Artist Spotlight: Michael Spencer

Michael D. Spencer, is a freelance photographer based in Somerville, MA, specializing in music documentary projects and album art, editorial assignments and studio portraiture. He is the recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council & Somerville Arts Council's 2013 Cultural Heritage Fellowship. Michael works closely with local social advocacy and non-profit organizations to advance their grassroots efforts. He also creates exhibitions and hosts fundraisers at his studio and gallery near Somerville's Union Square. Recent projects include a documentary series titled, "Homes for Hope," produced in partnership with the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance.

How did you become interested in photography? Was it something you grew up with?

MS: As is the case in a lot of families, I had an adoring aunt who was constantly taking Polaroids -- capturing holiday gatherings, vacations, and birthdays, and to be honest, it kind of annoyed me as a kid. Little did I know then what sort of weight her images would carry a few decades later for my family. As time moves forward and generations pass on, Aunt Mary's images now provide an amazing visual documentation of the people, places and things that make up the fabric of our family's story, and we're fortunate to have them.

I didn't connect with photography myself until late in high school, and even that was casual at best. I was the kid who had five art classes senior year and became photo editor for the year book -- not because I was necessarily qualified for the role, but more so because I never left the art room. After that, it fell off as a hobby for years and then it wasn't until my mid-thirties that it resurfaced with a vengeance after a career change. Since moving to Somerville in 2006, I've had the honor of calling many talented musicians and artists friends, and it was seeing them live their passions full time that gave me the inspiration to leave a 12 year corporate career and pursue my own path as a photographer. That was 8 years ago and it's been a great ride so far.

What first drew you to photographing people? How do you make the clients feel relaxed in front of your camera?

MS: Photographing people is difficult to do well; I enjoy that challenge. Whether I'm backstage with a band, in a boardroom with an executive, or walking backwards looking out at thousands of protesters in the street, the impetus is the same. Regardless of circumstances, as photographers we need to capture the best images possible of those people in those places at that time, and I work well under that type of pressure.

Formal photo shoots are often high stress events for people and photographers. For every seasoned lead singer or CEO that loves the camera, there are two others who would rather be doing anything else that day. For those people, it's important to provide direction and not leave them feeling awkward or unsure. I try to remove pressure and expectation from them and put it all on myself. I don't enjoy being the subject either, so I empathize.

Recently, you started a documentary series called “Home for Hope”. How did you get involved with the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA)?

MS: I had been searching for the right organization to start a long term documentary project with for a couple of years up until I was introduced to MHSA by a couple of good friends in 2016. My goal was to develop a series that dealt with a serious local issue, such as homelessness, but to approach it in a positive manner with a focus on the depth of human experience, rather than exploiting the desperation of the circumstances that we so commonly see in imagery. MHSA advocates for the transition from short term emergency based systems to longer term solutions as a means for ending homelessness. For example, the "Housing First" philosophy prioritizes moving people back into housing and providing access to appropriate supportive services, rather than leaving people to live on the street while extending minimum, short term aid. I'm drawn to organizations that take a larger picture into consideration, especially when it comes to facilitating real change in the lives of real people.

When I met with Joe Finn, President & Executive Director of MHSA and his fantastic team, we hit it off right away and decided to give it a go. The goal was to create a two-part series: a photo documentary of people in the homes provided to them through MHSA programs, and a second photo series conducted at my studio for a more formal portrait session. It's been a fantastic experience being invited into people's homes, listening to their stories, and being allowed to photograph them in their spaces. We then invited each person along with their case workers to my studio where we took the context of a physical home out of the images, and aimed to capture the individual in their essence. If I capture even a portion of the pride that exudes from my new friends as to what having a home has meant for their journeys, then I consider this project a success. I really love how these images have turned out so far, and I look forward to working with MHSA on an ongoing basis, meeting more amazing people, and helping to share their stories with the world.

The exhibition will be launched publicly at MHSA's upcoming annual meeting in Boston on May 17th at the MHSA and take a look at the excellent work they're involved in here in Massachusetts.

What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

MS: Worry more about your craft than your equipment. You can always buy the Hasselblad when you start booking the 5-figure commercial gigs down the road. Until then, keep yourself in control of finances and equipment upgrades, and focus on developing your skills and your voice as a photographer first. It's an ultra competitive market out there, and rising to the top will have much less to do with what's in your bag than what's in your head.

Do you have any openings or special event coming up?

• Somerville Open Studios - May 4-6 at Studio 29r in Somerville (next to Aeronaut Brewery)
• "Homes for Hope" Exhibition - May 17 at Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance Annual Meeting

Artist Spotlight: Phillip Jones

We have been lucky to work with Phillip Jones for the past few years. His experience of photography has been growing since he was young with his father being a professional cinematographer. An avid film lover, Phillip primarily shoots medium format black and white film and creates traditional darkroom prints.  While his subject matter ranges from each location he photographs, his rich tonal range stays the same. One thing is for sure, he has a style that is known and admired by many and it was great to get to know a little more about his process.

• How did you become interested in photography? Was it something you grew up with?

PJ: Yes, photography was always there. My father was a professional cinematographer, filming documentaries out of Washington, DC. He also did still work and was so busy that the best way to see him was visit the darkroom or tag along on his photo shoots.

He landed a dream project filming the Cape Cod National Seashore for its new visitor center. If you ever wondered who made those films in visitor centers, it was dad.

The whole family stayed at a rental cottage on the Great Pond, in Easton, while he worked on the production. After about four days I was getting bored as only a 13-year-old can.

Dad fished an Olympus Pen-F camera out of his bag. Sleek and silver, it exposed 72 half-frame shots onto a 35mm roll of film. He said that I could have just one roll for the vacation and not to drop it into the pond. He'd develop it when we got back home, then we'd go over what I'd come up with.

So, my first roll of film was shot on a dare from my father, a master photographer.

At first, it was hard to commit to actually snapping the shutter, but just wandering around with my photo-radar jacked up changed everything.

It all seems quaint now, most children have taken thousands of iPhone photos before they're ten.

•   Walk us through your shooting process – do you scout each place for the perfect time of day or is it more spontaneous where you walk around and see what inspires you?

PJ: When traveling somewhere special, with limited time or if a return trip is unlikely, it often takes longer doing the research than being there.

I study guide books, topographical atlases, Google Earth, Panoramio, "Things to Do" in Trip Advisor, Flickr, Pinterest and Google Images for a start. Then delve deeper into the more interesting locations and, by the flight, have a folder of images, maps, and GPS coordinates.

These are the "official destinations" for the trip, but serve more as back-ups if the free-form exploration fails. I try to be observant and not agenda driven. It's always seemed presumptuous to decide what to photograph first rather than consider incidental subjects as they're encountered.

It's easy to become complacent when working on home turf, feeling like Boston's given up all it's secrets. Then you remember that the city's still evolving and you've just been stuck on the same ant trails. I often check for the transitions of earlier photo sites to get warmed up. 

Most American cities are somewhat readable. There's often a river with a historical downtown that people are trying to revitalize. Downstream has industrial and utilitarian structures. Nicer residences are upstream or uphill, things like that.

It's that not difficult to sniff out regions that are pregnant with visual possibilities, but I can't really explain how someone knows that it's time to set up the gear. Guess you've got to be there.

• You split your time between Atlanta, Boston, and traveling. Does one city inspire you to create your images more than the other? 

PJ: Other photographers have published excellent work on Atlanta, Mark Steinmetz for one. And as much as I love aspects of Atlanta, it's aesthetic of sprawling sameness doesn't jibe with the visual depth that I'm looking for. "The South", on the other hand, is a goldmine for subject matter. Birmingham, Macon, Mobile, Richmond and Savannah have yet to be completely retrofitted.

Boston is special, visually. It's like Philadelphia and Baltimore; important East Coast cities since colonial times. They've had robust industrial periods and are centers of international trade. In other words, they've had an accretion of character over generations that contrasts with their post-industrial rebirths.

When starting this 1100 mile commute between studios in Boston and Atlanta, I envisioned a kind of James Bond character with a dark suit and black attaché hopping on and off jets. It's ended up more like the Joad family in "Grapes of Wrath". The old truck with a mattress strapped on.

So, over a few days, I drive along the East Coast with my Toyota brimming with camera gear and supplies. The only stops I make are scheduled because the trip's just too long for meandering. 

• Because you shoot at night you must have a lot of long exposures. What is the average night exposure you use? Do you remember what your longest exposure has been so far? 

PJ: Now that CMOS sensors are creeping toward a million ISO, digital photography is able to capture night images that we couldn't even imagine before.

Still, a mechanical camera can take eight-hour exposures, even in sub-zero weather. This is useful to record long-term transitions within a scene.

The moon and stars become arcs of light, bodies of water look like sheets of ice and a crowded plaza becomes a de-populated mist.

These visual aspects of long exposures complement the hard-edge linearity of the architecture and industry in my current series.

If it's windy, or even breezy, don't bother with analog night photography. Always using a tripod, I don't touch the camera while the lens is open. Even a cable-release transmits too much hand-vibration for critical detail. Instead, I block the light with an eight-inch card covered with black velvet. I open the lens, let the camera vibrations settle down and simply lift the card up and down for an exposure. Exactly like they did before shutters were introduced in the 1800's.

If there's time, it's best to set up before dusk and photograph the progression into full night. You want to catch the few minutes when the artificial light balances with the fading sunset to retain detail in the shadows.

Cities are not always that dark, especially when they're soft-lit by a glowing low-cloud canopy. Nevertheless, most nocturnal light levels don't even register on meters and film sensitivity drops off with longer exposures, so I estimate the luminance, based on previous sessions, and take a series of exposures, bracketing them in one-stop increments.

A typical set of exposures of an urban night scene might be 5 seconds through 8 minutes at f16, using Ilford Delta 100 film. So that would be: 5s,10s, 20s, 40s,1m, 2m, 4m and 8m. I finish the twelve-frame roll with best-guess exposures. Slightly over-exposed negs scan better than underexposed ones.

When staying at a hotel, I'll ask for a room with an upper-floor balcony, then check out the conditions for an extra-long urban night shot.

When it's gotten truly dark, I set the aperture at F 22–32, open the lens and set the iPhone's alarm for 6-8 hours; before the first light. When nothing goes wrong, there's been some surprisingly good results, especially in under-lit in cities.

• Lets chat about the darkroom – how has your process changed throughout the years? Do you find it more difficult to work in film today versus when you started?

PJ: Film photography splits into two basic activities. First, you venture out to great locations and have adventures capturing the images.

Next, you seal yourself off in a claustrophobic black room with trays of smelly chemicals, turn out the lights and work there for days.

But, all those adventures are resurrected in your mind as you're creating the prints. The quiet darkroom intensifies the concentration needed to re-imagine those moments. This helps to create a print that pulls the viewer back into the original experience and makes them glad they visited.

Since your trying to transpose a real event into a flat b&w image, you've got to dip into the darkroom box-of-tricks for help. I try to get as vivid as print as possible without it seeming contrived or over-cooked. If the technique is evident, it's failed.

My darkroom methods have changed dramatically in the last 10 years, thanks in part, to the services of Panopticon.

The Panopticon team develop my negatives. Although it's a more technical than creative part photography, a properly developed negative is essential to the final print's success. Now I have beautifully developed medium-format negatives that I scan as huge 16-bit linear files, equivalent to a 500 megapixel capture.

Next, I process the scan in Photoshop and send the file back to Panopticon, who use their miraculous LVT (light valve technology) device and burn a 4x5 negative of the image. They also output any prints that are too large for my 20 x 24" darkroom trays.

The 4x5's are a dream to print in the darkroom. They still need some burning-in on the corners and edges (enlarger light drop-off)), but it's the same exposure for every negative. This way I have the versatility of Photoshop processing and the beauty of a selenium-toned gelatin-silver print.

• What is it about a scene that makes you want to stop and take a photograph? 

PJ: Wolfgang Tillmans said, "If anything's worth photographing, then everything's worth photographing".

Well, sure, but my gallerist says, "You can photograph any crazy thing you want, but I choose what goes on the gallery's walls."  So I try to work within that polarity.

The "Photo Alert!" light is always blinking "Stand By" in the back of my brain. Just when you feel that your best work is behind you, suddenly there's a vista that takes your breath away. Or, more likely, you catch something out of the corner of your eye and go back for a second look. Then, while in heightened photographer mode, the more nuanced opportunities are spotted.

I often approach a scene by taking digital shots to experiment with lens lengths, frame lines and positions before breaking out the film camera. That also produces a light reading, timestamp and GPS coordinates for later. Next, I imagine the optimum light and weather conditions for the subject, even the dreaded "first light of dawn" option.

Also, considering the content of my work, I balance how dangerous or illegal my being there is against the promise of the image. Some subjects have been so compelling that I've accepted pretty high risks, like being held for questioning. Still, it's easier to apologize than get permission, which you never get. Helpful hint: Never photograph the military.

Now, later in my career, I have to push back against déjà vu's that say I've taken similar shots before. I probably have, but the current one might be an upgrade.

If all systems are go, I set up and begin trying to get a definitive shot. Don't count on coming back or that conditions won't change. Woody Allen may have said, "80% of success is just showing up", but "seizing the moment" is the other 20%.     

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

PJ: At this point, seems like everyone's already started out in photography. We're in the midst of a technological revolution that we can't fully grasp.

It's a shock to see the century-old giant Nikon reeling from loss of sales to smart phones that didn't even exist 10 years ago.

The iPhone's easy to use and already in your pocket. You can send your creations immediately to Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, then sit back and wait for the "likes" to start cascading in.

If you have a poetical vision, why can't a smart phone serve your needs?  It's quite possible to shoot a feature for Vogue with an iPhone, but the looks you'd get from the art director, stylist and models might be wilting.

Now, more photographs are taken each day than in the first fifty years of photography. But there are qualitative differences, like there is between the Gettysburg address and a grocery list.

The basic questions remain, like for a start: What do you choose to put in front of the lens and how do you interpret its image? Is the photograph telling the story you want it to?  Do variouscomponents support or contradict this message? The list goes on. Some of it's intuitive, but mostly it's a craft that requires training.

The serious photography student is fortunate to have excellent schools in Boston. The New England School of Photography and Mass College of Art are both good places to study. NESOP has courses in commercial photography and MassArt a great fine-art department, although neither are limited to just that.  After some experience, assisting professionals on the job is a crash-course field and studio techniques.

When you feel ready, sign up for portfolio reviews. Get as many crits as possible and if certain observations keep coming up, it's kind of a litmus test.

For me, photography is the key way to connect to life first hand, rather than through the interpretation of others. It's also given me the impetus and license to explore everywhere. That's why I try hard to make my photographs worth seeing. 

Artist Spotlight: Margaret Lampert

We have had the pleasure of working with photographer Margaret Lampert for the past ten years. Margaret’s work perfectly combines commercial and artistic photography. Her ability to capture authentic moments matched with her use of lighting and compositions creates images that are unique to her style. Margaret’s work ranges from individual and family portrait sessions to big companies like Target, Crayola, and Clorox.

• What first drew you to photographing people?

ML: Initially what drew me to photographing people was making eye contact with my subjects. There was something about that experience of connecting so directly that I found completely thrilling. As the years have passed I feel less of a need to have my subjects look into the lens. Now their attention can really be anywhere as long as I feel I’ve found an authentic moment with them.

• What do you think makes a memorable photograph?

ML: Photographs that are layered both visually and emotionally always stay with me. I think an image is memorable when it changes and/or challenges the way I see and shows me (or makes me feel) something in a different light.

• When you go on a shoot what equipment do you usually bring? About how many images do you take of each person or family?

ML: When I’m shooting personal work my equipment is very basic. Usually just one body and one or two lenses. Until a few years ago I always shot medium format film for my personal work but have since transitioned to digital. For commercial assignments the equipment is completely tailored to the job at hand.

• What is the most challenging thing about photographing people?

ML:  I think the most challenging aspect of photographing people is getting past their discomfort with being in front of the lens and identifying and capturing a moment when they are completely themselves.  In some cases, particularly with people who find themselves in front of the camera on a regular basis (well known people and teenage girls : )) it’s more a matter of getting past their well practiced pose and finding an authentic moment with my subject.

• You work a lot with children and families, is there a secret to getting the perfect image? How do you make the clients feel relaxed in front of your camera?

ML: I think if you are patient enough eventually people become less focused (no pun intended) on the camera and the perfect moment unfolds.

• When did you start working in advertising? Do you have a most memorable assignment you have done?

ML: I began working in advertising around 2001. One of the most memorable projects was a station domination campaign I did for Clorox. We captured all the images in one day in a park in LA and they ran as installations in railway stations all across the country. The way they were installed was very compelling in that there was no copy on the images themselves. People walked through the station initially not understanding why the images were there; it seemed just to be an exhibit of photographs. Off to the side of each image there was an illuminated Clorox logo and mention of the product.

What made this project so memorable was that I was hired for all the right reasons ie the creative director saw a certain quality in my work that was perfectly suited to the intention of the campaign. When this happens the collaboration is always a joy and the resulting images reflect that experience.

• You recently made a portfolio book to showcase your photographs. Can you tell us your experience with creating the book?

ML: It’s still very important to have a printed portfolio when working in advertising. Even though almost everyone is introduced to your work online to experience the images properly printed and showcased adds a whole new dimension to a prospective client’s impression of your work.

Working with Panopticon on the recent portfolios (as well as the ones that came before) has made a difficult and daunting process about as seamless as it gets. From customer service to printing they are always a joy to work with and interpret the images perfectly. They take my work as seriously as I do and their passion for photography is always evident in the quality of whatever they produce.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

ML: Hmmm…that’s a tough one…can I get back to you on that?

Artist Spotlight: Suzanne Revy

Suzanne Révy grew up in Los Angeles, California. After high school she moved to Brooklyn, NY where she earned a BFA in photography from the Pratt Institute. While there,  she was immersed in making and printing black and white photographs. After art school, she worked as a photography editor in magazine publishing atU.S.News & World Report and later at Yankee Magazine. With the arrival of two sons, she left publishing, and rekindled her interest in the darkroom. She photographed her boys, their cousins and friends, and built three portfolios of pictures over a fifteen year period.  The first,  a black and white series,  explored the culture and nature of childhood play. The second, made with a lo-fi plastic camera and color film,  represents her own emotional response as mother and witness to their growth and development. The third, a series of color pictures made in her home as her teen sons seemed to retreat into their rooms while she studied for her recently earned MFA at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

• You have been photographing your two children for the past (how many?) years. What are their reactions to your work? Do they like the photographs you have taken of them throughout the years?

SR: I’ve been photographing them seriously since about 2003 when I built the darkroom, so it’s been about thirteen years. When they were quite small, the camera was simply present during a lot of their outdoor play time. I’d observe them, how they handled, say… leaves or rocks or twigs, how they’d move while at the playground. I’d watch how light illuminated their gestures, and make pictures without interrupting their play. As they grew older, I’d need more of their cooperation, and as teenagers, I generally need at least grudging consent to make a picture. To some degree, I think they are quite happy that I’ve made this work, but the act of making pictures for them at this point, I think may feel like a tedious chore they do for me. In the long run, however, I think they will appreciate this work, especially when they have children.

• You work in film weather it is color or black and white. Is there a specific reason why you haven’t made the switch to digital?

SR: When I began these projects, which weren’t really conceived as projects, I was using a film 35mm SLR with all the bells and whistles. It was a Nikon F100, great workhorse of a camera. In late 2004, I bought a Mamiya 7, and though the camera at first was harder to use, I found the pictures became more interesting, and I concluded that the Nikon was just too helpful. The focus points somehow forced me into a kind of repetitive use of the rule of thirds, and though the pictures I made weren’t bad,  they weren’t unexpected or surprising either. The ones I made with the Mamiya 7 were more interesting images, and far more fun to print in the darkroom than my 35mm negatives. As digital became better, I was committed to sticking with my medium format cameras, so I could keep seeing and recording my world with cameras that inherently slowed me down. I knew I didn’t want all those helpful bells and whistles. All that said, I did buy a mirrorless digital camera recently, but have rarely used it yet, though I love my phone camera and have been actively posting to Instagram with those pictures.

•  When you are photographing how much of it is instinctual versus planned?

SR: More often than not it is intuitive and springs from my observations. Occasionally, I’ll see some bit of light, and I’ll ask one of my kids to just stand in that light or I’ll see them do something, and I’ll ask them to let me make some pictures of whatever they are doing, but I might need to have them move to a better spot of light. I don’t construct or plan pictures ahead of time.

• What drove you to pursue a Masters of Fine Art and what was your experience at the New Hampshire Institute of Art Low Residency Program?

SR: It had been a long time goal of mine to get an MFA, but the various stages of my life prevented it until my kids got a little older. There’s something to be said for going back to school in your early 50’s, I feel so grateful that I was able to pursue it while maintaining a semblance of family life with two teen boys. I think my work became better while studying.  Taking an extended period of time to think about the intuitive process I employ and how my work fits into the conversation of contemporary photography was invaluable.

• You have recently attended quite a few portfolio reviews! Which reviews have you attended and what was the feedback you left with?

SR: I went to Foto Fest in Houston back in March and just recently attended Review Santa Fe. I got some excellent feedback on the work, and some good ideas for places to show it, and interesting ideas for how to start thinking about organizing it into a book. The best part of going to reviews, however, is connecting with other photographers. I’ve made great friends at these review events. They are expensive, and exhausting, however, so I won’t be attending anymore until I feel like I have another solid body of work ready to present.

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path?

SR: As an avid student in the history of photography, my influences vary widely. While at Pratt in the early 80’s, I was influenced by classic street photographers. Garry Winogrand was a particular favorite of mine. Then in the early 90’s, I became aware of the photo-secessonist Gertrude Käsebier’s work along with Emmet Gowin and Sally Mann who all made pictures close to home. Frustrated that their images often looked so set up, I felt that my medium format allowed me to photograph the children in the way I had made street photographs, but still provided a large negative to make beautiful prints. More recently, I’ve been looking at a lot of color photographers, William Eggelston, Larry Sultan, and a few more contemporary photographers such as Melissa Ann Pinney, Jessica Todd Harper and JoAnn Verburg.

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

SR: It’s most important to do the work. Make and study your pictures everyday until you understand your own eye and your own voice within the medium.

Artist Spotlight: Heather Hobler

Heather Hobler came into the office a year ago when she started photographing her backyard seascapes. Keeping her tripod in the same location, she shoots color negative film during different times of the day. Each print holds luscious colors ranging from cool blues to warm sunsets. The meditative quality of her images invites the viewer to linger and explore every seashell and wave.

• What is your earliest memory of art?

HH: A large dark abstract Grace Hartigan Wedding Dress painting. This painting hung innocently on
my great-aunt Francis’s dining room wall in an old whalers home in Mattapoisett. It was among
a Joseph Cornell Shadow Box, a Rembrandt etching, a Picasso scarf and many more hidden
treasures. These were true works of art living an ordinary life among the wallpaper and salt air.
Francis lived and worked in NYC in the world of art and museums. She took the train up for
holidays and weekends. Certainly quite exotic to my small town girlhood.

And along with these examples of high art I grew up in a house that my father and mother built
from the foundation up, sailed on boats that my father and brother built, wore handmade wool
garments from both grandmothers and mother, ate from the gardens of my grandfather, have a
handmade doll my sister made me.

In each object, aesthetics and use played equally important roles. What makes art “art” has
always intrigued me.

• What is your background? Did you go to school for photography?

HH: I went to both SMFA Boston and Tufts University, finishing with a BFA from Tufts in my 20’s and
then back to get my certificate from SMFA in my 30’s. In my 20’s I studied film, video and
drawing and in my 30’s mostly painting and drawing. I have no formal training in photography.

• Tell us about your current body of work and the exhibition at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery.

HH: This all started innocently as snapshots and quickly built into a reflective rhythmic journalistic
ritual. Taken from the same place daily and most often multiple times per day I stand facing
south over Buzzards Bay to document the pageant that is my front yard. As this work grows so
does my interest and dedication to what I feel is my most successful body of work.

“The adventure of the sun is the great natural drama by which we live” -Henry Benson, The
Outermost House

I had cancer 8 years ago, and it changed my life (of course and so what), and so too it changed
my belief in the validity of my art making. It was in the building of this collection it became
obvious this was a continuation and distillation of my art. Concepts of systems, comparisons,
suggestions of what came before, the play of edge-to-frame and the basic question of “what is
art?” have always been my concern.

Varying from colorfield paintings to romantic photorealism to pure abstraction, this work plays
with the formalism of the square and the minimalism of a controlled composition. This work is
both poignant and potent as they also engage in the contemporary issues of climate change,
the incessant barrage information and the dwindling amount of natural space. These, too, are a
nod to my 30 year devotion to yoga and meditation. and so the name where lines meet.

• Throughout the exhibition you will be having interaction days of conversation & contemplation, yoga, and evening talks. How do you plan to work these events into the
  exhibition? What made you decide to do the interactions?

HH: These photographs together as a unit, a collection, a study, each and every time thrill and bore
me, equally. Kinda like, so what? so, so what? or who cares? so, who cares? So selfishly, I want
to discuss that play/work that we do to make sense of what makes us who we are. This is a
project because of just that: I do not have fully formed ideas around these photographs and
look to explore thru interactions. With where lines meet I will be in the space during all
opening hours inviting people in from all supports and interests of my life for contemplation,
conversation and community. Events range from Wednesday evening talks, Thursday and
Sunday yoga and Saturday suppers. I look to make this more than a purely aesthetic
experience.

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path?

HH: Colorfield painters, Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, Abstract Expressionists Rothko,
Rauschenberg, to more contemporary and conceptual artists Gary Hume, Richard Prince, Hiroshi
Sugimoto, Doug Aitken, Lisa Yuskavage. I believe all of the mentioned see the trueness of life
and portray it with such high esteem. Their integrity and complexity will forever be of
fascination to me along with their regard for beauty. Surely, by looking at how they are looking
influences and fine tunes my eye. As far as creating, I have forever been creating maybe just
not under the guise as an artist.

• What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

HH: Listen.

• When you are not taking beautiful photographs what are you spending your time doing?

HH: I prefer to be outside as much as possible for both work and leisure. I have been practicing
yoga for over 30 years and now teach. And I spend much time contemplating the horizon.

Artist Spotlight: Fern Nesson

Fern Nesson is a fine art photographer living in Cambridge, MA. She practiced as a lawyer for twenty years and taught history at the Cambridge School of Weston and, for the past ten years, she was the College Advisor at the Commonwealth School. Fern is currently in her first year of the MFA program at Maine Media College. Her abstract work is rooted in the elegance of light and line and is currently on display in our gallery until May 14, 2016.

"Light Lines 1"

• You have a background in law, how did you transition into the art world?

FN: I have taken a long journey through many, varied careers – lawyer, American historian, fiction and non-fiction writer, history, math and law teacher, college counselor -- but the spine of photography has run throughout my life. My father gave me my first camera when I was 8 and he taught me to develop my photos in the darkroom not long after. Since then, I have been engaged in looking at the world through a camera.

Until recently, photography was my hobby. I knew several great photographers (my father included) and followed their work with interest. About ten years ago, I interviewed my father and we published a book of his work. I have also collected photographs for many years. I am proud to own photographs by Michael Kenna, Ansel Adams and Bruce Cratsley, among others.

Several years ago, I decided to pursue my own photography more seriously. My initial goal was to learn to take better photos. I began by reviewing my past work and publishing several books of my photographs. Then I took a workshop in photography at the Penland School in North Carolina. Finally, last year, I quit my counseling job to do photography full-time.

It’s taken me a long time to accept the challenge of pursuing life as an artist but I am so thrilled to be doing it! Photography provides, as always, a wonderful way to experience the world and the improvement in the quality of my work as a result of studying and practicing it full-time is immensely rewarding.

"Morning Light 1"

• You are currently attending the low residency masters program at Maine Media, tell us a little bit about the program. How has your work changed since starting your studies there?

FN: For my first semester, I am completing synergistic studio and academic projects, both entitled “An Exploration of Seeing.” Since November, I have taken over 20,000 (!) photographs, read a dozen of the great books about “seeing ” and written three lengthy papers describing the evolution of my own artistic vision. As an intellectual and artistic experience, a Maine Media education can’t be beat!

"Light Lines 3"

• Your abstractions of light and shadow show a playful & insightful side to subjects we see everyday. How do you choose what you point your camera at?

FN: Light is the theme in all of my work. I don’t shoot objects for themselves; I shoot their interaction with light: are they illumined from within? Are they transparent? Are they reflective? Are they suffused with light? Do they glow? Are they in shadow? Do they sparkle? My subjects are quite varied but it’s all about the light.

"Morning Light 5"

• What inspires you as an artist?

FN: I am drawn to elegance. In choosing a subject or a scene, I seek elegance in pattern, line, color and shape. I prefer the intricate, small detail, over the panorama. My photographs are abstract but not in the sense of removing detail; just the opposite. I focus on an element and I abstract it through the use of an unusual perspective or point of view.

"Light Lines 5"

• Your current exhibition in our gallery space is a selection of images from various portfolios. How do you feel the individual pieces interact with one another as a whole?

FN: The photographs in my show, “The Light Dances,” are selected from three different series, which I shot in 2015-6. Although they are of radically different subjects – trees at night, a Calder stabile, and the curtains in my bedroom – they have certain underlying and essential characteristics in common.

First, they are each about light: light as it illumines and ennobles a dark object, light as it enhances a sculpture by throwing off shadows, light as it sparkles and brightens a cold winter landscape.

Second they are multiples. Varying the point of view on a single object takes advantage of all angles of the object and allows maximum concentration upon its interaction with light. The multiplicity of views points up what is so great about our existence: we all see things differently from each other and it is that very diversity that makes art and life so interesting.

Third, they use the power of black. Light as a subject shows up so beautifully when it is contrasted with black. Color can seem sometimes to be cheating; it can make even a dull picture interesting but black is a challenge. If you use it well, you get drama; if you use it badly, you get nothing.

"Stabile 1 - 4"

Artist Spotlight: Peter Angelo Simon

"Dawn Run" 1974

Peter Angelo Simon is a documentary and fine art photographer living in New York City. His subjects have included the creation of New York’s Big Apple Circus, artists at work, South India, and the legendary Muhammad Ali. Peter’s intimate photographs of Ali at his Pennsylvania training camp have been published worldwide, most recently in Muhammad Ali Fighter’s Heaven 1974 by Reel Art Press (April 2016). A solo exhibition at Serena Morton II Gallery in London runs April 8 to May 28, 2016. We have had the pleasure to work with Peter to digitize his negatives and make traditional silver gelatin prints of the iconic American boxer.

"Welcoming the Champ" 1974

• How did the Muhammad Ali project start? How long did you photograph him for, was it a weekend or a few weeks or even months?

PS: New Times magazine wanted photographs for a story they were planning on Muhammad Ali’s preparation for the upcoming World Heavyweight Boxing Championship fight in Zaire, Africa. It was Ali’s chance to regain the title that had been stripped from him when he refused the draft at the height of the Vietnam war. His opponent was the brutal, undefeated George Foreman. I spent two days in Ali’s “Fighter’s Heaven” training camp

"At Camp Entrance" 1974

• What kind of camera(s) & lenses were you using? If you could go back in time would you use the same equipment or would you bring digital technology along with you?

PS: I used my 35mm Nikon film camera with 35mm and 18mm lenses.  I now work with a Nikon digital camera and occasionally a small digital Sony camera.

"Sitting on Logs" 1974

• How did photographing Muhammad Ali impact you as a photographer?

PS: It was an extraordinary experience. It confirmed the value of approaching a subject with a sense of observation and discovery. I had no preconceived notion of Muhammad Ali, just my desire to capture the feeling of being there and the reality of how he spent his time preparing himself physically and mentally for the fight. It’s best to let a subject be themselves.

"In Ring" 1974

• Can you tell us a little about your time studying with Harold Feinstein? How did he influence your photography?

PS: I was writing documentary films for television when I took a workshop with Harold. Harold’s prints and his passion for photography inflamed my latent visual nature. In time it contributed to a shift in my brain from verbal (left hemisphere) dominance to visual (right hemisphere) dominance.

"Letting the Sweat Out" 1974

• Congratulations on your upcoming exhibition at Serena Morton Gallery in London! How did the show come to be?

PS: The exhibition grew out of the decision by Reel Art Press to publish my photographs of Muhammad Ali’s Fighter’s Heaven in one of their elegant photography books.

"Dancing in the Ring" 1974

• Reel Art Press is a company known for showing rare, unpublished and unusual work. Tell us about your experience working on publishing such an extensive project.

PS: I could not have asked for more responsive people to consider my work than Tony Nourmand, David Hill and Serena Morton. They brought fresh eyes and a passion for real documentary photography to the images and responded in a way that others can experience them.

"Ali with Family" 1974

Artist Spotlight: Michaela Harlow

"Rain in September" 2015 - Graphite, Pastel and Polychromos Pencils

We have had the privilege to scan and digitally reproduce Michaela’s pastel & oil paintings and are delighted to share her beautiful work with you.

Michaela has exhibited her paintings and drawings in galleries and juried shows throughout the United States since 1994. Her work has been featured and reviewed in various publications —including Vermont Arts and Living, Santa Fean Magazine and Pasatiempo— and is included in public, corporate and private collections here and abroad. In addition to her work as a visual artist, Michaela is also a landscape designer, published garden writer and photographer, as well as a licensed pilot. Inspired by nature and the complex relationship between human beings and their environment, Michaela Harlow’s contemporary oils, pastels and mixed media works incorporate both figurative and abstract elements. Her work is now represented in New England at West Branch Gallery in Stowe, Vermont.

"Song of the Solstice" 2015 - Oil, Graphite and Polychromos Pencil

• First off, we have to ask about you being a licensed pilot! It is such a fun fact about you that we did not know – when did you learn how to fly a plane? Does it influence your art in anyway?

MH: I began flying in the summer of 1999 and earned my private pilot certificate in January, 2000. I've always loved images taken from above earth and once I started flying, I quickly developed an interest in aerial photography. However, flying an aircraft requires undivided attention, so for more than a decade, I simply observed while airborne, and collected books by well-known aerial photographers such as Arthus-Bertrand, George Steinmetz and Bernhard Edmaier. Just recently ---over the past two years or so--- I've begun making photos when flying with another pilot. I absolutely love it. That process ---seeing and documenting abstract land shapes and patterns --- has definitely informed my painting as well as my work in landscape design.

"Fog of Memory" 2015 - Oil and Graphite

• You are a gardener, a photographer, and a painter – do you think all of your art forms relate to one another?

MH: That is an interesting question. To be honest, until recently, I hadn't given the connection between my interests much thought. I've simply pursued passions. I am only now beginning to see the complex ways that they interrelate. Like the study of languages, I think the more forms of art you practice, the richer and deeper your understanding of each becomes. My formal training as a painter has given me confidence when experimenting with a camera. It has also assisted me greatly with aspects of landscape design; especially when it comes to color, form, shape and texture. I see more and more connections each day.

"Black Birch Cross" 2015 - Oil, Graphite, Polychromos Pencil

• How long have you been working with pastels & what is your process in choosing colors for each piece?

MH: I first experimented with soft pastels as a kid when I was given a small box of them by a family friend. They move and flow like paint and blend easily with bare fingers or tools. Almost immediately they became my favorite medium for drawing. Later, I worked with a private instructor and learned how to use oil pastels. Over the years I've experimented with soft and hard pastels, pastel pencils and combinations of these with other materials. I still love their portability and ease-of-use.

Often, I choose colors based on the mood I'm trying to capture. Color is a great way to stir emotion. But I also draw my palette from nature and/or my surroundings.

"Sweet Water" 2014 - Pastel on Paper

• How has your career path as an artist changed over the years?

MH: Oh, my, my my. If I were to map it out on paper, my career path probably looks more like a complex labyrinth than a sensible road map! Economic necessity coupled with varied interests has resulted in many professional detours. However, I will say that all of my work and life experiences have lead to artistic growth. Switching focus from two dimensional work to the three dimensional practice of landscape design has proven very beneficial.

And just this past year, I gave myself a season-long sabbatical from landscape design, to focus on my painting career. I'm very pleased with what I was able to accomplish in 2015, and I plan to strictly limit landscape design projects ---adding one or two per year--- until I find the right balance.

"In The Still" 2014 - pastel on paper

• How has digital reproductions affected your work? -– do you print bigger sizes? Do you have open or closed editions?

MH: By having my work professionally documented and digitally archived, I've been able to offer signed, limited edition prints on demand, making my work available to a much wider audience. Archival prints are very popular with art consultants and interior designers; particularly when working with the hospitality industry. Original artwork isn't always the best choice for a hotel, restaurant or cruise ship. High quality, archival prints offer designers a beautiful, affordable solution when security concerns or budget constraints rule out original paintings.

"Amphibious" 2015 - Oil and Graphite

• I found on your blog your post about Thirty in Thirty. I absolutely love this project – thirty straight days of making art! Can you share with us your end experience with this challenge? Do you recommend other artists try this challenge?

MH: The Thirty-in-Thirty challenge began when I was working full time in landscape design. I had very limited hours for art making during the growing season, but months of free time in winter. The idea was to kick start my process during the quiet month of January with a daily work schedule and goal. I discovered that by aiming to complete one small work of art per day, that I inadvertently freed myself from the perfectionism and self criticism; enemies of experimentation and process. The end result for me is that I no longer wait for inspiration before going to work. I just get up, go to the studio and set to work. Usually, when I'm in my studio, surrounded by materials, inspiration finds me. If I feel stuck, I start with sketching to loosen up, or prime a few panels. I find it's a lot like running: lace up your shoes, stretch a little and just get moving.

I think Thirty-in-Thirty can be a very liberating exercise for artists. I believe Andy Warhol said "Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” If you want to critique and edit your work, fine. But make a separate time for that. The making is your practice.

"Between Showers" 2015 - Oil and Graphite

Artist Spotlight: Lindsey Beal

"Foundations" (Daguerreotype)

Lindsey Beal is a photo-based artist in coastal Rhode Island where she teaches at Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art & Design and the New Hampshire Institute of Art's MFA program. She has an M.F.A. in Photography from the University of Iowa and a Certificate in Book Arts at the University of Iowa’s Center for the Book.  Her work can be found at Boston's Panopticon Gallery, Miami's Dina Mitrani Gallery and Portland's 23 Sandy Gallery. Her work combines historical & contemporary women’s lives with historical photographic processes. She is interested in the photograph as object and often includes sculpture, papermaking and artist books into her work. Her work has been shown at national museums, galleries & universities, including recent solo shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography and Danforth Art Museum.  She has been featured on Lenscratch,  LensCulture, Light Leaked, & Don’t Take Pictures and has been published in Diffusion, The Hand, Square Magazine, View Camera and 500 Handmade Books Volume Two.  She recently earned a travel grant from Duke University and the Juror’s Award for Medium Festival’s “Size Matters” exhibit.

"Figure #19" (Ambrotype)

• When and why did you first start using alternative photographic processes in your work?

LB: I originally worked in silver gelatin and then color film, first printing in the darkroom and then scanning my film. When I was applying to graduate school, I knew that I wanted to learn alternative photography but I didn’t know that I would end up working pretty strictly in those processes! Two things were the catalyst for that. First, I was working all-digitally in my “Reproduction(s)” series and missed the tactile and physical work of the darkroom. This lead me to go back into the darkroom but working with historical photographic processes, as well as with printmaking, artist books and papermaking. Secondly, through studying the history of photography (which I love!), I was frustrated by the lack of explanation of what these processes were and how they were done. While there are some great videos now created by the George Eastman Museum and the like at the time, I wanted to see how these iconic images were made--not a short summary in the margins of a textbook or as a label on a slide. I think if you see how a daguerreotype was made, it makes the history of photography so much more real and you appreciate how hard it was to get those first images.

"Ball Grip" (Ziatype)

• How has your work evolved and changed throughout the past few years?

LB: My work continues to explore combining historical photographic processes with women’s lives past and present and has recently focused on how women use technology for pleasure. I am also exploring clothing such as corsets and stays that changed women’s bodies, as well as historical OB/GYN tools used in delivering babies. However, I recently opened up this idea of how the past is present that runs through my work by looking at how social media is similar to the Victorian practice of keeping commonplace books. So this idea of technology and how the past & present overlap, could be something I continue in future work.

"Diaphragm"  (archival digital)

• You recently attended a workshop on Daguerreotypes taught by Jerry Spagnoli at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Can you give us a look into that week learning this historical process?

LB: Penland is incredible and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a new craft or process, or to get inspired by working with instructors who are world-renown in their craft and to be with other like-minded creatives. The daguerreotype (becquerel) class was the shortest session I attended at Penland (one week!) to learn this intensive process. But Jerry is an incredible educator and we all came away with some incredible plates and a firm grounding in the process. Generally, at Penland there are demos all week so you get a comprehensive education in the process and then practice it yourself with guidance by the instructor and studio assistant. In the evenings, there are artist talks, open house & art openings and plenty of time for inspirational conversation. One thing that is a strength for a place like Penland, is that there is a lot of room for collaboration with the other studios and with your classmates. I have attended three times and have seen some beautiful collaborations between photography and the book arts & letterpress studios.

• Tell us a little bit about your current solo exhibition at the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham – how did the exhibition come to be & how did you work on the installation? In a way this show is a retrospective for you and it includes most of your projects – how do the individual pieces interact with one another as a whole?

LB: I was first introduced to the Danforth with their call for entry for their photo biennial two years ago when Francine Weiss juried the show. That show, artist talks and openings introduced me to so many in the New England photography community, (many who have become close friends). Jessica Roscio is the amazing curator there and we got along so well, bonding over photo history and early women photographers. We stayed in touch, meeting a few times with my new work. As curator, she invited me to be in a show she was curating on the interior and domesticity. This summer I brought all of my work to the museum and we went through it, with Jessica pulling work that worked together and addressed the show’s theme of making the private public. You are right that “Private Lives, Public Spaces” is a retrospective (minus my cyanotype work) and for me it is pretty amazing to see all of my work in one space. Although all of my work addresses past and present women’s lives, usually using historical photographic processes, I compartmentalize my work into separate series. To have them all interacting with each other in one space was overwhelming in a positive way. The dialogue that occurs between the series in the way that Jessica installed and curated it brings out the common themes of the work.

"Venus Figurine" (handmade paper & bell jar)

• Because your work is rooted in alternative photography how does presentation come into play? For example your “Transmission” series are all presented in Petri dishes with gold metal labels fixed to the frame. Do you have the end exhibition in mind when you first begin a project?

LB: Since I began working in photography, I wanted to present prints in a non-traditional format that encourages viewer interaction or creates pieces that act as three-dimensional objects. Early on, I created installations using fabric and scrolls or silver gelatin prints. From there I created wallpaper from my photographs to completely cover a space. Even my wet plates from my “Venus Series” were originally installed unframed on a picture rail that blended in with the gallery wall.   I create the prints first with the idea that they will altered in some form or turned into objects. The work’s content needs to fit with the installation or sculptural process so some time and research is needed with the prints. For example, with the “Transmission” series, I took cyanotypes and created circular prints, embedding them in resin within a glass Petri dish. From there, I took inspiration from Victorian natural history museums and the way they present specimens using glass and wood cases. I mounted the plates with copper wire in shadowboxes and used the Latin names of each STD which were engraved on brass name plates.

"Bacterial Vaginosis" (cyanotype embedded in resin & petri dish)

• How has modern technology played a role in your approach to such historical processes?

LB: I incorporate digital photography, editing software like Photoshop and inkjet printers to print my negatives into the historical processes I use. Although I work in historical photographic processes, traditional bookbinding and papermaking, for me, these processes can still utilize contemporary technology. These processes force me to slow down and focus on the process, yet with digital technology, I can slightly speed up my workflow. Being able to use digitally edited images and printing them as negatives through an inkjet printer onto materials like Pictorico film gives people the option to go back into the darkroom. In this way the historical and the contemporary can be easily combined.

"The Electric Coronet Beauty Patter" (Ziatype in vintage case)

Artist Spotlight: Molly Lamb

"In Their Purse Pockets"

Molly Lamb holds an MFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and a BA in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her work has been exhibited nationally, most recently at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, the Houston Center for Photography, the Annenberg Space for Photography, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. In 2015, she was named one of Photo District News’ 30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch as well as one of LensCulture’s 50 Emerging Talents. She was awarded an Artist Fellowship grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, she was a finalist for the New Orleans Photo Alliance’s Clarence John Laughlin Award, and she has been a Critical Mass finalist the past two years. She currently teaches art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and she teaches photography at Simmons College and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is represented by Rick Wester Fine Art, New York. Her solo exhibition “Ghost Stepping” is currently on display at the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham.

"He Asked Me To Name Him, Red Bear"

• How did the series Ghost Stepping begin? Do you remember the first photograph you took for the project?

ML: There wasn’t a specific point at which this series began. It was a long, gradual process. I started photographing ideas related to it before I realized that’s what I was doing. Because I had been working as a newspaper photographer, I was so used to thinking about photographing the lives of others that it took a while for me to think about photographing aspects of my own life, or to understand that I was doing it without realizing it.

When I started graduate school at MassArt, I knew that I wanted to focus on photographing ideas about my family history. It was at MassArt that I really began to flesh out all of the ideas that went into this series. My first pictures were mostly of my family’s belongings and they looked as if I had just found them and photographed them that way. Over time, I began to experiment with bringing myself more into each image and including my own ideas and emotions about my history in the way that I worked.

"Tissues"

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path?

ML: It’s difficult for me to name specific artists who influence me because there are so many and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out. Because of social media and online publications, I encounter and am influenced by visual ideas constantly. I love that. I also attend as many artist lectures, exhibitions, and opening receptions as I can.

As I was working on this series, I spent a lot of time looking at the work of photographers who were thinking about family history, memory, and loss as well as photographers who were photographing objects and photographing the landscape as metaphor. I was inspired by Rebecca Norris Webb’s book My Dakota,Susan Worsham’s series “Bittersweet on Bostwick Lane,”Jitka Hanzlova’s series “Forest,” and David Favrod’s series “Gaijin.”Rinko Kawauchi’s work always inspires me as well.

A little more than a year ago, I began teaching art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It’s been an amazing experience and an incredible influence on me. I’m able to absorb artwork gradually and consistently because of spending so much time in the galleries. I think a lot about how light is portrayed, about how much emotion is held in a gesture, and about how ideas are visualized. I’ve also learned a tremendous amount about the artwork and the history of art.

“In The Wake: Japanese Photographers Respond to 3/11” was a photography exhibition at the MFA that affected me deeply. Seventeen photographers were included and each responded to the earthquake, the tsunami, and the Fukushima disaster in such different ways - so beautifully, so movingly. The wall text with each photographer’s work was also very powerful because it included the artists’ thoughts and experiences. I spent a lot of time in these galleries yet each time felt like an entirely new experience. Lieko Shiga’s photographs in that exhibition really stuck with me and have been on my mind as I’ve been making new work.

I also love words - books, stories, poems, and conversations. And I love how words and photographs harmonize. I read as much as I can and it has become very important to me to include poetry with the photographs that I’m making. The words and photographs exist simultaneously for me but each brings something different to the story. I think of “Ghost Stepping” as a chapter, the first in a larger body of work that explores my family history and the influence that it has on me. Each chapter incorporates poetry and my hope is to compile a larger story about my family history with many chapters, each a vignette of photographs and poems.

"Waiting"

• Your color palette is mostly soft & subtle – what influences you as you photograph to make these choices?

ML: I think the color palette has developed because I photograph intuitively. As I’ve been working on these ideas about my family history, I’ve realized that I think of the light and the colors as characters in the stories that I’m telling. I look for them and recognize them like long lost friends. And I think a lot of that also has to do with my own personal memories and history. I spent a lot of time outside or wishing that I could be outside as I was growing up in the South. I was always watching the light, the plays of the light, the gestures that the light graced, and the colors of it all. And I still do.

"Unraveling"

• You recently attended the portfolio reviews at Photolucida can you share a few of your experiences from that weekend?

ML: I’ve been to two portfolio reviews so far, Review Santa Fe and Photolucida. Both have been incredible experiences that have broadened my world. We’re so lucky as photographers to have gatherings like these - to be able to meet photographers and reviewers whose work we love, to hear their thoughts about our work, and to be able to talk about life with others who think about and express ideas about it visually. My life has changed and grown in so many positive ways because of both of these portfolio reviews. I can’t recommend them enough.

"Their Feathers Seemed Like Omens"

• You currently teach at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Simmons College, and at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. What do you enjoy most about teaching?

ML: Teaching is another layer of experiences that influences me as a person and an artist. It’s also a way for me to give back. Art has always been a resource for me for thinking about the world and processing my ideas and experiences. My hope is that I’m able to help, even in some small way, those who are looking for ways to visually express the ideas and experiences that are important to them.

"Christening Dress"

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

ML: One of the reasons that the portfolio reviews and photography festivals that I’ve attended have been such positive forces in my life is the community of creative people around me that they have helped develop and foster. I think that nurturing one’s artistic community is crucial - supporting and encouraging each other as well as exchanging thoughts and ideas that inspire us and help us grow.

I also find it helpful to remember to simply be true to myself. Everything is a process. Life is a process; we’re always learning. Being open minded and curious to learn and grow, even when I am uncertain and wish everything was crystallized in my mind, is incredibly important to me. Otherwise, life would feel stagnant and pale instead of vibrant and lush.

"The Suitcase"

Artist Spotlight: Tytia Habing

"Wild Onions"

Lets start this off right: her name is pronounced Tie-shuh, and she has definitely been making her name known in the photography world. Originally from the Watson, Illinois area, Tytia grew up on a small working farm and then spent the majority of her adult life in the Cayman Islands. She holds degrees in horticulture and landscape architecture and is a self-taught photographer. Tytia’s black and white photographs are full of mystery and child like wonder that keeps the viewer coming back for more. She has been published in Shots Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Lenscratch, and National Geographic (just to name a few!). Her most recent and exciting news is her work is shortlisted for the Black and White Photographer of the Year 2015 sponsored by Leica.

"Anna"

• While your degrees are not in the photography field, it still feels like they play a part in your photography. Can you tell us a little about how they influence you as an artist?

TH: I feel like it’s all very intertwined: my upbringing, my degrees, my photography. I’m not sure how or what I would shoot without the background I have. I love the outdoors, plants, animals, the earth,….pretty much anything nature related. My upbringing on a farm and being surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans and wheat and living on the edge of a large woods, I was always immersed in nature. That led me to seeking out degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture, which I both dearly love, but neither of those degrees clicked with me the way photography did. As soon as I started photography, I knew, I just knew it’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life if possible. If you have a look at my portfolio, my images are mostly nature related. Even when I do portraits, I try to incorporate nature into them somehow. Both degrees gave me a deep knowledge of how man relates to nature and the many hurdles we need to overcome concerning that relationship. We try and fight nature, to conquer it. That isn’t our path. We’re on the wrong path. One day we will all come to our senses whether it’s from our own accord or we’re forced into it. I truly believe we take care of what we love, and if we can all love nature again, all of nature, even the unlovable parts of it, we’ll get on the right path. If my photography can help even the tiniest bit to make even one person appreciate nature more, I’ve succeeded. One of my favorite quotes is “Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.” Jonas Salk

"Saved"

• How did you become involved in photography?

TH: It was a happy accident really. I never had any interest in photography previously even though my older brother graduated with a photography degree. I was in my last year at university working towards my landscape architecture degree and I had some electives I needed to fill. I happened to find an intro to photography class that fit into my schedule and it was in a building very near the architecture buildings so it was convenient. I thought it would be a fun, easy class to round out my schedule. Little did I know I would almost immediately become obsessed with it. I spent ever spare minute in the darkroom and my other classes kind of fell by the wayside. My intro to photography class suddenly had first billing! My last semester I took the follow up class as well, and that ended my official training in photography. Everything else has been self taught.

"Rhubarb"

• Your photographs of your son and his friends capture the excitement and discovery we all had as children. When you are photographing them how much of it is instinctual versus planned? Do you set up the scene or do you always have camera handy & ready?

TH: I always have the camera ready. Planning a scene with my son doesn’t work and trust me, I’ve tried. I finally realized my folly and gave that up long ago. Plus, the things he does on his own are so much more interesting than anything I could come up with. That’s not to say I don’t facilitate the photographs. I’ll take him for a walk or we’ll go down to the river, because I know he’ll always do something interesting. I plan a lot of the trips in the late afternoon so I have good light. From time to time, he’ll do something that I’ll miss and I’ll ask him to do it again. He doesn’t do it for my photo though. He does it because it’s fun. I’ll also gently suggest he play where there is beautiful light. Sometimes he’ll oblige, sometimes he won’t, but I don’t push it. When it comes to playing, he does what he wants to in the end, and that’s how it should be.

"Go"

• What motivates and inspires you to create art?

TH: Three simple things: family, nature and hope. I hope I can make some sort of difference in the world through my photography. Grand aspirations, I know, but why not dream big right?

"Wishing Weeds"

• What do you think makes a memorable photograph?

TH: I can only speak for myself, but what makes a photograph memorable to me is if it makes me feel something. It could be happy, sad, perplexed, whatever, but if I feel something, I’ll more than likely remember it.

"Eye Spy"

• You recently attended Filter Photo Fest in Chicago; can you share a few experiences you had while you were there?

TH: Filter was my very first photo fest and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t recommend it enough. It was totally out of my comfort zone since I’m a major homebody, but it was great. I was finally able to meet many photographers I’ve known only through social media and admired from afar. It was very cool to put a real face to a profile picture! I took two amazing workshops, one by Aline Smithson and the second by Elizabeth Avedon. I learned more in those two days than I’ve learned in the entire last year! Great classes and great instructors. I also did the portfolio reviews, which was fairly scary, but nothing horrible happened like my mind had imagined would. All the reviewers were very kind and helpful. I do have to add that everyone absolutely loved my black and white prints and wanted to know who printed them…..I have the BEST printer!

Artist Spotlight: Stephen Sheffield

"Descent (ladder series #35)"

Stephen Sheffield, a native of the Boston area, is an alumnus of Cornell University, where he obtained a BFA in painting and photography. He received his MFA in photography from the California College of the Arts, in Oakland/San Francisco. He specializes in photography, mixed media and photo-montage and has exhibited nationally for over 20 years. Stephen creates large-scale commissions for private collectors, institutions, restaurants and hotels, as well as images and photographic illustrations for magazines and advertising agencies across the US.  In addition to being a full-time artist, Stephen runs the black and white photography major at the New England School of Photography in Boston and is adjunct faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art MFA Program. Stephen Sheffield is represented by Panopticon Gallery in Boston, MA.

• Your work has a sense of storytelling and a slight twinge of humor to it. Walk us through your process – do you sketch out the scene ahead of time or is more a spur of the moment?

SS: Ideas pop into my head almost at random. I then make sketches and do research as far as location and angle, props and “feeling”. Once things are set up and planned I get to work. Of course that is when things go wrong and I have to wing it. There have been very few shots I have taken that have ended up looking exactly as I imagined them. I think much of the humor comes from the “winging it” aspect of the actual shoot.

"Small Business"

• How has social media played a role in your photography?

SS: I use social media less for personal and more as a way to lead people to my work and to keep my work on their minds. It is also in a small way becoming a reminder to continue to make new work. You cannot show the same work forever.

Mixed media installation at Union Beer Company in Red Hook, NY

• You recently moved from Kenmore Sq area to the suburbs of the south shore. Has this changed or impacted your art making?

SS: The move has made a major impact on my work flow mainly, not the work itself. Good and a little more difficult. Good for space and my kids and my wife. It was tough moving my studio out of the Fort Point Channel after 20 plus years, but now the studio has been replaced by a carriage house and a darkroom in the basement. No more rent payments and no more commuting, but it is tough to find a good cocktail and quick access to galleries and museums. Making the work itself has the potential to be easier as I move forward. Time will tell.

"Smoke 1"

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path? Because you are a mixed media artist do you look at more painters & sculptors than photographers?

SS: I am still mainly influenced by the masters. Minor White, Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michaels, I could keep going. As far as career path? There is no path anymore. These days it is every artist for themselves and ever-changing. I’m old and I need to stay quick on my feet. For my mixed media I am also still influenced by the masters, mainly non-photographic, but the Starn Twins and Gilbert and George are big ones. The biggest go-to influence who has never let me down has got to be Robert Rauchenberg.

"Lust"

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

SS: It is super tough out there these days, and and like I said before, there is no clear path for success. My advice is to try to be good at all of it! The technical, the creative, the marketing, the social, the hustle. Go to everything, (openings, museums, lectures) meet everyone and talk to anyone. Always be making art, but don’t show everyone everything. Edit! Edit what you show and edit what you say. Also, never forget to be a good and generous person. That last bit will get you through more doors than interesting or clever art.

"Eddie 2"