Intermission: Irwin Barbé for The Working Proof

You probably remember Irwin Barbé from a previous feature here on milkwithtea. He recently published a print for The Working Proof, which is "an online print gallery and shop with the mission of promoting both art and social responsibility through a series of limited-edition prints".

"The print is called Bleuités, and is meant to be halfway between a typical family photograph and an art picture. The word 'bleuités' comes from Arthur Rimbaud's poem Le Bateau Ivre/The Drunken Boat. It doesn't translate exactly, but in English, it means something like 'bluenesses', which works well with Irwin's print and the blue tones it captures."


To take a look go to:

Irwin Barbé on The Working Proof and here for the interview with Irwin.


Thanks to Anna for the notice.

Rob Brulinski

Rob Brulinski
Baltimore City, MD
flickr website blog

Are you a student? If so, what do you study?

I am not a student nor do I attend college.


What will the themed book you're working on be about?

Loosely, it will be about perceived spirituality.


Your girlfriend is a photographer, too. Do you work together often?

Melissa Prentki is also a poet & writer, she is like a swiss army knife of usefulness. We do reflect our ideas towards each other for direction & interpretation which I can say has helped. We don't always mesh on how to go about a project or even the idea itself, but I know that her input is genuine to her ability & it becomes one of the first things that I consider.


What do you like about Polaroids?

The Polaroid is a technically easy (in comparison to a rangefinder) camera to get the hang of. The camera itself forced me to do things that a high end digital camera cannot teach so starkly. To work within it's limitation and still produce enjoyable work is great. At the time, I did not have the knowledge into proper camera equipment. I probably still don't.


Do you consider either online portfolios or sites like flickr more helpful than the other for photographers? If so, why?

Well, that depends on what the individual wants to do with their work. I consider Flickr a social popularity contest that currently has the online community a photographer wants. Receiving an email from somebody that took the time to interpret my portfolio site is worth more than a million folks clicking the "favorite" button on flickr. Hell, I'd love a few emails asserting my work as complete garbage over the "favorite" button. This interview makes me sound pessimistic.


When was the last time you totally ruined a whole roll or felt that you outperformed yourself?

I ruined three rolls this month. One roll just rolled up into it's case after the first photo was taken and that was that. The other two rolls just came out under par. I never think in "rolls" because when you have a photo(s) that turns out extremely well, everything before that was just part of the process.


Is there a period or style in art history you particularly like?

If we could just consider art history as a chinese buffet then my plate would have a little bit of noodles, a few pieces of shrimp, & a vegetarian egg roll.


What was the worst horror movie you ever saw?

Oh man, the movie S.I.C.K. (Serial Insane Clown Killer) is the obvious winner, but the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode title Manos: The Hands of Fate is a good runner up.


Are you more into social or rather natural sciences?

All science is good science.


What would you say is the the best invention from within the last 10 years?

Personally, the MP3 player is because I broke so many portable CD players growing up.


Do you have a favorite character/figure in a movie/book/tv series?

Most likely the character Howard Roark. Dr. Strangelove is fantastic as well. Omar from The Wire too.


Your newspaper of choice?

New York Times even though I live in Baltimore City. The paper here is shit.


The perfect pizza has to include ...

Pineapples with extra sauce & cheese.


What is more important for you in a movie: the dialogues or the action?

I have really bad hearing in both my ears but a movie with dialogue (and subtitles) over action.



Really good perspectives, be sure to take a look at his work!

Martina Giammaria

Martina Giammaria
Rome, Italy
flickr website

polonaise blog

What is an important basic component in a trapezist's life?

Definitely the most important thing is that a trapezist can fly, for some moments he's in the air without any help or support. that's why I choose this path ;)


Is there something that specifically captured you in photography?

The fact that I have an instant result. I'm really fickle and I could never be able to learn to paint or to learn some other form of expression that requires years of manual training for the first result.


In your interview with "ilovethatphoto" you said that photography would be a "good way to avoid the analyst". Why would you want to do that?

Psychoanalyst is too expensive! It's better to solve our "psychosis" by ourselves.


Seeing it's spring in Europe right now, which camera(s) do you currently like to use when working daytime/outdoors?

Working by day and outside is what I like most. And the cameras that actually are more close to my way of taking pictures are the analog ones. This doesn't means that I dislike the digital world, the digital forces you to have a good idea, you can get out with the vintage fashion of the film. You need a good project, content, not just images, something that justifies its use and all the postproduction that you could do.
Film is hard to be managed technically, you have to think and value all the variables with more attention, you can't do too many errors, but it also helps you in the end. It carries a "serious project" sensation with it, something to consider more carefully. Film is also for lazy people and I'm totally lazy now and in love with the analogue colors.
So film cameras, reflex and compact, 35mm and medium format.


What do you think is most appealing in fashion photography?

I like it for two different things: you can be very creative and earn money at the same time (if someone pays you) and I like the female body a lot, but I don't have 20 years anymore and I'm a bit tired of selfportraits, so it's great to have beautiful models to empathize with.


Are there certain spots in Rome that have a special atmosphere for you?

There's a fantastic light in Rome, the whole year. And this is a lot already. I really like the big green area, where I can find different kinds of vegetation.


The subject you liked/disliked the most in school?

Italian literature and latin. Looking back my school was really boring


Let's say in 30-40 years, what is you photocollection going to look like?

You mean when I will be 60-70 years old? It’s hard to tell, probably a lot of negative folders in perfect order on several shelves and some hard disk with a mess of files inside. And I hope that the best galleries in the world will also have some big prints of my photos on their walls.


After you trip through Poland, which country would you like to visit next?

The USA. Never been there and I have great expectations from this country that I want to confirm or destroy.


Connected to this, could you see yourself among the traveling orientalists, archeologists, adventurers etc. of especially the 19th century?

This is a strange question because I have a degree in archeology. And I started studying archeology thinking of Indiana Jones and his adventures. I saw myself travelling in the middle east discovering ancient cities. Obviously the reality was different, archeologists now work in another way. The 19th century was probably my century!


How important is romanticism in your work?

I'm not romantic, and I don't want my photos to look that way, but I suppose its impossible to avoid it since in the moment they become romantic they start becoming memories. There are photos I took last year, when the story with my boyfriend began, that have nothing special or beautiful, but I can't stop loving them or using them to represent my work. I wonder how this is perceived by the rest of the world.

What is you favourite ice cream flavour?

Coconut and pistachio.

Collection of lovely and varied pictures, be sure to take a look at her work!

Kristie Muller

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Jordan Small

Jordan Small
Michigan
flickr

How is life in Michigan?

Wonderful, Michigan is totally underrated. I hate it sometimes, but it's a beautiful state. I love that it can be 70 degrees one day and snowing the next. It keeps things interesting when there isn't a pattern.


Do you take pictures continuously or would you describe it more like in high/low activity phases?

Both. I always have a camera on me, so I'm always shooting, but it might take me a couple of weeks to finish a roll or a couple of hours.


Please explain this brilliant one here.

Haha...I was just walking to class and I wanted to take a picture of the field, but then remembered I had a banana in my backpack, so 1+1=2.


Why do you refuse to use Photoshop?

I fell in love with photography for the process. I'm really proud to have a craft; I think that skills have become less common. I enjoyed rolling my own film, composing images, getting the exposure I wanted, developing the film, and finally printing. There is so much more to photography than the moment you click the shutter. When I first started taking pictures, I cared very little about whether the photos were "good", it was a matter of mastering the craft. When I think of an image I want to create (which is hardly ever the case), I find it much more interesting to do so without Photoshop. It's just not a tool in my bag of tricks. I prefer doing things in camera, messing with chemicals, cutting, scanning, etc... It's all much more hands on, and therefore a more direct expression.


You have quite a few photos of landscapes/nature. Is this something you are interested in photographing, or do you just find yourself being inspired by it?

I mean nature/earth/life is the ultimate piece of art, and all art is just an homage to it one way or another. I guess I'm just not that subtle about it. Also, I get really excited when I find a photographer who presents a landscape in a new way because I think it can be difficult to be creative with nature photography.


Related to this, if you think about it, what is your preference: parks, the woods or open fields?

They are all good, there's no such thing as a bad location. I guess I prefer woods because it's more challenging to find silence in all the clutter.


Which colour would you paint your first house?

Well I hope it will be a log cabin, so...


You know you like a person more than usual when ...

You can't explain why.


What do you consider more classy for writings: black or blue ink?

Black, traditional.


If you would be offered to exhibit your work along with a photographer of your choice, who would it be?

That's tough because so many photographers have inspired me, but I have no idea which ones my photos would work with. So, I might just take some liberties with this one and say I'd like to recreate Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky's images, because the technique fascinates me.


Do you consider art a necessity?

Yeah, I was actually talking about this with a friend not too long ago. We were trying to figure out the evolutionary benefits of art. What about the cave paintings helped prehistoric humans to survive? There's gotta be something there.


How do you like your coffee?

Black for sure.


Is there some period/issue in history that you are interested in?

I guess it's kind of ethnocentric of me, but I've been really into American history recently. The Founding Fathers deserve more credit. Teddy Roosevelt was pretty amazing too.


What could make you not publish a picture that you actually like?

When my girlfriend won't let me because she thinks she looks bad in it.



Beautiful work, be sure to visit his flickr!