#photographerinterviews

Anne Skoogfors Floral Intimations

In her artmaking, Anne Skoogfors draws on the complex yet familiar attributes of flowers that are shared by many cultures. Her distinctive mode of creation lends each floral arrangement qualities that are both graphic and elusive. Untethered from the earth, they float in a netherworld of deepest black, their vibrant colours dissolving into shadow as if they are already in the process of quietly departing – the intimacy of non-becoming forever stilled by a sweep of light.

Anne Skoogfors discusses her unconventional approach to image making at Talking Pictures.

Diana Nicholette Jeon American Grotesque

The mix-media images of the Hawai‘i-based artist Diana Nicholette Jeon push back hard against the ideological and commercial misrepresentation of women. The counterfeit notions of ideal womanhood touted by media and advertising to create aspirations and anxieties that drive rampant consumerism and seek to justify the external control of female behaviours and bodies. Her collage process is complex and multilayered and, while these images speak to the wider state of society, they find their genesis in the personal.

It takes courage to draw so openly on one’s personal life in order to speak to the tropes of societal injustice – and to do so by turning one’s own image into the allegorical grotesques she employs to personify those tropes. But then Diana Nicholette Jeon’s creative practice is as feisty as it is experimental.

Diana Nicholette Jeon discussed the impetus and technical experimentation behind her distinctive imagery ay Talking Pictures.

Vic Bakin Past Imperfect, Present Tense

Much of the work of the Ukrainian photographer Vic Bakin explores the nature of fading and of becoming. In his early work he captured that brief period when an adolescent male reaches maturity – images that suggest the crosscurrents of newfound physicality and the undertow of uncertainty, of vulnerability.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion plunged Ukraine into outright war, he began a body of work that was to become ‘Epitome’. Recently published in book form, this award-winning series is an evocation of fading memories haunted by present realities. An elegy on a coming of age overwhelmed by the coming of war, of the landscapes of youth laid waste.

Vic Bakin discusses his expressively layered images at Talking Pictures.

Dulce Pinzón Practical Magic

Named one of the fifty most creative Mexicans in the world by Forbes Magazine, Dulce Pinzón’s photographs hover in the liminal space between reality and fantasy. The concerns addressed in each image are very real – racial prejudice, low-paid workers, environmental damage – but they are presented as latter-day fables that entice the eye with a view to capturing the imagination and so engaging the mind.

Dulce Pinzón reveals the stories behind her magical imagery at Talking Pictures.

Jeremy Jackson is a light painting ‘fanatic’ who lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Jeremy started waving lights in front of his camera in 2008 and has since developed vivid, creative and stunning pieces of art.

Light painting is an emerging trend in photography, in which the camera is exposed to a hand held light and produces a coloured pattern of where the light had been waved within the frame of the camera. (Requiring a long shutter speed)

Jeremy uses this technique along with other lighting methods to create beautifully illuminated photographs.

Check out more of his work in the links below:

Website: http://www.tackyshack.net 

               http://www.interactivelp.com

Flickr:     www.flickr.com/photos/tackyshack/

Interview:

 1.    What interests you most about working in Photography? Why do you take photos?

 I wasn't truly interested in photography until I discovered long exposure light painting.  The creative capabilities that a light painting artist has working within a frame for extended periods of time is way more fascinating than your typical fraction of a second snap shot.  Time and space take on new meaning.  You have control over so many variables that the possibilities are endless.

I take photos to escape reality and paint my imagination onto a scene with lights.  

 2.    How did you get involved with the type of photography you are doing now?

 I stumbled onto the scene in 2008 after playing with glow sticks in front of my point and shoot camera.  I figured out how to set it to 15 second exposures and began testing different movements and ideas.  After searching online I found other artists that were pushing their imagination into planned compositions of light.  I acquired a DSLR shortly thereafter and became immersed in the scene and obsessed with taking the art to new levels.

 3.    In regards to equipment; what do type of gear do you find fits best with your work?

There are 4 crucial tools that any light painting artist must have to properly explore the art form. A DSLR camera, a tripod, a shutter release and a flashlight.  The rest is trial and error and imagination.  The shutter release is crucial if you want to be able to create a composition for longer than 30 seconds.  My longest exposure to date was 27 minutes and there were countless steps involved.  

I use a Canon t1i which is dated and low end in comparison to what's out there now but it works great and is more than adequate for light painting.  I have a couple of Manfrotto tripods and a Nikon N65 film camera to capture light paintings on 35mm film. 

I also have many different manual lenses.  I stopped using auto lenses for light painting a long time ago after discovering that the aperture could be changed during a single exposure with a manual lens.  This is a great capability that I appreciate given some lights are brighter than others just as some environments have more ambient light to deal with.  I could not have created many of my photos without the ability to adjust aperture.  For example, an LED strip is BRIGHT!  I have to shoot it at f/11 - f/16 in order to avoid washing out the colors and lines.  On the other hand, the gelled lighting of trees and other objects in the frame generally require f/4 - f/8 as they are not as bright. Shooting the two effects in separate frames and stacking them in post is a potential solution but if I'm using post production, then I'm not remaining true to the process.

 4.    Do you find there is any limitation with using the type of gear you described above?

Gear can always be tweaked to follow your will.  The only limitation I have found doesn't involve the gear but the weather.  All outdoor photographers rely on the weather to cooperate while shooting.

 5.    What inspires you to capture light painting images?

The journey into the unknown.  I never know what photo will pop up on my display after closing the shutter.  I always have a vision in mind but very rarely does it come out like I anticipate and the surprise is what keeps me coming back for more.

 6.    Do you find a lot of mishaps happen to your gear, when working (especially in the dark)?

Oh yeah!  You trip over light tools, struggle to find switches, stumble over unseen objects, fumble around looking for flashlights or the perfect spot to wave a particular light.  While setting up a composition you can have your headlamp on and feel out the space but once the lights go out and the shutter is open, it's a real challenge to feel comfortable with your surroundings.

 7.    What does your post process workflow look like?

It is imperative for me to have little to no post production.  I shoot in RAW to avoid getting hot pixels in my long exposures.  JPEGs always end up noisy.  I convert the RAW files to Jpegs for uploading and on occasion I may have a small crop or bump in contrast/saturation but otherwise my photos remain "straight out of the camera" (SOOC)

 8.    What elements of the work bring you the most stress? and perhaps what encourages you?

The most stressful are commercial endeavors.  I usually have set criteria for these shoots and having any limitations on what I am able to do creates dilemmas in my work flow.  Otherwise, I light paint to relieve stress. 

 9.    When you go out for a shoot do you bring along a team to help assist you?

The best aspect of light painting is collaboration.  I have on many occasions had friends or fellow light painters join me in the planning and execution of a light painting photo.  It's always a lot of fun and having someone with you while exploring around at night gives a certain level of comfort undoubtedly.  Most times I shoot solo around my property in the country but I am always keen to join forces with others to share a collaborative vision.

My dear friend of many years, Aaron Bauer and I have started a business endeavor called "Interactive Light Painting".  Our mission is to educate the public about light painting by having them participate in the creation of collaborative photos during workshops.  It was well received by all ages and we are always looking to share it with more people.  http://www.interactivelp.com 

  10. Do you have a dream assignment?

I have often thought that a team of artists creating complex photos quickly on a stage for an audience would be the ultimate form of light painting.  While this may not become a reality in my lifetime, I hope more than anything that I get the opportunity to meet and create light paintings with some of the awesome artists I have gotten to know around the world.  An international LP meet up would make this a reality and I do believe that this will happen in my lifetime. 

11. If I ask you to give me some advice, what would it be?

Mark Rogers is an Australian photographer with over ten years of broad experience in the photography industry. He works alongside the company Magnum Photography and produces an exquisite collection of inspiring photographs.

Mark has specialized in the following: - Action Sports Photography - Wedding Photography - Corporate & Industrial Photography - Real Estate & Architectural Photography - Portrait Photography - Glamour and Model Folios

Mark is a fully Accredited AIPP Professional Photographer. He is located in Port Melbourne, with a studio in South Melbourne, just a few minutes outside the CBD.

Check our Mark’s website: www.magnumphotography.com.au

Magnum Photography's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Magnum-Photography-Melbourne/122264154475092

 How did you get started? What was your first job?

I started out as more of an amateur photographer, my dad was an accomplished photographer/painter and I met up with a friend of many years who was also interested in working as a photographer. My first job was at a baby christening followed by a wedding. This one family became a client and I have since done a number of various assignments for them.

  2 .  What elements of the work bring you the most stress?

Time restrictions bring the most stress or working with a subject that can be difficult. Add to that poor weather, equipment malfunctions, that’s about it really. If you’re confident in your ability, you can pull off most assignments. I tend to be a perfectionist in some ways. Some jobs, everything falls into place, others you need to really work hard to achieve the results.

  3.      What does a typical workday look like for you?

Every work day is different. Like any job, much of my work is mundane, everyday commercial work which I would rarely publish on FB or my websites. The really interesting projects and jobs always make the mundane, bill paying jobs worthwhile.

  4.      How would you describe your Photography?

I don't consider my photography particularly artistic. I really do admire other photographers who come up with fresh & innovative ideas. My style is just as I see it, given my mood at the time and the location.

  5.      What sort of equipment do you like to use?

I use Canon EOS, and Elinchrom studio lighting, including location work.

  6.      How much time do you spend on one project?

Time spent on projects would vary from job to job. I try to shoot a good image from the start to minimize Photoshop/post-editing time. I rarely shoot RAW files as Jpeg is sufficient for most of my work. I tend to spend a fair amount of time with Set/Location set up.

  7.      What is your dream assignment?

Dream assignment would be a model portfolio shoot in a remote location like a salt lake with 50's & 60's style retro theme. Sort of Americana in the 50's is the best way to describe it.

  8.      What advice would you give a photographer starting out?