Let’s talk with David duChemin
geschrieben am 25. Februar 2010 von Pia Kleine Wieskamp
Für alle, die David duChemin nicht kennen:
David – http://www.pixelatedimage.com - ist in der Fotografie-Szene bekannt für seine ungewöhnlich einfühlsamen Reisefotografien. Er wohnt in Vancouver, ist aber auf allen fünf Kontinenten zu Hause. Seine Fotoarbeiten finden sich in vielen Galerien, Museen und renommierten Magazinen. Die Fotos, die ihn berühmt gemacht haben, zeugen von seinem hohen künstlerischen Anspruch und seinen ethischen Standards. David begegnet Menschen, Kultur und Natur mit größtmöglichem Respekt sowie viel Einfühlungsvermögen – und versteht dies in bewundernswerter Weise auch in seinen Büchern zu vermitteln. Besuchen Sie auch seine Flickr-Seite .
Flickr-Seite von David duChemin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelatedimage/
Q: David, many consider you to be one of the most interesting photographers working today. Can you give us some background on how you started, what influenced you in your development as a photographer?
David: I fell in love with photography through two means. One was simply getting a camera in my hands. In my case it was an old Voigtlander 35mm rangefinder. Almost all of us have a moment when we feel the magic of creating an image, and for me it happened with that Voigtlander. My second moment was seeing Steve McCurry’s image of the Afghan girl on the cover of National Geographic; that image made me aware of the power of photographs. From there it was simply a matter of discovery, and when my mother gave me a used Pentax Spotmatic and a bag of lenses for Christmas when I was 14, I was hooked. I intended at one point to take photographic arts in school but never did. The idea of doing years of schooling and then working commercially worried me; I was sure it would suck the life out of me. It took 5 years of theology school and a 12 year career in comedy to bring me to the point where I wanted to pursue this professionally.
Q: What about influences of other people – like other photographers or painters?
David: I think everything influences me. I know many people like to say they’re self-taught, but it’s not really the truth. Fact is, we are all influenced and taught from a myriad of sources daily. My early influences were Karsh, Ansel Adams, McCurry, and in terms of teaching, the books and images of Freeman Patterson. Of course beyond that I’m influenced visually by everything too. I love impressionism, particularily the Canadian Group of Seven.
Q: David, let us begin by talking about your new book, “Auf der Suche nach dem Motiv“. Your new book has some truly wonderful images. Over what time span were those images shot? And how you get the fundamental idea?
David: The images in ‘Within The Frame’ (Auf der Suche nach dem Motiv) come from my travels over the last 5 years. A full half of them come from a round-the-world trip I took in January 2009 specifically for the book. I wish I could take credit for the idea behind the book but it’s one of those things for which there is no accounting. The creative mind has a life of its own and Within The Frame kind of incubated in my brain as an extension of the things I love and the subjects about which I write on my blog.
Q: Your shoot people, places and cultures. What is your main passion? And what is your favorite photographic location or subject?
David: I think my big passion is creating images of people within their cultural and environmental context. I am fascinated by other people, particularily those that do not come from the increasingly homogenous western world. As an extension of that I am also deeply interested in issues of faith, poverty, and justice, so I shoot for the international NGO community as well. If I had to pick a favourite location it would be the Indian sub-continent, or Ethiopia, but the reality for me is that I love it all and there are few things I like more than discovering somewhere I’ve never been.
Q: You are specialized in world photography – Can you give us an idea how you approach your subject? How much do you plan, how much is spontaneous?
David: Most of what I do is reactive. I go somewhere, discover it, get over my expectations that prevent me from really experiencing a place on its own terms, and then I shoot what I see. Inevitably I go thinking I’ll come back with images similar to what I’ve seen elsewhere, but I come home with stuff that I had no idea I’d shot. Serendipity plays an important role in what I do, though I like to say I plan for serendipity. You can predict what will happen but you can plan for something to happen, and you can create a schedule as you travel that leaves you flexible enough to react when something unexpected passes your lens.
Q: So, which brings you more satisfaction, creating your own photographs or teaching others by writing books?
David: I don’t know that it’s one or the other. I love both for different reasons. They both feed my soul, give me a chance to do what I love, what I am good at, and to give back. And the fact that I do both gives me some rhythm to my year, allows me to have a life that’s a little closer to balanced. Recently I started writing, designing, and publishing my own eBooks – short PDF books that allow me to teach about things I’m passionate about, and to my surprise I’ve found that I love that process as much as the shooting and writing. The fact that these eBooks have received such an incredible international reception is pretty humbling. (Those ebooks are available for $5 each at CraftAndVision.com)
Q: Your book is talking about vision. You say: “Vision is the beginning and end of photography.” Is there a difference between looking and seeing for you?
David: There can be. I think looking can result in seeing. It’s the difference between hunting and catching. You can hunt all day and never catch something. Looking is done with the eyes, but seeing is about perception and we do that with our mind and our heart as much as with the eyes, possibly more. You don’t need to be receptive in order to look, but it’s a pre-requisite for seeing.
Q: Do you have any advice for photographers who are struggling now to maintain their love of photography and their professional standing, things that have helped you deal with these difficult economic times?
David: I think we need to think out of the box. As I write that I’m conscious of how cliche it is, but it’s true. There are many ways to make a living in photography, not all of them involve the things we’re currently doing. When we get into a rut, or are forced to do jobs we don’t enjoy, our creativity suffers, so guard that at all costs. Honestly, wouldn’t it be better to work some shifts at a coffee shop and go home to shoot things you’re passionate about than to wake up one morning and realize you resent your camera and your job? Tend to your creative self, it’s your biggest asset. And after that pick up VisionMongers, Making a Life and a Living in Photography. I wrote it, so I’m biased, but it addresses this very thing.
Auf der Suche nach dem Motiv, Autor: David duChemin, Verlag: Addison-Wesley, ISBN: 978-3-8273-2890-8, 258 Seiten, komplett 4-farbig, Hardcover, € 39,80 [D]
Tipp: Verpassen Sie nicht die Podcasts mit David duChemin zum Buch!
Am 25. Februar 2010 um 18:22 Uhr
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Am 27. Februar 2010 um 18:39 Uhr
Bin gerade am Lesen – David versteht es wirklich gut, einen für eine Fotosession selbst an unspektakulären Orten zu motivieren. Gut für alle, die eine Stadt mal anders mit der Kamera entdecken möchten!