CONTENTS

DOMINIC ROUSE 7 THE ARTISTIC MIND

Is it a blessing or a curse? 33
SCOTT SPECK 20
CAMERA OBSCURA &
RICHARD VANEK 37 The art of Jan Vermeer. 60

PATRICK GONZALES 48 PAUL KOPEIKIN

Gallerist answers our Q’s. 85
STEVE GOSLING 62
PERCEPTIONS
CAROLYN HAMPTON 75 Of conceptualization. 94

BACKSTAGE
CHRIS KOVACS Publisher: Chris Kovacs, Floze Press
Editor
Online: adorenoir.com
SANDRA DJAK KOVACS Email: chriskovacs@adorenoir.com
Contributor
Submissions: adorenoir@gmail.com
LESLIE HILTS
Contributor Office: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Adore Noir online magazine is published quarterly.

SPIEDR THORNE
All images are © copyright of their respective artists and
Contributor may not be copied or distributed. All rights reserved.
 ADORE NOIR
Welcome and thank you for your interest in
Adore Noir Magazine. We will bring you the fin-
est black and white photography from both noted
and emerging artists around the world.
We are publishing quarterly, each issue will fea-
ture the works and Q&A interviews of six pho-
tographers. We look forward to bringing you the
most intriguing works by passionate artists who
share a common bond for the love of fine art pho-
tography.
This issue focuses on six photographers with six
very unique styles.
the viewer to incorporate their own imagina-
tions into the work.
Steve Gosling is from North Yorkshire, UK and
he captures beautiful land and seascapes using a
pinhole camera. The results are surreal images
which take us to another place in time.
Carolyn Hampton is a Los Angeles based pho-
tographer who delves into the surreal mind with
her unique portraits. She invites the viewer into
a world where possibility is endless, where else
can we see stars when in fact we are looking at
crumbling walls.

We open with Dominic Rouse. This English born Our mission is simple:
artist began his career as a press photographer
and gradually followed his artistic passion to To provide a stage for photo artists around the
produce the images we see today. His pictures world to showcase their work. To gather infor-
are like visual poems that haunt the psyche with mation from prominent figures in the art world.
their possible meanings. His stylistic master- To provide inspiration to both collectors and
pieces are produced on toned silver gelatin prints photographers.
from digitally composed, large-format negatives.
Chris Kovacs
Scott Speck hails from Maryland. He began pho- Editor
tographing seriously in 2006. He has a passion
for photographing virtually anything using a
Zero image 2000 pinhole camera. The results are
surrealistic works of art where we are left feeling
very small within the grandeur that surrounds us.

Richard Vanek was born in Czechoslovakia and

moved to the Netherlands with his family dur-
ing his early 30s. His photographs are like vi-
sual emotions. We recognize our own childhood
memories, dreams and love through his photo-
graphs.

Patrick Gonzales is based in Dijon, France. His

work captures worlds in alternate realities. His
images are intentionally untitled to encourage
ON THE COVER

Dominic Rouse, Reasons For Attendance

A poem by Philip Larkin sets the stage for this captivating image.
 Cara Barer • Susan Burnstine • Camille Seaman
Adrian Davis • Roman Loranc • George Tice • Hiroshi Watanabe • Carolyn Guild
Hakan Strand • Danae Falliers • Jeffrey Becom • David Burdeny • Christopher Burkett
Dave Anderson • Julie Sample • Dar Spain • Yoichi Nagata • Celine Wu • David Zimmerman
Wiliam Neill • Charles Cramer • Gunnar Plake • Jeanne O’Connor • Eikoh Hosoe • Larry Vogel

susanspiritusgallery.com
Newport Beach, California • By appointment

susan@susanspiritusgallery.com • 949.474.4321
facebook.com/susanspiritusgallery
 THE FOUNTAINHEAD

ColeThompsonPhotography.com/Fountainhead
 FEATURED
DOMINIC ROUSE

Dance For No One

“Unless the truth be sinful it should not be possible to find

fault with a man who views the world through a camera.”

7
 THE CUNNING OF UNREASON
AN: How would you describe your art?
DR: The truth is I wouldn’t really attempt to de-
scribe my art. I’d leave that to those better quali-
fied. I don’t really have any background in art.
I do have an education in photography which I
hope is relatively obvious, but I didn’t study art
in any formal sense except of course that when
one looks at a painting, or any other art form, one
is studying it. I haven’t been taught how to view
works of art in their historical context which is
probably a good thing. If you were to come to one
of my exhibitions you would find a room full of
silver gelatin prints which have been made in a
darkroom from negatives that have been placed
in enlargers. I don’t think you can get any more
photographic than that, so I would describe my
Angeline
8
Interview with Dominic Rouse
art as photography. More specifically, I hope they
are my photographs as they are as much mine as
I can make them.
AN: How did you get into fine art photography?
DR: It’s only very recently that I would have
considered myself an artist. My background is in
press photography and from there I moved into
commercial/advertising work and then to the im-
ages you see on my website. The images you find
there would have initially been referred to as
‘personal work’ which is what commercial pho-
tographers call work which they do on a non-
commissioned basis; images they make for them-
selves. I had no idea that anyone would be even
slightly interested in what I was doing. It seems
 DOMINIC ROUSE
there are those that consider what I do as art -
which I’m very happy about of course - but to
have called myself an artist ten years ago would
have seemed pretentious. It’s not really what one
did; photography in the commercial world isn’t
art, is it? It’s a way of making a living and I have
always considered myself a working photogra-
pher.
However, the images you see on my website are
ideas that were in my mind for many years be-
fore I actually got around to making them. I al-
ways wanted to do them but it wasn’t something
I thought I’d have the opportunity to do until my
retirement. I’ve spent the last ten years almost ex-
clusively creating them, not at any great pace but
really taking my time to do them to the best of my
ability rather than trying to meet a deadline. These
images existed only as ideas for many years be-
cause their complexity meant it wasn’t really po-
The Gathering
ssible to do them photographically. Then in 1996
I came across the computer. I was very reluc-
tant to go down the computer route as I am very
old school but when I saw this damn machine
working I realized it was just what I needed. And
that’s how I got into fine art photography.
AN: How did your signature style develop. Was
this the direction you have always wanted to go
in?
DR: Producing my work as silver gelatin prints
was something that developed relatively early on
because of my inability to get the results I want-
ed using the inkjet printers and papers that were
on the market fifteen years ago. I recognize that
this form of print making has vastly improved
since then. I have had a few pigment prints done
by the same guy who does my silver prints in
London and although they are very impressive I
9
 DOMINIC ROUSE
still lean towards the more traditional darkroom
alternatives. I like the synergy that one gets from
blending the analog and digital processes; it
seems to me there is a harmony there which is
best served by the darkroom print.
With regard to the style of my images in terms
of their content, I don’t really have much control
over that. I wouldn’t say that I choose to make
my images; I prefer to say that they choose me
to get made. They are what is there, and what is
there, if one is being honest, will come out.
AN: Could you give us an idea of your artistic
process; do you plan in advance an image you
want to create, or does it come from somewhere
else?
DR: Many of my images, especially the early
ones, were clearly defined in sketch pads as well
as in my imagination long before I came to make
them. I still work like this. I don’t know how to
The Cunning Of Unreason
10
8
best describe the process other than to say that
I get ideas - they just come to me. I don’t know
where they come from and I don’t ask, I’m just
very grateful that they arrive at all.
Nietzsche writes that inspiration is not asked
for but is given and I’m very grateful that it is.
I do consider my ideas as gifts and I think if
you describe someone as gifted you aren’t re-
ally praising them. If I gave you twenty pounds
you wouldn’t think of yourself as a wonder-
ful person, however you might think of me as
a wonderful person. That moment when the
image suddenly appears in ones mind’s eye is
extremely enjoyable, it’s almost ecstatic. From
that point onwards one is attempting to refine
the original vision and get it into a coherent form
that can be represented on photographic paper.
As I have become a little more confident in my
retouching skills so I have learned to place more
trust in serendipity. One image tends to inspire
the next, which leads into another in a natural
 DOMINIC ROUSE
progression, though I don’t consciously work in
series. I see my ideas as individual statements. I
can only think of one occasion where I sat down
to make an image without really having a clear
idea of what I was going to do and that was ‘Tea
Dance.’ One of the ways I suppose I do work with-
out a clear plan is when I am making the back-
grounds, I will often just sit down and start put-
ting images together. When I first started making
the images there were usually only three or four
scans, or donor elements as I like to call them.
There was the figure, a vase which was placed on
top of the figure to create the headlessness and a
background, that’s about it. But as time has pro-
gressed it’s been getting out of hand. Sometimes
there are over a hundred different donor elements
in a single image and controlling all these can be
frustrating to put it mildly. I also try to make back-
grounds that are not too flat; I try to put perspec-
tive in them and that in itself breeds all sorts of
difficulties. Stitching elements together which are
flat is relatively straight forward but as soon as
you start introducing perspective then it becomes
Tea Dance
a little more complex. I often draw perspective
lines in an attempt to get everything to add up,
but there are times when you do have to let things
go slightly and hope that the viewer doesn’t take
a protractor to the images to see if all the lines are
disappearing to the same point as they would be
in a painting.
AN: Do you ever become uninspired or have
artist’s block. If so, how do you overcome this,
where do you find inspiration?
DR: I’ve got to be honest and say that I haven’t yet
suffered from artist’s block. I wouldn’t describe
myself as a particularly thoughtful or organized
man but what I’ve done, right from my college
days, is to jot all my ideas down in a notebook or
sketch pad and recently I have been logging them
in a database, so I should have enough ideas to
last me for quite a while yet. I’ve recently been
doing some commercial projects and it wasn’t
easy to get my mind tuned from fine art mode into
a more commercial way of thinking but once I had
11
8
 DOMINIC ROUSE

made the adjustment, the ideas for commercial keting efforts revolve around my website. You
images come flooding in once again. I realize that can directly attribute any interest generated by
I am lucky in this respect. my work to the fact that I have a website, which
I’m sure all sensible photographers do these days.
AN: Do you have any reoccurring dreams you One can’t help the impression that the internet
can share with us? was invented with photographers in mind. Has
there ever been a more convenient way to show
DR: I’m often put into the surrealist bracket; photographs to a global audience? I doubt it. The
however I don’t consider myself a surrealist. I trouble with internet marketing - as with all inno-
know that surrealists place a lot of emphasis on vative technological conveniences, is that every-
dreams and their interpretations and are closely one is doing it, so one is just a very small fish in
associated with Freud and his work. Paraphras- a very large pond. The art world is as much about
ing Dali, I would say the difference between the who you know as what you know and I’m happy
surrealists and me is that I’m not a surrealist; I’m to tell you that I don’t know anyone.
a realist who realizes that reality is every bit as
illusory as the world of our dreams. If my work AN: Do you currently have any projects on the
was inspired by my dreams I think I would seek go. Can you give us a glimpse of what’s to come?
psychiatric help. They are not dreams, I’m afraid,
just bloody awful reality.

AN: Can you describe

your darkroom set up for
us?

DR: I don’t have a dark-

room. I have my prints
done by Mike Crawford
at Lighthouse Darkroom
in London. I just have a
PC with an ordinary win-
dows set up. It’s really
nothing special.

AN: Are you represented

by any galleries, or do
you handle the business
side yourself?

D.R: I’m not represented

by any galleries at the
moment, though I have
had representation in the
past. Sales have never
been brisk so there really
isn’t a business side as
such. Most of my mar-
Hang’er

12
 DOMINIC ROUSE

DR: At the moment I’m afraid to say that the art one of the greats of contemporary photography,
has to be put on the back-burner while I work on he tells me that he cannot make a living from
commercial projects. I don’t know when I will print or book sales of his fine art photography.
get the chance to look at the fine art thing again. Like many artists he has supplemented his fine art
I have dozens of ideas that I hope to have the income with teaching and I have to do the same
chance to do at some point. I was showing with by supplementing my income with commercial
Jerry Uelsmann in Seattle a few years ago. As you photography. I am unable to do what many artists
may know, Jerry was a professor of photography seem to do when it comes to splitting up time - a
in Florida and even though he is recognized as few hours here and there spent making art doesn’t
work for me. I really
have to go at it com-
pletely. I have to have no
other thoughts or worries
in my mind to really get
into doing my work. So
art must wait for a while.
I don’t like talking about
ideas for images until
they come to fruition as
they are rather difficult
to explain. I think I have
a good idea for a set of
images that I am really
looking forward to mak-
ing.

AN: Do you have any

advice for photographers
who are just starting out
and are looking to show-
case their work?

DR: I don’t really know

if I’m in any position to
give advice to aspiring
photographers. My first
thought would be please
don’t as there is enough
competition out there as
it is. That aside, I would
say that it is extremely
unlikely that any photog-
rapher has ever produced
a worthwhile image whi-
le trying to satisfy a clie-
Under Construction

13
 DOMINIC ROUSE
nt, unless that client is his own soul. So my advice
to young photographers would be to do your ut-
most to make your own soul your most important
client.
AN: Your website features a lot of audio commen-
tary, how and why did this come about?
DR: It came about in two ways. I was answer-
ing a series of questions sent to me by an English
university student. I asked if I could send my re-
sponses in an audio file instead of typing as I am
a painfully slow typist. Lo and behold, he turned
these audio responses into a DVD! I thought that
was interesting so I asked him for some advice
about the software he used etc... A short while
after that I was interviewed over the phone by
Brooks Jenson, editor of Lenswork Publishing.
He was in Washington and I was in Thailand. He
recorded his half of the interview and I record-
ed my half and he stitched them together and it
worked perfectly! So I took this and made a DVD
Ladies In Waiting
14
which can be found on my website. Brooks asked
me to talk about my ideas and thoughts regarding
specific images. The DVD features eight images
and a very nice intro which Brooks did for me.
Having produced the DVD I thought I could also
put the audio commentary online to go with each
of the images. It just expanded from there really.
AN: What are your other interests besides pho-
tography?
DR: My main interest is being a father to my one
year old daughter who takes up a lot of my free
time. I also enjoy listening to music but I suppose
my real hobby would be sitting in a bar with a
beer in my hand watching English football which
I do most Saturday nights. Football has always
been a passion of mine and it doesn’t seem to
wane with the years. ♥
See more at: www.dominicrouse.com
DOMINIC ROUSE

Come To Mother

15
 DOMINIC ROUSE

The Sorrowfull Mysteries

16
DOMINIC ROUSE

Moonrise Over Primordia

17
 DOMINIC ROUSE

Ecce Homo

18
Cinda Miranda Photography

1. ANOTHER ADVERT

E-mail: gracindapmiranda@gmail.com
http://cinda-miranda.smugmug.com/
 FEATURED
SCOTT SPECK

The Massive National Archives

20
 OUR WORLD THROUGH A PINHOLE Interview with Scott Speck

AN: When and how did you become interested in ness the near to far rendering of a scene where ev-
photography? erything is at equal focus. It allows me to amplify
drama and emphasize texture, scale, and propor-
SP: I became seriously interested in photography tionality. It also allows me to create the surreal
in 2006 when I purchased a Nikon D50 digital from the real.
SLR. My next camera was a medium format pin-
hole camera (a Zero Image 2000) that my wife AN: Could you give us an idea of your shooting
and I experimented with. That was an eye open- process, do you plan in advance an image you
ing experience, and upon viewing the first roll of want to capture?
negatives from that camera, I was hooked on pin-
hole photography. SP: For everything but portraits, I have only a
general idea of what I’m after, and, upon reaching
AN: Where did you develop your technical the location of interest, I look for those views and
knowledge? angles that interest me most. A key point to rem-

SP: I never attended a photographic

class or school. I am self-taught,
and I move forward, technically,
through experience, by observing
the work of others, by conferring
with photography friends, and by
applying simple principles of op-
tics and the physics of light that I
learned in my education in phys-
ics, astrophysics, and mathematics.
This is especially useful in pinhole
photography, where everything is
done manually.

AN: Could you describe your art

for us?

SP: I am an artist who is most in-

terested in ultrawide angle pinhole
film photography as an expressive
medium. Ultrawide angle photog-
raphy allows me to capture dra-
matic views encompassing many
elements in a scene. By using the
pinhole, I also have infinite depth of
field as a tool, allowing me to har-
Footbridge In The Mist

21
 SCOTT SPECK

ember with the pinhole is, I cannot look through
my camera to compose. All composition is done
external to the camera. When I’m shooting por-
traits, I either have a precise photo or group of
photos in mind, or I freehand things a little, but
not much.
SP: I print before art shows at which I exhibit,
either juried or unjuried, that comes out to about
four or five times each year, since I might show
the same works at more than one show. This ex-
cludes prints that others might purchase of my
work, which are created at any time.

AN: You have many images with very interest- AN: What type of paper do you use?
ing angles, have you always been drawn to wide
angles? SP: My prints are digital in nature, based upon
digital scans of my negatives, and I generally pre-
SP: At first, I was interested in both telephoto fer non-gloss papers, such as ultrasmooth fine art
photography and in close-up macro photography, papers.
both using lenses. By using Zero Image wide-
angle pinhole cameras, I quickly moved into the AN: Do you do much dodging and burning?
ultrawide realm.
SP: Considering the severe vignetting (4 to 6 stops
AN: Is there any particular feeling you are trying from center to edge) of the ultrawide 4x5 film pin-
to convey to your viewers? hole camera, I have several options in regards to
dodging and burning. If I crop out most of the
SP: Nearly everything in the universe and in life is vignetting, not much dodge or burn is required. If
dramatic. It is wonderful to feel small against the I don’t crop, I either embrace the vignetting or en-
grandeur of what surrounds us, it humbles us and joy the tunnel like effect it affords, or I try to bring
helps us to appreciate what we have and where up the edges relative to the center.
we live. Everything and everyone is charged with
energy. Over time, I am finding that I am doing less and
less of this, since it typically results in an image
AN: How often do you print? that looks less convincingly real.

Mushrooms

22
 SCOTT SPECK

AN: What size do you make your prints? AN: Why do you prefer black and white over co-
lour photography?
SP: I occasionally print at 16x20, usually at 24x30,
and sometimes up to 4x5 feet. SP: I generally prefer black and white for several
reasons. First, black and white negative film has
AN: What are your influences? staggering dynamic range, and I require this for
the ultrawide pinhole, to capture details both at
SP: I am influenced by many photographers the center and at the edges of the highly vignetted
whose work I view on flickr.com. I am inspired frame. Second, texture and the feel of a scene are,
more on a shot by shot basis than I am on a pho- for me, governed by brightness variation, not co-
tographer by photographer basis. I might be most lour. Brightness variation is captured best in black
astonished one day by a black and white Holga and white without colour to distract the eye from
photo posted by someone from Finland whose feeling and appreciating the brightness variations.
work I have never viewed before. The next day, it Even when shooting in colour, I compose as if for
might be an ultrawide pinhole shot taken in urban black and white.
China. The next minute, a wet collodion portrait
might be a photo that I absorb and think upon for AN: Do you have any current projects on the go?
five or ten minutes.

Steam Locomotive

23
 SCOTT SPECK

SP: My main ongoing project is the Electric Val- ould never serve a particular photographic medi-
kyrie series, in which I am working with model um, the medium should serve the photographer.
Kelly Kalac to create an interesting retro style st-
eampunk sci-fi series of photos using both pin- AN: Do you have any exhibitions planned for the
hole cameras and a Crown Graphic 4x5 camera near future?
with lens. My goal is to create a graphic novel, of
sorts, with this series. SP: I typically show anywhere from eight to
twelve times per year, usually in unjuried shows
AN: Can you give us a glimpse of what’s to come? where I can choose exactly what I want to show.
These exhibitions typically occur in the Balti-
SP: My plans in the coming years include contin- more, Washington DC, and Virginia areas, though
ued ultrawide pinhole work, ultrawide lens 4x5 I’ve shown in several other areas. I usually like to
photography, and also planned experiments using be present at exhibitions, since the greatest enjoy-
primitive optical elements as well as ultra short ment is in interacting with those who come to see
depth of field photography, the opposite of the the art. ♥
pinhole’s infinite depth of field. I view cameras
and techniques as tools to enable the creation of See more of Scott’s work on his website:
what I visualize in my mind as “the goal.” One sh- www.scottspeck.com

Under Her Skin

24
SCOTT SPECK

Gothic Cathedral

25
 SCOTT SPECK

Seductress

26
SCOTT SPECK

Patterns Of Force

27
 SCOTT SPECK

Mellon Institute Columns

28
SCOTT SPECK

The Musician

29
 SCOTT SPECK

Fortune Teller

30
SCOTT SPECK

Transcending

31
EMILIAN CHIRILA PHOTOGRAPHY

www.emilianchirila.ro contact@emilianchirila.ro
 THE ARTISTIC MIND
By Sandra Djak Kovacs
T
he artistic mind is notorious for being on
the edge of reality, on the cusp of madness
and sometimes driving over the edge into
the abyss that we call insanity. Is this tightrope
between creation and madness necessary to cre-
ate great art? Richard Avedon said, “If a day goes
by without my doing something related to pho-
tography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something
essential to my existence, as though I had forgot-
ten to wake up.” Avedon was one of the lucky
artists who were able to live a long and success-
ful life while creating the art that both supported
him and celebrated him. His images are notable
for their ability to portray the trueness of their
subjects and Avedon himself says that, “There is
no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All
photographs are accurate. None of them is the
truth.” The way we view the photograph tells us
something about how we connect with the photo.
This is what made Avedon’s photos so powerful,
we feel a connection to these likenesses, and we
see bits of ourselves reflected back to us. Each
truth is different for every viewer. Avedon lived
until he was eighty-one and had a sixty year ca-
reer as a fashion and portrait photographer. The
archives of his life do not whisper with madness
and yet he did what he was born to do.
The artist will tell you that they have little choice
in the matter. They must create. They must create
regardless of how much they receive in terms of
recognition and compensation. Why? The world
needs artists like it needs engineers. We need en-
gineers to build our real world and we need art-
ists to inspire us to imagine how we want to live
within this world. The artist wants to wake your
senses to a new way of being, ultimately helping
us to find our own way. Vincent Van Gogh said,
“I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that
there is nothing more truly artistic than to love
people.” The greatest connection art has is to in-
spire us to feel more for our fellow humans and
the world we share together.
Van Gogh did not create with an audience in
mind; he painted the ideas that sprang from his
own mind. He understood that he required mon-
etary success in order to continue to produce but
he did not paint on demand. Van Gogh said, “I
see more and more that my work goes infinitely
better when I am properly fed, and the paints are
there, and the studio and all that. But have I set
my heart on my work being a success? A thou-
sand times no.” Van Gogh did not create in order
to be monetarily successful; he created what he
was compelled to create. He did recognize that
when he was ‘properly fed,’ his ‘work goes infi-
nitely better,’ however, he also realized that com-
missioned work was not the work he was born to
create, saying “I wish I could manage to make
you really understand that when you give money
to artists, you are yourself doing an artist’s work,
and that I only want my pictures to be of such
quality that you will not be too dissatisfied with
your work.” Van Gogh knew on a visceral level
that the works he needed to create had to come
from his own conceptualizations. He did com-
plete some commissioned work but ultimately
being ‘fed’ was less important than creating the
works of art that he was meant to create. From
November 1881 to July 1890 Vincent Van Gogh
produced 900 paintings. His most famous were
produced in the last two years of his life and
arguably his most well known painting “Starry
Night,” was produced while he was in care at an
asylum after the infamous ear incident, less than
a year later Van Gogh shot himself and died from
his wounds a few days after.
R
ichard Avedon and Vincent Van Gogh
were both artists. Avedon produced pro-
lifically as did Van Gogh. Avedon needed
to photograph in order to feel alive and Van Gogh
has shared similar sentiments saying, “The only
33
 THE ARTISTIC MIND
time I feel alive is when I’m painting.” Both fol-
lowed their passion in order to bring the world
creations that would continue to inspire. One
could say that perhaps one of the reasons Van
Gogh went mad was his lack of monetary suc-
cess with his art. Avedon was both artistically
prolific and monetarily compensated. Van Gogh
continued to produce the art that he felt he had
to despite having sold only one painting in his
lifetime. We need our artists to create what comes
from them as it is these works that inspire us to
think differently and connect on a new level with
the world. One could say this is the reason that
art exists. It takes us away to somewhere else
like a good piece of music or a heavenly perfume,
we are transported and we are able to dream and
weave our own lives just a little bit differently
with a little more care and sometimes a lot more
purpose.
J
ohn Nash, the Pulitzer Prize winning mathe-
matician, spoke with Shane Hegarty in an in-
terview for schizophrenia.com shortly after
the award winning “The Beautiful Mind” was re-
leased, saying “But I can see there’s a connection
between not following normal thinking and do-
ing creative thinking. I wouldn’t have had good
scientific ideas if I had thought more normally.
One could be successful in life and be very nor-
mal, but if you’re Van Gogh or artists like that
you may be a little off.” Nash says that he would
not have been ‘creative’ enough to come up with
his Pulitzer Prize winning math theories if his
mind did not work differently from that of a ‘nor-
mal’ mind. The world needs creative ideas and
creators in order to survive intellectually. John
Nash is a mathematician and he understands that
his ‘creative’ mind is the driving force for his
ability to come up with his mathematical theo-
ries. Maybe this is why the urge to create and to
do is so great for an artist. Our intellectual lives
depend upon the artist, just like the continuation
of our species depends upon the human urge to
reproduce, the proverbial ‘clock’ ticks for both
potential parents and artists alike.
34
It is an artist’s job to wake up our senses, to stir a
thought or a feeling in us, indeed to wake us to a
new understanding. The artist makes us believe
that what we hold inside is possible. Or alter-
nately the artist speaks for what is already inside
of us, giving us a voice and a new way to explore
what we are already feeling. A generation got
lost in Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit,” they
felt that Nirvana got what was inside of them.
The early nineties would not have been the same
had Kurt Cobain not performed in a group called
Nirvana and had they not explored their artistic
passion. We need our artists. We need them to
speak for what is inside of us in a way that we are
unable to ourselves. Kurt Cobain said, “Thank
you for the tragedy. I need it for my art.” The
greatest light brings the greatest dark, the world
spins in perfect harmony, and the sun always
shines on the opposite side of the world from the
moon. Balance. One could say that the artist
holds both the world’s dreams and nightmares in
their head. Could this be the reason why the art-
ist is wired so differently and sometimes so deli-
cately? In order to come up with his awe inspir-
ing sunflowers did Van Gogh have any choice but
to wrestle with demons so large that they eventu-
ally took his life? Was the ‘tragedy’ too much for
Cobain? The artistic mind is a blessing for the
world; however, for the artist it could ultimately
be a curse. The list of tortured artists who have
killed themselves is long and we name only a few
here and we mourn each one: Earnest Hemming-
way, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Vincent Van
Gogh, Kurt Cobain and Diane Arbus.
R
ichard Avedon and John Nash show that
it is possible to be awe inspiringly cre-
ative and live a fairly normal life. John
Nash does this along with managing a serious ill-
ness. The artistic mind has no choice but to be a
little ‘off’, as it must produce, at all costs, what it
was meant to produce for the intellectual world.
How ‘off’ depends upon so many things: Can the
artist, if they recognize that they have an illness,
stave it off, treat it and still be as artistic as they
 THE ARTISTIC MIND

were before? Is sanity the artist’s choice? If Van

Gogh had stopped drinking a little bit earlier, had
he forced himself to rest a little between paint-
ings, had he taken more commissions in order to
be properly ‘fed,’ would he have managed to stay
with us longer? Would he have still produced
“Starry Night?” Maybe. Maybe Not. ♥

No Trespassing (the remnants of an insane asylum), © Chris Kovacs.

35
 Hengki Koentjoro

1. ADVERT PAGE

http://hengki24.deviantart.com hengki24@yahoo.com
FEATURED
RICHARD VANEK

Friends

37
 A VISUAL EMOTION Interview with Richard Vanek

AN: When and how did you become interested in I also remember a very old traditional photogra-
photography? phy shop. It looked more like a chemical shop,
wooden floors, drawers and chemicals for sale.
RV: Photography is my all time passion. I remem-
ber when my mother lent me her camera. I was AN: You have four series of images in your online
about eight years old. You know the story, I liked project gallery, each series focuses on a particular
it, so my friend and I built a darkroom and we theme. Where do your ideas and inspiration come
developed our first 6x6 films. from?

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 RICHARD VANEK

RV: Most of my sets are inspired by memories
and feelings. To me photography is the medium
which brings memories and emotions back to me.
I create images with attempts to be able to recre-
ate those memories later and share it this way with
others. My images are not documentary, much of
photography these days is documentary, especial-
ly social documentary. I use my images to trigger
emotions, my own emotions within the minds of
the observer.
AN: You are on your way to creating yet another
series, this time with bedding as the theme. How
did you come up with this?
RV: This is not really some big theme. Like some
other sets, see for example the “Where Is The Da-
vid” set, it is a very small set, mostly done in one
go with momentary inspiration. If I have an opin-
ion and want to share certain feelings, for me it is
better to create a set of images rather than isolated
images. It has more power and can be used to set

Above You

39
 RICHARD VANEK

a certain more precise mood in the observers
mind. This particular set was created one morning
when I woke up by myself. I felt lonely and tired,
I went and got the camera and these images are
the results of those thirty minutes of shooting.
AN: Could you give us an idea of your shooting
process. Do you plan in advance an image you
want to capture?
RV: I am not walking around with the camera sear-
ching for images. First I need to make clear in my
mind what I’d like to express with my images.
I need to have that emotion in me. When I have
it, and I know what I want to create, then I think
about possible ways to do it. That can be done by
precise planning and creating the scene in some
place or it can be triggered by the momentary dis-
covery of person, place or light which fits the idea.
Then I start, and I work until I feel some progress.
Usually the first half hour has no real results but
then it starts to get better.

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 RICHARD VANEK

Most of the time larger sets take a few trips back imagination. Her images are not giving you every-
to the same location until I capture the emotion I thing, they are very suggestive. That is very much
was after. what I would like to do with my images and what
you can also find in other forms of art. Art reflects
AN: You mention Susan Burnstine as being one the artist and should influence the observer.
of your favourite photographers. What draws you
to her work? AN: Can you describe your darkroom set up?

RV: I was amazed when I first saw Susan’s imag- RV: I work with a Nikon D300 and a few prime
es. I like the uncertainty in them. I like the space lenses, I use a lot of filters and special gels which
she creates, which you need to fill with your own I paint onto. I use Lightroom for managing my

Home

41
 RICHARD VANEK

Breeze

42
 RICHARD VANEK

images and also for some basic adjustments. I see and express. I would love to go to the country-
work with Picture Window Pro using a WACOM side in Estonia or Latvia in the summer and spend
tablet, I do use many masks, working on each im- a week or two photographing the lives of the local
age for quite some time. Then I print using carbon teenagers and bring to light the conditions they
pigment on A3 or A1 cotton rag papers. I profile live in.
and calibrate my screen using xrite iDisplay2 and
my printer using xrite old densitometer and print AN: Why do you prefer black and white over co-
using Quad Tone. The book by Versace entitled lour photography?
Welcome to Oz describes my style of work quite
well. RV: It is rather simple, I think black and white
photographs allow the observer to use their imagi-
AN: If you could photograph anything in any part nations, like many of my recent images, they are
of the world, what would it be and where would not sharp or exactly defined. This leaves the ob-
it be? server the freedom to complete the image in their
minds. ♥
RV: I travel a lot, but different places are not
something I am interested in when photograph- See more at: www.richard-vanek.eu
ing. I feel that my images don’t really reflect the
place where are they taken. However, the mood
of the place can influence me to find a new way to

Let Me Be Alone

43
 RICHARD VANEK

Waiting For You

Waiting For You

Let’s See

44
RICHARD VANEK

Angel

45
 RICHARD VANEK

Vierka

46
Deborah Parkin Photography
Deborah Parkin Photography

www.deborahparkin.com deborah@deborahparkin.com
 FEATURED
PATRICK GONZALES

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48
 THE ALTERNATE REALITY Interview with Patrick Gonzales

AN: When and how did you become interested in AN: Where do you live and work?
photography?
PG: I work from my home in Dijon France.
PG: I have been interested in photography since
my youth, I became seriously involved in 1998 AN: Where did you develop technical knowl-
when I discovered digital art. It was at that time edge?
I began experimenting with using photography in
digital collages. PG: I trained and worked as a graphic designer

Footbridge in the Mist

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49
 PATRICK GONZALES

for quite a few years. My technique has developed PG: I begin by creating an environment, the
gradually after much experimentation. scene where an event takes place. Initially there
is always something that drives it, like a personal
AN: Could you please describe your art to us? event or an idea that suddenly pops into my head.
It’s like an unconscious impulse.
PG: My art is mainly dominated by the surreal
and the poetic. I can also describe my art as very AN: What are your influences?
emotional.
PG: My influences are many; I’ve read a lot of art-
AN: How do you come up with image ideas? ist biographies in my teens and was always drawn

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50
 PATRICK GONZALES

to art. I have no particular influence when it PG: I choose not to title my images because I don’t
comes to artists, I found my way, my mode of ex- want to dictate what the viewer should interpret,
pression, and my pictures come from inside me. I want to raise questions, and have the viewer use
It is the sum of everything I watch, painters and their imagination.
photographers and others. I always had a soft spot
for Dada and Surrealist painters for their freedom. AN: Do you use a traditional darkroom, or an all
digital workflow?
AN: We noticed that your pictures have no titles,
why is that? PG: I have a small office with a computer. I don’t
have a darkroom because I am not a photogrpher

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51
 PATRICK GONZALES

in the traditional sense. I am an image creator who AN: Do you have any projects on the go?
uses photographic material for my work. I also in-
corporate digital painting into the photographs. PG: I am currently dealing with proposals from
many galleries in the United States. We will have
AN: Is there any particular feeling you are trying to see. ♥
to convey in your images?
See more work at: www.patrickgonzales.net
PG: Great freedom of expression without limits,
sometimes beyond the rational and always emo-
tional, a thought provoking visual assault.

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52
PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

53
 PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

54
PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

55
 PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

56
PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

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 PATRICK GONZALES

Untitled

58
Krzysztof Wladyka

www.krzysztof-wladyka.com
 CAMERA OBSCURA & THE ART OF JAN VERMEER
By Leslie Hilts

I
n 1972 I bought my first SLR camera. Hap-
pily holed up in a makeshift darkroom with
the technology of the day, I experimented
with Kodak Tri-X high speed black and white
film, chemical baths, light sensitive papers and an
enlarger. The advent of the first consumer digital
camera in 1994 that worked with a home com-
puter via a serial cable was still two decades in
the future. And centuries before the age of digital
photography with its complex software, the cam-
era obscura or pinhole camera, was the precursor
As a student in the early 70’s at the Vancouver
School of Art I was introduced to Dutch Baroque
painting master, Jan Vermeer. Born in 1632 in
Delft, Netherlands, Vermeer used compositional
techniques, colour and light to create highly re-
alistic, almost photographic, scenes from every-
day life. Most people are familiar with Vermeer’s
most famous work, ‘The Girl with the Pearl Ear-
ring,’ in which he applied the most luxurious and
expensive pigments of the day, lapis lazuli and
ultramarine blue.

T
to what is now called art photography.
he beautiful bright
flashes of light in
Vermeer’s paintings
have been linked to the
possible use of the camera
obscura, as its unsophisti-
cated lens can create halo-
like effects. Camera obscu-
ra, an ancient predecessor
of the photographic camera
is a simple optical device
incorporating a pinhole or
lens in which an image can
be projected and traced. A
master of perspective, it is
speculated that Vermeer
may have transposed his
images using this instru-
ment to canvas in several of
the thirty-six paintings at-
tributed to him. Works such
as ‘The Music Lesson,’
‘Officer and Laughing Girl’
and ‘The Art of Painting,’
all demonstrate his artistic
genius, and his extraordi-
nary knowledge of perspec-
tive. With a pinhole camera
an image is depicted with
The Music Lesson, Jan Vermeer

60
 CAMERA OBSCURA & THE ART OF JAN VERMEER

limitless depth of field. The position of figures,
and the properties of space geometrically en-
compass each part of the image with an identical
amount of definition. Foreground images will be
portrayed as sharply and distinctly as objects in
the far distance.
(very light). Recognizing the tone or value of a
colour, rather than the hue, is important because
successful paintings contain tonal contrast or
a range of values, as does the black and white
digital photography of today. When prints of Ver-
meer’s paintings are viewed tonally on a grey
scale, there is a sharp similarity to digitally de-

V
ermeer’s unique use of perspective in signed black and white art photographs.

A
particular showcased his brilliant com-
positional skill, designed to draw the lthough aesthetically his beautiful works
viewer deeper into the subject. Right angled lines of art stand alone, the paintings of the
extending to a vanishing point meet at precise old masters easily cross over so called
intersections giving his compositions unlimited artistic boundaries, bridging the centuries and our
depth of field. The geometric relationship of ob- sensibilities, in the new age of digital art photog-
jects sharing space on the same plane, the camera raphy. ♥
obscura helped translate sub-
ject matter from three dimen-
sions into a two dimensional
image. While integrating
the entire colour spectrum,
Vermeer also achieved near-
perfect optical accuracy.
Vermeer was a member of
the Lucas Guild, a group
dedicated to the technologi-
cal research of artists, archi-
tects and scientists who were
instrumental in developing
complex lenses for future mi-
croscopes and telescopes.

Vermeer often altered his

painting by moving subjects
all over his canvas to achieve
compositional balance, not
unlike today’s digital pho-
tographers who use comput-
er software to enhance and
transform their own work.
The values of tone neces-
sary for painting also exist
in digital photography. Two
extreme tones or values are
black (very dark) and white
The Art Of Painting, Jan Vermeer

61
 FEATURED
STEVE GOSLING

Elemental #2

62
 LENSLESS LANDSCAPES Interview with Steve Gosling

AN: When and how did you become involved in grew up with photography and a fascination with
photography? the photographic image.

SG: There was always a camera around when I I also had two close relatives who were keen ama-
was a child and my grandparents had a huge col- teur photographers, they took me out with a cam-
lection of family photographs going back years era when I was seven or eight years old and also
that I would spend hours looking through. So I introduced me to the darkroom process.

Time And Motion

63
 STEVE GOSLING

As I moved into my early twenties I combined with a pinhole camera in the landscape, it wasn’t
my interest in photography with my love of thedriven by any commercial considerations. It was
outdoors and began to concentrate on landscapemotivated by my interest in exploring different
photography. creative approaches to photography as way of
keeping my vision fresh and as a way of challeng-
AN: How did you become inspired to shoot with ing myself to try out new things, such as different
a pinhole camera? techniques, equipment and subjects.

SG: My pinhole photography started as a bit of Of course, success breeds success, when an area
fun, an experimentation to see what I could do of work is acknowledged and applauded this spurs

Passing Rain

64
 STEVE GOSLING

you on to do more of it. So ‘this bit of fun’ has graphs and the long exposures that record not one
subsequently led to several exhibitions, maga- but a succession of decisive moments.
zine articles and interviews and of course more
recently my book,‘Lensless Landscapes,’all of AN: What are some of your greatest challenges
these give me the impetus to continue with and to shooting pinhole?
develop my pinhole work.
SG: The lengthy exposures, from several seconds
I’ve fallen in love with pinhole photography. I to minutes or hours, and the absence of a view-
particularly like the wide angle of view, the infi- finder mean that the exact nature of the final im-
nite depth of field, the slight softness of the photo- age cannot easily be pre-visualised. For a photo-

Threatening Sky

65
 STEVE GOSLING

graphic control freak like me, this is both frighten- sing limited depth of field as a creative technique.
ing and liberating at the same time! It’s certainly However, once I started to use my pinhole cam-
a complete contrast to the precise and predictable eras I had to re-learn how to see the world through
world of digital photography. a wide angle view and to cope with infinite depth
of field, it took some getting used to.
Also, prior to working with a pinhole camera my
most used lens was a telephoto zoom that I used AR: Could you give us an idea of your shooting
to isolate and abstract elements of the landscape, process, do you plan in advance an image you
concentrating primarily on graphic, minimalist, want to capture?
design oriented compositions and frequently us-

Flowing Fast

66
 STEVE GOSLING

SG: My general approach to landscape photogra-
phy can be summarised by the 3 ‘P’s: Planning,
Patience and Persistence. Planning, for example,
I regularly use maps and a sun position compass
to match location, season and time of day to in-
crease my chances of success. Patience, when I
find a location and composition that work for me
I’m prepared to wait several hours for the light
and weather to co-operate with me, and frequent-
ly return home with nothing; hence, persistence,
sometimes I’ll have to revisit a location several
times before everything comes together.
However I do like to deviate from my preferred
way of working from time to time and just go out
to see what I can find. It helps to keep me fresh
and the creative juices flowing.
AN: What are your influences?

Dawn Light, Derwent Water

67
 STEVE GOSLING

SG: I’m influenced by many different photog- in their photographs.

raphers and styles in the landscape world. I like
Michael Kenna for his minimalist compositions,
Josef Hoflehner for the graphic nature of his work
and Joe Cornish for his understanding and use of
light. However, I also get photographic inspira-
tion from photographers working in other areas,
Elliott Erwitt for his humor and keen observation-
al eye and Keith Carter and Susan Burnstine for
their ability to communicate ideas and emotions
I’m a great believer that creativity doesn’t come
solely, or even mainly from within. We don’t re-
ally start with a blank canvas, our photographs
come from a synthesis of ideas, thoughts, emo-
tional and visual responses to outside stimuli. So
I’m always drawing my inspiration from a variety
of sources such as other photographers, artists,
music, novels as well as life experiences.

Sunset

68
 STEVE GOSLING

AN: Are there any particular feelings you are try- for what appeals to me visually and for something
ing to relay to the viewer? that has an emotional impact on me, whether that’s
hate or love. I then see my job as trying to capture
SG: My overall aim is to produce an interpreta- and communicate that emotion in the final image.
tion of the subject, not a representation. Accurate
photographs are not what I’m striving for. And In my workshops I urge participants to capture as
I’m certainly not interested in putting technical much, if not more, of what they feel than what
perfection before mood and emotion. they see because I believe if there’s no emotion in
an image it has no voice.
My prime motivation is always the subject, I look

Along The Boardwalk

69
 STEVE GOSLING

AN: Can you describe your darkroom, or digital with an Intel Core 2 Quad 2.5Ghz processor, 2 x
darkroom set up? 1TB hard drives and 8GB of RAM to cope with
the large files that I usually end up working with. I
SG: I’ve been working with Photoshop since consider the monitor to be the most important part
1997 and am currently using CS4 to finalise my of the system and last year invested in a fantastic
images after the RAW files have been processed Dell 27” screen.
in Capture One Pro, a fantastic piece of software
that has just got better with version 6. All of my archival quality exhibition prints are
produced using Epson K3 inks either on Permajet
On the hardware front I’ve got a PC computer Museum Classic fine art matte paper or Harman’s

Last Light

70
 STEVE GOSLING

Fibrebase Gloss paper.
AN: How did the idea for your Lensless Land-
scapes book come about?
SG: I’d built up quite a collection of images in my
‘Lensless Landscapes’ series and although they
had been seen in a variety of different formats
such as several magazines and exhibitions, they
had never been seen as a complete body of work.
A book was my way of bringing them all together
and in so doing, hopefully making them acces-
sible to a wider audience.
I also wanted to create something more perma-
nent, something that had a life beyond the imme-
diacy of a magazine article or the short life of an
exhibition, perhaps it’s my naïve play for immor-
tality. A book is something that can be returned
to time and time again, because of this I believe

Ebbing Tide

71
 STEVE GOSLING

it encourages a deeper exploration of the photo- AN: How did you get involved in hosting your
graphs. own workshops?

And there were of course commercial reasons. I
was not aware of anyone else who had built such a
large body of landscape photographs taken with a
pinhole camera and presented them in monograph
form, there seemed to be a gap in the book market.
SG: My background is in training and develop-
ment so when I became a professional photogra-
pher it made sense to use this area of expertise as
a way of helping other photographers. I’ve been
running workshops for many years now and really
enjoy the teaching process, working with photog-
raphers who have a wide range of experience and

Wet And Dry

72
 STEVE GOSLING

expertise. resources are you prepared to invest?

AN: Are you represented by any galleries? Be realistic. It’s hard work, long hours and can be
a lonely existence, but it can also be very satisfy-
SG: I’m represented by a few galleries in the ing!
North of England but one of my priorities in the
next twelve months is to achieve representation Follow your heart and learn to trust your instincts.
with galleries in London and overseas. Photograph the subjects that you have some con-
nection with, the things that stir you emotionally.
AN: Do you have any current projects on the go? This will show in your final images.

SG: I am starting to travel more widely overseas Operate with integrity, freelancing, as with life it-
for my photography and have a major project self, is like a boomerang, you get back what you
planned photographing European cities with my throw!
pinhole cameras. For this work I’m experiment-
ing with using digital cameras for lensless pho- Be professional, in your approach, attitude, pre-
tography, as travelling by air with film can be a sentation and pricing. If you don’t you’ll damage
real pain. your own reputation and undermine the profes-
sion in the process.
I’m also working on a book project entitled ‘Im-
perfect Impressions’ that is due out later in 2011, Be your own worst and best critic, don’t ever ac-
a monograph of landscape and travel images that cept second best because that would let you and
reflect my interest in communicating mood and your customers down.
emotion through my photography.
Take lots of photographs. It will increase your
AN: If you could photograph anything in any part saleable stock, which is essential, and you’ll learn
of the world, what would it be and where would as you work, becoming a better photographer in
it be? the process. And remember, as a source of learn-
ing, the mistakes you throw in the bin are as valu-
SG: I have a list of places I want to visit and pho- able as the prize shots on your wall.
tograph before I die, which I hope isn’t in the
immediate future! High on that list are the land- Get your photographs seen by as many people as
scapes of New Zealand and Iceland. you can as often as possible. Images in a filing
cabinet or on a computer hard drive do nothing
But I also want to travel around Europe and the to get your name known, build your reputation or
US but not particularly to photograph the land- increase your bank balance.
scapes, more to capture the quirky, humorous and
sometimes surreal juxtapositions that are easier to Believe in yourself. If you don’t then how can you
spot in unfamiliar environments and cultures. expect anyone else to?

AN: Is there any advice you could give aspiring Be in it for the long haul. It’ll take at least 5 years
photographers just starting out? to lay the foundations for a freelancing business.♥

SG: Be clear about your goals. What do you want See more: www.stevegoslingphotography.co.uk
out of freelancing and how much time, effort and

73
 STEVE GOSLING

Exit

74
FEATURED
CAROLYN HAMPTON

Silent Prayer

75
 SURREAL PORTRAITS Interview with Carolyn Hampton

AN: When did you first become interested in pho- ries. As every parent knows, childhood seems to
tography? fly by in an instant, and so I did, and do, whatever
I can to preserve moments in time. I can look at
CH: I first fell in love with photography at the age an image of my daughter and recall exactly what
of ten. My best friend had been given a Canon the weather was like that day, the sound of her
AE-1 for her birthday, and so I begged my par- voice, what she was wearing, etc.
ents for a camera and they gave me a Pentax MV-
1. I was instantly hooked and from then on close AN: We noticed that your new work seems to be
friends and family have always counted on me going in a different direction than your earlier
as the photographer for holidays, birthdays, and portraits. What lead you to this?
other gatherings. I took pictures for the school
newspaper and the yearbook. Right after gradu- CH: When I began to take my photography more
ate school, I went to sub-Saharan Africa by my- seriously, I decided that I wanted to have a strong
self for five weeks and shot over fifty rolls of film, base of technical knowledge. I took a number of
which certainly helped me improve. It wasn’t un- lighting classes with great instructors like Michael
til the birth of my daughter, however, that I began Grecco. I considered hanging out my shingle as a
to take photography more seriously. My pictures portrait photographer, and so I wanted to be able
became much more meaningful to me because I to make a successful portrait in any kind of light-
was documenting her childhood and our memo- ing situation. Living in Los Angeles and working

Waiting

76
 CAROLYN HAMPTON
in the film business, I am fortunate to know so
many wonderful models and actors who happily
donated their time in exchange for images. My
initial goal, therefore, was to build a portfolio
along those lines, to impress potential clients. I
also wanted to have a portfolio that I could use to
convince people to want to model for me, if I ap-
proached them.
Over time, the excitement of having a portrait
business faded, and I became passionate about
creating my own artistic images that were not
constrained by the rules of standard portraiture. I
began to recreate visions from my own head that
either appeared to me in dreams or occupied my
thoughts. I find that the more I work on images
based on my own consciousness, the more I feel
compelled to create. Moreover, if I am reenacting
an unpleasant memory or nightmare, I have found
that the process of placing that image on film can
be in many ways oddly therapeutic. My daughter
appears in much of my work and she looks like
Storybook
me, so in essence, we are often reliving scenes
from my childhood dreams.
AN: How would you describe your art?
CH: My black and white photography is mostly
dreamlike and surreal, intended to stretch the
viewer’s mind from what is to what could be.
Last year, I participated in an exhibition at the
Vermont PhotoPlace Gallery juried by Russell
Joslin of “Shots” magazine called “Wide Awake
Dreaming,” and I think that phrase accurately de-
scribes my work. I often work with artifacts that
have been passed down by my family, so there is
symbolic meaning that sometimes does not even
occur to me until long after I have created the im-
age. In that sense, the work is quite personal. I
also tend to use vintage clothing and abandoned
spaces so that the photos have more of a time-
less feel to them. My colour photography is more
lighthearted and whimsical, often with an element
of humour.
77
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

AN: What inspires your photographic ideas? AN: Do you use any special lighting techniques?

CH: So much inspires me! I am the product of
the movies I’ve seen, art history, mythology and
literature. I keep stacks of art books next to my
bed, and they are often the last things I examine
before drifting off to sleep. I am connected to
many talented photographers on Flickr, Facebook
and Twitter, and they inspire me on a daily basis.
I believe my work is very different from theirs,
but just looking at their work inspires me and gets
the creativity flowing.
CH: I love experimenting with all kinds of lighting
and light modifiers, not just strobes and off cam-
era flash, but candles, battery operated lanterns,
Christmas lights, etc. One of my favorite lights
that I always carry with me is a Xenon Brinkmann
flashlight that you can find on Amazon.com for
$29.
AN: What are your biggest challenges while
shooting?

AN: How do you plan for a shoot? CH: My biggest struggle is gaining access to
abandoned buildings. It seems as if I am always
CH: I keep a moleskine notebook with me at all trying to negotiate my way in. I never trespass,
times so I can jot down ideas and sketches before so it takes time to get permission. The shoots
I forget them. I pre-visualize nearly every image themselves are usually quite short because I know
ahead of time. Once I have the idea, I decide who what I want to achieve and I stop when I get it.
would be the perfect model, and if it’s my daugh-
ter, there may be bribery involved. After that, I AN: Do you use a traditional or digital darkroom?
choose a location, then wardrobe and props.

No Loud Or Abusive Language

78
7
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

CH: I shoot with both film and digital cameras. I AN: Are you represented by any galleries?
do not have a darkroom in my house, so I use lo-
cal labs to develop my film. I shot my “Remnants CH: No, not yet, but hopefully some day! At the
of Past” series digitally with a Canon 5D Mark II. moment, I have work hanging in six different
group exhibitions in galleries across the U.S.
AN: Who are your influences?
AN: Where do you see yourself artistically in the
CH: I admire so many great artists, such as Keith next five years?
Carter, Sally Mann and Rodney Smith. Their
work is not only brilliant, but
compelling in such a way that
you cannot avert your eyes.
You keep staring because it’s
challenging. It requires ef-
fort on the part of the viewer
to process it. I love Rodney
Smith’s aesthetic and sense
of humour, and I truly ad-
mire the poignancy in Sally
Mann’s work. Keith Carter’s
work haunts me. He is a true
genius.

AN: Are there any particular

feelings you want to leave
with your viewers?

CH: It makes me happy when

the work resonates with peo-
ple because they have had
similar dreams or visions.
Some people have admit-
ted to me that they needed to
look away because they found
some images too disturbing,
it struck some kind of chord
inside them. I was both sur-
prised and pleased to have
created something strong
enough to cause a reaction.
I also hope to create images
that are “otherworldly,” but
relatable in some sense.

I’m Free

79
7
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

CH: I hope my work evolves so that it becomes
more compelling and more challenging, making
people stop and stare. I hope to discover another
muse as my daughter hits her teenage years and
loses all patience for me. I suspect I will be tack-
ling different subjects, but I hope that the work
will still be recognizable as mine. In my view,
one of the best things about photography is the
never ending learning curve.
AN: Can you share with us any ideas for future
projects?
CH: I have my eye on a beautiful abandoned the-
ater, and would love to do a surreal, vintage circus
shoot there. I am currently working on a series
that explores voyeurism and comments on how
our society has such little regard for privacy. I
also hope to begin work this summer on a chil-
dren’s book that will include both photographs
and a story. ♥
See more work at: www.carolynhampton.com

The Birdkeeper

80
7
CAROLYN HAMPTON

Solitary

81
7
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

Remnants Of Childhood

82
7
CAROLYN HAMPTON

Lighting The Way

83
7
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

The Warning

84
7
CAROLYN HAMPTON

Uncaged Birds

85
7
 CAROLYN HAMPTON

Flight Risk

86
7
 GALLERIST SPOTLIGHT
T
he Kopeikin Gallery, established in 1991,
features a select group of emerging, mid-
career, and established artists as well as
maintaining an extensive inventory of vintage
photography. The gallery exhibits artists that
push the boundaries of their medium. Paul has
graciously provided us answers to some of the
questions we’ve been itching to ask him.
AN: How did you develop an interest in photog-
raphy?
PK: I came of age during the heyday of the pic-
ture magazine, Look, Life, etc, and also televi-
sion, so my generation grew up with an explosion
of imagery coming at us from seemingly every
direction. Of course this has only gotten worse,
or better depending on your point of view. But it
was impossible not to be aware of photography
as a kid. And, as did many households we had a
copy of “The Family of Man” that I looked at re-
peatedly, although not as much as I looked at wh-
Interview with Paul Kopeikin
at ever Playboy magazine I could get my filthy
little hands on. My parents bought several se-
ries of books by Time Life on every possible
subject and all full of pictures. My first camera
was some version of the instamatic with a film
canister you just popped in and out, and my first
real camera was a Minolta SLR, which I think I
stole from my father. Sometime in junior high I
started taking pictures more seriously and went
as far as framing them and then getting a booth
at an open air art event in Beverly Hills, which I
believe they still have. I think I sold one picture
over the weekend, which would have faded rath-
er quickly, given the way it was processed and I
have no idea what happened to all the others. In
this sense perhaps I was destined to sell photo-
graphs. I also had a darkroom in the guest bath-
room of my house and was the photographer for
my high school newspaper. As I look back I real-
ize that photography was a significant part of my
life early on. I even started out in college study-
ing photography, but soon switched to theatre
and filmmaking. I continued to take photographs
throughout my life, for many years, exclusively
Polaroids, which I still have in several binders in
my attic. Of course, when my daughter was born
I started taking a lot of pictures again. I still enjoy
taking pictures as a document of my life. Since I
collect snapshots I realize that most, if not all, of
these are bound to be thrown out and one or two
perhaps will end up in someone’s future snapshot
collection. It’s the circle of life.
AN: When did you realize that the gallery busi-
ness was for you?
PK: This is one of those jobs that people mistake
as a calling of some sort, which I always find in-
teresting. Some people assume I grew up wanting
to own a gallery. But it wasn’t a revelation or
anything like that. I worked for a gallery in San
Francisco after college, a job I sort of backed into
87
 PAUL KOPEIKIN
from bartending. I was a bartender, and then I
worked the openings at the gallery. It was the
early 1980’s, a good time to be in the art business,
especially in San Francisco. People were making
a lot of money and they were buying. After that,
I started working for the gallery I was bartending
for, first as a Preparator (hanging shows, ship-
ping, etc.) and eventually helping with clients. In
the end I wound up quitting because I knew, ab-
solutely knew, I would never own a gallery, why
continue working at something that didn’t have
anything to do with my future?
There’s a lesson there somewhere isn’t there?
Even today kids ask, “Why do I need to study
math?” or whatever else they may be studying.
But the fact is that none of us knows what the
future brings. And we’re talking about the early
1980’s when, had I made the opposite decision,
that I did want to have a gallery and buy and sell
photography. Well, let’s just say it would have
been a good time to start rather than stop. I moved
back to Los Angeles to be close to my family and
© Mitch Dobrowner, Shiprock Storm. Courtesy: The Kopeikin Gallery
88
went to work in the movie business, which is
what I felt my calling was. Well, it was my de-
gree anyway. I tried to write scripts, although in
retrospect not very hard. I worked both above
the line, for producers, and below the line, in the
art department, but the fact is I had my head up
my arse and couldn’t stick with any one thing.
Later I learned that it’s always good to stick to
something, for awhile, even if you think it’s not
for you. For one thing, most people are ready to
quit before they really get started. I was like that.
You never know where something will take you.
I know, had I stuck to one thing in the film busi-
ness, whether writing, producing or set designing
that I could have been good enough to prosper.
This relates to art in the sense that artists are often
ready to give up if they don’t achieve what they
think they should after a while. But then I’d argue
that any artist who quits making art wasn’t re-
ally an artist to begin with. But back to me. I was
misdirected and had nobody but myself to blame.
Then production slowed and I wasn’t having any
fun. People started to work for free and the unio-
 PAUL KOPEIKIN
ns were making work concessions so that peo-
ple were working too many hours. I thought all
of that was bullshit and have always let people
know the way I felt, so work slowed down even
more for me. It was obvious I wasn’t a writer and
I couldn’t figure out anything else to do with my
life. It was a low point, yet, on the other hand, I
was young. In hindsight I should have challenged
myself more and expected less.
Eventually I thought back on the gallery work I
had done and remembered that I enjoyed the art
world, especially photography. I wanted to do my
own thing and it seemed easy enough to open a
gallery although I don’t know why I thought that.
I didn’t even have a list of potential clients. At
the time a lot of young people were opening gal-
leries in their homes or garages and so I did that
for a little while before someone turned me on to
a small space on La Brea Avenue. So I opened a
gallery, a small little space overlooking a cement
factory that cost $500 a month. There was an art
© Mitch Dobrowner, Wall Cloud. Courtesy of The Kopeikin Gallery
restorer behind the gallery and he and his clients
had to walk through my space to get to his. He
was a pothead and so my first gallery always
smelled like dope and turpentine, which now
that I think about it, might be the reason so few
people came. I was also upstairs so that didn’t
help. I sold two Cindy Sherman film stills I had
purchased years earlier for $200 and $250 to her
New York Dealer, Metro Pictures. I used that
money to finance my first year. For a few years
I bragged about buying them for so little and
selling them for so much, maybe $18,000. Ex-
cept pretty soon it became obvious I sold them
way too early. Today they would be worth over
$100,000 each. I learned a lesson there too, don’t
sell anything unless you absolutely have to. And
that money only lasted half a year because I put
up shows that people didn’t want to buy. The fi-
rst was Harold (Doc) Edgerton, an MIT genius
whose early use of strobe light showed us things
like a milk drop hitting a glass of milk and a bal-
loon bursting. This was ten years after I was in
89
 PAUL KOPEIKIN

San Francisco. In the early 1990’s the Art busi- Obviously it’s difficult for someone to make a liv-
ness was really slow. I remember one of my col- ing selling their work, so few artists are able to. I
leagues telling me it was a good time to start be- must believe that they are artists first and then do
cause it could only get better. I wasn’t going to whatever they have to do to maintain a real life.
give up this time and so I borrowed some money A full life, so they have something to make their
from my mother and somehow I managed to stay art about. If an artist doesn’t have to make art as
in business for the last twenty plus years. Some- a fundamental part of who they are then they are
where during that time I must have realized the not really an artist, or perhaps I would say not
gallery business was for me, although that has as much of an artist. There needs to be levels of
been repeatedly tested over the past couple of artists and there isn’t. Everyone is an artist, even
years. someone who works on a car, or does your hair.
There needs to be as many words for artist as Es-
AN: What do you look for in an artist who is kimo’s have for snow, or so I’m told. So I don’t
seeking representation? represent a lot of stock brokers who happen to
take pictures, although there are a lot of those
PK: I have to like the work and I have to like people out there and I’m sure they’re very nice
the person making the work. I want to believe it people. I do represent some who have had careers
adds something to the general conversation. In which they left for one reason or another and then
my mind the work I pick is unique, however to became artists later in life. I like mid-career and
someone else they may not see that. Sometimes older artists in general, maybe because they get
it’s unique in its intent, which you can’t see im- so little respect in the youth obsessed art world.
ediately. I believe that through looking at art and
living with art, the intent of
the artist eventually comes
through. Aside from that it has
to be someone who I respect and
want to work with. You don’t
always know that at first. I sup-
pose if someone were making
me a lot of money I might put
up with them no matter what. I
did that a couple of years ago
with an insufferable commer-
cial photographer who for a
couple of years made me a lot
of money. I was just glad not to
be married to her. But it’s like
any personal relationship. If I
don’t like the artist personally
I don’t want to see them, talk to
them or be around them. As you
can imagine, it becomes difficult
to maintain a working relation-
ship. I also only want to repre-
sent artists who give it their all.
© Hiroshi Watanabe, Blue Lagoon. Courtesy of The Kopeikin Gallery

90
 PAUL KOPEIKIN
AN: Who are your clients?
PK: The clients I most enjoy selling work to are
people like you and me. People who do not have
a lot of money but recognize the importance of
art in their lives and are willing to sacrifice to
buy something they love. The art world is too full
of people who just buy to buy, buy because they
can, buy because they are supposed to. There’s
no passion there. That said, I am always happy to
take their money. I am an art dealer after all.
AN: How do you create relationships with your
clients?
PK: I share with them my passion for the art I love
and hopefully they find me interesting enough to
want to continue the dialogue. That or I have
what they want and we agree on a price. There
are people I sell to that I never see again. I tend
to give clients a whole lot of space. I don’t push
people into buying things as some dealers do, al-
though I have come to realize that a lot of peo-
ple want to be pushed into things. Even though
they were on the fence they are later happy to
have been pushed. I think that’s human nature,
and understanding human nature is a big part of
working with clients and artists and in fact get-
ting through life. Often I think of the gallery and
doing business as a microcosm of the way one
moves through the world, just as you want to be
wary of people whose personalities change when
they drink, so you want to watch people who act
one way in business and differently in the rest of
their lives.
AN: How did you find your market?
PK: Perhaps when I started out I had a market. I
sold beautiful black and white photographs in the
$500 to $1500 range to a group of collectors who
basically no longer exist. It wasn’t particularly
interesting to me after a while. I still love a great
landscape, a great nude, whatever. But I don’t
find as much of interest behind the work. It’s like
a beautiful man or woman with nothing to say.
Of course, the artists are creating interesting
work that has never been done before, and God
bless them. But, I have seen, and still see so much
of the same work day after day that I am simply
bored by it. Really the question is about my “pro-
gram” rather than my “market.” Anyway I think
that’s what you mean. Because many dealers
have a very specific program and I never have.
I have been repeatedly criticized for moving be-
yond photography into painting and other areas
I know less about. But the most exciting collec-
tions to me are ones that have a lot of different
things and if anything, I am sorry I didn’t start
showing all media from the very beginning and
so got labelled a “photography gallery.”
AN: What do you enjoy most about showcasing
and selling artists works?
PK: My relationships with the artists. And the
good ones who become friends more than make
up for the ones who never were to begin with.
Although I must say I still get fooled by people
pretending to be my friend. Those people are
my friend right up until the time I stop putting
money in their pocket. The last three years have
been very good in regard to separating out who
is worth representing, who understands the busi-
ness. There are still artists seemingly unaware
how hard it has been to sell pictures. I enjoy when
my relationship with an artist can go beyond just
cutting them a check. It’s still a thrill when some-
one falls in love with something I am showing.
It’s like introducing two people and watching
them fall in love.
AN: You have been in business for over 20 years.
What are some of the challenges in running a suc-
cessful gallery?
PK: The challenge has remained the same the en-
tire time, to sell pictures. Sometimes it’s easier
and most times it’s not. There have been times in
the last three years where it’s been nearly impos-
sible. And in many ways it doesn’t matter what
you are selling. If you are making your living
91
 PAUL KOPEIKIN
selling, then you have to sell. Because I enjoy my
working relationships I made the decision a few
years ago to concentrate on showing and sell-
ing contemporary artists with little or no history,
building their careers from the start. Today that
looks to have been a mistake since the art world
today is all about brand names. There is little, to
no market for young artists just starting out. But
that will change.
AN: In your experience what would you say col-
lectors of fine art photography look for when
considering a purchase?
PK: Although it’s hard to draw the lines of demar-
cation, I increasingly work with artists and collec-
tors who see themselves as part of the art world
and not some other fine art photography world,
even if all they are buying are photographs. And
the art world is completely fucked up. Maybe it’s
always been this way. But a lot of collectors want
to be sure what they buy will increase in value,
quickly. And the top of the art world has obliged
them and created a false expectation for the re-
maining 99% of the art world that doesn’t operate
by market manipulation. So there’s that. As I said
people want name brands. They want the artist
to have a name and increasingly they want the
gallery to be known as well. They want an artist
their friends own, or have recommended, or that
they have read about in People magazine, not just
in Art Forum. Again, I’m happy when someone
connects with a piece of art and they can afford
to buy it. In the fine art photography world it is
much simpler; I think people want to find a nice
image they think is beautiful, will look good in
their home, and which doesn’t cost too much.
AN: What advice would you give to aspiring art-
ists who dream about having a successful gallery
represent them?
PK: Concentrate 100% on making your art and
do not give a thought, not one thought, to having
your work represented by anyone. Great work do-
92
es not go undiscovered and it’s always better
when someone comes to you. If you need money
go get a job. If you need someone to appreciate
you, go get a dog. If you need to be loved, go fall
in love. Proactively trying to get your work in a
gallery takes away from the work itself and gets
you nowhere. Stop sending people shit they just
throw away, please. Every minute you spend not
making art, or not living in the real world, doing
what you have to do, working, having a life, is
time wasted. Yes I know you just graduated from
art school. Yes I know your art is meaningful.
You know what I do with your meaningful art?
I throw away virtually everything people send to
me unsolicited. If it is sent by someone I know
then I feel obligated to have a look. Sometimes I
comment but I do not feel obligated to do so un-
less I have something to say. If they send return
postage I send it back to them and if not I throw
it in the garbage. I save the paperclips and rub-
ber bands, just so I don’t feel I am continuing the
waste. The same with spending huge amounts of
money you don’t have going to portfolio reviews,
which for the most part have become a money
making racket for the people doing them. Save
your money and make art. Go on a trip. And al-
ways remember that the reason you’re making art
is because you have to. You have no choice. ♥
For more information on the Kopeikin Gallery
please visit www. kopeikingallery.com
 PAUL KOPEIKIN

© Hiroshi Watanabe, Nataly Tabango. Courtesy of The Kopeikin Gallery

93
 PERCEPTIONS OF CONCEPTUALIZATION
By Spiedr Thorne
A
s early as the mid 1800’s professional
photographers have taken liberties in
presenting us with images that fool us
into believing in their superimposed reality.
These Victorian conventions and techniques re-
main despite the forward march of technology
into our digital age. Today we have become so
accustomed to digital conceptualization that its
presence in modern media excites more than it
offends but old habits die hard and we sit now,
as we have for centuries, at a crossroads between
skilfully crafted fine art and expertly fabricated
propaganda.
Even before Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter,
propaganda was being used to influence agendas
all over the globe. In Ancient Greece, anti-senate
graffiti depicted leaders as alcoholics or other-
wise frail and unfit for office, and the Catholic
Church employed propaganda through mission-
ary sermons and commissioned art to demonize
and slow the spread of Protestantism. In both
cases a visual medium was preferred because
of its effect even upon the illiterate. With such
a long and rooted history, it shouldn’t come as a
shock that with the invention of the photograph
propaganda would find a new method of reaching
the masses. Not too long after the first flashbulbs
began popping a manipulated picture of Abra-
ham Lincoln made waves in press publications.
The image, which would later be used by the US
Treasury, featured Lincoln’s head upon the body
of a seated John C. Calhoun in an attempted to
portray the then-statesmen Lincoln as a more dig-
nified and imposing figure. These methods and
intents would soon become a mainstay in photo-
graphic art and as history marched forward they
would be employed by Joseph Stalin, the Nazi
Party, the US Department of Defence, National
Geographic and British Petroleum, to name just
a few.
94
Propaganda, however, wasn’t the only form of
expression making use of these clever techniques.
Photographers worldwide were retreating into
their newly created darkrooms and emerging
with images not meant to persuade or manipulate
public opinion for personal agenda but rather to
entice and excite the mind. This new form of art,
known to most as collage or photo editing, gave
photographers creative tools to manufacture com-
plex images of self expression. Techniques such
as double-exposure, piercing, and pigment appli-
cation often took hours, days or weeks requiring
expensive light-sensitive films and chemical ap-
plications. The results varied in quality, imagina-
tion and effect but the outcomes were unmistak-
ably artistic and soon gained a firm foothold in
the Fine Art community.
P
hotomontage, as it came to be known, al-
lowed for the expression of an immersive
visual reality and challenged the viewer’s
perception through its photorealism. The illu-
sions, as simple or complex as the passion behind
them, seamlessly stitched together conceptions
of imagination. Photographers had their own
freedoms for self expression, much like those
found with brush and canvas by Salvador Dali
and Pablo Picasso. Around the world the art form
grew and thrived.
By the advent of the digital age, photo-collage and
montage had reached mainstream acceptance. It
was frequently employed in magazine and bill-
board advertisements, educational texts, posters
and wall displays, even family scrapbooks. It’s
prolific use did little to end the ethical quandaries
as to its application, and there remained many
who used this freedom of expression to further
self-serving agendas. Whether it is National Geo-
graphic’s relatively benign reshaping of historical
sites to fit magazine covers or British Petroleum
 PERCEPTIONS OF CONCEPTUALIZATION
releasing press packets containing edited images
of their rescue crews amidst clear blue waters fol-
lowing the Gulf Disaster, photo-editing has again
re-ignited the controversy around image manipu-
lation. This new digital method of compositing,
commonly referred to many as ‘photo-shopping’
by it’s association to Adobe software of the same
name, afforded artists the enhanced ability to cre-
ate more complex and dynamic images. Another
benefit of the digital upgrade was expending of
far fewer resources and often a substantially re-
duced production time. The equipment to create
the work, which no longer required the invest-
ment of a costly darkroom and chemical photo
agents, became increasingly smaller, lighter,
more portable and less costly. Over the short time
since it’s release less than three decades ago digi-
tal conception has become a pillar of artistic me-
diums.
M
odern day digital conceptualization is
fast overtaking more traditional forms
of surreal artistic expression while si-
multaneously reaching a larger audience. Web-
sites like Fark and Flickr contain vast libraries of
both amateur and professional examples of digi-
tal conceptualization and it continues to be seen
in both advertisements and anti-advertisements
like those offered by Adbusters. In fact, its pen-
etration into modern society is so deep and the
tools so readily available that consumers rarely
see an image which has not been manipulated in
some way, even in the cases of the most casual
use. However, the societal penetration has come
at some cost.
British Petroleum’s decision to offer altered pho-
tos as evidence that they were actually succeed-
ing in attempts to mitigate the Gulf Disaster while
claiming reports of the damage had been over-
blown was not viewed as the ‘red flag’ it perhaps
should have been. Much of the public remained
unaware that such images had been doctored, and
it’s within this point that the alarm bells should
start to ring.
T
he skills employed and advanced by art-
ists to create wonderfully imaginative
designs and milieus are also serving pro-
pagandists. Digital editing software has quickly
become the weapon of choice for corporations,
governments, and even religious communities
hoping to distort, confuse, or otherwise manipu-
late public opinion. As the technology advances
so does the ability to fool the eye and with it the
mind. Artists employing their skills for the sake
of art may find themselves on the forefront of the
an ethical debate looking to draw a line between
war and art, self-serving disinformation and cre-
atively driven conceptualization. It’s a debate as
old as the medium itself, and grows more com-
plex and intriguing as both art and medium de-
velop. Art has never been without controversy,
yet it remains clear to most that this ethical di-
lemma can’t go unchecked. Fortunately for us,
there remain many creative artists who leave lit-
tle doubt as to their intention as they continue to
take us on explorations of staggeringly emotional
surrealism.
For each image meant to convince there is another
that pushes us to question. Therefore, it may not
be the minds eye of the artist that needs focusing
but rather the eye of the beholder. Good art has
always challenged us to question our viewpoint
and perhaps now more than ever this is a percep-
tion we can’t go without. ♥
95
Andrey Belkov Photography

www.andreybelkov.com
belkov.photography@gmail.com
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