, the cheaper it is to get images, the more careless and often you can shoot. Good photos are subjective and completely by chance in my experience. The more you shoot, the more chances you have of getting something you’ll be happy with. We ended up living together and turned my bedroom into a darkroom. Fully submerging ourselves into the process. I learned a lot during those times and it helped shape my style for sure. I attribute a lot of where I am today to him. Shout outs to Josie.

I’ve tried shooting color since then, but I just feel like it doesn't carry the same weight and feeling for my own images. I don’t look for colors, I rarely even think about them -- but maybe I’m just too far gone in that thought process. I’m sure it doesn't help that 95% of the books that I buy are black and white. I don't think one is better than the other, I just think it happens to work better for me personally.

Most of the photographers I admire were living and working sometime between the 1970s and the 1990s. Having not lived my youth through those eras and being attracted to the subcultures that sprug during those decades, I’m fortunate for the ones who decided to pick up a camera and were shooting back then. In current times, color point and shoot photography is one of my favorite styles to admire because I know the importance it holds for the future. It plays a large influence in my work even if I’m not doing it. There is nothing about it not to love, and anyone who knocks it is just trying to put themselves on a pedestal. That purist mentality is what ruins art forms and discourages people from getting into it rad stuff -- no matter what scene you’re in, I feel that it almost never does any good. I encourage anyone I meet that shows the slightest interest in photography to buy and a point and shoot with decent glass and just blow through frames to get started. Whether you enjoy color, or black and white, who gives a shit. I think it’s all irrelevant if you’re having fun and it’s going to leave future generations more content to be enamored by. If you don't want to learn the technical side of things, I don't think you should have to. Elitist culture is pathetic. Getting pictures is the point of what we do, right?

ADM: Agreed! That’s really rad -- and a smart suggestion for people thinking about getting into photography, or film photography specifically. Elitist culture makes it really difficult to just get new folks into whatever they’re gatekeeping -- usually to their own detriment. Could you share a few of the books and photographers that you’d admire, and recommend to someone just getting started, that’s been out shooting a fair bit but hasn’t really immersed themselves in the history of photography beyond say instagram (not that there’s anything wrong with that)?

DR: I think it’s important to find out what kind of photography resonates with someone before recommending them too much. I love to read, but I could give a shit less about James Joyce. When it comes to photo books, there’s no shortage of inspiration to be found. The feeling you get flipping through an artist’s book is something the internet cannot give you. The problem with instagram is that it’s far too much content to digest. It’s almost impossible to connect with a viewer, and hold their attention before it’s all lost to the movement of a thumb. Pretty fucking tragic, really. I always recommend going to used bookstores and the library, there’s always new things to be found, plus there’s no need for money if you don’t have it. You will always, without fail, end up inspired to create more compelling work and theorize ideas for new direction in your photographs.

A brief list of people who have personally inspired me:

Tish Murtha, Ray Metzker, Gusmano Cesaretti, Richard Sadler, Andre Kertész, Mary Ellen Mark, Jill Freedman, Richard Kevlar, Helen Levitt, Eikoh Hosoe, Bruce Davidson, Gary Winnogrand, Ralph Gibson, Joseph Koudelka, Lee Friedlander, Ari Marcopulos, Saul Leiter, Julia Gorton, Eugene Richards, Larisa Dryansky, Bill Brandt, Ed Templeton, Ed van der Elsken, Peter Hujar, Nan Goldin, Ken Schles, Robert Frank, Larry Towell, Boogie, Mark Cohen, Jun Abe, Anders Petersen, Mike Brodie, Donna Ferrato, Sylvia Plachy, Bill Daniel, Edward Grazda, Gordon Parks, Elliot Erwitt, this list could never end...

As for books, all of them.

ADM: You mention a strong focus on shooting your life, or humanity making the photos for you, and later go on to say that you’re pretty far gone in the black and white thought process. Can you walk us through what you’re thinking or looking for when shooting and composing your images or is it more gut instinct and small calculations?

DR: It depends on the situation and camera, I suppose. On the street, anything goes. A lot of it is gut instinct, I never really know what I’m looking for, I just know when I see it. I have a good idea of what I want in a frame when the time arises. Sometimes it works, more often than not it doesn’t. Anything that sparks my interest, I’ll shoot a photo of. I’m trying to get better about just taking my friends photos. My 2020 goal is to shoot more medium format portraits.

ADM: We touched on it before, but you make zines fairly regularly, at least once or twice a year -- what’s your process for putting together zines like? What advice would you give someone making their first zine, or even just toying with the idea?

DR: Yea, I actually made 4 this year -- kind wild considering I think they are some of my best work yet. Zines are something I’m constantly thinking about, and always working on ideas for. I have a section in Notes on my phone for titles and concepts. If they will actually come out is a different story, though. I can sit for weeks or months curating zines and playing with InDesign only to scrap it completely and move to something else. That’s just how I work.

As with photography, zines will be a learning process. You don’t have to be great at it, just do it because you want to -- dive in and see what happens. It’s always going to be better than nothing. The best advice I can give is shoot, make, repeat.

And don’t listen to a word people say about photography, including this interview.

ADM: Fair point! Thanks again for the interview! Do you have any parting words? Also where can people buy or trade for your zines (trade especially for Know Worries), and see your work?

DR: Always down for trades, chats, and advice on how to not make money off of photography. @objectsofridicule

Ed. Note: We couldn’t fit all the photos we wanted to here, so we’ve put up a gallery in the “People” section of the website, entitled “Dylan Rozzelle: Portfolio.” Either use the click through menu or click here.