In this hour-long interview, we talk about his trip to LA, how it is to shoot in Eugene and Portland, the philosophy and psychology behind blogging, shooting in color vs black and white, as well as his advice for street photographers.
Also as a note, there are some parts of the video where the audio is scratchy, and the video isn’t the highest quality. But I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I did! You can follow Blake below:
I want to write this article on a photographer, blogger, and overall cool guy — Blake Andrews.
I first saw Blake’s work on the In-Public website, and was amazed by his surrealistic street photography— and his sharp eyes for shapes, forms, and visual elements.
Jesse Marlow is a street photographer based in Melbourne, and a member of In-Public. He recently published his book: “Don’t Just Tell Them, Show Them.” The images were shot over a 9 year period on the streets of Australia and Europe and features 50 color photographs. I interview him on his start in street photography, the book-making process, and his interest in color film.
I am excited that a bunch of my good friends and street photography colleagues in Stockholm just founded “CUP” (Contemporary Urban Photography) to raise awareness of street photography in Scandinavia. They have partnered up with In-Public and are presenting an exhibition and workshop with Blake Andrews and Nick Turpin (May 22 – June 26th). All the juicy details below!
Eric’s Note: When I started street photography, one of the photographers whose work always amazed me was that of Matt Stuart. He is part of the international street photography In-Public, and has caught some of the most incredible images I have ever seen. I was always curious about how he was able to capture his moments. In the video interview with Miniclick, he talks about his thoughts on street photography, commissions, ethics, his interest, and the future of photography.Â
For your convenience I have also written together a transcript of the interview below, so read more to get all the goodies. Photographs courtesy of Matt Stuart.
When I started street photography, one of the first website I stumbled upon was In-Public. I was blown away by the work of all the street photographers there and curious to see how they captured the beauty and irony of everyday life.
One of the photographers whose work I admired was Richard Bram. I loved his classic black and white work, and was fascinated to read a feature he wrote for Street Reverb Magazine about his transition into color (something I have recently experienced as well). It was also great to see his insights and stories behind his work in “In-Sight” – a documentary on street photography and In-Public members by Nick Turpin.
The interview is very long (1 hour 30 minutes) and Richard apologies in advance for his squeaky microphone. However for anyone who wants to get incredibly insightful information about street photography I highly recommend you watch it. We talk about Richard’s background in politics and photography, his transition from b&w to color, as well as street photographers who influenced him.
Richard Bram’s Advice for Aspiring Street Photographers
Don’t be easily satisfied
Pay less attention to people who like your work, and more attention to people who offer you harder critiques
Become visually literate. Go to the library, take a course on art history (not just photography history). Learn about what makes a composition. Figure out why you don’t like the work of others, and why you think that others like it. Go to the 779 section at the library for photo books and devour them.
Look at pictures all the time, and internalize them.
Read a lot photo books, art books, literature, politics, science.
Get to know sculptors, actors, writers – because they will give you great advice on your photography. Don’t just live in the photography ghetto.
Great photographers know a lot more than photography.
Richard Bram Black & White Portfolio:
Richard Bram Color Portfolio
Watch “In-Sight” (Richard is featured photographing the streets of NYC)
Nick Turpin recently put up the full 38 min version of in-public’s ‘in-sight’ documentary film which shows them shooting on the streets of New York, London, Melbourne and Rotterdam. Each street photographer had an HD camera mounted on their camera hotshoe to show them in action. Each photographer also discusses their motivation and approach to street photography.
You can pay a small fee to support the film through Paypal. I highly recommend everyone watch it. Save the money you would spend on having a Starbucks coffee and watch it!
