Interview #7 Chris is another person from the pool of talent over at the OCAU Photography forums. A bloke with lots of talent, and a terrific sense of humour. You only have to look at some of his Project 365 photos to see both attributes. He is just back from a month in England, so I thought it would be a good time to ask him a few questions about his photography.

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Thanks Chris for taking time out for this Q&A session. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself. Things like age, job, where you live etc.

Where to start. So I’m a kid at heart in the body of a guy approaching middle age. Truth be told I’ll be hitting the big 40 later this year. I live in a small rural town in the Riverina (Southern NSW) and I earn my crust working at an abattoir performing IT, payroll and administrative duties.

What started you out in photography and how long have you been into photography seriously?

I can’t really recall what started me out. Ever since high school I have always had a camera of one description or another but really in those early days, happy snaps were all I was really after. I think that maybe it was in 2000 that my interest in photography was really piqued. I traveled to Europe, the UK and North America during a 2 month vacation. I took with me a Pentax MZ-30 35mm SLR with a mid range zoom as well as a Canon IXUS (not sure of the exact model) APSC compact camera. Over the course of those 8 weeks I rattled off 39 rolls of film. Stupid me, had almost all of that film developed in the States thinking that it would be cheaper than having it done here in OZ. Unfortunately I didn’t factor in the excess baggage fees that I would incur. It wasn’t long after I had returned to Australia that Canon released the D30. By the end of the year, along with the leftover money from my holiday, I’d saved enough to buy my first DSLR along with a couple cheap primes purchased off E-Bay. The D30 got me hooked and the rest is history.

What do you find challenging in photography? And what comes easily?

I find every aspect of photography challenging. I’m self taught and mostly I have arrived where I am as a photographer via a process of trial and error. With the explosion of digital photography and the subsequent flood of material on the interwebs, that learning curve has become a lot less steep. If ever I get to the point where photography does not challenge me, then it will be time to retire the camera for good.

Is there a style of photography you don’t enjoy?

I wouldn’t say there is a style I don’t enjoy so much as there are styles that I am not comfortable with. Street for example. I think that for good street photography you need to be good at getting the shot without your subject being aware that they are being photographed. It’s not something I find easy to do. Not because I don’t know how but more because the idea of the need to be a little sneaky is not something I am comfortable with. Especially in this day and age where every person with a camera is viewed as either a terrorist, a paedophile or both.

What made you take up the 365 days challenge this year and how are you finding it?

Ahhhh project 365. I’ve had to put it on hold. I’ve been suffering from a terrible case of “holidayus interuptus” and as a result I haven’t taken an SP for well over a month now. I’m a creature of habit and having spent the last 8 weeks away from home has disrupted my routine to the point that I’ve missed too many days to catch up with. Having said that, now that I am back home and settling back into work and my usual routine, I fully intend to start over on Project 365.

Until I started it, I really didn’t realize just how much I needed it. I’d been suffering a little from photographers block and was finding it difficult to get motivated. Project 365 turned that all around. It gave me a reason to put the camera in my hand again. It has given me the opportunity to improve on and expand my technique and most importantly, bring a little fun back into my photography.

You have 3 shots left to take. You can go anywhere and meet any one. What do you photograph?

Oooh, difficult question. Well I guess that firstly I would love to have cart blanche to photograph the world gurning champion. Think Mr Bean meets Jill Greenburg and you’ll have some sort of idea of what I am thinking.

Secondly, a self portrait……… on Mars! Now wouldn’t that be a great way to finish off a 365 project.

Lastly, Hugh Hefner’s final will listing me as sole beneficiary. Hey a guy can dream can’t he?

What Flickr people have influenced your photography? And in what way?

I don’t know whether there are any Flickr members who have influenced my photography but there are certainly plenty that inspire me.

Todd Norbury – http://www.flickr.com/photos/norbography/ (ed. awww shucks!)

Alex Wise – http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexwise/ (from interview #4)

Shelton Muller – http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheltonmuller/

ajpscs – http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajpscs/

zelnunes – http://www.flickr.com/photos/zelnunes/

Don Gianatti – http://www.flickr.com/photos/wizwow/

David “Strobist” Hobby – http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhobby/

Lara Swift – http://www.flickr.com/photos/laraswift/

I could go on and on. In fact, last count, I’d subscribed to well over 150 rss feeds of members that I like to follow.

Of course I couldn’t not mention crustydolphin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/crustydolphin/) It was through following her stream that I discovered the whole self portrait community and it was there that I learned that self portraits could be fun with a little work. It was at that point that I decided to try my hand at a 365 project.

When you grow up, what do you want to be? Or who would you like to be?

If and when I grow up I’d like to be an adult. What I really really would like would to be able afford to pursue photography as a full time hobby. Not to make money so much as to make art. However if people wish to recognize that art by throwing wads of cash at me, I certainly wouldn’t complain.

How much does the camera dictate the photo? Has your photography changed since getting a 5D2?

I am of the opinion that the equipment dictates the shot really only at the extremes. For example, the ISO performance of the 5D2 is such that I was able to get an acceptable shot indoors at ISO 3200 without the use of a flash. Now even if my old 10D could shoot at ISO 3200, the resulting shot would be so full of noise that it would be unusable. However, if that same shot were outdoors on a sunny day where both cameras could get an exposure at ISO 100, file size aside, the difference in image quality would be much much smaller. The 5D2 hasn’t changed my photography that much. Well I’d like to think so anyways. It’s been more evolutionary than revolutionary.

And lastly, a quick fire 5 questions. Just tell us what?springs into your head when you hear these words.

Sunrise.

Mel and Kochie. Just kidding, I don’t see near as many sunrises as I should. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a morning person. I don’t tend to function well as a human until the sun is well above the horizon and I have had my first caffeine fix for the day.

Bokeh.

Wonderful if portraiture is your thing. Not so much if you are into landscapes.

Outback.

The Outback is one of those places I plan to visit in the near future. Maybe a driving holiday similar to what you did last year.

Photoshop.

As a photographer who has switched to Lightroom, Photoshop has become less relevant to me. However it is one of those tools that I would really like to learn to make more use of.

Beer.

Let me channel Homer Simpson. Mmmmmmmm……. BEER!……. mmmmmmm!

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Thanks to Chris for taking part in interview #7. An entertaining read by a good bloke. Will buy you a beer when I get down that way Chris.