She constatnly surprises and amazes me with her self-portraiture. I think I incorrectly surmised that it dominates her portfolio; I think it's just that I give them a particular weight when I look at them. They are always introspective. Sometimes comical, sometimes serious. You can always feel something when looking at her self-portraits. But she's no one trick pony. Her photo walks lead her to from Ambler to Center City and everywhere in between and elsewhere. I think she sees the world as a series of photos just waiting to be captured with a press of her index finger. Enough with the intro, on to the second installment of Philly Future's Photoblogger Fortnight series.
Albert (Philly Future/PF): What got you started taking photos and when did taking photos take a more serious turn for you? Do you see yourself as a professional photographer down the line, photography being the sole source of your income?
Laura: Growing up we never really took all that many photographs, as a family. I was generally disinterested in it until I had to take a photography studio as a requirement for my design degree in college, sophomore year. I really enjoyed it and took photo studios the rest of the time I was in school. But once I graduated and no longer had access to a darkroom, I stopped almost completely. About three years ago, I got my first digital camera which I would take along with me on walks every so often. The photographs were just for me, I showed them to nobody, thought nothing of it. Less than a year ago, I joined the outstanding photosharing community Flickr, and I haven't put my camera down since. The only way it is serious is that I am totally addicted. I wouldn’t ever want it to be the sole source of my income because it is a joy for me and I think someone paying me to do what they want would kill it for me.
PF: What camera did you start taking photos with? What's the rest of your photo taking/editing/posting hardware setup? How has your new Rebel XT changed your photo taking process if at all?
Laura: I started off with an Olympus C750 and have always used Photoshop CS on my G4 at home. My tool of choice in Photoshop is usually curves to control contrast and color. Shooting with the Rebel XT hasn't changed the way I work too much just yet. I am relearning how to use a camera in the manual adjusting sense. It is exciting to have that much more control. The only thing I miss now and again is the EVF.
PF: How/when did you discover Flickr? Do you see yourself moving onto your own dedicated ULR/website to display your photographs? Why or why not.
Laura: One of my clients pointed me toward Flickr at the end of January 2004. I started off just posting photos I had taken since I got my first camera, Olympus C-750, a year before. I am in the process of redesigning my website to accommodate my photography and design work in equal amounts. I will definitely maintain my Fickr account since I love the community and it is a great place to archive things.
PF: If I could grant you a wish to photograph anyone/thing/place anywhere, where would it be and what would be the subject? Why?
Laura: I like to be surprised by the people and places I encounter every day. I've been living in Ambler for two years now and I still find things that amaze me. If I could take photographs of all the people I care most about in a way they love as much as I do, in a place that is significant to them, I suppose that would fulfill my wish requirement.
PF: I read your article on self-portraiture as well as clicked through probably 95% of your work online. When did you start taking self-portraits? Why do they dominate your portfolio? What about them keeps you going back for more? Do you see a narcissism in them?
Laura: I wouldn't go so far as to say self-portraits dominate my portfolio, as they only represent about 1/10 of the photographs I have online, but it seems those images resonate with a lot of people. In a way they are journalistic, less in 'this is what I look like today' sense, more in 'this is what I felt today' or 'I have this x [prop of some description] and I want to make a photo about it to convey x feeling and I need a person to do so'. I only started taking self-portrait photographs when I got the digital camera, but I used to draw myself when I was in school. I don't feel like I can take the same sort of liberties with anyone else's face and body that I can with my own, which gives me absolute creative freedom. That and I am completely patient when it comes to modeling for myself. When I present an image of myself, I'd rather the viewer consider how I have art directed the image than the attractiveness of 'the model'. I've addressed a lot of my reasoning in the article, but I think being able to make images of myself, has helped me photograph other people better.
PF: What hidden talents do you have? Are you a gourmet chef? A pianist? A minor league baseball player?
Laura: I am a graphic designer of the print and motion persuasion. I do a lot of animated TV show titles using After Effects. Until last year, photography was my hidden talent. I sing, in the car when I am alone. I write: mostly novelesque emails but I occasionally contribute at utata.org . I can cook pretty well, I just choose not to, since I find it is rather dangerous to stir and shoot simultaneously.
PF: How often do you print your work? For yourself/family? For selling?
Laura: I have perhaps 10 of my prints hanging in my apartment, my mom has about the same, I've given a few as gifts. Printing is a rarity with me, but since I upgraded cameras, I worry less about the quality of the print… but I'm running out of wall space.
PF:How often do you shoot? How many frames do you shoot per outing? Where do you like to go to find subjects?
Laura: I try to shoot everyday. I don't force myself to take shots. Sometimes I return with nothing, sometimes I fill a gig card. If I take a walk after work around my town, I'll probably shoot 100 or so, and maybe select five as successful. If I take a weekend trip I might shoot 700 and like 50 enough to post. I know which are really successful and which are just okay. Editing and avoiding repetition is important to me, even if I am shooting the same subject repeatedly, I always want to come to it fresh. I take my camera everywhere I go: into the city when I visit friends, to bars, on vacation, walks around neighboring towns, to work, to the bathroom. I never know what to expect or what I might miss otherwise.
PF: What is your dream camera equipment setup? Do you plan on upgrading any of your equipment you currently have anytime soon? Any lenses you're eyeing?
Laura: I don't have a dream setup, I just believe in making the most of what I have. Right now, all I have is the kit lens. I just ordered 28-75 f/2.8 Tamron which I got to borrow recently and felt really comfortable with. I've never really had a problem with gadget lust. Yet. I'd be happy with a nice flash and a new tripod.
PF: What's your favorite season to shoot in? Why?
Laura: This is the first year I have spent really intensely shooting, almost daily. This is my first autumn and I have always been especially fond of the cooler parts of the year. I've been really excited about going out shooting whenever I can, observing the changes in light, weather, vegetation, and how quickly things fade and decay, day to day and season to season… but I really love snow. Excessively. It isolates things from normal background noise in the most dramatic way you can, short of shooting in a studio.
PF: Who are your photographic/artistic influences? Which photoblogs/Flickrs do you visit on a regular basis?
Laura: I let myself be inspired by things others make- not just their photographs, maybe their music or their sense of style- the work of strangers, friends, the famed and the nobodies. If you look through my favorites on Flickr that I have collected from the photostreams of others, you can get a sense of what appeals: color, typography, cleverness, faces, abstractions, the weird, the familiar. I look at the work of these folks regularly:
I don't really attempt to emulate anyone in particular but some historical and contemporary photographers whose work has stayed with me: Edward Weston, Julia Margaret Cameron, Andreas Gursky, Joel Peter Witkin, Diane Arbus, Immogen Cunningham. I've really taken to Walker Evans recently and I really identify with his eye and subjects.PF: Your work was recently featured in the new DJ set/exhibition, where have you shown your work in public in the past? Any shows coming up in the future?
Laura: Girls on Film was really the first organized public display of my photos. I have had some photos featured on utata.org, for which I just finished the feature on self-portrait photography. Daniel Sandoval, who organized Girls on Film, hopes to curate some shows in the next few months. But I don't have any specific plans just yet.
PF: Do you go to galleries to view photography? Why or why not. If yes, where do you like to go?
Laura: I do enjoy going to the galleries in the city for First Friday on occasion to see what other contemporary photographers are doing and how they think. I especially like to see creative alternatives to typical framed presentations.
PF: How often do you get to Philly? What are your favorite places to shoot?
Laura: I get into Center City probably once a week. I have friends who live in Germantown/Mt. Airy, so technically I'm in the city limits more like 2-3 times a week. I've done some exploration of north Philly and it is so incredibly rich with different socio-cultural influences and decay, I would like to spend more time there. Basically anywhere I go I can find something I am interested in shooting. I don't generally limit myself with shooting any one particular subject, so new territory or old, I don't get bored. I'll shoot people, plants, architecture, typography, animals, myself. I have a three block walk to work everyday its been two years, but I still manage to find something new along the way regularly.
PF: How long does it take you to compose a shot? Are you more of a painstaking Ansel Adams or more of a quick clicker?
Laura: I take a lot of photowalks so I tend to be on the move and I don't like being observed so much… so I'm more of a quick clicker. With the DSLR though, I'm starting to slow down a bit since I have more control over the image-making. I find I'm experimenting more and becoming much bolder. Its harder to go unnoticed with a big camera.
PF: Do you have any formal training in photography or in another art-related field? If not, how did you learn and how far do you think you've come?
Laura: I went to Kutztown University for Communication Design/Graphic Design and took B&W photo studios throughout my time there. All of my color/digital training has been picked up on the fly from people I've met from Flickr and coworkers. Photography combines my favorite aspects of design in the purest way: color, composition, concept, in a way I have complete control over (and no clients to answer to). In the last year I've really gotten much more comfortable with the camera and it feels much more natural for me to compose using color and explore different subject matters.
PF: What aspect of your photography would you like to improve upon? How do you plan on improving that aspect?
Laura: Since I only just got my Rebel XT a month ago, I am working at working on the technical side of things now more than ever. The best way for me to learn is just by experimenting until I understand what works and what does not and doing my reading. Aside from that I am working on becoming more confident when interacting with strangers I want to photograph. It takes some boldness, just getting used to being around people and learning how to make them feel at ease with the camera and the photographer. I just get out there and practice as often as I can, with friends and strangers.
PF: Where's the most far off place [from Philadelphia] you've taken your camera to shoot? Got any photos online of them?
Laura: In August I took a trip to Vancouver, my first visit to the west coast with my very good friend and fellow Flickrer, Diana Connolly. Everyday we had the privilege of being taken around a different part of the city by a different member of vandigicam- which is a group of Flickrers in Vancouver that meet regularly. I have devoted a set to the images on Flickr here.
PF: Favorite cheese steak? What, Pat's or Gino's?
Laura: Eh, you can feed me anything so long as it hiding under a mountain of hot peppers. If I'm at the Italian Market, I would more likely reach for tacos at the Taqueria La Veracruzana. Mmm hmm.
PF: What's your favorite photograph from your archives? What makes that shot special?
Laura: I hope that when I photograph a particular subject it evokes senses other than vision; I want to make each image about what that particular experience was like for me, the smells, the sounds, the weather, the rapport with the people there. Not that all of my photos do that, but I think the more successful ones do. I have new favorites monthly but this one sums up a very special trip for me.
It captures the excitement of that time, it was my first vacation in years and I had an amazing connection with so many people I met there and the city itself. It was an incredibly exciting photographic adventure.
Please take a minute and take a click through Laura's photoblog. Stay for a minute, an hour, a year! Her photos will be in the spotlight here for the next fortnight. So come on back to see some highlights from her archives.
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