photography

Matthew Furman grew up in a small town called Hollidaysburg, Pennyslvania, best known as ‘The Birthplace of the Slinky’. He went to art school in Greece, and then moved to New York in 2001 to start his photography career. He currently resides with his wife and two daughters in Brooklyn, where he works as a freelance photographer.

You didn’t get into photography to take corporate portraits. What keeps you interested in this type of assignment?
‘I like the creative freedom. I’ve had a few editors who have called and said, “Just do your thing and make them look cool. We don’t want your typical corporate portrait”. Oftentimes, that’s a lot easier said than done’.

I would imagine that your subjects don’t have too much time to spend at a photo shoot. How much time do you usually have and what are some techniques you’ve developed to use that time most effectively?
‘Most of these guys will give you ten minutes, tops. I’ve had a few ready to walk off the set after just a few frames. I just try to get there early and have everything ready as soon as they arrive. They appreciate the efficiency. And the faster you get done, the sooner they can go back to making money. It’s also good to try and get them out of the office environment. The first question I ask when I arrive is if they have roof access, or a terrace, or even a computer-server room — anything that gives me some sort of backdrop to work with other than the standard-issue white-walled conference room’.

You’ve mentioned that magazines come to you when they are looking for something a bit different. What has been your most unusual assignment?
‘A couple of months ago, I was assigned to shoot a businessman based in San Francisco. Before I flew out to do the shoot, the photo editor warned me that the subject had been hard to get in touch with, and that his people had changed the location of the shoot several times. Right up until the last minute, I wasn’t sure if I had the right place, or if he was even going to show up. Sure enough, as I’m driving to the location, two hours before the subject was supposed to arrive, I got a call from his assistant asking if I could come earlier. I tell her I’ll be there in fifteen minutes

‘When we pull up, I see the location is a nondescript warehouse, not at all what I expected. As we’re unloading the car, the subject walks up and introduces himself. He’s a nice guy, but he’s stressing the fact that he has to leave in fifteen minutes to catch a flight. I’m feeling the pressure because it’s a feature story, the location sucks, and the subject is standing right next to me. I do a quick scout and decide to do the shot on the steps leading up to the building. The assistant quickly puts up one light, I shoot as much as I can, and the subject says he’s gotta run.

‘We say our goodbyes, and as we’re breaking down the gear, a security guard comes up and asks us what we’re doing here, etc. I tell him who I was shooting and what for. He just looks at me like I’m crazy, and says he’s never heard of either the subject or the huge company he runs. I turned to my assistant and say, “What the hell just happened?”‘

Do you think much about the future of photography and the increasing push of content online? How do you think this will impact the way you work in the future?
‘That’s a tough one. Online media is the future, and I like to think that good photography is going to be essential to that. I’m not sure exactly how it will shake out, but from my perspective, I’m thinking this is a great opportunity for photographers, editors, and art directors.

‘One of the most heartbreaking things is when I shoot an assignment and put everything I’ve got into it, only to have one image run. Hopefully without the restraints that come with print, we’ll see more and more cool photo essays. I’d love to see what art directors do when they can use as many images as they want and run them as big as they want’.

Jesse Hlebo is a photographer and artist residing in Brooklyn, New York. He strives to live in an environment that is concurrently formal, anti-formal, unique, homogenous, loud and quiet.

Tina Tyrell graduated from the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Photography. She contributes regularly to New York Magazine, Wallpaper*, teenVOGUE, The New York Times, Spin, Nylon, Interview, Details, The Sunday Telegraph UK, and The New Yorker, among others.

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Cody Cloud was born and raised in Tuscon, Arizona, Julia Galdo was born and raised in Miami, Florida. The two met while at school at the San Francisco Art Institute, Cody graduating with an MFA in photography and Julia with her BFA. Cody has been working professionally in Los Angeles since graduation in 2005. Julia worked as a creative in advertising until the beginning of 2009, when she joined her partner in sunny Santa Monica. The two can be found at the beach, looking through the windows of abandoned buildings or at the thrift shop.

Do you feel in that it’s necessary to have a distinct personal style in fashion photography or better to be flexible and be able to switch styles as the project requires?
‘It’s better to have your own distinct point of view. The style can change, and aesthetics can differ, but if you approach work with a certain understanding to why you’re taking photographs then it should have a certain consistency. We think looking at work is key in defining style. Knowing what’s out there and understanding why we’re are drawn to it is incredibly important’.

You have been working as a team for seven years. What are some of the advantages of working with a partner on shoots?
‘Four eyes will always be better than two. We always have a running dialog of what work we want to make and how we can make it better, which is a luxury. We’re more efficient. And by taking more photographs, we increase our chances of capturing what a pirate would call the booty’.

Working as a team, how do you determine who does what on a shoot?
‘We both have equal rolls in our working process. In the past, we’ve tried to define our roles for up coming projects…but when shooting, those definitions usually go out the window. We both just want the project to succeed, and do what it takes to get the best results. Julia does a lot of styling and Cody tends to be more technical, each with equal opinions of the other’s role’.

You photograph in some pretty surreal environments. Can you talk about finding locations and how much these areas play into your concept?
‘At times locations get brought to us, other’s come from driving around all day long looking, there’s no golden rule to finding good locations. Always ask, that’s how we’ve found and used our best locations, even when it seemed impossible. In terms of how it effects the concept, that’s a tricky question. Depending on the shoot, the girl was the inspiration and the rest came after, or a wonderful prop…like battle ships’.

You recently moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles. How do you feel the move has impacted on your photography career?
‘Well, Cody was living in Los Angeles and Julia was living in San Francisco. Since she only moved down last month, it’s very difficult to measure any impact. Stay tuned’.

Originally from Australia, Steven Laxton was voted one of Fifteen Rising Stars of International Photography 2007 by the American Photo magazine. Over the past seven years Laxton has based himself in London and New York to service his international clientele in the USA, UK, Italy, France, Poland, Canada, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. His work has taken him to over a dozen countries in 5 continents, with shoots for advertising and prestigious publications. Laxton’s work has been featured in exhibitions across Europe, Australia and America.

Tara Fallon lives in Brooklyn, New York where she attends Parson School Of Design and works as a freelance photographer. Of this series, she says: ‘These photos document the life that goes on in Asterisk, which is an artist loft located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I’ve always been drawn to the everlasting youth and vitality of my friends who live there, along with the people who come to their parties. Insecurities and tension are clearly shown but when the night goes on people’s barriers disappear and they become uninhibited’.

Miru Kim is a New York-based artist who has explored various urban ruins, such as abandoned subway stations, tunnels, sewers, catacombs, factories, hospitals, and shipyards. She was featured as one of the America’s Best and Brightest 2007 in Esquire magazine. Her work has appeared in various other media such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, Time Out New York, The Korea Daily, La Stampa, JoongAng Daily, Dong-A Daily, HDNet TV, ProSieben, New York Times Upfront, Yen Magazine, AnimalNewYork.com, Gothamist.com, and in many shows in NYC and Berlin.

The work of New York-based photographer and conceptual artist Sam Bassett has appeared in Flaunt, Marie Claire, and Vice, amongst other publications. Over the years he has filmed or photographed a number of high profile celebrities, including Donald Trump, Oakland Raiders receiver Randy Moss, and tennis star Tommy Haas. On shooting Donald Trump, he says: ‘I knew that whatever portrait I took had to be constructed around his normal Trump standing there pose. This I knew he would be comfortable with but I wanted to make it outrageous, so I added arial photographs I took from the top of the Empire State Building projected onto him. Then I asked him to wear Halloween wings that I had from a masquerade ball that I had hosted. Devil, demon, angel, and fairy wings specifically. His first impression was to scoff at the concept. I told him that if he was the king of NYC then surely he would see this as an opportunity to prove his universality. He responded with disdain. I then told him that one day he would be sitting next to me at a dinner and he would thank me for putting on the wings. He stared at me for about ten long seconds and then said, ok, which wings do you want me to wear first?’

Boston raised Paul D’Amato now resides and teaches in Chicago, where he has extensively photographed three public housing projects from the city’s near west side. Of this series Please Be Free Now, D’Amato says: ‘The subject of public housing, its sudden eradication, and its significance to the history of race and class issues in the U.S, though fascinating, is beyond the reach of photography’.