BEAU BRASHARES
PHOTOGRAPHER
NYC
 http://www.brashares.com/

Beau, pleasure to chat with you.

Thanks for inviting me.

Beau right now your street photography is gaining main stream recognition and you, along with several other talented photographers are inspiring a whole new generation of photography. What contributions do you think street photography will have and its power on a growing audience? How big of a force are we dealing with here compared to traditional mediums of reaching out to people?

Photography in general seems kind of big these days, and I guess it’s because more and more people have broadband Internet access. The web has done a lot for most forms of communication, but none more so than photography. And given that the online audience is assaulted with eye-candy, and that the whole premise of being online is having a more direct relationship between providers and consumers, there’s maybe more of an appetite out there for images that feel less stilted or contrived, ones with a documentary flavor that provide a view into someone else’s environment and sensibility in a believable way. Street photography can really deliver those elements if it’s done well. I’m not saying my pictures accomplish that, but the photos I’m attracted to are successful that way.

Did you ever get formal training or was it mostly self taught?

Self taught, apart from a few introductory darkroom classes and whatnot.

I bet you see a lot of interesting stuff on the streets, is this where most of inspiration comes from? You must have to have a quick eye to capture some of those amazing shots. What’s it like living in those instants?

Street photography has always had its share of practitioners that trade on a sort of “trophy hunter” mystique; their pictures are offered as glimpses of all the cool-looking moments that they’ve been intrepid or clever enough to capture. I guess I’m a little guilty of that sometimes; an example might be this one with the albino peacock. The reaction I hear about those kinds of shots is usually along the lines of, “how do you find this stuff?” But lately I’m trying to get away from that and focus on trying to pull emotionally resonant images out of more commonplace subjects. Like this one of the seatbelt clip — there’s no reason something like that should deserve your attention, but nevertheless it sort of invites it, at least for some people. I admit I’ll probably always be attracted to dramatic lighting situations and stuff like that, but these days I’m more about trying to refine my observational skills and make something meaningful happen where there isn’t an obvious visual opportunity.

Can you recall the first time that you were inspired by photos?

Up until a few years ago most of my creative energy went into writing and playing music. I finally sort of retired from the music business and moved to New York around 2000. I had dabbled in photography as a teenager but hadn’t really picked up a camera in several years when, suddenly, towards the end of 2001, I got kind of obsessed with taking pictures. I started spending most of my free time just walking around New York and shooting, and a lot of the photos in my portfolio were taken during those first few months. From day one, the images all had a very specific look and content; there was an eerie consistency to them. Then one night during that period, I developed that image of the submerged manhole cover, and as I looked at it, I started to get really emotional. And then it hit me: this whole thing had to do with September 11! I had witnessed a lot of the stuff that happened that day first hand, and while I didn’t consciously take it too hard, I guess my subconscious had different ideas. For whatever reason I had felt compelled to start photographing New York like crazy, without understanding why at all. It was a very anxious time here in New York, and I guess the photos were my way of dealing with it. And if you look at the early images from that project, they all have these endlessly repeating themes of disruption — they’re full of smoke and floods and broken concrete. Once I figured all this out, I settled down a little, but I still carry my camera almost everywhere I go.

And when you first begin to shoot, what intrigued you the most?

As you can gather from the answer above, I guess death and destruction and loss. Also, for some reason, I took hundreds of pictures of balloons stuck in trees, and I’m not quite sure why.

On your website you say that, “Photographing is an act of reproduction, at the same time selfish and regenerative. It is partly a vain attempt to keep the most vivid of moments in play, hoping to fortify the balance of sensation against the insistent corrosion of the forgettable.” And then, “…whatever is most alive scatters quickest before a greedy camera.” Do you think that some things are better left untouched and unspoiled by our prying eyes? Have we lost all innocence?

There’s always a tension in using photography as a tool to become more fully engaged with your experiences and surroundings. If you’re not careful the act of photography can obstruct your participation in moments that really matter, particularly in the context of human relationships. I find that I don’t use my camera much among loved ones and friends, only when I’m alone, so I guess that’s how I manage it.

Imagery like music today is everywhere. Do you think that we are more increasingly being corralled into becoming media junkies? What can we expect from our future generations?

Oh yeah, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. What’s different is how atomized the media experience is getting. In the old days everybody watched the same 3 channels on television and everybody heard the same song while driving to work, it kind of bound people together. Now that each person has their own individually-tailored media world, fewer people feel left out but, at the same time, people have less in common.

You use the tone of black as a great force in bringing forth the subjects in your work, I am specifically thinking of the photo with the pedestrians and their umbrellas. What message do hope to share with the viewer?

People always ask me that, how (or why) do I create that dark, shadowy look, and the answer is: New York just looks like that! When I travel to other places, my photos don’t have quite as heavy a tonality to them. Also, I guess I tend to point the camera at the ground mostly, which is usually kind of dark.

A big congratulations goes out to you for your stealthy photo being chosen as the Photo of The Week at Photo.net. This serendipitous moment was caught on colored film, can we now expect to see more colored work from you or are we just fooling ourselves?

That’s the only color photo I ever submitted there, after years of putting up my B&W images, and then just a few days later, bingo. I guess I should get the message but, I don’t know, color is really hard to do right. There are just so many more factors you have to juggle. By the way, that particular shot basically created itself — sometimes god just gives you a big kiss on the mouth.

What sort of projects are you currently working on? What challenges you?

You know, I just keep doing what I do. I have piled up a lot more photos that need to be put on my website; I have to call my web designer and get that going.

In terms of challenges, the great thing about photography is that almost every moment contains a good picture if you have the imagination to make it happen. So you can pick up the camera wherever you are and make a challenge out of creating a meaningful image.

What do you love the most about photography?

I love almost everything about it. I love the way it makes me aware and alert and sensitive to my surroundings, I feel like I have a worthwhile purpose when I’m out walking somewhere. Each part of the journey has its possibilities, and I’m not just anticipating the destination.

What’s been your favorite experience so far as a photographer and who do you look to for inspiration from within your industry?

I like the comraderie of other street photographers. I have come across a number of people that are also really passionate about it, many of whom you can find on the web: Ed Leveckis, Michael Shelby Johnson, Ray Haack, Andy Kochanowski, Maria Szulc, Ian Kennedy, Tataaki Okada, just to name a few. Street photography is like playing traditional jazz: there might be only 9 people at your gig, 5 of whom played in the opening band, but you’re playing your heart out and everybody’s getting off and inspiring one another.

Time for the question we’ve all been waiting for; any tips for those aspiring to be great big and famous photographers …or a least well known?

It’s an old saying, but there’s a lot of truth to it: to be a good photographer, take a whole lot of pictures but only show people the best ones. That’s basically my secret! As for growing and staying fresh, I really recommend finding some like-minded people that are both doing work that inspires you and willing to give you feedback on your stuff. Just start striking up correspondences with people and see where it leads.

As for the commercial aspect, in business you have to remember that making great-looking photos is almost secondary to providing flawless service. The person that is the most organized, responsive and timely will always rise above a more talented person who’s undependable.

In 5 years where do you see your work taking you?

Well my photography looks pretty much the same way it did 5 years ago, so… Actually, I’ve been experimenting with a square-format camera, so maybe more of that. Hopefully they’ll still be selling film 5 years from now.

Thanks again, keep shootin for the sake of us and the kids!

Thanks, I definitely will.

Posted: January 2nd, 2008 under Beau Brashares.
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