Emily Cross Interview

by Greg

I first met Emily Cross in a coffee shop in Stuart, Florida I believe. We had a brief few moments to get acquainted. Before I was whisked away to my finial destination with my friend. Before I left I was able to get a real sense that she loved photography. Photography is just one of the things we had in common as I found out most of our friends were friends of friends. Which brings up the whole six degrees of separation. I truly believe we are all connected by someone. Later that night half drunk from the party I finally ended up at. I made it home login onto flickr and found hers. I was very surprised in what I found. In today’s age of digital photography most people are shooting on digital my self included. She is shooting almost entirely on film! I found this refreshing and when this Photograview came about she was one of the first people I contacted. So here is the interview with the young and talented Emily Cross.

Photos

So for my first question, I’ll start with what should be an easy one. However being a photographer myself I find it to be the most difficult. Which photograph of yours is your favorite and why?

About three years ago I got into taking Polaroids. I opened my first pack of film while I was in Montauk, New York , staying in this little hotel facing the beach. I snapped a photo of the towel-house on the boardwalk leading out to the ocean, and it has been my favorite since then. It is more about the place it was taken than the composition, medium, etc…the photograph itself isn’t exactly a masterpiece.

Your photographs for the most part are shot on film, correct?

Yes. I shoot primarily film, although I do have a digital SLR for everyday documentation or quick snapshots of friends and such.

Why have you chosen to shoot film over digital? During the Digital Age of Photography.

At first I thought I would have such an easy time answering this one, but it really is difficult to put into words why I love film. My first camera was a Canon A-1, which I still use as my ‘everyday’ camera; so I learned the basics of film photography before I ever touched a digital camera. That probably has something to do with my preference. There is something about loading film, the smell of a film canister , the visual result, even, that is nostalgic and pure for me. I am not particularly adept on a computer, so I prefer the trial-by-error method of experimentation vs. editing digitally. The simple answer I guess is that I enjoy film’s imperfections, surprises, and of course the grain.

How would you describe your photographic style ?

I wouldn’t say that I have a particular style, although I wish I did. I admire photographers who have a cohesive collection of photographs. I do, however, like to keep my photographs,if possible, restricted to a muted color palate, and use existing light- preferably natural light. 

Who are your biggest influences?

I have about a million influences a day. I couldn’t begin to decide who my ‘biggest’ are…many, though, are people I know from my past and present. There was a show a couple months back at the AIC-Richard Misrach: On the Beach, that really inspired me. Sorry about the level of vagueness I am giving you.

What do you enjoy most about photography?

Thinking and thinking and over thinking about the way certain shots will come back from the lab. I get so excited knowing that I may have captured a beautiful moment. I also enjoy learning about photography. I will and can never know all there is to know about photography, and that is somehow reassuring. 

In recent photographs your subjects have been rather unclothed. What are your views on nudity in photography?

Sometimes people take their clothes off. Why shouldn’t it be captured like any other moment in time? This is not to say that I think pornography is artful, or should be called photography. We were born naked- and as long as our bodies are shown with integrity and without corrupt intentions, I think that nudity in photography is just fine.

I’ve noticed you don’t turn the camera on yourself as much as other female photographers your age. Why is this?

I don’t often like to stage my photographs unless I have had a particular image in my mind, and I need to work it out photographically. Even less often does that image have anything to do with myself as the figure. I think a lot of times self portraiture is more effectively shown through images that are not depicting the physical self, but rather what makes the internal self.

Out of all your creative outlets, which do you get the most satisfaction from?

This is hard to determine because I combine so many of them. Okay, so I have to choose two. Drawing and shooting film. They are both so satisfying for me.

What is your first childhood memory about photography?

I think I was six or seven when my father gave me a Polaroid camera to use on our trip over to England to visit family. I remember taking a photo of Stone Henge, and of a torture device in Warwick Castle.

What turns you on creatively?

Other artists get me so eager to make more art, and make it quickly and better. I love encountering passionate people, whatever they are into. When I’m feeling real low on creativity I take a walk to a used book store and pick up books about (usually) nature or locations. After that I like to listen to David Attenborough narrate for the series Planet Earth. 

Do you have a specific photograph that stands out as the one that got you hooked into photography and if so who is it by?

Eeeek, I don’t! Is that bad?

Give me one lasting impression you want to leave people with after viewing your work? 

I just want people to imagine me smiling at them. A calm and sincere little smile.

Linkage:

• Cross Record (Emily’s Flickr)
• Cross Record Blog (Emily’s Blog) ps has videos too.