David Egan

Tell us, David, why did you decide to study and dedicate your life to photography? Photography has been a lifelong passion for me. I started making photos when I was young and attended my first darkroom course around the age of 11. I have taken several breaks from photography but around 2006 I found that I had a renewed enthusiasm for photography and was making a lot of images and videos with my friends. Around that same time I realized that I needed to refine my understanding of certain aspects of photography. So, eventually in 2009, I enrolled in school to pursue an MFA in photography. There is something fascinating to me about the idea you have in your head when making a photograph and then seeing how the result differed from your expectations.

How is your life as a photographer going? How would you describe it? Life as a photographer is extremely challenging. I have slowly come to understand the reality of being a fine art photographer is just not easy. In the past few years I stopped trying to make work for anyone else but myself and I think that has helped me find some peace and resolve in the process. The art world is a peculiar place. When I do have successes I must enjoy them in the moment.

Please David, give us a glimpse of some of your upcoming works and also, if any, exhibitions. I currently am working on two primary exhibitions for this year. I will be showing work from my series “I Always Hoped For Better”. One of the shows is in conjunction with Subjectively Objective and another is a joint show with photographer Emily Najera at the Sierra Arts Foundation. Additionally I am working on developing a couple new bodies of work. Over the past year I have been making images in southern California and Arizona that are centered around the theme of desert. With these photographs I am working with an alternative process called Chromoskedasic. This process allows one to achieve color using black and white negatives and black and white paper. It has a somewhat similar appearance to a daguerreotype as the process also brings the silver in silver gelatin paper to the surface creating a very metallic appearance.

What are your interests when it’s time to photograph? I suppose it depends on the project. Color is usually a very important theme to my work though as well as quality of light. I would also say that most of my photographs are connected to the feelings of nostalgia.

Let us know about, in some way, “forbidden” and also, personal info about you. Honestly, all the images you create while going around the streets are so rad, unique, emotional, captivating... After seeing all of them, I would like to know how is spending a night or day with you when you are out taking photos. Thank you very much. The majority of my work or trips aren’t extensively planned. I tend to work in a sort of stream of consciousness mode letting my thoughts take me where they may. I thoroughly enjoy traveling all over

the place by myself and I find solace in the action of making images. Sometimes I will stumble upon some amazing locations and sometimes I can’t seem to find what I am looking for at all. I do make lists of things, places, or types of people that I am looking for, as I get deeper into projects. Things usually start in a more random/organic way though and I may have some things that I am looking for and go from there. I shoot with a large format field camera and sheet film and that absolutely affects my approach when making images. I am relatively quick with the setup but the process can be quite slow some time just to take out the camera, get it properly ready to make an image, and evaluate the scene. The camera is also always sitting on a tripod. I genuinely enjoy the action of shooting with a large format camera and seeing the world through the ground glass projected upside down. Making night photographs with the camera is not always easy though either and it can be a challenge to see the entire scene and have a full understanding of your surroundings. Before 4x5 peel apart film stopped being produced I would often shoot a Polaroid or Fujifilm instant shot and then make judgements about the placement of the camera. Now that film doesn’t exist and 4x5 color negative film is very costly so you really have to value every shot all the more.

What does the word “forbidden” mean to you? To me, the word forbidden means off limits, don’t go there or not allowed there. Occasionally I feel as though I am walking down this road with my photography because I am shooting at night in some eerie places but not forbidden places per se. Rarely do I find myself crossing the line into the forbidden. When I was a little younger I would definitely push and test the boundaries of life a bit more. Of course I have ventured into places or properties that I was not granted permission but again I will only go so far.

Could you, please, tell us what is behind each of these 4 pictures we have chosen amongst all your work? The first image was taken in Reno, Nevada. I had been out shooting in Reno one night and was returning to my hotel around 1-2am and noticed this scene and knew immediately that I had to photograph it. I already had used up my prepared allotment of 4x5 film so I went back to my hotel, loaded some new film, and returned to the scene. I was drawn to this scene because of the lone car in the parking lot, the curtains, the lighting, and the feeling of emptiness. I knew in the moment that it could be a great photograph and so I took some time to make the image. The second image was taken in the state of Washington as part of some travel to work on my project “The Long Way Around”. I had been looking for towns off the normal path and I happened upon this town that was kind of in tatters and struggling. As I was walking around searching for imagery I saw this run down looking gun shop so I figured I would peak my head and see what the inside was like. The place was empty and the gentleman in the photograph was the only one around. I talked to him a little and asked if he would be willing to pose for several photographs. I was enamoured

by all of the things behind the counter –a deer head, maps, guns with price tags, clock, and the gross indoor lightin¬g– and I thought that they would contribute to a strong portrait. The third image was something that I just found while on my way somewhere else. I tend to find things this way a lot, I am off to do one thing and then find myself stopping to photograph something else. I was traveling to Los Angeles to meet with some friends and saw the glow of the cross while driving so I did some investigating. Initially I was a little unsure of this scene as people had just come out of the church and I didn’t want to bother them or intrude on their space. Not realizing at the time the meaning of the red cross I was particular interested in it and how that would pair with what I believe is some type of cherry blossom tree. The fourth and final image was taken in Nevada. This image was made on my way east as I was just starting a long journey driving by myself across the country from San Francisco, California to Fort Washington, Maryland. My parents had recently sold my childhood home in Maryland so I decided to take this trip and spend a lot of time on the road searching for things that would connect with this shift in my life. I found myself on a dark highway and passed by a town that seemed intriguing. There were several other points of interest but this scene commanded my attention. There was a sadness and loneliness to this place. I also felt vulnerable there, as if something bad was going to happen if I lingered for too long.

In relation to the weapons shop picture and the magazine topic, “forbidden”, what is your view as an American citizen on weapons legalization? Surely you know that countries like here in Spain they are forbidden. I am very much anti-guns. I don’t fully understand the fascination with guns in America and probably never will. I find them to be scary weapons and not necessary in modern society. I realize that many Americans feel very connected to this issue and their guns but I don’t get it. I don’t understand the need to hunt for sport and I certainly don’t think everyone is entitled to the right to own a gun despite the 2nd Amendment. It seems that many Americans are committed to the belief that they have a right to bare arms for the purposes of personal protection but again it just doesn’t add up to me and it doesn’t seem logical. I also never thought Donald Trump would be President of the United States so one cannot begin to understand the mind-set of all Americans. I live in San Francisco, which is generally a very liberal place, and I am not necessarily exposed to strong pro gun advocates so I don’t think I have a great understanding of their logic or reasoning. It does seem like some things are happening in response to the most recent school shooting in Florida but it is hard to say how things will play out in the future.

In your opinion, is there any worldly thing that you would forbid? Nothing in particular comes to mind other than Marijuana legalization and the abolition of the 2nd Amendment.