205dpi Issue June’15
Melissa Featherstone Illustrator www.grapefruittea.deviantart.com
This issue June’15
Who are we? We are photographers. Journalistic ones. We document, record and capture anything we find interesting, beautiful or captivating. Sometimes our stories may seem strange or unusual, but we are the eye behind it all; and that’s what this magazine is all about. From cakes to paralympics, graffiti to kickboxing, our editorial documentary style takes us around Cornwall, the UK and the rest of the world. Follow us and our collective of photographers as we capture our adventures, our remarkable stories and our everyday
What’ve we been doing? Summer is well and truly here! The hot weather allows us to slow down and head to the beach. For a magazine made in Cornwall the Cornish beaches are a great place to relax and find new inspirations. Summer allows us to imagine exploring the world and our inbox is full of amazing stories from across the world which we can’t wait to share soon…
p.s. keep updated: 4.
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36 Feature Story Will Strawser Editorial and commercial portrait photographer Will discusses his views on the changing creative industry.
Monthly Single Images: Jordan Kilford Vanessa Barajas
22 2. Ella NicholasFrench
Shares a mothers touching story, provding a realistic insight into those living on benefits in the UK.
30 3. Lois
Golding
Travelled the coasts of Britain, documenting the changing state of seaside towns.
1. Travis
Batton
Documents the unique elements of the Eastern USA state of Tennessee and all that makes it so special.
36 4. Isabel
Mendoza
Created a representitive series of phobias, displaying a different fear for each letter of the alphabet.
5.
Real Talk with William Strawser
8.
Feature - Real Talk with William Strawser
“It’s a grind, so keep grinding; we are lucky to have a career in something we love!” This months Real Talk feature is with a photographer across the pond. Based in the New York area, Will Strawser has developed a working style and nieche which offers a real twist of originality to his clients. Will has much experience in many areas of photography, and specialises in editorial and commercial portaiture. His unique style leaves images provding a mythical glimpse into another world - be it a celebrity feature or a creative half-man-half dog! In this interview, he shares his past, experiences, and opinions throughout his photographic career.
Feature - Real Talk with William Strawser
9.
Hello Will, How did your photographic journey begin? I built a fully functioning black & white and colour dark room in the barn at my family’s farm. I was so incredibly hooked on the magic of the physical process of film developing and enlarger printing, and was ambitious to learn more. My journey just continued from there. Did you have a turning point in your photographic career? The turning point came shortly after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology. I got my first opportunity to work as a freelance photo assistant two weeks after graduation. It was a travel job in Orlando, Florida, and it was also my first time traveling by plane‌ there were a lot of firsts in that trip.
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Feature - Real Talk with William Strawser
How has commercial and advertising photography changed your perception towards the profession of photography? Has your opinion changed at all throughout your years in the industry? My opinion of the photo industry has definitely shifted through the years. We all start our careers thinking we’re going to jump into shooting celebrities, or big name clients. The real rude awakening is that getting to that point is a mixture of luck, hard work, and proper execution. It’s a grind, so keep grinding; we are lucky to have a career in something we love! Is there anything you dislike about he photographic industry? Yes. Dealing with clients that don’t value the photo industry anymore. The advent of
Feature - Real Talk with William Strawser 11.
social media and Instagram photographers has definitely set our industry back a bit. Any client worth their weight, however, should understand the value in hiring a true artist and professional for a job. Establishing a style within commercial and editorial portraiture requires a certain degree of creativity and original thinking. How do you maintain that ‘spark’ for making new and exciting styles of photography? I’m not entirely sure. The best thing I can say is that I stay hungry for new experiences. I keep my mind open to every new adventure, and draw my inspirations from that. Not only do you need to be creative within editorial portraiture, but also your particular style of work really pushes the average boundaries of innovation. What do you think this adds to your photographic ‘package’? I hope my clients, past and future, view my style of shooting as my unique view of the world. I offer a specific product that fills a niche, and creating that product just comes naturally to me. You’ve worked with a real mixture of established personalities and clients. Is there one shooting experience that is especially memorable? My most memorable shooting experiences are never the ones you would think. For me, I find my most memorable experiences to be those perfect moments when you’re out walking the city streets and you catch a one of a kind moment shared between a couple under an umbrella, or something similarly unique to that moment in time.
Mostly my imagination. To be more specific I try to gather my ideas while I’m out during my everyday. I make up stories for stranger’s lives that I see on the street, or pretend that they were the leading role in some new Sci-Fi movie. You would be surprised at how much your imagination just jumps in to take the lead on filling in the visuals and details. What are the pros and cons for graduates that become assistants to established photographers straight out of university/college? I think there are mostly only pros to assisting out of college. Assisting helps you get accustomed to working with large crews, understand the ins and outs of the business end of everything, and more importantly allows you to learn the difficulties of working with clients. How do you maintain your unique style whilst remaining marketable to potential clients? It’s tough. As an artist I need to stay true to my style, and myself, but staying marketable is always a challenge. I just try to make sure I’m honest about what I’m creating and hope that it fills a niche that’s profitable. Thanks Will! Interview: Lois Golding
Many of your portraits feature a very conceptual or fictional air. Where does this inspiration come from?
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Feature - Real Talk with William Strawser
Jordan Kilford Monthly single image www.jordankilford.photography
Tennessee Travels Travis Batton provides a glimpse into his dreamy home state in Eastern USA.
“I find enjoyment in trying to take an ordinary scene and present it in such a way that says something to the viewer. After all, that is the very essence of photography.�
You can go almost anywhere in the world and people will think of two things when you mention Tennessee; Jack Daniels and Country music. While whiskey and music are etched in the fabric of this great state, the things I love about Tennessee are much more subtle. There is so much to this state, my favourite parts are its rich history, small friendly communities and the beautiful landscapes. You will find good ole southern hospitality when you walk into an old general store that has been passed from generation to generation. The landscape varies; from the flat lands in the West to the rolling hills in the East. Civil War history can be found in every corner of the state. You find beautiful architecture in old plantation homes along with historic battlefields and cemeteries. If you are a music fan, you can find a band or singer performing every night in the urban setting of downtown Nashville. No matter where you may call home, Tennessee has something for you. I do most of my shooting in the early morning hours. This usually means getting up before sunrise. Most of the time, I have a set destination, but I love driving down the road to uncharted territory with no particular subject in mind. Some days I prefer to do some urban trekking.
18. Travis Batton
Other days I may keep to the back roads. No matter where I go, I always find something interesting to photograph. It may be an old barn that catches my eye. It could be a road that twists and turns. It may be the architecture in a bridge or a building, or the historical significance of an area that may interest me - the list is endless. Like most people, I have taken photographs all my life, but I never put much thought into them. In recent years, I have become a student of photography. In the effort to further and improve my work, I started shooting film. Not only did film teach me more about photography, I fell in love with the entire process. I still use digital cameras, but I now know that film is where my heart is. The look of film suits my style of photography. I love shooting landscapes, cityscapes, and rural and urban life. Film adds character to the image and it gives a documentary feel that I prefer. Film is the perfect medium for presenting Tennessee, where I do most of my photography. Taking a step back to analog photography has given my work a big leap forward. I find enjoyment in trying to take an ordinary scene and present it in such a way that says something to the viewer. After all, that is the very essence of photography.
Travis Batton
19.
Libby & Isla Ella tells a touching story of one womans incredible recovery and ambition.
Libby is twenty-five years old; she is a single parent living in Derby in the United Kingdom. This project follows Libby and her daughter Isla’s lives over the course of a few months. My inspiration behind this project was to share a real and honest representation of what life for a single parent on benefits is like in Britain today. Nowadays, people are often quick to judge, especially when the news is a constant unbalanced reminder of the negativity surrounding benefit recipients. In shooting this project, I hope to help spread awareness of the reality of people’s situations, and consequentially reduce the amount of negative prejudice surrounding the benefit system.
24. Ella Nicholas-French
Throughout her childhood, Libby’s mother was addicted to Heroin. After a continuing struggle through teenage hood, Libby’s increasingly troublesome attitude lead her into a bad group of people whilst taking her G.C.S.E’s. With no support or guidance, Libby became addicted to Heroin. From here, her future only became darker and darker as her life spiraled out of control. However, whilst on this path of destruction came a hidden savior. Libby met her daughter’s father, and in the darkest part of her life, everything changed when Isla was born. In hindsight, Libby doesn’t regret a thing, as she believes her journey has made her the strong woman she is today. Isla is the driving
force, the motivation to get up in the morning, and helps Libby strive to make each day better. Although Libby has turned her life around, she still feels very trapped and limited due to her living circumstances. Libby claims benefits and lives in a council house – something she isn’t proud of and hopes to change. However, with a young child and a lengthy criminal record she finds it very hard to get a job that suits her, especially with childcare as expensive as it is. Libby hopes and dreams of a better future for her and Isla. She has come so far in her journey but still has a long distance to go. Money is tight, but Libby makes
sure she gives Isla the best opportunities she can. I hope you enjoy my project about Libby and Isla as much as I enjoyed creating it. They are two very special people who I would like to thank for letting me into their lives to tell a part of their amazing story together. You can see the full multimedia piece on Libby and Isla’s story at www.vimeo.com/130532348/description
Ella Nicholas-French
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“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
- Ken Robinson
Entertain Us Lois shares her year-long project exploring the unique design choices within British seaside towns.
‘Entertain Us’ is a social documentary project exploring both the traditional and untraditional seaside towns of Great Britain. Focusing on architecture, interior decor, social landscapes, and our changing expectations of ‘entertainment’, the project documents not only the current state of the resorts, but shows just how time has aged them. The story starts with the iconic Piers and how they differ in style and aesthetic. The nature of seaside entertainment is explored in arcades, the bowling alley, and the aquarium. Not to forget the food: the diet that focuses on simple pleasures: the ice creams; the hotdogs; the fish and chips. All of these facilities have the compulsory signage, design and décor, especially accentuated to attract the seaside masses.
32. Lois Golding
As I’ve put this project together I have been asked many times ‘Why?’ ‘Why are you photographing such an ugly building?’ ‘Why aren’t you photographing the sun setting over the sea instead?’ My answer is that I find the documentation of the current state of these towns essential. I want to capture that original Edwardian structure next to that gaudy 21st century Perspex sign now, before it moves on again and alters. This era of décor is a piece of the story, a stage of evolution, the time before what-happens-next. Hopefully these images will maybe trigger your own family holiday memories, the times that these places were thriving. Hopefully you will see something beautiful behind the bad signage. And hopefully, above all, these photos will make you smile.
ABC
of Phobias Isabel explores the world of fears and phobias, representing each in a unique and creative way.
The ABC’s of Phobias explores irrational and rational fears in a creative, photographic medium. From peanut butter to aliens, today the phobia is a commonly diagnosed problem amongst a vast amount of people. This body of work approaches 26 of these fears in the most literal and non-literal senses, using a combination of special effects makeup, prop building and willing models, ultimately creating an alphabet of visually shocking images.
comfort of their own home. Not intended for those who suffer from phobias, these images are a lighthearted way of visually communicating a fear to someone that may not experience it themselves. I used the aesthetic of a child-like, ABC book to give an educational twist to my work, also with the meaning of each phobia being in the index. This mystery of having to guess the phobia entices the reader, making them concentrate on the image whilst also having fun.
I wanted to create something disgusting, intriguing and humorous for the readers to view from the
Can
you
guess
what
each
phobia
Isabel Mendoza
is?
39.
Vanessa Valadez Monthly single image www.rebigulator.tumblr.com
This issue’s stars 1. 2. 3.
Jordan Kilford
www.jordankilford.photography
Travis Batton
‘Tennessee Travels’ shutteringthrulife@gmail.com www.shutteringthrulife.com
Ella Nicholas-French
‘Libby & Isla’ ellanicholasfrench@outlook.com www.vimeo.com/130532348/description
Lois Golding
4. 5. 6. 44.
‘Entertain Us’
07980 018660 loisgolding@outlook.com www.loisgolding.carbonmade.com
Isabel Mendoza
‘ABC of Phobias’ 07741 304901 isabelmendoza@hotmail.co.uk www.isabelmendozaphotography.format.com
Vanessa Valadez
www.rebigulator.tumblr.com
With thanks to.. Lois Golding
Editor-in-chief www.loisgolding.carbonmade.com
Production team Tom Sandberg Manager
Paige Harrison Editor & Writer
Sophie Sear
Assistant Manager
Matt Cox
Brand designer & sign writing god Instagram - mattcox904
William Strawser
Special feature photographer. www.willstrawser.com
John Liot & Heather Golding Inspirations and general assistance.
45.
Melissa Featherstone Illustrator www.grapefruittea.deviantart.com
To contact for requests, questions or more information: team@205dpi.com All images and text published in 205dpi are the sole propertry of the featured authors and the subject copyright. 2015 Š 205dpi