Van Robinson

Van Robinson
Central California
flickr blog

friends and cameras

Short interview with Van:


First things first: what made you start taking photographs?

When I first started, I wanted to be a famous underwater photographer.


If your .... camera would break, you'd probably start to cry.

No I would just be pretty sad but never cry


Where was this taken?

On the top of a hill in the middle of my town


Your favourite cartoon villain?

Skelletor


A place far away you would consider traveling to just for taking photos?

The salt flats


Shirt or t-shirt?

Shirt


Which band would you join immediately if offered to do so?

Jethro Tull


Is there an exhibition which impressed and inspired you a lot?

I've never been


Are you the only one among your friends who takes photographs?

No, all my friends take photos


The worst movie you ever saw?

The Pregnancy Pact


Is there something that always works in photography?

No, not everything always works


Which magazine would you shoot for?

Color Magazine

Great gallery, be sure to take a look at his flickr and blog!

Jordan Kay

Jordan Kay

Seattle, Washington

flickr website blog

old flicks, sketchbooks, espresso noir

Interview with Jordan:

In "Right Out of My Hair" and "The Utopia Serie" you state those were inspired by old movies. What do you find interesting or inspirational in old movies?

I really like the roles women had [in general] in Classical Hollywood film. There were various characters, but the lighting and pancakish makeup is the same. Growing up, I watched many 1930s & 40s films and somehow they painted this picture of love (and classy seduction) I thought I'd grow up to master. I'd secluded myself off into this fantasy world happy endings, that I thought were destined to happen to me. I suppose also Disney had a huge part in my "make-believe future." (As for practically every kid.)


Do you find it easier to draw images that are in your head or rather things and people that are before you?

I think I do a mix of both. I have an idea.. then draw something set before me at random... then twist the image with things/patterns from my mind until it fits the idea. If drawing is "problem solving," then I definitely make the problem far worse before it gets "solved."


What is the best way to overcome times of idea-less-ness?

Draw. Anything.


When working on you Illustrated Notebook, did you search for phrases that matched what you wanted to draw/paint, let yourself get inspired by certain phrases or just let it happen spontaneously?

I picked out the funniest/or most interesting phrases, then either drew something that obviously went with it, or just drew something. Anyone who sees the drawing will make their own associations either way.


Beachhouse or hut in the woods near a lake?

Ooo...ugh, both? Could cabin be an option? A cabin near a lake & the beach....half in the woods?


Is there a novel you would like to redesign the book cover for?

Ian McEwan's "Atonement".


Latte or espresso?

Espresso


Your favourite spot in your hometown?

Old decrepit railway bridge that stills runs over the river.


You made a 1980s Hip-Hop Coloring Book. What could be the next theme for a coloring book?

I was originally going to make a 90s Hip-hop book, but I'm thinking maybe more towards a gossip zine about celebrities in the 90s (or maybe just all about one celeb...that'd be kind of funny... and make the gossip wildly impossible.)


How did you like the interior design of the Brighton Pavillion?

A M A Z I N G. Can that be the hut on the lake?


In art, you're tired of seeing ...

Any pretentiousness that goes along with it.



Such inspiring work, be sure to visit her flickr and website!

Romke Hoogwaerts

Romke Hoogwaerts
New York City
flickr website
MOSSLESS magazine
beauty/fascination/eye of the beholder

It was a pleasure interviewing Romke:


When did you start taking photographs?

I remember having the opportunity to take photos with my parents' cameras when I was as little as 7 and getting really carried away with it, but I didn't get my first real camera until I was 13 or 14. I got really into it. I wanted a Hasselblad right then and there! Of course I didn't get one, and I've since only touched one with my fingertip once.


Have you ever been on mossless.com?

Actually, before we started doing interviews we posted an image and the caption- their age and something about them. The very first post is one of my photos, and the second is my good friend Juan Chao who still helps me out with the blog.


What is the best part of running Mossless Magazine?

Getting into contact with really great people! I don't know if I'd be friends with Dave Geeting or Bobby Doherty (one of the funniest people I've ever met) if it wasn't for the blog. It's very humbling, how many people I've gotten into contact with through the blog.
If I wanted to go to Iceland this summer, for example, I now know at least three people who live or have lived there, which is great!


Can you give a sneak peak on the upcoming issue in march?

No, but what I can tell you is that I am incredibly excited and really proud of what is to come.


What do you like most about Amsterdam? Did you ever encounter anything strange there?

My favourite thing about Amsterdam is this club called Sugarfactory on sunday nights when they have "Wicked Jazz Sounds" nights. When I go to Amsterdam I'm virtually a tourist, I've never lived in Holland and I can count on my hands how many times I've been to that city- but the strangest thing I saw must have been a David Lachapelle photograph, haha.


Your favourite fast food?

Chipotle.


You study film/video at SVA. Are you currently working a film project?

Yeah, actually. Our production class this semester is wholly dedicated to one film project each. Mine's still only in the first draft phase, though.


Short films or music videos. What do you prefer to do at the moment?

Tough question! I love music videos, and you can really experiment visually with them, and think of crazy ideas that probably wouldn't work otherwise. Maybe them. I wish I had more opportunities to make music videos to good songs! I made one for an up and coming band called the Peppermint Lounge, it's on my Vimeo.


If you could choose a palace or fort to live in, which one would it probably be?

Probably the Forbidden City if I could have it all to myself and my friends.


Orson Welles or John Ford?

John Ford's ridiculously long résumé unfortunately falls just under Orson's persona in my opinion. Just the whole War of the Worlds thing, and driving around in an ambulance to beat traffic - insane, genius.


Your most beloved camera?

Out of the cameras I've collected, most of which don't work any more, probably my Voigtländer. I've always wanted a working Leica, though. But doesn't everyone!


Whose online photo gallery or flickr do you visit most often?

Unfortunately he doesn't put his photos on flickr much anymore, but Coley Brown's photos are some of my favourites. I've had the opportunity to meet him since, per chance! One of the nicest guys I know.
As for online galleries, I check butdoesitfloat almost every other day.


Your favourite movie in 2009?

The Hurt Locker, but I have yet to see The White Ribbon!



Lovely and fascinating gallery, incredibly good photography magazine. Be sure to visit his flickr and website! Don't forget to take a look at MOSSLESS.

Nemanja Knezevic

Nemanja Knezevic
Belgrade, Serbia
flickr blog

70 days in Atlantic City

The photo series shown here were taken in Atlantic City, USA. Nemanja spent two and a half months there last summer. He is interested in collaborations, various projects, zines, and all that comes along with it. He also is a member of Belgrade Raw Collective. Be sure to visit his flickr and blog!

Twist Idea: Artem Mishukov & Ulya Kimaeva

Twist Idea

Artem Mishukov & Ulya Kimaeva

Moscow, Russia

flickr website

Artem's blog Ulya's blog

scandalous

No interview this time. But be sure to take a look at their work!

Ramona Flume

Ramona Flume

Austin, TX

flickr

mellow but adventurous

Interviewing Ramona was most exclusive fun:


What urges you to take a photograph at a specific moment?

I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many things I love: my family, my roommates and friends, my city. So it’s always different, but it usually involves a gasp, a ‘don’t move’ and then a click.


You have a series of pictures taken in South America in 2007. What was the occasion? And your best memory from that time?

I traveled alone through South America in 2009 for a journalism fellowship. I visited indigenous tribes and regions throughout Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Every open road, dusty bus ride and day-long boat trip were standout memories.


And you were also in Spain. Which building's or monument's art and architectural features impressed you most?

Everything Gaudi did was extremely impressive. I remember liking the servant quarters in Casa Batillo the best, actually. They were right under the rippling roof, so they got the best air and sunlight all day. I guess that must have been more for practical purposes like laundry back then, but I thought it was the most beautiful part of the home.


What is going on here?

That is a fort I made recently when home for the holidays. I never grew out of making them. My whole family was actually at a dinner when I made this and when my Mom came home and saw an entirely deconstructed room, she asked me if I was “on something.”


You have a band and can choose who you'd like to go on tour with. Who will it be?

It’d have to be Bjork. I think she is brilliant and I’m a huge fan of her music, but I would want to tour with her just to dress up with her backstage, put on face paint and sequins and listen to her talk about Iceland and fireflies. She is so precious.


Dusk or Dawn?

Dawn. I get adrenaline rushes in the morning so I’m usually not too tired to enjoy the sunrise.


If you could be a super hero, which power would you want to have?

I’m always reading, but I couldn’t read everything I wanted in ten lifetimes. I think I’d want the power to absorb all the contents of a book just by touching the cover. I’d be quoting Kierkegaard and speaking Mandarin by Friday.


Which camera do you achieve your recent low light pictures with?

A small Olympus Stylus film camera I keep in my purse.


What do you order at the drive-in most often?

Always: cheeseburger with fries. Chocolate milkshake if needed.


One country or city you wish to visit the most?

It changes all the time, but right now it’s Cambodia and Vietnam. Fingers crossed for this summer…


Do you plan to incorporate photography in your work as a journalist in future?

I do. I always have my camera with me and it’s such a good way to add perspective to subjects in articles. Photographs tell a completely different story of a person, so I like to compare and contrast that with print. I’ve always been most interested in people who are complex and complicated, so the more incongruities the better.


What do you like/dislike about family portraits?

It’s really easy to find my family in intimate settings, so I love that aspect. But I also know them so well that I can tell if they are tense or uncomfortable in front of the camera. So I have to wait longer to catch them off guard or relaxed, as opposed to with a stranger.


Your favourite dessert?

My grandma’s chocolate meringue pie.

Wonderful pictures, you can even sense the air and atmosphere. Be sure to visit her flickr!