It’s Only Art?

I was recently speaking with Paul Sveda after looking at his photos. This is Paul’s blog . I asked if he would let me interview him for my blog. Here are some of his responses:

“My father was always into photography in one form or another. I still remember a wild high-speed 2 hour race back to a hotel room where he left his old Contax and Zeiss lenses behind. Fortunately, he recovered them and we didn’t have to put up with a sullen face for the rest of the trip. There has always been a Nikon brochure or Vistek magazine laying around the house and he always had a stream of photo oriented friends though the subject always fell to the technical side of the hobby. I also spent 20 years of my life with my nose glued to one National Geographic or another and dreaming of being a field photographer.”

“Once I got into high school my teacher, Mr. Ainslie, got me interested in photography and with my involvement in the local band scene I shot a good number of B&W works until I left the school and lost access to the dark room. Then photography pretty much died for me for a decade as development costs became too much to deal with and I pursued a career in graphic design. It was almost a decade before accessible digital hardware got me back into it. It just seemed like a nice natural progression from my graphic design experience.”

“I actually do and oddly enough it was from a Canon G2. I’d gone up to the escarpment above the downtown core of Hamilton and shot a sequence of photographs on a tripod that I planned on stitching together as a panorama. Though the individual shots weren’t something I was happy with, the finally stitched photo made me feel accomplished. The piece ended up getting printed and auctioned off at a charity shortly there after.”

“Honestly I don’t, though I gravitate towards landscapes, nature and automotive - which I realize might be an odd mix. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a variety of other subject but those I find myself more comfortable with.”

“Anything and anyone, though I love kids, cars and animals. In all three of those cases they are either unaware or completely forget about the lens and can provide for funny, dramatic and interesting shots.”

“I’ve been trying to get around to shooting a single subject using a variety of focal lengths and positions and putting it all together on one frame. It would best be described as a post composite’d cubism and give me a chance to fold in more of my graphic design work. I’ll see if it’s a complete bust though.”

“I shoot mainly digital and employ a grab bag of common filters, lenses, heads and tripods. . . I don’t prefer any equipment. I started out with Nikon and am now vested enough in glass to stick with Nikon. I am sure I would say the exact same thing if I had started out with Canon or Contax or something else. Quality lenses are critical and the camera at the end of the day doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as learning its quirks, tricks and appropriate ways to use it under varying condition and even that doesn’t matter as much as the man/woman behind the lens. Though I will take the opportunity to take Nikon vs Canon jabs at fellow friends when shooting together.”

When I asked Paul about his sources of inspiration - “I couldn’t put a finger on that if I tried. Sometimes its everyday life and other times it’s someone else’s shot or words or idea that gets my head stirring.”

What photographers do you admire? “Ansel Adams, Michael Nichols, David Allan Harvey among many others. Really enjoyed the recent work done by David Burnett as he documented the post Katrina landscape and people in NOLA. The skinny is that if a photographer has been featured in National Geographic then I have probably admired them or made note of their work.”

What was the toughest subject or shoot you’ve encountered? “Nature is always a tough subject and is ever changing where it can be only moments before a unique lighting situation or pattern is gone. You can’t move the sun, stop the clouds or convince any animal to pose or hold for a second. You rarely get second chances when something interesting happens and more often than not the minute you move your finger from the shutter you miss something of interest. I hate setting up studio lighting but at least in a studio there is some element of control.”

What are your interests and dislikes in photography? “I can’t say I dislike anything though there are techniques and styles that strike a discord with me. However if a style I have a hard time appreciating has a following then it has some validity and artistic merit. If I dig deep then I guess my beef would be people who purchase high-end equipment (think Hasselblad) to do the occasional family event and then store their gear away. I know it’s the green-eyed-monster in me and I’m not happy to admit it but its there.”

Thankyou, Paul. I’ll check in with you from time to time.

Daniel Ferris

I am interested in many types of photography and as I went surfing photographer websites I ran into Redsquare Photo . Corey Weiner has one of the most beautiful portfolios of work I have seen. It doesn’t hurt that he’s working in some of the most scenic mixes of natural splendor and beautiful designs on the planet.

How did you get into photography? “My father was a talented amateur photographer and his images were probably my first influence. Then, I was the photographer for my high school newspaper. Later on, when my 8-year advertising career was burning me out, I was looking for a way to make a living when an interior designer saw some snapshots of mine and suggested I do architectural photography professionally.”

Do you remember the first set of photos you felt satisfied with? “One of my earlier shots that I am still very proud of is the black and white of the Manhattan skyline during a rainy day (in the Institutional section of my website). I was on a tour of Rockefeller Center and while on the roof, it started to rain. I just took a few snapshots with my Nikon F3 which had cheap drugstore b/w film in it. When I got the shots developed, I was stunned at the beauty of the city on such a wet, ugly day.

Do you have an area of specialization? “Architecture, interiors and other inanimate objects.”

What kinds of subject matter do you prefer? “Anything that doesn’t move, show up late or have an attitude.”

What will be your next project? “Over the next month, I am scheduled to shoot custom homes in Ft. Meyers, Florida, window coverings in Miami, a resort in Barbados and a bakery in Delray Beach, Florida.”

Do you ever use exotic materials or techniques? “Not really. I like selective focus and vignetting but otherwise, I am fairly traditional.”

What kind of equipment do you prefer? “Right now I am shooting with a PhaseOne P20 digital back mounted on a Silvestri Bicam. I also use a Canon 1Ds. But, I do miss my Hasselblad equipment from my film days. Digital has changed the way I choose equipment and manufacturers have yet to make the perfect solution for architectural photographers.”

What are your sources of inspiration? “Beautiful, tasteful and thoughtful design. There is not much of that in my home base of South Florida. Luckily, I get to spend a few months of every year in Europe and they are still the best designers in the world. The Italians, Germans and Belgians are my favorites. While we Americans use intrusive marketing to tell everyone how great our products are, the Europeans just design things that make you fall in love.”

What photographers do you admire? “Todd Eberle and Simon Watson and Margaret Bourke White . “

What was the toughest subject or shoot you’ve encountered? “I can’t remember many tough shoots but when the design is uninspiring or just plain tasteless, it usually takes me a few hours (and a few beers) to get over it.”

What are your interests and dislikes in photography? “Things I don’t like in my job are dealing with airports and the incredible pace at which my equipment becomes obsolete. Another distressing thing is the decline in the quality and thoughtfulness of American architecture. I blame our culture for not demanding interesting hallways, beautiful ceilings and gardens. Instead, all we want is frilly “curb appeal” and zero lot lines with massive square footage to impress our friends and ourselves. This is our culture from Miami to Malibu. The other day, I shot a $19 million spec home where doorways and balconies were not properly aligned with each other. How much should someone have to pay for accuracy? The Romans were able to design roads, buildings and entrances that were perfectly aligned within millimeters of the sun’s path and they didn’t have a computer to help them.”

“The most interesting aspect of photography is that each day brings a new project, challenge and creative solution. It is great exercise for the right brain. I also like the great technological advances that allow me to work from my home in Florida and then fly thousands of miles away while seamlessly providing images to clients. I have always loved travel and while I was shooting a temple on the island of Bali, I couldn’t believe that someone had paid me to go there. I’ve been shooting professionally for over seven years and it is still the best job I have ever had.”

Thankyou Corey. Besides the incredible images, your responses are interesting and informative.

Daniel Ferris