Tag: interview


Through Their Lens: Donald Kinney

Posted by Troy – 02/11/2010

I’ve known Marin photographer Donald Kinney for a little under 5 years. I have always been impressed with his passionate, humble, and dedicated approach to making photographs. He blog is often updated before I wake up, and each week I get to see photos from areas of The Northern Bay Area that I don’t visit often enough.

Recently I asked Don a few questions about his lifetime journey through the craft of photography…

“Jewish couple tying the knot” by Donald Kinney, June 27, 2008

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

On June 27, 2008 I heard that there was some pretty BIG excitement going on at City Hall. It was during the height of the Marriage Equality boon; before Prop 8 threw a monkey-wrench into the gears-of-progress a few months later.

On climbing to the fourth floor of City Hall and looking down the round port I immediately knew I had found a meaningful and important photo — and of course I was snapping away like a machine gun trying not to miss any subtle moves in the ceremony. My shutter was making such a racket that I fully expected them to stop, look up and tell me to hush, but they didn’t and I got my snaps. The print won a big $50 and Special Award for Journalism at the Marin County Fair in July. Me, a “journalist” — now there’s a laugh. But anybody walking in my front door to my apartment can’t miss my big green ribbon. Am I proud of this photo? Yes, I am…

But it goes beyond photography. Normally I shoot landscapes and nature subjects, but this image has a different feel to it — it actually MEANS something — it’s not just a pretty picture. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that City or people photography is all about capturing the meaning or a feeling — correct me if I’m wrong or trite.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing.

Well, the impact for me with this photo is feeling like it signaled the distinct point in my life where I realized I had finally shed the last vestiges of homophobia that I had been dragging around all these years. Learning to be accepting towards all sorts of people can take a while.

How long have you been making photographs? Remember any old cameras?

Oh crap, I’m 62 now, but I was about 12 when my Aunt and Uncle took me backpacking in the Sierras. It’s hard not to get good photos with such beautiful scenery. My interest continued through my formative years but then I didn’t shoot much after my mid 20’s. I took slides on vacations but I didn’t really resume the hobby “addictively” until about eight years ago when I bought my first digial camera, the Sony DSC-F717, a nice little advanced point and shoot.

From my youth I still have my 4×5 Calumet View camera with Schneider 210mm lens, and I’ve got all sorts of photo junk that I probably should go through and sort out some day — if not to use, at least to give away, recycle, or just explore the memories. For instance, I have a fancy and rather expensive SEI Spot Meter — because if you were fooling around with the Zone System in the 1960’s, you definitely needed one of those if you wanted to emulate Ansel Adams or Minor White. Oh, I’ve already gotten rid of the darkroom equipment — film was and the supplies were SO expensive — and trying to get a good enlargement without specks of dust was just about darned near impossible, at least for me in MY darkroom. God bless digital.

Walk us through your current camera gear and workflow.

I think Canon is going to be coming out with a replacement for the Canon 5D-Mark2, so I’m waiting for that to happen (I’m wondering how I’m going to pay for it), but for almost three years now I’ve been using a Canon5D, and with just one lens — the 70-200 IS L zoom. I shoot at 200mm a whole lot of the time — the narrow field is more like the way I see — it’s easy and interesting to frame things up in the distance.

I shoot in RAW and process my selected images in CameraRAW where I make many of my adjustments. I am a great believer in consulting the image’s Histogram — I tend to trust what it indicates better than my eye. After CameraRAW I tweak settings and do selective-corrections in PhotoshopCS3; saving a full size TIFF if I think I will print the image some day. I then I make a set of JPEG images in various sizes for use on my blog and the Daily-Duo.

I try to maintain what I call my Big Site, which is where I attempt to show my best work. I frequently swap in new and hopefully better work.

Are you working on any current projects? Talk about those.

Well, I’m in the middle of completely re-doing what I call my “big” site, but I also have another project in the works that I’ll probably be spamming the heck out when I finally have it ready, but right now about all I can tell you is that I’m working on a new web project called “PhotographingMarinCounty”. I’m just starting to do the writing but since I’m no writer so this is not going to be an easy task. But I got the idea to do this after a handful of people asked me where the good spots to take photos in Marin County were. So, this website will focus on twelve areas in Marin County, and I’m going to do my best to tell everybody how they can get to those photogenic spots.

What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

Gotta say that would be the Owens Valley in Eastern California — all of it, from Mono Lake and Bodie in the north to Owens Dry Lake and even over to Death Valley to the southwest. I used to do a lot more traveling around than I do now but it sure would be nice to be there and see what kind of a show the Sierras was putting on.

The Owens Valley has it all! From the ancient Bristlecone pines on the peaks of the White Mountains on the east side of the valley, to the Sierra range on the west. In the center are extinct volcanos with obsidian and lava flows. Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention the best ghost town of them all — Bodie.

Anybody know about the Alabama Hills? With the backdrop of the Sierras and Mount Whitney in the background, this area, with it’s huge and very photogenic stereotypical-western style rocks, was popular both a place to shoot Hoppa-Long Cassidy movies and full-feature Westerns, and most important — for great people like Ansel Adams to explore with their huge cameras.

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you?

Well, Edward Weston as mentioned above would come first — definitely, he has always been my fav because he was such a rebel — he had a mistress, took the most incredible nude shots, was quite a free-thinker! I guess he would have been described as a Bohemian. And he was quite a party animal, but usually retired early so he could get up at 4AM to write in his journals. His two volumes of Daybooks — one on his California escapades and one with his earlier travels in Mexico rubbing shoulders with the likes of Orozko and Rivera — makes for great reading in my estimation. Weston was just a bit before my time, but he photographed in the same area I got to love as a kid — Point Lobos and the Big Sur coast. He raised four sons and they carried on his tradition in the Big Sur and Carmel area for many years.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

Oh definitely Marty Knapp — the guy who has been shooting Point Reyes for the past 25 years or so. He has a little gallery right downtown and a studio at his home just north of town on Highway One. He does film black and whites. He is my hero, and although I don’t do film anymore I have a high degree of respect for anyone who does. And did I say that Marty Knapp is really good? I told him one day that I thought he was the “Reincarnation of Ansel Adams”. He smiled. Marty has a website HERE.

If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

Definitely Edward Weston. My idea would to be to spend the morning shooting nudes, and then in the afternon my suggestion would be that we go and shoot nudes in the woods or on the rocks of the shoreline at Point Lobos.

Okay, okay, maybe I was just kidding about the nudes, but I’d definitely like to spook around Point Lobos (just south of Carmel) with him — Weston was a master of shooting artistically rooted cypress trees and succulent covered cliffs.

I would like to show Weston that they now have a beach named in his honor. The fabulous and artful designs in the sandstone are “Weston-esque”, and believe me, I’d SURE like be there to shoot those designs with “The Man” who has always been Number One in my estimation.

Landscapes and nature vs. the photographing the City — which do you prefer?

Oh, I’d like to do it all, but I know I can’t keep up with the dedicated City photographers like you know who, you know who, you know who, and you know who; but I like to come over to the City and walk around the safer kinds of places like Northbeach and Chinatown — early on Sunday mornings, because of the free parking. I like to walk around in Chinatown until I get tired of getting yelled at.

But I want to do more “meaningful” photography. I want to shoot more of the type of the photo as I’ve shown at the top. But probably my biggest handicap is that I’m a bit on the shy side — I’ve never done a lot of people shots unless they might be candids from quite a distance. Maybe if I get a shorter lens I would be forced to get closer to my City subjects. But really, between nature and the City, I really want to do it all. (Oh, and someday I just might get around to shooting those nudes).

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about (relating to photography….or not).

Sure, I’ve got a good story — not a lot of people know that I actually had the great fortune to meet with Ansel Adams twice when I was a kid.

I was just 16 years old, had an old 49 Ford, and was out driving down the coast one Saturday morning when I spotted “The Greatest Photographer on Planet Earth” coming the other direction in his big black and white sedan with camera-platform on top. “Hey — that’s Ansel Adams”… So, I turned around and followed him into Carmel where he visited the post-office and disappeared into a coffee shop.

Being MUCH too shy to approach Ansel directly, I cowardly left a note on his windshield, telling him “I sure wish he could look at my photos some day” — and before long — imagine my surprise — I was sitting in his living room with him going over a stack of very much less than stellar photos by Donald Kinney; but with him giving me careful advice about how I could improve each and every one of them. Where that boldness of just me inviting myself over to his house came from, I don’t know. It wasn’t only until I had left that I grasped the gravity of meeting with him. I had just met Ansel Adams, and he was very nice to me. He even offered me a gin and tonic, which I declined.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I learned quite a bit from his criticisms — he really didn’t like any of my photos the first time, but a few months later I dropped him and note and begged him to take another look at my photos — I had been working with his Zone System — and he agreed to take another look, and he even seemed happy because my photography had actually improved considerably. So… it really made a big impression on me, and it just may have taught me that it’s nice to be helpful to others once in a while.

Thanks, Don.

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Through Their Lens: Michael Mullady

Posted by Julie – 02/08/2010

Fabienne Geichmar, 15, was fatally wounded by a stay bullet while looting with hundreds on Rue Marthley Seiee in downtown Port au Prince on 1/19/2010.
Photo by Michael Mullady.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into photography?

Hola, I’m Michael Mullady, a 26-year-old photographer originally from the Bay Area and currently based in San Francisco, when not working internationally. My love for photography evolved in high school while taking a film class as my art elective. After graduating high school, I was uncertain what I wanted to do with my life and was not enrolled in college. I always had a desire to serve a greater good somehow and was seeking something to grasp onto. One day before going on one of my many treks through the Yosemite high country, my father gave me his old film camera and an instant love affair began. Growing up in California, I’ve always been an avid outdoorsman and so I began carrying my camera along with me documenting my trekking, surfing and climbing trips. I knew right away that photography was going to be more than just a hobby. It wasn’t long before I began to engulf myself in learning the medium. I enrolled in traditional photography courses at a local junior college and began working in a darkroom. Not long after beginning to understand the medium, a good friend of mine turned me onto the work of photojournalist James Nachtwey. Instantly, in that moment, I knew my life and my photography would take a dramatic turn. It was a defining moment for me and I understood right away the power photography possessed and that I could use it to not only make art, but to tell stories that could help inform the world of social injustices, and ignite the dialogue needed to effect change.

Give us an idea of what photojournalism is and how it differs from street or documentary photography. How close are these disciplines and where do they differ?

I believe photojournalism to be term that covers a large span of photography. Photojournalism is the art of telling stories with images, whether you work for a small-town newspaper covering daily sports, news and features or shoot for a national magazine covering long-term documentary projects. As for street photography, I would consider many images in my portfolio to be street photography. Often times as photojournalist, we have to walk the streets seeking scenes that are both visual and informational. All these disciplines are very closely related and simply different areas of focus or approaches to photographing people, at least in my opinion.

Is there a distinction between photography for reporting purposes, and photography for art’s sake?

Yes, there is a large distinction between the two. Many people believe photojournalists to not be artists and consider other genres of photography to be “art.” What I strive to do is bleed these lines. First and foremost, I would consider myself an artist, a visual artist whose subject matter is humanity. I live for light, obsess over sophisticated compositions and spend as much time as needed to make the exact frame I’m envisioning. A large distinction is that I intend to make images for the world to see, via publications, not images just to hang on a wall. Another distinction would be the fact that many times when you’re working on assignment for a publication reporting a story, you have no control over the situation (light, location, etc.) so you must make something that tells the story because you’re on a deadline. If you you’re shooting a longer-term project, either for a publication or for “art’s sake,” you have more control over the situation you’re photographing.

Share a favorite photograph with us that you’ve taken and tell us about it.

Wow, people always ask this question and I always fumble a little bit. I really don’t know if I have just one favorite image. I have work, such as my projects, “Delicate Strength” and “Children of Lead” which are very close to my heart and two stories I’m very proud of, but the images are a part of a collection and each one holds a vital place in the greater picture. “Delicate Strength” was what I would consider my first real project. I documented a woman with a very rare bone disorder during one semester in college for close to 4 months. I became very close with my subject during that time and it made me realize that I wanted to work on long-term documentary projects getting deep into my stories while spending as much time as needed to tell the story. “Children of Lead” was a project I worked on in Peru documenting a town ravaged by pollution from an American owned metal smelting factory. The project was my first time working outside the USA and doing humanitarian reporting. I became very close with the people I photographed in La, Oroya and the project re-assured me that I was capable of doing serious work in foreign situations. That being said, photography is a constant learning process and I feel my images get better every time I shoot.  While it’s a heart-breaking situation and the images are sometimes disturbing, visually I am very happy with the work I am doing currently in Haiti. There are a few particular images I have taken here that I consider to be my new favorites, although they’re haunting me. Some images taken while people were looting and cops began to fire at random I’m very proud I was able to make under the difficult circumstances. It was a disgusting situation to see police killing their own people for simply looking for the necessities to survive, in buildings that were entirely damaged anyways. Working in that atmosphere was very dangerous. One day while covering the situation, a young girl was shot just a few feet from where I was standing. People had jumped onto a collapsed building and were running over roofs to get inside stores were merchandise was buried. It was a split decision, but I decided to follow the people to get more intimate images. Putting myself into that situation was possibly something I should have thought more about. In the moment, getting the photograph was all I was thinking about, not my life. That bullet could have been in my head. It was that serious. The cops were not looking at who was in the crowd, they were just shooting. To think I could have lost my life in an instant is terrifying. That day I realized the dangers of working in hostile situations as a journalist and that any day could be your last. When I saw that girl laying on the ground and the agony on her families face, I thought about my own family and the agony I put them through every time I leave the country to work. I never want my parents to have to go through loosing there only son. That situation impacted me very deeply and I have yet to speak to anyone in detail about it, you guys are the first. I will share one of my images from that day with you guys.

Walk us through your current camera gear and workflow.

I am strong believer that the camera is only a tool and that you must first find a vision before you worry about what equipment your using. I shoot on a Canon 5D and currently a 24mm 1.4 lens. However, I worked with a 28 1.8 for the past few years until I was able to upgrade.  That’s it. I’m a purist in that sense. I like to travel light and use only one, wide angle fixed lens. I don’t like zoom lens, when I want to get tight frames I move close to my subjects. I like to take my viewers right into the action. I actually get a little disgusted at what I call “safari photojournalists.” Those people slinging 4 cameras around there necks who stand back and use long lens to zoom into their subjects, instead of approaching them. My workflow on a Macbook is simple: I open my images first it Photo Mechanic. I must say I love Photo Mechanic and the people at Camera Bits have been very supportive.  After editing my raw take, I open the selects into Photoshop. Currently I’m actually using Lightroom more because of its simplicity. It allows me to not stress on post-production as much.

You travel a lot. Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact on you and what you were experiencing.

Every trip I take to photograph is memorable. From the moment I picked up the camera it has impacted my life dramatically. The doors it has opened to understanding myself and the world around me are vast. I will always have a place in my heart for everywhere I’ve visited.  Thus far, Peru is still the most memorable. It was the first country outside the U.S. I visited to work and some of my best memories are from that trip. I was also traveling with someone very close to my heart, which can make a huge difference during the difficult times you encounter on the road.  My camera has taken me into situations I would have never seen or understood if I were not a photographer and for that I’m forever grateful. These past few weeks have been very impacting on me. My time in Haiti has been like nothing I have ever experienced before and like nothing you could ever truly be prepared for. I’m still trying to decompress to understand the situation but as of now this work has impacted me the most and has taken a large emotional toll.

What photographers, past and present, inspire you? If you could spend a day with a photographer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

The photographers who inspire me the most are the many talented young shooters who I’m privileged to call my close friends. San Francisco State was a great place and I credit many of my colleagues there, and the many other young shooters I’ve met along the way( from other parts of the country), for pushing me to become the shooter I am today. I know the future of photojournalism is in good hands because I personally know the passion that drives the people around me will never die. If I could spend a day with one photographer I would spend it with Eugene Smith because I aspire to do the type of work he did in Minamata. If not him, I would spend a day with Alex Webb because I aspire to shoot with the complexity that he does. As I said before, I always admired James Nachtwey. Believe it or not, I actually got to meet him in Haiti. It was surreal to look over one-day and see him working next to me. Wow.  I couldn’t believe it was really him. Everything I had dreamed about and strived towards became real in that moment. He was no longer a golden god in my eyes but a colleague, working to illustrate the same situation I was. I also got the privilege to work with David Alan Harvey recently assisting him during a San Francisco workshop put on by Momenta. My dream is to work for National Geographic and I have always loved his work. Getting to hang out with him a few days was great. I’m only mentioning this because both those guys were people I always looked up to and if I hadn’t already met them I would probably want to hang out with one of them for day. But really, this is such a hard question, maybe I could make some mutant clone with pieces of all my role-models, haha.

 

What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

I want to see the world and most every country and culture fascinates me. I have begun my career focusing on Latin America due to the language and its close proximity to North America, but plan to begin working in other parts of the world in the near future. I have always had a blind love-affair with Africa. I guess I always thought of it as the final frontier, somewhere I will go when the time is right. I’m currently in the preliminary stages of planning a cross continent motorcycle trip with two close friends, another photographer and a writer. I’m hoping that next year this will become a reality. But it’s hard to tell where the wind will blow.

What are your current projects? Future projects?

Currently I am working in Haiti covering the aftermath of the earthquake. It was a spur of the moment thing as most breaking news incidents are. I was actually on my way back to South America to work on projects. After my time in Haiti, I most likely still make my way to South America where I will be working with a non-profit organization documenting an environmental social issue. I prefer not to go into detail about projects I have yet to begin for personal reasons. But to be honest, I’m having a hard time leaving Haiti. I was just sent to Northern Dominican Republic to work on an assignment. After my short time there, I’m back in Haiti. I have no idea how long I will stay. Days really become like hours out here as time seems to fly. All I know for certain is the immediate future which will be more time in Haiti.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about you (relating to photography. Or not).

I think few people know that even with what seems to be my relative success, I’m struggling pretty badly. I think if I was doing this 30 years ago, I could have been in a good position. The way things are now, it’s very hard to get work: even if you’re great, there just isn’t much opportunity for young photojournalists. It’s pretty sad really; I can barely pay rent and have to live very modestly. I don’t know how long I will be able to live like this—it scares me a little. I’m single at the moment, but would like to settle down one day, I just don’t know if that will happen in part because of finances and also because I travel so much —who would want to be with someone like that? I think few people, besides the people in the business, really understand that while I’m living my dream and doing what I love, I am sacrificing greatly. It’s almost a love-hate relationship. But the decision is easy, it always has been. This is my calling, my heart and soul, and I feel blessed to have discovered it.


You’re in Haiti, as you answer these questions. Tell us about your day to day life there since you’ve been in the country. As a photographer, how do you choose where to focus your camera and your attention? How much time are you spending photographing and what other activities are you involved in? What else should we know about the situation, from your vantage point?

Haiti has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. The things I’ve witnessed—I hope all of you reading this—will never have to go through. I’m still here at the moment, so it’s difficult for me to really understand everything. I think once I get home and have time to reflect, it will sink in and I’ll begin to fully comprehend what happened. It’s a horrific tragedy. When I first arrived, bodies lined the streets and the smell of death pierced the air. I immediately did what I came to do and began documenting my surroundings. It’s challenging, but I believe most photojournalists have to put up a shield when doing this kind of work. You become numb to what you’re seeing. It’s crazy to think about light and composition when you’re shooting dead bodies or being shot at in police/looter crossfire, but that’s the reality of what we do. What I’ve witnessed will be sure to haunt me. My work takes a huge emotional toll on me and that’s something I think most people don’t understand.

Day to day life in Haiti is a logistical nightmare. Getting anything done in this country is extremely difficult. For that purpose, I have hired a fixer who’s helping with translations and navigation. There are a few hotels where people have been staying but they are very expensive. I have been camping out with many of the aid organizations in the United Nations compound near the airport. Being here I eat, sleep and breathe photography. I am doing nothing but taking pictures and planning where and when to take pictures. If I’m not in the field, I’m online transmitting images or keeping in contact with people in the states. Oftentimes where I photograph is random, I’ll tour the city via motorcycle and stop at a location I feel I want to document. Sometimes you hear from other journalists or aid workers where something is happening. It’s totally dependent on the situation and every day is different.

The way I see things in Haiti is very different then I imagine you guys to see it through the news. Aid is here, but there are so many people in need and not everyone is receiving proper attention. Things have definitely positively progressed, but it’s going to take more time to help everyone in need.

Haiti is plagued by corruption. I have witnessed it first-hand, police stealing aid supplies and keeping them for themselves or selling them to wealthy people. This type of thing is a reality in Haiti. I’ve seen it on many occasions.

Before the earthquake, Haiti was in a bad situation so after this I fear for their future. Many Haitians whom I’ve spoken with express they want to become and American colony, such as Puerto Rico. Being an American, it’s been difficult to answer those questions for people and even more difficult knowing that if I told them what I really thought, it would not be what they wanted to hear.

As most of you could imagine, it’s been nothing short of complete chaos here. A roller coaster ride like no other.

Thank you all for reading through my interview and for your curiosity in my work. Feel free to drop me a line anytime. Much love.

With open eyes and an open heart, the journey continues…

Cheers.

Thank you, Michael.

***

Julie’s note: I first became aware of Michael’s work via his story, “Children of Lead,” and have been following his work ever since. Michael’s website is www.michaelmullady.com. You can see Michael’s story “Children of Lead” in Burn Magazine: http://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/10/michael-mullady-children-of-lead/

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Through Their Lens: Laura Brunow Miner

Posted by Julie – 01/28/2010

I hope I’m not the first person to introduce you to the glorious new photo site, Pictory. (But if I am, I’m happy to take credit for the introduction.) I fell instantly in love with the site when I saw their recent San Francisco showcase. One of our CALIBER friends, Jeremy Brooks, had submitted a photo that was included in the set. Below you’ll find an interview with Laura Brunow Miner, the founder of Pictory.

 

Sunrise Romance by Laura Brunow Miner

 

Tell us about Pictory. What are your goals for the site and what did you envision it to be when you first started it?

Pictorymag.com is a showcase for personal photo stories. Anyone can submit captioned images to documentary themes on topics like culture shock or their families. Pictory aims to be a little like the Big Picture blog and a little like This American Life, but mostly an online photo magazine. Design, photography, and storytelling/editorial are all equally important.

My longterm goal for the site is to make it financially sustainable, both to inspire others to explore the online publication medium, and to cover my time and costs.

How has Pictory changed your perception of photography and has it influenced the way you take photos now?

It has definitely emphasized the importance of the story. I realize that I need to get in the habit of including captions with Flickr photos and taking the time to record the sentiment behind an image.

What photography equipment do you use and what is your workflow like?

I don’t really consider myself a photographer, though I do love to take pictures. Equipment-wise, I learned on an original Nikon F film camera, and currently use a Canon Digital Rebel and a Canon underwater point-and-shoot. I also just started playing with a Lomo LC-A+.

Workflow? I should have one of those huh? I’m quite scatterbrained and happiest working in relative chaos — but I’ve found a way to make it work for me.

How would you compare Pictory to the print magazines that are currently available? Do you foresee printed Pictory mags or books in the future?

The properties that Pictory shares with print publications: careful design, thoughtful editorial, and huge photos. I would consider doing a Pictory book eventually of the best work; I think the content would be nice in that format too.

If you had a photographic dream destination, where would it be and why?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot actually, as I plan this year’s Phoot Camp. The current contenders are Marfa, Texas, and Palm Springs, California. Both have no shortage of interesting personalities, spare landscapes, and artistic communities. Oh, and hot sun.

Share a personal favorite image and tell us about it.

Sure. Rolled out of bed one morning and peeked out the window to see a stunning, fog-free sunrise over Dolores Park. Threw some sweatpants on and went out to get some photos, but ended up with a shot of this couple instead.

If you could spend a day with any photographer, living or dead, who would it be?

Probably Annie Liebovitz, because I have no doubt that she interacts with some really incredible people in an average day.

Who is a photographer you’d like us to know more about?

A friend of mine, Ryan Schude, produces beautiful cinematic images. Check out his Flickr or his website.

Tell us something about yourself that people might not know (photography related or not… you decide).

I love hammocks and swimming holes.

Thanks, Laura.


Laura Brunow Miner is a designer, editor, and photography lover in San Francisco. She founded Pictory and Phootcamp and can also be found at http://lauraminer.com/

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Through Their Lens: Bats1234

Posted by Troy – 01/21/2010

I have a horrible sense of memory. That said, I think I remember finding the photography of Bob (aka Bats1234) somewhere on the internet. It might have been on Curbed SF. I do, however, remember the photo. It was a unique view of the ice rink at Justin Herman Plaza. Moments later, I RSS’d his entire photstream and never looked back.

I emailed Bats1234 recently and asked him a few questions….

“This Battlestation Is Fully Operational” by Bats1234

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

This photo was taken in an open stairway at the Embarcadero Center – a place that has always fascinated me.  The Center is a failed urban experiment of concrete walkways, offices, and businesses.  Built in the late 1960’s and 70’s, it’s bold and cold – a giant habitrail that never quite lived up the planner’s vision of warm and efficient workplace, shopping center, and gathering spot.  The picture captures that – the massive power and abandoned coldness of the Center’s underbelly.

I took the picture in late October, on my first day out with a new 50mm lens.  I purchased the lens for portraits but wanted to see what I could do with it outdoors, without the aid of a zoom.  Composing was hard – hand-held, dim light, using the widest aperture I had ever tried (f/1.4).  And the result had an odd softness to the edges – something I still find unsettling.  I’m a clarity freak and when shooting architecture my instincts go towards crispness.

Anyway, my first thought was that this scene looked like the cover of an old ‘analog’ science fiction magazine – say, an abandoned space station — or a set from a Ridley Scott movie.  So that’s the way this was processed, with a glowering orange cast and an eerie shimmer of light. It is supposed to look menacing.

How long have you been making photographs?

Snapshots? Since I was in college (1971).

Photographs?  You’re giving me a swell head.  I’m not sure there’s a sharp edge to that transition and I don’t think I’ve gone far enough to feel comfortable with the question.  I know exactly when I started climbing the elbow in the learning curve of photography though.  That was one year ago, when I learned about aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, and histograms… and took the camera out of automatic exposure.  A few months later I started to think about how to compose shots a bit more seriously and stop shooting every damned thing straight on (something I still tend to do).

Note that the shots I take are neither art nor photojournalism – although someday I’d like them to be one or the other.  They’re digital pictures, well processed, sometimes witty, usually clear, properly lit… and rarely moving.  When I get that last bit down and start to inspire people rather than amuse them, I’ll start calling myself a photographer.

What was your first camera model?

First camera?  I’m old.  It was a Kodak Instamatic with a flash cube.

First SLR?  A Pentax ZX-50, purchased in the mid-1980’s for a series of trips to Europe and Asia.

First liquor container that looked like a camera?  I have my Dad’s from the 1970’s.  He used it to sneak gin into restaurants.  He called it his Minolta and besides being useful, it has great sentimental value to me.

What camera are you shooting with currently (include lenses)? Why did you choose this model? What are it’s pros/cons?

I shoot with a Pentax K10D.  I’ve had it for 2 years (it was a present from my partner Jim) and, like most dSLRs, it does just fine.  I stayed with Pentax so I could re-use lenses from my old ZX-50.  It was an economic decision.  And as long as I have a camera where I can control the aperture and shutter speed… and mount some good lenses, I’m happy.  It has become an extension of my hand.  The only thing I would like is less noise at higher ISOs.

Speaking of lenses, I have three:  An all-purpose Sigma 18-200mm, a Sigma 105mm macro, and a Pentax 50mm.  I love the latter two primes for their sharpness.  If there’s another lens in the future, that would be something in the 10-24mm range to capture wide angled goodness.

Are you working on any current projects? Many of your images have dark and/or humorous commentary under them. What’s the thinking behind this?

Current projects?  To capture The City in the rain while we still have our winter.  I may bitch and complain about going out when it’s pouring but it makes for romantic street scenes.

As for that other thing, you mean my snarkiness?   Have you met my friends?  They’re daft.  All it takes is a little verbal swordplay and a few Tourette-like outbursts to divert them from commenting on the flaws in my pictures.  It works like a charm.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing.

The camera always impacts what I’m experiencing.  When I’m on the beach, my brain is busy looking for a focal point, something unusual to capture.  When I’m at the museum, my senses are busy looking at people interacting with the art.  When I’m on the street, I’m preoccupied with finding some interesting architecture to photograph. Having a camera means having your brain stuck in hunt-mode, seeking out something to latch on to.

The most memorable experience?  Taking a camera to a funeral home. It was like supermarket sweep… running around, trying to capture the starkness of the place and yes, the humor too, in a very short amount of time.  Shadows became darker.  Colors turned drab.  Caskets suddenly had vanishing points (who knew?).  And I got a good case of the willies when I tried to use a casket to steady my camera.  I know I’m going to hell for that.

What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

New York.  It has character.  Big shoulders.  Hard edges.  Worn faces.  Crowds.  Lights.  Views.  Energy.  Noise.  Weather.  I think you can spend a lifetime there and still feel like there’s more to capture.

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you?

Oh boy, where to start?  On Flickr, there are lots of people doing things I wish I could do.  I can’t even begin to list them all.  But I spend a lot of time thinking about one person in particular – Steven Hight.  His photos through the viewfinder (TtV) appeal to me on a very basic level.  It’s art.  It’s nostalgia.  It’s a Vaseline-coated view of what we see in everyday like.  I don’t know how much of that comes from the TtV and how much is Steven, but I want to take pictures like that.  It’s time to get a Kodak Duaflex and give it a go.

As for past photographers, that would be Robert Frank and Margaret Bourke-White.  They captured the middle of last century in a way that tugs at the heart.  It is impossible to see those photographs from the Great Depression, World War II, and Middle America without being moved.  They were there.  They saw it happen.  And their photographs can transport you back.

If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

Wrong question.  It wouldn’t be a photographer.  It would be FDR.  He was at the center of the last century, with history swirling around him. Kings were courted, nations crumbled, stuff exploded… and it all played out like an epic novel around him.  I would spend half the day with the president and the other with Eleanor so I could hear their stories and photograph the people they met.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

Well now we’re back to Margaret Bourke-White.  Let’s just say she wasn’t someone taking night shots of Fisherman’s Wharf.  She was in the thick it, working for Life Magazine, recording the amazing events of the mid-century:  people on bread lines, coal miners, aviators, people in concentration camps.  What an extraordinary woman in extraordinary times.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about (relating to photography….or not).

Well if you couldn’t tell, I’m fascinated with the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s.  I love big band, jazz, deco architecture, and history books about WWII.  And if I ever settle down and stop taking pictures of flowers and cupcakes, I intend to document our century along the lines of a photographer from those times.  Or not.  There are a dozen shots of last night’s dessert still on my camera and some of them still need to be processed.

Thanks, Bob.

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Through Their Lens: Isaac McKay-Randozzi

Posted by Troy – 01/07/2010

I don’t remember how I first met Isaac McKay-Randozzi, but it feels like it was a very long time ago. Mentally, I associate him with: film, black/white, and skateboarding. Take a peek at his photo gallery, and you’ll see why.  Isaac is both humble and raw in his photographic approach; a real breath of fresh air in the fast-paced, forget-me-now digital era.

A few months ago, I emailed Isaac some questions about his photography — you can read his answers below…

“Todd Francis” by Isaac McKay-Randozzi

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

This is a photo of illustrator, board graphic maker, father and muppet toucher Todd Francis. It was the day after the opening night for his show New and Used at the 3131 Clement gallery and I was interviewing him for a video feature on SLAP. He’s not one of those guys who seeks attention so he was a little nervous about being in front of the camera for so long. I shot him in front of some of the graphics he did for Anti-Hero skateboards, the disease series. I’ve always been a fan of his work and that series has that dark humor he does so well. After I got the processed film and proof sheet back, I printed it and was pretty happy with how it came out and made multiple copies of the print. But, I goofed the print. It took me a couple viewings to realize that I had in fact printed it backwards. If you look at the text on the boards, it is backwards. I put the negative in upside down. Aside from that, I dig how his face came out and the shadows look.

Walk us through your current camera gear and workflow.

I have been shooting with the same gear for a couple years now; Olympus PEN FT half-frame, Pentax K1000, Olympus Stylus Epic and a Canon Elph for digital stuff. Due to the cost of processing film, photo paper and darkroom time I haven’t been able to have as quick a turn around as I’d like. But I’m still able to get the jobs done to my satisfaction. When shooting digital I try and download all the photos as soon as I get home and start to edit and color correct. When dealing with the internet I’ve found it to be a beast that is always in need of food. But when you feed it, it’s best to be a step or two back.

Are you working on any current projects? Talk about those.

I’m working on a series of half-frame skate shots, nothing fancy pants just trying to put a new perspective out there. Who knows if it’ll work but the couple that I have done turned out ok. In a couple days I’m going down to LA to do a project for COLOR Magazine out of Canada. A small publishing company (Parking Block Publishing) asked me to put some photos together for a zine. so I’ve been trying to get that together. I’ve been meaning to shoot more night photos as well.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing.

When I lived in the Mission I would always walk to the 16th St. BART station to go to work. One morning I turned the corner and on the ground, covered by cardboard was what I could only guess to be a family of four sleeping with their feet poking out. I pulled out my camera shot two photos and got some weird looks by my fellow commuters. I wish I had shot some of their faces, their looks of disgust at me and the situation were memorable.

What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes.

It wouldn’t be one location, more like 30. Visit major cities all over the world for four weeks taking photos of the cities from bottom to top; landscapes of the buildings and the people working in them. Shooting them from leaving their homes to arriving at work.

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you?

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Boogie, Brian Gaberman, David Uzzardi, Tobin Yelland, Ray Potes, Ted Pushinsky, Gabe Morford, Ari Marcopoulos, the Westons and in a more general sense every photograph I’ve ever looked at. The influence of what we are exposed to on a daily basis can not be overlooked.

If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

Whom ever was spending that day in the darkroom.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

Dylan Doubt, because Canadians never get their due and he does great work.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about (relating to photography….or not).

When I got my first half-frame camera, I didn’t know how to load 35mm film and shot for three months averaging two rolls a week until someone showed me how. Up til then I had been using an old Polaroid Land Camera that took pack film.

Give us an idea of photojournalism and how it differs from street or documentary photography. How close are these disciplines and where do they differ?

Not sure if I know the answer to that one but I think with photojournalism that the photographer is shooting a specific subject for the purposes of illustrating a story or capturing examples of a general subject. Street and/or documentary is shooting what is in front of you at any given moment or walking around and shooting things that interest you. From people going into the subway to animal life in the Gobi desert.

Talk about film versus digital and what the difference is to you and how you shoot and process.

Like most things in this world, photography and each persons connection with it is economic. Aside from having a good eye, the equipment plays an important role. I try and shoot film as much as I can but when I do work that will only be on the internet I shoot with my little digital bastard. I’ve been able to get some pretty decent shots with it. I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of digital for a couple of reasons that basically boil down to my opinion. It has no real bearing on how people should look at photography and photos. If the image that someone captures in 1/500th of a second speaks to the viewer, then the job is done and people can feel that they are better off because they saw that photo. What matters is conveying the story. So long as the image is a true image and nothing has been added or removed.

Thanks, man.

Find out more about Isaac at his website, Juxtapoz blog , or Twitter and Vimeo feeds. And then go buy a tee-shirt.

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Through Their Lens: Jeremy Brooks

Posted by Troy – 12/16/2009

“Photography is more than a hobby, it’s a passion. It keeps me sane. It helps me see the little things around me rather than just the rush of The City.”

I don’t remember exactly how I met photographer Jeremy Brooks; but I assume it was through Flickr. Since meeting him, I’ve RSS’d his feed and gone shooting with him a few times around The City.

Fascinated by his photographic consistency, I emailed Jeremy one day and asked him a few questions…

“Wordy” by Jeremy Brooks

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

This image was taken in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It is one of my personal favorite photos to date. Neon signs are one of my favorite subjects, and capturing them before they disappear has become a long- term project for me. This particular sign has a lot of appeal to me because it shows the workmanship and attention to detail that went in to vintage neon signs. It no longer lights up, but most of the neon tubing is still intact. I wanted to capture the detail in this old sign, showing the beauty that still exists through the decay.

Walk us through your current camera gear and workflow.

I’m currently shooting with a Canon 5D Mark II. My lenses are the 50mm f/1.4 and the 100mm f/2.8 macro; I generally shoot with the 100mm. I process photos on a first generation MacBook Pro using Aperture. I do about half of my black and white conversions using Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software. Currently, I have about 4,500 images waiting to be processed.

I’ve detailed my geotagging and Aperture workflows on my blog.

Are you working on any current projects? Talk about those.

I’m always working on my collection of neon signs. I am also participating in the photo challenge projects, and I have started shooting for the $2 Portrait Project. I will probably start a new project to shoot during 2010, but have not chosen anything specific yet.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing.

On a trip to Spain and France, I was shooting with a Panasonic FX3. During the trip, I broke the screen on the back of the camera. I shot most of the trip with no viewfinder. This forced me to really think about what I was shooting, concentrating on the subject, not the viewfinder. In turn, this helped me to appreciate my surroundings. Without that broken camera, I would have missed some details that I still remember vividly. The results were positive; not every shot was what I expected, but that was not a bad thing. In fact, one of the photographs from the trip ended up on a magazine cover. It’s not all about the gear.

What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

As far as a dream destination, it’s difficult to pick just one….but if I had to, I would say New York City. I could spend a very long time shooting New York. It has a vibrancy and energy that are begging to be captured. And, of course, there’s a lot of neon!

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you?

Some of the photographers that inspire me the most are the people that shoot because they love it. I would have to put Thomas Hawk at the top of that list. His posts inspired me to pick up a camera again and start shooting every day. I would also include local photographers Joe Reifer, Troy Paiva, Steve Rotman, Karen Strolia, and the entire crew at Caliber. Their styles have had a real influence on the way I look at the world around me.

In the famous masters category, Bresson, Dorothea Lange, and Avedon come to mind.

If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

To spend a day with? Bruce Gilden. I really admire his fearless shooting style, and the images he captures are truly amazing.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

A photographer you should know more about? Andrew Moore. He has a great eye, and his photography is just getting better and better.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about.

I still have the camera I learned to shoot with when I was a kid, a Minolta Auto Wide rangefinder that belonged to my dad, who got it from his dad.

Thank, Jeremy!

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Through Their Lens: Larry Rief

Posted by Troy – 12/10/2009

One of my favorite things about Flickr is the range of photographers engaging with each other over mostly one thing: photography. When I stumbled upon Larry Rief’s (VntgHippy) photostream I couldn’t believe my eyes. Image after image after image after image after image after image of a San Francisco I never got to know other than reading some of Herb Caen’s later writings. My favorite in his collection is a photo of Henry Kissenger at the De Young Museum in 1982.

Larry has been making  photographs for over 50 years, below are some questions and answers we exchanged via email.

Another Free Concert In Golden Gate Park

Another Free Concert In Golden Gate Park by Larry Rief, circa 1975

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

I chose this image because, for me, it withheld the test of time: I still like it. It also personifies an era for me. This picture was taken in 1975 during a free concert in Golden Gate Park. I was hard pressed to answer why I took the image, but finally realized that the images draw me to take them. It is like, SEE ME, SEE ME! I just carry a camera and know how to use it.

I like to walk fairly unencumbered so I will only carry one lens. It forces me into a set vision. No options. Learn to look.

Walk us through the camera gear and processing workflow you were using when you shot this.

That day I was carrying a Hasselblad 500C with a 50 mm Distagon. The camera body was manufactured in 1969 and I bought it in 1972. With the exception of having to replace the felt in the backs, this camera has never failed: it is working to this day.

I would have walked home and processed the film that evening in my garage darkroom at 46th and Kirkham. At the time I was shooting Ilford HP4 and enlarging on a Besler 23C using matching Kodak copy lenses. I still have the lenses, but the rest of the darkroom was donated to a high school.

Are you working on any current projects? Talk about those.

I have been working on an ongoing project since 2003. I live in a 19th century mining town in the foothills that is slowly changing. I have been documenting it to the tune of over 700 images.

A new project is a collaboration with a local historian/photographer, plus an editor (written) and myself. Fifteen years ago Larry (yeah, go figure) put together a collection of photographs of town early on and matched the vantage place to a tee. We want to do the photos a third time, but this time armed with a binder of photos and a voice recorder, we will let the old-timers start telling their stories (and believe me they do talk..). The recordings will be sent to the editor to distill them into short stories. The stories will be presented along with their photos and put into book form.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing. What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

Once working on a two man video crew with an on-camera talent/producer we were on Tortola BVI taking a cab over to the other side of the island to shoot a rum distillery built in the 1600’s. We had just topped the mountain when we came upon an elderly man on a burro loaded in all directions with stuff. Richard, the cameraman, got out of the taxi and asked the old man if it would be alright to take his picture. The old man pulled a very long machete from his waist and said, “Yes, if I may take your hand.” Richard still has two hands.

As far as a dream destination, man, I’m living in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Death Valley is just a day away. I can be in Nevada in an hour and a half. It takes me (on a good day) three hours to get to San Francisco and the coast. The Deltas and the Sierra Buttes are here. I think I am living my dream destination. Plus with Flickr I am an armchair tourist every day. Just this morning I was in Iceland watching the northern lights while drinking my coffee (and warm). Thank you DSL.

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you? If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

I was so blessed to to work at General Graphic Services in the 70’s. I got to work with Imogen Cunningham, Ansel Adams, Jim Marshall, Baron Wolman, Bill Owens, the list goes on. I got to handle negatives taken by Dorothea Lange, Edward Curtis, Arnold Genthe. The Oakland Museum, The California Historical Society, the Marine Museum all used us exclusively. We printed and mounted major museum shows including “The American Farm” which were huge prints mounted on aluminum. One set started it’s run at the Oakland Museum while the other set started it’s run (the name escapes me) in Washington DC. Both sets headed inland to various museums heading for the Continental Divide.

The first photographers to take my breath away would be Stieglitz and Steichen followed by the like of Paul Strand.

I’m still finding amazing artists and being influenced by and learning from, including the 400 favorite Flickr images I have in my favorites file.

The photographer I would most like to spend a day with is Jim Marshall. He knows how to party.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

I cannot really think of one individual photographer to look to, rather, I would look at a genre, the work of the pioneer photographers. They often times only got one shot at their subject using cumbersome equipment and their compositional and technical skills were remarkable.

Tell us something about yourself that few people know about (relating to photography….or not).

In 2000 our small company was working at our shop next to the house on a statue of Buddha from Golden Gate Park. One of my work mates was a wonderful textile artist as well as being and art conservation technician. We were also good friends.

Somehow our conversation came to photography and I was bemoaning how photographers were always trying to make The Perfect Picture and that sometimes that got in the way. Melissa looked at me and said, in a voice only known to a mother, “Then don’t think of yourself as a photographer, think of yourself as an artist. That is what you are.

That simple statement was a freeing experience.

Being an artist is a compulsion. I will be making images until the end.

One short season of lectures at local community collages, I was Ansel Adam’s opening lecture and I talked about emerging equipment (managed a camera store). Adam’s opening line was, “The older I get the smaller my cameras.” Me too.

Are you still shooting? If so, what are you shooting and shooting with these days?

I’m now wearing (literally) a Nikon P6000 and at the moment, that is it. Oh, no, actually I do have another camera, it is a Canon DSLR EOS D30. I forgot about it because I use it to prop the door open.

Ha, ha. Thank you, Larry.

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Through Their Lens: Andy Frazer

Posted by Julie – 12/03/2009

For the past ten years most of Andy’s time has been dedicated to night photography (http://www.gorillasites.com/nightphotos). He has assisted on workshops with The Nocturnes (CA) and Lance Keimig (MA). A few years ago Andy produced a documentary film about night photography called “The Night of the Living Photographers” and he publishes a blog dedicated to night photography (http://gorillasites.blogspot.com) because he really wants to promote night photography. He is primarily interested in abandoned buildings and coastal areas.

I first became aware of Andy through another project he is working on called the Kioku Project, which is a collection of portraits and stories of Japanese American internees. I asked Andy to share his thoughts on his current work, which is quite a worthy but distinct departure from his amazing night photography.

Roy Matsuzaki

“Roy Matsuzaki” by Andy Frazer

You’ve been doing portraits of Japanese American internees for your photography project Kioku. Please tell us what inspired you to start this project that we might not know from the looking at the website. And tell us about your chosen image from Kioku.

From a distance, all of my photographs in the Kioku project look the same: black and white portraits in open shade against a white background. The first thing I love about the photograph of Roy is how it caught him in a casual pose with that gentle smile on his face. To me, his smile doesn’t look forced. But that really captures my vision of the man. He’s always pleasant and beaming with kindness. The second thing I like about it is that it was my first formal portrait for this project, and it’s still my favorite.

There are two answers to that question. First, what inspired me to do portraiture. And, second, why Japanese-American internees.

Ten years ago I discovered night photography through Troy Paiva’s great Lost America (http://www.lostamerica.com) website. Although I do some other types of photography, such as street photography and landscapes, night photography has been my primary passion. Back then my wife ran a day-care business in our home. We always had children in our house so I photographed them every chance I could, but I never considered that as important as my night photography. I considered night photography to be my “art”, and the photos of the children to be snapshots. Then, one day my wife changed the focus of her business and closed the day-care. My supply of children to photograph suddenly dried up. After a few months I realized that I actually missed the process of photographing people.

After my experience in night photography, and after studying mountains of books on photography, I had learned that the key to creating a significant body of work is to work within the narrow bounds of a well-defined project, especially a project that is unique. So I started looking for a unique portrait project. I went down some dead-ends, pursuing some unusual portraiture projects that I won’t even bother telling you about. I think I was too focused on finding something unique, as opposed to finding something worthwhile. :-)

Anyway, about that time a friend asked me if I could help photograph a ceremony that was held in San Jose to commemorate the day that Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 (Feb 14, 1942), which ordered the incarceration of 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry along the west coast of the U.S. After that I volunteered to photograph a number of other events for the Japanese-American community here in San Jose. Through these events I met many people who had been interned during the war, and I developed a greater appreciation for what these people endured during internment. I also realized that, for a number of reasons, it would make a great photography project. These people are a wonderful historical resource, and their story needs to be told so everyone can learn from this unfortunate period in our history. Although there have been a lot of history projects (written, oral and video) documenting former internees, I was surprised that I couldn’t find any portraiture projects dedicated to this. What also motivates me to do this project is that most of the people who lived through internment are well into their eighties and nineties, so time is running out.


How has your experience been in working with these subjects? How would you compare this kind of portraiture to the other kinds of photography, even other portraits, that you do? Does their story affect the way you photograph them?

Photographing these people has been both productive and interesting. Not only are they very generous with their time, but they want people to hear their stories. When I photograph them, I bring along a tiny MP3 recorder. It works like a tape recorder, but it’s half the size of a cell phone. While I’m photographing them I ask them to talk about their experiences in the internment camps. Their stories are fascinating. Not just the losses that they endured (note: aside from the loss of their freedom and their civil rights, most people had to sacrifice most of their possessions when they were incarcerated), but their stories of how they persevered through internment and resettlement. I especially love the stories about how they tried to maintain some sense of normalcy during internment. One man (Jimi Yamaichi) worked as a construction manager at the Tule Lake camp. He supervised 250 people building their own barracks and mess halls. Another woman became the camp 2nd-grade school teacher. I’ve also talked to people who created baseball leagues, built “golf courses”, and pottery factories. I feel like I’m getting a personal history lesson each time I photograph someone. Not only are these stories fascinating, but I have this “ticking clock” looming over my shoulder, and that motivates me even more. I’d like to add an unfortunate note. Most of the people I’ve photographed have told me that their children and grand-children have very little interest in their stories about internment. When I photograph these people sometimes I feel like they’re happy to have found someone who wants to listen to these stories.

Portraiture is a great balance to my night photography because they’re total opposites of each other. Night photography is about the cold, lonely mystery of the nighttime world. Portraiture is about making a very powerful short-term connection with someone. I’m not looking for one type of project to balance the two extremes. I want to do different projects that are totally opposite from each other.

Photographing the Japanese-American internees is very different than other types of portraiture that I’ve done in the past. I’ve already mentioned the urgency of photographing them while they’re still healthy enough to pose for me, and I’ve already mentioned the wonderful historical resource that each of them has in their heads. It’s different than most portraiture that I do where I’m trying to capture a flattering image of someone. With this project I’m trying to photograph them as real as possible, while also capturing something of their character. It’s also very different than street photography, which is about capturing the spontaneous movement of people in the street. In street photography I have no connection with the people in the photographs and no chance to reshoot anyone once they’ve whizzed past me. You get half a second, and then they’re gone and the whole scene changes. There’s also the historical value to photographing people who have endured a major historical event. That really makes me feel like the project is worthwhile.

How has the subject of internment affected you in your personal life? Has it changed your view of America, politics and history? What is the greatest lesson or lessons that you would like to share with us since meeting your subjects?

I used to think that internment was simply a big mistake that this country burdened on a small group of people. But after meeting so many former internees I’ve learned that it was more than that. I’ve learned a great appreciation for the resilience of their spirit, both during internment and during resettlement. It’s also made me more cynical of the government (as if I wasn’t already cynical enough). There were many reasons for internment, not just an unfounded fear of the enemy. Most of those reasons came down to either racism or greed.


Sutro Baths

“Sutro Baths” by Andy Frazer

You are an accomplished night photographer. For people who feel they can’t take a good nighttime shot, how would you suggest they get started? Tell us about the image you’ve shared here.

I’ve always been a big believer that photography is about seeing, not about cool equipment. Unfortunately, unless you’re shooting film, night photography does require a reasonably good camera. The sensors on most point-and-shoots are so small that they generate too much noise during long exposures. But, if you’ve got a dSLR and a tripod, I’d suggest starting at The Nocturnes website (http://www.thenocturnes.com). I learned most of my basic technique from their wonderful free tutorials. Since the real magic of night photography comes from what the camera sees over a long exposure, as opposed to what your eye sees in real-time, you really need to just get out there and experiment and learn from your results.

Night photography is not for everyone. Aside from the “gee-whiz” cool colors and streaking clouds, it requires a lot of standing around in the cold doing nothing while you’re waiting for your exposure. Most night photographers don’t consider themselves to be big fans of television, and there’s a good reason for that. We’re usually standing around in some dark, abandoned Hell-hole while everyone else is at home sitting in front of the television set.

This photograph was taken at night at the Sutro Baths ruins in San Francisco. The lighting in the background is a combination of the full moon and a big floodlight on the Cliff House restaurant. The lighting on the foreground comes from a flashlight covered with a cyan gel for the pole on the left, and a light purple gel for the pole on the right. I shot it on a night when I had totally lost my creative spark and my confidence. But I kept struggling with it because I didn’t want to bale out on my friend who had joined me that night. I took a lot of exposures to get this one right. The trick was to hold the flashlight at the best angle to bring out all of the texture in the cement and the rocks. I was really surprised to see how well it came out the next morning.

Thanks, Andy.

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Through Their Lens: Darwin Bell

Posted by Troy – 11/19/2009

Flourescent Family Values

“Neon Family Values” by Darwin Bell

I first heard of San Francisco photographer Darwin Bell from our friends at SFist via the daily “Photo De Jour” feature. His photos were bursting with color and his point of view provided a new way to see every day things that often are taken for granted.

I emailed Darwin a few weeks ago to talk about his photography. Below you will find his answers…

Talk about your chosen image? When was it taken? Where? Why did you take it? What did you think of your image once processed?

I chose “Neon Family Values” because I just love the over feel and look of it. It was taken early October in front of the Louis Vuitton store in Union Square. I took it because I ADORE the overall design of the window and how almost any and every color is encapsulated within the window. At first, I was trying to just get a picture of the window with no one walking in front of it and then realized how much more interesting it would be with silhouettes passing by it. I must have taken about 50 images and this one with the family members, walking in order of height was the one that really stood out.

Walk us through your current camera gear and workflow.

My current “camera gear” is a Canon G9. As much as I think I have a good photographic “eye”, what I know technically about photography wouldn’t fill a coffee cup. My “workflow” is to basically to always have my camera on me and always take pictures of anything interesting that I see.

Are you working on any current projects? Talk about those.

My main goal right now is to get my images in publications and magazines and to just my name out there. So far I have had images in the last two issues of 7×7 magazine and I have to say, it is really surreal to see you images in a glossy magazine.

Tell us about a memorable instance where having your camera made an impact of what you were experiencing. What would be your dream destination for photographic purposes?

Having my camera with me actually really impacts everything I do. I feel that I really can’t go anywhere and not be interested in where I am because I find challenge in being able find subjects to photograph. Because of this, I am excited to go absolutely anywhere, be it Oakland or Paris.

What photographers past and present lend inspiration to you? If you could spend a day with any photographer living or dead, who would it be and why?

Two of my favorite photographers, you probably wouldn’t guess since they don’t really influence my work, are David LaChapelle and the French team of Pierre et Gilles. I really love the way they totally stage their photographs and put them over the top in post production, two things I never do. I really don’t have the desire to do big photographic productions but I definitely appreciate aspects of photography that I don’t or can’t produce myself. A friend once told me that I “take” photographs rather than “make” photographs. And while it sounds sort of harsh, it is basically true. I guess I am more impressed or interested in photographers who have techniques and ideas foreign to my own because it helps me see beyond my own limitations, as well as inspiring me to go beyond those limitations.

Who is a photographer we should all know more about and why?

One of my favorite local photographers is Brandon Norris. He is a young up and coming night club portrait photographer who has a fantastic eye for what looks good on camera and follows that up with amazing technique. He is really a talented guy.

Thanks, Darwin.

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Through Their Lens: Ivan Makarov

Posted by Stuart – 11/12/2009

I do not photograph because I see. I see because I photograph.

Ivan (pronounced ee-VAHN) Makarov is a Bay Area photographer that I have admired and loosely worked with over the past year. He strikes a balance of discipline, curiosity, and variety in his work; possibly a function of his continual pursuit of decency. Although stoic in facade, I think Ivan is constantly inserting emotion into his photography. I wanted to probe a bit on a few fronts of his style and inspiration. Read on…

What is photography for you and how did you get involved in taking it seriously?

I was always snapping pictures, since I was a little kid, but I did not start to pursue photography seriously as a form of art until I was in my last semester of college, burned out from studying and looking for a good excuse to escape the library. As soon as I bought my first SLR (Nikon D40), I knew I was hooked. Today for me photography serves two purposes – first, it’s my main medium of capturing our family history. I’m not good with journals, I struggle to regularly update our family blog, but I take family photos all the time, both that capture our big events, such as new baby or a vacation, as well as mundane everyday life. These are also the pictures I enjoy going back to because they capture memories and relationships. Second, photography is a way for me to see the world with new set of eyes. I know I notice things I wouldn’t notice otherwise, and when I have my camera with me (almost at all times now), I’m a lot more interested in life around me and the world in general.

Can you speak to a photographer or type of image that inspires you? Are their local photographers that you keep up with regularly?

My interests change and/or evolve with time. I started mainly with landscape and nature photography because I was living in Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah before I moved to the Bay Area. However, the weather in Northern California is very predictable and boring for at least half of the year, so I started photographing other things around me. I also look at a lot of work of other photographers. I’m a big fan of fine art type of photography and I’m a devout Lenswork subscriber, who owns many of their print magazines and all of their extended DVDs. Recently I really got into documentary type of photography. I follow a lot of local Bay Area photographers’ work that I have met in real life through photowalks and other social gatherings. It’s fascinating to see that while we all live in the same area, we can see the world so differently.

A photograph can be appreciated for many things, sometimes function over form and vice versa. What do you care about in taking a picture?

I suppose this question can be separated into two – first, what do I care about when I take a picture, and second, what do I appreciate in other people’s photographs.

When I take a picture, I always try to capture (1) what I see, (2) what I feel.
It’s hard to capture both at the same time, but for me a photograph is not worth saving unless it captures a bit of both. Second, when I look at work of others, I look to see if it generates an emotional response of some kind. I look at all kind of photography on the daily basis, even the styles that I don’t photograph myself, and I enjoy doing that as much as I enjoy reading, my other favorite activity in life.

Serious photographers are at different levels of proficiency when it comes to their camera system, no matter the quality of shot. How versed are you in understanding the in and out of a camera? Can serious equipment make a serious difference?

I currently shoot with Nikon D300 system, and I spent the first 6 months I owned the camera shooting in all kinds of conditions under various settings. I’ve also read all I could on the camera and watched a whole load of online tutorials. Since it is not a simple camera, I did not want to limit my creativity by my technical ignorance, so I think I think I know all there is to know about this camera. I feel pretty confident about my technical skills in other areas of photography. While I did not formally take any photography classes, I’ve read huge number of books on technical aspects of exposure, lighting, etc when I first bought an SLR, and I did the same with Photoshop. Now I mostly read and buy books and magazine that cover the creative aspect of the medium, an area that is a lot more complex and more interesting. While I try to buy photography equipment within my means (for example, most of my lenses are Sigma lenses),  I do believe that latest technology can make a difference.

Do you feel that you are improving as a photographer and if so, what is driving that change?

I do feel that I’m improving, especially now that I’m trying new kinds of photography that I have not tried before. It’s always fun to learn new things and find new ways to capture what I see and how I feel. I buy new photography books every months and I borrow even more from the San Jose State University library that has a pretty good collection of photography books. This year I been reading primarily on the history of photography and the creative side of the medium, as I already mentioned before. Another big boost to me was attending local photowalks and meetups, which I try to do at least once a month. It’s great to expand the network and meet many photographers whose work I been following online for a while. I’ve taken some of my favorite photographs this year at these meetups.

Can you pick two photographs of yours and describe your intention with the photograph, maybe even point out something you wish you could have changed?

First photo – “Hey Pops!”

As I mentioned before, family photography is a big thing for me, and this is my favorite family photo I have taken. I love it for two reasons – first, it’s very simple, just my family in one frame. Second, it captures raw human emotion, from both subjects in this
photo, and you can see it on their faces. I’ve tried to capture the same kind of emotion from two of them at the same time since then, and have failed every time. I don’t know if this photo means much to anyone else, but to me this photo means everything I cherish about photography. Maybe I’d move my wife a bit more to the left, but capturing a moment was a lot more important than composition here.

Second photo – “Sitting on the Edge of the World” -

This is by far my most popular and known image. It appeared in magazines, on NBC, and I’ve sold licenses to this images to various
outlets, including “Welcome to Utah” brochure you can get in any Utah airport or hotel. It also happens to be one of my favorite because it captures exactly how I feel about nature and insignificance of man. My buddy Brandon McIntosh, who appears on this photo, should get all the credit for it because he was the one who had to sit on the edge of 2,000 feet cliff while I was snapping away exposures, and it was his idea to sit there to begin with.

Thanks Ivan.
More Info: Ivan’s Photo Blog and Flickr Stream

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