Interview (Boonville)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Photographing Thomas, Boonville, NY, Nov., 2007
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Miguel Garca-Guzman on his photography blog about my carreer in photography, The Boonville Project (I'm on day 100-something), and my time at Hallmark. It is long and in-depth but has gotten a really good response, and I am happy with it. Read the colossus (it's like 14 pages) here. Below you will find a few questions I thought this crowd might enjoy. --Timothy Briner
"A young photographer breaking his path in fine art photography. His vision, his dreams, the challenges, the inspiration.If you have to summarize the key three things that you learned at the Hallmark Institute, which ones those will be?I had the opportunity to interview photographer Timothy Briner, and he shared a candid view of his work, projects and struggles as a young photographer.
After several personal projects and a brief exploration of commercial photography, Tim is now embarked in a project, Boonville, that intends to explore “small-town” America, its people and its cultural diversity across states. But this project is not only a journey through America but a discovery of his own path." --Miguel Garcia-Guzman
Other then the techniques of photography, I would have to say that the three key things were: Determination, perseverance and trust. The school was difficult and would often set you up to fail. It was part of their “real-world” education. You had to really want it and dig down and find something inside yourself. Also, you had to rely on others, trust was a big part of the program.
The Hallmark Institute of Photography makes an emphasis on the business aspects of photography. Are you interested in commercial photography? Which is the area of commercial photography that you intend to pursue?
When I began at the school I was really ignorant to the idea of Commercial photography. I was especially ignorant to commercial vs. fine art. I had no idea how I was going to make a living. Commercial photography is Hallmark’s main focus. I think it was in the mid-nineties that George Rosa III took over the school. He started to create amazing connections with Mamyia, Profoto, and many key commercial figures in NY. The exposure we had to that part of the industry was very inspiring. Editorial, advertising, and fashion photography was what I was interested in and where I was headed. A few years ago that all changed.
When I moved to NY, I started assisting a number of different photographers and a few years later I was burnt out. I didn’t love the hustle and the scale of things that resulted in something that would end up in someone’s trash a month later. I wanted my efforts to be remembered longer then just in issue #345.
I began working for two sculptors in mid-town shortly after September 11th. They were working on an interactive memorial project in Union Square. I had only been in NYC for a year when the attacks happened and I was lonely and scared. I attached myself to the two sculptors, Mike Kervel and Ted Lawson, and began working with them daily in Union Square. They eventually hired me and I was living in their studio part-time and acting as their assistant.
We started working on a project that blew me away, and I am very grateful to have been a part of it, as it changed my entire perspective on art. The project was real. It was something that would be loved and cherished by someone forever. That is the direction I wanted my work to go.
You are at the beginning of your career in photography. What are the main challenges that you notice for a young photographer?
Money. I think the hardest thing to get past is how much money it takes to survive in a major city (where most of the work is), not to mention the price of equipment. For the first three years I lived in New York I made very little. I lived in a four bedroom apartment with four other photographers. The rent was cheap, it is really the only way to survive in the beginning.
At one point I found myself living on couches for six months. I never left though, and that was the only thing that saved me. Really, I couldn’t go anywhere else. My mother is a big supporter of my dreams; Sometimes in a backwards kind of way. At one point she told me that I couldn’t come home. I really believed her. That moment made all the difference. Of course she would have let me come home, she saw how hard it was for me, but she believed in me. Sometimes people need that support system, or that push. It’s not always as romantic as it sounds.Boonville, again, looks like a project where the narrative and storytelling will play a key role connecting the images. How are you planning to blend the images taken at different places so they communicate the message you intend to convey?
The project will unfold as a cohesive message. There are levels of story telling but it will not be as clear of a narrative as my other works.
The diverse geographical locations and range in population sizes are a major driving force behind the project. I’m using the six towns, their common name, locations, and sizes as a visual metaphor for small towns across the country. The project will represent my current views on modernity in America, the people in each of these communities and the details that make up life in small town America. I’m looking forward to juxtaposing the final images from all the regions into the finished product. The work will express my relationship to these towns and their residents. It is very personal, almost to the point of being biographical.
How do you approach to your subjects to ask for permission to photograph? Do you request any model release?I do not request a model release. The approach often depends on the day and how I am feeling. Today I passed up a group of kids that I thought might have made an interesting image, I just didn’t feel up to it. But an hour later I walked into a man’s yard. He was burning papers and garbage and I simply introduced myself, chatted for a moment, then I slightly eased him into the idea of taking a photo. He was excited about it, more then happy. The people that you think would be turned off are usually really helpful and cooperative. Normally, I get full of fear just before approaching someone. I take a few deep breaths and just walk over, or get out of the car and make myself do it. Nine times out of ten it pays off big.
It is a process though. You have to really want to engage the person, otherwise they can see right through you. I read The Tipping Point shortly before I left for Boonville and there is a part in there about smiling. It talks about smiling being contagious and people who smile are more likely to be trusted. I tried it on the subway for a few weeks. I tried to engage in conversation and to get reactions from smiles. It worked.
I try to be cheerful without seeming odd. Introductions are the first step. It may seems obvious, but a lot of people wait to introduce themselves, they feel awkward or something. Once you establish a name and an association to their current surroundings, it can all fall into place. I do struggle every single time I approach someone. I’m not as much of a people person as some might think. I like being isolated more so then not.
Read the entire thing and see selected works from the past here.
Labels: Timothy Briner
posted by Timothy Briner @ 6:56 AM,
