Martin Parr

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


MP
I am inspired by the crazy world we live in my desire to apply some order in my own head about this


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?


MP
Be original and stick with it with passion and urgency


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?


MP
I just keep going, ie stamina.


from the series Luxury


from the series Luxury


from the series Luxury


from the series Playas


from the series Playas


from the series Playas


from the series Melbourne Cup


from the series Melbourne Cup


from the series Melbourne Cup

© all images Martin Parr

More about Martin Parr can be found on Artsy

Ron Jude

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


RJ
It’s sort of fuzzy in terms of when I transitioned from being a photographer (as everybody is), to being a Photographer. I got my first instamatic camera when I was about ten years old, and my first 35mm when I was 16, but I didn’t take any art classes in photography until I was in college. As is the case with a lot of students of photography, my interest in my photo classes was peripheral to my main focus of study, which was philosophy. I was a junior in college when I figured out that my concerns in photography and my concerns in philosophy were beginning to merge, and that I enjoyed making pictures more than writing. (The medium of photography presents such a natural epistemological conundrum.) So, I guess the short answer to that question is that photography’s unique ability to simultaneously inform and misdirect us is what inspired me to start taking photographs in a serious way. It’s a medium that never fails to baffle me, which is why I still find it fascinating. The fact that I can never figure it out is what keeps me engaged and working.


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?


RJ
This is a tricky question that has numerous valid answers. On the one hand, I could say that nobody’s work is ever completely ready and fully developed, so go ahead and start promoting your work as soon as you have the desire to show it to an audience. Make your professional mistakes with your early work, rather than screwing things up with photographs that really deserve to be seen. On the other hand, you don’t want to put people off by being too forceful and blindly ambitious with unfocused, undeveloped work that doesn’t merit their attention. (How’s that for avoiding the question?)

I think the best thing a young artist can do is to seek feedback and advice from other photographers, particularly those who have already established decent careers for themselves. The best critiques and professional guidance I ever received came from photographers, not curators or publishers, and certainly not gallerists. I think you can establish a pretty firm sense of whether you’re “ready” or not by the feedback you get from established photographers. It’s also important to have two or three peers whose advice you really trust. These should be photographers (or writers, or painters…) with whom you share camaraderie, and whose feedback you can seek on a moment’s notice. These are the people who will help you determine if you’re ready to show your work to curators or publishers. You should never work in a vacuum.

That said, I think young artists should take great care in terms of how they go about seeking guidance and advice from established photographers. When I was just starting out, we didn’t have the internet, so if I wanted to meet someone whose work I respected and show them my photographs, I had to call them, introduce myself, and, being respectful of their time, arrange a studio visit. (Their studio, not mine. I once rode a train for 24-hours from New Orleans to Washington D.C. for a one-hour studio visit with a photographer. This brief exchange was profoundly important to my development as an artist.) I see too many young artists using the shotgun approach, e-mailing artists and publishers whose work is totally irrelevant to what they’re doing, and hoping something will pan-out. This, in my opinion, is not the way to go about it. Go to the trouble of actually speaking to people, preferably in person. It’s a much better way of establishing a meaningful and lasting conversation about what you’re doing with photography.

Commercial representation is still a bit of a mystery to me. Gallerists are extremely fickle, and a little pre-validation goes a long way in terms of getting your foot in the door. Getting those first few shows and publications can be the toughest. This is where knowing a few established artists can help. Getting an introduction from someone who’s already represented at a gallery can make things easier. (That said, your goal in meeting established artists should never be to simply use them to get an introduction to their gallery. You should happily accept an offer for an introduction, but it’s bad form to ask for one.) Beyond that, I think the main thing about seeking representation is to make sure you’re targeting the right galleries. Do your homework. Visit a lot of galleries, go to openings, and have a clear sense that your work is appropriate for what their program is and who their clients are. And have patience. The art world can seem like a cruel place when you’re first starting out (or twenty years later, for that matter). Be prepared for closed doors and a fair share of indifference to your work, but don’t internalize it. Just go back a few times, and if that doesn’t work, move on to the next gallery. In the meantime, don’t stop trying to get your work seen in other settings like art centers and even alternative spaces. Build up momentum with what you’re doing. This will give you a sense of purpose and the edge of professionalism that you won’t have if you just hang around waiting for a gallery to represent you.


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?


RJ
I guess the idea of “success” is relative. I’m in my 40s, and I’ve been a working photographer for about twenty years and I’m still seen by many as an “emerging” artist. (I must have receded a few times.) I think there are many routes to success, and different levels of success. From a pragmatic standpoint, the success on my résumé has come from setting simple goals for myself with each body of work. Gallery shows, museum shows, and magazine and book publishing are all a part of the mix, depending on where my interests are at any given moment. (Right now, for instance, I’m more interested in book publishing than exhibitions. A person with real ambition would tell you to do both!) Doing the work is always the main priority, but finding the appropriate audience for it is just as important. For me, that part is a constant struggle. I’ve done pretty well career-wise, but I’ve never had that magical moment where suddenly everything changed for me and people were knocking on my door, wanting to work with me. It’s gotten easier the more I’ve done, but it’s still hard work in terms of getting my work out there. You have to believe that what you’re doing is important enough to show to an audience and maintain that belief despite the inevitable setbacks. As long as you continue to be interested in photography in a way that goes beyond having a glorified hobby, you will, by necessity, continue to seek an audience.

The way I’ve sustained my uniquely meandering level of success has been to maintain a sense of why I decided to pursue photography seriously in the first place. The medium of photography is maddingly limited in terms of how it communicates things, and in this limitation I find everything I love about it. I like what happens when you take a picture of something—the strange, indexical, yet fully fictional transformation that occurs. It’s an incomplete, visual form of muttering, and it’s perfect in that sense.



Brundage Mtn., ID 1998


Shore Lodge, McCall, ID 1998


Yellowpine, ID 1997


Mountain Cabin, Lick Creek Road 1998


Lakeside Home 1998


Untitled. From Alpine Star 2006


Untitled. From Alpine Star 2006


Untitled. From Alpine Star 2006


Untitled. From Alpine Star 2006

© all images Ron Jude

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