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INTERVIEW 010 ALESSANDRO RUGGIERI MACERATA, ITALY ONE what should people know about your location, the movement of your location, and how it changes your work? 1: last year i lived back and forth between London - Rome - and Macerata for a few months. now i've been settled in Macerata since May 2013. a few people pointed out that in my work one is never sure about where the picture was taken and that the stream of photos produce some kind of disorientation. i don't live a traveller/nomad life.. i mean the frequency of my trips is quite average, anyway i've almost always a camera in my pocket and surely when travelling photography can become an opportunity for a wider and deeper observation of an environment. anyway i'm quite settled at the moment and maybe the feeling of changing location in my photos is given by these factors: -the fact i tend to explore and try to find new aspect in the same environment. -the fact that i often go back over old photos creating correlations between things sometimes distant in time and space; i guess these are in fact correlations in my point of view. The point of view slowly changes through places as your personality/feelings change.. but that could be a slow process. i often feel my photographs are quite similar independently from the context,, they result in a similar mess of different subjects, situations and environments; and I guess this mess it's a representation of my mind and the conscious looking for a home for an identity. trying to make some order with photos of this mess. TWO favorite alcoholic beverage? 2: i don't think i've got a favorite booze,, if It's a drinking nite I usually go with wine or beer during a meal then something stronger after dinner like cocktails or shots.. if i'm in my hometown i usually drink some VARNELLI, which is a typical anise liquor from here then beer again to keep it stable.

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INTERVIEW 009

Susanna Spångberg

PARIS, FRANCE

anything with whiskey, whiskey sour, on the rocks, with coke. 

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INTERVIEW 008

  AGNIESZKA CHABROS

  MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

  ONE 

where are you from (where are you now?) 

1: Originally i’m from Wroclaw – city in south-west Poland and now i live In Melbourne, Australia.

  TWO

 does this place inspire you? are you more inspired by your new location)

 2: both places are totally different but they both truly inspiring. Wroclaw is an old, historical town with Gothic cathedrals at one side and communist, concrete architecture at the other. It’s hard not to be amazed and inspired there.

Melbourne has this young, modern and inviting vibe. i love how all the different cultures and people are connected here in making this place unique.

  THREE 

what is your first memory that made you want to pursue

photography deeper?

  3: i guess i don’t have so called turning point in my live when I decided this is what I want to do. it happened more on subconscious level for me. but the person who introduced me to photography was my Godfather who was a photographer. he was shooting endless rolls of black & white film of his girlfriends and students life.

  FOUR

 go to camera?

  4: i should start with saying i have too many of them now, most of it I don’t use anymore but thanks to that I’ve managed to pick my favourites which includes of: Olympus mjuII, Nikon F100 and D700 and Contax G2. This probably tells that I’m not a hi tech fan and love to have simple gear which helps me focus more on the subject and mood.

  FIVE

 favourite alcoholic beverage?

  5: this would be: gin + tonic + lime

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INTERVIEW 006

 IGOR TERMENON

 EDINBURGH, UK

ONE

where are you from, where are you at?

1: i'm from Ponferrada, a small town in the north west of Spain and i'm currently living in Edinburgh, UK.

 TWO

how does your location change your photography most?

2: i think it's easier to find better locations here, at least the type of things i want for my photographs. since i moved to the UK around 4 years ago i've been really attracted to all the brutalist architecture and it has become an important part of my work.

THREE

what do you think about Instagram?

3: i think it's a good tool to keep a kind of personal visual diary but i don't think it is real photography.

 FOUR

 tell me about girls on film, present past future.

4: Girls on Film is a film photography zine. it started in March 2011 as an online zine and then evolved into a print publication. i've just launched a new website for the zine with lots of online content and the idea is to keep both channels (online and paper) and see how it evolves!

 FIVE

awhile back you got a contax rangefinder, what do you think about it?

5: i'm currently using a Contax T2 and i'm actually really happy with it. i mainly like it because it's quite handy to carry around and the colours of the photographs are great.

 SIX

 can we expect showings, books, etc soon?

6: don't have much planned right now but I might be putting together a zine with some personal work early next year.

 SEVEN

what are you doing between photography?

7: lots of things! i actually work full time in a digital marketing agency and i'm also the managing editor of Future Positive, a website showcasing creative and entrepreneurial projects from all over the world.

EIGHT

favorite alcoholic beverage?

8: Gin & Tonic. without cucumber, please.

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INTERVIEW 005

MÁRIO MACEDO

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

  ONE

you live in Denmark, how is it different from you home?

1:well i really like Copenhagen. i came to a film school here back in 2011 and made a lot of friends in the country, so i always come back. it's way different than my place back in Portugal. over there i live in a rather small village, which is still nice but tends to get boring after some time. here I have an art collective with some friends and we all try to go crazy, especially on weekends.

TWO

what is your art collective called and what do you produce?

2: our collective is named 73 (we're releasing the webpage really soon, but we already have a fb page: (https://www.facebook.com/pages/73collective/508049885912450). basically we all met back at European Film College and since then we've been producing whatever we feel like. we make films, paintings, photography, music, texts. anything, really. we also really like to produce music videos for nice and upcoming bands.

THREE

you went to European Film College, is there a takeaway message that you would like to share?

3: the best thing i learned at EFC was that you must stick to your friends, no matter where in the world they are. also you must not give a shit about what they teach you. learn it and then just do it how you feel like you should do it. have no prejudice, immerse yourself in what you care and create in a way that you please yourself first.

FOUR

what's your favorite piece of photographic equipment?

4: I pretty much only use point and shoot cameras. i have a Yashica t4 and a Leica minilux. they are easy, fast and they have great lenses, and quality. i found they were the perfect type of cameras for me. i don't care much about the technical part of photography, i prefer to focus on what’s around me.

FIVE

has the global economic depression hurt your ability to focus on photography because you are jobless?

5: it always affects, somehow. i've been jobless pretty much all my life and I'm one of those that got out of school in the middle of this economic crash, so yes, i've never known any other condition than this one. i tend not to really care and do my own thing, still it would be amazing getting paid to create in a steady way. it gets expensive because i only shoot film. but i guess in the end we always get money for our vices, in one way or the other.

  SIX

what's your favorite alcoholic beverage?

6: well considering alcohol it always depends on the moment, the mood and the cash i have in my pockets. but usually it varies from whisky, beer and, when i'm really low on my economies, bambus (red wine+cola).

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Stay Golden suggests ideas of the uncertainties and vulnerabilities of existing in the world through the direct and curious observation of our everyday environment. The title comes from some graffiti I came across referencing a quote from the novel, The Outsiders. These images loosely depict everyday struggle and the desire to remain "golden", innocent and pure in a world of insecurities.

The series is an on-going photographic survey of everyday Americana: over-looked places, objects, buildings, vehicles, and signage. They are mostly vacant, emptied spaces, void of people but reeking of human presence. I am fascinated by the decisions people make, why they make them and by the layering effect of these decisions over time and how they can transform common things. I love dry humor, playful relationships and quirky coincidences.

Photography describes more than can be explained. It forces attention, the need to look and look again. I want to be rewarded with surprise and a re-charged awareness of my surroundings, enjoying the subtle mysteries and metaphors found in the commonplace.

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INTERVIEW 003

MICHAEL AST

LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ONE

where do you live and how does it impact your photography?

1: i live in Lehigh County, a semi-rural, pleasant spot in southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s just north of Philadelphia, and 90 miles east of New York City. the area is drenched in history, significant to the origins of this country.

i’m dependent on a good deal of silence. i can find that where i live. it’s imperative for me in order to really think properly and reflect upon things. i definitely feel a kinship with my environment and it serves as a template for many of the photographs i make. since a kid I’ve been drawn to the outdoors. i have vivid memories returning home from school to immediately go behind our house and, though juvenile and innocent, damage the local farmer’s cornfield, making mazes to the other side. it’s regrettable reminiscing of how romantic it all seemed, but how else was I to get to the other side in an adventurous way? i think I’m still exploring the landscape in much the same way, only tearing it apart with cameras and heavy thoughts. not that I classify myself as a landscape photographer, but I’m certain my maternal landscape inspired me heavily to probe for deeper meaning, to milk the most from experiences. photography is attractive precisely for its mechanics and the authority it permits to be investigative. that sense of exploration governs my curiosity to find and make gratifying images. there is immense energy everywhere. i feel quite fortunate for the accessibility i have to the idyllic, the suburban, the urban environments and culture. it abounds all around.

TWO

what is your photographic process, you switch between black and white and color. does this reflect an organized idea of how your photographic product is meant to turn out, or do you just happen to have a certain camera “setup” at a certain time? do you hand process black and white?

2: photography takes years of failure before any personal resonating success. i’ll guess a good 10 years of failure. i spent years shooting exclusively b&w film, developing and printing it. i spent many years shooting color chromes, getting cibachromes made. (God I hated those glossy prints!) i embrace them both. i pity photographers who box themselves in and pay lip service to some kind of “branding” they’re supposed to fall under. what silly behavior! each day is a new day. sometimes i wake up and want to give form to things with the immaculate nature that b&w photography delivers. other days I’m on an emotive kick, and color seems to render that better. there’s no science to it. If there was, i’d move on to something else. i like blending the two. both mediums take serious dedication and work.

i still keep my hands quite dirty. i have been pursuing printmaking for the past 5 years. there is nothing like hand-pulling a photo-etching off the plate. it rivals a print emerging in the developer bath.

only in the last 2 years have I found comfortability with digital photography. i can now use a digital camera as intuitive and impulsively as my film cameras. i don’t like perfect looking pictures. digital cameras want to deliver technical finesse. you have to treat the cameras with a bit of disdain, and slowly they begin to obey you. pressing buttons and dials and histograms, drives me nuts! but let’s be honest, it’s more affordable. practicality wins in my book, as long as you’re achieving the final result you’re after. i do not rely on post-processing. if I’m after b&w images, then i set the camera’s profile to b&w so i can preview in b&w. and likewise for color. i saw Moriyama with his assistant deciding whether to keep his RAW images as color, or convert them to b&w … it pained me. the decision making is out in the field. photography is about the moment and my experiences during that moment. period.

THREE

what can we expect to see from you in the future?

3: i am self-publishing my first book titled “Trying to Find the Ocean”. hoping to get her done by year end and ready for shipment in the beginning of 2014. the book will be printed offset in an edition of 300. i’d like to pitch an exhibition in tandem with the book. my experience making the book began with much naivete, but slowly i’ve been able to tackle the project. it’s been a giant learning curve, but well worth the pursuit. crossing my fingers for the least amount of mistakes. i’m currently going headstrong making a new batch of etchings. last spring i began combining plates, not just photographic, but also making aquatint etchings. i’ve been manipulating copper with acid and such. i absolutely love the limitless possibilities that printmaking offers and the tangibility to provide additional expressiveness to my photography. i’ve shown a few prints in group exhibitions, but i’d like to showcase them together under one roof. music is another avenue i need to get back to making. i am a guitarist, and have enough chops on drums and bass. just today i contacted my friend who is a producer and musician to book some studio time. i need to make some rock-n-roll. my wife Angela and i have 2 young children who are ultimately my top priority. living through the eyes of my little monkeys is a love supreme.

FOUR

Favorite alcoholic beverage?

my favorite alcohol? good question. i’d have to go with Guinness. though, in the summer that’s a tough shake to swallow! Woodford Reserve on the rocks does me good, too. the thing about Guinness is he’s a great opponent for those who relish in excess. you simply can’t swallow too many of them. it’s a friendly, delicious buzz.

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INTERVIEW 002

AMANDA MIDTUN

PORTLAND, OREGON

ONE

so talk about Portland. are you from the city of roses or did you move there to explore your youth?

1:i was born in Santa Rosa, CA but have lived in/around Portland since i was 4, this is definitely the place where i learned to become myself or whateva

TWO

a lot of your pictures are taken during partying, what is it that makes party photography so appealing to you?

2: i like to take pictures of people having fun, enjoying themselves and try very hard to only capture candid photos. i never really thought i had a theme to any of my pictures but it has been pointed out a lot that they are 'party pix'. i think they are my favorite because they show my favorite people and places that others wouldn't necessarily have the option to see themselves.

THREE

what is in your camera toolbox, is there one specific camera/ film that you refer to?

3:i have around 10 cameras, i need to fix my favorite one(or i guess snag another one off ebay), Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 70, so currently my go-to camera is my Olympus OM-1, which is a totally different vibe of picture. So for any flash/night pictures i just grab a disposable. i also have a Minolta x7000 and a few cheap Kodak flip-up flash cameras I don't much prefer.....and of course a digital, also Olympus. i guess that makes me a fan of Olympus (laughs)

FOUR

are you working on a project, or do you have something already done? both?

4: i'm currently working on a loose electronic music project. i really think that the lights and energy in electronic shows translates wonderfully in photos, and hopefully my eye is different from those already done. i just did a little photography  show for Quarry(STYLSS)https://www.facebook.com/quarrymusic and am also talking to two female rappers in the area about doing their album work, until i've worked out that my more personal projects have to take the back burner. i'm constantly trying to think more and more abstract then what i'm comfortable with. without that growth, what's the point? i also have been trying to work out the logistics and amount of time/work it will take for me to start a website and get more professional with it. currently i operate through word of mouth, which has done perfectly well for me up until now. i just think it's time to start thinking big picture. i also got started with photography when i was 19(22 now), i had an old camera sitting in my room that my brother had given me years and years before and a friend of mine asked me what kind of pictures i took and had to explain to him i had never used it. after that i made it my mission to utilize it and started taking it everywhere i went and documenting everything i saw. after that i became known as the girl with a camera around her neck. i taught myself everything when I got more, nicer cameras. i try to tell everyone who wants to do what i do that it's not too late, and no one is good when they start. It takes practice and trial and error. i know a few people who take it way too seriously and really intimidated me when i started and i really don't want it to be a pretentious thing. everyone has a unique way of seeing things and it'd be a shame to go to waste because they think they won't be good enough

FIVE

favorite alcoholic drink?

5: whiskey sour

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INTERVIEW 001

ROMAIN BRUNET

PARIS, FRANCE

ONE

when looking at your images it is clear you have employed the use of a hard flash on your subjects. what is it that interests you by using this flash method?

1:i use the flash pretty often, i want my pictures to look brutal. it depends on my subjects, or situation that is in front of me. this makes the picture very rough and sometimes amateur, that's what interests me. the aim is to impress the viewer.

  TWO

 what camera(s) do you use mainly, what is it about the device(s) that you enjoy so much?

2:i often change device, or they break, or rendering after a while does not satisfy me. i think a camera is similar to a weapon, you must found after a time the right one for all situations. for now i use a Minolta Riva Zoom 125. But i approach increasingly to digital.

  THREE

you are from Paris, do you think this has a lot to do with your imaginative photographs versus if you were from a less urban area such as the countryside?

3:Paris does not inspire me a lot, even if i adore this city. It is a capital which is very nostalgic and old. what interests me are the ultra modern places or no man's lands. it's more interesting to photograph modern rather than old buildings lines.

  FOUR

are you formally educated in photography or is it a passionate hobby?

4:i received an education in applied arts for 7 years, but i never have taken a photography course. it's a passion that i practiced for several years.

  FIVE

do you have a day job, what is it, what do you do?

5:as i just finished my school career, i have not found a job yet. But usually Ii work all day on my computer.

  SIX

are there any projects you are currently working on?

6:there are several projects that i would like to achieve, first creating several fanzines about young photographers, and our photo's subjects, construction sites and human body interest me at the moment.

  SEVEN

what do you think about major film producers going bankrupt?

7:i think there will always be people who will use photographic film, like the Polaroids. it's like the music industry with vinyls which are still used today. i think there will remain one producer of photographic film.

  EIGHT

what photographers inspire you now and in the past?

8:today photographers who inspire me is Thomas Ruff, Sasha Kurmaz, my friend Fanny Schlichter do a very interesting work too, ect… ect…

  NINE

favorite alcoholic beverage?

9:vodka

  TEN

where do you see your photography in 10 years?

10:I hope to find them in magazines, galleries, then that's what we all hope, have our fingers crossed

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