Here are some of Jim Robertson’s views on photography for our fourteenth aamora interview.
Holy Ghost
Why photography?
It’s just always been a thing with me since I noticed my dad’s Argus brick, since my parent’s brought home the Polaroid Swinger, since they gave me that Chinon SLR in high school. It feeds that need to create. Also, like many photographers, I can’t draw or paint. Some might say I can’t photograph either but I like trying anyway.
Cellphones?
You mean as cameras? Not my thing but I totally get it. I’ve seen a lot of cool art created that way so, you know, live and let live. It’s more about the sentient being behind the camera after all.
Digital v. Film – still a topic?
I love film BUT I rarely use it anymore. I think I’m becoming more phobic about exposure to chemicals as I age. Oddly though, I still dream of trying my hand at wet plate collodion photography someday. Those are some nasty chemicals, I hear, but I love what artists like Mary Anne Mitchell are doing these days, for example.
Is the equipment important?
Yes, from the viewpoint of needing the right lens focal lengths or film/sensor formats to obtain certain results. Otherwise, no. The artist knows how to create with the tools at hand. That being said, I absolutely love my Fujifilm X-Pro2! Love, love, love it! 🙂
How did you learn to photograph?
I began by paying attention, seeing, and doing. I aspire to actually learn something from that, someday.
Are photographs “taken” or “made”?
I think that comes down to the amount of effort put into planning the image before the shutter releases. Like comparing a street photograph to an elaborate still life. I’m not saying one is any less important than the other, just that I think they are varying degrees between “taken” and “made”. If I’m walking through downtown Osaka and see a scene I like, I feel I “take” the photo, even though there is a degree of creating there. If I’m doing an editorial or fashion shoot, a la Annie Leibovitz, I feel that image is “made”. But that’s just me, my interpretation of the words.
Is photography art?
I think so. I don’t have the art degree to debate it one way or the other.
Where do you go to look at photographs?
Mostly the interwebs. I need to get out more. Thank you, internet! Oh, I’ve also rediscovered photo books from mainly contemporary photographers.
Who is it for – you or them?
Right now it’s for me `cause ain’t nobody buyin’. Seriously though, it’s for my soul. I just need to do it. I’m grateful to anyone showing an interest. Thank you, aamora!
My Anxiety
take a look at more of Jim’s work on his website