This interview is mostly dedicated to Tom’s most meaningful projects, Tissue and B Album. I will not dwell too long on each of them, you will see and feel everything by reading on. Let me just say, that Tissue is one of the most impressive pieces of art I’ve personally ever seen. This said, I was really surprised to learn that some European galleries refused to exhibit Tissue pleading the project is too controversial. What?? Let me tell you what I find controversial. In 2008 I visited a large art center in Kiev, Ukraine and one of the halls was dedicated to installations of cow heads in formalin and pictures made of thousands of flies. This is undoubtedly a matter of personal perception and taste, but as long as such projects were fine to display to the public (the entrance was free!), I’m sure such an insightful and philosophical projects like Tissue could and should make it to the art galleries. I really hope this article helps bring Tissue to the art galleries of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev, followed by the rest of European capitals.

Now enjoy the interview and don’t forget to share your impressions in the comments.

Tomek, please tell us about yourself. Where did you grow, what’s your background and how did you get started in the photography?

I’m Polish freelance photographer / designer. My creative and visual journey started about 10 years ago with graphic design followed by reportage and street photo sessions. Recently, I’m more into portraiture, commercial and fashion-related photography. Collaborating with models, stylists, fashion designers and model agencies. I’m also designing for companies and individuals (mostly identity and web design). You can find selected works on my portfolio website: www.tomekjankowski.net, my recent photographic project — B ALBUM is also available on issuu platform: www.issuu.com/tomekjankowski/docs/b_album

B Album: January

B Album: February

One series in your portfolio is radically different from others. This is, of course, Tissue. I must admit that this is one of the most impressive photography work I have ever seen. Please tell us more about this project. You mentioned that you’d like to continue the project with a book and international exhibitions. Any progress in that?

The project started in mid 2008 and it took about 3 months to complete. Initial concept and materials were provided by Bogna Rzad, stylist and theatre costume designer. She was fascinated with old drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and plant photography of Karl Blossfeldt. The project evolved further, under my photographic direction. The project consists of imaginary phases of a human body’s development, starting with birth (Fetus), moving to adulthood and the procreational phase (Viscera Femininum, Viscera Masculinum) and ending with death (Rigor Mortis).

I was able to use my visual expertise, grasp of light and shadow, and intimate interaction with the models to create the finished piece. There are still plans for printing an album with project photographs, but the amount of work is very big and I don’t want to compromise the impact of the story and the quality of print. So I’m still waiting for the proper sponsor who will provide enough funds to do it in the best possible way.

Unfortunately, the exhibitions part appeared to be much more difficult. I’m aiming at the established places in Europe capital cities, but so far, the big exhibition houses rejected the idea, finding it too controversial (?). It appears, you can freely promote pornography, sexism and violence in modern art, but the mystery of human body and death is still a tabu.

Photos from the Tissue series

Photos from the Tissue series

Photos from the Tissue series

Photos from the Tissue series

B Album. Beautiful model, beautiful idea and execution — to me, “B” stands for “Bravo” here. As a photographer who often works with fashion agencies, you must often meet professional models, but you did a stand-alone project with Basia. What was special about her? How did the idea of the series come to you? Do you have plans for further cooperation?

I always wanted to create a project which will close in certain cycle of time or seasons. When I first met Basia, I knew that we were born to do this. It was instinctive connection. Basia is a complete model. Her natural beauty and strong, dynamic personality made our work a yearlong adventure. She has an unique gift. It’s enough for her to wake-up in the morning, comb her hair and put on an old sweater — and she’s ready to shoot, looking fresh and beautiful. A lot of supermodels need a heavy make-up work to maintain their usual photo look. Basia doesn’t need anything. And this was also the main theme of the B ALBUM project — no designer rags, stylized hair or make-up. Just pure, raw beauty of Basia.

B Album: March

B Album: April

B Album: May

I’d like to touch upon your portraiture photography. On your website you mention that faces need to “talk” to you both aesthetically and emotionally during session work. Tell us more about your typical shoot process. Do you actually need to be familiar with the person to make a good portrait of them? And what is a good portrait to you?

I don’t need to be familiar with a model in any special way to make a good portrait. When meeting people or shooting photographs, I rely totally on my instincts. And usually, I need a few minutes to know if I have any aesthetical or emotional relation with another person. And in my opinion, both factors are essential to make a good portrait.

B Album: June / July

B Album: August

B Album: September

B Album: October / November

B Album: December

Where do you draw inspiration? What are your tastes in music, literature, cinema?

Maybe it’s trivial, but the best inspiration is everyday life. Sounds and images of my intimate home environment, street life, meeting people while I’m travelling. I’m mostly listening to oldschool stuff like Zappa, King Crimson, Jethro Tull. A lot of modern jazz, too, like Esbjorn Svensson Trio. I spent my whole youth in punk / hardcore scene, riding a skateboard, so on my everyday menu you can also find Agnostic Front, Madball, Rollins Band, Primus and some prog-metal stuff like Mastodon. I love SF and my favorite writers are Asimov, Lem, Herbert, Williams. Favorite movie directors: Kubrick, Herzog, Cronenberg, Aronofsky.

Your portfolio reveals your diversity as a photographer, and you also a designer! Are there any genres you don’t feel comfortable in? :) In general, are visual arts your only creative outlet?

Yes, visual arts are my life and since my early childhood I’ve always felt the need to show in graphical way what’s going on in my head. Being still in elementary school, I received my first Smena 8M from my parents. Soon after this, I created a homemade darkroom and then, I already knew that this will be my way of life. Besides visual arts, I’ve always wanted to be a guitar player in hardcore / crossover / progmetal band and produce awesome solos, but somehow my genetic code was focused on visuals only and absorbing sounds — not producing them :)

Stephen King used his wife as a special reader and critic of his books. What about you? Do you have anyone to review your works before opening them up for public?

No and never will have. My work is my intimate, personal vision which co-exists peacefully with my mind. And no one can interfere with it. Public review is a different story. I like people to build their personal stories and interpret my work in 100 different ways. I can learn a lot about peoples’ minds this way.

What gear do you use? Did you face any technical challenges working on Tissue?

I use Canon bodies with almost constantly attached 35mm/F1.4 to them. When I need a different depth of field or I’m in a slight range, I use 70-200/F2.8.

When an idea comes to my mind there are no challenges I can’t overcome. Because most of the Tissue project photographs were taken underwater, it took me and Bogna some time to get a watertank which will fit dynamically moving human body. We did it and I think the outcome was outstanding.

Photos from the Tissue series

What would you advise to budding photographers?

I’m not a master or a mentor. Just another person on his photographic life path. What I’ve learned so far is the need to be honest to yourself and your viewers. Never attach a philosophy or a story to images that have none. Don’t kill your shots with computer graphics and then name them «photographs» — 90% of world’s photographers are doing this, try to maintain photography’s purity. On the other hand, don’t use analog equipment to cover your lack of ideas or because it’s trendy — a badly composed and badly lightened photo is still a bad photo and it doesn’t matter if it was developed with all those hipster film dust and scratches. Never — I mean never use Instagram or Hipstamatic! These pseudoartistic filter apps kill photography! It really takes much more than a phone with vintage filter algorithm to become even a decent photographer.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the photography of Tomek Jankowski:

Website: Tomek Jankowski Photography
Profile on Behance Network: Tomek Jankowski
Facebook: Tomek Jankowski Mondo Studio

All photos copyright © Tomek Jankowski. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

Tom, please tell us a bit about yourself: where did you grow up, what’s you background, and how did you get started in photography?

I grew up in St. Albans, a town 20 or so miles North of London, England. I studied photography at school, but at university I decided to study Graphic Design. After graduating I continued to follow the design route, but still continued with my photography. Over the past five years I’ve been doing more and more photography, and less design, which is great.

In “travel photography” which word dominates for you? Do you just photograph whilst traveling or maybe your photographic ideas determine your next destination?

In my mind I simply capture what I see. I love to visit countries that are very different to my own. The different cultures and environments are so inspiring to me.

From all of your trips, could you pick the most remarkable one? Something that overthrown your views on life, people, world?

The top 3 countries I have visited are Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico. I think I like them so much simply because they are so so different to England. The traditional dress, worn in Bolivia and Guatemala is just so beautiful and a wonderful thing to photograph.

Potosi, a mining town in Bolivia.

Hat makers. Chupaka, Peru.

A Mexican girl in traditional dress ←→ A portrait of a Peruvian family

Fiesta de Santiago. Peru.

I love the “Feet first” series on your website. Did you exhibit it somewhere? Is this a continuous series or a one-off project?

Feet First has been running for 7 years now. It started back in 2005 when I was sitting on Brighton beach with my new girlfriend Verity. Seven years later and we have a beautiful daughter called Matilda and we definitely plan to continue the series. In the past few weeks the series has had a lot of exposure in the UK press. In another 20 years time this series will give a real in-depth story of a family and all the adventures we had together – I can’t wait.

This is where it all began. Brighton beach, England.

Skiing. Zell Am See, Austria.

Machu Picchu, Peru.

Arbol de Piedra, Bolivia.

Two sets of feet are soon to be joined by a third little pair.

Matilda Robinson, born 04.03.11. St.Georges Hospital, London.

What gear do you use? Is there anything on your wish list and if so, what goals would it help you to achieve?

I use a Canon 5D II with the usual list of L lenses. I’d love to use film camera more, especially medium format, but the freedom and flexibility of digital has won me over. I think the only real thing on my wishlist is the ability to control light. Many times I have been in incredible locations, but the light just wasn’t right. I am a strong believer that while a good camera makes your job easier, it is still only a tool.

Lago de Atitlàn, Guatemala.

Isla de la Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.

What are your main sources of inspiration? In general, can we talk about inspiration when it comes to reportage photography?

As I mentioned above my inspiration simply comes from what I see. I am constantly pushing myself, trying to see things in a more creative way. I regularly get annoyed at my own photographs and keep making myself push harder and harder. The internet is a wonderful place to see beautiful photos, but I’m not too sure how much it influences what I do. I think the more you get out there, the more you push yourself, the more you challenge yourself the better the results will be.

Playing football at 5000m above sea-level

The best (and worst) way to get around Central America.

Bolivia

Peru

Who are your influences in photography? Is there someone you’d dream to work together with?

I’d like to work with a variety of different photographers – sport, wildlife, wedding, fashion. While they are not directly linked to the type of photography I do, I still think there is a lot to learn as transferrable skills.

If you could rent a time machine for one day, where would you go? (of course, you can take your camera with you :) )

I would start the day in Bolivia, visiting small villages and seeing how people live their day to day lives. I would then go to Mexico for the Day of the Dead festival – without doubt the most incredible ‘night’ experience of my life.

Strangers series: Mexico

Strangers series: Mexico

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico.

What are your professional plans for the nearest future? Is there any new creative field you’d like to try yourself in?

I have a few really nice ideas for photography series that I can do here in the UK. I’m just waiting for the weather to get a bit better. I’m also off to Morocco tomorrow for a job, which should be exciting.

Marrakech, Morocco.

Do you think beginners should look up to those who have already achieved something in the trade? If so, what would you advise to budding photographers?

Practise, practise, practise. The more photos you take the better you will become. You must also be very harsh when juding your own photos. I see a lot of budding photographers work that is creatively good – they have a good eye for composition and light, but lack technical knowledge. Simple things like the focus not being quite right really annoy me.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the photography of Tom Robinson:

Website: Tom Robinson Photography
Flickr stream: Tom Robinson’s Photostream

All photos copyright © Tom Robinson. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

You started to photograph when you were a child. When did you understand that it’s what you want to devote a big part of your life to. Was it kind of a decisive moment?

From a young child I was always taking mental pictures from car windows when we traveled. So the idea that I could do it for a living just seemed a natural progression for me. I really felt a connection with it and was taken with the ability to keep the things I saw.

Please tell us more about the use of colors in your photography. It feels like there’s a special role you give to color palette. What is color for you?

I have never really been a fan of straight black and white for my work; coming from a film background my default was to shoot in black and white, sepia tone and then hand paint with oil paints.

Since moving across to digital I have been shooting everything in color. Instead of starting out with a black and white film and hand coloring prints, I have been starting with a color file, which in a way I have been attempting to return to the feel of a painted or hand-painted photograph. So my color palette is definitely in that oil painting color range of yellows and umbrias and burnt sienna’s that I used in my film days.

I find color provides warmth to my work, which may not be naturally there with the subjects I tend to choose. Often subjects don’t show the colors that I know are there in the feeling rather than the seeing, so that is where my post production becomes so important, to add the light and color that I know is there but is not apparent. It’s like color is a feeling rather than a visual.

In New Zealand we have a crisp slightly cold, blue light that can leave my work feeling melancholic rather than nostalgic. The colors I use really help support the notion of an idea or feeling that floats fleeting in the back of your mind; something that maybe you weren’t quite old enough to retain all the details of or it was so long ago it has become some-what favorable in the memory — more so than it was in reality.

Speaking about ‘aesthetic value in unpromising subjects’, how did you decide to touch this topic?

I have always been in love with the idea that there is ‘more’ to the everyday and banal – the romance of every day things and how perceptions can change with the right light and colors. As a teenager I discovered Romanticism through poetry, paintings and early pictorialists who I felt were attempting to create favorable impressions of fairly ordinary life events. This seemed to resonate with my ideas, so its really continuing exploration of that.

What equipment do you use? Do you believe in “camera phone” photography the world is now obsessed with?

I use a Canon 7d, often with a low-fi lens such as a mirror lens or the cheap canon 50mm 1.8. My gear is only important to me in that it allows me the reach or the iso I need to get the images I want.

Most of my work is shot wide-open, high ISO and slightly soft. I am not a fan of pin sharp so my gear reflects that.

In terms of camera phone photography, I love it. It allows people to really let go of perfection and just shoot for love, to see and grab, I am such a fan of grabbing hold of everything I see that I want to hold on to and phone photography really allows you to do that because you always have it with you. People seem to have changed their perception about what is worth photographing now, the wider population are noticing stuff they never saw before.

The only thing that really bugs me about it is the over-cooking of the images, people seem to be drawn to the apps that go too far with the texture and color shift, in my opinion. The mood of the image is lost and it just becomes a jarringly over processed snap.

I shoot with my phone a fair bit, purely for fun although, recently I got a Fuji x100 and now the phone doesn’t come out of my bag.

You live in the country for over 15 years, am I right? What is it that makes you so taken with your environment for so many years?

Nostalgia – a romantic memory that is constantly fed by my environment. From early childhood, we used to visit my aunts farm and that is when I fell in love with the country. I used to draw little comic strips of my trips to the farm which started with scenes of things on the way there from the car window, followed by frames of the hill over the road, a grove of trees I could see from the front porch, the corrugated iron wool shed and the lightening tree. So, as a child I was already in love with the rural environment and taking mental photographs of it, to take home with me to the city.

When I got my first camera at 10, my first thought was that I could finally photograph the country rather than draw it. The photos I took were nothing special, but it allowed me to hold onto the country until I could visit again. I am still trying to get back to those early impressions through my work.

Is photography your only creative outlet?

Pretty much. I did spend a summer making willow sculptures of birds. I was determined to make it out of branches from wild trees, rather than purchase precut willow so that the sculptures felt more authentic to me, like actually capturing a wild bird from a bush or tree. After making five sculptures I felt I needed some more bird photos to work from. I started taking bird photos and I just haven’t managed to get back to sculpture.

You used to photograph people in your career, but there are no people portraits in your gallery now. Why?

I do have portraits in my gallery on the Behance network. (now they’re on Cally’s website as well - editor) I love to photograph people but what I chase most is an intangible notion, a kind of rawness, an emotion or nostalgic feeling that I can never quite grasp and I constantly look for this in everything so the actual subject is almost irrelevant. So for portraits I have to find the right face or ‘air’ to be compelled to photograph people. Recently I have found this manner in birds more than anything else. As i notice this intangible elsewhere my attention moves with it.

Some of the photographers we talked with are disappointed by the  viewer  today. How would you describe the state of the modern fine art photography? Do you feel comfortable  working in the established environment?

There is so much diversity and taste, that I can’t really comment on what others are doing. I am happy that photography is really beginning to find its feet as an art form; it has been a very long and slow journey. To be honest though, I don’t really care what other people are doing, photography as such is not really an influence for me. People will either see something in my work or they won’t, despite what other people are doing. It either strikes a chord or it doesn’t.

Your portraits of animals and poultry resemble  famous human portraits by classical artists. What are your influences in visual arts, if any? What are your sources of inspiration in general?

It sounds cliché, but light is my main source of inspiration. I am inspired by paintings and early photography, but more so on the way light creates the mood rather than the subject matter itself.

What would you advise to the budding photographers?

Find your voice without reference to what other people are doing or what is considered fashionable or saleable. These days good work will always find an audience.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Cally Whitham:

Website: Cally Whitham
Profile on Behance: Cally Whitham on the Behance Network

All photos copyright © Cally Whitham. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

Ami Barwell has been into photography for over 10 years, and all this time rock’n'roll is her main subject. In Ami’s own words, a good photograph should have feeling, depth, emotion. I think you will see that her photographs are just about that. You know, when I looked through Ami’s works on her website, a clear thought came to my mind — rock’n'roll is alive! Even though it may be a trite phrase, but it’s  true to me. And hopefully, to you too. I don’t believe to Guns ad Roses who sing:»Whatever happened to sex drugs n’ rock n’ roll? Now we just have AIDS crack and techno» — it’s not that bad at all!

I hope you will agree with me after reading the exciting interview. Ami tells what it means to be a music photographer and her photographs tell what it means to be a rock-n-rolla. So enjoy your read and don’t forget to leave a comment!

Hi Ami, thanks for finding time to do an interview for our readers. How are you feeling today?

I’m feeling good thanks… it’s been a really busy few weeks — Last week I had a big album cover shoot and a photo-shoot at a recording studio, I’ve also been on tour with the Levellers doing a tour photo-documentary, and in the past few days photographed the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe band. No rest for the wicked!

So, what grabbed you first — rock’n'roll or photography? :) Please tell us how you got started in the photography in general and in music photography, particularly?

I’d always carried a camera around with me, from as far back as I can remember — Photographing friends, family, loved-ones, travels; documenting my life I suppose. I’ve also always been a huge music lover and have grown up being surrounded by great music. My Dad used to be a folk musician and my Brother has always been in bands, so shooting the things and people I loved slowly progressed into rock ‘n’ roll photography. Going to gigs all the time and hanging out with bands, it was just natural to take my camera along and document it all.

You’ve been into the business for 10 years, photographing both rock gurus and young bands. With this experience what could you tell about the young-generation rock’n'rollas? Are they different (or better say differently crazy) from the elders?

I find that some younger, newer bands tend to be far more arrogant, selfish and egotistical than the well-respected rock gurus. It’s probably why many newer bands don’t seem to have that longevity, in my opinion, it’s the same as most things in life — you don’t really get anywhere by being an arsehole.

The Scare

The Cribs

Cage The Elephant

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

What’s the best and the worst part of being a music photographer?

It’s not just a job it’s an adventure, I get to do what I absolutely love, get paid for it, and meet some amazing people along the way. I feel very lucky.

The worst part is going through a dry-spell, sometimes I can go months without a shoot… that’s financially tough and I also hate not working. It’s can also be highly stressful at times and ridiculously long hours.

I know it may be hard, but could you try to single out one or two pictures from your portfolio that you think are really special? What makes them memorable?

My Thom Yorke shot is special to me as I haven’t seen a photograph of him smiling before. Also my Black Rebel Motorcycle Club photo of the smoky guitar, that’s extremely special as I toured with them for so long and it completely sums up the whole feel, sound, mood and atmosphere of a really great band. It was also taken on a very eventful, emotional and generally pretty messed-up day… the fact that that roll of film even survived, is a miracle in itself!

Thom Yorke

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Tours of rock’n'roll bands are something people make legends about. How often does your job take you to tours with the band? Do you just watch and capture or does this crazy whirl take you in?

My job is to watch and capture, but of course I get into the whole whirl of it. Spending weeks on a tour bus, waking up and going straight to the pub, living in such close proximity, you can’t really avoid it. I love going on tours with bands, it’s great fun and the more time I spend with a band, the more I get to know them, the more they trust me, the better the photographs I get.

Lenny Kravitz

Steve Vai ←→The Darkness

The White Stripes ←→ R.E.M.

Graham Coxon

Hannoi Rocks ←→ Iggy Pop

Foo Fighters

The Hives ←→ Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Robert - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

When, in your opinion, does a photograph become art?

A photograph is art when it has feeling, depth, when it makes one think, when it is more than just a ‘snap’. When editing my work I look at each photograph and think «does it stand out on it’s own?», if the answer is «no» then for me, it’s not good enough. I’m an extreme perfectionist with my work.

On the way to a great picture, what place does equipment take? What gear do you personally use?

Equipment isn’t such an important part, it’s more about knowing how to use your equipment and knowing what result you’re looking for. I’m strictly a film user, I hate digital photos with a passion — to me, digital cameras have killed a huge part of photography and taken away it’s art form. I use an old 1960′s manual 35mm with many different lenses, depending on the shoot.

Daniel - Cage The Elephant

John ←→ Jon

Peter (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) ←→ Karima Francis

Michael Shenker ←→ Jay

Joey Tempest ←→ Alex (Everything Everything)

Z ←→ Archie

Tom - The Editors

Bobby Harlow describes you as the only artist who managed to recognize and capture his complicated personality. Is your ability to find the bond with the subject an inborn feature or maybe a result of studying psychology? I wonder if it’s difficult emotionally to work with creative people on that level?

No, I didn’t study psychology! I get on with most people, I’m a nice person and have a twisted sense of humour. I get on so well with musicians and creative people as we tend to think the same and have the same interests, lifestyles and passions. I’m actually quite shy and think I intrigue a lot of people.

Brisa Roche

Abi - The Zutons

Didz - The Cooper Temple Clause

Ian Brown

Ginger

Fish

Todd

Karima Francis

One of your recent initiatives is a fashion line. Do you have any other creative outlets? Maybe there is a completely different field you’d like to take up?

I play the guitar and drums, sometimes I think I’d like to be in a band but I’m probably far too shy, which may be why I hide behind my camera!

If you could rent a time machine and an invisibility coat for one day, what would you choose? (of course, you can take your camera with you) How would you use it?

I’d visit an early 1900′s death row American prison and photograph the inmates — the pain, remorse, hatred, romance, sadistic nastiness — everything in their eyes.

Do you think beginners should look up to those who established their names in the trade? If so, what would you advise to those who make their first steps in photography?

No, I say just follow your heart, be passionate, find your own style and techniques and most importantly — don’t listen to anyone else.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Ami Barwell:

Website: Ami Barwell. Rock’N'Roll Photographer

All photos copyright © Ami Barwell. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

Sam Javanrouh is the man behind the Daily Dose of Imagery, which is one of the most popular photoblogs in the world. Sam’s been running a blog for about eight years now and during this period his photography attracted thousands of fans and naturally inspired a commercial interest. However, in spite of that, Sam still approached photography as a hobby. This is what impresses me a great deal, because I’m tired of seeing many people for whom having an upscale digital camera and a couple of tens of «wow» comments is enough to reckon themselves among professional photographers.

Javanrouh shoots in various styles and his photoblog is never boring because of that. His photographs of stormy weather and cityscapes of Toronto capture probably the biggest interest on social networks and in this interview Sam describes his experience as a landscape photographer and reveals some secrets of success in this genre.

Please, tell us about yourself: where you work, which hobbies you have, what education you have?

I lived in Tehran, Iran for the first part of my life and moved to Toronto, Canada when I was 26. I have a degree in French Literature, but my main passion has always been visual arts. I’m currently a Creative Director at Optix Digital Pictures, a Visual Effects and Animation company and photography is my serious hobby. I love Photography, Cinema and all new media branches of those including animation and games.

Your photos of Toronto are great. As I understood, you’re resident of it (by the way, 500px office is also in Toronto). It seems that next to such metropolis as Toronto is there can’t be any pastoral landscape. How do you manage to find such places as the field with pumpkins or badlands?

I’m glad you like my photos. I carry a camera on me at all times, and scenes like the pumpkin field have been possible because of that fact since they were all completely unplanned. I do however try to go on photography trips, close or far, once in a while. Badlands photo was the result of one of those. But since I don’t own a car and I’m mostly a city dweller most of my photos are taken in the city.

Where have your works been published? As I see, they are licensed by Getty. Do you participate in any exhibitions and other events connected with photography?

A few of my photos are licensed by Getty and some are licensed directly by various clients. I don’t market myself as a professional photographer but I do get requests through my site or flickr. Many of my phtos have been published in vasious magazines and publications (you can find a list of those in my about page here) and they were all requests through my online presence. I have done a few exhibitions in the past but nothing in the last year as I’ve been busier with both my job and photography.

How do you make photos with lightning?

Taking lightning photos require a lot of patience. I set my camera on the tripod and use an intervelometer to trigger the camera with continuous long exposures back to back throughout a lightning storm. I end up with hundreds of photos and in those I hopefully find something useful.

What equipment do you use (camera, tripod, light, camera lens)? Do you use any specific equipment?

I shoot with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Panasonic GF1 и Panasonic Lumix LX3. As for the lenses, I use a line of Canon lenses,as well as Sigma 12-24 and Panasonic 20 f1.7 Pancake. You can find a list of my equipment here.

Have you had any interesting funny stories or hazardous moments while landscapes shooting?

Well shooting landscapes requires a lot of patience and trial and error. To find that perfect light or the perfect cloud formation in the sky can be an adventure in itself. But I find it very relaxing especially for someone like me who’s mostly in the madness of big city downtown life.

I’ve been completely soaked wet on a summer day when found myself trapped on an Island in the middle of a rainstorm but it resulted in one my most liked shots (lightning on Island). I’ve also experienced freezing cold when we found ourselves in the wrong part of the countryside and found all our 4 car tires deflated by a farmer which meant waiting for 6 hours in the notorious Canadian winter. But again, I came out with some good shots.

These days though, shooting in the city is more adventurous since post 9/11 the attitude towards street photography has changed dramatically. I’ve had my share of experiences with that and continue to have them.

Can you give your suggestions to those who want to make such spectacular landscapes?

My advice is to take as many photos as you can and look at other people’s photos you like and try to understand why is it that you like them. By taking photos constantly you’ll find your strengths which helps you focus on what you’re good at. A wide lens always helps too!

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Sam Javanrouh:

Photoblog: Daily Dose of Imagery
Flickr: WVS’ Photostream

All photos copyright © Sam Javanrouh. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

To be honest, I could never imagine that our journal would feature a macro photographer specializing in shooting insects. The matter is that I have a strong arachnofobia, or simply speaking, spiders and bugs piss me off. I’m from those people who understands that somehow insects are useful for nature, but wouldn’t mind if there was no such a thing around. Imagine my surprise when I saw the photography of Thomas Shahan — I had expected to see disgusting things, but saw funny and cute creatures instead. I actually smiled looking at them. It’s not that I felt a desire to touch them, but nevertheless, I made a small yet important step towards the myriads of myriapods. Yay! Thomas just hits the nail describing his work as «arthropod portraiture» — indeed, spiders in his pics have a character! They look funny, odd, silly, sad, playful, but never scary. That’s how I saw them, and hope that’s how you’ll see them too.

The interview is a must read, especially for those who cannot boast passion for insects. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the first time you look at spiders and bugs not with fear and disgust, but with a smile. Thanks Thomas Shahan for re-discovering insects for us, and thanks Vadim Costyrin for discovering Thomas.

Which place does your hobby take in your life?

It seems to have become a seasonal thing – the majority of my photography work happens in the warmer months when the bugs are most active and abundant. So – I end up wandering around outside for hours searching the fields and woods for anything that interests me. Although it can become quite a lengthy, grueling, and exhausting process in Oklahoma summers – it’s a wonderful feeling to be alone outdoors doing something so rewarding.

What made you to start insects’ photography? What attracts you in entomology? How long have you been photographing insects’ world?

I’ve had a lifelong fascination and appreciation for animals, but only got into macrophotography of arthropods rather recently – about 3 or 4 years ago when I bought my first digital camera.

I think I’m attracted to entomology for countless reasons – but the most fundamental interest for me is the immense variety and beauty of relatively common bugs and spiders.

I’m attempting to not only publicize the extraordinary beauty present in arthropods, but also simultaneously change the general mindset towards bugs and spiders.

Strange, Fluffy Plant Hopper (Metcalfa pruinosa)

Adult Female Phidippus Mystaceus

Robber Fly, Holcocephala fusca

Skipper with Proboscis (Hesperiidae)

Female Tabanus Horse Fly

Colorful Red-Banded Leaf Hopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

Maybe you have some insects-pets in your house?

Ha, not currently. I usually like to leave arthropods in their natural habitat if I can, but on occasion I will bring home certain bugs and spiders to photograph. That said — I will never keep them captive for long and always make sure to return them to where I found them originally.

What is your attitude to people who are scared of insects even on photos?

I understand that for some people, bugs—and spiders in particular—can evoke some unpleasant emotions. Widespread misconceptions and irrational fears have created a general disgust of spiders among the public, sadly causing them to be widely feared and worse yet – unappreciated.

I can only hope that through my close-up views, many people’s disgust will turn to reverence and they will realize that arthropods in general are beneficial neighbors – not pests.

Little Jumping Spider Hiding

Immature Phidippus audax Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider (Hentzia)

Where do you find all these creatures for your photos? Do you travel a lot?

All my subjects were found in the wild in Oklahoma. I would love to travel in order to photograph and study more American species – but currently have not done so – at this point my involvement with macrophotography is nothing more than a successful hobby.

What equipment do you use (camera, tripod, light, camera lens)? Do you use any specific equipment?

I use a Pentax K200D DSLR body, a set of extension tubes and either a vintage Pentax Asahi Takumar 50mm f/1.4 or a Pentax Takumar Bayonet 28mm f/2.8 prime reversed to the end of the tubes. I use a vintage Vivitar «Zoom Thyristor 3500″ diffused by a homemade softbox crafted from a used Goldfish box, duct tape, tinfoil, paper towel, and clear plastic for the lighting.

Have you had any interesting funny stories or hazardous moments while shooting? As we know your models are pretty unpredictable and some of them might be dangerous.

I’m sure I’ve looked a bit odd to others while out photographing bugs in public – laying face down in the grass and dirt with a camera always sparks questions. There are no serious hazards – for the most part, bugs and spiders really are harmless and have no desire to hurt anyone. To date, I’ve never been bitten by a spider.

Damsel Fly Head - (Argia vivida

Thorn Mimic Treehopper (Enchenopa)

Jagged Ambush Bug (Phymata)

Green Shield Bug - (Acrosternum hilare)

Male Praying Mantis Head, Stagmomantis carolina

What magazines publish your great works? Have you run any exhibitions?

I’ve been featured in several magazines now – Popular Photography, Discover, Popular Science, The Big Issue, Weekly Reader, Pentax User UK, and a few more. No actual exhibitions just yet – though I would love to show my work in a show some day.

We really enjoyed your artwork. There are many interesting images: the spider with woman as we understood – with the Mother Mary. Could you share with us its inner meaning you put in the picture? It’s very interesting and, I guess, intriguing.

Ha, she was never intended to be Mary, although the imagery for my serigraphs was obviously influenced by the traditional depictions of Mary cradling Christ. Aside from the visual similarities, there is no religious subtext to my artwork. As for the “inner meaning”, I’ll leave that up to the viewer – the ideas came from dreams which I likely can’t explain in any coherent manner.

Do you like Van Gogh? Do you feel some affinity with him (your self-portrait resembles Van Gogh)?

Of course I enjoy his paintings – I’m more comfortable drawing than painting, and I see Van Gogh’s brushwork and rhythmic lines as a bridge between the two mediums. I never intended for that self portrait to resemble Van Gogh’s work, but I likely was inspired by him to some degree. Someone pointed out that it looks also quite a bit like M.C. Escher’s self portrait.

What are your creative plans for the future?

Nothing really major comes to my mind – I have no long term goals at this point. I would really like to eventually get a nice big coffee table book together of my photography, although I’m not sure how marketable high magnification arthropod portraiture is. I can only hope that if it’s something I would want personally, it would attract others as well.

Can you give your suggestions to those who want to make such spectacular macro?

Go out and observe life around you. Insects and spiders are largely harmless and highly beneficial animals that are often remarkably beautiful under high magnification. It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have – it’s the subject that will make the photograph.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Thomas Shahan:

Photographer’s website: Thomas Shahan
Profile on Flickr: Thomas Shahan’s Photostream

All photos copyright © Thomas Shahan. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

Besides the scandal chronicles from the everyday life of the English criminal group Firm, Jocelyn Bain Hogg is the author of some other edgy and deep photo projects. Among the most eminent of them are «Idols+Believers» (an insight into the essense of fame), «Pleasure Island» (a reportage from the hot spot of the global music community,Ibiza), «White Room» (many people, many emotions in one white room), and «Tired of London, Tired of Life» (feel the rhythm of the inimitable, fantastic city). The photographer touches various topics, but it’s always human life with all its facets, joys and difficulties that is in the focus.

In this interview Jocelyn Bain Hogg will tell us how he found a creative passion in the place he hated, why the East-End thugs let him in their world and what it takes to be a professional photographer. Enjoy the read and don’t forget to leave a comment! Hogg’s photography is more than just a good subject for a discussion.

How did you get started in the photography?

I started at my English Boarding School when I was 14 where we had an opportunity on a Wednesday afternoon to do an ‘activity’ and my choice was photography. I hated the school and the darkroom was a great place to be left alone in! Also I found that by taking pictures of what I witnessed at this traditional Public School I could document the peculiar life of the school boy thus giving my time there meaning. I inherited my father’s Rolleiflex and learned using the school darkroom, and pestered the man from my local camera shop for advice and tips and also devoured photography books mostly Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘The Decisive Moment’, Don McCullin’s ‘Homecoming’, Mary Ellen Mark’s ‘Falkland Road’ and Ian Berry’s ‘The English’. At 16 I was given an Olympus OM 1 and then I really got started! I pestered picture editors in my school holidays and a year later had sold my first story on the girls who’d just arrived at my previously all male boarding school to Harper’s and Queen Magazine.

Could you now look from top of your experience and trace back the evolution of your photographic career? Were there any revolutions on your way?

In terms of evolution, I guess I began by looking critically at Boarding School life and that legacy has stuck, documenting the world I witness in all its facets and complications.

Hannover Square. From the series "Tired of London, Tired of Life"

The first revolution came when I went to Newport Art College straight after boarding school and had to face the real world! Second revolution was moving to London aged 21 and working on film sets and drifting into fashion photography…then the real revolution happened in 1997 when I split up with my model girlfriend, gave up fashion pictures and went back to my initial intention of documentary photography by beginning the four year journey that was The Firm…I’m now looking forward for the next revolution…..

You’ve created three books, each of them is a spectacular insight in human nature. Each of the books is worth a separate interview, but I will try to limit to just several questions:

You once said that in Idols+Believers you don’t show celebrities, but the very nature of fame. I wonder what you think about the role of photography in setting relationship between “stars” and “watchers”.

I’m not sure what you mean by this question? I assume it involves the complicity between the photographer and the PR/Press machine that fuels the apparently insatiable desire for ‘stars’.

Right, that’s exactly what I meant.

The new photojournalist would appear to be the paparrazzi — the definition of photojournalist is one that gets pictures published in the press so these guys have supplanted the old model of the ‘concerned photographer’ in our cynical times.

The reason I started shooting ‘Idols’ was because I saw this frightening change in our Press. Celebrity supplanted the real issues of our time — somehow celebrity was the Panacea, a palliative after Princess Diana’s death and all magazines and papers subsequently carried famous people on their covers not issues of world importance.

Hence a project on the nature of fame, not celebrity.

Angelina Jolie, Cannes. From the series "Idols+Believers"

Fans sleep outside Westminster Abbey on the eve ofthe funeral of the Queen Mother ("Idols+Believers")

I fought hard over many years to document this now over-familiar phenomenon. Arguing with Hollywood PR people who would not allow me to take natural pictures of their clients, but would try and have me set up an image became a regular fight. As I said in the book, the stars are ciphers, it is the panoply around them that is interesting and indeed the reaction from ordinary people that makes a picture for me.

Today no photographer (paparazzo of course excluded..) can photograph a ‘star’ without write-offs, sign-offs, agreements and the rest, so I am very happy that I completed that project in 2006. Since then, I have had no involvement with celebrities I am glad to say!

George Lucas. From the series "Single Images"

Michael Schumacher / Ewan MacGregor ("Single Images")

I know that the Firm was exhibited in Moscow in 2007. What feedback did you get from Russian viewers? I read on your website that you are working on an update ten years later of the book. Will the subject be that same bandit group?

The Firm was my first major project, started back in ’97 and now feels like something very much from the past. The reason I’m looking at that world again is because of a commission from 2008 that allowed me to look into the issues surrounding British Youth. In my country we have a serious problem with teenage knife and gun crime and generally deeply disaffected youth. Under 16 year olds are dying every week due to gang violence. A lot of this is down to drugs, and the commerce of drug dealing in the inner city estates. This project, on British Youth is close to my heart, and ongoing, and I am exploring the relationship with the successors of the old Firm to this phenomenon. Organised crime involves drug trafficking and thus is connected to the Youth issues in the UK.

Mickey Goldtooth on 'venom' after a bareknuckle fight / Dai Boxer ("The Firm")

Harrogate, Yorkshire

‘Underworld’ the new look at the Firm of old, is ongoing and will take more time to conclude but yes, essentially the guys I’m documenting now are the sons and successors of the old families that constituted the Firm project.

As for the reaction in Moscow, it was generally very positive — I wish I could read Russian since I seem to be on just about every photography blog there….

Have you ever thought about depicting some foreign mafia clan, the Russian style, for instance?

Ha ha…I am not a gangster, nor a gangster photographer so I’ll pass on your country’s (and any other country’s) equivalent of The Firm thank you!

This is probably the question you are asked most often, but I just can’t help asking (smile) How did you make contact with the East End mafia group and what’s more interesting, what were their motifs of revealing their world to masses?

Good! I’d like to set the record straight since I read on the internet that I met the gangsters at a fashion show when I was doing a fashion shoot? How on earth did that fiction become fact??? Never trust the web!!!!

Bruce Reynolds at Reg's graveside, Chingford cemetary

The reality is that I was given an assignment back in 1997 from British Elle magazine (editorial not fashion!) photographing a journalist who was talking to a couple of nasty villains. After I’d taken the pictures I got talking to one of the two about fathers and sons..My father is an actor and Fred, the villain’s son is also an actor. We bonded over several whiskeys in a Soho club and he asked me to show him the pictures and I realised I could become privy to a very secret, private and scary world. I then asked him if I could take some more pictures. Then I approached a Japanese journalist with whom I’d been working and pitched the idea of a story for Japanese GQ on the British crime world. We shot the story in a month but I carried on shooting for three more years, thence The Firm.

Bernie's boys, South Wales

Flanagan, glamour model since the 70's and old friend of The Firm

Private party, Mayfair

Mickey's gang, Tenerife

The reason the pictures resonate is because I never ever lied to them. I cannot pretend to be from their world, I do not have a cockney accent and actually have no interest at all in British crime histories and from the start made it clear I didn’t want to photograph their own presentation — no posed pictures and no complicity. From day one I showed them the pictures and continue to do so in all their ugliness. This way there can be no arguments and no compromise. I soon realised that they actually enjoy being presented in this hard, real and ugly way…perhaps all men are vain?!

Pleasure Island is a photo journey through the craze of Ibiza. Tell us if the whirl of Summer Rock Festival madness swallowed you up?

Again, this was a look at why we try so hard to have fun…and I’ve always loved rock’n'roll so this was my chance to shoot that and the rest…and no, it didn’t swallow me up. You can’t take pictures when you’re out of it!

Indeed, Ibiza is a paradise for many and what’s the ideal Pleasure Island for you?

I am still looking for my Pleasure Island — but it is definitely not Ibiza!

Fatboy Slim deejays at Manumission ("Pleasure Island")

At Bar ("Pleasure Island")

How would you describe the state of the modern documentary photography? What challenges does it face? What’s the influence of the digital era on this genre and photography art in general, in your opinion?

Modern documentary photography is thriving! There are more students than ever studying it and more people with cameras (and mobile phones!) Photography has always been the worlds’ most democratic medium — everyone has been able to take photographs since Kodak invented the Box Brownie and although much has changed with the onset of digital, that democracy remains, and in many ways has become more enhanced.

For the ‘professional’ however, the demise of news magazines has heralded a Sea Change and it means we have to work harder and look at different ways to show our pictures. It will separate the good from the bad eventually and that has to be good.

The Art World is one way to have pictures shown but there is a danger that the curators and academics will only select ‘collectable’ photography by art-worthy photographers. Documentary by nature, challenges our state of being and there is an argument that a gallery space is too rarified for often hard hitting imagery, thus there is an over-riding blandness in the art-documentary approach at present that I sincerely hope will change.

The current academic thinking suggests that true documentary must be ‘objective’ hence no involvement by the photographer. This works on the printed page but inevitably leads to sterile imagery and Photography is a visual medium after all. The picture used to tell a thousand words, the current worry with the gallery bound vision is that the words now tell the picture. ..Although ‘Conceptual photography’ and ‘documentary photography’ are branches from the same tree, they bear very different fruit after all.

Notting Hill. From the series "Tired of London, Tired of Life"

Stansted Airport ("Tired of London, Tired of Life")

Time for a boring gear question :) What camera/lens combination is perfect for documentary shooting? If you could have just one kit forever, what would it be?

A Leica ttl M6 with a 35mm f2 lens, a 28 f2 and a 50 f2, a tiny flashgun and the weird unavailable doobie that allows you to attach a lens to the baseplate thus carrying two lenses on one camera (I hope I never lose mine) — or a yashica T5 which is definitely more pocketable..

London Bridge ("Tired of London, Tired of Life")

What is you inspiration in art, music, cinema?

It was always movies for me. Watching the Sunday afternoon matinees on TV as a child inspired me. Particularly the films of Powell and Pressburger and the Ealing movies. Lost treasures now I fear — ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ and ‘It Always Rains On Sunday» were both seminal and indeed still are. Then discovering Italian neo realism — Bertolucci, Visconti and indeed Tarkovsky’s visionary work from Soviet times and of course French cinema from Marcel Carne to today…

Music too of course… From The Arctic Monkeys through Richard Thompson, Van der Graaf Generator to Bach and Tom Russell… Couldn’t live without it — guess that’s why I shot Pleasure Island?

As for Art. It starts with Bruegel and Hogarth and is thankfully never-ending.

And I always, always carry a novel and have done since I was a teenager which keeps me sane on those journeys…

The Reverend Bob / Melvin ("White Room")

If you could travel in time with your camera, where would you go first?

Now. No point in living in the past — that’s why I watch movies and read books!

What was the most precious professional advice you’ve ever got? What would you recommend to those making first steps in the photographic art?

Get a good accountant and put your books in order! And… Get a good accountant and put your books in order…

But seriously don’t even do it unless you have a passion for it. Today especially because it is a very different and changing profession so only the very dedicated will survive and sustain a living or as someone said to me in the eighties when I started — ‘don’t do it’…

We’d like to thank Jocelyn for taking time and doing this great interview for our journal. We wish you best of luck in all your projects and hope to see more of your interesting and thought-provoking imagery in the future.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Jocelyn Bain Hogg:

Website: Jocelyn Bain Hogg

All photos copyright © Jocelyn Bain Hogg. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

Today I’m happy to present you the interview with Kim Høltermand. Enjoy it and don’t forget to share your impressions with us in the comments!

Please tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get started in photography? When did you interest in architecture photography spark?

I bought my first DSLR about 3-4 years ago. I always loved photography and thought I’d try getting more serious than just shooting with a pocket camera. That’s when I first met my 350D from Canon. It was instant love. And the story evolved from there very fast. I have also always loved the clean lines and aesthetics of architecture. The balance and awesomeness of clean lines. It has drawn me for years. Besides that the former owners of our house had forgotten to terminate their subscription of several awesome architectural magazines — which I started reading. And I fell instantly in love. And started shooting architecture. Funny story is that my grandfather actually used to work as an architect for some years and my father is an artist (painting/drawing) too. It runs in our family.

Switching Station

What is inspiration for you? Where do you usually find it, or is it more correct to ask where it finds you?

I find it in many places. My biggest inspiration comes from music; like Sigur Rós, Hammock, Moby, Trentemøller, Max Richter and the list is endless. I especially like electronic/ambient music. It sets the mood when I’m shooting. I both listen too it in the preparation for a shoot, during a shoot and in the post production face. But I also find inspiration in movies (Stanley Kubrick is king), books, magazines, television, posters, art. you name it. An idea can come from everywhere.

A Desolate Place/Nightlines

What sort of equipment do you use? Anything you’d like to expand your photography gear with?

I shoot with Canon DSLR’s and use different lenses from different brands — both zooms and primes. A lot of wide-angle lenses. And I always use natural light. Of course I would love to shoot with the highest end cameras and hopefully I will one day but equipment is not the most important element for me. Seeing is.

Kopenhagen Architecture

Prism/VM Buildings

Do you pay much attention to post processing your images?

Not really. Even though all my work has been post processed in some way I only try to «tint» my work to make it into the Kim Høltermand style — my style. With my mood.

Hyllie Water Tower/Turning Torso

Could you single out a couple of your own photos that appeal to you most of all? What memories do you connect with them? What were you thinking about while taking those pics?

The pictures in my «Silo» series was epic to make. The place still sends shivers down my spine when I’m thinking of it. It is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been to. The «Silo» (Valby Gassilo) is a huge empty gas silo situated just outside the capital of Copenhagen — in Valby.Entering this behemoth was like entering a cathedral situated somewhere between heaven and hell. It was like the most beautiful place and creepy place at the same time. With light only entering the top of the silo and the sound of my steps echoing inside for several minutes when I took a step it was a breathtaking experience. Made me feel so small and made me think. But most of the places I have been to and which later found themselves in my photographs give me different memories. They have all contributed to my success so they all mean a lot to me.

How popular is architecture photography in Denmark and the world in general? What spheres is it applied in most often? Is it easy to make a living as a full-time architecture photographer, comparing to other genres?

It is a very tight area with a few very talented photographers dominating the stage of architectural photography — and I’m still trying to become one of those great few. Also worldwide. I’m not working as a fulltime photographer and don’t intend to at this time but who knows. I am becoming more and more famous so you’ll never know what this craze will bring me.

Arken/The Playhouse

What if you could travel in time with your camera, where would you go first?

That’s a difficult one. But I would probably travel forth in time — to a time when all cities lie desolate. I would have all the time in the world and all the buildings in the world to my self. Empty of people, and would shoot epic, moody, awe-inspiring images of our worldwide wasteland.

Power Station

Seawater Lido

Who are your influences both in art and photography?

There’s a lot of creative people to whom I owe respect for influencing my work — mostly in photography. People like Michael Kenna, Nadav Kander, Benedict Redgrove, Jason Koxvold, Josef Schulz and Tim Simmons have among a lot of others been huge sources of inspiration and influence.

Torres

Rotunden

Horten

Besides architecture, there are lots of amazing landscape and fine art images in your portfolio. What are you favorite destinations and why?

I tend to travel to Sweden a lot. There’s something quiet and soothing about being there and there’s a lot of wide open desolate places which I love a lot. Sweden makes me gear down and brings me new ideas and material for new unseen work. But I love empty places, both in nature and in architecture and if there is fog you can be sure I am somewhere in it with my camera.

Tuve

The Trees

What are your passions in life besides the photography?

My wife and daughter come first. No doubt about that, and family and friends, of course. Creatively I have been drawing ever since I could walk so I have this urge to draw which sometimes draws me in like a huge magnet. But I am currently focusing on my photography 100 % but it happens that I find some paper and some pencils and draw.

What, in your opinion, are the qualities of a great photographer? Which of them do you have?

Seeing things. Feeling things. And not focusing so much on your equipment. And I have them all :)

Grundtvigs Church

They say, doubts are frequent fellows of an artist. Do you ever doubt what you are doing? How important is a public opinion to you?

I very rarely doubt what I do — and when I do I look at the things I have made until now. My success. And it makes me proud and makes me wanna make even more unique, epic and awe-inspiring imagery. Public opinion means a lot to me. To be honest who wouldn’t get a kick out of being featured in huge glittering magazines, books, endless blogs and even receiving fanmail. You tell me.

Metropolis

Do you think tips and advice from peers are important for budding photographers? If so, what would you recommend to the beginners?

definitely. I also received tips and advice from «better and bigger» photographers and I think it is invaluable knowledge and something you should definitely try to obtain if possible. It never hurts to ask. I say always believe in what you do. Stay true to your talent. It is your gift — believe in it. Even though some people won’t like your work, there will be some others that will like your work. Experiment. Don’t be sorry if you won’t succeed the first time you submit your work to some forum or competition — maybe the success awaits the second time you submit. Keep your creative juices flowing. And even if this may sound cliché this quote from Mr. Walt Disney has followed me since my childhood — «if you can dream it, you can do it».

We’d like to thank Kim for taking time and doing this great interview for our journal. We hope inspiration never leaves you and you will bring more exciting work to your viewer!

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Kim Høltermand:

Website: Kim Høltermand Photography

Profile on Behance Network: Kim Høltermand

All photos copyright © Kim Høltermand. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

The works of Eric Lafforgue appeared on the pages on numerous printed and web publications, such as The National Geographic, Geo,  The CNN Traveller, BBC, The Blue Planet, just to name a few. You may understand our feelings when Eric agreed to do an interview for our journal too. I hope you will be just as excited as we are to read the story of the travelling photographer and see some of his impressive portraits of the people from all over the world, so different and at the same time, so alike.

Eric, you got started in the photography about 5 years ago, am I right? Lots of various places, cultures and faces have been before your eyes and your camera since then. How did it all affect your life philosophy?

Yes, you are right. Travelling the world makes you see with your own eyes what you see thru the TV screen in your home. The main thing is that in every country, no matter  what  kind of political regime is running, people live there! And meeting them makes you see differently the country.

The best example is North Korea. Once in the place, you understand that people are not only the robots you might think. They have emotions, dreams.. Even if they just have to keep the line! So when you come back from travelling, you are sometimes feed up with the cliches you read or watch about a place!

Couple Inlove in Pyongyang, North Korea

The smiling chief of the village - Chilbo sea - North Korea

Trafic officer in Pyongyang - North Korea

The other thing is that the more I travel, the less I believe in a quiet and good world for everybody. Mondialization tends to make people think that everybody will access progress. They will access consumer products, but not perhaps happiness. In Vanuatu island for example, tribes are still living in the traditional way: they grow vegetables, fruits, have pigs, and keep strongly their traditions. Quite recently mobile phone has arrived. They need to pay the subscription. Most of their economy is based on exchange. Everything may be changed..

The beginning of the end? Surma woman with mobile phone - Ethiopia

Was there anything  in your experience as a travel photographer that turned over your views on our world?

I’m not really a social photographer, so when I go into a country, I do not have a special idea of what I want to show to the audience. But once I have discovered some interesting things, I try to show them.

As I had the chance to travel and live abroad with my parents since I’m a child, I’m not surprised by most of the things I meet: poverty, illness, etc. I was in Yemen in 1973, surrounded by people with Kalachnikov when I was 9!

The more I travel, the more pessimistic my views on the world’s cultures and  traditions get. I’m also part of this destruction, as when I show wonderful cultures, many people want to see them too!

Complicated game!

Surma warrior with AK-47 near Turgit - Ethiopia

Now a tough question: could you show us a picture that left a really special mark in your soul (for any reason)? What’s the story behind it?

I will choose a very recent picture, one of those I took in Angola. In Soba village, the Muhacaona tribe girl. She had a doll, with white skin. I do not know where she had got it, as the place is remote in south Angola, far from the richness of Luanda. The nice thing was that she had done the doll’s hair the same as hers: with dreadlocks! I asked her if she had put some cow shit on the doll hair too (as they use cow shit for their own hair), she laughed!

I like the fact that this «foreign» doll, perhaps, made in china, became an Angolan tribal one!

The Muhacaona doll - Angola

I bet it’s not an easy task to shoot reportage in remote areas of Africa or Oceania. How do you make contacts with aborigines?

The main problem is to meet people quickly as it costs a lot of money in those areas. So the local guides, ethnologists, or chiefs are essentials! I speak a lot thanks to the web with people who have already been on the ground. Even if most of the photographers do not like to share information!

The tribal people I meet generally like to meet foreigners. I like to come with Polaroids to try to share something. Thanks to the GPS, there are no more places on earth that have not been visited. So the big problem is to meet people who are really keeping their traditions. Not only people who make a show for tourists!

Turgit village old Surma woman - Ethiopia

Long Neck woman - Thialand

Where were people most hospitable to you and which tribes were the most difficult to work with?

The best are Kenyan ones, as once you make deal with the chief, you can stay for the whole day or more in the village, and people like to share their culture, dance, songs etc.

In Angola I met some fantastic tribes who do not see any tourists, as the country had a civil war for years and years…

The most difficult ones are from Omo Ethiopia: you must pay for every picture, and deal before. Nothing natural, nothing spontaneous, just money, money… I have a very bad souvenir from a Konso village where kids where shouting constantly, just to be paid…I had dreamt of visiting this tribe, it became a nightmare.

Another problem I meet is that sometimes photographers or TV crew come to a village and give big amounts of money; so the prices are growing so high… In Ethiopia, a German photographer paid  20 euros to the people for each picture. It means something in the country where a worker earns 25 euros a month to work in a field.

Turkana girls - Kenya

Menit tribe man - Omo Ethiopia

Intore dancer in Iby'Iwacu - Rwanda

Old Himba woman - Angola

Any travel is a potential adventure, not to mention journeys to  non-touristic destinations. Could you remember the most exciting/shocking/dangerous/funny accident which happened to you during your traveling? Just anything that you will never forget.

The worst experience was in Eritrea, a country I like very much, but where there are tensions because of the war with Ethiopia. I was making pictures in a hill, when suddenly 2 soldiers with guns came up and asked  me for the camera, the memory cards, etc. I was in a military area, and I did not know it. In my passport I had an Ethiopian visa… Fortunately, thanks to digitals, I showed them that only making pics of tribal people was the goal of my entry.

Another bad moment was in JFK airport, just after 9/11. I came there and the police at the airport discovered in my passport visas from Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria… It took some long minutes to convince the police that I travelled in Sudan just for a photogrpahic interest!

Your website bio says your gear kit includes Hasselblad H3D-39, Canon 1Ds MIII and Leica M6. Do you always take all the three with you, or does the choice of camera depend on the destination? What if you were to choose only one of them forever, which would it be?

Hasselblad would be the best if it had not so many technical problems. A shame compared to the price they sell it…The colors are fantastic, the digital looks like films. But it works so bad…

I have forgiven the Leica and the films as I’m fed up to wait for hours in the airports for the police to watch my films!

A large part of your life is devoted to traveling. And what if you could have a journey of a completely different kind, let us say, a time machine? Where would you go for a shoot?

I think to the same places, but 100 years ago! One of the places would be Harar in Ethiopia, for example. And Papua New Guinea, before the first white men discovered the highlands!

Muhacaona tribe girl - Angola

Long Neck women - Thailand

Blue eyed kid in Masirah Island , Oman

Thai dancer - Thailand

Tell us about your professional plans for the nearest future.

I will have 2 assignments for BBC: Khazakstan and Falklands in September and October. Then I would like to  go to Somaliland.

What is your inspiration in art, music, cinema?

In music, I listen to everything. From the Buzzcocks to Genesis! In art, in photography, I like very much Peter Beard and Timothy Allen, in painting — Haring, Basquiat, and in cinema, Ilike Scorcese and Frears.

I never leave home without my ipad full of 7000 songs, and hundreds of podcasts!

What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever got?

Nobody really gave me any advice…I decided myself to send my pics to editors, magazines etc… make  my  pictures the way I want, not following examples.

People from my French agency, Rapho, were very helpful at the beginning as they were the first to tell me my pictures had a kind of interest!

What would you advise to budding photographers?

My advice is double: do what you like, as photography, if you want to become a pro, requires a lot of work: legend, tags, keywords, stories etc… It’s a full time job: so do what you like to enjoy.

And also: do not think just art if you wan to earn your life, but try to find something new in the way of shooting, places unknown… think also marketing, as there is no choice in a world competition!

We’d like to thank Eric for taking time and doing this great interview for our journal. May your destinations be always peaceful and subjects friendly!

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Eric Lafforgue:

Website: Eric Lafforgue Photography

Flickr: Eric Lafforgue’s photostream

Twitter: @ericlafforgue

All photos copyright © Eric Lafforgue. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.

She’s not a child anymore, still, there is a place for fairy tales in her heart and that’s, in my opinion, a great quality for a photographer. So far Arielle continues to study, plans new interesting projects and humbly talks about her achievements in the photography trade. She seems to have a clear idea of what she wants from life and I bet the world will hear the name of this talented girl quite soon.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m eighteen and live in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m currently a senior at St. Francis High School.

How did your interest in photography spark? What role does it play in your life now?

My interest in photography started when my Mom bought me my first little camera and I took many pictures with it. When my Mom realized how much I loved taking photos, she got me my first DSLR. Currently I am in the photography club at my school and I am taking advanced photography classes.

365 Days of Danboard is by far your success as a photographer. Please tell us how it all started, how the idea came to you? Why Danbo?

The idea for the 365 came to me when I saw Danbo pictures on Flickr. I really wanted to get my hands my very own Danbo! When I ordered my first Danbo, ideas for photos raced through my mind, so, when Danbo finally arrived, I had a head start on the first 100 days before beginning to shoot “365”. I chose Danbo because I am a huge fan of the manga ‘Yotsuba&!’.

Tears Hidden in the Rain

Pink Paradise

I imagine a «365″project sounds easier to do than it really is. Especially for a young person, when lots of distractions are around. What about you, was your Danbo project really a challenge? Did you think about doing a «365″ again?

I didn’t find my 365 a challenge…it was an adventure! I enjoyed everyday and only accepted the best of many shots for each ‘daily’ photo. I will definitely do another 365. Just trying to think of the best time and place to schedule, begin, and complete, is all.

365 unique Danbo stories and keep coming, jeeze! :) Have you ever been stuck for new plot ideas? If so, who or what helped you?

I experienced ‘idea block’ periodically. Whenever I need inspiration and imagination for photos, I turn to my family and friends, especially my Dad. They all get my creative ideas flowing, which, ultimately, I incorporate into the ‘365’ project.

Hey You! Get Me Down From Here!

In the Dark Shadows

The Danbos Think Converses are Great to Play in

I’m pretty sure your Danbo pics would look awesome as cards and posters. Has your photography inspired any commercial interest so far?

Oh dear. I don’t think it is appropriate to discuss this, just yet, other than to say I am grateful and humbled that my work has inspired commercial interest worldwide.

What camera and lens do you use? Would you like to expand your gear kit with?

I use the Canon 7D & Canon 5D Mark II. The lenses I use are 50mm, 70-200mm. 24-70mm, 17-55mm, 10mm macro, and 15mm fisheye. I would love to get a tilt-shift lens. I think it would be an awesome lens to work with.

What genre do you like to shoot it most of all?

I enjoy shooting ‘still live’. Making an object come to life is so much fun! Calling all Madison Avenue ad agencies !!!

The Rain Makes Danbo and Wall-E Feel Alive

Waiting for the Tide

Rough Mornings

Forming a Cardboard Snowball

Tell Us a Bedtime Story

Do you have other passions besides photography? What are your favs in music, cinema, literature?

I like to listen to Lady Gaga, J-Pop, and Disney Park music. I also read a lot of manga and novels. I enjoy creative cinematography, where the angle of the camera, the type of lens employed, the light of day, and darkness of night, the peaceful calm and stormy threat of nature add to the emotions of a storyline. A picture is worth a thousand words, indeed; however, a great photograph tells a story which has no beginning and no ending, such that it tells its story for eternity.

What photographers inspire you? Do you have anyone to look up to in photography art?

I’m inspired by Nirrimi, Joe Penniston, Tom Bricker, and Matt Pasant. They do amazing work.

What if you could have a dinner with a famous perosnality, living or dead, who would it be?

Without question or hesitation, Walter E. “Walt” Disney (1901-1966). I travel to Disneyland, California several times a year and meeting the man who created the “Happiest Place on Earth” and supervised a master storytelling shop would be thrilling. W.E.D. was a creative genius whose work lives and, most incredibly, evolves and grows.

OoOoO Something Shiny

Sock Race

It's Hard to Describe the Feeling

Guess Who!

A Late Night for Danbo

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself as being an inspired, creative and unique photographer. This is my passion. May I invoke the spirit of Walter E. Disney to guide me towards being the master photographic Imagineer with Disney Studios and worldwide Parks….

What would you advise to those taking first steps in the photography?

Be confident and learn to take charge. When you’re behind the camera, your subjects want you to give orders because they want YOU to lead them as much as they want to obey your directions to please you, the photographer. Get that and you earn respect.

We’d like to thank Arielle for taking time and doing this great interview for our journal.

Don’t miss a chance to get to know more about the art of Arielle Nadel:

Flickr: Bunnyrel’s Photostream

All photos copyright © Arielle Nadel. Reproduced on this page with permission.
Photos can’t be reproduced or used without prior agreement from the photographer.