October 2008

Born 1985, Daytona Beach, Florida, the Brooklyn-based artist and photographer Gerald Edwards III studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and in between working with the collectives Visual Buffet and Team Big Tooth, Edwards has mentored under photographer Gregory Crewdson since 2004. His work deals with the reconstruction and fabrication of histories through composited large-format photographs and sculptural elements. He has exhibited in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

What made you decide to embark on this series, Psych Securities, LLC?
‘These photographs and now subsequently sculptures all started with Underground Military Bunker, Formerly Krystal’s Restaurant, Florida. I saw this completely benign closed down fast food restaurant and it hit me like a brick that this was the total intersection of all of the thoughts about development, economics, and that feeding into the paranoid worlds of security and fear in this country today’.

‘Deciding to unleash the restructuring of the photograph, the manipulation, the compression of space, whatever you would like to call it, seemed to fit right in with the adapted and mis-read histories that each image contains. Being born in the middle of the 1980’s has really helped me to see that my relation to a concrete viewing of a photograph just has not made sense in the age of Atari to X-Box, CGI, Photoshop, and on. When you have the Iranians and AP journalists “enhancing” their photographs in order to show power, or Pfizer selling the dream world of perfect eternal erections, these techniques are worth exploring’.

Is the Oracle International headquarters part of this series?
‘Yes, definitely. This photograph starts to dive into the idea of places, or architectures being charged with certain healing or revelatory energies. Throughout history this is has drawn people to these sites through a fervent religiosity of pilgrimage, but now more and more in my head it seems as though the charged spaces of the post-industrial landscape have a repelling charge to the society that surrounds its boundaries. For instance, this photo is of Oracle’s Headquarters south of San Francisco lies in a corridor formerly deemed the world’s best climate, and now is home to more EPA Superfund sites than anywhere else in the country’.

Where did you find inspiration for this series?
‘Each individual photograph varies in its source, a great deal comes from the fragments of various documents released through the Freedom of Information Act. These often render a story that is open ended and up for mis-interpretation and interpolation which is perfect for enhancing the sensation of conspiracy and the tenuous clarity of history itself. I certainly try to read through a good deal of books like Ghost Wars, The Geography of Nowhere, Torture Taxi, Acid Dreams, Evil Paradises: Dreamworlds of Neoliberalism, and Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror in order to gain a more full picture and be able to imbue the photographs with awareness that will hopefully punch people who see these images. Finally, inspiration will come from seeing things as they are sit on the land, Psy Ops, Electro Magnetic Pulse Test in Marin Valley, CA, came from instantaneously seeing this cluster of isolated homes and feeling the obvious, that if an electro magnetic pulse were to destroy anything, it might this non-place’.

How has working for Gregory Crewdson influenced your work?
‘Certainly I have learned an infinite amount about camera work, and lighting on a cinematic scale, but the more subtle undercurrents of investing a great deal of time working out the machinations of one’s mind has made massive impression upon me. Such as the understanding that even when a photograph is pre-constructed in your mind, and the actualization of that image is not a singular, instantaneous moment, the transitory moments within that larger flow are completely critical, and magical’.

What is the most elaborate shoot you can recall and what did it entail?
‘Well recently I have begun photographing buildings being imploded with multiple large format cameras. Beyond arranging with the demolition companies months in advance, and the police who secure the perimeter of these places developing the shutter release has been very complicated. The trigger device is a text message sent to cell phones that are rigged to the camera’s shutter, and then in sync they expose the image. So far so good’.

Describe your working process when creating/dreaming up a new project.
‘I spend as much time surfing as possible, and I know that in that environment I am definitely most able to clear my brain, and become rhythmic with my own thought processes. So it is usually directly after being in the ocean, and re-engaging with the world, or internet or whoever, that the most radical thoughts will come’.

Lucas Foglia (b. 1983) was raised on a small family farm in Long Island and is currently based in San Francisco. A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Art, Lucas exhibits and publishes his photographs internationally. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Fine Art. His photographs have been published in Aperture Magazine, the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, British Journal of Photography, Contact Sheet, and PDN’s 30. His first book, A Natural Order, will be published by Nazraeli Press in Spring 2012.

Can you tell us what made you decide to embark on the photo project, A Natural Order?

‘I grew up with my extended family on a small farm in the suburbs of New York City. While malls and supermarkets developed around us, we heated our house with wood, farmed and canned our food, and bartered the plants we grew for everything from shoes to dental work. But while my family followed many of the principles of the back-to-the-land movement, by the time I was eighteen we owned three tractors, four cars, and five computers. This mixture of the modern world in our otherwise rustic life made me curious to see what a completely self-sufficient way of living might look like’.

Your photos portray a kind of utopia. Did you find this easily at the communities you visited or is it something you had to look for or recreate?

‘Utopia implies a place in which social, legal, and political justice exist in perfect harmony. While I admire my subjects’ skills and intentions, I do not want to depict a utopia. Instead, this series is about the complexity of people’s relationship to nature and self-sufficiency in one of the few developed countries in which there is still wild land we can return to’.

What made you decide to donate proceeds of your print sales to the subjects in particular photographs?

‘I think of my photographs as collaborations, and as such I want to give back to the people who welcomed me into their homes and communities. I also give the people I photograph a copy of each print’.

What camera are you using for this series?

‘For most of the images I used a Mamiya with a Leaf Aptus75s Digital Back. I also shot with film for part of the project, and used a Mamiya 7’.

Describe your process when taking these photographs.
‘I have a minivan with a bed in the back and storage space for food, clothes and camera gear. I have converters on the cigarette lighters so I can charge my equipment on the road, and with a laptop my van becomes a mobile studio. Between 2006 and 2010 I traveled throughout the southeastern United States befriending, photographing, and interviewing a network of people who left cities and suburbs to live off the grid. I would visit for days or weeks at a time. I helped out whenever I could, and always had my camera ready. While many of my photographs were candid, I often asked my subjects to hold still and worked with them to compose the content of the images’.

Joshua Lutz is an artist living and working in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree from Bard College and his masters from Bard College at the International Center of Photography. Joshua is the recipient of The Tierney Fellowship, Best Editorial awards from Photo District News and Communication Arts and also named one of PDN’s top 30 emerging photographers. His work has been featured in publications ranging from The New Yorker and Harper’s to The New York Times Magazine. He is currently on the Faculty at The International Center of Photography.

What is it about the Meadowlands that made you want to spend 10 years photographing the landscape and inhabitants, and do you think these reasons motivate other artists and writers to explore the area?
‘I honestly couldn’t begin to speculate why other artists and writers are drawn to the area. For me I think that I spent so long in the Meadowlands because I had such a hard time trying to resolve my relationship to this place. I first discovered it the same way most people do, driving through on my way to the airport. I think for most people the Meadowlands is just that, a place you pass through on the way to someplace else. For me it started simply from being completely blown away by the landscape. I was fascinated by the wetlands and how all of these amazing structures could exist so close to where I lived in Manhattan. It started out a fairly strict documentary project that adhered to my ideas as to what a document is. The more time I spent in the Meadowlands the more overwhelmed I became with ideas of representation of documentation. About half way through the project I stated to think about how I could move away from the specifics of the document and more towards thinking about how the Meadowlands could serve for a metaphor for other issues that I was struggling with’.

What was your process when working on this project? Were you more likely to go out to the Meadowlands and wander around until something caught your eye or did you have specific places and ideas in mind that you wanted to capture?
‘As you can imagine as I moved away from the document the process changed quite a bit. When I first started I would drive around until I found something that interested me. As I started to get to know the space a bit more I would scout out different places and take notes as to when I wanted to photograph it. I would have all these lists of places to shoot in overcast, places to shoot when the sun was setting or rising and so on. Towards the end of the 10 years my process became more akin to that as a writer where I would be at home thinking about different ideas and sketching out pictures with a pen and paper. I would then try and make create or stage photographs from these different sketches’.

Can you tell us a little about the editing process for the book?
‘The initial edit was pretty easy. You would think that after 10 years and only 50 images in a book it would be this arduous task. There were not thousands of good pictures to choose from. Over the years I was always editing, meaning after the first few years I only had a handful of images I was happy with. With each year a few more got added to the pile of winners. In many ways I knew the book was finished when I had enough work that I was happy with to fill out the story. The real difficulty for me was the order and flow of the book. I wanted it to feel like a photography book not a book of photographs’.

Did you ever spend a week or more in the Meadowlands or did you venture there more as a day trip?
‘I never spent a week in the Meadowlands. With no traffic I live about 10 minutes away so it was hard to justify not sleeping in my own bed’.

Are you working on any other project now that you can talk about?
‘I have been working on a bunch of long-term projects. I am not sure at this point which one will rise to the top to have a more resolved ending’.

Dave Jordano was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1948. He received a BFA in photography from the Center for Creative Studies in 1974. In 1977 he opened a commercial photography studio in Chicago and quickly established a client list that included, among others, Crate & Barrel, Starbucks Coffee, Sears, Nestle, Quaker and Kraft Foods. As an emerging fine art photographer, he was awarded an honorable mention in the Houston Center for Photography’s Long Term Fellowship Project in 2003 and received the Curator’s Choice Award the following year. His photographs are included in several private and public collections including the Federal Reserve Bank, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chilcago IL, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He lives and works in Chicago IL.

How long have you been documenting small African-American churches in Chicago, and what made you decide to embark on this project?
‘The project of documenting African American storefront churches came about quite by accident. I was working on another project just over the Illinois/Indiana border and my route took me over the Chicago Skyway Bridge. I would often look down onto a small plain industrial building that had a large hand painted sign above it’s door that read, “Cathedral of Divine Love Church.” I was impressed that this pastor felt that his little nondescript building was worthy of being called a cathedral. This notion stuck with me for quite some time and I just couldn’t shake it off. Finally, after several weeks of driving by the building, I decided to stop and introduce myself and ask if I could photograph the church. The pastor’s obvious remark was, “Services start in about an hour, you can come by after everyone has arrived.” My response was, “No, what I really had in mind was to photograph the church empty and that I was mainly interested in how he had decorated and set it up.” This threw up a cloud of suspicion as he thought my request was rather odd. I persisted, and after much discussion about my intentions, God, and religion, he granted me permission. I felt as if I had been the center of an inquisition, but rightly so. It was important that I had the trust of every pastor, that they knew my intentions were sincere, and that I had a great deal of respect for their church. I went back several times over the next month and made more photographs.

After that first experience, I sensed there was a profoundly independent, eccentric quality to each of these pastors and each of them in their own way were determined to create a church based on their own beliefs and faith. I wanted to document these spaces not only for their unique qualities but also because their importance within poor black urban neighborhoods were pillars of community stability and support. After I had photographed a number of churches, I put together a small portfolio that I would present to a pastor so that they would get a sense of the project. I continued to work on the project for three and one-half years, photographing about 65 churches. I finished working on the project in 2006. The Center for American Places, Columbia College, is publishing the work next year in a monograph titled “Articles of Faith” with an essay written by Carla Williams’.

The colors are so vibrant in these spaces. Do you have to look hard to find these environments or are they reasonably common in the churches you photograph?
‘Although I found each church interesting, on average most of the interiors shared a common look consisting of plain white walls, used wooden pews or a mixed set of chairs and red carpet. This was probably for economic reasons as most pastors have little money to work with. I never knew how a church was going to look until I entered and introduced myself. Knowing when to enter a church also became an issue. I didn’t want to enter and disrupt services so I would try and time my visits before services started or enter when things were just wrapping up. Sometimes I would quietly enter and someone would encourage me to come in and sit down. When services were over the pastor would introduce me as a new visitor to the church and I would explain my project to the members. Most times there were no more that 10-15 people present. Ironically, the most unadorned, simply decorated exterior facades revealed some of the most colorful interiors. I’d walk in and just be blown away by the beauty. The churches with the most color and decoration were often run by female pastors, or there was a women who was designated the “mother” of the church who was responsible for the decorating. Some of the simple, stripped down minimalist churches were also some of my favorites as well’.

Can you briefly tell us the story about the photo of the person wearing the orange suit?
‘This is a portrait of Pastor Anderson. He was the patriarch of a small church that had no more than 8 members, all of them relatives. His daughter had recently gotten married but they didn’t have any wedding photos so I offered to do a portrait of them. For this, I brought in a strobe & umbrella light, trying to make the whole affair a bigger deal. I took portraits of other members too but in the end I felt that all the extra equipment was a distraction that created a formality I wasn’t comfortable with. After I packed up all my equipment, I noticed him idly leaning against a table, the room was illuminated by only the light in the ceiling. It was the shot that I had been looking for all day. It took no more than a minute to shoot but his gaze had an eternal quality that was powerful. I went back a few months later to visit again but found the church had disbanded with no forwarding address. This was common with about 25% of the churches I photographed’.

As a successful commercial photographer, do you find that you work in a different mindset when shooting your personal/documentary work?
‘Yes and no. I often get comments that my fine art work is completely different from my commercial work, and people are both puzzled and impressed by that. The commercial work is done to make a living and the fine art work is done because you think you have something to say about the world in which you live in. I’ve never thought about interconnecting the two, only about keeping them separate. It’s the same reason why I have two different web sites, one for the commercial work and one for my fine art projects. I don’t want to attach any commercial connotation to the fine art work. It’s strictly meant for personal expression and issues that I feel are important to me. Having said that, I think the work ethic discipline that I acquired running a commercial studio has had a positive effect on my personal work. Working toward a goal, devising a plan, staying focused, and following through with a project is equally as important whether your running a business or shooting a personal/fine art project. But none of this, quite frankly, matters unless your passionate about what you do’.

You have been in the photography business for over 30 years, how do you feel that the industry has changed over time?
‘The biggest difference I see has been the digital revolution. Art directors have so much visual material at their disposal today that when I see a layout, it’s so completely executed that I’m often wondering what it is they want me to shoot. Their client has seen the finished concept and are often so enamored by the comp shot in the layout that they’re reluctant to deviate and try something else. They’ve already made a pre-conceived decision of what the ad will look like. Instead of the layout becoming a point of creative departure, it becomes a tool of increasing restriction. Basically, I liked it much better when art directors worked with pen and prisma markers instead of a Mac.

The other aspect is how fast digital technology is moving. I used the same 8 X 10 Sinar view camera for 25 years in my studio. It’s still in perfect condition and makes a great door stop today. In the past four years I’ve upgraded my digital camera system three times already and next year Hasselblad announced it’s coming out with their new 50MB digital capture back. I find these kinds of upgrading expenses difficult to deal with on any professional level but for most start-up photographers just beginning their careers and with the economic challenges we face today, it has to be particularly painful’.

Are you currently working on any new projects you can talk about?
‘Yes, I’m currently working on a project about rural Illinois, small towns specifically. To paraphrase my artist statement: “Illinois is a state long monopolized by mechanized agricultural farming, creating endless fields of corn and soybeans and leaving several hundred economically challenged older small towns dotting the landscape. Within this geographic and economic framework I’m searching for strong notions of individualistic expression that are tied directly to the land and its people. As someone who is admittedly an outsider, I’m trying to discover for myself the differences that separate my own perception of rural life and what I find to be that reality, whether real or imagined.” Much like the church project in its relationship and connection to Chicago, Illinois small rural towns make up a part of the economic and social fabric of the state that gives it its character’.

What kind of camera are you using for your documentary work?
‘I went from film to a digital format about 4 years ago. I use a Hasselblad H3DII medium format camera coupled with a 39MB capture back. I use this camera for both my commercial and personal work’.

Aaron Ruell was born in Fresno, California, but grew up in Clovis, California. He was recently awarded “Best Advertising” for his work with Citibank and “Best Website” in the 2007 PDN Annual. He is also known for playing the role of Kipland Ronald Dynamite (Kip) in the comedy, Napoleon Dynamite.

You’re an actor, filmmaker, and photographer. Is there a continuous theme or tone in your work across these mediums? ‘I think there is a connection between my photography and what i do in film as a director. I notice a similar tone between the two. I’m not sure that I set out for consistency between the two, it just happens. I still have issues with calling myself an “actor”. I’ve only done two films, and it’s not something that I’m out there actively pursuing. Those projects just happen to find me, so I can’t say that there’s a connection there’.

With regards to photography, how much planning do you do before a shoot and how much do you leave to chance?
‘Most all of my portrait work is very contrived. Most of the backdrops are sets that are built. Wardrobe has been chosen for the models, and most of my models have been cast. So it’s all very much planned out prior to shooting’.

‘As for my still life work, most of that is all shot on found locations. so it’s the opposite of what my portrait work is, but yet I still feel as if both my still life work and my portrait work live really well side by side, and it goes back to having a consistent tone in the work’.

What is your favorite prop?
‘I find that I’m drawn to clocks in my work’.

Who are your subjects and what are you looking for when deciding on someone to photograph?
Most of my subjects are cast. Some are friends or family. My images usually start with either a face that I’ve seen, and then I’ll attempt to build an environment around that face that feels believable and interesting to me. Or, an image will start with a prop, and I’ll attempt to build an environment that it would live in, and casting becomes another piece of the puzzle, but it fits later in the game rather than at the beginning’.

What are your inspirations?
‘Music is my biggest inspiration. Whether it’s listening to a band at home, in the car, or seeing them live, music is usually the spark that puts an image in my mind and makes me want to capture that image or feeling on film’.