Michael Evangelista Q&A
What/who are your influences?
In relation to most photographers I started shooting late in life. It was only five years ago that I got my fist camera and learned what an aperture was. But before I actually started taking pictures, I would always notice that which was visually pleasing...a lamp post against the sky, the way a girl looked up from her drink. Moments like that always lingered in my head afterwards like mental snap shots. This probably is one of the reasons I prefer images that capture a moment in the context of reality, or close to reality, as opposed to an image that is obviously staged, and exists more in a completely imagined world.
The biggest influence I would have to say is my life...significant others, close friends, what's going on around me, my emotional tone at any given period of time, all strongly influence how I see and understand things both cerebrally and visually. With one person in particular I saw a soft and quiet beauty that was untouched by the harsh experiences that person had been through. I was mesmerized by it. And literally overnight I started shooting differently. I also have a friend who sees everything in an image that I don't. Her eyes and opinion are gold to me and my development. As far as other photographers - I looked at Andre Kertesz and Ralph Gibson a lot when I first started shooting. Other than that I wouldn't say I was greatly influenced by way of other photographers, at least no one specifically. I'm always looking at images, and I'm sure that influences me.
How do you choose your subject matter?
I wouldn't say I choose subject matter, as much as I think I gravitate towards it. I usually see something, be it an image I have shot, or a moment in real life, and use that as the basis for an idea or approach to shooting. I want to linger in the feeling it induces. Other times I'll just grab someone and start shooting.
What career choices led you to where you are now?
My career is just starting, and I don't have all that much to reflect back on, at least in the business/career sense. Creatively I have just been trying to follow my instincts, and let my shooting lead me. This has paid off more then I could have imagined. I feel like I'm developing into a strong consistent photographer, and above all else this is what is most important to me.
Favorite aspect of living and working in Chicago?
That it's home, and always has been. It seems like a more laid back environment to work in, then say New York or LA.
Film or digital?
Digital. For workflow and practical reasons. But mostly because of the amount of control I have over my images. I think there is a wider range of subtle manipulation with a digital negative than scanned film. I haven't done any traditional color printing with film myself, but it seems with digital there are many more options. With traditional printing you had control over the look of an image, where as the use of Photoshop has become a part of a photographers style. And sometimes more leaves on the bottom left of a frame would make me a bit happier.
This entry was posted by Christoph, on
April 3, 2006.
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