Name: Amber Ortolano

Age: 15

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Current town: Lowville, New York

Film and/or Digital: Digital

First camera: Small Pentax SLR
Current camera: Nikon D5000

How long have you been taking photographs?
I have been taking photographs for about three years, since I was 12 to be exact!

Thoughts about first images ever taken, describe them?
My first images weren’t super thought-out, of course. But one photography I remember taking most vividly was when I was sitting on the steps of my sidewalk (I was 12 at the time), and I had this tin cup, filled with those little leaf type things that fly when you throw them (I don’t know the name, hahah), and I kept throwing them out of the cup, and I kept doing that until I caught them flying. I actually don’t have that image anymore, but I always remember that.

What do you see when you look at your work now?
I immediately go into the photo, which is really like walking into my brain, and I have an overwhelming amount of feelings, ranging from happiness to sadness to everything in between. That may sound a bit odd, seeing as they’re my own photos, but I don’t know. It really isn’t that odd, I’m just feeling what I felt as I was creating them.

What do you hope others will see, if anything? Their experience?
I hope people see themselves. Each one of my photos is a small moment, and they will all add up to one life, and I really hope people see that; it’s not just about being beautiful or pleasing to the eye, I want people to feel a rush of feelings, as if their whole life is flashing before them.

What do you look for in an image? What makes a great photograph for you?
I look for a fleeting moment or feeling. Life is very fragile, and I feel like photography really shows that. A great photograph makes me feel something, whether it is inspiration or the feeling to cry, or any feeling, really. When an image makes me want to cry, you know it’s great.

Favorite artists?
There are so so many; Paolo Roversi, Julia Hetta, Paulina Surys, Tara Niami, Mike Baily Gates, Lauren Poor, Sarah Moon, Chadwick Tyler, David Hamilton, Eleanor Hardwick, Erica Joy, Denis Grunstein, Deborah Turbeville, Egon Schiele, Jacqueline Riman, Natalie Kucken, Elijah Majeski, Laurence Philomene, Maja Malou, Robert Moses Joyce, Allison Scarpulla, Samuel Pritzker, Sibylle Bergemann, Wendy Bevan, William Eggleston, Ellen Rogers . . . the list goes on!

Favorite places online?
I use etsy to buy clothes for my shoots/films, and I use tumblr all the time to blog and look for inspiration!

Favorite photographs:
Robert Moses Joyce, Samuel Pritzker, Maja Malou, Natalie Kucken, Alison Scarpulla. Ahh . . . those are only some Flickr ones,  but there are far too many!

Young photographers who most inspire you now?
A lot of them are in my list of favorite artists. For example: Natalie Kucken, who is a lovely lovely friend of mine, and is so extremely talented, oh, goodness. Elijah Majeski, another friend, is so, so talented, I love the way he thinks and everything. There are so many—just refer to everyone in my list above, and you’ll instantly be inspired.

Artist’s playlist: 11 tracks from Perfume Genius, Glasser, Magic Kids, Gardens & Villa, Small Black, Still Corners, Twin Sister, Thieves Like Us, Washed Out, Craft Spells, Lana del Rey, all here.

Talk about Hallucinations, your first book?
I started thinking about making a book a year or two ago, and I finally started to make it in June of this year. It took ’til September, being that I had to take new photos, and I was very precise about them flowing with each other, etc, etc. But I’m very happy with the outcome: it’s exactly how I wanted it to look!

What did you learn from that first book? And do you have another in the works?
When I first published the book, I was worried no one would see it or want to buy it, but I got a lot of messages from people saying how they wish they could buy it, etc, etc. It actually kind of shocked me at first! I plan on making a new book sometime in the future, and it will be much different, but still me. I just want to show how much I have grown since making the book.

Beyond that, where do you want to take your photography, or vice versa?
I want do amazing things, and I feel like I’m on my way there. I have been focusing more on my film/cinematography recently, and I am currently planning a film for next year. I want to make brilliant photographs and films that make you feel every emotion possible. I’m bad at explaining myself, but I just really want to do incredible things with my life.

Artist’s links: Website, Flickr, Facebook, Vimeo, Etsy

Cecilia Majzoub on working with Wolf In A Spacesuit:
A month or so ago, I was approached by Algebra Huxley of the flawless Chicago band, Wolf In A Spacesuit (WIAS), whom I have been a fan of for a few years now. He asked me to create some work for their new album. Space-like and dreamy are just two of the words I can use to describe Wolf In A Spacesuit’s sound—they really take you away from whatever chaos is happening and allow you to let go. This is something that’s not particularly easy to find, yet WIAS does it beautifully. I feel the sound of WIAS is reflected in this artwork I’ve created, and vise versa.

As a fan of WIAS, it goes without saying that I was ecstatic about this offer, and these collages are what I made of it. I wanted to keep the pieces simple, yet visually interesting, as I try to do with every design or collage piece I create.

I’m honored to have worked such an awesome band not only because I love their music, but because working with musicians is something I want to do more than anything. I am extremely pleased with how it has turned out, and their remarkable album Safari is out now for digital download, so pick up a copy for yourself!

Band’s links: Bandcamp, Facebook, Tumblr, Myspace, Twitter
Artist’s links: Website, Flickr, Tumblr, Cargo Collective

Note: Cecilia Majzoub was our Featured Artist on October 23, and you can see, hear and read more about her here.

Name: Kristen T. Cates

Age: 16
Hometown: Standish, Maine

Film and/or Digital: I think that film is beautiful, but way too costly. So I stick to digital.

First camera: Canon Powershot SX10 IS
Current camera: I still have the SX10 IS, but I’m hoping to upgrade to a Canon EOS 50d by the end of the fall.

How long have you been taking photographs?
I’ve been taking photographs for about 3 years.

Thoughts about first images ever taken, describe them?
Oh, goodness, those photographs are tucked away deep in a folder hidden within my computer! They’re quite embarrassing, but it’s amazing to look at them and see how much I’ve grown. They are extremely (double emphasis on extremely!) over-edited. But I feel a lot of us start out that way. Or at least what I’ve seen. But I soon moved on from that and got into more natural-looking photographs, which then progressed into what I do now.

What do you see when you look at your work now?
I feel incredibly proud. It has taken a lot of patience and strength to get to where I am now. Dealing with the stress of a 365, I believe, is what pushed me into the position I am today.

What do you hope others will see, if anything? Their experience?
When people look at my photographs, I hope they can see a story. I hope that they can relate to the photo on some personal level. I think that is what draws people to a photograph or story. It’s more interesting when they can understand it.

What do you look for in an image? What makes a great photograph for you?
Again, I like photos with a personal relation. But not just that, I also enjoy reading what the photo says about the photographer. The way they cropped it, or the way they edited it, or anything. I feel like artists choose the little details for a reason. The way the body can be a positioned, the colors and tones, the weather, the location. We all do those things for a reason. And that reason is because it helps make the story clearer and easier to grasp.

Favorite artists?
My favorite artists would have to be Tim Walker, Brooke Shaden, Gregory Crewdson and Sarah Ann Loreth.

Favorite places online?
Flickr and many different Tumblr blogs.

Favorite photographs?
Brooke Shaden, 1, Brooke Shaden, 2, Brooke Shaden, 3, Alex Stoddard, Sarah Ann Loreth, Kelly.Marie, Sarah Haege, 1, Sarah Haege, 2, LJ., Tim Walker

Young photographers who most inspire you now?
Over the years, using Flickr, I’ve encountered thousands of brilliant young artists, and I’ll probably look back at this question and think, “Oh I should of put So-and-So!”, but these are who I can think of now: Mike Bailey-Gates, Sarah Haege, Steven Sites, Nikki Chicoine, Lauren Withrow and Alex Stoddard.

Where do you want to take your photography, or vice versa?
I hope they can bring not just me, but others to another world. One where birth, what’s in the middle, and death are explored. On the other hand, I hope to take my photography to college. Maybe perhaps New York? Seattle? I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where on the globe I’ll be with my photography by the time I graduate high school. But I can tell you one thing: one day, hopefully, everyone will be able to find where I am. Lots of young photographers crave inspiration, and I hope what I produce will be able to inspire and influence what they do. It’s a dream—but I’m wishing it’ll come true.

Artist’s playlist: Cinematic Orchestra, Coldplay, Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Coldplay, Frightened Rabbit, Bon Iver, Joshua Radin, Dead Man’s Bones, Ellie Goulding & Erik Hassle, Dirty Gold, Billy Joel, Gary Jules, The Smiths, Mumford & Sons, Amy Winehouse, Bright Eyes, Beirut, here: Featured Artist: Kristen T. Cates

Speaking of stories and storytelling, who are some of your favorite authors?
Hmm, my favorite authors. One author that I’m sure everyone could recognize is J.K. Rowling, I was lucky enough to grow up in the Potter generation so she has definitely inspired some of my work. Another author I think is very inspiring is Jonathan Safran Foer, his book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has had some influence on my work. It’s hard for me to choose favorite authors, though, because I like such a variety, it all really depends on what my mood is at the moment.

Fairytales, though . . . that’s where I fall in love. People know basic fairytales due to Disney movies. For example: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, but those movies are derived from actual fairytales that are the most enchanting things to read. The movies are the complete opposite of the legitimate fairytales, but they are so lovely. Some can be quite disturbing, but when you look at the real concept and annotate the story, you find so much inspiration. Fairytales are the backbone of my conceptual work. They help mold the pictures. Mixing the different stories can help create your own fairytale, and I think dreams are a great place to also find inspiration—many of my pictures (in the color series, above) were based on dreams I had the previous night.

But there is one book that has always stuck in the back of my mind throughout every picture I’ve ever taken. And that would be The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (a movie has been created from the book, but that serves nothing compared to the book). The imagery the book gives me will haunt me (in the most pleasant way) forever. It’s by far the best book I’ve ever read.

Artist’s links: Flickr, Facebook

Note: Inn the middle of prepping her artist’s feature, Kristen and her family went three days without power, following Hurrican Irene. Undeterred, this past week, she found a way to email me all of her photos and answer all of my last-minute questions—no electricity, and more than once, she got me everything we needed in order to post her feature today. Sixteen years old, but that’s a pro for you. Just one of many reasons I am very proud to share her work.

Thank you, Kristen,
Courtney

New work by Jack Davison, our featured artist on May 30. Jack describes this video as, “just a little experiment,” and we’re all for that.

Name: Lydia Roberts

Age: 17

Hometown: Swindon, England
Current town: Swindon, England (sigh)

Film and/or Digital: A dusty old Pentax sits on my desk, and I often think about picking it up and actually making use of it. But it would be a lie if I said film, as much as I admire and respect it, digital is so much easier and quicker. I am far too impatient for the darkroom—and poor!

First camera: Panasonic Lumix (point and shoot)

Current camera: Well, I advanced to a Canon 5d mk1, but regressed back to my dear old Lumix; it’s my comfort camera. However, I do use my 5d for more important shoots, I just still need to get my head around the settings and saving up for more lenses.

How long have you been taking photographs and how did you get started?
For about 3 years now, I have been hooked. It began on a wet family holiday in England with some crappy throw-away camera, I just began noticing my surroundings, trying to snap everything that came into my pathway into an oblivion!  At the time, I didn’t really think about what I was taking, just rotating the camera and crouching down, like I thought photographers did. To my parents, it was just a ‘novelty soon to be worn off.’

Thoughts about first images ever taken, describe them?
Over-saturated flowers, bunnies, sunsets and endless photos of myself in the mirror, sat by the window. They were terrible. I got my kick up the backside from Brett Walker and have not looked back since, aside from the self-portraits, they still remain and are quite a recurrent theme in my work.

What do you see when you look at your work now?
I see myself staring in a mirror; my reality, my fantasy, but more, the mad whirl of the world around me. It’s a liberation for me to be able to express myself this way, to take what I see and make it mine. I do try to keep life at a respectful distance to remain focused on what is sometimes just an abstract decoration to what I’m seeing.

What do you hope others will see, if anything? Their experience?
I would hope not to control what people see in my photos, but to make as they wish of them. The possibilities of what you are presented with becomes endless that way, much more fun and sometimes daunting.

What do you look for in an image? What makes a great photograph for you?
I search for that feeling in my gut, stomach or heart—wherever. A great photo moves me, shocks me, and, most of all, inspires me. I cannot always judge the photo technically as, really, I have little understanding of this, so I base it mainly on feeling and what it evokes.

Favorite artists?
So many, too many, but to name a few: Elke Krystufek, Egon Schiele, Carolee Schneeman, Francesca Woodman, Adam Fuss, Man Ray and Tracey Emin.

Favorite writers?
Currently: Sylvia Plath, Oscar Wilde, John Berger

Favorite places online?
Don’t really keep track of this . . . apart from I’m a Tumblr and Flickr-holic, oh, and THESE AMERICANS.

Favorite photographs:
Eugene Richards. Really inspired by these photographs currently. They make me want to step out of my world and into the world of others.

Young photographers who most inspire you now?
Jack Davison, of course, the boy can take a mean photograph for sure, and I’ve definitely picked up a thing or two in his presence. Also Rebecca Cairns. To me, she is a modern day Woodman with haunted and beautifully chaotic work.

How would you describe your work to someone who’s never seen it?
Hmmm. I would say, for those who know me, it’s a reflection of myself. Those who don’t, it’s kind of like a private journal belonging to a restless girl exposed as photographs.

Having just turned seventeen, how do you manage juggling school and artwork?
Well, I’m studying art, so the two mix pretty well. My personal photography gets used at college, and sometimes vice versa. Just lots of hard work!

Where do you want to take your photography, or vice versa?
I would love for it to be what I do for the rest of my life; I want to keep on inventing, creating, refashioning the old into fresh forms and hope that life doesn’t always get the upper hand. Being an artist is a lifestyle, but making a living from it is the tough part!

You’ve been exhibited already in London. How did it feel to have all those people looking at your work?
Yes. It was certainly a night that will be with me for the rest of my life. The people surrounding me were the people I love and respect most,  brilliant photographers who I follow, family and friends. Of course there were many people I didn’t know, and it was quite daunting having my work stared at and discussed. I think I described it at the time as walking into a room naked.

“Sunday Afternoon,” “Me and Zsuzsa,” and “Zsuzsa,” by Lydia Roberts

Talk about your new films. Do you approach film any differently than photography?
I’m just experimenting, using the video setting on my camera. I like the limitless possibilities, like photography, so I try  to recreate scenes and scenarios in my head that just one image can’t depict. It’s not very different from my approach to photography at all, apart from I have to think more! I wouldn’t really say it’s going to progress anywhere, but it’s another tool I can practice at and play around with.

You’ve openly opposed censorship on Flickr. Huge subject, but talk about that more?
I disagree with it. I have become a great lover of the human form, particularly the female form. To me, it’s just another way of self-expression, and a much more powerful one at that, allowing us to look past clothes, accessories, fashions, things that can constrain and constrict us artistically. I know that being younger can put me at a disadvantage with nude photography and censorship for obvious reasons, but I believe that I’m at an age where I’m mature enough to appreciate and understand the body as art. I don’t think that it should be looked upon negatively.

Artist’s playlist: Max Richter, Cat Power, M. Ward, Yann Tiersen, Nouvelle Vague, Dead Prez vs Grizzly Bear, LJC, Zola Jesus, KCO meets CocoRosie, Syl Johnson, Gil Scott-Heron and This Mortal Coil, here: Featured Artist: Lydia Roberts

Artist’s links: Slideshow, Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook

Name: Jack Davison
Age: 20
Hometown: Helions Bumpstead, tiniest little rural outpost in Essex, UK.
Current town: Leamington Spa, peculiar town in Coventry.

Film and/or digital: Digital digital digital. I don’t have the patience for analogue techniques; I love the instant nature of digital and how it is far more accessible as a medium. Some see the fact that anyone can take a reasonably good photo on a digital camera as reductive to the format, but it is what makes it brilliant, the fact that a fourteen-year-old can kick my arse with a simple press of a button. And I pray that it is that simple, because I can admit to knowing very little about how my camera works.

First camera: The family Canon Ixus and then dodgy Nikon D50 off ebay.
Current camera: I switch between a rusty Nikon D100 and a Panasonic Lumix LX3.

Thoughts about first images ever taken, describe them?
Shit. Clichéd. Over photoshopped. I didn’t put much thought into them, they were just me messing around with my dad’s camera. For some reason, I started putting them up on Flickr, and slowly but surely, I started to copy techniques and stumble my way through photoshop. I can’t deny how key Flickr was to me getting anywhere with my photography.

What do you see when you look at your work now?
I hate describing my photos or even talking about them. In reality, I am just a berk with a camera. A camera which I don’t really understand, but I get pretty pictures from by pressing the odd botton or two. I am a bit of a perfectionist, though.

What do you hope others will see, if anything? Their experience?
I don’t want people to look at me for the meaning or for me to force a particular way of viewing upon a person. People should invest whatever meaning they wish into it. I rarely set out to make a photo mean something, in that thinking process it becomes a contrived meaning. Obviously every photo is personal to me in some way, but it is the need to try and grab a single moment or feeling which is far more exciting. If a photo turns out a certain way, it is usually totally by accident.

What’s your reaction to the way others describe your photography?
Someone once described my work as ‘dark,’ which I found quite peculiar. I wish I could claim to have some desperately murky past to make me seem far more interesting, but, yeah, it was pretty normal. I wouldn’t say I set out to be dark, but maybe it is an aesthetic. The best time to photograph someone is when they have had barely any sleep and look rough as hell, because at least then you are getting them, not something that is planned. It is the spontaneity which is the most important, the unplanned which always work best. I definitely am not a ‘dark’ person, I am stupidly optimistic about most things.

What do you look for in an image? What makes a great photograph for you?
I am a sucker for peculiar faces and beautiful women.

But to expand on that, I look for interesting faces, not necessarily the girl everyone thinks is ‘fit’ (she will often be dull as hell to portrait). It is about finding the most unique and peculiar faces. It is awful that I can’t help but meet a person and instantly work out how I would portrait them, but I do it without thinking. Most of my models are friends or friends of friends, and the thing I enjoy most is meeting that person and trying to work them out in the process of taking their portrait. Facebook is the greatest tool for photographers, because people never saw the need for photographs of themselves, and ever since Facebook arrived, suddenly everyone wants to have the best profile picture. Which is brilliant for photographers. It is also great for stalking.

It is a look in the eyes I suppose which I go for most, not just that, but all the intricacies of the face. And the way in which the person reacts in front of the lens. Portraiting people is by far the most rewarding aspect of photography, the initial excitement at finding a new face and the rush to shoot it right, cannot be beaten.

In others work, it is the images that make me want to get up and take a photo that are the ones that are truly brilliant.

Hari. from Jack Davison on Vimeo.

“Hari,” filmed by Brett Walker, edited by Jack Davison

Favorite artists?
Dali, Jenny Saville, Egon Sciele, Gustav Klimt, Lucian Freud.

Favorite writers?
T.S. Eliot, Kazuo Ishiguro, Oscar Wilde, Salman Rushdie, Emile Zola, Kosztolanyi, Chuck Palahniuk, Erich Maria, Kafka, Garth Nix.

Favorite places online?
La boite verte
Kim Jong-Il Looking At Things
You are listening to Los Angeles.
American Suburb X
This American Life
Eric Rose’s Found Blog

Favorite photographs?
There are too many. The best places to look are in my Flickr favourites. And on a Tumblr blog, which is full of everything that influences me and captures me.

New photographers who most inspire you?
Lydia Roberts. She is only sixteen and the most explosive talent I have had the pleasure to meet and work with. She constantly beats me into submission with her images and always gets the shot that I miss. She’ll hate me for this, but I did a video of her which I am quite proud of.

Conor Williams, too, is a genius, but a lazy bastard and he needs to take more photos.

Lydia Roberts. from Jack Davison on Vimeo.

“Lydia Roberts,” by Jack Davison

Who or what has most influenced your work and how?
All sorts of things inspire me, I keep a folder of 3000 images on my computer, of old photos, mug shots, magazine cuttings, pretty much anything that I can get my hands on. It is the photography leaves me still, that keeps me alive. And raging raging raging to go out and shoot. I have a massive soft spot for classical imagery, three greats who constantly inspire me, are Don McCullin, Richard Avendon and Irving Penn. Current infatuations: Jacob Aue Sobol, James Nactwey and Pieter Hugo.

Brett Walker, my mentor, has had the greatest influence upon my work and is the most important person I have met. I can’t thank him enough for being the best teacher and friend. I would still be stuck fucking around on photoshop with freckles and shiny eyes if he hadn’t kicked me in the right direction. I needed that moment for him to kick the shit out of my work, (pride bruising as it was) to actually know where to go next.

Definitely worthy of a mention are Eric Rose, Yannis Gutmann, Chieska Fortune, and Kim Thue Johanesan, all photographers who constantly drive me to pick up my camera.

Brett Walker, photographed by Jack Davison

Was there ever an “A-ha!” moment, when you realized you wanted to be a photographer? Or a picture that really set you on your way?
It was the moment I realised I could never paint realistically enough and that the camera would always win. Photography makes it so much easier to translate all the inky thoughts running round my head.

Talk about working in colo(u)r versus B&W?
I don’t see it as a battle between colour or B&W. I initially leaned much more heavily towards B&W and still it dominates much of my work, but to be honest I only use colour when it works. I am having a bit of a colour renaissance at the moment due to a nifty bit of software, but it is not conscious. The editing process is pretty organic, thus I don’t usually know the outcome until I am sat down in front of photoshop. In reality, it is pretty spontaneous.

Where do you want to take your photography?
I am still at university at the moment, studying English Literature, but once I am free, I want to travel. It is without doubt my main wish; I want to drive across America, cataloguing all the people I meet there. That is, if I can find any money. I recently finished my first group exhibition in the AtomRooms gallery in Portobello. I learnt a lot from that experience, and that the art world can be one mean bitch, but I got an exhibition and what can people ask for at my age. At some point in the next year, I would like to start looking into a solo exhibition.

Artist’s playlist: U-Roy, Elvis Presley, Toots & the Maytals, Fatboy Slim, Oasis, David Bowie, Mos Def, Ibrahim Ferrer, Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ratatat, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, Fake Blood, Thin Lizzy, Gil Scott-Heron, Tom Waits, The Maccabees, The Arctic Monkeys, Will Smith, Kanye West, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Ludovico Einaudi, Bob Dylan, House of the Flying Daggers, Max Romeo, Mr. Scruff, Seasick Steve, P. Diddy, and Percy Sledge, all available here: Featured Artist: Jack Davison

Jack Davison’s links: Website, Flickr, Tumblr

Editor’s Note

Last night, Jack asked if I was writing an introduction for his feature, talking about where I found his work, why I chose him, take the opportunity to show what sort of writer I am, he said, and so, naturally, I told him no. I said there was no need to write any introductions. We’ll let the work speak for itself, I said, because he was getting a little cheeky, all right, so I figured I’d put him in his place by way of concealing the fact that I had no idea what to say for myself. Hadn’t written a word.

Now. To answer the question, honestly, it’s always the same. For the past two years, every week, I look at thousands of pictures on Flickr, jumping from one photostream to the next, from one group to the next, clicking page after page, and when I see an image that stops me, I invite the photographer to share that work with our group, and then I move on. At that stage, frankly, I just want to see as many artists as I can, so I almost never check a profile to see if the artist is male or female, their age, where they live or if they have a website—no, not yet. If they share an image with our group, invited or not, that’s when I take the time to look through as much of their work as I can. And that’s how it was in this case: a couple months ago, I saw a picture that didn’t look like anything I’d seen before, so I immediately sent an invitation, and after Flickr member Jack.ed kindly shared the photograph, I looked at his photostream.

Sincerely,
Courtney Eldridge

Playlist track 8, Twin Peaks Week.

Playlist track 7, Twin Peaks Week.