APAD blog

From his proposal:

"Domestic Borders" becomes a route where each photo is a stop on the way, not searching for answers but interrogating the social reality, the relations between inhabitants and the territory and the meaning of Europe today. "Domestic Borders" ends up being an unusual and unexpected trip, a dystopian portrait of the relationships between and across the border, showing the challenges of living in a unique space with a different passage of time. Two years ago I started a project on European borders. I documented the borders between Portugal and Spain, Romania, and Bulgaria, Bulgaria and Greece and Italy and France. Each chapter can work alone as well as mixed with the others. With the grant, I would do a new chapter of the project documenting the border between Spain and France.”

Judges comments: 

I was particularly impressed by Tomasso's subtle, lyrical approach to looking at EU borders. It's a timely and relevant project on a subject that's not inherently very visual — but he's come up with a meaningful way to address an issue that's at the heart of Europe's ongoing geopolitical identity crisis. I can't wait to see the next chapter of the project! — Daniella Zalcman

Tommaso Rada had a really interesting proposal, one that not only gave us a clear idea of the story but found deeper meaning hidden in the landscape. His images found a nice subtle balance between literal borders and invisible lines in the terrain, inviting the viewer to stay on each photo longer. — Greg Kahn

iI like that Tommaso is taking a bigger picture issue, and then taking a step back to look this huge global story, through the lens of something much smaller... by trying to localize it and compartmentalize it. The story is nuanced and I feel really great about supporting such important work. — Melissa Lyttle

You’ve got about 2 weeks left to submit your proposal for the 2nd annual APAD Backyard Storytelling Grant.

APhotoADay’s Backyard Storytelling Grant is a $4,000 grant awarded to a visual storyteller to aid in a project within 500 miles (or roughly one tank of gas) of the journalist’s home.

Our goal is to reward and encourage finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, while also focusing on community. Often time the best stories - the ones that resonate most - are the ones that hit closest to home.

Photographers and visual journalists from any country may apply for this grant.

Proposals for projects that have already received grants or awards of more than $5,000 in the previous calendar year are not eligible. The grant is awarded to an individual photographer; project proposals that involve multiple content producers will not be accepted.

One entry per person. Deadline is 8/21/2016.

This year, GeekFest is heading back to where it all began -- Washington, D.C., Sept 16-18, 2016. for those trying to make travel plans, things will kick off around 6pm Friday night, and wrap by 6pm Sunday night.

The line-up of speakers is incredible: Jose Cabaço, Stephen Crowley, Carol Guzy, Greg Kahn, Mike Kepka, Elizabeth Krist, Zun Lee, Jonathan Newton, Ruddy Roye, Lexey Swall, and Dani Zalcman. We’re also putting together a special panel discussion with editors and art buyers, hoping to answer the question “what are editors looking for?” And as always, we have a few surprises up our sleeves...

Our host is Howard University's School of Communications, and it’s made possible with the generous support of our friends at Nikon.

There’s a Facebook group with more info. We’re announcing who’s registered and updating people on the event’s happening there first.

Here are the details:

REGISTRATION

Join us by registering today for just $125, or $150 at the door.

We’re making it easier than ever this year. You can pay via:

• PayPal: [email protected] (select "friend/family")

• Venmo: @melissalyttle

• Google Wallet: [email protected]

• Square Cash: https://cash.me/$MelissaLyttle

HOTEL INFO Got a sweet block of (45) Queen Suites at the Cambria in DC. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 20 LEFT. Each room has two queen beds and a sleeper sofa. Which means each room can sleep 5-6 people. There's also a sweet rooftop bar, indoor pool, and a cheap Über or 20-minute walk to Howard University.

PRICE Eve Edelheit negotiated a great rate of $199/night + taxes. RESERVATIONS Call 202.299.1188 and tell them you're with the group "APhotoADay"

OR

By clicking on this link, inputting your first and last name, arrival and departure dates, number of people in the room, credit card details and by asking for the "APhotoaDay" room block. You will receive a confirmation via email through the Choice reservation system on the next business day. The cut-off date for this room block is 5 p.m. EST Tuesday, August 16.

For years, I’ve been hoping to do more with APhotoADay. Since 2000, it’s been an incredible listserv. A source of honest critique. A place for conversation and questions. A safe forum for figuring things out amongst like-minded folk. A community was created. Then GeekFest was born as an annual gathering of photo geeks. And it quickly became an opportunity to invite my favorite photographers to speak and inspire. More than that though, it became an family reunion. A chance to see old friends and make new.

But there was always something more I wanted.

After several successful print auctions, with the money raised going to good people or good causes, I applied for non-profit 501c3 status so we could give money out, as a way to contribute to photographers and their work on a more personal level. This year, that dream has finally become a reality -- supporting project work and purposeful photojournalism.

As the call for entries read:

APhotoADay’s inaugural Backyard Storytelling Grant is a $4,000 grant awarded to a visual storyteller to aid in a project within 350 miles (or roughly one tank of gas) of the journalist’s home. Our goal is to reward and encourage finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, while also focusing on community. Often time the best stories - the ones that resonate most - are the ones that hit closest to home.

In total, we received 164 entries from 34 countries, including China, Iran, Lithuania, Egypt, Bosnia and Peru.

This year, one of the highlights of GeekFest Oakland was getting to Skype with Washington D.C.-based freelance photographer Greg Kahn -- the recipient of our first-ever grant. Even better, was that it was a total surprise.

Greg’s project is called “3 Millimeters,” and as he states in his entry, it’s not about melting glaciers in far away places, or a big storm that inflicts swift devastation on an unsuspecting community, but it’s about the slow drowning of a place and its way of life.

“Three extra millimeters of water every year will make land vanish. It will swallow communities. It will change environmental habitats forever. It will cause record pollution. For townspeople along the inner- coastal region of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, the impact of sea level rise is no longer an abstract worry debated by politicians. They see the land becoming more saturated beneath their feet.”

Through the use of audio interviews, video landscapes and beautiful photography all destined for an digital publication geo-tagging the visuals and providing a rich narrative of what’s already been lost, Greg will continue telling the story of farms that have been in families for generations are being abandoned. Of locals pointing 100 yards into the bay, and telling stories of a baseball field where they used to play. Of graves of the islands’ founders now submerged underwater -- lost at sea.

The judges were Mark Murrmann of Mother Jones magazine, Matt Black of Magnum Photos, and myself (Melissa Lyttle, founder of APAD and a freelance photographer based in Florida). 

As one of the judges said about the winning proposal: The photos are awesome and it’s one of the better projects I’ve seen that tries to show the real, if subtle, effects of rising sea levels. It’s not easy, but Greg’s done it.

Another judge applauded Greg’s commitment to making a powerful story that on its surface doesn’t sound visual, into an incredibly compelling narrative rich through the depth and diversity of its images.

So a huge Congratulations to Greg Kahn! And if you’d like to continue to follow Greg’s work, please check him out on Twitter, Instagram and the Grain Images tumblr.

I’d also like to take a moment to honor the other finalists, who were recognized by the judges (comments included) for the depth of their vision and commitment to covering issues in their own backyards:

Adam Patterson - on a loyalist enclave of ex-paramilitaries in Northern Ireland

Great photos of a local story that’s actually fairly complex, told succinctly. I like the inclusion of the historical images to help give it context.

Alyssa Schukar - on a community outside of Chicago being lost as a refinery expands

There were a number of stories submitted that looked a particular neighborhood in a city. This one stands out for the extra layer the story has, of living in the shadow of the BP refinery. The photos do a great job of giving a sense of the neighborhood, the people that live there, as well as what the issue is.

Cesar Rodriguez - on the impact of harvesting tobacco in Mexico on people’s health and traditions

Gorgeous black & white photos showing/telling a horrific story. Well done and worthy of a grant because this is one of those projects that’s an important story to tell but will be really hard to get placed.

Daniella Zalcman - on an Eco Village in England

A self-sustaining community of squatters known as the Diggers, fighting eviction in the wake of new luxury apartments is an on-going story that Daniella has scratched the surface of and already made some beautiful storytelling pictures and captured intimate moments of. Time and movement are all that’s needed here.

Nick Oza - on expanding his immigration coverage to a recent surge of unaccompanied minors in Phoenix

This is a really excellent piece on immigration/border issues. My only knock against this work is that it all feels very familiar simply because it’s a story that has been covered a lot, for a number of years. But this is a very well-done, multi-layered look at the border and it’s not a story that’s going away. It’s obvious Nick has put a lot of time and effort into this.

Oscar Castillo - on prisons and violence in Venezuela

Great photos. Great access.  Really excellently done, but a project on violence in Central America while powerful, has to shed a light on something new, a new aspect, a new angle.

Sumon Yusuf - on river erosion in Bangladesh

UPDATE: THE GRANT APPLICATION PERIOD HAS NOW ENDED. THANK YOU TO THE 161 PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL. THE JUDGES WILL BE GOING THROUGH THEM, AND HOPE TO HAVE A WINNER CHOSEN TO BE ANNOUNCED AT GEEKFEST OAKLAND (tinyurl.com/geekfestoakland). 

-----

Summary:

APhotoADay’s inaugural Backyard Storytelling Grant is a $4,000 grant awarded to a visual storyteller to aid in a project within 350 miles (or roughly one tank of gas) of the journalist’s home.

Our goal is to reward and encourage finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, while also focusing on community. Often time the best stories - the ones that resonate most - are the ones that hit closest to home.

A hand-picked panel of judges from APhotoADay and speakers from GeekFest Oakland 2015 will review the applications and award prizes. On top of that, APhotoADay will help find the completed project a home with at least one prominent industry photo blogs. Yes, think the NYT Lens Blogs and TIME Lightboxes of the world.

Application Process:

In a statement not to exceed 500 words, please describe the project you’re interested in completing. Also include research you’ve made and the ways in which the grant will directly help you achieve your goals. In a bio not to exceed 250 words, please tell us about yourself. Keep it real. Be yourself.

If you haven’t started the project already, but you have a great idea that you need help starting and funding, that’s cool. Please describe how you would approach it, while illustrating some tangible research you’ve done and contacts you've made.

In a selection of up to 20 pictures (or a 5 minute sample reel if you’re doing a video project), please show us work that highlights your abilities as they relate to the type of work you’ll be doing.

Photographers and visual journalists from any country may apply for this grant.

Proposals for projects that have already received grants or awards of more than $5,000 in the previous calendar year are not eligible. The grant is awarded to an individual photographer; project proposals that involve multiple content producers will not be accepted.

To submit your project (here’s your checklist):

Please place up to 20 sequenced images (2000 px on the longest side x 72 DPI) in a folder titled with your first and last name. For those working on a video project, please include a 5-minute (or less) video that pertains to the story and/or is representative of the work you’re looking to do.

In that folder, also include a text document with your statement/proposal. 

Include a second text document with YOUR contact info, including:

• name

• mailing address

• phone number

• email address

• social media handles * and also, three references that can vouch for you as a photographer and a human being. we need their names and a way to contact them.

And lastly, include a third text document with your 250 word bio. Again, keep it real. Be yourself. This isn’t a resume as it is a bio.

DO NOT INDIVIDUAL FILES. SEND ONE .ZIP FILE.

One entry per person.

The deadline for submissions is midnight (PST) on Monday, Aug. 31, 2015. 

The announcement of the winner(s) will be made during GeekFest Oakland (Sept 11-13, 2015).

What makes the APhotoADay listserv unique is community.

Since 2001, I’ve watched people grow up on there. Find their voice. Come into their own. Some have grown from young college photographers into some of the industry's brightest stars. Having that support system is powerful, especially for people at small newspapers where leadership and guidance are in short supply. We are each other's sounding boards, editors, mentors and friends.

APAD is an instant photo family. Now it's growing into something more.

Every year, APAD organizes an annual workshop lovingly called GeekFest, where we uphold the organization's collaborative "we're all in this together" philosophy. We bring in speakers and encourage them to participate in the weekend's activities. It’s an awesome sight to scan the shuffleboard court in St. Petersburg, during a night of fun, and see National Geographic photographer Sam Abell and Pulitzer-winner Damon Winter playing a game with a college kid named Mitchell Franz and Chad Pilster, a photographer at a small paper. Talking like old friends. Getting to know each other without the pretense of a job title.

And every year, we have held a print auction to benefit different causes.

After more than a decade of supporting photographers as best we knew how, APAD has become a 501(c)(3), allowing us to give back in a bigger way. All of the money from this year’s print auction will go directly to grants for working photographers, enabling them to tell visual stories that would otherwise go untold. It's just one more way to continue our mission of supporting the photo community.

This year's auction will be held online through Paddle 8 and includes photographs contributed by Ed Kashi, Vince Musi, Melissa Farlow, Randy Olson, Damon Winter, Todd Heisler, Ami Vitale and many, many other accomplished photographers. The auction will begin on September 2, 2014 and will end on September 16.

For anyone interested in attending this year's GeekFest, which is taking place in Philadelphia from Sept 12-14, 2014, more information can be found here or on our Facebook page.

Seriously... Have you seen this rockstar line up?! GeekFest Philly is shaping up to be a stellar year full of inspiration, fun and as always some photo love.

For those looking for the official GeekFest stuff... Here's the flyer and the schedule. Hope to see you there.

GeekFest is a 3-day celebration featuring inspiring photographers and visual journalists. And this year, it's taking place in PHILLY -- Sept. 12-14, 2014. Temple University is generously hosting our Saturday and Sunday presentations. You want rockstars? We got rockstars. April Saul, Ed Kashi, Kainaz Amaria, Vince Musi, Sara Lewkowicz, Holly Andres, J. Kyle Keener and David Maialetti. As if that's not enough, we'll have more baller speakers and fun announcements coming soon. Cost for this amazing weekend is just $100 in advance or $125 at the door. That's payable by going to www.aphotoaday.org/support.html and clicking on the DONATE button at the bottom.  The *OFFICIAL* GeekFest Hotel is The Windsor Suites in downtown Philly. We have blocked 15 rooms at a special rate ($139/night + tax for a double). After those 15 are taken, rooms will be booked at their regular rate, so act soon (the discounted rate ends Tuesday, Aug. 12). To make your reservation, call (877) 784-8379 and mention "GeekFest" to get our discounted group rate.

This was on the APAD blog years ago, but since that post no longer exists, it bears repeating, since it's an FAQ:

I get asked all the time... What's a GeekFest?! Well, it's an excuse to hang out with old friends and make new. And a chance to be inspired by bringing in some of the best speakers and most incredible photographers I can find. In short, it is the best little photo conference with the worst, geekiest name out there. Every year, it’s suggested that we need to do something about the name, but in the end, it kind of fits. The name actually started as a joke, in reference to a group of geeks who’s all come together to geek out about photography. 

The first one was in DC with about 10 of us crammed into David Holloway’s basement. APAD was in its infancy and we all just wanted to put faces with names, so we devised a plan to get together for a meetup. We did a shootout on the Mall for the Fourth of July festivities, and talked phototalk all weekend. It was awesome and intimate and invigorating to know that there were some like minds out there.

From there it went to Fort Lauderdale, where we got about a dozen people, sleeping head to toe in every room of my small studio apartment, including two in the kitchen and one in the bathtub. I worked at the Sun-Sentinel then, and decided it’d be awesome to have some of my amazingly inspiring coworkers, like Angel Valentin and Mike Stocker speak to our small group. It also allowed me to approach Lisa Krantz, who I didn’t know at the time outside of her badass work at the Naples Daily News (about 2 hours from me, right across Alligator Alley). I emailed her, explained my mad photo crush, and asked her if she’d come share her work with us and hang out for the weekend. She’s been one of my best friends and still one of my biggest sources of inspiration since.

Then we went to Austin, Chicago, Portland, to make it easier and more convenient for people to attend, and also to attract a new crop of talented local photographers and regional speakers in each new city. Then GeekFEst found a home base for three years in St. Petersburg, Fla. (where APAD founder Melissa Lyttle works now, and where we have an awesome photo community and a great accommodating town).  Until, the demand was so great to take it back on the road, so we added Denver and Minneapolis to our awesome city lineup.

Looking back on the speakers over the years amazes me. We’ve been lucky enough to have such talented presenters such as Ben Lowy, Penny De Los Santos, David Holloway, Khampha Bouaphanh, Carlos Javier Ortiz, Jon Lowenstein, Scott Strazzante, Wes Pope, Jamie Francis, Beth Nakamura, Karen Ducey, Alan Berner, James Rexroad, Bruce Ely, Robbie McClaran, Laura Lo Forti, Susana Raab, Lane Degregory, Preston Gannaway, Ross Taylor, Boyzell Hosey, Bob Croslin, Michael Williamson, Ted Jackson, Allison V. Smith, Damon Winter, Pat Farrell, Sam Abell, Bryan Moss, Dai Sugano, Alexis Lambert, David Hanschuh, Nicole Frugé, Lisa Krantz (2x speaker!), Greg Kahn, Liz O. Baylen, Zack Arias, Ben Rusnak, Todd Heisler, Deb Pang Davis, Mike Davis, Melissa Farlow, Randy Olson, Tim Rasmussen, Craig Walker, Sol Neelman, Rob Haggart, Sonya Hebert, Benjamin Rasmussen, Matt Slaby, John Keatley, Jasmine Defoore, Danny Wilcox Frazier, Brian Peterson, Ariana Lindquist, Jim Gehrz, Jenn Ackerman & Tim Gruber (should I go on... Am I missing anyone???) share their work, their stories and their wisdom with us.

Peter van Agtmael was born in Washington DC. He studied history at Yale, graduating with honors in 2003. Since 2006 he has primarily covered the 9/11 Wars and their consequences, working extensively in Iraq, Afghanistan and the USA.   He has won the W. Eugene Smith Grant, the ICP Infinity Award for Young Photographer, the Lumix Freelens Award, as well as awards from World Press Photo, American Photography Annual, The Pulitzer Center, The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and Photo District News. In 2008 he helped organize the book and exhibition Battlespace, a retrospective of largely unseen work of 22 photographers covering Iraq and Afghanistan. Peter joined Magnum in 2008 and became a full member in 2013.

He can be found: on the WEB | on Tumblr | on Twitter | on Instagram

1. How does one go from a Yale History major to a Magnum photographer? I see the connection to the subject matter you're drawn to and your studies, but where did the photography skills and interest in it come from (self taught?)?

I don't know if there's a clear connection there. When I found photography I felt it in my blood and bones and Yale and Magnum were peripheral. If there's any connection it's that Yale made me set high expectations for myself and Magnum helped provide a path to aspire towards.Ultimately I was drawn to Magnum through my interest in a community and my interest in History, both of which Magnum embodied for me. Of course pursuing Magnum also satisfied certain parts of my ego and ambition.

2. I'm a big fan of your work because it's subtle, yet complex. I'd love for you to talk about your process and approach because I get the feeling it's a lot more cerebral than emotional

Emotion is the starting point but emotion can be cloudy and two dimensional on its own. I've tried to first let myself feel, then try to interpret what I've been feeling, then root it in the history of the medium and of human experience, which of course are two things that are cyclical but nonetheless leave plenty of room for freedom. They also help balance each other out. Sometimes the mind is terrifying and sometimes the heart is.

3. What's interesting is looking through your bodies of work, I actually find the America stuff to be bleak and depressing (much more so than the Afghanistan and Iraq stuff, which I strangely find witty and hopeful). Is it the edit? Your particular outlook on the state of the union? Or something much deeper, darker and harder to get the pulse of inside of you that comes out in those pix? I guess what I'm most curious about is it something internal or external that you're reacting to when you work?

The America stuff you've seen is the opening stages of that work. I've been working for five years on it but much of it isn't online. The early phases were born out of a deep unease at the ability of our society to be so self-righteous, ignorant and violent without much in the way of self-reflection.  That made me angry as hell. The early work was a manifestation of those feelings.  Over time that has been fleshed out to a somewhat quieter and more nuanced anger tempered with a lot of love and appreciation.

4. What do you hope your work, specifically the new book "Disco Night Sept. 11," does or says about you? And about war?

DN911 says something about me and these wars at a certain place and time.  I have no idea what it will mean down the road.  The hope is that the meaning isn't easily identifiable...like war... like all of our lives... I'd rather not make anything that can be easily summed up.

5. What's the next chapter?

I'm still working slowly around these wars and will be for the foreseeable future.  More immediately, the America work is starting to gel into a book and I'm getting pretty deep into the Israel-Palestine conflict, which I expect to work on for the coming years.   I loosely have my next ten years or so planned out, I'm just hoping the market doesn't implode in the meantime so I can keep up the pace...  A part of me also thinks that the work of photographers and journalists is like the band playing while the Titanic sinks.  Humanity sure seems to be ruining this glorious orb hurtling through the solar system. I guess that's just how it goes.

Support good photography about important things and buy Peter van Agtmael's latest book "Disco Night Sept. 11." You can get a signed copy at http://www.magnumphotos.com/Store/Product/Disco-Night-Sept.-11-2K1HRG5YVNLJ.html and an unsigned copy at www.redhookeditions.com.

Ross Mantle lives and works between Brooklyn, NY and his native Pittsburgh, Pa. His work often focuses on the relationships between person and place. He regularly photographs throughout the Northeast and the Rust Belt, looking at the complexities and beauty of the industrial, rural and suburban landscapes that comprise the region. Ross was selected for Young Guns X by the Art Directors Club in New York City. In addition to his personal practice and commissioned work, Ross co-produces the ADP Workshop, an organization that fosters critical dialogues between a network of photographers.

He can be found: on the WEB | on Tumblr | on Twitter | on Instagram

1. You're originally from Pittsburgh, you've photographed a lot of the Rust Belt and even when you're not shooting there your work often looks and feels like it still might have been made in Pittsburgh. You've made no secret of how the concept of place has a large role in your work. But you live in Brooklyn and have for a few years now. Can you talk a little bit about why you decided to be there and how it has affected your work?

I ended up in New York four years ago because an opportunity came up that enabled me to make the move and I ended up sticking around. The actual decision to remain in Brooklyn wasn't too complicated — it was one part personal and one part professional. I love what New York City offers and the community of people that are here and easily accessible, but I've also never fully rooted myself here creatively or personally. I've maintained all my ties to Pittsburgh, which has been easy enough to do in part because I still have a lot of close friends and my family there. I do a lot of personal work in the area, take a lot of commissions out of the region and I try to stay involved and contribute to the community there as much as I can from Brooklyn. It's been a challenge both mentally and logistically but it's worked out for the best. 

My work and view points are rooted largely in a different region from where I've spent much of my time in recent years. What you pointed out is something I noticed a while ago in my work — that no matter where I made the image it always had hints of Western Pennsylvania. Instead of fighting it any longer, I embraced it and realized that it's not something that I can get away from. I've worked with the idea consciously in some projects — the idea is pretty evident throughout California, Pennsylvania. I've worked on a couple projects in New York that I should have together and out in the world later this year. Even these reference NYC very minimally and I feel like they are rooted in my comfort with the Rust Belt as much as the work might reference a distance I feel living in New York. 

In the past I fought a lot with where I was from. I had wanted to leave Pennsylvania because I was convinced I would have more opportunities to learn about life elsewhere. I thought that if I could separate myself from it physically then I could split from it as well. I learned pretty early though that it's not possible for me to do that. I think most people can say this about where they're from — I have a love/hate relationship with Pittsburgh. I hope that never goes away though, because I think it's creatively healthy to maintain that balance. It's kept me engaged and conscious of the complexities in the place that I'm from. I'm curious about other places and love exploring new cities, but I do not feel the need to see the world in order to understand more about life. I think that can be done on whatever scale you open yourself up to. Maybe it's a continent that you need or just a block will suffice. I feel that my work is strongest when I'm working from a place of familiarity. Even when I work in new environments, the images are strongest when I remain conscious of what I bring to that space from where I've been and the places I know best. 

2. You've grown your editorial business over the years with really great shoots for Monocle, Bloomberg Businessweek, covers for The Fader and a list of other magazines, but you're a pretty young dude. Where are you trying to take your work from a business perspective these days and why?

I've never been all that great business wise and I'm especially bad with promoting my work. I ultimately want to make work and take on projects that I'm proud of and find some benefit in working on. That decision may be due to the creative freedom that a project allows me, the intellectual challenge it brings on or simply out of personal interest in the subject matter. As long as I'm comfortable putting my name on the work, then I'm not so concerned with who commissions it or where it's going to be shown. It's more important to me and the direction that I'd like to see my career move, to take on work that pushes me in some new way and allows for an opportunity to make images that I'm proud of. 

I want to build a body of work that I'm excited to attach my name to and I'm hoping that continuing to do that in small ways over a number of years will turn into something more sustainable. I'm pretty awful at self-promotion, and am generally a pretty quiet person, but I've found it's easier to talk about work and projects that I'm involved with if I honestly believe in its quality and substance. 

3. One thing that I've really appreciated from following your work over the years is to see that you're proactive about collaboration in the photo community. Being a photographer can be a lonely thing and that can make it hard to push your work as well, but you've really exemplified collaboration especially with the ADP Workshop, which has grown and morphed over the years. Can you briefly explain the premise behind ADP and then talk about why you take on the work of setting it up and what you get out of it?

ADP is a great excuse to get a group of talented and intelligent photographers together in a room for a few days to share work and talk. It's a pretty simple format, but the community and energy that emerges from it is something that I think is pretty unique. 

Carla and Jim Winn started it as an active documentary project. They passed it on after a few years and allowed me to take over and reformat it in 2010.  Instead of creating new work at each workshop, we foster a conversation and community around on-going projects that photographers bring to discuss or get feedback on. The conversations that emerge are all over the place, most conversations steer away from photography pretty quickly. 

The one thing that we've kept consistent throughout is the atmosphere and community. I think it's benefitted us to not have much of a budget thus far. It's forced us to be smart about our resources and pushes everyone to contribute what they can. The openness and communal nature of it is what really drew me in when I went to the Mississippi Delta ADP that the Winns organized. That experience had a big impact and I've hear similar sentiments from other participants. They created a really great environment and I didn't want to see that go away. The format has changed, but the energy that made it so special is still there and that's what we focus on maintaining as the project grows.

There are some other people involved with the production now and our network is growing with each incarnation. The whole project is collaborative. We can put as much effort and planning into as we want, but it doesn't work without committed participants. We try to stress this to the people we invite, that it only comes together when they commit themselves. We've even tried to work this idea into the planning — in choosing our locations and structuring the format. It's a lot work on the part of the participants to be involved. We're eternally grateful to anyone who has made that effort and put their confidence in us to create a space that could help them grow.

We try to keep the format fluid — it is little different each time and our plans for future projects are pretty open at the moment. It's not perfectly definable and I hope that it can stay like that.

4. In the spirit of collaboration I also think it's safe to say that your work has evolved noticeably due to your long relationship with the talented designer Elana Schlenker. How has her outlook on design, collaboration and photography affected yours? Do you feel like working so closely with a designer has affected your work in any formal ways? Has it changed how you think about color, composition, presentation or sequencing of your work? Has it affected what you're interested in photographing? 

Elana and I are always discussing our work and running ideas by one another — she's my best editor and my most trusted collaborator. The deep level of understanding that we have with one another's work, goals and outlook allows us to be very open and honest in critiquing each other's projects and ideas. She's much kinder than I am, but never hesitates to tell me when something isn't working. Even if I disagree with her perspective, just knowing what she thinks forces me to consider why I'm not in agreement. Often enough, those discussions yield more impactful changes in a project than when we agree on the direction. 

I think that her influence has allowed me to push my work in directions it was leaning but I wasn't clear of how to reach or completely comfortable exploring with her guidance. We work well together because our work and tastes compliment one another. I'm not sure that I can pin-point specific trends in my work that can be directly attributed to her, or any other influence for that matter — everything builds, blends together and eventually has an impact down the line.

More than any specific aesthetic influence, Elana's constant analysis, work ethic and attention to detail has had a huge impact. I think about my work differently now, with a lot more consideration for every step of the process — from the time I begin researching a project to the typeface that is used for the title. I'd like to think I've become better about considering the entirety of a project and have gained a better understanding of how multiple languages need to work together to produce a complete work.

5. I know you've got some cool things coming up this year - do you have any plans we should know about? Are we ever going to be able to buy a book of California, Pennsylvania - for instance?

There are a few projects, both personal and commissioned, that I'm hoping to wrap up in the coming months. I'm finishing and editing a series that I've been working on titled Moultrie and Lesser Known Streets. There are a couple projects stemming from that series that I'm excited about too. There's a good chance that California, Pennsylvania will be printed in some form later this year, but I have no definitive plans or timeframe right now. There's a few projects that I'm in the middle of working on or planning to get started soon, but nothing is so far along that I have much to talk about at the moment.

John Francis Peters is a Los Angeles based photographer specializing in documentary, portrait, travel and lifestyle projects. John’s diverse body of work ranges from the portraiture of influential personalities to essays on emerging culture and environments in transition. His personal and assigned projects focus on both domestic and international subjects. John was selected as one of Photo District News 30 emerging photographers to watch in 2013.

He can be found: on the WEB | on Tumblr | on Twitter | on Instagram

1. As long as I've known of your work I've thought of you as a photographer a first, but you've done different kinds of work and have a background in design right? Can you tell us a little bit about how you arrived at the place you're at right now?

It’s been a winding path but always with a focus on photography. Photography caught my attention during my first semester at SVA and from that point of engagement, every class I took or job I had somehow had to add or relate to the study and practice of the medium.  I graduated SVA with a degree in design and then briefly went into the art department at Def Jam Records. It was a wild place to work during that time and while I was there I found my way into an assisting position for music photographer Jonathan Mannion.

Jon was amazing and taught me many technicalities of the medium that I had missed out on. I think the most important aspect of that position was taking on the responsibility of archiving his entire library. I was able to look through thousands of negatives and really begin to see the subtleties of how color, light, film and moments collaborate to make great images. What also made this position extraordinary was that Jon’s archive covers a vast history of hip-hop music and before he became a full time photographer he had assisted Richard Avedon. I felt I was soaking up some great experience during that time.

After I left Jon’s studio I worked on a few of odd jobs in upstate New York where I’m from. I kept practicing photography by wandering the Hudson Valley towns I had grown up in and shooting peoples portraits. I also picked up a few small gigs around that time most notably my first assignment being for the FADER Magazine. That was when Phil Bicker had taken over the creative director position at The FADER and freelancing for him ultimately led me to a staff position at the magazine where I spent the four and a half years.

2. It seems like you really started to hit a stride once you left your job photo editing for the Fader and decided to focus on freelance and on personal work. Do you feel like being an editor made you a better photographer at all, or a different photographer? Is there anything you miss about being an editor?

I would say my experience working at The FADER, specifically while Phil was there, was pivotal in my development as a photographer. During the first two and a half years on staff I worked under Phil’s direction. His vision, which really shaped FADER into a serious photo based magazine, was something I believed in and was fully dedicated to. I look back at that time as my graduate school in photography.

Working for Phil was challenging on many fronts one of those being to find new photographers all over the globe. I spent months searching through portfolios and I began to see how very subtle nuances in focus, form, editing and subject matter set one photographer apart from the others.  While editing stories with Phil I began learning how to feel images as opposed to just looking at them. I also made great friends with some of the photographers I met during that process and began to network into the photo community at large.

When Phil left Fader I too was going to leave but after consulting some of my closer colleagues I decided to stay on as photo editor for a few more years. I was lucky then to work with the new creative director Justin Thomas Kay who became a great friend and collaborator. We worked closely together to continue evolving the magazine while maintaining a dedication to highlighting great photography from around the world.

I wouldn’t say I miss being a full time editor because I’m a shooter first. I hold my experience in full at The FADER, good and bad, close to my heart and would say it was essential in making me the photographer I am today.

3. A lot of times when photographers strike out on their own you start to see them make less photography than, say, if they had a job as a photographer for a publication. They're suddenly a one man business, blogging machine, etc. But you seem to always be making new pictures, and a lot of it is in fact personal work. Can you talk a little bit about what drives that?

I think when we first start making photos, we see life and then we see how it looks in images which in turn feeds the desire to see more of life. As we begin to study and practice photography further, we go through the whole process of mimicking others work, aesthetically and such, which is important in the learning process. I do feel however it is essential to continue seeing life first or we end up seeing images first and getting stuck in formulas which are not our own. 

For myself, the best way I find to evolve my craft is by actually practicing it on the purest level, in personal work.  I need to push myself every day to see life first so I can collaborate with it and allow that process to guide me beyond what I already know. I never want to find comfort in process, that’s like giving up, succumbing to gimmick, which doesn’t add to anything.  So what I hold on to is that initial connection I had with photography, in experiencing and collaborating with the world. That’s what will always drive my to make new work. 

4. I recently came upon your dad's wonderful paintings online. My dad was a painter too (but largely gave it up before I was born), and I know that as a kid, seeing his work was some of the first visual inspiration I ever had. How do you think your dad's work as an artist has rubbed off on you?

Well my fathers paintings; his life path and the moments we have shared together, definitely set for me a solid foundation in the arts. He exposed me to great art from a very early age not only in his own work but via a wide spectrum of sensibilities. We spent many years together in upstate New York communities like Woodstock, which were in those days largely comprised of artisans. I literally lived the artist life as a child so growing into it as an adult has not been so foreign though no less challenging.

Growing up surrounded by visual and musical artists was so rewarding, something I definitely took for granted but now embrace as an essential part of my art. If I boiled down my fathers influence to a few keys aspects, the most apparent would be his dedication to nature. Focusing on nature is what has driven him all of these years to pursue his work amongst the confusion that life brings. I’ve been close to that level of spiritual dedication and I too look toward nature as a source of inspiration, focus and peace.

5. In the past few years you've been all over the world making pictures. China, Pakistan, Haiti, Morocco, Egypt, I don't even know where else. What are you working on now?

I have been very lucky and proactive at pursuing international commissions and personal projects. Working internationally and experiencing culture in all its forms is essential to my work and the direction I want to go. I plan to continue my work in Western China and hopefully Pakistan, which is a place I’m greatly inspired by.