Interview: Kurtz

Featured Artist: Kurtz

Interview:


Are you from Virginia or did you relocate here? Where did you grow up?

I grew up in south GA. Then 3 yrs in Jacksonville , FL (school – NROTC, psychology) , 3 yrs in Providence , RI (work), 3 yrs in Fresno, CA (goofing off, teaching myself photography, running a pedicab company, making friends with a lot of upcoming artists, & hiking the National Parks & Forests), and about a year in Norfolk , VA so far (work clearing old debt & taking care of my mother in GA).







Do you have a particularly favorite (photo/ painting) you have created and why is it your favorite?

Uhhh… Pieta Trashy. My friends wanted to recreate the image of Mary holding a fresh-off-the-cross Jesus HC, so it was a fun collaboration. Plus, I love Mexican Candles; I did my best to emulate that feeling.


What about photography captivated your interest?

I am an impatient draftsman and painter. Photography captures a lot of visual information within one relatively quick click. Digital photography gives the immediate feedback I perceive I need, as a novice, to continually adjust my settings, composition, and mise en scene to create as close to a perfect (within my narrow scope of experience, skill, and self-taught "taste") in-frame capture possible within one session.

What advice would you give to a person interested in becoming a professional photographer?

1 - Read as much technical photography stuff as you can. Practice each technique you learn at least 20-50 times within the next month. I personally hate Golf, but the game does teach valuable lessons about Practice and Patience. A golfer who has taken 100 practice shots for each of his clubs in 100 different game scenarios will shoot a decent game, reinforcing both the investment in his bag of clubs as well as the money spent on games as worthwhile. Cameras, lenses, flashes, etc. are expensive pieces of equipment; you owe it to yourself to become an expert in every aspect of your equipment to get the most possible out of it. This will also allow you to more accurately realize any creative choices you hope to capture in-camera. The same also goes for any post processing equipment, digital or chemical.



2 – Take at least one photograph every day. Always carry a camera. I recommend combing Craigslist and retail consumer electronics Sales for a Super-Cheap digital cam as the daily shooter. I'd explain this, but you'll get it once you've been shooting for a hundred thirty-three days in a row, then suddenly really need it on 134
.
I recommend using the expensive "artsy" when you absolutely have to capture images to match your creative vision. The cheap digital shouldn't be used as a toy, though. Every photo you take with any camera should be an opportunity to practice your technical and artistic skills: try to take the best photos possible with even the limited-quality cameras and your Portfolio work will improve exponentially.

3 – Take any assignment you can, and make up projects to keep yourself active. Even if what you've always wanted to do is Portrait Photography, don't pigeonhole yourself into that discipline. If a friend wants you to shoot her long-jumping and sprinting at the track, borrow a Telephoto lens and learn how to use it.



Become your circle of friends' Official Photographer and strive to capture moments that don't revolve around flatulence or drunken makeouts.



Go to a protest march, a soup kitchen, an ethnic cultural event and capture raw emotion.



Carry that telephoto, a tripod and cable-release hiking and shoot dramatic skies over lakes and mountain ranges, as well as chance encounters with a plethora of animals.



Shoot your friends playing at night in the woods with flashlights and glow sticks.



The skills you teach yourself through sports/action, documentary, landscape, wildlife, and night photography (and the hundreds of other categories out there) will contribute to the growth of even your future portraits.
And vice versa for if you're interested in other types of shooting.



4 – Learn the work of other artists. Very few humans beings are born Prodigies. Us mere Mortals need a point of reference, of inspiration. All you have to do is carry a notebook to an art museum or bookstore to get started. Teach yourself about painters, about photographers, sculptors, printers, etc. And pick a favorite of each. Pick a favorite work by each of these people. As artists, we owe it to these past greats to honor their struggles and immortalize their work in our mass consciousness. Unless you're Buddhist and you need to destroy in order to rebuild, but even then you'll have to pick some favorites to burn. Then STEAL from these people.



While you're learning, you may as well steal from the best. A quick caveat, though: stealing from artists should be used primarily during the learning stages. Once you've practiced enough to learn you own style, please begin developing your own "look." If you continue to steal once you've raised your official Artist Flag, someone's bound to recognize your source material and pull your punk card.

5 – Fuck up a lot, but learn from every mistake.



6 – Bust my balls when I don't follow my own advice.

Tell us about your experiences getting started as a professional photographer.

I'm still not a professional photographer yet. I have a lot of practice to go, and need to save quite a bit to purchase quality, long-lasting equipment. For the moment, it's still for fun and practice.

Do you prefer working with digital or film cameras? Why?

I've never developed a roll of film, and the old Canon Program AE-1 SLR I started out with was beyond my comprehension at the time. But, I used it anyway and tried to take the best photos possible. Regardless of my goofing off w/ film, then intense study of digital, a 35mm photo was the first one chosen for publishing in a photo magazine.

I like the digital I carry now because I can learn about things like and Aperture Priority and see immediately how much more practice I'll need. I use limited post processing programs, mainly because of budget, so I have to make sure the photo I take "gets it" as close as possible. I do try to approximate chemical processing techniques with post programs on RAW images as practice.

I do hope to learn to shoot on film and develop my own negatives in the future, maybe when I finally get around to taking a class. I'll be a VA resident soon, so maybe I'll see what TCC has to offer in the fall.

Can you tell us about your technical process.(camera type/ photo editing programs)

Kit's pretty basic:
* 2005 Canon 350D
* Sigma 28-70mm, entry level
* Sigma 70-300mm, entry level
* Canon 50mm II f1.8, entry level
* Canon 430EX, entry level
* Pawn Shop middle-duty tripod
* Radio Shack cheapo plastic tripod
* Canon Wireless Remote
* Screw on Macro and Fisheye Lens Attachments
* PaintShop Pro
* Adobe Photoshop Elements

I try to take as close to the "true" photo as possible in camera, shooting in RAW. Then I make minor tweaks with the post programs, to try to emulate the look of Film.

Can you tell us about your creative process. How do you come up with ideas for photo shoots and shots?

Portraits/Conceptual - Since I'm still learning, I try to find an image that's already been created by an artist that approximates what I want to capture in the field. If it's a painting, I examine the lighting/composition.



A sculpture, I take a look at the posturing/posting.



A comic book panel, the direction of the visual energy.



A photo, everything.



I try to figure out how the artist created the desired results. Then I plan how to replicate this in camera, often using the technical manuals and photo theory information on the Internet (and notes from hours in book stores- knowledge can be Free!). I take notes and practice the night before a shoot at home. All this sounds overly methodical, but when you've got a 30 second window to arrange three drifters and a well-dressed, vodka-swilling blind woman crossing a busy railroad, you're either going to capture a great homage to the "Abbey Road" cover or you're about to enter the profession of crime scene photography.



Action/Sports – pick a place in which the same dynamic piece of action will happen many times in succession (ie, a turn during a bicycle race). Pick a focus point you feel will be the dramatic height of that action (ie, a street sign that occurs at a point in the turn that you can focus on patiently, versus always trying to focus on moving objects). "Feel" the flow of the action to help ensure that your entire frame can either explain action as it begins to occur, at its peak, or at its follow-through. Hold down the burst button as the subjects race through frame. Try to capture dust/water/grass/rocks flying to emphasize the force and direction. If your camera does not have a sports/burst mode, just try to time your shutter clicks the best you can. You'll learn soon enough.



Landscape, Nature, Night, etc – I'm still learning about these. No good tips to give yet.

What are your predominating concerns as an artist, and how do you express them?

I hope to take great photos. I'd like it if people use their own experiences to mold their perceptions of my photos. And I hope that people will never take my photos, me, nor themselves too seriously when enjoying them.



You have a lot of photos of people and their bikes. How did that get started? What are some of the stories behind them?

Everywhere I've lived so far, I've made friends through bikes, photography, or both. I usually hang out with a lot of bicyclists, and I usually have my camera with me. They are often gracious enough to allow me to practice photography with them. They are also often gracious enough to wear stupid looking costumes with their bikes for portrait purposes.





What do you want to photograph that you've not yet shot?

An action movie, but in photographs. With a high body count and lots of smashing glass and concrete. And ridiculous gore.
Also, I'd like to re-create Peter Paul Ruben's "The Fall of Phaeton"
with motorcycles and a sidecar.

Can you think of a particularly fun client or project that you've had?

I documented Mother's Day for a friend's grandmother
, an immigrant and asian refugee that fought to ensure the survival of her 63 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This was published by her people's cultural magazine, just after her death.
Check out the flickr set here

I was able to shoot a short film with the help of about 15 friends and 15 strangers, but in stills because I didn't have a video camera. I guess it's more of a PhotoStory. It was an 80-frame dedication to Night of the Living Dead, called "Alive."
Check out the flickr set here

I also shot a mini-photo comic once about battling samurai ladies. It was more pose than purpose, but I love how it looks and would jump at the chance to try this again with my updated bag of tricks.
Check out the flickr set here



What about a really boring project that you did just to pay the rent?

I have only been asked to work for money a couple of times. Neither of those experiences were boring.



What are your present works about? How would you describe your work?

I'm trying to get people together to shoot a variation of Edward Gorey's "Gashlycrumb Tinies"I hope my work changes in tone and artistic approach with every project, influenced any collaborators who participate with me. I've only got one letter under my belt on this so far, so Summer/Fall needs be productive if I hope to knock out the other 25.
I have a constant desire to replicate the composition and atmosphere of Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World" Wiki Page Christina's World
, with different costumes and subjects of focus. Personally, I don't see "…a strong and independent woman who did not let anything stop her from getting what and where she wanted…" but someone just sucker-punched by life's ironies/nastiness (in my mind, the house on the hill, etc). My efforts so far are a mixed bag




The USS Wisconsin will make it into one of these future photos, as will a Monster Truck and a courtroom.

What other interests do you have? (besides photography)

I love to ride my Bicycle. I'm probably an alcoholic.

What artists have influenced you, and how?

I am Inspired by, and try to Rip Off, work by a lot of painters, musicians, writers, filmmakers, comic book artists, and photographers. At least until I've practiced enough and learned enough technical stuff to develop a style of my own.

Painters/Sculptors/Scribblers/Printers – Hokusai, Georgia O'Keefe, Salvador Dali, Egon Schiele, Alphonse Mucha, Bilibin, Andrew Wyeth, Peter Paul Rubens, Durer, Frida & Diego, Kozy & Dan, John Isaacs, Eatcho, Nigel Robertson, Robert Amador, Liz McGrath, Josh Wigger, Jason Graham, John Isaacs, Carvaggio, Jose Guadalupe Posada

Musicians – Against Me!, Best Friends Forever, Bjork, Cibo Matto, Seis Cuerdos, Deerhoof, Depeche Mode, DJ Shadow, Guitar Wolf, Seu Jorge, Lightning Bolt, Mahi Mahi, Man or Astroman?, Massive Attack, Melt-Banana, The Moldy Peaches, Motorhead, Mark Mothersbaugh, Nirvana, Pink & Brown, Portishead, Radiohead, RJD2, The Stooges, They Call Me Greyhound, Weezer, Zeke



Writers – Haruki Murakami, Aldous Huxley, Yann Martell, George Orwell, Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Robbins, Hunter S Thompson

Filmmakers – Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Ken Russell, Neil Marshall, John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, John McTiernen, Trey Parker, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Peter Chung, PT Andersen, Wes Andersen, Luc Besson, Joel and Ethen Cohen, Brian DePalma, Guillerimo Del Toro, Terry Gilliam, Stuart Gordon, Todd Haynes, Alfred Hitchcock, John Pierre Juenet, Akira Krosawa, WE Murnau, Martin Scorsese, Park Chan Wook, David Lynch, Paul Veerhoven

Photographers – Nobuyoshi Araki, Bendiksen, JC Bourcart, Martin Klimas, Pieter Hugo, Nancy Davenport, Martin Parr, Miwa Yanagi, Jeff Wall, Yasuma Morimura, Corey Arnold, Daniela Edburg, David Lachapelle, Sam Bassett, Li Wei, Joshua Hoffine, Amy Stein, Alison Brady, Gregory Crewdson, Todd Deutsch, JC Bourcart, Martin Klimas, Julia Fullerton-Batten,

Comic Book Artists – Frazetta, Queseda, Mignola, Miller, that guy who does The Walking Dead, and surprisingly enough, John Romita Jr.



What do you think of the current trend of tattooed, alternative nearly (or fully) naked models such as Suicide Girls or various other alterna sites? Do you think it has a negative or positive effect on photography?

I think it's a good venue for girls who feel they're too classy for labia inspection, a la Hustler, yet too cool to vogue for MySpace. Plus, there's a ready-made, niche consumer base, so sales are probably pretty nice. Hopefully the models are benefiting from it, and not just the websites and publishers.

I would like to think that the photographers who work with these people are making the most of the shoots to tighten their crafts, and the money they make will help fund other artistic projects to leave a mark in our generation of art history. If, however, they were using these shoots just to get laid, I would be highly disappointed… and probably a little envious.

Any local artists or bands we need to check out?

Bands - I haven't seen too many bands here. Maybe Melt-Banana or Guitar Wolf will roll through One day, but they'd probably show at the Beach.

Artists - I like the work by StuntKid, Lizzie Lizzel, Dave MacDowell and LiquidMethod.



What's your nickname?

Kurtz is my last name. That sort-of has been my call-sign since high school. Something about Joseph Conrad contracting syphilis in the Congo , or a about Lawrence Fishburne and a river-boat mounted M60.

What's your favorite holiday and why?

Halloween. Home-Made Costumes are rad.



What's your favorite movie of all time?

Right now it's Ken Russell's The Devils. The only copies out are pretty crappy, but it's still an unbelievable cinematic experience. For me. Results may vary, based upon individual tastes and tolerances for Dark-Ages blasphemy/buggery.

What's the most played song on your iPod (or an equivalent music playing device) in the past week?

"Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen.

What came first, the art or the misery? Explain.

Probably misery. Art not born of suffering belongs in the lobbies of corporate headquarters. And the Stockley Gardens Art Festival.



What do you think of what MC7C does? How would you make it better? Have you been to any of our events?

Based upon the emails I've received, I think that your work to promote the arts in Hampton Roads is commendable. Pretty much anything to make to inspire and spread creativity is a good thing.

LINKS:

Flickr
Kurtz Myspace
Blogger