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is one of Americas leading contemporary photographers. His photographs can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and the Whitney. Recently, Mitch has had solo exhibitions at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris, the Kunstmuseum in Bonn, and he was the winner of the 2011 Prix Pictet for his series American Power. His latest exhibition, a series of large black and white photographs of trees taken around New York City, was exhibited at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in Chelsea earlier this spring.
What I find inspiring about Mitch is his ability to be present and enjoy life, while still being incredibly hard-working and diligent about his practice as a photographer. I finally caught up with Mitch in April at the Noho cafe. His exhibition at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. had reached its halfway point, and finally there was time to pause and take stock of all the hard work that had taken place over the last year. On the tree that started the series: New York City is my home. It all began with wanting to make a piece of work that could get me to navigate the city in a fresh way. The first tree I photographed, when I started in January of 2011, was the English Elm, known as the Hangmans Elm, on the northwest corner of Washington Square Park. It could be the oldest tree in Manhattan. Thats a busy thoroughfare and I couldnt control the traffic of people, so Id usually go on a Sunday, when it was quiet. The architecture around the park is pre-war, and the street lamps are vintage or made to look that way, so it feels like old New York. There are only a handful of trappings that locate you in the present, like the cars and street signs. I had been aware of that tree for a long time, but photographing it was challenging. Its imposing when youre around it. I didnt have a language yet for communicating the trees stature without over-glorifying it. I made several pictures of it that didnt really work. It wasnt until we were on the cusp of spring that I realized I had to get way back from it, which I didnt think I could physically do. But I finally found a vantage and did it. I made a picture that I liked, it was formally resolved, but there were some technical issues, and by the time I had a chance to go back, the leaves came up, it was spring, and the tree looked entirely different. Not the way I wanted it. So, I waited until the fall to go back and rework that picture. Tenacity is essential for an artist. On the beauty and craft of photography: Photography demands the utmost clarity. You have to be clear about what youre looking at and how you want to orchestrate what youre seeing into a resolved photograph. But that just takes you to a point where you can let the rest happenwhen the mystery opens up and you intuitively and kinetically engage with the photograph, and cant completely control it. On continuing to develop himself as an artist: I have no formula. Ive never been at service to a particular style or single kind of picture making. Thats not to say that at the age of 59, I have an infinite number of original ideas that are just waiting to get done. But I have an openness. Im open to moving forward without being attached to what Ive already done in the past.

Mitch epstein

Mitch on the process behind his most recent exhibition of tree pictures: I spent a lot of time walking around trees, looking hard, before making pictures. Id go on scouting walks to a park or particular neighborhood and focus only on the trees; not like when I walk around the city to and from a destination and glance at the trees peripherally. So it wasnt like I just showed up and made the pictures. I went back to see and/or shoot the same tree, on average, between five and ten times across the seasons.

We had some snow on Saturday, so I went back before dawn on Sunday morning and it was great, because you still had the remnants of snow and could see the footprints of people and dogs that had walked through the park, but it wasnt overly romanticized the way snow can get sometimes.

Above englIsh elm, washIngton square park, new York 2012. FAcing PAge, ToP, LeFT To righT weepIng beech, woodlawn cemeterY, bronx 2012; eastern cottonwood tree, staten Island II 2011; tulIp tree, alleY pond park, queens 2011; amerIcan elm, eastern parkwaY, brooklYn 2012. all photos courtesY of mItch epsteIn.

sIlver lInden tree, prospect park, brooklYn 2011. photo courtesY of mItch epsteIn.

IntervIew conducted over a cappuccIno wIth douglas wolfe at la colombe noho, aprIl 9th 2012.

I take time between projects when I am not making pictures. Periods of gestation, where Im spending more money at Colombe, drinking more coffee, reading books, spending more time with my family.

black coffee

Issue

1: Mitch epstein

DIrectIon: Douglas Wolfe

DesIgn: language Dept.

eDItor: KIrsten garrIson

portraIt of MItch epsteIn: Douglas Wolfe

prIntIng: lInco