McIntire Department of Art
ARTS 252 Introduction to Photography II ARTS 352 Intermediate Photography II ARTS 407 Public Arts & Social Activism ARTS 454 Advanced Photography
Q: How did your educational background lead you to photography?
A: I didn't go to college until I was 26. I actually moved out west to Colorado after high school to pursue mountaineering and got into photography to record my travels and adventures. It then occurred to me that I could make money as a freelance photographer because I was selling some pictures to a magazine. I decided to enroll in a school because I thought that would help me become a better photographer. My professor opened up my eyes to possibilities that I hadn't thought about. That shifted my focus, and I enrolled as a student.
Q: Where are your favorite places to take photographs?
A: That's an impossible question because even though I may photograph landscapes, the place is only as important as the photograph I'm making. But I've photographed a lot in Italy, and I love Cache la Poudre River in Colorado. I'm particularly interested in places and the idea of place
especially how we came to care about certain places and things.
Q: What makes a good photograph?
A: I love photography that is representational of nature because when a photo is good you realize that the thing you're looking at was really there. There's a relationship to the world that's established in photography that I don't think you find in other graphic arts. The relationship in those works of art is in the hand of the maker, but a photographer becomes transparent to the thing in the world that they happen to see. In a good photo, everything out there is in relation. I think a good photographer puts those things that are out there naturally into those proper relationships. A good photographer knows how to preserve and present things.
Q: What do you want your students to walk away with?
A: I want them to have an appreciation of photography. I want to first impress upon them that it's difficult to make a good photograph. Photography is a tool to seeing; it happens when you start to pay attention to the way photos represent things. You gain a different appreciation for light, detail, and things you might not have paid attention to before. It's really about attention span.
Q: If you could teach another class at U.Va., what would you teach?
A: I would teach Entomology because I collect insects, and I'm fascinated with the natural sciences. I study the biology of insects, and visual displays of butterflies and moths.
Q: Who are your favorite photographers?
A: I like Frederick Sommer, Emmet Gowin, and Walker Evans. I enjoy their attention to detail and the quality of the experience of looking at their work. Their work demands a certain kind of attention.
Q: What advice do you have for amateur photographers?
A: Take lots of pictures and look at lots of pictures. The more you look at what's wrong with a not-so-great picture, the less likely you are to do that in your own pictures.
Q: What projects are you involved in right now?
A: I'm working with University Programs to bring Tim Rollins to Charlottesville as an artist-in-residence. He goes into schools and works with at-risk children. He'll read a story with them, anything from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to "The Scarlet Letter," and then they pick a visual symbol to represent the story. He'll be featured in the Artspace Gallery in Newcomb on Wednesday night.
--Interview by Lytle Wurtzel
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | YesterdayWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 3 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
