Posts Tagged 'Interview'

“Like one punch in the face after another”

Published June 21, 2011 Los Angeles , Photography 32 Comments
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A big thanks to Armand Emamdjomeh for featuring my work on the Los Angeles Times’ photography blog, Framework.  I have to say that reading someone describe my photos as “Like one punch in the face after another” is one of nicest things I’ve ever heard.  Those words will keep me motivated.

You can read the interview here, but unfortunately some of the photos that were included in the profile were not shown.  So I posted the entire series here. (Which you can see after the jump).

Continue reading ‘“Like one punch in the face after another”’

Found on Flickr: Eyal Golshani

Published September 3, 2009 Photographers' Rights 27 Comments
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Mesquite Sunrise

This is another installment in our continuing series where we talk to photographers whose work we’ve appreciated on Flickr.

This week we feature Eyal Golshani.

cinemafia: Would you describe yourself as a landscape photographer to someone you’ve just met? Why, or why not?

Eyal Golshani:  It’s funny you should ask that. I think that in many ways I am still trying to figure it out myself. After doing photography for over three years I have come to realize that I really enjoy travel photography. To me this includes both landscape as well as people. Although I haven’t photographed as many people when compared with landscape, I do have a strong desire to shoot more street photography.

cinemafia: Do you feel that there is a different approach to photographing landscapes than there is to photographing people?

Eyal Golshani: The two couldn’t be more different. With landscape the whole process is very slow and requires careful planning and timing. I spend many hours researching spots for a potential shot – [it’s] always carrying a tripod and a remote shutter release with you, spending 15 minutes to set your gear for every shot, mostly at odd times, double checking you have the correct focus and exposure settings.

Photographing people (street photography) requires a different set of skills. You need to be able to see the potential for a good shot as things happen (aka the decisive moment). As such, you need to be able to think fast and change your camera settings while composing the shot. A lot of people rely on new camera technology to do a lot of this for them. There are a few masters of photography that have the ability to do this manually by knowing their gear and craft (some of the most famous Leica photographers come to mind). This is a skill I hope to possess one day – at the moment I am far from it.

Forgotten

cinemafia: I’ve noticed that one of the focal points in your work is texture. Not only do you seem attracted to it, but you pull it all the way to the forefront in your images. Do you feel that emboldening these textures enhances the way that your photographs are experienced by your audience?

Eyal Golshani: It depends on the subject. I think that it works quite well for subjects that have a beautiful pattern, which leads the eye through the image while keeping things interesting.

cinemafia: From your profile I noticed that you’ve only been working in photography for the last three years or so, correct?

Eyal Golshani: Yes, correct.

cinemafia: Before you began, did you have any other creative outlets? Also, do you think you would have become as involved in photography if the state of its technology (i.e., digital) weren’t at the point that it is today?

Eyal Golshani: I was always interested in doing creative things, but the reasons I became more involved in photography is because it gave me a creative outlet while still giving me an opportunity to use my engineering skills to understand the technical background of using a camera and what makes a good exposure.

Continue reading ‘Found on Flickr: Eyal Golshani’

Found on Flickr: Gumanow

Published December 8, 2008 Interview , Street photography 50 Comments
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gumanow_2

This is another installment in our continuing series where we talk to photographers whose work we’ve appreciated on Flickr.

This week we feature gumanow.

cinemafia: Many of your photographs are done in the street photography vein and are taken in public at close proximity to strangers, often with them obviously aware that you are photographing them. Many people would find this kind of photography uncomfortable or impossible, yet others seem to thrive on it. What does this overt process mean to you, and how do you think it affects the people who see the end product?

gumanow: First off, let me say that I am honored that you and discarted have selected me for this interview. Thanks!

I would have to say that I thrive on getting close. Sometimes now I wish I could get even closer. Yeah, many photographers find it uncomfortable to shoot close. A lot of the time my subjects think I’m shooting behind them or they got in my way and are sorry. If they do see me, I usually give them a nod or smile. Most of the time this disarms them – I did say “most” of the time!

When I first started out shooting street I was uncomfortable with getting close to people. I started out shooting from the chest without the camera to my eye, however, this lead to a lot of very poor results. This was one of my first street shots of people. You can see in this shot by the position of my shadow that I don’t have the camera up to my eye. I shot this from my chest and you can tell by the level of the perspective. Now I shoot exclusively with the viewfinder to my eye. I still feel nervous, uncomfortable, scared, and my heart races. But after the first few shutter clicks I feel right at home and energized.

gumanow_11

I’ve heard from a lot of beginning street shooters that say if you get close you are interfering with the “slice” of life you are trying to capture. And while I’m striving for that slice, sometimes being a character in the shot is interesting as well – and that interaction with people. By putting the viewfinder to my eye I am in effect saying, “I’m taking your picture!” I’m not going to hide or pretend that I’m not. How they react to me is just as much part of the “slice” as anything else.

I’ve also seen a lot of shots using a telephoto lens from far away and the photographer still gets noticed. My approach is to get into the action, be a part of the street scene. Most of the time people don’t notice me and when they do, I try to get the shot in that split second between when they first notice me and when they react. Sometimes a glance your way can really make the shot.

Continue reading ‘Found on Flickr: Gumanow’

Found on Flickr: Smalldogs

Published November 24, 2008 Interview 39 Comments
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pastedgraphic

Here is the first interview in our occasional series where we talk to photographers whose work we’ve appreciated on Flickr.

This week we feature an image by smalldogs.

cinemafia: One of your photographs features a bathroom stall in a public restroom that is in a particularly beautiful state of disrepair. Where and how did you come to find this scene?

smalldogs: I was in New York to see friends and for a job, and a good friend of mine took me exploring to one of the many abandonments she knows. This was shot at an abandoned resort in the Catskills. We started walking in, and I immediately noticed the light in this building. It was amazing.

cinemafia: For many this photograph might fall under the genre of urban exploration, or urban decay. These are both very popular areas of photography on and off Flickr, and also ones that have a classical and historical context. Do you think the rise in this genre of photography will help enrich the work of the new generation of shooters, or will it just be eye candy?

smalldogs: Well, I guess it depends on what you’re going to do with the work, or what you’re trying to say with it. This shot is purely eye candy for me. I saw the light and the ground covering, which, as a Los Angelino, I mistook for flower petals (shows you how much we know about the four seasons out here). But, there are several photographers I know who shoot this sort of decay very well and with a particular point to make. There’s a group who call themselves the Rustafarians, in New York, who go out on expeditions regularly to shoot these kinds of scenes. They, I think, are producing work that to me is historical and beautiful at the same time. The work of Michael Bowman, in particular, evokes some interesting discussion and reflection on the progression, and state of, society. His work is especially moving to me and many others, probably because he seems to have an intent in his shooting that I did not when I was shooting this scene.

There is absolutely a need for work like Michael’s. Unfortunately, here in LA, it’s very difficult to document urban decay because abandoned buildings out here are usually shuttered up and guarded. If you get past the security, you’ll find squatters and kids just hanging out. The buildings are usually vandalized to the point where it’s hard to even see the building in its original context. And it can be very dangerous. I would never go exploring for a shot like this in LA without lots of people with me. In other cities around the country, these buildings are open and accessible. I think that’s a good thing, but I can see why it wouldn’t work in LA.

But again, even if it were accessible, I probably wouldn’t shoot it. This shot doesn’t say anything to me, it has no context that I can appreciate. Now, if I could have gotten a person into that shot, that would have made me happy. I’m very into conceptual photography and environmental portraiture. I would love to have the day to shoot some people in that location.

Continue reading ‘Found on Flickr: Smalldogs’

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