ACME August/September 2011 Issue
Cover image by Derek Wood
Letters from the Editors Dear lovely readers and any other miscellaneous persons I’ve yet to address, the long awaited third issue of Acme Magazine is finally here at the click of your mouse! My apologies for releasing this issue so late in the year, as I was extremely busy during the latter half of my junior year of high school. Although I have noted from the beginning that this magazine would be a bi-monthly publication, I did not specifically say that we will be publishing every other two months. I know, a bit sly right? (laughs). In any case, I hope you will enjoy this issue as much as you have enjoyed our past two issues. Without further adieu, I now present you with the love filled August/September issue of Acme Magazine complete with eight incredible artists! L-o-v-e, Natalie Just several months before, our second issue of ACME was featured on the Issuu homepage. ACME magazine now has 273 subscribers and 163 bookmarks! Therefore, we are very excited to present you with the third issue of ACME, featuring eight talented young artists from around the world. This third issue, Valentine Leborgne joined our staff. She was wonderful to work with, always keeping a positive attitude and coming up with creative new ideas. We hope, in the future, to add more friendly members to our ever-growing staff. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this issue because it is, by far, my favorite! Lots of Love, Angela Shields
Aaron Feaver
Anabel Navarro
Anna-Liisa
Danny Brito
August September
Lukasz Wierzbowski
7
ACME Ooli Sumeja Tulic
Derek Wood
Aaron Feaver
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? AF: I live in Los Angeles; I moved here from Portland, Oregon about 4 years ago.
A: How and when did you get started in photography? AF: I worked at a little mom ‘n pop camera shop when I was in college, and really loved learning about all the cameras and how they worked and the kinds of pictures each of them would take. I took really bad snapshots for years, until about a year and a half ago, when I got into fashion photography and started taking it seriously.
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/inspiration, why? AF: My muse is definitely my girlfriend. Besides being an amazing model, she’s an excellent stylist and she see’s a lot of things I don’t see when I’m shooting.
My biggest inspiration is Julia Galdo, who shoots with her partner Cody Cloud as JUCO Photo. She works harder than anyone I know, and she’s completely living the photographer dream of travel, cool clients and gorgeous photos.
A: What do you shoot with? AF: I have a problem where I like to collect and shoot with all kinds of cameras, but my main setup these days is a Pentax 67 for mediumformat, Nikon FM2 for 35mm, and Canon SLR for digital. For Polaroid and instant stuff I use an SLR680 and an old folding Polaroid 250, and a Fuji Instax 500AF.
A: How has photography changed your views or influenced your life/style? AF: I don’t think it’s influenced my lifestyle very much. It’s definitely gotten me more interested in the world of fashion, which is amazing and weird and inspiring and discouraging all at once.
“I think there’s an inherent intimacy to photographs of people.”
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Aaron Feaver. AF: Nothing special. My girlfriend and I get up and make coffee, and then I usually spend the morning editing photos. Maybe drop off and pick up some film at the lab, scan it and get rid of all the dust. I like to shoot in the afternoons, usually, for the light, so maybe around 5pm or so the makeup artist and model will come by and do makeup, and we’ll shoot until sunset. Then my girlfriend and I will make dinner or go out, get some drinks, maybe, and get to bed at a sensible hour.
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it? AF: My girlfriend does styling sometimes, and she’s great at it, so we’ll talk a lot about the kinds of shoots we want to do. Sometimes I’m inspired by other photographs, or movies or other works of art, and sometimes an idea just comes to me. I’m also really inspired by the landscape around Los Angeles, the hills and canyons and dessert and ocean. Once we have an idea we try to find the clothes and any other props we need. I love flea markets and thrift stores, so that’s where I find a lot of the things that end up in the photos. My girlfriend is a model with Q Models in LA, so I use her as much as I can, otherwise I’ll get someone else from an agency and find a makeup artist and hair stylist and schedule a time.
A: Have you had any kind of formal training? AF: Nope. I was an English major in college, and never took any photography classes. I did read a ton of books when I was starting out, though. My mom had been briefly into photography in college so I borrowed a bunch of her 70s-era photography textbooks and learned all the basics about exposure and composition and development.
A: We love the intimacy your photos portray, tell us a little bit about your vision. AF: I think there’s an inherent intimacy to photographs of people, just the fact that you’re recording part of their lives, but I do like my photos to have a lot of moodiness or emotion to them. To be honest I feel like I’m still finding my vision. I try to just take the kinds of photos I want to take, the ones that I’m inspired to take, and move on when I’m inspired by something new. I certainly don’t have any kind of overarching aesthetic I’m going for. Part of the fun of photography is being able to make a lot of very different kinds of images.
A: Where do you want to be in three years? AF: I want to be making a living making the kinds of photographs I want to make.
http://feaverishphotography.com/
Anna-Liisa
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? AL: My name is Anna-Liisa Liiver and I am 27 years old. I am from Estonia, a small country in the north of Europe. During winter I live in its capital Tallinn and in the summer I escape to the wilderness, to a tiny island called Vormsi on the west coast of Estonia as often as I can.
A: What do you shoot with? AL: I have a small collection of cameras that I use depending on my mood and the outcome I want to achieve, but mostly I shoot with Canon EOS 3 and I have my small Olympus mju II in my bag most of the time.
A: How and when did you get st
AL: I had taken photos with my f them on white bed-linen in a dar the help of some technical probl sister standing in front of a concr was not aware of photography at as a subject at my school in Oslo fell in love immediately. It just w
tarted in photography?
family`s camera from an early age. My sister, my cousins and I loved setting up family slide nights and watch rk room, photography was always around. I shot my first roll of film during a class trip to Latvia which with lems was double exposed. I liked it. Thinking back the one photo I am most proud of is of my mother and rete wall that was built to protect the parliament house in Tallinn from Russian tanks. It is taken in 1990. I the time but the photo has become very valuable to me. I was 14 when I became more aware of photography o, Norway, where I was living at the time. We had a dark-room elective class. I was thrown in head first and went on from there quite naturally after I got my first camera as a Christmas present.
A: What is it with photography that attracts you so much, why? What’s so thrilling about it? AL: It is the combination of the chemical and the creative process of photography that attracts me, its an endless exploration and it never fails to surprise me. I follow my intuition and I never force myself to take a photo unless I feel it.
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it? AL: I mainly shoot my own life, family and friends so I hardly plan anything. I want to keep the moments as natural as they are and I let the opportunities surprise me. Regular days develop into shoots when I find myself in a place or with people that are inspiring. Usually I know if I am going somewhere where it is likely to get good photos, so I take several of my cameras, lenses and a small stock of films with me.
AL: I want to be living my dreams.
A: How has photography changed your views or influenced your life/style? AL: Photography has made me stop, watch, see and value. It gave the reasons and the means to do that. A friend of mine asked me once if I see the world as photographs and it made me realize that very often I do.
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/ inspiration, why? AL: There is such a vast amount of photographers and other artists from the past and present that have influenced me. I would not want to point out any specific names because I feel that they are all equally important. Some may influence me very deeply with only one photo, artwork or writing, some with their entire collection. I can spend hours watching documental photography of everyday lives of people, street photography from the first half of the 20th century and fashion photography. Going through visual diaries can be as inspiring as a trip to an art gallery. I believe they all act as my muses.
A: Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photographs. (On Right)
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Anna Liisa.
AL: My favorites change all the time, but I love the moment when you discover a photo among the others that went completely unnoticed before and then suddenly it is your favorite or the ones that you didn’t expect to turn out that well. My recent favorite is a photo of my cousin Greiss taken on a bright Estonian summer night on a boat to Stockholm, I discovered it among my photos six months after taking it.
AL: I think I never have a typical day in my life. It depends what is going on at the moment, which project I am working on, what season it is, where I am etc. At the moment I am a costume designer on a film, which means meetings, reading, drawing, visiting costume warehouses, second-hands and markets, fabric stores, libraries and so on. It is hectic and not a day is alike another.
A: Have you had any kind of formal training? AL: The only formal training I have had was the dark-room class at 14 and some elective photography lectures at my university. Everything else has come from experimenting, making mistakes and learning from them.
A: What would you say is the vibe that your photos portray? AL: It is something that can be different with
every viewer and change with every viewing. I would like my photos to be open and ageless enough so everyone could find their own vibe and story behind them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lispetit/
Anabel Navarro
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? AN: I’m Anabel Navarro, I was born 22 years ago in Alcoy (Alicante, Spain), but 5 years ago I moved to Valencia for study law.
A: What do you shoot with? AN: I shoot with and analog canon that gave me my father, an old compact analog camera… and sometimes with disposables cameras! And with Kodak film, 200 or 400 iso.
A: How and when did you get started in photography? AN: I suppose that it’s my obsession for save every moment the reason why I always was interested in photography, but at the end of my first year in Valencia I took photography seriously, and obliged my friends to pose for me! The truth is that become a necessity to express myself. At the beginning was a disaster, but looking the work of others photographers, testing with my analog camera and doing bad photos, I’m improving.
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/inspiration, why? AN: Many! Since Annie Leibovitz, when work for Rolling Stone, or André Kertesz, Avedon, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Nan Goldin, Sheila Metzner, Araki... until Cass Bird, Yelena Yemchuk, Lina Scheynius, Marlene Marino, Ryan Mcginley, Juergen Teller... and many many more! Everyone has their own style and are different between them, but everyone hassomething I love and details to learn.
A: Have you had any kind of formal training?
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Anabel Navarro Llorens.
AN: No, I just snuck into a photography course of my roommate, four years ago. The secret is making bad photos and learn from mistakes for others shoots!
AN: My typical day it’s so normal. I wake up, I breakfast a coffee with a toast, read my emails, I do stuff that I have to do, like clean or go to the market, and after that, I answer and send emails. I work retouching photos or making videos, then lunch. I continue working with photos or videos, and if I can I take a coffee with a friend! More work/emails, then dinner. I watch a film after dinner, and I read before I sleep because if not I can’t sleep!
A: Where do you want to be in three years? AN: I don’t care about where, I just hope I’ll be making photos, editorials and videos! And better if is around the world!
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it? AN: First at all, the idea. I see the photos that I want in my mind, the kind of photos that I want to do, but there never are as I imagine it! so I think what I need and send emails to the stylist, the models agency… And try to put everything together in the same day! that is the most difficult!
“I love this picture, it’s a spontaneous photo, and I like it because it’s natural, it is a real body… and I think it’s so beautiful. I’m a little tired of seeing photos of skinny girls or perfect bodies.”
A: We were captivated by how your photos embody this sort of nostalgic feel and a dark youth side to them. Tell us your thoughts. AN: I always shoot with natural light, and in analog, so that gives the nostalgic effect, and I look for this effect because it gives beauty and feeling to the photo. In my personal pictures, I take spontaneous moments that I feel that are nice, funny… or just special!
A: Where do you want to be in three years?
AN: I don’t care about where, I just hope I’ll be making photos, editorials and videos! And better if is around the world!
A: How has photography changed your views or influenced your life/style? AN: I always carry my camera at the handbag, and on the street or wherever and I only see possible pictures! Moreover, my friends flee from me when they see me with the camera!
http://anabelnavarroll.tumblr.com/
Danny Brito
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? DB: My name is Danny Brito and I live in Miami, Florida.
A: How and when did you get started in illustration? DB: I got started roughly in 2007, but things didn’t really start picking up for me until 2009 when I quit my day job. I started getting invited to different art shows and craft fairs in 2007 and really just kind of steam rolled from there.
A: What is your process of creating an illustration? DB: I don’t really sketch too often, I’ll usually see what I want to do in my head and then draw right onto the paper I’m going to use. It’s plenty of erasing sometimes but that’s usually how I work, if It’s for a show, I’ll usually have the frame before I even start the piece. Every frame I’ve ever used has been found a thrift stores, I’ll find a frame I like and then save it for future use. Like this month I’m going to be in a group show called Away in the Woods with a theme of the stories by the brothers grimm, I had the perfect frames for a fairy tale theme already saved in my frame stash.
A: I see your work is very whimsical and quirky. How does it inspire you? DB: I love animation and kids movies, I watch a lot of beautifully animated movies and creative movies. I just finished watching Summer Wars by Mamoru Hosoda, the animation was so lovely. I watch most movies on my big iMac and screen cap scenes I find inspiration while watching a movie and put it into a folder set a side for inspirational images.
A: How is your artwork different from others? DB: I don’t know, I think I have a style that’s my own, I also don’t really know too many other artists that work with colored pencil.
A: Why do you make art? What is so thrilling about it? DB: I don’t know what I would be doing with my life if I wasn’t an artist really, even if this wasn’t my full time job, I’d still be drawing. It’s a plus to be able to do it for a living.
A: In the art world, who is/are your muses/ inspirations and why? DB: I really love the style of mid century American and Japanese illustration, kind of
A: Tell us the story behind one of your favorite illustrations. DB: This one (above) is from 2009 so it’s a little old but it’s probably one of my most meaningful drawings, well meaningful for me anyway. I drew this when I got back from spending almost three months in London with a boy I loved in a city I love. I felt super duper inspired when I got home, I actually didn’t do the typical sketch in art gallery thing while I was there, I didn’t draw at all. I think I was saving it all inside me, it’s kind of why I drew myself with stuff just spilling out of my head.
A: What do you use to make your illustrations? DB: I mainly work in colored pencil on paper.
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Danny Brito. DB: I usually wake up around 8 or 9, 10 if I had a really late night. Let three of my four dogs out into the yard, the odd one out is the pug dog, she likes to sit and watch me make my coffee and breakfast.. I think it’s because she’s waiting for crumbs to drop. I drink Cafe Bustelo cuban coffee, my day wouldn’t be the same with out it. I then check my emails, check etsy, catch up with blogs, and then by that time I should be done with my coffee and I begin to plan what I’m doing for the day. I usually work in small bursts, a few hours here and there until I finished with what’s on my to do list. Things change depending on what’s going on with my social life, but that’s pretty much how my day goes.
A: Where do you want to be in three years? DB: Hopefully in a bigger space, the biggest downfall of my home right now is the lack of storage so hopefully i’ll be able to comfortably afford a bigger space to create in. I’d love to have a gallery space that doubles as a store and bakery, but that might be a little much for three years from now. I guess in general I’d just love to be successful and happy creating art.
http://dannybrito.com/
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? DW: I was born and raised in the great state of Maine but now call Los Angeles my home. I brew my own beer, snowboard, skateboard and love to hike and explore nature.
A: How and when did you get started in photography? DW: I started out filming my friends skateboarding in high school. Then when I went off to college, I found no one to film, so I turned to photography and haven’t looked back.
A: What do you shoot with? DW: I collect cameras so that answer will change on a day to day basis. I will usually shoot with my 5D Mark 2 for jobs and with a bunch of different film cameras for personal projects. I use a Contax T2, Yashica T4, Canon AE - 1, Canonet and a few different polaroid cameras.
A: What is it with photography that attracts you so much and why? What’s so thrilling about it? DW: Photography for me is the easiest way to tell a story and to express myself. The thrill of photography for me is not knowing what or who my next subject is. But perhaps the most thrilling thing about photography for me is the places it brings me. I love exploring and it always pushes me a little harder to see new things and document them.
Derek Wood
“The thrill of photography for me is not knowing what or who my next subject is.”
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it? DW: Putting together a shoot can be kind of stressful, but fun at the same time. First, I’ll figure out the concept and the location. Then I’ll find a stylist or model that I want to work with and then build the rest of the pieces around that. I have a pretty solid network of talented friends that I use to make the magic happen.
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/inspiration, why? DW: I’m inspired by lots of things from music to nature to my peers and of course beautiful women.
A: Can you tell us a little bit about a photograph that left a strong impression when you shot it and why? DW: My first real magazine editorial was with a few male celebrities. We were shooting with some amazing old cars. The first person I shot was Tristan Wilds from 90210. I remember thinking how amazing it was that everything was coming together so well. I try not to get too excited when looking at the images on the back of my camera but this image was hard for me to hold back on. Luckily Tristan agreed so I didn’t make too much of an ass of myself.
A:. Have you had any kind of formal training? DW: I went to Hallmark Institute of Photography in western Massachusetts.
A:. We noticed that you have photographed celebrities such as Ashley Tisdale and Victoria Justice. Tell us how you came to achieve that and your reactions. DW: I just started shooting celebrities over the past year. It’s been a great experience so far. I got access to them through Zooey Magazine and am now working with a public relations agency to get others. Both Victoria and Ashley were very sweet and easy to work with.
A: Where do you want to be in three years? DW: In three years if I’m not still in LA I would like to be in Europe somewhere. I’d just like to explore the world and travel. Everything is so close in Europe and the fashion scene is strong there. It’s just seems like a logical place for me to be.
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Derek Wood. DW: A typical day in the life of Derek Wood is wake up have a bowl of cereal and take care of emails, do research, plan my next shoot, shoot, scan film, edit and hang out with friends.
A: How has photography changed your views or influenced your life/style? DW: Photography has changed everything in my life. I no longer have to wear a suit and tie. I can be myself all the time and I get to work with my friends which make me happy.
http://www.derekwoodphotography.com/
Lukasz Wie
erzbowski
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? LW: I’m a 28 years old photographer currently living and working in Wroclaw.
A: How and when did you get started in photography? LW: I was a kid when my father introduced me to photography but my fascination with it didn’t last long. In high school I got more into making short experimental movies with VHS camera. Few years ago I came back to my roots and started taking photos again.
A: What do you shoot with? LW: Most of the time I use a Canon Rebel K2, a Canon Elan II and Olympus Mju II as well as some disposable cameras.
A: What is it with photography that attracts you so much, why? What’s so thrilling about it? LW: The moment of being caught in-between, when everything is honest and natural.
A: We love how each of your photos are all very different. Tell us how you came to snap these shots. LW: I like to play around in mixed surroundings, discover the places. I want every photo to be unique to kinda be on its own. I like to put a variety of photos from different sessions online. It makes every photo look stronger. They start to contrast one another.
“I want every photo to be unique to kinda be on its own.”
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Lukasz Wierzbowski. LW: On the most typical day I wake up rather late, shoot photos in the afternoon and later on eat dinner with my friends. Somewhere in between I go to the photo lab, do groceries, watch movies or just enjoy the company of people I love and care about.
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it?
LW: I don’t usually plan my sessions in advance. I love working on the spot as it gives me a great opportunity to improvise with both model and location.
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/inspiration, why? LW: I find my models always very inspirational, they are all my muses. I adore works of many photographers but my biggest inspiration is everyday life are people I meet and places I go to.
A: How views or i
LW: Pho who I am my life. F very imp helped m guy doing
has photography changed your influenced your life/style?
otography helped me to realize m and what I really want to do in Finding my own place in life was portant to me and photography me to make changes. I’m a lucky g things that I love.
A:Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photographs. LW: It’s a bit difficult to pick as every photo has some kind of story behind it. This particular one (on left) was done on Halloween night. We decided to play around and take some photos on area of psychiatric hospital which is located quite close to my parents’ place. The main goal for us was to get into one of the buildings which were abandoned for the last 20 years. Unfortunately we only managed to get into the basement as all the other entries have been blocked up with concrete. This particular photo was taken by the building and it shows a small gas station from the 70s that still stands there. The funny fact is that Ania is wearing poncho designed in the 80s by my mom. I have instantly fallen in love in it after discovering it in one of the closets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neon_tambourine/
Ooli A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? O: I‘m from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Unfortunately, there are no bears on streets here (I wish they were here). I’m a Graphic design student, bike geek and travel lover. Now I live in this world and I enjoy it.
A: How and when did you get started in design/illustration? O: I used to draw in my childhood, but it was just for fun. I never thought it would be my profession one day. I wanted to be a biologist or a dolphin trainer because I love animals very much. And they are still a great source of inspiration to me, you see. I was approximately 15 or 16 when I became really obsessed with drawing. I think it was just the method to realize my thoughts…
A: What is your process of creating a design/illustration? O: The most important is to have a good idea. If you have no idea, you can waste a lot of time and have no result. I seldom do preliminary studies; I prefer to begin working immediately. But the idea is what I must have in my mind. I write down good ideas when they come to me–sometimes I have to wake up in the night because I’m afraid to forget it in the morning. I always start working on paper, with pencil or pen (with the exception of some vector works). As to art, at the moment I try to use as less computer as possible, because hand-drawn techniques are more lively and human-friendly. But of course it’s difficult to avoid computers now, especially for those who work in design area. And I’m not computer hater; I just want to keep a balance between digital and handmade.
A: I see your work gravitates toward modern art, what draws you to it? How does it inspire you? O: I suppose that’s just the period of time we live in. What I like most in modern art is that there are no boundaries here. The art is a multinational language and this is really wonderful. Unfortunately I’m really upset about the loss of idea in contemporary art today. Speaking about fine art, there is too much PR in it and not enough meaning. There may only be one exhibition worth seeing of the ten you visit. Of course not everything is bad. For example I love what’s going on in the street art area. It has more freedom and is not so profit-oriented so it is more “art for art’s sake” (in a positive meaning) than all that stuff in expensive galleries.
A: Tell us the story behind one of your favorite designs/illustrations.
A: What are you trying to express/tell the world through your artwork?
O: My favorite illustrations are generally the freshest ones. I suppose now it is Der Frűhling–the artwork I created to send as an on-line greeting to my friends on the occasion of the first day of spring. It is a bird with leaf wings, symbiosis of the floral and animal world. I managed to finish it exactly by the first of March.
O: I draw to express my inner state or thoughts. If my works have a message, it’s about the importance of even the simplest things, or, on the contrary, about serious and difficult matters. But, I found people often see something very different than what I had intended for my works to mean. It’s not bad; I think the more ways of interpretation an artwork has the better. Sometimes people say my artwork inspire them. This is a really pleasant feedback for me.
A: Why do you make art? What is so thrilling about it? O: Because I simply can’t live without it.
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Ooli. O: My typical day consists of working (a lot), studying (not as much as I would like), meeting with friends, some kind of sport (I feel bad without this) and a few hours of sleeping. Nothing special.
A: Where do you want to be in three years? O: I will graduate from my university next year, and then I’m going to become an intern in a design studio in Germany. In three years I want to live in Berlin, have a husky dog, travel the world and of course keep making art
A: In the art world, who is/are your muses/inspirations and why?
color, Photoshop, Illustrator…actually, it could be anything.
O: There are so many talented creators now. For example, some of my favorite artists are Talita Hoffman, Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva, Hannah Haworth, Jordan Metcalf, and Bruno 9li. I can draw inspiration from everything–nature, cities I’ve visited and people I’ve met, books, music, films, my dreams.
A: How is your artwork different from others?
A: What do you use to make your designs/illustrations? O: Pens, pencils, markers, acrylics and water-
O: I don’t think the artist can properly answer this question himself. Looking at my works, one can see images and characters that are used by thousands of people. For me, the difference is in the fact that it is my own inner world in it. And for another person? I don’t know. The difference comes when this artwork excites personally you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-ooli-/
Sumeja Tulic
A: First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? ST: I am 26 year old girl from Sarajevo.
A: How and when did you get started in photography? ST: I don’t really know. I just remember starting to pack in my handbag, together with my wallet and my “on -the-bus-book”, a photo camera. One of my best friends gave me his analog camera and then, I was hooked.
A: What do you shoot with? ST: I shoot with Olympus mju -1. Today only film, 35. I found a digital camera two years ago, on a bench in Paris, but successfully resisted it ever since. The process that is behind developing and waiting to see what is on the film is just exciting and good in so many ways. At the end of the process, one ends up with few selected photos and not with trillion of photos with strange digital names on a cd.
A: What is it with photography that attracts you so much, why? What’s so thrilling about it? A: The ability of the photographer to frame a memory or an experience, zoom in and out of details and moments that could have been easily forgotten. Isn’t wonderful?! Also, it gives me a sense of control over things and situation I don’t necessarily like.
A: Describe a typical day in the life of Sumeja Tulic. ST: I work, so I have to wake up and get myself in order, before I take the bus or my yellow bike to work. On my way, I see things I am not able to photograph because of either the bus being overcrowded or me being a sloppy bike rider that cannot handle two simultaneous actions at once. After work, I go to Kriterion which is an art house cinema founded and run by students only. I was lucky to be one of those students who for the past four years struggled to open the cinema. Anyhow, once I am in the cinema, I will drink a cup of coffee with my friends. Later, I will serenade myself to sleep with a good film.
A: How do you put together a shoot, what is the process behind it? ST: It is hardly a process since I photograph my friends or complete strangers - because I see something beautiful or telling in them or around them. With my friends it is more or less easy. I need to be there, listen to what they are saying and spontaneously take out the camera and shoot. With strangers and public spaces, I need to be fast. Everything else is pure luck!
A: In the photography world, who is your muse/inspiration, why? ST: It is hard to narrow it to few people or things. My loving friends, great films, books and music transcend my everyday experience of my postwar country. My shoots are poor reflections upon all that.
A: Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photographs. ST: My favorite photo is my only secrete photo. It is a photo of my late grandmother. It was taken few months before she died. She didn’t talk or respond to what was going on. She was so tinny and powerless. Sometimes she would smile and once, I was there to capture that smile. A: Have you had any kind of formal training? ST: No. I studied law and did not have any formal or informal training in photography. I would be grateful to receive any training.
A: Many of your shots seem to be random and taken in a sudden moment, but we love how each photo was executed to perfectly capture the moment. Tell us a little bit about your strategies. ST: Thanks. Well, since I have no training and I am impatient, I decided to stick to whatever comes out from the shoot. If there are missing heads or body parts, I ignore it. Basically what I am trying to say, my only strategy is accepting what you got.
A: Where do you want to be in three years? ST: Like most people, I want to be doing something useful and rewarding. I want to become a better person. Once that is in place, things like location and occupation will be insignificant and I will be alright, I guess.
A: How has photography changed your views or influenced your life/style? ST: Photography helped me overcome my context: Sarajevo’s old and shelled buildings; loud music that makes no sense; grayness and pessimism. Also, I think I learned more about myself and people I care for through it. I hope all this doesn’t sound obnoxiously serious.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sumeja1/
ACME EDITOR Natalie Liao
CREATIVE DESIGNER Angela Shields STAFF Valentine Leborgne
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