Photography Insights - important industry interviews by Phlogger

Welcome to photography insights, the show that interviews people from the photography world.  I’m your host Andrew Walmsley and today we have an intellectual and thought provoking photographer for you.  Dima Gavrysh started life in Ukraine and is now living and working in the USA (near Silicon Valley). 

A man who has master degrees in cinematography from Kyiv and photography from Rhode Island (RiSD)! He’s a well travelled man who has worked as a freelance photojournalist for the Associated Press.  I first came across Dima’s work through lenscratch because of his work in Afghanistan.

He tells us about important moments in his career like during 9/11 he was scanning in a news room and seeing what happened made him move to New York.  Dima ended up with an internship at the Washington Post as a prize for a Eddie Adams workshop.  After time he realised this had no meaning and saw the never ending war of Afghanistan in the news. That was the catalyst and volunteered to go over.  Dima talks about getting to know soldiers and the experience of them not coming back again.  The realities of war are boredom, anticipation and fear.  His take from his time was he found out lots of things about himself and had more questions that answers!

From his work in Afghanistan he's created a book from his project called "Inshallah" - which means "god willing".

In this one we are going to discuss:

Links

Website - https://dimagavrysh.com/

Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/3868284680/?coliid=INK10UL7ORHW6&colid=1O92LNQN8SUMN&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Donations

Please don't forget i've launched the KO-FI donation page, for anyone wanting to help me fund improvements to the show.  I'm wanting to start off with a new microphone as I was correct, its already falling apart and my headphones too.

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Zine

During the introduction I mentinoed the f/8 documentary zine - specifically the work of David Gilbert Wright. Do check it out https://www.instagram.com/f8documentary/

Welcome to photography insights, the show that interviews people from the photography world.  I’m your host Andrew Walmsley and today we have an interesting artist from Santa Monica, USA for you.  Debe Arlook is today's lovely guest who is not also an fine art photographer, but writer, mentor and curator for Pasadena Photography arts too.

Debe talks to us about her projects including "emptiness defined", "forseeable cache", "edge of an american dream", "semblance, "mirage" and "scene heard".  It was a big undertaking to get so much content so we've done our best to get this down to 60 minutes for you.  She is all about how life has handed her new turns and twists, from divorce to spirituality and being mindful.    Towards the end we even discuss why its important just to observe and how 1 hour looking at something can help you.

So in this one we discuss:

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/debearlook/

Website - https://www.debearlookphotography.com/

Pasadena arts  - http://pasadenaphotographyarts.org/

News

It was very strange but I've done my first model shoot - my god it was tough getting used to this.  Even managed to use some colorplus on a family seaside day.  During the bank holiday I also managed to walk around Sheffield on a rainy day with a friend too - it's not always about photography.

Zine

As you all heard last week the zine was launched and its out of stock - so really chuffed.  Thank you all to my mates who bought copies - you know who you are :)

Donations

Please don't forget i've launched the KO-FI donation page, for anyone wanting to help me fund improvements to the show.  I'm wanting to start off with a new microphone as I was correct, its already falling apart and my headphones too.

Thanks go to last weeks guest too-  he provided our first official donation.  Honestly its really appreciated, so cheers Steven.

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Welcome to photography insights, the show that interviews people from the photography world.  I’m your host Andrew Walmsley and today we have an excellent film and polaroid photographer for you.  Steven Meyer Rassow is what is known as a digital artist, as his day job involves him designing book covers and artwork for people.

During his free time he is an advocate of film and loves the square format, but not just film.  Steven shoots and loves Polaroid too, and has a variety of work to showcase and discuss.

He is a lovely and open person, who freely discusses his work and passion. We actually met through one of my Kodak competitions over a year ago now and one of his photographs had a lasting effect on me.

In this one we discuss:

Steven is also put through our random questions so find out why he wants to punch Steven Seagal!

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/smrphotoart/

Website - http://smrphotoart.com/#prettyPhoto

Instagram (work) - https://www.instagram.com/designbysmr/

Website - https://www.designbysmr.com/

Zine

Finally i'm proud to tell you all my first body of work is available to buy!  I'm very humbled by static age wanting to print this work and constant encouragement.  You all know i'm an advocate of the printed medium so to have something printed myself is incredible. 

Not everyone realises simply how much this achievement means to me on a personal level.  My background is very humble, i'm from a poor family i have to be honest, i was an average student and brought up around a mixture of great people and not so great due to the location.  I plodded along in life for many years and always felt like something was missing.  Photography has allowed me to talk to you all, share my love, passion and zest for life.  Hopefully it's the start of a new chapter.

The zine is only UK £4 delivered too so very affordable, even if you can't afford to buy it just share the link - i will be eternally grateful.

Donations

Please don't forget i've launched the KO-FI donation page, for anyone wanting to help me fund improvements to the show.

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Welcome to photography insights, the show that interviews people from the photography world.  I’m your host Andrew Walmsley and today we have an excellent street photographer for you.

Ovidiu Selaru's work for those that don’t already know is simply stunning.  He has captured in mono and colour for different reasons. Using architecture, perspectives and shadows so well.  It’s no surprise he has been shortlisted for this years British photo awards.  You will see he has offered workshops in the past and still sells prints of his work too.

Ovidiu talks to us about his preparation and approach. We cover some of his gear and minimalist approach.

So in this one we discuss:

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ovidiuselaru_/

Website - https://www.selaruovidiu.com/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Articles

Anyone following my feed will notice I wrote an article about the importance of friendships.  The whole idea of this was about supporting the work of others, doing something for someone else.  I'm a big believer in random acts of kindness, it makes you feel good.  If you want to check it out go here - link

Donations

So after discussing this last week I have finally implemented a way for anyone to donate.  This will help with ongoing improvements and hosting costs for the website.  I don't allow adverts on my website unlike most other people - i believe it detracts and distracts from the content. I want to stay as ethical as I can and the only option is donations.

Every single pound/dollar is really appreciated and you will be mentioned (if you are happy with that).

You can do this through the link on my site or here - link

As you know I've come across a lot of artists through the website Lenscratch.com and do urge you all to check it out.  Recently Karen Constine recommended I talk with the founder of the resource - Aline Smithson, so that's what I did.  After reaching Aline, was only to happy to chat.

Another lovely person who is all about giving, sharing information and providing a free resource for everyone. It's a hell of an effort to write regular and find time for your work too (i know this).  But after 14 years, Aline is still going strong and now has a team of writers alongside her.  What is unusual about this site is everything here is free and it was done this way on purpose and all the staff are volunteers too.  Very commendable they provide this for others.

Aline is a not only a talented photographer but her roots are in painting, so you will see some of this in her photography.  What I really liked was the different projects she has worked on and some of these are just so much fun.  It's not something I have seen a lot of so nice for a change. Though we will only get to talk about a few of these like "arrangement", "the lonesome doll" and "in case of rain" you really should delve in to her website to look at her portfolio.   Arrangement is about her mother and has been exhibited in Russia, Korea, China, France, Italy and the USA.

There are a few statements Aline made during the podcast and tells you about her thought process to photography.  The idea of lenscratch was to give back to community, but also she is a big believer in being patient.  In fact I took this quote:

"your work may not get celebrated now, but when your turn comes everyone will celebrate you” 

Personally I really love this and we go on to explain why she talks about this. We also discuss:

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alinesmithson/

Website - http://alinesmithson.com/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Facebook group

Don't forget this resource is there for anyone, need to let some steam off or chat about life?  Then come be around other creatives and help each other - https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerstheraphy

For episode 130 I'm talking to a guy I have followed for a while in the film community and long admired.  Originally noticed his analogue work and then started hearing him help out the team at Sunny 16 podcast.  One of the core reasons I became to admire the work was the openness about sharing details and any techniques but also his fun attitude.  Eric is full of laughter and smiles, throughout his interviews, whether a guest or host - its just his friendly personality.

It's been great talking to someone with passion for film and most formats too (so even 4x5).  We talk about his adventures travelling around and expired film and his many camera choices.  Eric talks about his start with podcasting too and he's put a great show together with Vania, thats very different.  It has segments of news, reviews, education on photographers, listener messages and even dev parties!  Honestly the relationship they have is great and I'm thoroughly enjoying listening.

So in this one:

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/conspiracy.of.cartographers/

Zines - https://www.etsy.com/shop/consofcart?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=25217794

Podcast website - https://allthroughalens.com/about/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Facebook group

Don't forget this resource is there for anyone, need to let some steam off or chat about life?  Then come be around other creatives and help each other - https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerstheraphy

Welcome to episode 129 of photography insights, i'm your host Andrew Walmsley and today we have another artist for you.  I came across Rita Maas through the lovely Elizabeth Stone.  She's another lovely lady living and working in New York.  What caught my eye with Rita's work is that its completely different to any other photographer I have seen. Her latest body of work fuses the world of digital and print technology with photography.  This one is about re-using printer inks, stamps and making patterns and objects from these using a digital workflow.  We will talk about this ink project, her tidal one, 20th century plastics and rub-o-grams!  There will be a few examples of the work we discuss on my blog, so do check them out for further information.

Rita has many years experience in the field (shot food for agencies) and has worked across film, Polaroid, large format and many other types of processes too.  Looking through Rita's website you can see such a wide range of projects that she has worked on.  From rubber bands to food, tides  and ink you must check them out.

In this one we are going to discuss:

Quote

From the episode I took these few words:

"photograph -  its a reproduction of something,something that stands in for something else”

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ritamaas/

Website - https://www.ritamaas.com/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Facebook group

Don't forget this resource is there for anyone, need to let some steam off or chat about life?  Then come be around other creatives and help each other - https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerstheraphy

For episode 128 of photography insights we bring you another amazing artist, someone who has become a friend.

Jonah Calinawan made me feel very special like I am actually creating something useful for people.  He was an accountant for 25 years,decided to go to art school, become a cyanotype artist and now moving towards the world of acamedia through his PHD. Jonah uses his teachings to influence and learn about life and has a fondness for the thoughts of Jung.

Jonah’s work has multiple layers from the design to the implementation and presentation.  It’s a really interesting approach and the images are very thought provoking.  It’s like he’s always been meant to move in photography and learn about himself through his studies.

So in this one we are going to discuss:

Quote

During the course of the show there were 2 quotes that stood out, but believe this one tells you about Jonah:

“symbiotic relationship thats happening between my writing and my imaging making.”

Links

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JonahCyanotype/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jonahcalinawan/

Website - https://jonahcalinawan.com/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Facebook group

Don't forget this resource is there for anyone, need to let some steam off or chat about life?  Then come be around other creatives and help each other - https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerstheraphy

Welcome to episode 127 of photograph insights. This week we have a guest from Los Angeles, who received her B.A. from the University of California.  Karen Constine is a friendly photography who describes herself as someone who practise examines aspects of cultural traditions and spaces that are in transition.

We found Karen through the website lenscratch.com which is a wonderful resource for those looking for inspiration (thanks to Linda Alterwitz)! After looking through Karen's work with infrared I just had to get in touch with her.  She has created this view of Los Angeles that makes it look like another world. It's Karen's response to COVID and about documenting the change.  What was important as Karen says was seeing nature take itself back and infrared is a great way of showing this.

Karen loves to work with people and has documented a community of people that love Harajuku Japanese fashion. Listen as Karen describes this colourful style of dressing that is around the globe.  She has been fortunate to visit many countries around the world including India, Colombia, Namibia, Iceland and Myanmar.  I urge you to check out her website and look at some of the images we discuss in the podcast, which should give you some context too.

In this one we discuss:

Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karenconstine/

Website - https://www.karenconstinephotography.com/

Friends

For all your c41 developing needs - https://filmdev.co.uk/

Large format cameras, medium format & accessories - https://chroma.camera/

Great and affordable zines from Static Age - https://www.staticage.co.uk/

Facebook group

Don't forget this resource is there for anyone, need to let some steam off or chat about life?  Then come be around other creatives and help each other - https://www.facebook.com/groups/photographerstheraphy

Shout out

Please check out @f8documentary on instagram, Gisela from the team has brought out her own book called “that golden mile” and is printed by fistul of books.  Looks interesting and after pay day I will be ordering myself one. Link is here - https://fistfulofbooks.com/product/that-golden-mile/

Welcome to the results show!  Finally we've got through all 76 entries and sat down with the judges to discuss the photographs.  It was really nice to see lots of entries using Kodak TMax too - there were 26 of them so easily the most widely used.  So without further ado let's get on with the podcast and announce the competition winners.

1st prize - Marilena Vlachopoulou (aka @Darkroom.Memoir)

The image was shot on Kodak Tri-x and developed at home.

The subject was all about black lives matter and there has been no truer time to discuss this then during COVID.  The movement because centre spread across the global media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL2KmLlmQ-/

As a reminder Marilena wins the following:

10 x rolls of Kodak TMax P3200 B&W 35mm film

3 x films developed & scanned (high res) by Zone Imaging Lab

1 x “All in a days work” by David Collyer (hand signed)

3 x zines, 2 x post card size prints + sticker from Static Age

5 x post card prints by Michael Behlen (aka Analog Forever magazine)

2nd prize - Maria from Crete (aka @maria.kll)

Maria entered with a couple of lovely photos, but we all felt this idea of a full face mask against the background worked really well.  It was a good take on the mask which has become a symbol of the pandemic.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLzSCcelUUl/

As a reminder Maria wins:

1 x “All in a days work” by David Collyer

3 x zines, 1 x post card size prints + sticker from Static Age

3 x post card prints by Michael Behlen (aka Analog Forever magazine)

3rd prize - Ben Hughes (aka @benhughesphoto)

Ben's photo was a link to all childrens past but also the future.  It was all about what a child is looking forward to when the lockdown and virus has moved away from us.  It's simple, clean and entertaining.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4od8KH6Pc/

Ben wins:

2 x zines, 1 x post card size prints  + stick by Static Age

2 x post card prints by Michael Behlen (aka Analog Forever magazine)

Honourable mentions

It's not easy judging a competition, everyone has their own impressions of what constitutes a great image and its relevance to the theme (covid). So we went backwards and forwards with a few suggestions and was really surprised by the quality of some of the colorplus results - so when done all.  In the end we decided to nominate a few that were very close to winning.

Even better for you all - Pete at Static Age has offered to send some zines anyway so watch out for those in the mail soon!

They are:

Hector (aka @hectorrezno) 

David Gilbert Wright (aka @f8documentary)

Carlos (aka @shutterbot_)

Thanks

It was my honour to have David Collyer and Pete from Static Age judge the competition.  Both men offer experience in photography from different fields - but in the film world.    We also have to thank James Lane at Zone Imaging Lab for his prize too, James is a great force in the world of development and helps in the community through his own Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/filmphotographyuk

Of course I thank Kodak Alaris for their continued support of my work and providing the TMax B+W P3200 for the winner.