July 2009

Australian-based photographer Bronek Kozka explores the construction of identity, psychological tensions, and shared spaces we as humans inhabit in his photographic series titled ‘Room 101′. Constructed in a studio space, Room 101 was ‘home’ to a cast of actors and models, who acted out a series of stories, both fictional and non-fictional, over a week-long photographic shoot. Bronek is a Masters candidate at RMIT University, a commercial photographer, and also a lecturer in photographic studio and portraiture practices at RMIT University.

Jason Lazarus was born in Kansas City, MO and received his MFA in photography from Columbia College in Chicago. From Jason’s artist statement, “Regarding all photographic projects cumulatively, I am interested in the role of the contemporary artist as hell-raiser, prophet, failure, and historian.” He has shown his work internationally and had solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as well as the Bucket Rider Gallery.

Mat Szwajkos specializes in entertainment, fashion and portrait photography. He received his BFA from Pratt Institute in 2001 and began covering celebrity events in New York City and Los Angeles. Through his access to high profile events, Mat has built good relationships with actors, musicians and fashion designers. His clients include Steven Alan, The Daily, Muscle and Fitness, MTV, TV Land, Victoria’s Secret, Tribeca Film Festival, and Atlantic Records.

You’ve been photographing celebrity-laden events for Getty Images for a few years now. What made you decide to embark on this series of up close celebrity portraits?
‘I started shooting this project in February 2007 while covering Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. I was shooting backstage as the house photographer covering the beauty, first looks and celebrities. It was my seventh season backstage and I wanted to do something new and different. I felt as if I was making human product shots: position designer, add celebrity or model, click. Over and over. I recognized the trust I had built with everyone over the past seasons and the power I had to control the situation. I began to shoot the models close up, then the designers and then the celebrities. I fell into a groove and started to capture intimate portraits in the chaos. I was putting the barrel of my lens 6-8 inches from the subject’s face. The images became fast, fleeting, and intimate moments. Some of my subjects I had been working with over and over and some I met right before I took their portrait’.

Celebrities are usually very protective of their image and wary about having their photo made.  How have you been able to get them to agree to an unretouched portrait and what is the turn down rate?
‘When I started shooting the project, it was a bit hit or miss. After the first couple months shooting everyone that would let me, I figured out how to approach the talent and have them agree to the portrait. I first introduce myself and explain the project and that I am (usually) the house photographer. Then I tell them that I am working on a group of close-up portraits at events and that I would like to do one of them. If they say yes, I show them with my hand in front of my own face how close the lens is going to be. Out of the hundreds of people I have asked, only a few have actually said no. I have photographed close to 400 people this way in two and a half years. Almost all of the women I have photographed for this project have had their make-up done before they arrived at any of the fashion shows, parties, concerts or private events. The guys usually have had a stylist work on them as well. I am capturing these portraits in an editorial environment and want to keep them that way. You get to see how celebrities are just like us. They have bad hair days, tired eyes, and, yes, blemishes on their chins. We all do. I am not trying to show anyone in a bad light. I am only trying to show them how they are.

‘They are just records of each person on a given day. Like any portrait session, not every frame is perfect. I only shoot up to three frames at a time. All of my subjects have put trust in me to make them look good. And as any good photographer will do, I only show my best work.

‘I’ve been lucky enough to photograph a few people over and over. It is all about how I approach them. I always start with a smile and a hand shake, then ask for the portrait. It usually is over within two minutes from when I introduce myself to when I say thank you. I know its going to be a good shot if I can see the subject is already excited to be there. I’ve figured out when to ask and when to let them be. I think that’s why I’ve been able to get so many people to allow me to photograph them so closely’.

Can you tell us about your favorite celebrity from this series and what your memories are of shooting him or her?
‘This is the toughest question I always get about this series. Whenever anyone asks me this, I usually ask them “who is your favorite of the series that you have seen?” Then I tell them the story about that image. I can remember almost every single portrait and where it was taken. My favorite one right now is the one of Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was taken in LA last Spring at the Alexander McQueen store opening party. I walked in the door and Anthony was on his way out with producer Rick Rubin. I stopped Anthony and asked him for a quick portrait. He agreed and I shot two frames. We talked for a minute and I showed him the shot and he liked it. We turned to Rick and I asked Rick to let me shoot him as well. I ended up shooting a few portraits that night including Anthony, Rick and Janet Jackson’.

What equipment are you using?
‘I am using a Canon 1D MK3 with a 17-40mm lens and a 580ex2 speedlight. I shoot them as RAW files in black and white’.

You have been shooting this series for a few years now. What are your plans for this work?
‘I am working on a photo book. I would love to publish it in the next year. I am looking for a publisher and am open to have people contact me about it. The edit right now is around 150 images’.

Sabrina Jung was born in 1978 in Neuss, Germany. She has studied at Folkwang Hochschule in Essen and the College of Art & Design in Zurich. She is the founder of the art salon, Weisser and currently lives in Berlin.

Found via Big City Press

Mohammadreza Mirzaei is a photographer born and based in Tehran whose work has been featured at Dubai’s The Empty Quarter Gallery, Istanbul’s The Marmara Café Gallery and Mall Galleries in London, among other galleries. He has a photography book, Gli Incontri, due for release later this year.

Can you talk a little about what’s it is like to be an artist living and working in Tehran right now?
‘I’m continuing the journey: shooting, working on my images and learning from the medium itself. I agree, something has happened. We are not the same people that we used to be. But regardless, I take refuge in photography. My life has been a challenge between the oblivion and the remembering. Sometimes I have photographed to forget, sometimes I have photographed to remember. But if you ask about Tehran’s artistic atmosphere these days, and what’s happening in the galleries, I’d say it’s weak and unpromising. That’s not too strange because we are in summer, which is not the art time for us. Let’s wait and see what comes up after this long, hellish summer!’

Despite everything going on around you, your work is upbeat and hopeful. What are looking to capture with your photography?
‘I always see the future full of exciting twists. I see photography as a way to explore different aspects of life. I’m loving the medium more than ever. I’m so curious about the novelties in the contemporary photography scene. There’s so much inspiration around me, but when shooting, I’m on auto pilot’.

What are some of the everyday constraints that you face as a photographer in Tehran and how do you overcome or work around these?
‘I think my photography is personal enough to not face the constraints. Maybe I’m lucky, but I had the chance to follow my personal interests with no need to pass the red lines’.

What would you consider as inspirations for your work?
‘Mostly, life. My photos are like a window to my passions, irritations, to what I was reading, to what I was thinking. I never wanted to talk about my photos this personally, though. They are created with a hope to find some sympathies with the viewer. Like most photographers, the photographs have inspired me, too. I admire a big circle of photographers, and it seems this circle is getting bigger every week!’

Photo by Nguan

Photo by Allison V. Smith

Photo by Landon Nordeman

Photo by Henrieta Haniskova

Photo by Dave Jordano

Daniel Augscholl was born in 1985 in a small town in the middle of the Alps. His work has been featured in several publications. He is also founding member and editor of Ahorn Magazine, an online publication about contemporary photography. These works are from his latest series, “Celestial Planisphere”.

Jen Davis lives and works in New York City. She received her MFA from Yale University, and her BA from Columbia College Chicago. Her work is an honest and poignant look at self-image and isolation. She currently has a solo show at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hugh Kretschmer is a photographer based in Los Angeles and specializing in photo-illustration, advertising and editorial photography and design. Of his work, he says: ‘The idea is the most important ingredient. I’ve always appreciated concept because it adds another layer to the photograph and invites participation from the viewer. When I see something that is done well, where the artist really nails it, I find myself just staring. I can’t think of anything else that would be more of a compliment than that’. Kretschmer’s clients include Mastercard, Evian and the New York Times magazine.

Your work is highly conceptual. Can you talk a bit about your inspiration and how you decide what idea is worth putting into production?
‘My inspiration comes from many unidentifiable sources and is probably more like an amalgamation of different influences from many years of absorbing. I come from a very artistic family and there was a lot of reference around the house. As a result, my early work was heavily influenced by twentieth century painting and sculpture. I think the thread is still there and, perhaps, evident in the photos I did last week.

‘As far as the next personal project I put into the works, the decision is based on what will bring me the most creative satisfaction and push my book forward. It is best if it also gets me out of my comfort zone and has me trying things that I have not done: build a prop in a way that is untried or solve a visual problem by a technique I have not used before. I may sweat and I may fail. But at the end of the day, I can at least say I tried’.

Your personal, editorial and advertising work blend together well through mood and color palette. What conscious choices do you make to ensure that this happens?
‘I try my best to treat my subject with respect. I am not talking about the model I am photographing so much as the subject I am illustrating. I do my best to keep in mind what is important. I think this drives my choices in set design, styling, lighting and color scheme. Hopefully, with all these elements painstakingly put in place, the message is preserved and allowed to come through quickly with just enough extra detail to let the eye linger for a few more moments’.

You currently have a show up at Clark | Oshin Gallery. How did you make the selections for this show and is it mainly your personal work that is included?
‘The collection is very close to an even split between assignment and personal work. The selections were really based on my heart of hearts and the projects that will always have a place there. There are some real favorites from ten years ago that I look at today and I still say to myself, “That was a great day”.

‘But, I had help, too. I presented the first cut to Nan and Kathleen, the curators, and we worked together from there. There was very little back and forth because I think they were both in sync with my sensibilities’.

Among other things, your work is very playful. Do you have specific goals that you want it to achieve?
‘My work has been described as many things, from “dark” to “whimsical”. I like that and I take it as a compliment. I appreciate a great many things and, perhaps, that’s showing up in my work. Regardless, I think the biggest goal it has to achieve is fulfilling me creatively. That is first and foremost and has always been that way. I would love it to bring me the next great job and I would not be honest if said otherwise. Lately, I have been pushing a few projects in a brighter, more colorful direction while maintaining a fanciful approach’.

How do you see the movement of more and more content online changing the way that you work in the future?
‘Good question! More and more photographers and less and less print jobs. The equation can be overwhelming. Or an opportunity to evolve. I have done two such evolutions in my career and each has been uncomfortable. Growth always has its pains. But the rewards have been amazing and I am glad I went through them. I think this, too, will be one of those times and, hopefully, bring more creativity and innovation’.