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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Coast to Coast: Charlie Thom

May 03, 2020 in interview

Coast to Coast: Charlie Thom

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who may not be familiar with your work, can you please introduce yourself, and give an overview or introduction to your work?

Charlie Thom (CT): I'm Charlie, a 20-year-old film photographer and university student from Sussex, UK. I have a love for old cameras and visiting new places. I like to think my style of shooting is just "photograph whatever comes to mind". I've never seen myself as having a style as such, but every photographer captures their scene in unique ways and I'm no exception. During my gap year in 2019, I tried and travel as many places as I can as cheaply as possible, and it's taken me on some really memorable adventures. I visited a few places, including Chernobyl where I produced the content for my previous zine, The Nuclear Option, and the USA and Canada, where I produced the content for Coast to Coast.

ADM: We're here talking about Coast to Coast today - what's the concept behind the zine, what was the impetus to put it into a book format?

CT: In August 2019 I travelled to North America for 3 weeks visiting 5 coastal cities, my first time alone in a foreign country with a big bag full of snacks, clothes and cameras to keep me company. While I was there, I knew I wanted to have a final product made out of the pictures I took there but wasn't quite sure what form it would take. I find that happens a lot with my zines and books. I go out, focus on the pictures and then worry about presentation and narrative when I get my pictures back. I feel that way, you tend to stress a lot less about all the little details and just enjoy exploring new places.

ADM: What was the image selection process like for Coast to Coast? Did the images create the book, or did you work backwards from your body of photos?

CT: I didn't realise just quite how many pictures I'd taken until I'd got back and stared at the 700+ frames in Lightroom after hours of processing and scanning. I figured it would be a big, big project to make a zine out of, so I was going to wait till the summer to start working on it - that's when the outbreak occurred, and I thought I should finish it now before it got shelved forever. I thinned these pictures down to just over 70 and it had enough pages to be a paperback book, so I went full steam ahead and designed a pdf for a 66 page photobook. My last project, The Nuclear Option, had a text-based narrative that I felt worked really well due to its historical nature and the short time span I took the pictures in. With this one though, there isn't really much to say - I felt if I captioned a whole book just with stories about myself, it wouldn't be about the pictures anymore. The sheer number of pictures also meant I could divide the book into chapters, one for each city I visited. I think this really breaks up the story nicely and gives it a nice narrative without the use of text.

ADM: What was the specific impetus for your trip to North America, what made you choose the destinations you chose; and how does your book tell or document the trip?

CT: There were a few reasons for choosing America as the destination for my travels: I think the sheer scale of everything is something that really drew me in. The massive sprawling cities and eccentric characters really fascinated me. I'd been to the USA a couple of times before with family, but never had a proper chance to explore on my own and go on a proper adventure. The fact that everyone speaks English too is also a huge help. I chose to visit New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle because they're some of the continent's biggest most interesting coastal cities. If my budget had been a bit bigger, I would love to have visited New Orleans or Portland (while strictly that isn't a coastal city, I guess West Coast still counts), but I was cutting as many corners as I could and had to let them go. Coast to Coast tells the story through chapters. Each chapter is headed with a scan of a Polaroid with a significant landmark in each city, something I already really wanted to do just so I could put them in my print albums. When I got home, I'd realised those Polaroids would be great to break up the book into specific segments and give the project's narrative a bit more structure. I captured everything else that caught my eye on my 1951 Leica iiif on whatever film I could get my hands on - colour and b&w stocks of various brands, expired film, etc. My friend Italo very generously gave me a big bag of assorted film when I met up with him in New York (Thanks Italo!). I shot a lot of street but also landscapes too if my surroundings allowed it. I tried my best to tell stories with each picture, and I feel each chapter really has its own distinctive, unique flavour.

ADM: Following that up, were there any big moments that stood out to you, or "clicked" the book into place when you finally did sit down in front of your scanner?

CT: I learned a lot of things about the United States and its people/culture throughout the whole of this trip. It was very insightful, almost enlightening, to see how different everything is to how it's portrayed on television. To actually see America in person was truly something special, and the people I met along the way were probably the best part of the whole experience. I also learned a lot about myself, how I overcame problems like having my flight home cancelled while I was there, and having to spend 4 hours on a bus through Compton and arriving at LAX airport covered in bleeding bug bites, or missing my Greyhound bus and hitching a free ride on another bus because the driver was a super cool guy. There always seemed to be solutions to the challenges I faced, and I think I got some really good adventures out of some of them. When I got back from the States, I was going to move into my university halls 2 days after I landed, and I don't think I've ever processed and scanned that much film in such a small span of time in my entire life. I also learned how to create a proper scanning and editing workflow, with this amount of film it's near impossible to sort through all the pictures and pick out the best images unless you have a good workflow setup.

ADM: What did you learn, either about your trip, or your photography while editing the book?

ADM: In terms of influence - what would you say your biggest influences on the project were, photographic or otherwise?

CT: Inspiration came from a wide variety of people for this one! I drew influence from a few great zines I have such as Useful Idiocy by Jules Le Moal, Reason for Visit by Nicolas Hagen, Enter Barcelona by Nigel Allison/unevenedits and Zoeld by Illia Popovich, as well as a few others. I also drew inspiration from a few of the classic American photographers of the 20th century: Robert Frank, W. Eugene Smith etc. I also got a lot of advice and second opinions during the production of the book from close friends and fellow photographers, which I'm eternally grateful for!

ADM: I find it a really interesting choice that all of the images are titled, what prompted you to title all your images, and was it difficult to title them?

CT: I've always had a fascination with titles - while I made the choice not to write out all my stories and experiences and focus more on presenting the pictures themselves, I still wanted to give the viewer my own impression of the picture to give it a bit of a personal touch. Another reason I added a black stroke and title on the images was to make the book feel like a miniature gallery. I based most of the captions for the pictures off my Instagram posts, but I changed some of them if they didn't fit the frame well. Presentation to me is one of the biggest parts of producing a zine or book, and I wanted it to feel a bit fancier than my previous works. You'll notice there isn't a single double page spread. While there were pictures I really wanted to print nice and big, I felt it wouldn't be doing them justice if a large portion of the frame was lost to the fold.

ADM: For someone on the fence about making a big, multi stop trip, in a very unfamiliar place - as well as documenting it - what advice would you give?

CT: Don't stress too much! It's not an adventure if you aren't lost. Try not to plan every last detail, just make sure you can get to and from your destination(s), have a place to stay, and have enough money in case anything goes wrong. The best adventures I had on this trip weren't planned, they just happened as I was out exploring the area. It was quite daunting at first when I was planning everything, but once I had everything booked it was really easy from there.

ADM: From Sadie Rose Bailey by way of Sam Lloyd: What other creative outlets do you pursue? And what does it bring you that photography doesn’t?

CT: I really don't have any other creative outlets! I can't draw or play any instruments, my co-ordination is absolutely terrible. I adore photographing bands though. I think being able to photograph a band is the next best thing to being in one. I'm doing a Media Production degree at the moment so I do have some video/audio production experience, and I know my way around photoshop. I also collect records and have a Hi-Fi setup in my bedroom, which has become the saviour of my quarantine lifestyle at the moment.

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

CT: Do you have any projects planned after this one? Spill the beans! If this lockdown ends before the summer and I can get a decent amount of shifts before the summer, I really want to travel Scandanavia, especially Norway and Finland.

ADM: Where can people see your work, and purchase your zine?

CT: You can find me on Instagram @charliethom_ or on Facebook at @charliethomphoto. My zine is available through my Etsy shop, a link is available through my Instagram bio. You can also search "charliethom" on Etsy and find my shop that way too.

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SURE: Daniel Wang

March 14, 2020 in interview

SURE: Daniel Wang

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar, could you introduce yourself and your work, photographic or otherwise?

Daniel Wang (DW): Hi. My name is Daniel Wang and I am based out of Toronto, Ontario. I developed a fond interest in photography 3 years ago when I was introduced to skateboarding by the wonderful community I was surrounded by. How I thought about and viewed architecture and other physical aspects of a city were completely changed when I dove deeper into the the craft and mindset. My enthusiasm in street photography and photography as an art form was sparked through the exploration of my environments evoked by skateboarding and when my roommate introduced me to film photography and the history of art. Since then, I have worked professionally in event photography and started attending Ryerson University to further my understanding of the medium as a tool for creative expression. Currently available works include, my first photo zine "sure" and a selection of film photographs in my visual diary on instagram @danxuwang.

ADM: "Sure" looks like it's a zine about a trip or travel - was there a specific trip it was from? - what's the story behind it, and where does the title come from?

DW: "sure" is a photo zine of a 40 hour trip I took to New York City on the last weekend of my reading week for school. I used a roll of Fuji Pro 400H and Kodak Portra 400, with my Canon Sureshot 70 zoom, developed and scanned at the local camera store. Many notable photographers of New York have inspired the run and gun and silent observer styles of photography present in the zine. On the creation of the title, who really knows. I could have been really stoned with my roommate and saw the "sure" in canon sureshot and called it a day, or it could mean something more. Something to do with the definition of "sure" as a definite affirmation and how the word is ironically perceived today as a "duh" or "whatever". Nevertheless, nothing is more ensuring then documenting a captured image and as a mantra, I can't help but say sure to an exhausting and mind stimulating 40 hour trip in New York.

ADM: You use a lot of color blocking and color on your background (which I find really neat) - is there a significance to those color blocks, or is it an alternative to white to augment the images?

DW: I feel like there is a significance to the colour blocking. The editor and I really thought about the physicality and rhythm of the book and completed it overnight, we were very inspired. How the book felt to read through was most important. The tapered colour pages and coloured spreads provoke and primes the reader from every angle before even opening the book. The colours in the backgrounds are equally as important as the photos presented on the spread. We really tried colours until our intuition told us to stop. Inspiration came from colour palettes we'd see in the photos and our everyday life, from the t-shirts hanging in chinatown to our random assortments of gathered knickknacks. How did you find the coloured spreads and taper pages, Andrew? Do you have a favourite page and why?

ADM: I quite liked them! I found that as a photograph Page 10 (or the 10th Spread — Pictured here directly above) is my favorite -- but that's very much a personal appeal - I really like centerfold images on a spread, especially used in a landscape/survey style -- as far as overall spreads 15 and 19 were my favorite layouts or sets of multiple images together, both for the image choice and the intersection of the images. Tying into the above - the zine seems to be chronologically ordered - what was the sequencing and selection process like for "sure?"

DW: I am glad the zine seems to be chronologically ordered, but it was definitely not! Again, we really just relied on intuition and instinct and wanted to experiment with something different then what we were accustomed too. Each spread was made with specific themes in mind, whether we wanted to completely highlight an image or add colour and shapes to the viewing space to augment the image. Putting it together was just seeing what felt right where. I would say these weren't my best photos of New York but they made the most sense for me to put together for this zine. The catalyst for the zine derives from thinking about how important the presentation or delivery of something can be, compared to the thing itself. Along with all the physical aspects of print and book making, creating this zine has opened a new channel for me to express my ideas.

ADM: You mention working with an editor rather than strictly self-editing the zine - I think this is a great idea - who was the editor and what was the process like working with an editor outside yourself?

DW: As much as I love the idea of independently produced products I believe my collaboration with my editor, roommate and good friend Kolwyn McKinstry was an important element to developing and fine tuning my creative ideas. The hardest part is finding the right people you can confide in and share a creative vision with. Once I started talking more personally about expression, photography zines and colour, the discourse between Kolwyn and I became very valuable towards how our work process developed. Having another person to share my ideas with, helped me formulate and create this with much more confidence. He kept me stoked !!

ADM: I really like the thematic togetherness of the book - was there a specific moment or impetus where it clicked to step away from the confines of strictly ordering things chronologically as many zines are want to do?

DW: Again, I appreciate that dearly. TBH, I had originally planned for the zine to be chronological but with our emphasis on how the book feels to read, we preferred the rhythm of the order we had chosen. It is hard to say if there was a specific moment or impetus, but it is a smoother read this way.

ADM: It's really cool to hear that this has opened up a new venue to express yourself - are you planning more zines?

DW: I am planning more zines! Going through this process has made me realize how much I love doing it, it is an interesting medium and I plan to experiment more with my editor and any willing collaborators for future zines.

ADM: Where can we pick up copies of Sure? and see more of your work?

DW: Sure can be picked up on my website www.danxuwang.com or by DMing me on instagram @danxuwang. I plan on releasing prints and more zines. It is currently a 1 man operation, but I will do my best to ship it in a timely manner !!

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