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CONTENTS

HONOURABLE iPHONEOGRAPHY 55
MENTIONS 8
FRANK
DAVID RICHARD MACHALOWSKI 61
MCCLENDON 21
STUEY B 73
STEPHEN WIESSNER 33
RUPERT
MAUREEN RUDDY VANDERVELL 87
BURKHART 44

BACKSTAGE
CHRIS KOVACS Publisher: Adore Noir Publishing
Editor
Online: adorenoir.com
SANDRA DJAK KOVACS
Executive Editor Email: admin@adorenoir.com
Adore Noir Magazine
TIM ANDERSON 1202 West Pender Street
Editor at Large PO Box 17514
Vancouver, BC
V6E 2S8
LESLIE HILTS
Adore Noir online magazine is published bimonthly.
Editor at Large
All images are © copyright of their respective artists and may not be
copied or distributed. All rights reserved.

JOHN GLYNN
Contributor ISSN 1925-5160
Editor’s Notes
We are proud to present the Adore Noir, 2014 Still In Motion: “Here was a collection of
Portfolio Contest issue! Thank you for all enormous, eroded, granite boulders, sitting
your entries, it was not easy to choose the win- atop a dome of lava, spewed from the earth’s
ners amongst all of the fantastic entries we belly about 200 million years ago…it was only
received. We could not stop staring at David wind and rain that had since carved these rocks
Richard McClendon’s portraits, his subjects into what look like monumental Henry Moore
look back at you with an engaging presence. sculptures.” Stuey’s photos capture the heavi-
His photos capture the essence of each person’s ness of the rocks, but along with their weight,
humanity, one can see the smiling behind some there is an inexplicable lightness to their pres-
of the eyes and the shyness in another’s. It’s asence. The storms that have passed through
if we’ve seen these faces before, perhaps they them, the wind that blows over them and the
are a reflection of who we are. Congratulations rain that certainly pours over them has made
David! them what they are. Changing. Slowly over
time, just like most humans. We take our time
Stephen Wiessner’s series is taken on an island with change, generally we don’t like it very
where fog and mist serve as part of the island’s much.
photographic story; it was a previous convict
penal establishment. The figures in the mist In Rupert Vandervell’s series, Man On Earth,
are both sharp and shaded, leaving us to fill in he beautifully captures the “dramatic contrast
what might have once been. between the urban background and the small
but important presence of human life.” His se-
Maureen Ruddy Burkhart’s photos take us into ries portrays isolation in an ever growing pop-
what is. Her series captures intimate moments ulation.
in Kenyan life; the one with a young girl, with
hands on her hips, staring back at the camera is John Glynn talks about the iPhone and how the
particularly enchanting. Burkhart’s lens is the camera, apps and the most recent iPhone tech-
vehicle through which the humanity and joy of nology are able to deliver photos that would
a marginalized people is shown. She says, “I have normally not been possible without so-
hope viewers will see past the poverty without phisticated camera equipment and software.
ignoring it.” The future of photography is not in question.
There will always be pictures. They are inte-
Frank Machalowski fools us for a minute, gral to unraveling the mystery of what it means
would a rhinoceros really be walking through to be human.
those woods, a panda around the corner and a
kangaroo jumping through what just might be So...Dim the lights, go to your favorite place,
one of Alice in Wonderland’s dreams. sit back, relax and enjoy this special issue of
Adore Noir magazine.
Stuey B documents the “Remarkable Rocks”
of Kangaroo Island, Australia, in his series,
ON THE COVER

John

IMAGE BY: DAVID RICHARD MCCLENDON


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FEATURED

THE 2014 ADORE NOIR


PORTFOLIO CONTEST
HONOURABLE MENTIONS

8
HONOURABLE MENTION

Anna Ajtner

http://annaajtne1.wix.com/photography1

9
HONOURABLE MENTION

Christina Shelby

www.christinashelby.com

10
HONOURABLE MENTION

Coralie Fournier-Moris

http://coraliefournier-moris.viewbook.com/
11
HONOURABLE MENTION

Dennis Ramos

http://www.dennis-ramos.com
12
HONOURABLE MENTION

E. E. McCollum

www.eemccollum.com

13
HONOURABLE MENTION

Laurent Baheux

www.laurentbaheux.com

14
HONOURABLE MENTION

Mihai Florea

http://mihai-florea.artistwebsites.com/

15
HONOURABLE MENTION

Robert Hopkins

http://roberthopkins.artspan.com
16
HONOURABLE MENTION

Stephen Hodgetts

www.stephenhodgetts.uk
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HONOURABLE MENTION

Taylor Jorjorian

www.taylorjphoto.com
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FEATURED
DAVID RICHARD MCCLENDON

Zizi

“There is a real purity of purpose when envisioning a final print as you peer
at the abstraction of a world projected onto a large piece of ground glass.”
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In The Mirror - Interview with David Richard McClendon

AN: Congratulations on winning the grand DRMC: Hello there! David McClendon here,
prize for the Adore Noir 2014 portfolio Its so nice to meet you and your many readers.
contest! How do you feel? I have lived in many places, but I currently call
the San Francisco Bay area my home.
DRMC: How do I feel? Simultaneously
gratified and stupefied. Like most artists, I AN: How did you get into photography?
do this work because it makes me happy and
it fills a personal need to create. Artists are a DRMC: I am not sure that I got into
particularly needy bunch, aren’t they? The photography, so much as photography got
recognition from Adore Noir means a lot to into me. I suppose the development of
me, and will help kick me down the road to my photography chops began a long time
more creativity. I thank you. ago when I spent a couple of years trying
to channel Edward Weston with an 8x10
AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you camera. There is a real purity of purpose
from? when envisioning a final print as you peer at
the abstraction of a world
projected onto a large piece
of ground glass. It’s worth
every bit of toil when the
magic happens.

AN: Please tell us about your


series In The Mirror and what
inspired you to create it.

DRMC: A couple of years


ago I decided to try my hand
at photography after a pause
of several years. I yearned
to make distinctive images,
so I decided to use unusual
methods and materials––I
also changed my subject
focus to portraits only.
This series is a typological
study of the human face.
A friend of mine described
my challenging portraits
as thus: “You may not like
them, but you can’t ignore
them.” It’s funny how people
instinctively turn to gape
Dusty
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DAVID RICHARD MCCLENDON

at a train wreck––they simply cannot help white emulsions, especially for portraiture.
themselves. It has been a great joy to watch
people interacting with my portraits. AN: What or who are your influences?

AN: The camera you used to create these DRMC: So many visionary artists, so
phenomenal portraits is quite amazing. Can little time. I have a small library of art and
you tell us about the camera and how you photography books that I flip through regularly,
created these tack-sharp images? and a small group of photographic images that
I have been fortunate enough to collect over
DRMC: My camera started out as a darkroom, the years. Putting together a list of influences
and now it pulls double duty as both darkroom would be difficult, as my list of influences is
and portrait camera. Installed into the door is expansive.
a lens board that carries the 1930’s vintage
process lens that I use to capture my portraits. AN: Do you have other projects you are
The film plane is a cork board simply working on?
hung from the ceiling inside the darkroom.
The portrait subject sits
outside the camera while I
compose, hang 14x17 x-ray
film, and snap the shutter
while standing inside the
camera. The diciest bits
include: registration of the
subject, focussing, and
negative development of
this notoriously contrasty
and super soft double-sided
emulsion. It took quite a bit
of developer formulation,
testing, and practice to obtain
negatives I was happy to
print from.

The prints come in two


flavours: silver gelatin
contact prints onto 16x20
llford fiber paper, and
archival pigment prints on
Hahnemuhle paper to as large
as 36x44. After learning to
“see” in orthochromatic, I am
not sure if I would want to
return to traditional black and
Maggie
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DRMC: I have so many ideas that I would AN: What is your final say?
like to execute, but experience has taught me
to choose my projects carefully. It is easy to DRMC: Wow, the final say... I never get the
dilute one’s efforts with too many projects final say. Many years (and a whole lot of
and be left with mediocre results, been there lumps) has taught me to always let my wife
and done that (several times). With that said, have the final say. Here is what I imagine
I am dreaming of a series of motion study would be my crazy-beautiful wife’s final say:
photographs, and I am hoping to do some work “Get a job, sir”. ♥
with found objects, and NOT rip off Irving
Penn. See more at: davidrmcclendon.com

Kenneth
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Brian

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Alix

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Bob

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Rudi

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Patrick

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Jeff

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Stephen

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FEATURED
STEPHEN WIESSNER

“Whilst there is a place for clean sharp capture, I’m not after that. I’m
always looking for an escape from the precise realism that a photograph
can so easily convey. I’m trying to evoke some sort of emotion and feeling
from the viewer, good or bad.”

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DOCKSIDE - Interview with Stephen Wiessner

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you AN: Please tell us about your series Dockside.
from?
SW: Dockside was shot on the largest
SW: Hi, I’m Stephen Wiessner and I was born island in Sydney harbour, Cockatoo Island.
and still live in Sydney, Australia. Cockatoo Island operated as a convict penal
establishment since 1839, in 1871 it also
AN: How did you get into photography? became a reformatory for young girls who
had been convicted of a crime. The island is
SW: My next-door neighbor was national steeped in history and this was always at the
marketing manager with Fujifilm. I was asking back of my mind. The island emits a ghostly,
him about the relatively new digital cameras eerie feel to me. When the opportunity arose to
that were appearing at the time and he gave shoot in heavy fog-like conditions, I seized it.
me one to try. I was hooked, digital had an I wanted to draw on my uneasy and unsettled
immediacy that I had been searching for. I feelings. The conditions supplied a surreal
love the grain and organic feel of film but the atmosphere that also seemed to leave a lot of
process was slower than I liked. The downside unanswered questions, just like the island’s
of digital for me was the smooth plastic look. past.
The love/hate relationship still continues today.

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STEPHEN WIESSNER

AN: What inspires you to photograph? with the availability of the internet, research
and information are seconds away, I devour
SW: Photography is just a fantastic endless photography and believe that all established
journey to me. It seems as if the more I learn, photographers have something to offer. I don’t
the more I realize I don’t know. Try as I might, have photography ‘gods’ as I believe there are
I just can’t master or tame it and I love the numerous brilliant ones out there.
challenge of getting the image I see in my
mind onto paper. I spend time in art galleries and love the
impressionists. I do have a ‘god’ here though,
As I alluded to earlier, whilst there is a place in van Gogh. There was also an Australian
for clean sharp capture, I’m not after that. I’m painter who sadly passed away by the name of
always looking for an escape from the precise Brett Whiteley, who did stunning work. Music
realism that a photograph can so easily convey. also has its influences, so in the end I think that
I’m trying to evoke some sort of emotion and there are many inputs that meld into my sub-
feeling from the viewer, good or bad. conscience.

AN: What or who are your influences? AN: Do you have other projects you are
working on?
SW: I think that we are living in golden times

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STEPHEN WIESSNER

SW: The areas I want to delve into often seem Overtones. This project still has a way to go.
very difficult and elusive. I’m always working I’m looking to delve into the more sexual side
on projects. They don’t always see the light of of life with subtle, deep, dark moods.
day but that’s ok as failure is an important part
of moving forward. My long-term goal is to build bodies of work
that are of a high enough standard and content
My website has two projects that are still to enable suitable gallery representation.
developing, Recollections and Overtones.
With Recollections I am trying to recapture the AN: What is your final say?
early years of childhood and adolescence with
fragments of past memories and experiences, SW: This creative pursuit of art and
like toys, country fairs, city buildings and girls. photography is the most challenging task I’ve
I’m attempting to unearth the formative days, ever attempted. If it was easy I think that I
being in the backseat of a car, where one was would have lost interest long ago.
looking up over the windowsill and seeing
glimpses of telegraph poles and power lines I’ll leave the final say to Bill Brandt as he sums
rush past, blurred fading visions recalled. up my thoughts far better than I ever could.

The other project I am working on is “I believe this power of seeing the world as

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STEPHEN WIESSNER

fresh and strange lies hidden away in every ideas, to stand and stare.”
human being. In most of us it is dormant. Yet Bill Brandt
it is there, even if it is no more than a vague Shadow & Light
desire, an unsatisfied appetite that cannot MOMA, 2013 ♥
discover its own nourishment.
See more at: stephenwiessner.com
Vicariously, through another person’s eyes,
men and women can see the world anew. It is
shown to them as something interesting and
exciting. There is given to them again a sense
of wonder.

This should be the photographer’s aim, for


this is the purpose that pictures fulfill in the
world as it is today. To meet a need that people
cannot or will not meet for themselves. We are
most of us too busy, too worried, too intent
on proving ourselves right, too obsessed with

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STEPHEN WIESSNER

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FEATURED
MAUREEN RUDDY BURKHART

“I was meant to show the humanity, ties to family, sense of community,


purpose, survival and joy.”

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KIBERA: A SLICE OF HEAVEN
Interview with Maureen Ruddy Burkhart

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where do you tax Spotmatic 500, which I used as a creative
live and work? tool that year to create scenes using classmates
as actors. It was a terrible year for me because
MRB: I live in Longmont, Colorado, a quaint I had mixed feelings about leaving Iran only to
city east of Boulder. We love it here because be in a strict boarding school in the West. So I
of its easy access to Denver, Boulder, and the took out my frustrations on film. That’s when I
Rocky Mountains. Also, it’s an arts and cultur- first thought about photography seriously.
al hub, which plays wonderfully into my career
as both a fine art photographer and commercial AN: Please tell us about your series Kibera: A
photographer. Slice of Heaven and what inspired you to cre-
ate it.
AN: How did you get into photography?
MRB: My mother had passed away in March
MRB: I lived in Iran for my first three years of of 2012 and I had spent a lot of time contem-
high school, transferring to an English board- plating her life of service and some of the
ing school for my senior year. At that time, my hardships she must have encountered moving
father gave me my first 35mm camera, a Pen- a family of seven, thirty three times to ten dif-

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MAUREEN RUDDY BURKHART

ferent countries. I wanted to honor her life by light. With digital, I was able to figure it out
opening my heart to some project that would quickly.
have meaning beyond just introspection and
self-contemplation. Right about the time I had
Additionally, I should say that I didn’t know
made that decision, this opportunity opened up
exactly what my subject matter was going to
for me to travel to Kenya and do stock photosbe in terms of my own vision. I was terrified
for a non-profit, women’s empowerment proj- that I had traveled all that way and wouldn’t
ect, Power of Hope Kibera (pohk.org). I wouldhave an inspiration of my own. Well after my
not have been able to do this project withoutfirst day, it all became very clear, I was meant
them. to show the humanity, ties to family, sense of
community, purpose, survival and joy. I’ve
AN: What were some of the biggest challenges been there three times and every time my vi-
you faced while producing this series? sion is confirmed.

MRB: The biggest challenge at first was pay- AN: Why did you decide to shoot this series in
ing my expenses, but things worked out, al- black and white?
most like it was meant to be. Then after ar-
riving in Kenya, my challenges were mostly MRB: I didn’t intend to do it that way. I was
technical in nature, that is, I wasn’t used to open to whatever direction the work would
shooting dark skinned subjects in bright sun- take me. After my first day of shooting, look-

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MAUREEN RUDDY BURKHART

ing over the images, I knew that it had to be influenced by my father’s love of Impressionist
black and white. Quite simply, color detract- painters like Cézanne and Turner. My colour
ed from the faces and all the little details that
work tends towards impressionism. I am also
made the image work. Color sucks us in with influenced by Pirkle Jones, my old teacher
its vibrancy, which has a place, for sure, but from the San Francisco Art Institute and his
I wanted the pure rawness of my subjects to documentary work with the Black Panther
shine through. Movement of the 60s and some contemporary
artists like Robert Adams and Thomas Michael
AN: What do you hope the viewer experiences Alleman’s plastic camera vignettes of life in
during and after viewing your images. other places. Additionally, I’m pretty intro-
spective and love to spend time in nature, so
MRB: I hope viewers will see past the pover- Mother Nature is definitely one of my muses.
ty without ignoring it. I hope the viewer will
identify with the common goals and virtues Growing up in different countries and every-
that we value most. thing that goes along with that, culture, people,
and just learning how to adapt was also an in-
AN: What or who are your influences? fluence.

MRB: Hands down, my most beloved photog- AN: Do you have other projects you are
rapher is Henri Cartier-Bresson. I was also working on?

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MAUREEN RUDDY BURKHART

MRB: Yes, I’m currently working on two dif- See more at: maureenruddyburkhart.com
ferent series, one is comprised of nature iPhone
composites depicting transition into middle
age, the other is a black and white Hipstamat-
ic series depicting whimsical images of life in
Spain.

AN: What is your final say?

MRB: There appears to be too much pressure


on photographers and artists to seek approval
for their work. It’s almost as if we can no lon-
ger do it for the pure joy of creating images. I
find that I have to constantly balance the two.
I really do try to create images that are purely
from the heart and I just hate having people not
‘like’ it (just kidding!). ♥

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iPhone PHOTOGRAPHY (iPhoneography)
By John Glynn

I
f you are reading this, then it is safe to well in excess of three thousand photogra-
assume that you possess a genuine af- phy apps readily available for download on-
fection for photography (on a side note, line. Furthermore, praise the gods of tech,
you also have very good taste). What is as an ‘iPhoneographer’ can now solidify
more difficult to assume, though, is wheth- their ‘street cred’ through external lenses
er or not you possess affection for what we and mini tripods. With mobile photogra-
now refer to as “iPhoneography”. phers, like Damon Winter, to name just one,
gaining real fame for an ever expanding
An innovative branch of photography, iPho- catalogue of work, opportunities that were
neography, using the iPhone’s built-in cam- once nonexistent have presented themsleves
era, in addition to an absolute abundance of in an abundant manner. Speaking of Winter,
image editing apps, has taken the world his images of war torn Afghanistan are sim-

“As obvious as at it sounds, most of us own a cell-phone


with a half decent camera, but, somewhat less obviously,
is the realization that an increasing number of proficient
photographers regularly use them to create masterpieces”

by storm. ply stunning, especially when you appreci-


ate the fact that they were shot on a phone
While some of the more avid “iPhoneog- using the hipstamatic app. Harrowing and
raphers” declare that an image MUST be truly profound, some of these very images
taken, edited, and published using nothing made their way to the front page of the New
but an iPhone, this specific assertion comes York Times.

A
from a minority of diehard Apple advo-
cates, or Appvocates, pardon the poor at- cross the pond in the UK, due to
tempt at humor. unprecedented demand, Rachel and
Phil Hibberd, both professional
As obvious as at it sounds, most of us own photographers, now offer a range of courses
a cell-phone with a half decent camera, but, through Photography Made Simple, their
somewhat less obviously, is the realization own artistic enterprise. Most impressively,
that an increasing number of proficient perhaps, is the inclusion of a mobile pho-
photographers regularly use them to create tography course, the very first one in the
masterpieces. Look around, mobile phone UK. Years ago, along with countless hours
photography is in a revolutionary state, with of Photoshop editing, creating certain im-
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iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY / JOHN GLYNN

ages could only be achieved through the us to be cost effectively creative.


use of camera equipment and software that
cost a small fortune. However, nowadays, A decade is a long time, especially so in
in a matter of a few minutes, an image can technology, and we can now revel in supe-
be captured and fully tailored on an iPhone, rior resolutions and superior representation
or any other respectable smartphone. This of color. Many ask the question; when does
is a concept that Rachel and Phil have fully one cross the line from iPhoneography into
acknowledged and embraced. the realms of photography? And, with this

A
being said, what does the future hold for
scourge or a gift, it really depends both photography and photojournalism?
on how you view it, but iPhoneog-
raphy is intrinsically linked to well On the latest iPhone both the camera and
over a decade of experimentations involv- the default app offer the user an opportuni-
ing mobile photography. When the nineties ty to produce perfectly respectable photos,

“Cast your minds back to the original iPhone, for all


its innovation, the camera’s hardware was diabolical.
A cheap sensor paired with a fixed focus 2 megapixel
camera hardly equates to a photography renaissance”

rolled in, phone cameras were not taken ones comparable to those produced by a
seriously, they were mocked, ridiculed and more conventional camera. For a mobile
considered substandard. Why? Well, be- device, this is quite a feat, one that seemed
cause the quality offered was absolutely far- rather unfeasible just a few years ago.
cical, let’s be honest. The resolutions were
low, almost to the point of nonexistence, Cast your minds back to the original iP-
with many photos appearing in an impres- hone, for all its innovation, the camera’s
sionistic light rather than a photorealistic hardware was diabolical. A cheap sen-
one. sor paired with a fixed focus 2 megapixel
camera hardly equates to a photography
No sane person really expected to get re- renaissance. With the camera app on both
spectable prints out of them, or even made the original and the 3G, rather amusingly,
a conscientious effort to transfer the imag- all you could really do was take a photo,
es to their computers. Quite simply, these that was about the extent of artistic license
memories, both diminutive and digital, ex- offered, and the images produced differed
isted on your phone, but now, mobile pho- very little from other mobile phones that
tography allows us to make art and allows were available at the time.
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iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY / JOHN GLYNN

M
ost of us didn’t complain, like lish straight from your handset is as impres-
innocent folk believing every Fox sive as it is surreal. Mark my words, in the
News report, we knew no better. not so distant future, sadly, due to the lack
Anyway, naivety aside, present day technol- of ‘old-school’ camera knowledge needed
ogy offers thousands of camera apps. From to become an iPhoneographer, we may very
more conventional photography to special- well witness a generation who think the
ist fields involving image manipulation, ev- word aperture relates to a piece of human
ery possible aspect is covered. Whether you anatomy.
want to compliment your long exposures or
experiment with retro effects, iPhoneogra- We live in a social vacuum, a 24/7, 365 day,
phy offers so much choice. To simply limit news machine, one that looms over us with
the boundless possibilities of mobile pho- an imposing shadow. We are captivated
tography to unmethodical snaps is to do it by shocking, dramatic headlines, the more
a major injustice. alarming, the more gripping. Between the
Ebola threat and the ominous ‘global dan-
Although it does just possess a small sensor ger’ posed by ISIS, the media love noth-

“From your next-door neighbor to Barack Obama, mobile


photography apps, especially Instagram, have captured the
imagination on an international scale.”

and a fixed lens, very few, if any, camera ing more than to promote fear and panic
systems can compete with the sheer cre- amongst the masses.
ative scope of the iPhone. With a plethora
of apps for image capturing and processing, Now that Apple has made dramatic im-
each one just a few clicks away, the ability provements on the much maligned 2
to instantly upload and share a photo has megapixel iPhone, the latest cutting edge
never been more appealing. moments are delivered to us in the most
direct fashion imaginable.

C
Of course, for the purist, a hardware enthu-
siast, the iPhone leaves a lot to be desired, ast your mind back to the horrific
even if it is improving with every genera- London bombings that occurred on
tion. We are now living in an era of soft- the 7th of July, 2005, a year when
ware savvy consumerism, a fact that has cell-phone photography received wide-
crept into the world of photography. spread recognition. Looking back at those
unclear yet moving mobile images, it is
We may very well take it for granted, but remarkable to see how far we have pro-
the fact that we now live in a world where it gressed in terms of technical proficiency.
is possible to shoot, edit, write, tag and pub- Now, largely thanks to the influence of
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iPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY / JOHN GLYNN

Instagram, we are able to take a photo, edit sheer significance of photography. From
it, then post directly to all the social media Facebook to Instagram, we are submerged
platforms that really matter, including Face- in a pool of random images, some brilliant,
book, Flickr, Twitter, Foursquare and some utterly bemusing, but when an oppor-
Tumblr. tunity to view something from a very fresh

I
perspective presents itself, shouldn’t we
n a world where we are looking for the embrace it?
trendiest of trends, whether it is in the
world of fashion or photography, the so- Many of the most beautiful photos we see
cial media platform for iPhoneography has stem from spontaneity, and with a camera
never been more prominent. Take Thomas in our pocket, unquestionably, we are now
K, for example (http://instagram.com/thom- ‘armed’ to satisfy that impulsive desire. ♥
as_k), an iPhoneographer boasting over
600,000 followers on Instagram. A mobile John Glynn is a writer and lecturer current-
street photographer from Berlin, Thom- ly working in Dubai. He can be reached on
as entered the world of photography after Twitter @Irishdawg1916
joining Instagram in 2010. Four years on,
remarkably, he is renowned for his utterly
unique perspective. In a country famed for
rigidness and elite levels of efficiency, Ger-
many’s most famous Instagram photogra-
pher has injected some color into the world
of black & white imagery.

iPhoneography hasn’t just influenced pho-


tography, it has transformed it. Besides
countless videos of cats playing the piano,
YouTube has shown us that visual sharing
is now a fast moving, unrelenting affair. A
fundamental foundation of photography has
always involved being there, capturing that
very moment. Breaking down any obstacles
of image that may exist, mobile phone cam-
eras have opened up new avenues, ones that
make both photojournalism and voyeuristic
street interpretations far more accessible.
As it is still evolving in terms of quality and
ingenuity, the camera phone offers the user
a chance to visually define an environment
from a relatively unchartered perspective.
Assessing a digital representation from a
dynamic viewpoint can only assist in the
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FEATURED
FRANK MACHALOWSKI

“I want the viewer to ask themselves many questions. Is this fiction or


reality? Is this a warm rain forest or a cold German mixed forest? Do
these animals actually live in this forest, or is it a giant zoo?”
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TIERWALD - Interview with Frank Machalowski

AN: How did you get into photography? FM: Tierwald means a forest full of animals. In
this series, I compose exotic animals in a fog-
FM: When I was a child my father spent his gy mystical forest located in central Germany.
free time photographing and was often in his In this particular project I combine two photo-
darkroom––I soon became fascinated by this graphs that I have captured, one of the forest
process. When I was a bit older, I bought my and one of the animals––the forest pictures are
first camera and practiced a lot, however, over analogue and the animals are digital.
the years I began to lose interest in photogra-
phy. In the early 2000s, when the first digital AN: The images tend to leave the viewer a
cameras came to market, my passion for pho- little disoriented, is this something you were
tography was once again awakened. trying to achieve with this series?

Today I am delighted by the charming charac- FM: That was precisely the intention of the se-
teristics and atmosphere of analogue black and ries. I want the viewer to ask themselves many
white film photography––I develop and print questions. Is this fiction or reality? Is it a warm
my own photos. In some of my artworks I try rain forest or a cold German mixed forest? Do
to combine digital and analogue techniques. these animals actually live in this forest, or is it
a giant zoo? Or maybe it’s a future world with-
AN: Please tell us about your series Tierwald. out humans? I don’t think these images fully

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answer these questions, nor do I think they ond project is called Multiexpo. For this series
should. I would rather the viewer keep looking I photograph landmarks as multiple exposures.
and ask themselves even more questions. The series started in Berlin, my hometown, but
currently I’m working on visiting and photo-
AN: What or who are your influences? graphing other cities. I am using only analogue
film in both dimensions (35mm and 6x6) and
FM: I’m a very visual person. I am a movie it’s only in black and white.
junkie––I love well designed films and strange
stories. I also love the old masters of black and AN: What is your final say?
white photography––I also enjoy reading a lot.
FM: Live and let live. ♥
AN: Do you have other projects you are work-
ing on? See more at: machalowski.de

FM: Yes, I have two other projects that I am


working on.

At present I have two series that I am working


on. The Monster series, where I photograph
crowds in the city as long exposures. The sec-

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FEATURED
STUEY B

“These rocks were not as static as they seemed. They were, what I liked
to think of, as an artist’s work in progress, slowly and continually changing
shape under the direction of nature’s invisible hands.”
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STILL IN MOTION - Interview with Stuey B

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where do you converted into an arts center. From here I plan
live and work? and sometimes shoot my fine art stills, and edit
my commercial films for luxury brands.
SB: I’m Stuey B, an image maker and film-
maker based in the creative town of Farnham, The studios around me are occupied by oth-
about forty miles west of London, England. I er creative types; theatre groups, dance com-
have a very small studio in one of Farnham’s panies, ceramicists, jewelers, painters, print
oldest buildings, an old maltings that has been makers, the list goes on––their practices are all

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really inspiring. We’ve even collaborated on MTL3 with my brother. I wasn’t that bothered
projects together. It’s a buzzy, and sometimes about shooting for prints, I just loved to look
very noisy place, theatre rehearsals are banging through the viewfinder and mess about with the
around above me right now, plaster dust is lit- reframing of my world. It was the first thing I
erally falling into my coffee! remember that felt almost meditative.

AN: How did you get into photography? I studied graphic design before spending a long
career in advertising, and whilst I knew my
SB: When I was a kid I shared a Praktica way around cameras and dark rooms, one of

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my tasks was to direct photographers to bring photographic practice of my own.


my ad concepts to life. I’m a big fan of collab-
oration, and that the extra dimension that an- AN: Please tell us about your series Still In
other creative person’s input adds to a project, Motion and what inspired you to create it.
is priceless.
SB: Part of a trip to Adelaide was to spend
My work has always been visual, so coupled four days on Kangaroo Island (KI), just off the
with a fervent curiosity; it was a natural pro- coast of South Australia. A visit to the “Re-
gression from design, through filmmaking, to a markable Rocks” at Flinders Chase National

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Park was at the top of the itinerary. from the earth’s belly about 200 million years
ago.
It was only when I arrived that I was inspired
to shoot this series. Consequently, when sitting Whilst on a headland that faces the Southern
amongst the rocks, it was interesting to medi- Ocean, this attraction was perched 200ft above
tate on the paradoxical scene before me. Here the water; so it was only wind and rain that had
was a collection of enormous, eroded, granite since carved these rocks into what look like
boulders, sitting atop a dome of lava, spewed monumental Henry Moore sculptures.

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Yet, these rocks were not as static as they unmoving solidity. A meditation on the scene,
seemed. They were, what I liked to think of, as however, revealed more. To truly see, or reveal
an artist’s work in progress, slowly and con- the truth in a place like this, I needed to hook
tinually changing shape under the direction of my eyes up to my imagination. Only then did
nature’s invisible hands. I recognize that these monoliths were actually
moving. A constant erosion that began back
With my eyes, I registered very still images; in deepest history and continues even now, as
just like this series. In fact, the scene could we look at this series. So there I sat, playing
easily have been called the very epitome of this 200 million year time-lapse through in

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my mind. to shoot this series for those who visited, brief-


ly, and for those who can’t get to Australia.
I was the only visitor to sit and contemplate The “Remarkable Rocks” are a true wonder,
what was happening there. Tourists would ar- and it makes us re-evaluate our whole notion
rive, take some snaps, and then leave shortly of time passing, and whether we can truly trust
after, having ticked the visit off the list. It both- our eyes.
ered me that decent time was not being spent.
It seemed such a waste, having already invest- AN: Can you explain a bit about your relation-
ed the time to make the journey. So I decided ship with time and how you see it.

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SB: Every day I fight the way the modern ready-meals and time-saving devices. So I find
world forces time on me. Actually, what I fight myself zagging when the majorities are zig-
is other people’s rapid pace. I’d rather be deep ging.
in the moment. That means getting into fewer
things, but experiencing them on a much deep- Time for me is flexible. It can flash past or
er level. dawdle depending on how I choose to experi-
ence it. At this point in life, it’s slow.
This is at total odds with how we live today.
Experiences now are as disposable as our AN: What or who are your influences?

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SB: Once a designer always a designer, so I plex subjects. There’s a lot of his work in my
tend to see everything around me and absorb own. Salgado’s landscapes, Sally Mann’s col-
it like a sponge. Living deliberately slowly lodion images, Stieglitz, Avedon, Bert Stern,
means that you give yourself time to interro- Arbus and McCullin, there are so many great
gate what you’re seeing and marvel at it. photographic images to draw some emotion
from, without going into Rembrandt, Jasper
I also love the work of Edward Weston. I can Johns and Rothko. But if I’m in a creative rut,
imagine his state of mind whilst creating his nothing beats listening to Radiohead.
calm, simplistic images of actually quite com-

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AN: Do you have other projects you are work- I’m half way through my next project. Motion
ing on? blurred images of naked feet dancing in the
sky, the work in progress can be found on my
SB: Too many. Ideas have never been a weak- blog: fotostuey.com.
ness. I have about fifteen concepts with spring-
board text on my iPad waiting for my attention, AN: What is your final say?
but I still have to make a living with commer-
cial films. Photography is not paying its way SB: For me the camera is just part of my pro-
for me yet. cess, my work really comes to life back in the

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studio when I get my exposures into Light- Then begins the process of bringing order to
room. I very often find myself shooting some- the messiness, by simplifying, reducing; apply-
thing because it calls to me. I can have no idea ing my aesthetic values to the image by crop-
why, it could be the topography of a landscape ping, lightening, darkening and retouching.
or an object or a face that has piqued my inter- Working until my final image appears and re-
est; and it’s only when I get back to the studio plays for me the feeling I had when I first fired
and ingest the shots that I see what appealed the shutter. I find this process very satisfying.
so. Decoding the image whilst building it.

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I’m less interested in the decisive moment as I See more at: stueyb.com
am the lasting impression. I’m not a documen- and fotostuey.com
tary photographer, although I could be, as I am
a storyteller, I’m not a street photographer, but
have shot on streets. I don’t ever want to be pi-
geonholed; I am first and foremost a creator of
images, who happens to use a camera. That’s
an honest appraisal of what I do. ♥

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FEATURED
RUPERT VANDERVELL

“I was looking to portray a feeling of isolation while remaining distant from


the subject. In our crowded world, with ever increasing population numbers,
solitary moments like these are becoming harder to imagine.”

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MAN ON EARTH - Interview with Rupert Vandervell

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where do you AN: Please tell us about your series Man on
live and work? Earth and what inspired you to create it.

RV: I live in London where I work as a fine art RV: With my series Man on Earth, I wanted
photographer and video producer, mostly in the to highlight the dramatic contrast between the
fashion industry. urban background and the small but important
presence of human life, with its unique visu-
AN: How did you get into photography? al characteristics. I was looking to portray a
feeling of isolation while remaining distant
RV: I first began taking pictures as a teenager from the subject. In our crowded world, with
after being given an Olympus camera for my ever increasing population numbers, solitary
birthday. At that time, my family lived in the moments like these are becoming harder to
Welsh countryside and I started photographing imagine––I was perhaps thinking what it might
the bleak landscapes around me. Right from be like to photograph the last man on earth. I
the start I was drawn to the geometric and min- wanted each setting to be like a stage, a set,
imalist aspects of what I saw around me and where the human figure could become an actor,
this has continued to the present day. Even in a lonely isolated figure with a story to tell.
the city I have always wanted to be far from
the crowd, somewhere I can ‘hear’ the silence. AN: The images in your series have a voy-

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euristic quality to them. Is this something you how the surrounding elements interact with it.
intended to explore? In regards to photographers, I tend to look to
the past and the masters from the forties and
RV: I think you could say that, I like to view fifties. The pictures of Brandt, Doisneau and
from afar but in a way that only intrudes a lit- Ernst Haas, to name but a few, will always get
tle. We are never more fascinating than when me going.
we are alone. The isolated figure in an empty,
towering environment is a very powerful con- AN: Do you have other projects you are work-
cept. I love that feeling of silence and solitude, ing on?
it gives me a rush.
RV: I am currently working on an ambitious
AN: What or who are your influences? series of night pictures which I hope will be-
come a book. It will test me as a photographer,
RV: I am inspired by many different things which is just how I like it!
ranging from art through music to cinema––but
mostly by light. That is what excites me about AN: What is your final say?
working on the streets, the sudden discovery
of a pool of light amongst the shadows and RV: I think it’s important for a person’s pho-

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tographic style to represent their personality. ment. ♥


I have always been obsessed with clean lines
and the geometrical appearance of things. See more at: rupertvandervell.co.uk
Through the lens I find people captivating and
my work explores our relationship with the
world and how we interact with our environ-

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