All language subtitles for 11. Student Sessions

Emily,

so Emily, tell me

about this work.

Are these

who's?

This person is at you?

Oh, no, that's my

best friend from Portland, from my
home.

I just am a first year, and I have
other ones too, but

I like

working off my inspirations.

And most of my inspirations he's a lot
of

props in their work, like I and I am
esca,

and stuff

is not very personal, but it's still
like,

and I do a lot of paintings off of my
own.

That's funny.

And these, I don't feel like I'm seeing
props.

I feel like I'm seeing a series

of movements

from a person who's

sort of reluctant to look at the camera.

But

you know how that feels,

she's very shy,

shy.

So it's so beautiful.

And is she a friend?

Yeah, she's my best friend.

Yeah,

yeah, I did a lot of pictures of her,
because all last year, if we wish up,

her she's my best friend.

And, yeah, that's like, feeling a
subject I had.

And I took a lot of pictures of her in
the wilderness, like, she lived

near our house, had like Fields

of cows, and we'd take pictures, and
she do films with me.

And so we kind of switch off that way.

And then you can really tell it's
Portland because of the wilderness.

And like

the trees,

it's a little

magic time, a little treasure time.

And he should really take advantage of
it.

You'll be on to something else and

do more a bit.

Yes, kyile.

Here are you?

So, actually, am I first year, art
history major,

looking into photography?

I'd like to major in photography,

but this is shot with black and white
film.

I'm taking my first dark room, of
course, here.

And so I went out and took the specific
photos.

The folksman, straight,

is a very strong sense of composition.

We're using the

rectangle, you know, really, really
well.

How did you know to use the full frame?

Or are these cropped,

these three pictures here,

or is this actually a set?

I'm

the one.

Yeah, these are all, I mean,

all individual.

But I did not do any cropping, right?

So

that's what I like about them.

Yeah,

a lot of it was experimental, and I was
kind of like seeing how it came out in

the darker.

But even that like, image on the bottom
there, like, part of my film, got

messed up, so it's like, some of it's
not actually been supposed to be there,

but it turned out that's the best stuff.

And what camera you camera using

top, were you?

Well, that was the other thing, the
artist student, we never talked about

cameras.

We never talked, I still I'm, so not a
technical photographer.

I had benulta swt one.

I used to line up the little

point inside the, you know, like thing,
to get okay, did I think right?

Exposure?

And I was like, so

it's not, certainly, not about cameras.

And I can tell

that you were all sort of

beyond that already.

But go ahead tell us about your
photography.

What camera are you using right now?

Appendax k 1000.

Did they don't make that anymore?

No, think so.

Yeah.

And your lens is at one lens, or, yeah,
it just 35 millimeter.

35

that's the lens.

3535

is supposed to be closest to the I

that's interesting.

I'd like to hear about

lenses.

I had one lens when I went to school
here.

It was

on that monolta, and it was of 50.

And

because I didn't know any better, and I
could make that fifty field, 35.

Or,

you know, is that, you know, all know
this story, because you've been doing

this long enough that if you want to
close up lens, you get closer.

To it.

And if you want to wider lens, you step
back.

The 35 is a great lens.

I hated when the

zoo lenses came in,

because people would stand right in
front of you with their zoom lenses.

And imagery was so ugly,

working for the magazines all these
years, working for vanny fair, particularly,

it's a funny thing, there's a gutter

in the picture, because it's printed in
the magazine.

So there's a gutter.

So the gutter turns into like a person.

It turns out it's like, it's a thing.

I think it was after Hocking, I started
to shoot, shooting to the left and

shooting to the right, and then putting
it together.

And it was actually two pictures, but
you start to see more.

And sometimes we were in a really small
room, and you just can't

stand back.

I just shoot a little to left and she,
little, right, and then digitally put

it together.

And it got to be weird after a while,
because,

I mean, my work is very spontaneous
anyway.

But what started to happen is, things
really got boring, you know, because it

was either happening the actions that
were happening on the right or the

left.

And I'm not in the middle

so, it's an interesting.

Try it.

Take your camera, take your freak,
people out here, take your 35,

and, you know, you don't have to

hide the fact that you've done that.

You can run those two pictures
together, and it just gives you a

little bit more

carverage.

Anyway, hockney's work was so brilliant.

I think it's great to

open up

the window and see what else you see,

is the artist still,

especially as a first year student.

Are they teaching how to see?

Are they kind of talking about looking
and seeing?

Or I don't know that as much, because I
was surprised when I came here, I

thought it was going to be more about
that.

We jumped right into, I mean, kind of
going out and like, seeing what you

want to shoot on your own,

coming up,

and, like, I hadn't photographed for
really any people before.

And that's what I was, kind of, I'm
interested in.

Like, work is kind of like, I like to
as, like, I submitted all the same.

I like a series work, or, like
documentary,

definitely as a documentary feel.

But Bisley has some abstraction to it,
which is really quite nice.

Honestly, I don't remember anything
they thought as,

but I do remember

I did have Bruce nauman

for sculpture,

he didn't talk the whole time.

The whole time, he didn't talk, and we
would come to class and he didn't talk.

So, you know,

just like two years ago, I visited
Bruce down and with his wife, Susan

rothenberg in

just outside of Santa Fe,

and photographed them in their studios.

And finally, I said, you know, I was
one of your students

back in the art institute, and I said,
you never talked, you know.

And so he said, I know,

he said, I didn't think I should.

I thought

if someone wanted to know something,
they were going to ask me a question.

Anyway, it was kind of,

but you have to understand.

In the days I was going here,

it was the Vietnam War.

The gi bill was very active in the
school, was, a lot of the students were

being

veterans,

who are a bit crazy from the war.

So there was a lot of

sort of insanity going on in this
school.

Well, I'm sure none of it happens now,
but

just kidding.

But

what I do remember the most is

this feeling of being able to sit in
rooms with other photographers

and have a sense of camaraderie

and looking

at work together.

And being pushed on,

your fellow students pushed you on more
than

your teacher.

Would you know you were learning more
from each other than almost,

and that the school was more like

a facility, a place to come to and work
and gather.

And most importantly, they

really feel like I had learned how to
see here.

And I do think that serves me up until
today.

Because I feel like, you know,

that

what we become is observers.

We really are

very strong observers, because we

have decided to become photographers

and how we use it.

I'm just enamored with photography

and its latitude,

and how you can, all the different
possibilities of how to use photography.

And I'm seeing it here today, and I'm so

happy to see again the diversity in the
way everyone's using it.

as creative artist,

I am mamming.

I took these portraits a couple months

ago, and basically, I was so close to
my subjects,

basically, I shot them right at their
faces.

So I nearly pull the lens

in front of

my models.

And it's definitely out of my
conversation and out of their commerson

as well.

It's like, physically, if you get that
close to a person, with a hole, like a

big lens, which creates that kind of
like uncomfort, like anxiety.

And then basically, I gave them exactly
the same directions.

I given them the same amount of time,
and then just tried to catch

the,

like, different attempts from them.

And then the thing that I was thinking,
like, when instead decided the moment

for me and them like this from,

because they are just like, trying so
hard.

And then they couldn't hold that
expression very long, because it's

really hard to

like, you, has to require a lot of the
strength

of your face.

What did you tell them to do?

So I show them at the same replication
of a bust,

which is done by a German sculptor
called Mr.

Smith.

And then so they saw that replication of

the bust,

and then they were trying to mimic that
particular facial expression.

Well, I mean, you'd definitely have

there's a director in you,

which is, it's very hard to

be a director.

So what lens are you using?

And also, you should evenly lit.

How could you bring the camera so close?

And

so

I use a continuous light,

putting it really far away.

And then

I was using a 28 millimeter lens.

So if the photo is large you can see

it's really shallow depth of feel.

You can only see the eyes are in focus,
like, mm.

And then I got a lot of critiques from
my other instructors and peers, and

they're questioning like, they feel
really disturbing when seeing people's

nose out of focus.

And I see in focus,

they wish to see the whole face in
focus.

Whoa

new,

that's new.

And is this digital or, yeah, it's
digital.

We've changed our

the way

we want everything to be sharp.

Now

it's very weird, right?

And we used to see things

sharp, and we know

oo is too sharp, but I want to see that
sharp.

And now it's like,

it's funny that people want to see
things so sharp.

These are very sculptural, for sure,

and brave on the people

who suited for you.

So

these two are dark roomprints.

This one stuff four by five from a four
by five negative

ticket here.

And this one, I mean, it's probably so
far, one of my favorite photographs

that I've done, it's a 35 millimeter,
taken in Brazil.

And he has a deep connection with my
dad and what he does.

Because

my dad, all my life, he always had this
interest that came from his dad of

raising cattle

and as a kid growing up.

I had never

had any interest in it.

like, this lack of as bonding in that
sense.

And

he invited me to this strip, and he was
like, yeah, you should go.

You can take photographs.

And I was like, there's no way I can
say no now.

And this was one of the photos that
came out.

And

were you sitting?

We had to be inside.

was, actually, I was outside.

Oh, I was able to say, it's a
beautifully composed it's, really

pretty handsome as, right on.

And who was this person here that's one
of my best friends.

And I've just recently been really
pushing myself into taking

portraits and getting more into

representing people that are.

That means something to me.

I have photos of my grandma as well,
because she's,

I mean, she's getting towards the end
of her life, so I'm trying to represent

her for pictures.

But sometimes I'm like,

how should I do this?

How should I

come about?

My grandma is in Brazil.

She still lives in her house, but every
day there's someone there to spend the

night and be with her.

They rotate between my mom and their
sisters.

Those would be nice to photograph her
mom there with him.

Yeah, she's her mother.

Yeah, I have a couple of photographs of
that too.

I'm sure they don't mind, and they
probably like it.

Yeah,

I mean, I'm just trying to, just
thinking about the way that I can do

it, but it doesn't feel so staged,
because my grandma don't spread you

weary of the camera.

And she starts, like, puzzy.

She says, fuzzy, yeah, that's not.

Trust me, if you sit there long enough,
she'll stop posing.

Or the posy is kind of interesting
actually, like she said, smiling.

I was like, yeah, she just makes like,
weird sunny faces towards the camera.

And then she just says, say, gram, I
don't do that.

I just want to like, shoot this.

And as she looks at the foot, she's
like, oh, my god, I look so.

Look at all the lines of it.

Don't show them to

my god for a bit.

You should accumulate a lot of
material.

And I did it to say, I have to edit it,
grandma, you know, like,

you know, just go in one day, say,
grandma, I've just decided I really

want to photograph you a lot, and I'm
going to spend a day with you or something.

Sure should love it.

I mean, that whole thing about the
decisive moment.

You know, cardibizon is a decisive
moment.

That's why I think the series is such an

important

that

the still work so well as stories, you
know, like when you have

five to seven photographs that can tell
us, tell the little story.

I think they

need each other like that.

And that's why I love books, and

that's why the whole idea, the

photo, essay, should come back.

You can still

do a range of different kinds of
photographs, but you're telling

a story

as a kid.

Aha,

tell us about this?

Oh, I shot both of these with my
nicolen d 3200

with a 35 millimeter lens,

and both through our millimet.

Yes.

And this is my best friend on the left.

And we actually collaborated with the
vintage boutique in Raleigh, North Carolina.

They're getting ready to go to this

trunk show, so they needed images, and

we just collaborated on that.

And that was taken actually at the
boutique.

She has, like, the owner, has a studio
set up in there.

And it was all natural light, which I
really enjoyed working with.

And

Amanda on the right,

she had never been in front of the
camera before, and I wanted to

photograph her.

I felt very challenge with that shoot,
because we didn't know each other,

right?

Prior to that, only through my
interaction to be a social media.

So she was relying a lot on me, to

like, to direct her and get her
comfortable.

And that was

a challenge.

Yes, the photograph is your
responsibility.

But it's just as interesting to see a
nervous, shy person

as it is to see someone

who

seemingly has.

In fact, it scares a

hell out of me to see someone who
thinks they haven't, they have it under control.

It's like,

woo through it's like few and far
between.

But anyone who likes to have it done, I
think I'm,

I think it's very weird.

It's like, these two are actually their
polar opposites.

So my friend she's, that's, right,
she's very comfortable under the

camera.

And see, so why didn't you come closer
on her?

I wasn't going to be able to get the
full garment, ok?

But if you shoot some poster, anyway I
did,

that's why I think it's interesting to
work with people you

will put up with you and

just find out what's possible.

And then when you have,

it's a process.

One of the best secrets

for my work is, I go back.

I'm not afraid to go back.

And it's a process,

I'm photographing Alice Waters for
masterclass.

And this is like,

I think the third time I photographed
Alice.

And I called her up and I said,

look,

I don't have a picture of you I'd like.

And it's like, that's why I'm doing
this, because I really would like to

try this time to do something

that I like.

We took pictures a long time ago, and I
really like those pictures, but I don't

like what I've done recently with
Alison,

and she's

willing to put up with me coming back.

So it's a process

to do it over and over and over again.

And I get more interesting.

Meeka,

so I came here last year from

Jerry scheorshire, yeah,

from Germany, where I did my undergrad
and grad and visual communication

design, book design.

And I finished with a photo work, and I
did a book with it.

And those pictures are in this.

This

is the men and aid community.

The one on the left is shot in Germany,
and the one in sebia and rashta, where

I'm a machine from.

And those people,

that was my first really big project,
and that really got me engaged into

photography where I decided I want to
be a photographer.

Well, I'm very jealous

of these.

Photographs are so beautiful.

And I think it has a lot to do with
it's funny that you said.

This is in Siberia.

I think that the light and

the walls

and

their faces,

and her blouse

it's like, I don't think you would find
that here.

And this young person as well, this red
hair, and

I think there's just something.

So, was this a whole project?

They're very, very strong, very,

tell me something about this.

And how long does you know these?

Who are these people?

Yeah, for there were many nights.

There are distant relatives of mine,
but I didn't know them before.

I decided to go back to Russia, where I
was born,

to like,

build a connection with my home
country, which I didn't know.

And because my parents were both from
these villages, originally, but

estranged men, and I didn't grow up as
a man, and I

wanted to learn about the men.

And I'd, yeah, heritage, I had.

And

did you go meet these people?

First, I would just, you know, people
would introduce me to others.

So first I threw a relative.

I found a family that would take me in
and just host me.

And so I would just go and walk through
the villages, and then people would

already know about me, that I was
there, a photographer.

And, ok, I've disinvalided,

not faithful men and I, but they would
invite me for dinner and luncheon, and

I would sleep there and

just become a family member.

But if

it feels, it feels a little guarded on
their part, but also

they're letting me do it.

And it has a kind of,

and, I mean, this family in particular,
they were all very shy and awkward.

In the beginning, they were all, they
were like, we don't, we really don't

like pictures.

And they were really shocking, if you
like them more.

I was obsessed with this family.

Yeah, it's like, I really want to stay
with this.

So I did.

And eventually they forgot about me,
even though I had a big

camera.

Eventually they'll fight, whatch your
camera.

Oh, well, it was the kennedymark, three
lines, but I would say, it's bigger

than, yeah, bigger than yeah.

When I came back with a little Fuji,
they were actually disappointed,

where is your real camera?

Do they see the pictures?

Yeah, yeah, I gave you such music.

Yeah, that's very, very cool.

a cool project.

I think one most important

things I did when I was young was I
connected with other photographers

who were sort of

like

in mind.

And

when you

photograph and print up your work, or
take a look at your work on the screen,

it's great to get together with two or
three other people and talk about your

work and share your work.

And

I think

that's how you learn, is hearing what
other people have to say about your

work, as well as you're taking in.

I think it's a very important aspect.

build yourself a little group of people,

a group of other photographers

that you can show your work to and talk
to you about it.