INTERVIEW #6 - AUGUST 2015 FOR YES WE ARE MAGAZINE
JENNY METELERKAMP aka FARMFRESH -PHOTOGRAPHER-
Centred on portraits, moody scenes of daily life, always composed, mainly monochromatic, often intensely, with a superb image quality, Jenny Metelerkamp aka Farmfresh also is one of the rare ones nowadays, among the ones I know, to keep on using sepia, without any heaviness. Based in South Africa, she shows a real attention to human beings (and to dogs), trying to see all the sides of her country (opening towards the two main communities) though she never politicizes her posts but presents a calming vision, far from turmoil, trying to find a piece of harmony. One of the first persons I discovered when I arrived on Blipfoto at the start of 2 014, with also, an excellent language level and a capacity to share.
-Is the abstract direction something very strange for you ? How, when and why did you include an abstractized part in your photography ?
Outside the Post Office
-Why this predominance of mono- -How would you describe humanism ? chromes in your photography ? Monochromatic work makes my heart sing; it’s as simple as that. Firstly, it calms me down by taking away the distraction of colour (I’m easily distracted), and secondly, the absence of distraction helps distil the mood of the picture. This, in turn, excites me. So, calming and exciting, both at once. Of course, it’s because I’m after the still, moody picture that it works for me.
You’ve thrown a new word at me here, Basile: ‘humanism’. ‘a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.’ Hmm! Didn’t know the word existed.
I admire images that shift away from representation and realism. A world of possibilities opens up. Ultimately I would like to include more blur and pictorial movement in my work, along with oblique concept. Not wholly abstract pieces, but more than a few degrees away from realism. Neutral density filters and judicious panning might play a role here. I make a lot of use of reflections to help distort objects, or simply to make them less recognisable. The dirtier the glass, window or mirror the better! ‘Part of the picture’, as an example, is a semi-nude taken through an indoor window; the window’s reflections instantly give me more layers in front of the subject, which serve to integrate the subject with her surroundings, much as one
would when softening or losing the edges in a portrait painting, or coaxing background colour into the foreground in, say, a landscape.
-How would you describe the link between your photo production and your environment ? My immediate environment – my bedroom, my home, the farm – has come to play a huge part in my images. There was a time when I gave it little thought, but now I purposely include bits and bobs in the picture to embed the subject in its surroundings and add to the narrative. These choices may stem from becoming more aware of the composition in its entirety, as well as valuing the enrichment that context provides.
-How are you South African ? South Africa, and Africa herself, will always inform the way I see things. We live in a rich, complex, sensitive, earthy corner of the world. I am acutely aware of the daily people-to-people interactions, how vital and important they are, and I choose carefully how I might depict them, whether it be with the face of dignity or soulfulness, resignation or hope. Above all, I hope to show respect to my subjects and have that apparent in the images.
-Does the web world bring improvement to your vision ? Undoubtedly. It’s a huge source of inspiration, and even more so because I live in a rural valley in a far-flung country. Half the pleasure of photography is in the doing, the other half is in the soaking up of a smidgeon of the brilliance out there.
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-What is the importance of your daughter in your photography ? I couldn’t ask for a better subject. My daughter ignores the camera and carries on with whatever she’s doing or saying, perfectly naturally. No ‘camera face’ is ever pulled, and no coyness or shyness surfaces. I’m not saying that would be wrong, it’s just that her attitude makes it a whole lot easier for me to get my photograph. She is my brush with the tenderness of youth, and freshness, and time passing way too quickly. All too soon she will gone.
Promise of Rain
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-Are you disappointed of not being more acknowledged ? Or even famous ? Fame? *grins at the very notion* Acknowledgement? Affirming, from whence it comes.
-Tell me more about this specificity of yours : the image quality. In my most successful images, I look at a number of aspects in the instant of framing and shooting : the light fall, obviously (glowing and soft, or giving me strong tonal variation), the nuances of the subject (a shape created, or a posture and an expression. Whatever is needed to convey some sort of mood), and the overall composition. The technical choices of aperture, shutter speed and ISO must be almost subconscious, though they, too, need to be correctly chosen for the desired outcome.
-Tell me more about the importance of literature in your photography and in your personal and familial life. I adore language. We all do. Books before food! No, that’s not entirely true: books are food. I would love to know so much more, be a faster reader, a quick wit and a learned scholar, but I’m none of these things. I do the best I can with language, and savour it. When titling a photograph, I have time to choose the words; sometimes I feel I’ve hit the mark, and then I feel clever!
-What does Yes We Are Magazine bring you ? Superb quality served up on a plate. Your magazine is a tour de force, Basile, and your talents for selection combined with Anne’s sublime design give us a veritable smorgasbord of delights.
-Have you had inappropriate reactions about the fact that it happens that you show some semi nudes of your daughter ?
Glimpse
-Tell me more about your vision of chiaroscuro. If all the above criteria are met, or even some of them, I then have a foundation on which to build. In the editing process, I’m not shy to exaggerate the tonal contrast for a distinctly chiaroscuro look, as I love the punch of velvety darks against light lights. Monochrome lends itself to this, as all you’re seeing is the differences between light and shade anyway. If I can’t get the contrast as vibrant as I want it, I’ll export the image at that point and re-import it, and push it a notch further.
-Tell me more about your vision of composition. Composition is key. It provides the balance, the interest (focussing the attention), the feeling of just-rightness… and all this as an underlying aid to the main subject. On the days when I push into new territory, composition-wise, I am rewarded with an extra sense of satisfaction.
-Tell me more about your vision of technique. Being more art-minded than technically-minded, I’ve had to work hard to reach
LINKS
the point where I’m relaxed and proficient enough for technique not to get in the way of my intended result. I can comfortably achieve what I’m after, generally. There will always be more to learn, more to experiment with, but at least now I don’t have the frustration that I had for decades of not understanding how it all works together. On that note, I have a friend to thank: he lent me a number of his cameras, one at a time. Struggling with the different controls on each make, I finally grasped the common threads, and the forced experimentation helped me have a number of ‘so that’s how you do it!’ moments.
-What is the part of intimacy in your photography ? In a way, all my photographs display a sense of intimacy. I get up close, and I have to be trusted to be allowed there. I photograph those that matter to me. I don’t shy away from an awkward feeling – a furrowed brow, or a look of confusion, but at the same time I try not to intrude or overstay my welcome. This is equally important, if not more so, if the subject is of a sensual nature.
Her brother has expressed discomfort with the pictures, but I like to think of that as an appropriate reaction, rather than an inappropriate one, considering. I have strong views regarding nudes. I believe it is vital for there to be artistically sound and sensitive interpretations of the nude available for viewing. How better to educate the every man in the grace, depth and subtlety of the human form? Fortunately for me I have an in-house muse who goes about her daily life either clothed or in various states of undress, pays scant attention to the camera, and who understands where I’m coming from. As for my viewers, I have placed my trust in them to be able to read my intentions, and so far have not been disappointed.
-Tell me more about this Dogs in Cars’ series. Ah, the dogs in cars. Like all series, the set would be best viewed all together, to better compare the similarities, the differences, the rhythm that would emerge. Cars provide so many useful elements for an image: windows that create a natural frame, or reflections to play around with. I include some aspect of the car, sometimes only a hint of it, to make the viewer aware of the dogs’ environment. The dogs themselves express a different mood each time: anxiety, perhaps, or boredom, ...patience, comfort, indifference or exhuberance. There is no end to the variety of looks on offer. And did I mention that the dog can’t go anywhere? It’s a captive subject. Very useful!
Jenny Metelerkamp aka Farmfresh polaroidblipfoto.com/Farmfresh Interview : Basile Pesso for Yes We Are Magazine yeswearemagazine.tumblr.com basilepesso.tumblr.com cargocollective.com/basilepesso
Graphic Design : Anne Pangolin Guéno for YWAM thesoftpangolin.tumblr.com
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