CONTENTS

JON ORTNER 8 STEVEN EDSON 54

MARIA GRAZIA TERI HAVENS 68

MORMANDO 22
STEVE GEER 82
RICHARD J. SMITH 34

Fate, Friendship & the Magic

Of Producing An Icon
By Sandra Djak Kovacs 50

BACKSTAGE

CHRIS KOVACS Publisher: Adore Noir Publishing

Editor
Online: adorenoir.com
SANDRA DJAK KOVACS
Executive Editor Email: admin@adorenoir.com
Adore Noir Magazine
TIM ANDERSON 1202 West Pender Street
Editor at Large PO Box 17514
Vancouver, BC
V6E 2S8
LESLIE HILTS
Adore Noir online magazine is published bimonthly.
Editor at Large
All images are © copyright of their respective artists and may not be
copied or distributed. All rights reserved.

JOHN GLYNN
Contributor ISSN 1925-5160
 Editor’s Notes
Back in 1981 when Lady Diana Spencer mar- earlier, grittier era. Humble, solitary structures
ried Prince Charles, I was one of the 750 million cloaked in loneliness and isolation, yet miracu-
viewers who watched her become a princess. lously, as if blessed by some divine patron, still
We all watched as Diana turned into the People’s open –– a refuge where a hard-edged world is
Princess, an icon, from the ordinary to the ex- numbed and softened by alcohol and dim light-
traordinary. ing.” Teri’s photos evoke a mystical light around
the establishments that she photographs, The Fire-
Our cover photographer, Maria Grazia Morman- side Inn, seems to barely holds itself up, and yet,
do, says: “The project Unusual Conditions began it does, beyond expectation.
with the idea of showing the extraordinary within
the ordinary.” She shoots her subjects in such a Jon Ortner’s series is titled, Peak of Perfection,
way that changes our perspective, and what we his models are well beyond expectation in terms
thought we knew all along becomes something of athletics and beauty. His pictures are posed
different. Mormando’s women whisper secrets and styled to present the most perfect humans.
from their photos, telling us that their lives are His photos are breathtaking in their execution.
bigger than we can ever imagine. He tells us that he spent ten years seeking out the
models and creating the trusting relationships
Steve Geer presents us with a series titled Chica- required to capture the essence of ease that dances
go through the Looking Glass, a series that pres- from his pictures.
ents the Chicago cityscape as if in a daydream.
Geer tells us “the city’s famous architecture is Trust is an important factor, in my essay, Fate,
reflected in various horizontal surfaces: full and Friendship & the Magic of Producing an Icon I
empty pools, puddles, and fountains, wet pave- delve into the story behind the partnerships be-
ment, shiny marble benches, and frozen river ice. tween photographers and icons such as Marilyn
The images are flipped vertically, transporting Monroe and Princess Diana, and how these trust-
them into the looking glass world…” ed relationships resulted in some of the best and
well known photos of their time.
Richard J. Smith similarly provokes us to find that
which doesn’t normally fit together and yet, when Steven Edson takes us on a visual treat of a
placed side-by-side in a Smith photo collage our 1970s’ NYC. The boy with the gun in his coat. It
mind makes the connection, the sky lights up be- can’t be real? The photograph will hold that se-
hind a chair in a dark room where time sits wait- cret. Are the lovers we see on a park bench in it
ing. A visual poem that makes sense the moment forever? Only they know. As much as the photo
your eyes inhale it, and only begins to unravel tells us, it also keeps to itself a wonderful story
as you look deeper, are those clouds grazing the where, we, as the viewer can fill in the blanks for
floor? ourselves. We always have a choice, with our
eyes we can elevate the most ordinary to extraor-
Teri Havens’ feature Last Light is of rundown dinary. Each of us makes a difference.
bars, she tells us “The bars were a natural choice
because they are one of the few places open at So...Dim the lights, go to your favorite place, sit
night. And I have always had a thing for bars–– back, relax and enjoy!
the more marginal the better. I’m mostly drawn
to outliers––raw, dilapidated joints that evoke an Sandra Djak Kovacs
 ON THE COVER

MARIA GRAZIA MORMANDO

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 FEATURED
JON ORTNER

“I have been photographing black and white nudes for most of my

photographic career. I was always interested in extraordinary physi-
cal beauty across cultures and throughout history.”
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 PEAK OF PERFECTION Interview with Jon Ortner
AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you
from?
JO: My name is Jon Ortner, I have been a
pro photographer for more than thirty years.
I grew up in Great Neck, on the North Shore
of Long Island, New York. I currently live in
Yonkers on the Hudson River with my wife
and business partner Martha McGuire.
AN: How did you become interested in
photography?
JO: When I was very young I became an avid
naturalist. I loved being outdoors, and began
collecting fossils, crystals, butterflies, bird
nests––anything that got me out adventuring
in the wilds. I was a budding scientist and
wanted to learn everything I could about the
plants and animals I found. My first job was
in my local library filing books and working
in the reference room, that fostered my love of
scholarship and books, especially illustrated
photography books. I started collecting and
studying books on nature, then a bit later, in
my early teens, I starting reading about the
Himalaya and the exotic lost cities of Asia,
such as Angkor in Cambodia, and Bagan in
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 JON ORTNER

Myanmar. That led to my first journeys to India until I started seeing athletic dance troupes
and Nepal when I was twenty-one years old, such as Pilobolus, Anti Gravity and Ballet
have continued that lifelong interest in Asia, Tech in New York City, that the combination
the Himalaya, and the ancient Buddhist and of gymnastic skill, and extreme poses, all
Hindu philosophies that evolved from those done with nude bodies, that I realized the
sacred lands. photographic potential. It is that combination
of extraordinary physical beauty of the body,
AN: Please tell us about your series Peak of and the shapes and textures that could be
Perfection and what inspired you to create this created, especially with couples, that focused
body of work. my ideas for Peak of Perfection. This was
never meant to be a dance book––but rather a
JO: I have been photographing black and collection of portraits of uniquely talented and
white nudes for most of my photographic beautiful people.
career. I was always interested in extraordinary
physical beauty and the power of beauty across AN: What were some of the challenges you
cultures and throughout history. But, it wasn’t faced while photographing this series?

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 JON ORTNER
JO: The first challenge was to find the athletes,
dancers and gymnasts that displayed the
qualities I was looking for––extraordinary and
rare physical beauty, both in face and in body,
and the ability to express themselves while
nude. It was also important that there was an
emotional connection with the models, because
of what I was trying to express in this book.
And of course the trust that was necessary to
have this kind of intimate collaboration. Not
only did these people have amazing talents,
they were able to create art with their bodies.
They had to be comfortable with me, and
the technical equipment surrounding them
during the shoots. In addition to creating the
photographs, I wanted to pair the images
with thought provoking quotes by artists,
philosophers, and scientists on the nature of
beauty, how we perceive it, and its value and
importance in all civilizations. I write about
that extensively in the introduction, I think
the quotes add an important dimension to the
overall design and content of the book.
AN: What makes this book special?
JO: One of the most important aspects of this
book is the extraordinary beauty and talent of
the models, it is a rare combination. I patiently
sought out and gained the confidence of each
model over a ten year period. Although several
publishers showed interest in this project, I
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 JON ORTNER
chose a publisher that had the resources and
desire to make something special. Peak of
Perfection comes enclosed in a linen slipcase,
with metallic embossed titles. It has three
gatefolds, and was printed on the finest art
paper using tri-tone inks, few publishers are
capable and willing to create a book of this
quality. It was a total pleasure to work with the
creative team from Schiffer Publishing.
Finally, my wife and business partner Martha
McGuire is a superb designer, and was able
to spend considerable time and effort on the
sizing and flow of images. As I mention in the
Acknowledgments Page, this was a unique
collaboration of people with a wide range of
expertise, it was a privilege and honor to work
with so many talented people.
AN: How long do your book projects take,
from inception to publication?
JO: When people ask me how long my book
projects have taken, they are often surprised
with my answers. I have always felt that in
order to show someone something they have
not seen––you have to be an expert. You
have to be able to look deep into your subject,
so that you can create images that take your
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viewers into another level of appreciation
and understanding. My first book on Asia,
Where Every Breath is a Prayer, was at least
fifteen years in the making, with five trips to
Nepal, and extended photography expeditions
in India, Thailand, Myanmar, Java, and Bali.
Angkor, Celestial Temples of the Khmer
Empire, was shot over an eight year period
in Cambodia. And Buddha, one of my most
successful books, now in five languages, was
at least ten years in the making. For Buddha I
photographed extensively in Bhutan, Ladakh,
Tibet, Laos and Myanmar. My book Canyon
Wilderness of the Southwest was shot over
four or five years in the remote slot canyons
and deserts of Utah and Arizona. Many of my
books have extensive text, so in addition to the
time it took to create the photographs there was
considerable research and writing that took
place. And once the photography was finished,
there was the search for the right publishers,
and often a year or more of layout and design.
AN: What or who are your influences?
JO: My first influences, early in my career,
were the great photo colorists: Ernst Haas,
Pete Turner and Eric Meola. Then when I
started working on Canyon Wilderness of the
 JON ORTNER
Southwest, I was influenced by the American
landscape photographers Eliot Porter, David
Muench and Jack Dykinga. As far as black and
white landscape artists, I am most influenced
and in awe of the masters: Ansel Adams and
Clyde Butcher. Once I started shooting nudes,
it was the elegant black and white portrait and
nude photography of Avedon, Scavullo and
Ritts that I felt the most in tune with.
AN: Do you have any upcoming projects or
shows?
JO: I am currently working on several new
books. The one that is closest to being
completed is another black and white film
project concentrating on what will be lost to
future generations––the most beautiful and
unspoiled wild areas left in America. They
are the precious Edens, about to be destroyed
forever. Photographed with a Panoramic View
Camera, it is about eighty-percent finished, still
a few years away from completion.
AN: What is your final say?
JO: As an artist, the most important goal,
and my philosophy of life, is to follow your
passion. All art comes from the artist’s inner
emotions, creative energy and the desire to
share that with other people. This passion for
life, this search for meaningful experiences,
and the immersion and examination of beauty,
is what has guided me. Photography has
been a tool in my search for enlightenment
and meaning in life. Ultimately, photography
allows me to be aware, in the truest sense of
the word. ♥
See more at: ortnerphoto.com
More info on Schiffer Publishing: click here
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JON ORTNER

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 FEATURED
MARIA GRAZIA MORMANDO

“The subject in every picture is relatively normal, but the way it is photo-
graphed depicts an underlying strangeness, something extraordinary that
cannot be seen any other way.”
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 UNUSUAL CONDITIONS Interview with Maria Grazia Mormando

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you AN: How did you become interested in
from? photography?

MGM: My name is Maria Grazia Mormando, MGM: I have always loved photography,
I’m from Rome, Italy. I am a graduate of especially the way certain things reveal
ISFCI, La scuola di fotografia a Roma (The themselves in photographs.
Photography School of Rome).

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 MARIA GRAZIA MORMANDO

AN: Please tell us about the series Unusual strangeness, something extraordinary that
Conditions and what inspired you to create this cannot be seen any other way.
body of work.
AN: How do you create your images?
MGM: The project Unusual Conditions began
with the idea of showing the extraordinary MGM: My pictures are always shot on film;
within the ordinary. The subject in every I use an old Hasselblad with IlFord films, I
picture is relatively normal, but the way use a Nikon for small format. My developing
it is photographed depicts an underlying process often produces images with a high

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 MARIA GRAZIA MORMANDO

grain presence or sometimes very low contrast Erice, Duane Michals, Francesca Woodman,
images. I love to play with film, I solarise, Deborah Turbeville, Sarah Moon and Michael
overexpose, underexpose––I also like long and Ackerman, to name a few.
multiple exposures.
AN: Do you have any upcoming projects?
AN: What or who are your influences?
MGM: Yes, I am working on a project called
MGM: I am inspired by Andrej Tarkovskij, The Last Ones. It is a series of portraits
Ozu, Bela Tarr, Manoel De Oliveira,Victor feauring the people that live in an old

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 MARIA GRAZIA MORMANDO

neighborhood in Tursi, which is a small city in See more on Maria’s Flickr page.
the south of Italy. click here

AN: What is your final say?

MGM: Be patient with things, and eventually

they will unveil their innermost secrets. ♥

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 FEATURED
RICHARD J. SMITH

“I call my art Handcrafted Surrealism, as I photograph and compose ex-

clusively via smartphone. I believe this medium enhances the personal ele-
ment of connection between artist and audience...”
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 HANDCRAFTED SURREALISM Interview with Richard J. Smith
AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you
from?
RS: My name is Richard J. Smith, aka:
“RSMITHING” (Richard + Smith + Things)
I’m from Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
located in the southeastern United States. My
city is famous for being the home of Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts, Hanes underwear, the late
poet Maya Angelou, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company, and for its creation of the first arts
council in the United States, founded in 1949.
AN: How did you become interested in
photography?
RS: I’ve always loved art, and I remember
getting a thrill when my mom would post my
drawings on the refrigerator. Come puberty,
I discover rock ‘n’ roll, start playing guitar in
bands, and also get into producing flyers. Little
did I know I was teaching myself graphic-
design.
Finally in college, it all came together at the
university newspaper when I discovered Aldus
Pagemaker—the digital way of doing what
I’d been creating by hand with photocopiers
and cutouts from newspapers. From there,
I decided on a career in graphic design, but
nowadays I do more writing for a living in
corporate communications. Along the way
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I continued making music and blogging, AN: What or who are your influences?
but graphic art— and more so these days,
photography-related art, is the passion that sets RS: My direct visual inspirations include
me on fire. fine artists such as Dalí and Escher; avant-
garde photographers including Man Ray and
AN: Please tell us about your photo collage Francesca Woodman; classic photography
work. How did you become interested in this masters such as Ansel Adams and Erwin
avenue of creativity? Blumenfeld; along with contemporary
creators like Sion Fullana, Tommy Ingberg,
RS: It was seeing the work of Jerry Uelsmann Sylvia Grav, and, of course, the ultimate
in college (in a creative writing class, of all photomontage master and my deepest
things) that turned me on to the power of visual inspiration, Jerry Uelsmann.
metaphor through unexpected combinations––I
was hooked. I didn’t know how to do what AN: Where can people see your work?
he did, but I knew I would find a way. I have
many of his books, some even autographed RS: It’s all at my website www.rsmithings.
because I’m a super-fan. com––that’s really the best way to get the

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 RICHARD J. SMITH

inside track on all the latest goods. And I’ll be
setting up shop at a craft fair or two this year
around my neighborhood. Just look for the guy
with the freaky black and white framed art,
probably doing something on his phone. I’m
also easy to find as “rsmithing” on Facebook,
Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr,
FineArtInternational, and many others.
AN: What is your final say?
RS: I call my art Handcrafted Surrealism, as
I photograph and compose exclusively via
smartphone. I believe this medium enhances
the personal element of connection between
artist and audience, because with a smartphone See more at: rsmithings.com
as medium—your fingers become the brushes;
your movements become the brush strokes,
and you literally cradle a creation as it comes
into existence—all with an object you keep on
your person and interact with likely hundreds
of times a day. Not all smartphone art has
these craftsmanship-like qualities, but in the
case of my work, every final creation taken in
by viewers is something I have stared at, in
hand, physically maneuvering, and repeatedly
refining as the elements come into place. Even
my printmaking is very hands-on, with each
piece being custom cut then mounted in frames
that I refurbish and paint in my basement
studio. ♥

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 FATE, FRIENDSHIP & THE MAGIC OF PRODUCING AN ICON
By Sandra Djak Kovacs
There are certain roles in life, like being a
princess or a pin-up girl, where being the
subject of a photo is necessary, and de-
pending upon how the subject wants to
be perceived the photos and the photogra-
phers can be manipulated. Marilyn Monroe
was always camera ready, as was Princess
Diana. Each of them used the camera in or-
der to present a certain image to the world.
However, the Princess did not purposefully
set out to be photographed, she inherited
the role when she married Prince Charles.
“Magic, friendship and fate, all key ingredients in creating
photographs and icons.”
Marilyn was working in a munitions factory
when she was discovered by a photographer
on assignment to capture pictures of women
working during the war effort. This led to
a magazine cover and finally to a model-
ing school where: “She would study every
photograph made of her, pick out the ones
she thought were not successful, and ask
the photographers what she had done incor-
rectly. She took their advice very seriously
and never repeated what she considered to
be a mistake.” (from: entertainment.how-
stuffworks.com/maryilyn-monroe)
The rest is history. Marilyn perfected her
sultry and vulnerable pose. Fifty years
have passed since her death and her image
is still found everywhere. Her most iconic
images came as a result of her partnership
50
with photographer Milton Greene. They
were business partners and close friends,
with Marilyn even living with him, his
young son and wife for a brief period. The
connection between Marilyn and Milton
was indisputable and reportedly, Arthur
Miller, Marilyn’s third husband was not at
all pleased with how close they were. David
Marshall from marilynmonroe.ca reviews,
Milton’s Marilyn, written by James Kot-
silibas-Davis and Joshua Greene. Marshall
says: “Like so much of Marilyn’s life, the
end of the Greene/Monroe collaboration is
hard to read about…With Milton’s Marilyn
you are able to sit back and see what mag-
ic they made and through the text, make a
small attempt at understanding genius, a
quality both Milton Greene and Marilyn
Monroe shared.” Magic, friendship and
fate, all key ingredients in creating photo-
graphs and icons.
Mario Testino photographs the starriest of
the stars, and does it in such a way, that
they open up to him and show the world
their best selves. Testino took the last offi-
cial pictures of Princess Diana, by many ac-
counts they were some of her favourite pho-
tos and duly so, they are simply stunning,
Diana’s mischievous blue eyes stare out at
the world declaring a bold independence
 FATE, FRIENDSHIP & THE MAGIC OF PRODUCING AN ICON / SANDRA DJAK KOVACS
and an inner joy that cannot be manipulated
by a lens of any kind. Testino says in this
clip from vanityfair.com: “I work to make
them shine…but you have to give it to
them. At the end of the day, it’s their im-
age… I will try to predict their most posi-
tive and assured moment.” The relationship
between photographer and subject needs to
be one of trust. The subject trusts that the
photographer will capture and present what
is best for the subject and/ or ultimately
what the subject would like projected to the
world.
“Diana, by mere nature of her position, and with the
advance of the paparazzi, had to have relationships in
place with multiple photographers.”
Diana, by mere nature of her position, and
with the advance of the paparazzi, had to
have relationships in place with multiple
photographers. Many would travel with
her on her humanitarian trips. She was
compelled to help the less fortunate and the
photographs that have resulted from these
trips showcase an authentic connection to
people all over the world. One of her last
official missions, prior to her death, was to
bring awareness to the land mines of Bos-
nia. Ian Jones was one of her official pho-
tographers during this trip. He writes about
this and how Diana’s “working relationship
between her and the officially recognized
photographers was very good.” (from: Pho-
tographing Diana, http://www.telegraph.
co.uk/news/uknews/1536848/Photograph-
ing-Diana.html) Jones further says: “… it
was difficult to take a bad photograph of
Diana, especially when she was having a
good day. She knew how to play the game
and no one did it better.” Diana knew ex-
actly how to pose and gave the photogra-
phers what they wanted, the perfect picture,
and she, in turn, received recognition to-
wards the various causes and less fortunate
people she so loved. However, near the
end of her life, the frenzy surrounding Di-
ana was becoming increasingly invasive.
Ian Jones, in the same article quoted above
says: “Diana hated the intrusive behavior of
the more aggressive freelancers. The sad-
ness and the tears were often real and the
pressure could be seen in her eyes.”
Princess Diana is sorely missed by many of
the photographers that she had close con-
nections with. She treated them like friends
and family, letting them into her life and
rewarding them with the greatest photos of
their careers. She was an icon whose pass-
ing was tragic and too soon.
Both Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana
shared their magic with the world, through
a combination of learned poses and a natu-
ral instinct, and a friendly, familial relation-
ship with their regular photographers, they
were able to share the pictures that they
wanted projected to the world. They were
51
 FATE, FRIENDSHIP & THE MAGIC OF PRODUCING AN ICON / SANDRA DJAK KOVACS
both kind-hearted and used the media to
hone their images and bring to light causes
that were important to them. Most impor-
tantly, they were willing to open themselves
up and show their insecurities, along with
their beauty, to the world. They were au-
thentically themselves and when the right
photographer took the right picture at the
right time, the magic of their spirits soared
and took us, the viewer, with them.
There is a lot of manufactured magic float-
ing around in the digital world, both from
times before and especially now that every-
one can take a picture of themselves––the
selfie!
No one is more iconic and recogniz-
able than Kim Kardashian West when it
comes to the selfie. She is arguably this
era’s pin-up, becoming internationally
known through an interplay of well-played
paparazi, reality TV and social media. Her
most recent contributions to the world, are
the announcement that she is pregnant with
a son and her book Selfish.
Reviewer, Gregory Babock from ca.com-
plex.com says: “We begin to buy into her
ability to make her unrelatable lifestyle
seem relatively normal by the familiar way
she documents her otherwise otherworldly
experiences—the humble selfie.”
Kim Kardashian is a Hollywood fairytale,
she started out as a stylist and now she has
graced the cover of Vogue, posing with her
beautiful family for renowned photographer
Annie Leibovitz. Only time will tell if Kim
Kardashian will endure. Does she have the
It factor that can sustain interest over gen-
erations? Friendship, fate and magic were
52
integral to the enduring legacies of both
Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana.
My son was recently asked what he wanted
to be when he grew up. He responded, “A
Wizard.” His Aunty asked him, “Are you
going to use your powers for good or evil?”
He responded, “For good, of course.” The
subject of a photo, the Princess or the
Pin-Up, for good or for evil, these are the
stories that the photographers love, and
the ones that people are after. We can get
caught up in a vortex of gossip where the
stories that catch us are raw enough that we
want to consume them instantly. However,
now, more than ever, in a digital world that
seemingly connects us all, we need to en-
gage in real connections like hugging our
children, helping our elderly and spending
time with our friends where laughing so
hard that we pee is not only encouraged but
necessary. You might just be lucky enough
to find yourself being photographed at
just the right time and just the right place;
showing us a glimpse of the deep joy and
raw beauty possible in every human. ♥
Sandra Djak Kovacs is a freelance writer
living in Vancouver, BC. She can be reached
at: sandradjakkovacs@gmail.com and on
twitter @sandradeekovacs
 FEATURED
STEVEN EDSON

“As a young street photographer in the 1970’s, I never knew what I would
come across. I would spend days walking areas of NYC that I probably
never should have been.”

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 1970’s NYC Interview with Steven Edson

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you what was around me. I also enjoyed the
from? concentration involved in making prints in the
darkroom.
SE: I was born in NYC and currently live just
outside of Boston in Belmont, MA. In college, I continued with undergraduate
classes in photography at Goddard College
AN: How did you become interested in in Vermont, I graduated with a BFA in
photography? photography as part of The Studio for Inter-
related Media (SIM) at Massachusetts College
SE: While growing up, my Dad had both a still of Art in Boston, Ma.
camera and a 8mm movie camera, he would
use it primarily to photograph and film at small AN: Please tell us about this series of images
family celebrations. We also had subscriptions and what inspired you to pursue street
to Life Magazine and National Geographic–– photography.
both publications gave me a greater sense of
how photojournalists were using the camera to SE: I grew up in New Rochelle, NY a suburb
tell the visual stories of major world events. In just north of New York City, it’s a bedroom
high school, I took a class on black and white commuter town for many parents who traveled
photography and was immediately taken by daily into Manhattan for work. For a time,
the process of photographing and documenting my father had an office in the Empire State

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Building and other buildings in Manhattan. and exploring for the visual richness that exists
all around us. I have always used the camera
NYC always had something going on, all to try to make sense of the world around me.
the time, and the activity never ceased. NYC By using a frame in front of me, it enables me
was vibrant and the streets never lacked for to see more clearly, the visual relationships
something unusual to watch. My family between people themselves, people to objects,
also spent a lot of time visiting NYC, so my people to landscapes and objects to objects.
comfort level of being in a big city was never a
problem. Having a camera allows me the ability to
photograph and then review and inspect what
As a young street photographer in the 1970’s, it is that I have seen and what the world was
I never knew what I would come across. I actually looking like in a precise moment, at a
would spend days walking areas of NYC that specific place, from an exact point of view. It’s
I probably never should have been. As a street actually pretty fascinating as only one person
photographer, it’s good and necessary to have ever has that exact perspective and when you
a certain amount of street smarts. Reading the mix in the equation of exposure settings, the
street not only for potential photographs, but lens and the timing to depress the shutter,
also watching your back and making sure you something very magical and interesting can
don’t find yourself in a bad situation. occur. As it often happens, I am all too aware
of the realization that I have missed what
I was then, and I still am today, always looking I was going for. This process is a complex

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interaction between many moving parts, all
of which I have very little control over, I am
just hoping that all the elements of the image,
come together in that small fraction of a
second. The one thing I do know for sure is
that I am happiest when I am engaged in the
act of creating and looking for those magical
moments. After working at this process for
many decades, I am also aware that I might not
even recognize the power of certain images I
make until months and sometimes years after I
have made the image.
As a working artist, I wander and pursue
several different series’ which I am currently
working on and respond to what I am seeing
by looking, framing, altering my perspective
and trying to find a cohesive sense of what
is occurring in front of me. It’s almost like a
dream where I interact in a fleeting situation,
but with a camera, I have the ability to go
back and study the dream and see if I created
something that was far greater than the sum of
its parts.
AN: What would you say are some of
your favorite and least favorite changes in
photography since you photographed these
images from the 1970’s and 1980’s?
SE: When I was spending days at a clip in
the darkroom developing film and enlarging
black and white as well as color prints, I
knew that eventually, I would be working
with more precise tools. I would often go into
the darkroom early in the morning and come
out in the late afternoon into the darkness of
a winter’s day, wondering what happened to
the light. The process of dodging and burning
light onto paper in the easel of the enlarger is
a very odd dance and an inexact process. The
analogy I used often, which would eventually
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change my production process was akin to
knowing the typewriter served its purpose and
many great books and writings came from it,
but for me, the word processor and the digital
process is closer to how my mind works. At
first, the initial digital cameras were very
expensive and film was cheaper and easier
to use with far better results. Eventually over
the course of five to ten years, in the mid to
late1990’s, digital sensors and the flexibility
of digital cameras became far superior to film
based image capture and the costs began to
compete with film cameras. Also, Photoshop
allows me to work at a desk in daylight and
I could escape the environmental hazards
of toxic chemicals of the darkroom. Finally,
with the development of the Iris ink jet printer
combined with archival pigment inks, which
in my opinion were more beautiful than silver
halide based prints, this ultimately created
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all the right reasons I needed to transition
from film to digital. I haven’t once looked
backwards wishing I could shoot film since
that time in the early 2000’s when I made
the change. People seem to forget, or not
understand, that there is a large expense in
money and cost in time to manage these huge
amounts of digital files and data, it is critical
for digital artists to have additional backup
drives and a reliable system to save and secure
their data.
In the end analysis, film capture, digital
capture, or non-photographic based images are
simply tools, which allows artists to describe
and explore the world we live in. Whether we
use film, 8x10 view cameras, medium format,
DSLR’s or camera’s in our phones, they all
have the ability to serve their masters––it’s not
the wand, it’s the magician.
 STEVEN EDSON
In today’s world, I often find people very
contentious and mistrustful of photographers at
least from my experiences in the United States
and France. It’s a lot harder to go unnoticed
and very difficult to work in certain public
environments where people think that you
are shooting for nefarious and exploitative
reasons. If that was the case, I would never
use such obvious equipment, but that doesn’t
seem to stop people of being suspicious and
self righteous, even getting in my face and
demanding that I delete images from my
camera. Many people just don’t understand or
respect a photographer’s legal rights to work
in public and the amazing imagery and content
that street photographs are able to capture,
all while reflecting upon powerful visual
relationships and our contemporary culture.
AN: What or who are your influences?
SE: There are many styles of art and forms
of expression, which have all served as
reference points and have influenced my work.
I have enjoyed the narrative form of story-
telling which describe and relate the human
condition from the everyday, to the tragic, to
the sublime. Painting has influenced the way I
have looked at the world, from the Surrealists,
to the Dutch Masters, to the Modernists and
contemporary painters. Art from Asia, India,
Africa and South America all have impacted
what I see. Music from Jazz to Blues, Rock
“N” Roll, to Americana has also added to
my sense of self and how other artists create
in different mediums. Then there is theatre,
mostly anything off Broadway, and film, Who
is Afraid of Virginia Woolf ,to Lawrence of
Arabia, to On The Waterfront, to Harakiri, to
Das Boat and Citizen Kane are among many
films which have had a significant impact on
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my life and the ability to tell incredible stories. AN: Do you have any upcoming projects or
Literature, magazines and journalism have shows?
also added to my collective interest and greater
understanding of the world around me and has SE: I currently have six images which
helped me to look with a different sense of were selected for The Fence, an outdoor
what the possibilities are and how stories are photographic exhibit currently showing in
being told. Brooklyn, NY with an extended showing
this fall in both Atlanta, GA and Houston,Tx.
In terms of artists, I admire Robert Frank, These Road Paint images are from a current
Josef Koudelka, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gary series of work about painted lines found on
Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, the roads we travel on and the various public
Aaron Siskind, Larry Clark and Edward works, cable, water, electric and gas crews
Weston. I also admire painters such as, Edward who communicate thru a series of symbols,
Hopper, Vermeer, John Singer Sargent, Van and an almost secret visual language. I also
Gogh, Picasso, Dali, René Magritte, de have a recent image in a group show at The
Chirico, Rousseau, Man Ray, Charles Sheeler Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA from
and Warhol, they have all helped to construct another current series called Architectural
and deconstruct what I know is possible and Deconstructions. This series is based on
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architecture, where I subsequently create a difference as to what makes a great image and
series of alterations and algorithms until they what makes a very average one. Look at art,
are completely abstracted into images of visit galleries, look at art books, visit museums
patterns of lines, forms and colors. and travel as broadly as possible. To fully
understand ourselves and our vision as artists,
AN: What is your final say? we need to understand what foundations of
culture we stand on––then, we can toss it all
SE: With the prevalence of cameras in phones, aside and make our art, our own. ♥
everyone thinks that they are a photographer,
and in fact, this is partially true. But I like to See more at: stevenedson.net
say that I can throw a baseball and can catch a
baseball, but I am certainly not able to play for
the Boston Red Sox or any professional team.
It is important to study what has come before
us, as there is a rich history of image making
that we all rely on when making photographs
and art. The problem is that most people are
not aware of this lineage and they make very
pedestrian images and do not understand the

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 FEATURED
TERI HAVENS

“Photography became a way of trying out new things, an excuse to

drive around, end up in odd places, meet people and become a part of
their lives.”

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 LAST LIGHT Interview with Teri Havens

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you TH: I got my first camera for Christmas when
from? I was six. I was always very curious, so early
on, photography was a way of exploring the
TH: I grew up in Lubbock, Texas. The wide- world around me, and probably hiding from it
open space of the Texas panhandle was cer- as well. But it was when I got my first car that
tainly an early influence, the light there is I really started covering some ground. Photog-
merciless, but can also be very beautiful at raphy became a way of trying out new things,
times. Although Lubbock is a mid-sized city it an excuse to drive around and end up in odd
was pretty isolated and very conservative, you places, to meet people and become a part of
couldn’t buy alcohol in town, there were me- their lives. Later I studied photojournalism at
ga-churches on every corner, not a whole lot to the University of Texas and became interested
do, you were either in Sunday school or out in in printmaking.
the cotton fields in your Camaro raising hell.
AN: Please tell us about your series Last Light
AN: How did you become interested in pho- and what inspired you to create this body of
tography? work.

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TH: Until I started Last Light three years ago
I was primarily a portrait photographer. I was
sort of at an impasse, and when going through
some of my old negatives, I found a night shot
that I had taken in Detroit twenty-five years
ago. I had just started experimenting with plat-
inum/palladium printmaking and I thought the
rich tones and contrast of night images would
be gorgeous in platinum/palladium.
Night photography is like exploring another
dimension. Things seem otherworldly. And
prowling around in the dark makes me feel like be relics from the past, probably a hairsbreadth
I’m doing something subversive.
The bars were a natural choice because they
are one of the few places open at night. And
I’ve always had a thing for bars––the more
marginal the better. I’m mostly drawn to out-
liers––raw, dilapidated joints that evoke an
earlier, grittier era. Humble, solitary structures to all the old bars.
cloaked in loneliness and isolation, yet mi-
raculously, as if blessed by some divine pa-
tron, still open–– a refuge where a hard-edged
world is numbed and softened by alcohol
and dim lighting.
The bar is the epicenter of a small town. Un-
like the church or town hall or a local diner
there’s a level of honesty and rawness in a bar
that cuts deeper into the guts of a place.
Most of the places I’m attracted to appear to
away from closing down. They have defiant
self-sufficiency that I connect with.
Sometimes I’ll drive hundreds of miles on the
track of the perfect bar, and when I get there
I find that it has shut down. It’s devastating. I
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AN: What or who are your influences? art would seem to be art that locates and ap-
plies CPR to those elements of what’s human
TH: Many of the WPA photographers: Mari- and magical that still live and glow despite the
on Post Wolcott, Dorothea Lange and Walker times’ darkness.”
Evens, as well as the early European photogra-
phers Stieglitz and Cartier-Bresson, I am also –– David Foster Wallace ♥
influenced by writers such as Annie Proulx and
David Foster Wallace who so brilliantly cap- See more at: terihavens.com
ture the American condition.

AN: What’s next?

TH: A lot of printmaking ahead.

AN: What is your final say?

TH: “… In dark times, the definition of good

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 FEATURED
STEVE GEER

“In Chicago through the Looking Glass the city’s famous architecture is
reflected in various horizontal surfaces...”

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 CHICAGO THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Interview with Steve Geer

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you require a certain curiosity and a willingness to
from? experiment, at least that’s the way I approach
both of them.
SG: I grew up in England, lived for a time in
Switzerland, and then moved to the United AN: How did you become interested in pho-
States, living first near Boston and then near tography?
Chicago.
SG: For several years I made holiday journals
When I’m not taking photos, I’m a scientist with my wife, sticking the best shots into a
working at a large research laboratory in the fancy album and adding text from a vacation
suburbs. Science and photography have a lot in notebook. I’m glad we did that. They are pre-
common, they work well together. They each cious memories. Then came the digital revolu-

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tion, and along with it, stock photography, and
a way to get feedback. My technique improved
and my photos sold. I was hooked. My first
big project was to photograph every one of the
seventy-seven community areas that make up
metropolitan Chicago. It took me seven years.
At the end of it, I knew the city, its architec-
ture, and its story. It’s a story I’m still explor-
ing photographically.
AN: Please tell us about your series Chicago
though the Looking Glass and what inspired
you to create this body of work.
SG: In early 2014 I began to photograph
Chicago cityscapes reflected in various shiny
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surfaces. I thought of Lewis Carol’s famous
children’s book Alice through the Looking
Glass, and to get a little inspiration I decided
to reread his wonderful text. On the other side
of the looking glass, Alice finds a world that
is familiar and yet not quite right. After read-
ing a poem in that strange world, she notes:
“Somehow it seems to fill my head with
ideas––only I don’t exactly know what they
are!” Lewis Carol was pointing out that seeing
something we don’t quite understand gets us
thinking.
In Chicago through the Looking Glass, the
city’s famous architecture is reflected in vari-
ous horizontal surfaces: full and empty pools,
 STEVE GEER
puddles, and fountains, wet pavement, shiny
marble benches, and frozen river ice. The im-
ages are flipped vertically, transporting them
into the looking glass world in which down-
to-earth things––the pavement, fallen leaves,
items of litter––become objects of fantasy
floating mysteriously across the image. The
result is something that looks real, and yet not
quite right. Something we don’t fully under-
stand, which gets us thinking.
Strange, though these flipped images seem,
apart from minor corrections, no other manip-
ulations have been made in the digital dark-
room. Nothing has been added or subtracted.
These are documentary images. The looking
glass world is shown as found.
AN: What or who are your influences?
SG: My heroes are those nineteenth centu-
ry photographers that carted a wagonload of
equipment to some remote spot, and then wait-
ed hours, and sometimes days, for the light to
be right. I have their photographs hanging on
my walls. They are beautiful things that invite
us to dream about distant places and far off
times.
The technical and artistic mastery of the
best of these nineteenth century photogra-
phers is unsurpassed, but most of all, it’s
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the way their photographs get me thinking AN: What is your final say?
that I find inspiring.
SG: I’ll give Elliott Erwitt the last word: “To
AN: Do you have any upcoming projects or me, photography is an art of observation. It’s
shows? about finding something interesting in an ordi-
nary place... I’ve found it has little to do with
SG: I have exhibited single photos from the the things you see and everything to do with
Chicago through the Looking Glass project, the way you see them.” ♥
but not the project as a whole. I would like to
do that. I’m also beginning to explore my next See more at: stevegeer.com
theme. Since I prefer to execute one project at
a time, I have to choose carefully. In Chicago
there are many new skyscrapers being built
that are changing the look and feel of the city. I
am experimenting with ways to tell that story.

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