(Photos by Brian Milo, Interview by Eric Kim)

Eric chats with Brian Milo, Street photographer, Music Lover, unconventional wedding photographer, and print addict. They talk shop on printing, motivation, and prioritizing.

Eric: Great to have You, Brian! To start off, what is your life story? Where were you born, how did you first pick up a camera?

Brian: Thanks for having me, Eric.  I have worn many different hats in this incarnation on earth; son, father, husband, friend, drummer, photographer, student, teacher, construction worker, computer operator among many others.

I was born in Rockford, IL.  My father seemed to do a lot of family documenting with his camera. He passed when I was five and left masses of photographs. My photographic interest was peaked at an early age by his photos.  I bought a Minolta 35mm when I was 19. This was my first real camera, before that I had lots of disposables.

Why do you make photos, and what does it mean for you personally?

The process of making photographs to me means to explore different levels of consciousness through human interactions and being present in the moment. I suppose you could say it’s training to use my third eye.

Who are some artists who have informed your artistic vision?

A large portion of my inspiration comes from music and the visuals that go along with it.

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo is an artist, composer and lead singer of the band Devo.

Martin Gore – the main songwriter for Depeche Mode.

A couple photographers that have really inspired me are Anton Corbijn and Jacob Aue Sobol – both primarily for the ability to capture the souls of individuals.

I also love Martin Parr’s work.  Martin seems as if he was an alien sent here to spy on earthlings and report back to the aliens how humans interact.

Can you tell the story of how we first met — and what drew us together?

I have been following your blog for years. There’s always something fresh, a new look at an old master, mixing philosophy with photography, composition – I never know what I’ll wake up to but it usually gets my mind wandering on a good path.  We met at your workshop in March of 2015 in Chicago.  Good times being around all the energy and I look forward to doing it again.

Why did you get into printing? And what importance are prints in this digital world? What is the difference between a print and just seeing them on a screen?

I started printing because I wanted 100% control over my prints.

As a historical document of our times, I think prints are and will always be very important. A good piece of paper will outlive any DVD, thumb drive and/or hard drive.

Prints will change the way a photograph feels.  Is it matte, glossy, heavy, or light?  There’s a feel to prints that you don’t experience on the screen, much like books to ebooks, both are good and serve a certain purpose.

How do you make a business from your photography and printing? And what are your future dreams?

I started photographing bands in 2001.  The bands led to my working for Jagermeister music.  I pulled three North American tours including the last full Ozzfest tour and Motley Crue.

In 2010-2011 I built a wedding business with my friend Ryan Davis over treadmill walks and talks at the YMCA.  It was pretty exciting at the time and it’s been a blast to be able to support ourselves and our families through a camera.

The print business is something that naturally happened through photography.  I am looking to build a few solid relationships with inspiring photographers over the next few years as well as work with the local art community here in Rockford.

At this time in my life, I do not know what my future dreams will look like.

What tips, advice, or guidance would you give to other photographers who want to print their work?

Go for it!  Have patience, read the printer manually.  Lots of little details can go whacky between the computer and printer, try not to get frustrated. Finding a mentor will help you grow much faster.   If you don’t want to bother with printing give me a shout.  815-520-4657  brian.milo@gmail.com

If you started photography all over again, what advice would you give yourself?

There’s only so many fucks you can give in a day.  Give your good fucks to your top priorities.

Where can people check you out?

 Film Photographs: dirtynegatives.com

Online Folio: thepaidguest.com

IG: thepaidguest

Any shout-outs you’d like to give?

Bill furlong, hope you’re looking up buddy!

More From Brian

Colophon/description for Dark Skies Over Tokyo

Printing process for Dark Skies Over Tokyo;

Printing – Often referred to as giclee printing, Prints are all made one at a time on  Epson printers using the UltraChrome K3 ink.

Paper used = Red River Polar Magna Matter. At 14mil thickness, 88lb. this is the heaviest and thickest photo matte stock available on the market today.