Feature Shoot |
- Offbeat Portraits of Reenactors Taken Throughout the U.S. and the European Union
- Call for Submissions: Photos Depicting Life ‘Off the Grid’
- Photographer Amos Mac Puts Trans Issues in the Spotlight
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Posted: 16 Sep 2015 05:00 AM PDT
 Bernese Mountain Dogs, Maifest, Leavenworth, Washington, 2014  Fur Trappers, High Chaparral, Hillerstorp, Sweden, 2008 Globalization and development, suggests Los Angeles-based photographer Naomi Harris, has brought with it a crop of unexpected novelty communities, amusement parks, and events throughout the United States and Europe in which each of two continents delight in customs and traditions of the other. For EUSA, she spent years traveling throughout the states and the European Union in search of places and gatherings where this cultural inversions can be found—from the Oktoberfests and Maifests of Leavenworth, Washington to Germany’s Western-themed Pullman City. It all started, says Harris, on another shoot, when someone suggested she visit Helen, Georgia, a Southern American town modeled after Bavarian alpine communities. From there, she found herself pulled into the chasms of the internet in search of other such idiosyncratic alcoves throughout the map, and she was let ultimately to High Chaparral, a Swedish theme park devoted entirely to recreating the atmosphere of the Wild West, including fur trappers, gunmen, and all. Through word of mouth—and her web browser—the photographer soon became enmeshed in this uncanny realm in which history, ancestry, and myth were inextricably intertwined. The festivals and towns in the states, admits Harris, are sometimes made in tribute to the faraway roots of contemporary residents and communities, but in Europe, most of the cowboy and Native American enthusiasts had never had the chance to travel to America. Still, insists the photographer, it would be unfair and inaccurate to condemn them for cultural appropriation. Most of them, she reports, were raised on Karl May’s books about the Native American hero Wintatou and his German companion Old Shatterhand. They loved these idealized—if unreliable—representations of what it meant to be a Native American, and they wanted to emulate and not to mock their history, even if that history was seen through rose-tinted glasses. What Harris found in all these places was an undeniable earnestness; nobody was there to make fun of “the other,” but they instead sought to learn and to be inspired. The Native American role-players in Germany, for instance, made their costumes meticulous by hand to mirror what they believed was worn in the past. Although the photographer herself never got “into character—“ she was made to wear a peasant blouse at one event in the Czech Republic—she sees the appeal. In a world in which people are asked to conform and assimilate, reenacting the past, with nostalgia and with respect, is sometimes irresistible. EUSA is on view at Circuit Gallery until September 19th.  Making Aebelskivers, Danish Days, Solvang, California, 2009  German Indians, Westernstadt Pullman City, Eging as See, Germany, 2010  Girl and Her Pet Goat, Maifest, Leavenworth, Washington, 2014  Girl Eating Ice Cream, Sioux City, Canary Islands, 2009  Dutch Cheerleaders, Tulip Festival, Orange City, Iowa, 2014  Dog in Bonnet, Tulip Festival, Orange City, Iowa, 2014  Genteel Couple, Western Park, Czech Republic, 2010  Train Bandits, High Chaparral, Hillerstorp, Sweden, 2008  Cry Baby, Helen, Georgia, 2013  Man in Lederhosen T-Shirt, Helen, Georgia, 2013  Viking, Danish Days, Solvang, California, 2009  Confederate Soldier, High Chaparral, Hillerstorp, Sweden, 2008  Eating French Fries, High Chaparral, Hillerstorp, Sweden, 2008  Fur Trader, High Chaparral, Hillerstorp, Sweden, 2008  Indian Princess, Sioux City, Canary Islands, 2009 All images © Naomi Harris The post Offbeat Portraits of Reenactors Taken Throughout the U.S. and the European Union appeared first on Feature Shoot.  |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2015 09:45 AM PDT
 Photo: © Whitney Justesen / ImageBrief.com More than a buzzword or flash-in-the-pan cultural phenomenon, “off the grid” has become a way of life. We want to see photos that encompass what it means to you. It could be farm-to-table lifestyle—the families that churn their own butter and harvest wild honey. It could be more literal—solar panels in action or geometric grid patterns. Have ariel shots of cabins on far-off locals or landscapes that scream ”no one has ever stepped foot here before”? We’d love to see them. The collection will be curated by Chris Buda, Manager of Art Buying, BBDO and Isabelle Raphael, Head of Visual Content, ImageBrief. Our sponsor ImageBrief will be giving away ten yearly Explorer Plus accounts to the top ten images/photographers and ten three-month Explorer Plus accounts for an additional ten photographers selected. All winning photographers will run on Feature Shoot. ImageBrief is a platform that directly connects photographers to clients by allowing advertising agencies, photo editors, and leading publications to post briefs that describe the kind of imagery they’re seeking at any given moment. Photographers can then upload their pre-existing work to apply for the brief, and the selected photographer will earn the job. ImageBrief also allows top image buyers to commission work on site based on photographers’ profiles. By putting your work directly in front of those who are looking to buy, ImageBrief makes it easier than ever to monetize your photography. Read more about ImageBrief hereand here. Submissions will be accepted through ImageBrief. A free account is required to submit and it takes just a minute to sign up. Copyright remains with the photographer. Deadline for submissions is September 28, 2015. This group show is sponsored by ImageBrief. The post Call for Submissions: Photos Depicting Life ‘Off the Grid’ appeared first on Feature Shoot.  |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2015 07:00 AM PDT
  There are so many people in the world who have not had the privilege of a realistic or fair representation. The framing may be wrong; they may be fetishised as a subject, or perhaps the angles are pushed forward with a strange kind of inherent bias. It’s prevalent in all forms of art, in television and in film, but in photography these discrepancies become even more apparent. Only 8 black women have been on the cover of vogue in its 132 year history. Trans women or trans men certainly have not been at all. The fashion world is still invested in superiority, especially when it comes to beauty. But it feels like things are changing slowly, and as always, those who have been pushed to the side work twice as hard to show their work (which is often twice as interesting and genre breaking.) Amos Mac exemplifies this artistic fashion resistance. Mac recently shot the campaign for & Other stories with models Hari Nef and Valentijn Di Hingh, and his work has been published in the likes of The New York Times, Interview,Vogue Italia, BUTT Magazine, Capricious, RANDY and OUT. Pretty impressive, and when you realise he’s also the editor of Original Plumbing, a magazine for trans men, it begins to sound like he’s a kind of artistic superhuman. Being creative, juggling jobs, and pushing with your passion is very difficult, and in an industry that prioritises whiteness, thin-ness and heteronormativity, the spotlight of trans issues doesn’t always translate into success for those involved. It may instead lead to exploitation. It feels like a blessing that we have creatives like Amos to battle these dichotomies. Amos doesn’t just photograph trans people, but LGBTQIA artists and models of all persuasions. It feels pertinent that they all seem fully vulnerable, safe and connected with the photographer in the work. Whether it’s Hunx and his Punx hanging out in a cemetery, his bare chest exposed, Ssion slouching on the toilet, or the trans women of NYC hanging out in their apartment, confident and ready. Amos Mac celebrates the chemistry of common life. His work is often light-hearted but nonetheless compelling and diverse. My interview with him revealed someone very down to earth and confident of the work he was doing. It was hard to notice any semblance of ego, any arrogance, but instead, a more deserved pride of his work and what he has worked to create.   Introduce yourself and explain how you see yourself and your work, and what you’re trying to achieve with your work. “My name is Amos Mac; I’m a photographer, writer, editor and magazine publisher. With my work I’m always trying to show the people around me and give a voice to the subjects I document. Lots of times with my photo work, there will be text by the subject or an interview to go along with it, so the photograph will not stand alone, although I have plenty of solo photo work not linked to text. I’ve always loved documenting moments and human experiences. A lot of these experiences are trans in some sense of the other. Trans visibility is important to me, but also allowing my subjects to speak for themselves along with the photographs holds great importance.”  Do you feel like running your own magazine, becoming a sort of curator, made you more aware of what you were doing with your photography and affected your style? “At times I find myself shooting ‘for a magazine’ and wanting to get a shot that I know would work on a cover or for a spread, but if anything making a magazine has allowed me to edit my work differently and see the broad spaces my work can end up, from magazines, museums or in advertisements.” Talk about the current state of Original Plumbing and how you’re feeling about it at the moment. “OP has been going for almost 17 issues now, and through the years, so much has changed in the world around trans visibility. Even after all these years, [co-founder] Rocco and I have gone on many different career paths, but at the same time, we have always stayed tied to Original Plumbing. It’s incredible, the feedback we continue to receive, often from young kids who are just finding out about the magazine as they begin their transition. This September will mark OP‘s 6th year exhibiting and tabling at the NY Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1, which is my favorite event of the year. I love meeting new people there who are excited to learn about the magazine.”  I feel like your work is very humanizing and open to all sorts of people. It’s sad that it’s still considered progressive or revolutionary to do this. What is the importance of being a photographer who uses a diverse range of subjects, models and ideas? “Besides diverse subjects and models, the ability to give them a space to share their own story outside of their photograph is also a rare thing when it comes to trans and gender non-conforming subjects, or so I’ve noticed. Celebrating the human experience and having diverse subjects, life experiences and gender identities is so important to show peoples truths in varied degrees.” How do you draw the line between objectification and documentation? You’re right, your work does show a non-judgemental approach to photography, the people in your photographs look very at home and happy to be with you. “During my shoots I try to check in and make sure the subject is comfortable, to see if sure they’re okay with the direction the shoot is going in. I don’t like to force people into positions they wouldn’t want to showcase to the world within my work; that isn’t my style.” How did you get involved in the & Other Stories campaign? “The & Other Stories team approached me about the campaign via email, then we talked on the phone and the next thing I knew, I was in Stockholm, jet-lagged, camera in hand.”   What was it like working with an all transgender cast, as opposed to other situations you’ve been in? “Working with a team of other trans people was rad. Nina, Bailey and I landed at the same time and walked around Stockholm in a jet-lagged daze that morning and walked around the city while we waited to check in to our hotel. I was so elated to work with Hari and Valentijn, both of them in one shoot, it felt like I had won the lottery. I have a history of collaborating with trans people, so to create a high profile body of work around fashion with an all trans crew made me feel some serious feelings for sure.”  Do you have any favorite photo shoots that you’ve done? “So many are memorable moments — my shoot with Zackary Drucker that ended up becoming our collaborative series and the photo art zine Translady Fanzine, is one of shoots that resonates with me. It lasted for a few days over Christmas and was shot within and around the house she grew up in, in upstate New York. And of course the & Other Stories images are so new; it feels very “favorite” to me at the moment. What is most important to you right now, in general or within your work? “In life, the longer I live, the more I find friendships, chosen family and experiencing life off-line more important than anything else. With my work, these days I enjoy shooting professionally with teams where I feel like each person brings something to the project, so I’ve been doing less solo work. In the beginning it was always just me, my camera and the subject, and although I cherish those times and still shoot that way, I’m more inspired by larger team oriented shoots where it feels collaborative.”  Do you have any projects you’re excited about in the future? “I’m about to shoot trans* youth for a project, but cannot disclose the details just yet because it is top secret! Stay tuned. I am also working on issue 17 of Original Plumbing, which is all about tattoos!”  All images © Amos Mac The post Photographer Amos Mac Puts Trans Issues in the Spotlight appeared first on Feature Shoot. |
