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INFO: Kohlton Ervin.17.Spokane, WA.
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The Photo Coterie: What is Spokane like?
Kohlton Ervin: Spokane is a fairly traditional, Western-American town I feel like. I mean, when most people think the northwest (which we’re very much a part of up here) I don’t think people quite think the landscape we have. We’re not the lush forests of western washington and all down the coast or anything. We’re definitely a lot more arid and dry, still real woodsy and whatever—just not the northwestern thick pine trees I feel everyone probably imagines. We have real season weather—hot, dry summers, long/cold/snow-filled winters, and pretty much everything in between. Also, Washington seems to be kinda like Oregon in the way that the terrain changes like crazy. You can drive 30 minutes in one direction; get that certain landscape, or drive 30 minutes in the other; and get something completely different. It’s pretty great, especially to just travel through.
But that’s all just stupid climate, terrain and landscape type stuff. Spokane is awesome…I guess. I just love my familiarity with it—which probably depresses me as much as It makes me happy, but its a cool little town. Traditional, like I said earlier, in the way that it has it’s industrial, blue-collar working areas, it’s decent sized downtown and lots and lots of suburbs built around that. But man, Spokane is also really, really economically depressed. We have a pretty rugged downtown and some pretty rugged areas. Not rugged in the way of crime and gangs and all that—but just real dirty, a big homeless population, lots of just dead parts of town, and real big drug problems. I’m not sure if it still is, but I know Spokane used to be the most meth-infested of any US city—which is a real scummy drug, so yeah—we got some grime.
But I don’t know, that’s a whole bunch of rambling. It’s a real nice place, it’s pretty and everything, plenty of interesting places around and probably was a good place to grow up, but I need to move on.
TPC: Your fifth photo is from Alaska right? What were you doing there?
KE: It most definitely is. I was there on just a “family vacation” actually, that consisted only of me and my dad. It was pretty awesome. For spring break, my family has been going on little vacations or whatever for quite some time, and usually they are—or well, used to be someplace warm like Hawaii or something, but I’m the youngest and the only one who really gets to go anymore, and I’m also the one who wants to go to all the strange places. My Dad is pretty darn down for adventures and exploring and wandering and all that good stuff, so last year we went to Alaska. We flew into anchorage, left the next morning, and spent about a week or so just roadtripping and mashin’ around the land. It was incredible in so many ways.
TPC: What’s the best way to beat a photographer’s block?
KE: Man, well there are photographic blocks of all sorts. For the most common type of them, I’d say the best way out—if you ever reach the end, (though a photographers block might just be someone getting over photography, who knows) is just shooting your way out. You get a lot of rolls that you’re so bummed on, but eventually you get out of that state or maybe the phase you’re so sick of, and usually I feel like you get into something else. Also, I think a big part of that may be keeping all the work to yourself and figuring out what you really think of it, not what photographs get the most favorites on flickr or something lame.
For other types of blocks, I think the studying and enjoying of other arts can be really helpful. Read books, watch films; those are some of my favorites.
Also, I forgot to mention, with just continuing to photograph your way out of a block, studying lots of photography and photographers can also be of some assistance. And I’m not talking about searching flickr groups or something, but just going to the library and prowling the photography section. There are also actually amazing amounts of websites with mass amounts of good photography on them around too. That seems to help. The master’s achieves and all that good stuff.
TPC: What is the most you have gone through for a photo?
KE: Hmmm, I’m not sure if I could pick a very instance to be the “most,” but I have gone through some weird situations. Some awkward ones, some scary and a few fairly dangerous. I can’t think of one for any specific photo—well, more times than not, I really don’t even like each picture I take. I’ve been in some weird, dangerous situations in the wilderness; like once, by myself, I walked into a field to photograph these trees (in winter), and fell into a frozen swamp or river. That was pretty scary and I definitely paniced a bit. Recently, within the last couple weeks, I was shooting a photograph on top of a frozen lake, and the ice started to break…that was also a scary one, and I don’t believe I got a single photograph out of it. I’ve definitely been in some real strange situations with some sketchy people too; followed by cars, people approaching me, just a few times almost getting jumped for my gear. Most of these kind of things have happened photographing at night. It’s easy to go through a lot walking around certain areas in Spokane at night. Oh, that recent work on my website ‘Silo’ was quite the adventure to photograph…I don’t have one worst instance, and I’m sure I’m leaving out a great many of weird things I’ve gone through, but yeah, those are a couple.
TPC: Is there anything going on in your life right now that you want to talk about?
KE: Going on in my life… Well, I’m a senior in High School. I’ll be 18 in a short few months. Right now is kinda stressful and there’s lots to get done, but I’m pretty excited to just move, travel, live, i don’t know. I guess I’m just excited for the future. I’m also working on learning how to take good photographs and answering these interview questions without getting nervous and writing stupid things, thanks though!
