Amy Stein

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


AS
I was late to photography. I didn't pick up a camera and get serious until after my 32nd birthday. In 1999, I quit my job at Policy.com and decided on a whim to bum around China, Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal for six months. When I came back to D.C. I wasn't anxious to be reintroduced back into the cubicle wild, but I moved to New York, reluctantly got a dotcom job and muddled along in the work-a-day for another year and a half. The seeds of my dissatisfaction had already been sewn on my Asia trip and one day while I was sitting on my couch it came to me in a flash. I was going to be a photographer.

I am not your typical artist that spent her youth drawing and painting and generally being creative, but I always had the itch to make art. In that moment, I knew that photography was what I wanted to do. The only camera I had was my mom's old Nikon and my only experience taking pictures was an elective course I took in undergrad ten years earlier.
I had no clue what I doing, but decided to publicly declare my photographic intentions to friends and family as insurance against backing out.

I went to the ICP and started taking classes in photojournalism and documentary photography. I had ambitions of a National Geographic lifestyle, traveling to exotic locales and taking photos of baby monks and Whirling Dervishes. My transition from photojournalist to fine art photographer took place gradually, but was marked by two import events in 2002. That summer I assisted Jo Ann Walters in Maine and she opened my eyes to the possibilities of artistic expression though photography. That same year I saw Gregory Crewdson's "Twilight"
exhibition at Luhring Augustine and was blown away. My understanding of photography's potential expanded exponentially and I decided to go to grad school and work towards my MFA.

Today I find inspiration in everything. It could be a song, a painting or a parking lot in Queens. I feel very confident as an artist and want to explore everything. I am not interested in being pigeonholed by concept, format, subject or process. I will go wherever my curiosity and inspiration takes me. In some ways my photographic journey is like a bird building a nest. There are bits and strings and twigs everywhere and they all have stories. Through photography I collect and present these disparate pieces and gradually form them into a cohesive vision over my career.



MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


AS
I think it is important to make the distinction between beginning photographers and emerging photographers. Emerging photographers have already created an impressive body of work and received some level of recognition. Too many beginners consider themselves emerging and try to jump ahead before they are ready.

Beginning photographers should just produce work and learn. They should go to every photography exhibit on the calendar and read every photography book they can get their hands on. They should look at the work of people that inspire them and explore the many levels of thought the artist brought to each photograph. They should be extremely honest with themselves about where they are in their career and brutally honest with themselves about their photographs. Put in the time and don't show the work until you have a lot more than just a couple of good photographs.

Over the past few years the opportunities for emerging photographers to gain exposure have increased significantly. Portfolio reviews and contests have become big business. Some are sketchy, but the good ones like Review Santa Fe and Photolucida are still one of the best ways to get your work in front of the right people. Before you enter, do your homework and make sure the reviewers, judges or past winners are a good fit for your work.

Beyond the portfolio reviews, the single greatest action an emerging photographer can take is finding a community of your contemporaries. I have found a strong community with Brian Ulrich, Jonathan Gitelson, Juliana Beasley, Shen Wei, Ofer Wolberger, Corey Arnold, and Bill Sullivan and I think we all have benefited from our connection. It's important to find a community that supports each other through admonition, tough love and using every opportunity they can to promote the work of their fellow artists. Photography is a struggle, but it is not a competition. If you are interviewed, mention another photographer. If you are meeting with a gallery director, tell them about so-and-so's work. It's what you do because you believe in good work and because you believe a rising tide raises all boats.

Also, once you have reached a certain level in your career, it's important to use that pulpit to help talented photographers who are just starting down the long road. At least twice a week I make time to meet or email with a young photographer and review their work. I also use my blog to bring attention to artists I feel deserve a wider audience. The art world can be a cold, crazy business. It's important to make it as real and as sane as you can.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


AS
With apologies to Bill Clinton, it depends on what your definition of success is. I consider myself successful because I know the work I want to make and I have the drive that propels me forward until it's done and I am happy. That people respond favorably to the work and purchase it is icing on the cake.

Deciding to go to grad school and get my MFA was the most important step I took in my progression as an artist. Grad school provided me a community and discipline that I would not have been able to generate on my own. My two years at the SVA was like being a photographic ascetic. It forced me to make work every week and allowed me a
feedback system of fellow photographers that helped push my projects and my vision.

After grad school there were a couple of key events that moved my career forward. I was accepted to Review Santa Fe While where I met some amazing folks like Brian Clamp who have become great friends and strong advocates for my work. I won the Saatchi/Guardian competition and was included in a show in London. I entered the Critical Mass competition and was a winner.

I've had some successes, but I have had far more setbacks. The cruelest words for an artist are, "we had many strong applicants this year, unfortunately..." I have read those words far too many times. To motivate me, I keep a box of my rejection letters close by.

There is no sure path to success in the art world and the only variable you control is the work. It's vital that you believe in what you are doing and that you continue to passionately make work no matter what. After that, set very specific and realistic short and long term career goals for yourself and be like water running downhill in pursuit of them.


Amy Stein, Watering Hole, from the series Domesticated


Amy Stein, Backyard, from the series Domesticated


Amy Stein, Fast Food, from the series Domesticated


Amy Stein, Nursery, from the series Domesticated


Amy Stein, Net, from the series Domesticated


Amy Stein, from the series Stranded


Amy Stein, from the series Stranded


Amy Stein, from the series Stranded

© all images Amy Stein

Alec Soth

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


AS
As a kid, I lived in the country and spent a lot of time in the forest playing with my pretend friends. Outside of the forest I was shy and, as a teenager, a little lost. But in 10th grade I took an art class with a guy named Bill Hardy. Bill opened things up. I guess he made it okay to play with all of my old pretend friends again. At first I dabbled in painting, but soon found myself doing earthworks and found-art sculpture outdoors. I documented these creations photographically. Eventually the sculpture fell away and I just continued with the photography.

I keep working with photography because I love the process. To be honest, the medium really gets on my nerves. It is fragmentary and painfully mute. I’d be much more proud to say I was a novelist. But even if I could write novels, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.


MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


AS
What I like about this question is that you acknowledge that emerging photographers often aren’t ready to start promoting themselves. I find it aggravating that so many young photographers busy themselves with self-promotion when they should just be taking pictures. Let’s use the analogy of the young novelist. When you are writing your first novel, you don’t try to get it published based on a single chapter. First you need to write the book. Too many photographers are shopping for galleries and publishers with unfinished portfolios.

It is a long process getting the first project together. And it often leads to failure. Not only does the novelist need to finish the first book, she might need to write two or three before she hits the target. But here is the thing – when the work is good, you will know it. And when you believe in the work, you can promote it. In the end, good work will find an audience.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


AS
I didn’t plan on making a living as a photographer. I wasn’t comfortable in the commercial arena and it just didn’t seem possible to make a living off of art. So I found jobs that didn’t require more than a 9 to 5 commitment. I pursued photography on my free time. After college, I did five or so projects over the course of ten years. I showed my work locally in Minnesota but knew I wasn’t ready for prime time. But eventually I found my groove and did a project I was really proud of. I started winning grants and prizes. One thing led to another and the work was eventually exposed to a broader audience.



West Point, New York, from The Last Days Of W


Priscilla, Los Angeles, California, from The Last Days Of W


Chula Vista, California, from The Last Days Of W


Bonnie (with a photograph of an angel), Port Gibson, Mississippi 2000, from Sleeping By The Mississippi


Venice, Louisiana 2002, from Sleeping By The Mississippi


Sacred Heart Hall, Green Island, Iowa 2002, from Sleeping By The Mississippi


Jane, from Fashion Magazine


Ashley & Kelly, from Fashion Magazine


Tricia and Curtis, 2005, from NIAGARA


Newspaper 2005, from NIAGARA


Gus's Pawn Shop 2004, from NIAGARA


The Seneca 2004, from NIAGARA

© all images Alec Soth

William Greiner

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


WG
I started taking photographs when I was around 12 or 13 years old. I was into sports , mostly football, but I looked at the magazine Sports Illustrated quite a bit. I was a big fan of one of their staff photographers, Neil Leifer. He was like a super star to me. So when I first got a camera, mail order, it was this East European 35mm model with no light meter. I would spend hours out in front of my house photographing cars , as they flew down the street. There was something magical about the whole process , freezing objects, stopping time. I then did the whole high school newspaper , sports photographer thing and after I finished school, I got the chance to work in the National Football League. It was a great opportunity, but it only lasted a year and a half , when I lost my job to nepotism.

I decided to attend college, this was 1979, so I went to a small liberal arts college , North of Boston. While there, I befriended two kids from Memphis, TN. One of these kids , one day shows up in my dorm room with a copy of William Eggleston's Guide book. It turns out her dad was one of Bill's benefactors, helping to fund his career. I looked at this book and although I could not completely grasp its complexity or originality, I realized photography had the potential to be very personal and it did not have to function as journalism or "news".

On Spring break, we traveled to Memphis and I had a chance to spend time with Eggleston. This encounter was like a fork in the road and I pretty much abandoned photography as journalism. I know this is a long answer but its my answer! Photography for me now is an obsession, it is how I look at and react to the world.


MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


WG
I think that a lot of young photographers are way too aggressive now in getting out there and showing ,often , immature work. In one sense, the internet has made this all too easy. I would like to see young photographers make more than one body of work , that is well thought out and executed, before jumping in the fray. The single best thing a photographer can do is to attend photo festivals , like Fotofest in Houston. These types of events are popping up all over the world now, so you don't necessarily have to travel far to have work seen and evaluated by a visually literate audience. I attend Fotofest about 15 years ago and made some great contacts. These folks will provide a great litmus test as to whether the work is refined and original enough to exhibit.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


WG
When I finally felt like I had something to show and say with my work, I went straight to the lion's den, that for me was the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At that time, you could just drop a portfolio off on Tuesday, if there was no interest , you just picked it up on Wednesday. So I was prepared for rejection, but what ended up happening was MOMA and specifically John Szarkowski liked the work. Szarkowski chose three images from a series and purchased them for the MOMA permanent collection. The work was included in a recent acquisitions show not long after that, so this was a great boost.

At that time, it was also fairly easy to make an appointment in a given city to show a photography curator work. Everywhere I went, I made it a point to visit curators and I was able to place my work in a lot of museum collections. I think that doing this is not so easy anymore? There is lots of competition and there are gate keepers at all these institutions.




Dub Arena LSU, Baton Rouge LA 2007, from the series Baton Rouge Blues


Baton Rouge Bayou, 12/2007, from the series Bayou's Edge


Mall of Louisiana, Baton Rouge LA 3/2008, from the series Bayou's Edge


Sugar & Spice, Baton Rouge, LA 11/2007, from the series Baton Rouge Blues


Elderly Couple at Dock, New York NY 10/2007, from the series Cruise


Security Guard, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans 2006, from the series 8 Days in Spring - New Orleans Jazzfest


Pink Trailer, Metairie, LA 2005, from the series Fallen Paradise


Blue Pipe and Rebar, Metairie, LA 2000, from the series Fallen Paradise

© all images William Greiner

Zoe Strauss

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


ZS
I began making photographs as a component of a large-scale installation I cooked up. It's a ten year project and I'm in the 8th year of it right now; I exhibit 231 photographs once a year, the first weekend in May, under Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia. The concept for the installation came first and the photographs came second, but as soon as I started making the photographs I knew I loved it and that's what I wanted to do, make photos. I love making the photos... I'm interested in the actual recording of moment and the interaction that precedes the photo. I'm interested in composing the photo, both in the frame and the cropping and clean up in photoshop. I love the editing process and the construction of different narratives by changing the sequencing and placement of the photos. Even though this major project will be over in 2 years, I'm going to work with photography for the rest of my life, just based on the pleasure I get from making photos.



MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


ZS
I think there's a balance of contradictions in strong self-evaluation. People should question and be very critical of their own work while simultaneously being certain and confident of their ability to bring their work to a place where they feel it's ready to be shown. When someone feels confident in their work being ready to go out into the world, they should work their ass off to get it out there. There's not one action someone can take to be included in exhibitions or get representation, it's a long haul filled with people's opinions as the basis for how work is shown, so there's no way anyone can bank on having curators or gallery directors all show interest in one's work.

The most important thing to do in terms of seeking exposure for one's photographs is to figure out who is being addressed with the work . And then figure out which venues would allow those audiences to see the photos, and then work to get them there. Keep pressing and keep working and keep working.

That's not a super helpful answer, but it's true.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


ZS
I had a very straight forward, albeit incredible, movement into the art world. My work being recognized comes from a bunch of things, the first being that I work endlessly and am like a fucking wide open throttle freight train when it comes to my work. I am incredibly ambitious in terms of producing the strongest work I can. So here's how it happened... I began producing the I-95 installation and hen in 2002 I applied for a grant, a Leeway grant, which I got. From that grant, the Philadelphia Museum of Art became interested in my work and bought 8 of my photos. Then I applied for a Pew grant in 2005 and got that fellowship. One of the Pew panelists who juried in 2005 was a curator for the 2006 Whitney Biennial, which she then asked me to participate in. Coming out of the Whitney Biennial was an offer to have a show at Silverstein Photography and now I'm represented by them. Someone who saw that show introduced me to a publisher who then offered me a book deal... and around the same time that the book was coming about, I received a United States Artists grant. It was kind of one great thing after another.


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail


Zoe Strauss, I-95 Detail

© all images Zoe Strauss

Lori Nix

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


LN
I came to photography through the back door. I really didn’t start taking photographs until I went to college. I was friends with the college newspaper editor and I needed a job. She taught me how to process film and print the black and white photographs needed for the weekly edition. I was the darkroom technician for two years, then tried my hand at being the photo editor. My main job responsibility consisted of taking photographs of sporting events, campus life, and breaking news stories. I learned pretty fast that I wasn’t a very good photojournalist. I much preferred being secluded in the darkroom, working with processes, and not interacting with the public. Since I’m not a “people person” per se, staying inside and building my own environments to photograph is the best way I can approach my photography.
I’m in love with process and technique and my way of working is very process oriented. I thrive on the daily challenges of creating a diorama and all the problems it presents. I think those continuous challenges are what keep me inspired and working in this field.


MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


LN
My biggest piece of advice for any emerging photographer I meet is to attend a portfolio review such as Fotofest in Houston, Texas or PhotoLucida in Portland, Oregon to name a few. Yes, it’s costs a lot of money, but you are investing in your career. I can’t think of a better way of getting your work in front of so many photography professionals than the twenty minutes of undivided attention you get with a portfolio review. More important than this, are the connections you make with other photographers. You become friends, share information, and see how your work relates to theirs. I believe it is your friends who will help out your career the most with gallery connections, inclusions into exhibitions, and spreading your name around to their friends. I am indebted to a lot of my friends for getting my career to where it is today.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


LN
I honestly believe my success has been the result of a lot of hard work as well as simply being lucky. When I left school, I didn’t have any idea of how to get my career off the ground. I’ve taken the long, long, long approach by starting with juried shows, group exhibitions, and sending countless information packets that eventually found themselves back in my mailbox. Yet by trying again and again, I finally built up a little recognition, while continuing to hone my photographic craft. I applied for grants and artist residencies. The first national recognition came with a monograph published by Light Work in Syracuse, New York. This publication was sent to many university libraries, photography teachers and collectors. With the director Jeff Hoone’s help, I was given more visibility than I could imagine. After this publication, I attended several portfolio reviews and was picked up by a few commercial art galleries and was offered shows at several prominent non-profit art spaces. For now, the momentum continues. I know my art career will face ups and downs in the future. I’m trying to brace myself for these extremes.


Lori Nix, Vacuum Showroom (from The City)


Lori Nix, Tent Revival (from Accidentally Kansas)


Lori Nix, Wasps (from Insecta Magnifica)


Lori Nix, Great Hall (from The City)


Lori Nix, Natural History (from The City)


Lori Nix, Aquarium (from The City)


Lori Nix, Library (from The City)

© all images Lori Nix

Tim Hailand

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


TH
I moved to NYC in 1983 to become a painter. I have made art since I was a little kid, was always making something. Used to take lots of polaroids in the late 80’s, early 90’s. I took a small pocket 35mm camera with me to Miami around 1995 and also a box of letters, there I created my first “word pieces” and it all just clicked (no pun intended) I think in a very visual manner, and a camera helps best facilitate my vision. My imagination is my main motivation – ideas come from everywhere – I’m just a conduit for them. I love photography as it is “real”, while at the same time a complete construction as is any art form.


MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


TH
I attended art school, and have always been around other creative people. For myself, critical dialogue with smart people is essential to really figuring out what ones work is actually “about”. A strong basis of art/photography history, most importantly an awareness of the work of others that has come before you is very important. Otherwise there is no context for ones work.

That being said, I think one must always follow their own intuition and vision really do what they are inspired to do, photograph what you are most passionate about, and then hope that there is an audience for it – be true to yourself. There are no guarantees or sure way of doing anything – just work hard and manifest your visions through your work.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


TH
I’m not really a “professional photographer”, I’m an artist, I make things that I show in art galleries mainly. I don’t do “commercial” work. I have had to make my work when there seemed to be no audience for it. There are lots of people out there with cameras (especially these days with digital cameras which I never use) Hard work is the only way really, that and always pushing yourself to make better work. Figure out what makes your work special/unique and push in that direction.


Tim Hailand, Andreas Kronthaler in Milano in Berlin, 2008


Tim Hailand, Bernhard Schulte in Kaiserwerth in Rome, 2008


Tim Hailand, Fabrizio in Rome in Paris in Provincetown in London, 2007


Tim Hailand, François Sagat in Paris in Las Vegas, 2007


Tim Hailand, Lori Bell in Miami in Berlin, 2008


Tim Hailand, Maciek Mika in Krakow in Berlin, 2007


Tim Hailand, Self Portrait in Pittsburgh in Prague, 2008

© all images Tim Hailand

Andrew Phelps

MW
What inspired you to start taking photographs, and what is the primary inspiration for you to keep working in this field?


AP
I was first attracted to the science of photography. As a teenager I used to love to feel the weight of that big F2 dangling from my hand, strolling the desert, looking for motifs that I had seen before and come to recognize as “good” photographs. If I looked through the viewfinder and saw something that I thought I had seen before, on a calendar, in a magazine, on a poster, then I new it had to be good and worthy of photographing. In contrast to now, I loved talking about f-stops, film speeds and lens focal lengths. Living in the Southwest, the landscape is such a powerful force yet loaded with preconceptions of what it should look like. I was constantly chasing these preconceptions in the summer and photographing wrestling matches for my high-school yearbook during the winter. The satisfaction came from finding the right solution to the problem; making the picture what was “expected.”

It wasn’t until my time at ASU, studying with people like Bill Jay, Bill Jenkins and Tamarra Kaida that everything changed, and in such a monumental way that I still, 16 years on, am content with the struggle of trying to get my mind around what I spend my time doing. I started the photo program so sure of myself because I had all the gear and a nice picture or two to show, but nothing can prepare you for the moment you see the works of Diane Arbus, Walker Evens, Robert Frank and co., and have someone like Bill Jenkins tell you, in one simple sentence, almost as if in passing, that there is a monumental difference between “subject matter” and “content”. If I got nothing out of my studies, or to put it better, if I could break it down to one essential moment, it would be the realization that a photograph is not a documentation of reality, and it is most definitely not about the “thing” in the viewfinder.

So, to answer the question, I was using my camera for years before I was motivated to start taking photographs. I got into it because I liked the safety in knowing that it was pure science – a technical craft that could be controlled and defined by the laws of physics. I have stayed interested because I still can’t tell you why a photograph is successful.


MW
In your opinion and experience, how can emerging photographers evaluate themselves as ready to start promoting their works and seek broader exposure for their photographs? What is one vital action you would recommend photographers undertake to find their audience, be included in exhibitions, and gain professional representation?


AP
I think it is very important to spend a lengthy amount of time with a body of work. Just how long is tough to say but I believe each photographer can feel it for themselves. For me it has always been an important step in any body of work to start eliminating photographs. Images that at one time you thought were your strongest. The difference involved with putting together a group of images over time, as opposed to chasing the single interesting photo, is the distance that you gain to the images. Adding the element of time, such as revisiting a series each week for a year or two, adding to the pile and paying attention to how the images relate to one another gives you distance from and insight into your work, and insight into one’s own work is a major challenge for photographers early on in their careers. Photography is constantly becoming quicker and quicker and there is a certain danger in confusing the emotions of making the image for what is actually in front of you later on the print. So often I look through photos that someone has asked me to critique or comment on and I am amazed that some of these people often have little understanding of their own work, and most importantly how to edit their own work. Build on a series long enough to the point that you toss out images that were once essential and you will be getting close to a tightly edited body of work.

In the pursuit of galleries, shows, publications and representation, the most important factor for me has been traveling. I have worked as a curator and member of the Galerie Fotohof for the last 15 years and I can say with absolute certainty that no one has ever gotten a show by walking through the door with a fancy leather portfolio under their arm, nor by sending a CD in the mail. In fact a CD in the mail is maybe the quickest road to the garbage can; too many steps involved to get to the work and there isn’t any work out there that looks good at 72 dpi. Almost everything good I have going for me as far as galleries and publishers is concerned is the direct result of traveling and meeting people. It is the traveling and going to openings and meeting people that lead to the real relationships, and there is so much high-quality work out there that the gallery owners and publishers have to make their decisions based on something other than just good work. Personal connection, in these days of superficial email based communication, is highly respected and valued. I would, and have in the recent past, suggest to younger photographers to take the money they would spend on a portfolio and buy a plane ticket to Paris Photo or Arles or Houston Photo Festival and meet people and find galleries and publishers that you think might be interested in your work. It happens so often that people show me their work and I have to ask them if they know what I do and what I am interested in, both as photographer and curator, because the work is something I can’t begin to offer something in return on, not because it is necessarily bad, but because it’s just so far from what I relate to. This only tells me that they haven’t defined the work for themselves either.


MW
How did it come about that you achieved the status of successful, professional photographer? What steps were involved in reaching your level of success?


AP
There must be some great quote to sum up the answer to this question. The only one which comes to mind, but I repeat it with reserve because I never quite got it myself, was from Nathan Lyons, who said, I think, “fame is a cup of warm spit”. Brilliant yet completely useless to me, maybe that’s the message in itself. Success in a field like art photography is so relative. Each of us measures it with a different ruler. For me success is when an image or a body of work come together in a way unlike I had hoped, and when I can step back and say to myself “interesting, but how about trying this…?” and then move on to the next work. The most successful work you will do is the work that leads you to the next body of work. Yes, I have reached a certain level of success, but so much of it is based on my fellow photographers, critics and art directors, and sometimes by those I have admired and been inspired by and their ability to recognize what I do and call it good. How shallow is that? By the time a certain image makes its way into the wider world beyond my studio, I am usually onto the next thing, and so the praise that may come is nice, but seems as valuable as, well, a cup of warm spit. Under the same token, the negative critique also slides off as easily. I value much more the words and thoughts of a handful of close friends than all of the art critics combined.

I am avoiding the actual question because the answer is rather boring, at least my take on it. It sounds so trite, but hard work and persistence will put you in the 98 percentile right away. The other 2% is probably timing. You may be producing a work that is exactly what you need to be doing at the time, but it might not fit into the current themes and trends. It is so easy to see right through a work which is made out of speculation.

Unfortunately, the above mentioned group of friends can’t pay my rent, so I keep up the fight as best I can, which means investing all of my time not spent behind the camera or in the lab to traveling, writing and trying to get my work out there. That may be the toughest part of all, getting the work out there. Whenever I feel tripped up by all of it, I think of the words a collector once told me: “you can’t keep a good work secret”. Success, either financially or in the form of respect from your peers, does make working and moving on to the next work easier, and that is what it is all about; making the next picture.




Andrew Phelps, from HIGLEY, 2007l


Andrew Phelps, from HIGLEY, 2007


Andrew Phelps, from HIGLEY, 2007


Andrew Phelps, from HIGLEY, 2007


Andrew Phelps, from HIGLEY, 2007


Andrew Phelps, from BAGHDAD SUITE, 2008


Andrew Phelps, from NATURE DE-LUXE, 2004

© all images, Andrew Phelps