The Photo Coterie

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INFO: Ralph Giunta.22.South Florida.

http://www.ralphsreel.com

http://www.flickr.com/ihatewetsocks

http://heyisthatralph.blogspot.com/

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The Photo Coterie: What is the story behind this photo of Jesus?

Ralph Giunta: Okay. So my good friend David Newton and I went to our local skate shop, Shred Shed, to pick up some things. As we got out of the car, I noticed an older man wearing an outfit in which seemed to be mimicking the style of none other than, yours truly, Jesus Christo. David already had the door of the shop open as I was walking towards the barefoot old man in a white garment.

I just asked him point blank if I could shoot his photo because I wanted to and he happily agreed. We started talking about things and I asked what his deal was. Obviously there was more to ask about him then him to ask about me. He explained to me that he had traveled to every single state in the country with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, understandably, considering his travels have been by hitchhiking and walking only. And he never asked for rides. People would just give him rides. He just lived the OG Jesus life and he was still so humble and willing to explain himself in full. He spoke of 2012 being something amazing to be alive for. We didn’t really get much further than that.

TPC: What is your  favorite memory of a time when you were taking pictures?

RG: There are far more than one, as most would say. One that came straight to me was of this shoot I did back in March. It was of my old manager (but still good friend) Nicole’s daugther, Madison. It is an amazing thing how people can connect, no matter what age difference there is. There is always something. I was shooting with a Canon 1d, which is a pretty heavy camera to begin with. We were sitting underneath her jungle gym in the backyard when she picked up the camera and started taking pictures of me. It was funny to look at this seven year old’s expression as she got the almost instant feedback from the small lcd screen. She wanted to take over the shoot from there, but I somehow got the camera back.

I realized on that day how much I enjoy being around kids. Their energy inspires me.

TPC: What do you think about how people act in front of the camera?

RG: There are people who absolutely hate the camera. They will do anything for you no to shoot their photo. Including blocking all of their face with their hands, which is so damn annoying. Then you have a photo of motion blurred hands. Awesome. Haha.

There are those of course who absolutely love the camera and if they know me, sometimes they will use the best non verbal communication techniques they know to get me to shoot their photo. Flipping hair for the ladies, trying insanely way too hard of a skateboard trick for the guys. Even my one year old brother Vito will just pose like a model for my Olympus. 


TPC: What is the meaning of your short film “Twilight at Carbon Lake?”

RG: Well to understand it, I think you should definitely watch it. I would much rather ask you the meaning of it than to answer that myself. Naturally, your energy goes into every single thing you do. So, through my photography and film, you get this image of me, I guess you could say. So the meaning of it, is kind of a snapshot of where I am right now in my life. That which to me, is so many places.

For those that make films or just understand the beautiful marriage between a musical piece and film; you can really grab that in this. I mean, the words lined up with my footage in some parts that were perfect happy accidents. I just laid down the track to raw 16mm footage, as it was filmed.

TPC: Do you have anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?

RG: Thanks to this amazing girl Kelsie I recently met,  I interview for a job teaching English in China, tomorrow. I have not stopped thinking about how huge that could be for me. Nine months in a village teaching orphans English while they live on this organic farm. Wow.

So many people feel lost so much of their existence. I think it’s really important to realize how good we really are at knowing what we have to do. I guess you could call this intuition. It always surprises me how perfect everything always lines up. The right people always being placed before you, in your story, to play parts.

Thank you to my family and friends who have been asked to go stand in front of that tree or lay down on that mountain or hold the wheel as I photograph a disappearing sunset or to hold my metal insert from my Hasselblad and just for being there. Thank you.

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INFO: Seth Ramirez.17.Spokane, WA.

http://flickr.com/sethramirez

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The Photo Coterie: We checked out your blog (http://kohltonandseth.blogspot.com/) that you made with Kohlton Ervin (http://www.flickr.com/kohlton) where you post images from your favorite photographers. What makes a good photo for you?

Seth Ramirez: Hmm. That’s a tough question. There are alot of things that make a “good” photo for me a suppose. I don’t really know. I like what I’m feeling at the moment. Usually things change for me over time. I won’t like a certain photo as much as I did a few months ago.

TPC: The images you have chosen are all black & white, are they part of a series?

SR: Ahh Excluding the picture of the rose, kinda, yeah ha ha. An idea I’ve had for a while now. Basically, I have been photographing this highway that runs through downtown in my city. Pretty much the general area. Certain characteristics that catch my eye. There’s something about it. It’s a great place.

TPC: What are you interests other than photography?

SR: Other than photography, I love to skateboard. I try to skate everyday for the most part. Hang out with friends, drink wired’s.

TPC: When you pick up your camera what draws you into taking a photo?

SR: Mostly the mood i’m in. What I’m thinking about at the moment. Recent photographer’s I have been looking at. Various elements that draw me into what I shoot.

TPC: Do you have anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?

SR: Well, just finishing up my last year in high school. Getting ready for the future, creating more work, and just living.

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INFO: Benford Lepley.19.New York, NY.

http://flickr.com/benlepley

http://benfordlepley.com

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The Photo Coterie: Your website said you are going to school in Manhattan, what is your major and why did you pick it?

Benford Lepley: I’m a photography major.  I picked it because I didn’t think there was anything else I would be interested in pursuing.  I quickly learned that the school I chose to go to wasn’t conducive to the type of work I’d like to be doing, so it feels like a struggle most of the time.

TPC: We noticed on your flickr you post not only pictures but words, some of which are visually abstracted. Are they all as straightforward as they appear? Are you trying to get a certain reaction from them?

BF: I have always made those text pieces on a whim.  I’m not really sure if they’re as straightforward as they appear.  They are to me, because they always have to do with what is going on in my head at the time.  The distortion sort of lends itself to my state of mind, but I mostly like the way it looks.  I made a huge amount from excerpts of emails between my parents and me once I moved away from home.  It became our main form of communication.  I don’t think I really ever gave much though into how people would react, but a lot of people tend to think of it as a game or something fun.  I get a bunch of silly responses.  But a lot of times they are serious thoughts on personal issues.  I guess if someone else could read it and try to understand it in the their own context, it would be pretty neat.

TPC: Your project “I Took A Road trip On The Internet” is one of the most interesting projects we have seen.  What is the story behind its creation?

BF: I spend too much time inside on the internet.  I want to see the world.  Google maps allowed me to do this to a certain extent.  I appropriated images from google street view and created this virtual road trip.  It all started with looking at the views of Big Sur.  I really enjoy how lots of times people think I’ve actually gone and photographed these landscapes.  It shows you how “easy” it can be to make beautiful photographs of beautiful places.  I can do it by sitting in my chair on my computer.

TPC: Could you explain the title of you series “I Adore You?”

BF: I spent too much time worrying about certain aspects of my work this past summer and I felt very unproductive.  I made all these photographs though, because I was shooting for “therapy”.  I guess it’s work that shows what I was subconsciously making while I was focused on a bunch of other crap.

TPC: Do you have anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?

BF: Some newly found friends and me are taking a trip to Chicago to see Pete and the rest of the Pilsen kids in a few weeks.  It should be fun.  I love the fall weather that is beginning to hit New York, too.  I like walking around in parks with Amy.  I like hanging out with Bobby and Dave and Jake.  I like skateboarding and miss my friends from back home who I skateboard with.  Thank you for the interview guys!

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INFO: David Luraschi. 27. San Francisco, CA.

http://www.davidluraschi.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlur/

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The Photo Coterie: We read in your blog that you grew up in Paris, what many consider the art capital of the world, did this environment have something to do with your choice in becoming an artist?

David Luraschi: I would be lying to say that growing up there had nothing to do with a desire to make films or shoot pictures. But it wasn’t a choice per say, I wanted to do these things because they felt good, like swimming. What’s great about growing up in Paris, is the tremendous amount of culture just floating around and available to you. There’s always something going on and people are really enthusiastic, arguing about the latest exhibit or film they just saw. At the same time, my parents were consistently pointing out things because they’ve always enjoyed the arts, especially cinema. I believe there’s a strong influence from the films that I was shown, the paintings and pictures that dressed our home, the records we listened too. Also, I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time around very creative people. I’ve always been attracted to people who do things. A lot of my Parisian friends are incredibly talented in their respective domains, most of which I met through skateboarding in the 90’s (which was another great artistic experience). I don’t know if I answered your question but I think it’s a culmination of all these things and there is no other place like Paris on this planet. I’m very grateful for my parents giving me so much freedom and the friendships I have made in my life.

TPC: What came first, your filmmaking or your photography? How do they influence each other?

DL: I really started with video, my dad always collected cameras (still and video) and I bugged him enough to borrow his VHS camcorder one day and experiment. I’d be curious to see that footage (most likely a lot of Bruce Lee impersonations). Much later, I started filming my friends skate with a Hi8 camera and progressively began to edit the footage to music. The desire for aesthetics first came from there and we had plenty of inspiration from the skateboarding culture that was coming from the US. We would just try to emulate the things we liked. The mid-nineties were pretty exciting; I was 13 when Wu-Tang’s first album came out.

As far as still photography goes, I had a bunch of point and shoots growing up but I never really got into photography until I first came to San Francisco in 2002. I didn’t know many people and a Nikon FM2 (35mm slr) was a great excuse to explore unknown territories and learn about depth of field.

Thinking about how they influence each other, well when I edit pictures these days I try to create a narrative but it’s nothing but primitive feelings. It’s hard to explain in words really… But assembling a few together allows something else to happen. I got very inspired when I studied Soviet Montage and Eisenstein in film school and I remember for a paper we had to apply these theories and break down the opening of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. I got a real kick out of that.

With cinematography, I noticed that shooting with a Hasselblad really put me somewhere else, probably because it was something new and to compose a picture was more challenging. It taught me to think more about “making” a picture: taking more time looking through the lens and wondering if I liked what I saw. I realized that after I did Golden State (http://www.vimeo.com/180943): Most of the film is static imagery shot on a tripod, which what I was doing a lot at the time with the Hasselblad. The PAL aspect ratio (720x576) is close enough to the square that it didn’t feel too remote. Thinking of it now, Halfway Home (http://www.vimeo.com/141358) might have something to do with the kind of 35mm I was shooting at the time, it was very close to a photographic experience as well. So I guess photography has definitely given me a different perspective as a cinematographer and allowed me to be more disciplined about composing an image, especially with video.

TPC: All artists have work that has personal significance, do the pieces you chose have something about them you want to tell?

DL: It’s true that I chose five pictures that could be considered personal work. That’s kind of been my thing I guess, I obviously want to show and share pictures but I think my relationship to photography has always been pretty selfish… Don’t get me wrong, I love taking pictures of my friends and portraiture in general, but there’s also this desire to obsessively collect things and to own them. When I’m looking at these five pictures, all I can see is myself… Of course there’s an auto portrait, but I have a hard time separating my work and myself. You know that feeling of listening to your own voice? I get hypnotized way too often.

All five of these are experiences, they were all taken at a certain time of my life and they allow me to bring me back then. Putting them together is my own little orchestra… It’s interesting how you can weave them together. I definitely have control issues like a few people in my family! So I enjoy having that power, I guess. Who doesn’t like to play God? It’s like trickery; I often to refer to Orson Welles’ film: F for Fake because I wanted to be a magician when I was smaller.

Finally, I have had quite an affinity with natural environments, especially since moving to California. Things come out pretty strong when you confront mankind against these territories. Is there a better place to take a picture? And what about light? I find it fascinating to see things photographed to mention Winogrand. Long exposures are often surprising in that way.

TPC: Do you feel like you take pictures to be more visually pleasing or more to convey a message?

DL: Again it’s a really introverted experience and I’m just trying to play visually with these, there’s no message but rather epiphanies about life, symbols, happenings. The photographs I show make sense to me, they are their own world. I’m not trying to say something but rather produce a feeling, a question. I wonder if people feel the same way I feel about my pictures… I doubt it, but if they feel something, that’s good. I am always surprised from responses I get and it’s fun to see where people go. That’s why I often restrain from too much explanation.

TPC: Do you have anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?

DL: I’ve been plotting a show with my dear friend Noele Lusano recently… I’ve wanted to do a book with my ill-studio mate Leonard for a while. I’ve also got two short films in post-production… Odd jobs are kind of taking me away from being really productive lately. I’m saving up for something. I’m just not sure what yet.

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INFO: Pete Halupka. 20. Chicago, IL.

http://flickr.com/petehalupka

http://peterhalupka.blogspot.com/

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The Photo Coterie: You lived in Huntsville, Alabama most of your life right? So how has moving to Chicago impacted your life?

Pete Halupka: My mind blackholed when I moved here - it blew up and expanded. Progression is key and where I grew up provides no outlets for such a thing. Minds grow stagnant in a pool of conservative ideals and religion. There is no one to reciprocate one’s urge to thrive. They would rather buy things like cars and bible bookmarks. You will find yourself caught in a web of people comfortable with not challenging their intellect, identity or belief systems. Christianity flourishes and people always seem to be ok with adhering to whatever society asks of them. Anyone who forces themselves outside of this social norm is quickly pointed out and labeled. I was one. I left as soon as I realized these things and refuse to go back.

TPC: How about your photos?

PH: I chased Chicago down for art school. I quickly learned art school is not for me. I had an idealistic perspective about art school being full of people who cared as much as I did. This is completely false. I also thought I would learn a ton. This is also false. If you are reading this chances are large that you have learned everything off the internet that professors would feebly teach you over the course of four years and $120,000. I will say the facilities are nice but it’s all extinct anyways. Extinct but fun. Who the hell needs anything but Walgreen’s scans?

TPC: What do you think the internet has done for photography/photographers?

PH: Opened minds. I try to be optimistic about things like this but I’m generally too optimistic.

TPC: When we look at your pictures we feel that you are taking them to document your life and to show exactly how something is, is that your intention?

PH: I asked myself who I was making shit for about three weeks ago. I answered the question and that answer completely redirected my ideas and life.

TPC: Do you have anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?

PH: I am eating way too much Cadbury chocolate.

I am starting a skateboard co-op slowly but surely. I want to provide boards for low income kids scattered throughout my vibrant Mexican neighborhood that I love so much. I have so much support already but I just have to find the right way to distribute these boards. Whenever I skate around Pilsen I get at least one kid asking me to roll on the board and several more staring at the setup like it’s gold. Albie and I had a great experience with a young boy named Brian. We skated with him for several hours. He quickly progressed and I felt the obligation to get this kid a board. As most skateboarders know, if you have a board the chances you want to be involved in a gang or heavy drugs is pretty low. I know way more skateboarders addicted to kickflips than to hard drugs. I just want to contribute something I love and add a bit of positivity to a community I care about. I would much rather do this than pump low key images of me and my suburban white friends adventuring. Self deprivation and lack of confidence about my work aside I do believe there is a balance for both in my life.

Blackhole your mind, dude.