Comparing and Contrasting Two Photobloggers: Kathleen Connally and Sam Javanrouh

Kathleen Connally is the photographer from the photoblog "A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania" (www.durhamtownship.com)...

Sam Javanrouh is the photographer from the photoblog "Daily Doese of Imagery" (wvs.topleftpixel.com)...

Can you explain a little bit about your photoblog and what you do?

Kathleen Connally: My photoblog features the rural area and people where I live. I take almost all of my shots within a ten mile radius of my home, usually significantly less.

It's a somewhat remote area where neighbors are acres apart, there are many working farms and a lot of natural beauty. Urban sprawl gets closer everyday, and I hope my images will remind people how precious the land and open space are to our sense of well-being.

Sam Javanrouh: I post one photo a day on my photoblog. The photo is mostly recent and from Toronto, but sometimes it’s chosen from my archive and from my trips.

When did you first know you wanted to be a photographer?

KC: Ummm… well that was never a conscious thought. It just came to be. It grew out of a desire -- or rather a drive -- to effectively use a camera to capture a vision I had in my head. Otherwise that would be putting the cart before the horse, right?

SJ: I’m technically not a photographer, since my profession is something else. But I’ve always been a fan of photography and have been taking photos on and off from when I was a kid.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

KC: Life, nature, people, colors -- but mostly light and shadow and how they play on the earth.

SJ: Inspiration can come from different sources; from a ray of light streaking through the clouds to a piece of painting. But my main inspiration comes from movies and the work of my favourite cinematographers.

Do you look at a lot of photography? Do you get ideas from the photography you look at?

KC: I love looking at photography. I love photoblogs especially. And of course I’m inspired by many photographers in terms of technique and equipment. I’m inspired by just as many painters and paintings, too.

SJ: Yes, I do look at a lot of photography; online and offline. I spend a lot of time looking at photo books and photo sites. They do give me ideas and inspiration constantly.

How do you know what makes a "good" picture from a "bad" picture?

KC: Hmmmm… I have a little dilemma with the words “good” and “bad.” I really think it’s all subjective, and what works for one person may not work for another. The images that really work for me are those that are true to the person taking the shot – they have the photographer’s heart and soul in them and it’s evident. Therefore, skill and experience are no matter for me in terms of enjoying a photograph – if someone puts his or her heart into a macro of a bumblebee in a flower, I’m going to love it.

Subjectivity makes it impossible to know or guess what is “good” or “bad” to anyone else. If you’re creating photographs that please you, and feel right to you, keep going with that. To thine own self be true. You can certainly heed the advice of those you respect, but always listen to your own creative voice first.

SJ: It’s mostly the feeling you get from looking at the photo. Although I do take the basic rules of photography in mind when making pictures, I don’t necessarily think every photo should follow them. You can find many photos that are great and tell a moving story but are not made following the rules. A photo should speak to the viewer, no matter how it’s done.

Do you have a certain subject you especially like to take pictures of?

KC: This might sound strange, but ambient light is almost always my subject.

SJ: I photograph anything that interests me, but I’m fascinated by spaces, architecture, structures and textures among others.

What kind of things do you think about when you take a picture (lighting, angles, etc.)?

KC: First, light: How does the light strike this object or person or scene? I see the light first, and the object the light is shining on as a mere vessel for the greater impact of the light.

Second, composition: How can I frame this scene in an effective way? How do I create tension and interest? Truthfully, I no longer think about it – it just happens, like learning to drive a car with a stick shift. One day you’re counting gears, and before you know it, you’re unconsciously shifting while the car quietly speaks to you.

Third, camera: How can I get this camera to perform the best possible way for this shot? Should I use spot metering, should I change the ISO, should I use exposure compensation, etc.?

Fourth, histogram: After I’ve taken the shot, how does the histogram look? Did I blow out any of the highlights, is it too dark?

Fifth, safety: Did I pull over far enough on the side of the road? Am I standing in quicksand? J

(Shoot first, ask questions later.)

SJ: It becomes second nature to think about light, camera settings, focusing and framing but mostly the angle and where I’m standing to shoot the subject. Sometimes walking one step back or to one side can make all the difference in the world when taking a picture.

Being an artist, can you talk maybe a little bit about what the job of an artist is or more specifically, a photographer. For me, I like to do art, and I find it is about observing. You are not re-creating something, but you are re-representing or opening peoples’ eyes to something. Do you agree with any of that? What are your views?

KC: As an artist, I feel it’s my job to observe, learn and do research in order to inform people about situations they may not normally see or hear about themselves -- either because they’re too busy doing what they do (i.e., operating on someone’s brain, hauling garbage, mowing the lawn, selling cars, taking care of the children) or because it’s outside of their sphere of interest –- and to inform them in a way that grabs their attention. In my case, I’ve found that photography is a superb way to inform people about open space, and the important work of the farmer, and how urban sprawl is threatening both –- and how we really can’t afford to live without either.

Art just happens to be the medium in which I have the talent to make such statements, and from which people have been willing to learn.

SJ: I’m still not sure about the definition of an artist and what their responsibility is. As for me, I do try to take pictures of the things that appeal to me and hope that it appeal to some other people as well. If I can achieve that I’m happy.

Do you ever have moments where you say, "I wish I had a camera"?

KC: Never, because I almost always have my camera with me. When I don’t have it, I’m intentionally taking time off and that balance is really important to me. There are times when I wish to just enjoy the moment without capturing it.

SJ: Definitely! That’s why I take my camera with me almost everywhere.

Some photographers go all out in trying to find some fancy camera. Do you feel that it matters that much about the camera you have?

KC: What matters is what camera works for the type of photographs you wish to create, or the statement you wish to make. For example, a high-end camera may be necessary for commercial work, etc., and yet for the same photographer, a homemade pinhole camera made from a shoebox might be just the thing for another project.

My advice for beginners is to practice with what you have until you figure out that you need something else to support your artistic vision. The camera does NOT make the photographer. Practice does.

SJ: Camera is just a tool and it doesn’t really matter what you use. The eye is what matters.

How do you make a living off of your photography?

KC: I don’t! It’s still in the “very serious hobby” phase.

SJ: As I mentioned earlier, photography is not my profession and I do take photos on the side and I make my living as a creative director for an animation and effects company.

Do you do posed photography? If so, what differences do you find there are between posed photography and non-posed? Does the way you take the photo or what you think about when taking the photo change?

KC: I can’t think of many instances where I’ve done posed photography. It’s just not what I do – I would rather capture what’s natural, what’s available, what’s part of the environment. Also, I think posed photography requires a great deal of forethought and I don’t have the luxury of time in my life right now.

SJ: I try to try all sorts of photography but I rarely take posed photos. They are 2 different worlds and I find them very different. Posed photography is mostly about communicating with the subject and candid photography is all about timing and capturing the moment.

Do you ever digitally change a photograph or add to it? If so, why and what kind of things do you do to it? Also, what program do you use?

KC: I use Photoshop CS in the very same ways a film photographer uses a darkroom: to remove dust or dirt, to burn and dodge, to saturate, sharpen and add contrast. I don’t use Photoshop to add or change elements in my images – to me, that’s graphic arts, not photography. Sometimes, not too often, I go a little crazy at the controls just because it’s so much fun to experiment, but my general practice is to use Photoshop as a digital darkroom. Frankly, there’s not enough time in my day to do too much more that that, and it’s certainly not part of my overall vision. There seems to be a bit of naivety around photographers using Photoshop. The truth is that digital photographers are using the same tools – although more modern, digital versions -- that Ansel Adams used in his darkroom and on his cameras to produce one image per month at the peak of his career. Photoshop is simply a darkroom without chemicals. Granted, it can be used for much more dramatic graphic arts effects, but at least in the photoblogging community, Photoshop is generally treated as a darkroom.

SJ: I use Photoshop to process my images, much like traditional photographers process their photos in the darkroom.

Do you ever collage your photos or do something with them besides letting them be?

KC: I have a lot of respect for artists who do collage and that kind of thing, but for me, that’s more graphic arts, less photography, and it’s not my thrust, nor even remotely my interest.

SJ: Sometimes, if the subject calls for it.

When you find something you want to take a picture of, do you just take one good picture of it, or do you take a bunch?

KC: A whole bunch! I shoot between 100-300 images per day. On some days, 50 shots will be of one scene over the course of a few minutes, or a few hours, just to see how the light changes. Since I’m using digital cameras, there’s every reason to experiment, and I feel like I’ve failed in my mission if I come home with space on any of my CF cards.

SJ: It depends. If it’s a fleeting moment, one is all you can do. But if time permits, I always try to capture multiple exposures.

Do you ever take a picture and kind of leave it alone for a couple of months, and then come back to it?

KC: Rarely – I shoot so many images each day and the idea of pouring back through my archives seems too daunting right now. One day I will, though!

SJ: Sure, it happens all the time.

Do you save all the pictures you take? Are there ever pictures you throw away that you wish you hadn't?

KC: I’m an image packrat. To me, every photo, no matter how blurred or overexposed, is a work of documentation. Even though the person’s face is a little out of focus, they’ll never look like that again, and it’s worth keeping just because of that. Even though the silo on that farm over there is a little overexposed, one day that silo may not exist and a condominium will take its place. I want to remember the silo, because no matter how bad the silo looks, it will ALWAYS look better than the stupid condo.

SJ: I almost keep all the pictures I take. Unless there are shot with the lens cap on!

Do you ever feel like your feelings that day come out in your pictures? For instance, if you're sad, all your pictures might look gray and depressing?

KC: Of course. I think the creation of art is a form of “brain writing” – whatever is floating around in your mind, consciously or unconsciously, is bound to come through your neural channels, into your fingertips and onto your artwork. But it’s not correspondingly simple to analyze a photo or painting and make sense of the artists’ mood or psychological well-being at the time of its creation.

SJ: Yes definitely. It’s very interesting how your mood can affect your picture.

Some people think of photography and video in the same category? What is your response to that? Do you ever think of doing film?

KC: I would like to have a beer and a serious conversation with those people [Who confuse photography and video].

I’m about to launch into film again for the first time in four years. I intend to work with an antique medium-format camera, and I’m in the market to buy the film version of my Nikon D100 – the Nikon F100 – because I love Nikon and because I can use the same lenses. I want to work with Fuji Reala 100 film for starters.

There is a quality in film that I’ve just never been able to duplicate with digital – it’s a multi-layered vibrancy, a life, a feeling that is unmistakably rich and beautiful and which gives so much more depth to the subject at hand. I yearn to work with film. Digital is great practice for my real life in film, I think!

SJ: I’m a big fan of movies, documentary and fiction. I do think they share a lot of the same principles but can be very different at the same time. And yes I think about making movies quite often.

Do you ever think of stopping your photoblog?

KC: No – I can’t even imagine stopping it – I think it would break my heart! It’s my practice ground, my studio, my discipline, my way of reaching out to the world to say hello! I love it. It’s demanding as hell but I love it!

SJ: At some point it might be unavoidable but for now I’ll try to keep alive for quite some time.