Ari Winkle Interview

by Greg

The first interview of 2009! Is with a very poetic photographer named Ari Winkle. I don’t quite remember how we met online. But we’ve been friends for over a year or so. The one thing I can tell you about Ari is with each photo & poem you get to know her a little bit more each time. However, like every great woman it will take a lifetime to truly get to know them. With that here is my interview with Ari Winkle. Enjoy.

Photos

What’s the best and worst thing about posting your photos online?

Sharing photographs online has both its perks as well as several drawbacks. Overall I feel that posting my photos online (specifically, on Flickr) has been a positive step, as it has allowed me to connect with other photographers all over the world. The best thing about it is that it is a fantastic way to get feedback about my photos and make connections, however small or large, with others. At the same time, however, the Internet has a way of being a bit invasive. My photos are often very expressive, and so at times I feel like sharing a photograph online is like revealing the most personal of my emotions to complete strangers. Sometimes that is the most beautiful thing, but at other times, quite scary. That fact that I never really know who is looking is probably the worst thing about posting my photos online.

Who was the biggest influence on you taking up photography?

When I actually think about it, I can’t really think of any specific person or name any one experience that influenced me to get into photography. It just kind of happened. Even as a little girl, I was always begging for my parents to buy me disposable cameras to take to school or on vacations. I suppose it was traveling that has been the biggest influence on my taking up photography, as I have been very lucky to have had the privilege to travel quite a bit throughout my childhood, and during these travels a camera was always present. The habit of documenting travel experiences through film probably developed into a desire to capture images of the everyday moments and emotions in life that has only deepened over time.

Some of your photos are accompanied with poems, which takes longer photo processing or writing?

It depends on the photo. Generally, the writing takes longer. Photo processing is usually relatively light and not very time consuming unless I make use of textures, but hunting for just the right lyric or poem to accompany a photo can take time. At the same time, though, sometimes it is actually the piece of writing or music that inspires the photo, and in this case, the photo processing is more time consuming.

Do you ever have help with setting up your self-portraits?

The only help I get setting up my self-portraits is with a tripod. Believe it or not, I am actually quite camera shy unless it is me who is behind the lens.

How long have you been shooting and where would you like to end up with your photography?

I have been shooting since a little girl, but only seriously for about two years now, after I started using my Nikon D50. Although there is always that hope of being able to incorporate my photography within a career, I honestly cannot see it as anything more than a tremendously fulfilling hobby and way to express myself, and I would be completely okay with that. However, I know that the skill may prove to be useful in pursuing my degree in journalism.

Over the last 3 months how many photos do you think you have taken? & how many have you published online?

Wow. Let’s see… over the past 3 months I am sure I have taken well over a hundred photos, although I’ve only published around 20 of those online in the same span of time. When I am studying at the university, I usually have less time to take photographs, but whenever I get the chance, I always take advantage of it.

Have you ever displayed your photos in an art gallery?

No, although I would love to. I think if I put a little more effort into trying to get my photos out there it would be a possibility, but at the same time, there are so many amazing photographers that I’m not quite sure if my skill level is up to par. Maybe someday.

Why do you like taking self-portraits?

Self-portraits have always been one of my favorite kinds of photos to take, almost as much as portraits. There is something oddly therapeutic about capturing my emotions exactly as they are occurring. I first started taking self-portraits around the age of thirteen or fourteen, so over the past four or five years I have been able to document my growth as an individual and person, not just in terms of appearance, but in reflecting the emotions, attitudes, and maturity expressed within my photos. In a way, self-portraits are a way to be completely honest with myself, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do. When someone else is taking a photo of me, I am more prone to painting on a smile and trying to give them what they want – I’ve always been like that in all aspects of my life. But when I am the one behind the lens, there is a certain sense of freedom to just be precisely what I am at that exact moment. It’s liberating, really, and when I look back over my collections, I can associate my self-portraits with where I was at a particular moment in life. How I was feeling, what people were influencing me, what music filled my head, my state of mind. And there is great power in reflecting upon my life and how far I have come from any set point in time in my past. It’s invigorating.

What are your plans for your photography in the next 12 months?

Well, this July I am leaving to study abroad in Australia for five months, so I am very much looking forward to using photography to document my experiences in the land down under. It will be the only way to keep connected with all my loved ones back home and show what I am doing, so I am looking forward to setting up a photo blog that people back home can follow.

Who is your favorite Flickr photographer?

That’s a tough one. There are so many amazing photographers on Flickr, and many of them do not receive the credit they deserve. It really amazes me the talent that is out there. I have to say, though, that Ross Reyes is one of my all time favorite photographers on Flickr. I happened upon his work a few years ago and have been following it ever since. His portraits have always struck a chord with me, and I am absolutely in love with the perspective of California he produces in his images, as well as the many other locations he has traveled. The ability he has to capture the little things encountered in life is unprecedented, and that is one of the things I adore about his work. Always honest, but completely creative – he always makes you look closer.

What are 5 things you would like to photograph?

1. The person I fall in love with.
2. My children, if I have any – I want to document every single, solitary second of their lives. If I have learned one thing from being a big sister, it’s how fast time goes by. I want to remember every dimple and freckle on the face of my child, from the moment they are born to the moment they are married and beyond – precious little moments that I don’t ever want to forget.
3. Matthew Fox. Yes, I’ll admit it. I am completely obsessed with him on “Lost,” so the girlie side of me is not going to lie about how amazing it would be to do a shoot with him.
4. Strangers. I wish I did this more often. Living in the city, I am always passing by people, beautiful and interesting and unique people with their own stories. I want to capture a piece of their story.
5. My mother. She is the most beautiful person in the world. I know every daughter thinks this about her mother, but she really is one of the most beautiful people you will ever come across. And the best thing about it is the fact that her outer beauty only reflects that which I love about her most: her inner beauty and tremendous heart.

What are the 5 things you wouldn’t photograph?

1. Male Abercrombie models
2. 99.9% of politicians
3. Public Restrooms
4. Bill O’Reilly
5. Oil spills

Okay, half joking. Truly, I feel that everything in this world has a need to be photographed in its own right. Even the ugly things in this world contain beauty, even if only an ounce. Everyone and everything has a story that needs to be told, and sometimes photos can be the best way.

If you can impose one feeling, emotion or thought on a person through your photographs what would that be?

That is a really tough question. To honestly answer that, I have to say that it would be the greatest gift to impose ANY kind of feeling or emotion on a person through my photographs. I think that is the utter heart of photography – to make someone feel something, anything. I feel like if one of my photographs stirs any kind of emotion in an individual, I’ve succeeded as a photographer and artist, and truly, as a human being. There’s nothing worse in this world than feeling nothing and being numb. To bring forth raw emotion or unfold a quiet thought is the greatest gift I think I could give and receive as a photographer.

Linkage

Ari Winkle on Flickr

I want to thank Ari for allowing me to ask her a bunch of random questions both personal and photography oriented.