INTERVIEW #4 - AUGUST 2015 FOR YES WE ARE MAGAZINE
J.T. MILLS aka JTM PORTLAND -PHOTOGRAPHER-Tell us more about your vision of square photography. What does it bring, what does it take off ; how does it have an influence on your vision ? Like many people, I spent countless hours of my childhood sprawled on the floor, listening to music and staring at album covers. Maybe my love for the square format comes from that memory. Admittedly though, this square format has become a bit of a gimmick with me. Once you’ve shot thousands of little square photos, it’s challenging to go back to a traditional aspect ratio. I have found, however, that it forces me to consider the entire frame, both negative and positive space, and make most of the line-of-sight. I’m attracted to symmetry, both real and implied, and a square allows me to explore this. Still, the fake Polaroid border is something I’d like to move away from. I keep all unedited originals on backup drives, so perhaps at some point I’ll replace them online. Or maybe not... life is really very short.
-Give me your definition of technique. I love the notion of finding beauty in the mundane. With careful consideration to framing and composition, nearly any subject can be interesting at least, and beautiful at most. I try to spend a couple hours walking around each day, camera at hand. Even when I’m lacking inspiration (which is often, if I’m honest), I can usually find something worth documenting. On the other hand, I don’t do ‘pretty’ very well. When I find myself delving too far into lovely landscape territory, I’m inclined to retreat to a gritty alleyway. Of some note, I suffer from a mild form of deuteranomaly which is commonly known as red-green colour blindness. Rather than shoot everything in black and white, I tend to compensate colour shots by increasing the saturation, sometimes way beyond what is actually there. Colour accuracy is a murky science anyway. As with any artistic endeavor, it’s easy to get caught up in the tools of the trade. I’m far less interested in the technology than I am the end result. While I have a full-frame DSLR with multiple lenses, more often than not I’m shooting with an iPhone. It’s all about the convenience.
-Do you feel very American, personally and artistically ?
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-What does Yes We Are Magazine bring you ? Yes We Are Magazine has been a fantastic supporter of my work. I first came to Tumblr about 5 years ago, mostly because I found it to be an easy way to quickly build a photography portfolio. I didn’t receive a single ‘like’ on any of my photos until late last year. Somehow ‘Yes We Are’ found my site and traffic increased immediately. But more than that, I appreciate Basile’s insightful comments and criticisms. I remember a particular photo that had a small ribbon of sky above an industrial building, creating a horizontal ‘crown’. This was absolutely intentional on my part, even though it looked like it could have been a mistake. Basile recognized this, and encouraged the viewer to look at the photo without that narrow band and consider whether it works as well. The photo suddenly became unbalanced and top-heavy.
Another time, he noticed a photo with a bit of a tree on an otherwise unblemished expanse of sky. He messaged me directly as soon as I posted it, correctly pointing out that it would be a much stronger photograph if I cropped out that bit of tree. He was right. I could see that too. But I’m occasionally lazy & rather stubborn and couldn’t be bothered to fix it. Still, I appreciated his thoughtful opinion. The ‘Yes We Are’ site is a wonderful resource for creative vision. I’m very often inspired by the work of others, following paths I wouldn’t necessarily take otherwise.
Interesting question. Do I feel very American? Not particularly, no. But then I’ve always felt like a square peg in a round hole. Like most Americans, I came from somewhere else. In my case it was the UK, but I grew up in Texas and currently live in Portland, Oregon. I attended St. Martin’s College in London, studying as a painter. Did I feel very American then? Nope. But I also didn’t feel very English. A misfit by nature, I suppose. Having said that, I am influenced by American photographers such as Stephen Shore, Ed Ruscha, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, etc, and the American west presents a vast and varied landscape that is difficult (though certainly not impossible) to find elsewhere.
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-Is Tumblr a fine place for artists ? Artists are everywhere : streets, studios, stages, bedrooms, jail cells. As mentioned, I originally used Tumblr simply as an online portfolio after years of frustration trying to wrangle Facebook into something I could work with. The online community aspect of Tumblr was far less important to me. Tumblr can be divided into 2 fairly distinct camps : content creators and content consumers. Of course I appreciate when someone reblogs one of my photos, but it’s really the modern equivalent of a teenager pinning a poster of their favorite pop band on their bedroom wall, isn’t it? Or more accurately, just like Pinterest. On the other hand, when another photographer or painter likes or reblogs a photo of mine, I’m more inclined to visit their site and wander through their work. I do this rather regularly these days and am constantly amazed at the quality of work I find. Untitled
-Do you feel bankable ?
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I take this to mean ‘do I feel my work is marketable?’ Sure, why not? I started as a graphic designer, but have worked in marketing for the last 20 years. Monetizing my hobby is not a major concern of mine, but I would like to increase the audience, and this is where my marketing experience comes into play. I’ve considered self-funding a photo book or exhibiting at galleries. Stay tuned. I am in desperate need of a curator, though. My subjects are all over the place: urban landscapes, old cars, abstracts, occasional portraits, found words, etc. A short attention span will do this to you. Somehow, I can still find a common link in all of these (however oblique it may be).
-Do you feel more scorn towards your photo production or real acknowledgement of its fantastic level ? An interesting question. I feel no scorn towards my photography. (“bad photo, bad photo!”), but my work is hardly exceptional. There are thousands of photographers out there doing the very same thing I do. They did it before me, they’ll do it after me. I try to include a personal point of view, and if you look closely, you can find a common thread in nearly every one of my photos. But in the grand scheme of things, I see myself as just an observer and documentarian of ordinary life.
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-Are you in agreement with your era, in general and artistically ? When I was a kid I wanted to be a beatnik. Challenge authority, drive flat-out in an old Ford Galaxie 500 with a pretty girl on my arm, no cares, no worries, no fences. Life didn’t turn out that way. But I’m satisfied with my time and place. Do we really have a choice otherwise?
Thank you !
J.T. Mills aka Jtm Portland jtmportland.tumblr.com His gallery in the mag here in link 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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