AURORA GOES WILD WITH

unusual interviews in the Pussy Pusher’s style.

Episode 18: JOHANNES AMM

When did you decide to start shooting girls? What was your “mental process” behind the decision?

I was drawn to nude bodies ever since I can remember. What happened to be dad’s Playboys when I was eight, became a constant examination with the subject matter later on. Let it be books, exhibitions or the internet - I always consumed nude photographs of all kinds. 

When I got my first film camera in the late nineties, I almost instantly started photographing nudes. Like it’s probably the case with almost all my colleagues, my first model was my girlfriend and the results were poor. 

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

It’s sad and boring, but I turn on my phone.

Does your mother appreciate your pictures?

At least she says so. It’s hard to tell, whether she really knows what it’s all about, but she is very supportive whenever I show her something. 

A movie that we should watch.

The man from earth (2007) is a nice movie. 

Who is your “dream” model? Where would you love to set your shooting?

There is no *one* dream model but rather a couple of qualities a model should have so I like to work with her. Unsophistication is one of it. And she should have a minimum of self-esteem. No arrogant chick, but women with a healthy relationship to their bodies. 

Are you keeping your work secret to someone?

No, I’m mostly proud of it.

Are you usually turned on by the model you are shooting?

When I work I’m very focused, thinking about framing, light and stuff. So I normally don’t get too physically excited.

Name three photographers that you consider masters.

I love the documentary work of Bert Teunissen. His large format environmental portraits are amazing. I also adore the style of Gregory Crewdson and more recently Rob Hornstra and Ziyah Gafic.

Did any model ever get mad at you because she was looking “ugly” in your pictures?

Yes, that happened once or twice but I think that’s due to the documentary nature of my work. I do not normally shoot beauty kind of work and try to hide certain “weak spots” of my models but rather like to show people as they are.

What do you do in your free time?

Taking and looking at photographs. Most recently building a home for my family.

What is the difference between a good nude picture and an amazing one?

That’s totally up to the viewer. For me a good nude combines a little eroticism and a lot of personality. Nudes are better portraits.

Who is, in your opinion, the most overrated nude photographer? And the one who is not appreciate yet?

Really? Newton! Yes, Helmuth Newton. I’ve been to so many exhibitions and own several books and still most of his work is just not speaking to me.

Your biggest fault.

I’m a little capricious.

What does your partner think about your work?

She supports it as much as she can. She even asks friends of her to model for me. But there are also days when she’s in a bad mood or something, when I better don’t tell her about the single, ultra attractive model in Berlin that loves to get naked for me.

Do you remember your dreams in the morning? Are you able to interpret them?

I don’t remember my dreams too often and when I do they are usually very creepy or surreal. Interpretation is hard. 

website: I own a wedding-photography business that you can find, when googling after “Johannes Amm”. I rather don’t link it here or my ranking goes down hill. Google hates nudes. Unfortunately. 

flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/deraustragungsort/

ELENA FORTUNATI 

Are you vegetarian/would you like to be vegetarian?

Yes, it’s about a year,  it was one of the best choices in my life. I think it’s very subjective and I don’t blame anyone for not being so.

Did you study photography in school?

No, never. I’ve started as a self-taught photographer, looking at works of those I admire.

A picture that you would love to take

I would like to have taken magritte’s passport-size picture. Black and white, with his eyes closed. There is everything in that one single shot. 

Do you sell your prints online? Why?

I never thought about this option… maybe one day, who knows? For now, it’s an option too far from my point of view.

Have you ever attended photographic workshops?

I’d like to, but I never found one that I should be inspired by.

Do you like looking at your old pictures?

Rarely. The relationship I have with them is comparable to a relationship with another human being. It is a weird feeling, full of emotions as well as very delicate.

Do you have prints of your works hung on your walls?

I have to say no, it’s the first time I think of this possibility. I cherish all my printed pictures in a room that I use not so often.

What social networks are you using? Are they working for your career?

Facebook for personal use. And flickr, tumblr, Behance for my photos. I do not know whether it will be useful for a hypothetical career, but for sure it’s useful to have exchanges with people interesting artistically. In this way, we can learn and grow a lot.

Do you believe in horoscopes?

No, but it’s funny and relaxing to believe, just for a while, that everything is calculable and predictable.

A picture that is very important for you

I like to collect portraits taken by old photographic studios where everything is calculated: pose, set, costumes. But my favorite is a picture of my mother when she was a teenager. A black and white photo, minimalist, in which she is wearing a white blouse and she looks at the camera, with an irregular haircut. I can see a lot of me in this shot. Who took that picture certainly did not know that it would have been this important in someone’s life.

Your comfy food

One simple toast with butter and jam and a glass of orange juice can change my day for the better way.

Are you currently planning any trip?

I came back yesterday from Eindhoven and I think a short time will pass before I will start to plan another trip. I have many friends to visit in the most beautiful cities in Europe and many places to see by myself.

The photographer you would like to spend time working with

There are many photographers that I admire and with whom I would like to talk about photography, I’d rather work with someone who works with images under a different approach: visual artists, painters, videomakers. I think this way I can really try to experience something new.

What is the best photographic book you have seen and why.

it’s hard to mention a single book, however if I have to choose one, I will go for “Illuminance” by Rinko Kawauchi: the one I wanted more, and I keep it very carefully. It was a very emblematic book for me.

tumblr: http://elenafortunati.tumblr.com/

behance: http://www.behance.net/elenafortunati

email:  fortunatielena@gmail.com

flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elenafortunati/

AURORA GOES WILD WITH

unusual interviews in the Pussy Pusher’s style.

Episode 17: MIKE SPEARS

When did you decide to start shooting girls? What was your “mental process” behind the decision?

I don’t think I had an epiphany and decided to one day start shooting girls. I started off taking band and skateboarding photos and eventually I started sneaking in a naked gf shot every now and then when the timing was right. I shot a college gf topless for a photo class lighting assignment and the pics were quite moody and I wanted to explore more after seeing how fixated the professor and the class were on her boobs…

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Make coffee. Check the news, the social networks.

Does your mother appreciate your pictures?

My mom passed 2 years ago but she was a big fan of my work. That being said there are pics I wouldn’t have shown her. My dad likes my girlie photos. He used to collect Playboys and Penthouses in the 70’s and I would of course sneak looks when he wasn’t around. So maybe this is when I decided I wanted to shoot girls. 

A movie that we should watch.

Nacho Libre. Super Funny. I liked 24 hour party people too.

Who is your “dream” model? Where would you love to set your shooting? 

I would love to shoot Yesenia Linares. She’s a mega babe. And she does nudes. I have mega internet crush on her. Other models? I dunno I don’t follow models or fashion. I see girls online who pop up over and over but none of them do much for me. I would love to shoot someone super uninhibited like a Sacha Grey. Someone who would do whatever crazy thing you asked them to…

Where would you love to set your shooting?

My dream setting would be in one of those glacial lakes/ponds with blue green water that form at the top of a mountain base you only see when you’re flying over in Alaska or Canada. So beautiful and surreal. Or just a nice forest or beach.

Are you keeping your work secret to someone?

Only the nude stuff. I don’t plaster my nude work all over my facebook for all my high school friends to gawk over.

Are you usually turned on by the model you are shooting?

I’d rather be yes. I pick girls who I know or have cast for their looks beforehand. I tend to make pictures that look lustful and come from a straight male perspective so yes I’d rather be attracted to who I’m shooting because it translates to the images and inspires me simultaneously.

Name three photographers that you consider masters.

Nobuyoshi Araki, Gary Winnogrand, Anton Corbjin.

Did any model ever get mad at you because she was looking “ugly” in your pictures?

No, but I’ve had a girl say i’m bored with your ideas which is worse.

What do you do in your free time?

I surf. I skateboard. I ride a bike. I travel. I read. I swim. I watch movies. I consume major amounts of images on the web. The usual stuff.

What is the difference between a good nude picture and an amazing one?

That happy accident? A concept or visual element that takes it over the top? what you don’t see but whats conveyed psychologically. I see lots of nude photographers who have good lighting and good styling and good models but their work still bores. It demystifies the process. the brain is the most important part of arousal. If we’re not stimulated in our minds than we aren’t aroused at all. 

Who is, in your opinion, the most overrated nude photographer?

“lasts nights party” his schtick is pretty stale to me but the internet still loves him. 

And the one who is not appreciated yet?

I love Ren Hang but he’s not necesarily a nude photographer but uses nudity. And he seems pretty appreciated. I like Brian Sergio. He’s the man. I like nude photographers whose non nude photography is good too. Mate Wo’s work blows me away. Lina Scheynius manages to do really precious beautiful nude work.

Your biggest fault.

Too proud. Afraid. Narrow minded. Anti social. Horny. Stoned.

What does your partner think about your work?

I don’t have a partner right now. Last woman I dated was a big time photo agent and she didn’t like that I did nude photos but tolerated it. That being said she loved Sante D’Orazio and Helmut Newton and many classic “nude” photographers. One walks a delicate line doing nude/sex photos, its part of the allure I imagine.

Do you remember your dreams in the morning? Are you able to interpret them?

I do remember them sometimes. Especially if they are sex related or violent. I naively interpret dreams as my subconscious purging desire and anxiety nested away in my head. 

website: mikespears.net

tumblr: alieneyeball.tumblr.com

flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/alieneyeballer/

email: mikespearsphoto@gmail.com

GEMMA TERZIJ

Are you vegetarian/would you like to be vegetarian? 

I love too much the stew cooked by my mother. I could never become a vegetarian just for that.

Did you study photography in school?

No, I”m studying Foreign Languages and Literatures in Milan.

A picture that you would love to take.

I would really love to take a lot of pictures but I think too much and I act a little. However, I would like to learn how to photograph strangers without dying of shame.

Do you sell your prints online? Why?

No I don’t, I’m not interested in it.

Have you ever attended photographic workshops?

Only once, TPW.. but as a model!

Do you like looking at your old pictures?

Yes, I’m a real nostalgic.

Do you have prints of your works hung on your walls?

Yes, I have two: one of a magic place in Iceland and one of my boyfriend at the river, both taken last summer.

What social networks are you using? Are they working for your career?

I use a lot FB, Tumblr, sometimes Twitter too.. but I tend to public my pictures especially on my Tumblr’s blog.

I’m not a  photographer, I’ve started to take pictures for myself and I would stay “true”; there’s a big difference between a “real” photographer and someone with a camera and  a internet connection. I don’t want to be someone who pretends to be a photographer at all costs (and there are many around!). 

I just want to take pictures.

Do you believe in horoscopes?

No, not at all.

A picture that is very important for you.

Any picture with me and my father.

Your comfy food.

French fries with a lot of salt.

Are you currently planning any trip?

I would love to take a trip in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro.

The photographer you would like to spend time working with.

I don’t think at one photographer in particular, but lately I’ve really enjoyed Lukasz Wierzbowski’s pictures.

What is the best photographic book you have seen and why. 

“The new gypsies” by Iain McKell. I think gypsies are interesting and even perfect subjects - I have always loved and always will love them.

tumblr: www.sietetuttistronzi.tumblr.com

flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/gemmaterzij

AURORA GOES WILD WITH

unusual interviews in the Pussy Pusher’s style.

Episode 16: BOBBY ANGER

When did you decide to start shooting girls? What was your “mental process” behind the decision?

I make images to better understand the issues I am working through in my life. I define those issues currently to be the things we lose in exchange for knowledge or experience. They are things such as innocence, youth and beauty. For me, those traits seem to be assigned to one gender more readily than the other.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

There is a small white cat that sleeps by my feet. As soon as I stir in the morning, she comes and sits on my chest. I massage her gently behind the ears and on her neck. Then she moves around to allow me to scratch her back. When she has had enough, she goes back down to the foot of the bed. I look out the window into the trees. I listen to the cars on a distant road and by their frequency, place myself in time.

Does your mother appreciate your pictures?

She has appreciated them before. There was a picture I took when I was young of our family pet stretched out on the woodpile in the backyard. It was an overcast day with a soft even light. I used a narrow depth of field for the image. The pet lay on its back and reached to the camera with its paws. She liked that image very much. She has been less enthusiastic about much of my work since then. I don’t take it personal though.

A movie that we should watch.

It is hard to find unique voices in film. Most movies are made by committees. Committees seem interested in a return on their investment. I would say that a few like Terrence Malick and David Lynch find a way through these barriers.

That said, a recent independent film has stayed for some time in my thoughts. It is Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Who is your “dream” model? Where would you love to set your shooting?

I work with many excellent models already. They are each perfect in their own way. If I could only choose one though, I would have to take a bit of each of them.

Perhaps I could take the mannerist elegance and depth of expression of Seraphina Song, the gentle nature and movements of NX/A. Brinton, the raw fierceness of JEM, the confidence of LiiLii, the unquenchable youthful joy of Anastassia Bear and Hex Hypoxia, the perfect, compact independence of LauraUnbound, the spirit of creative adventure of Sera Ferron. If the scientist out there can isolate those traits and combine them into one, perhaps that would be my dream model.

She would live in a house in the fields. She would sleep in a long white gown her grandmother wore on her wedding night. She would wake while it was dark and walk with me though the trees with the dew still wet on the ground and the mist hanging low in the air. We would come to a clearing in the first gray light of morning as the animals still slept in their grassy beds. As I would raise my camera, she would speak to me without words and tell me the story of mankind.

Are you keeping your work secret to someone?

It is not a secret, but I do not discuss it with people often. I realized at some point that when you care deeply about something, there are few in the world who are likely to feel the same way. To share it with them takes an essential part of it away.

Are you usually turned on by the model you are shooting?

There is often an intimacy, but not a physical one. It is the intimacy that comes from sharing and creating something that we feel is meaningful. It binds us in way that I cannot explain.

Name three photographers that you consider masters.

There are many photographers I respect, but I feel the medium is too young yet to have masters. I would however spin your question a bit and say that Vermeer, Velázquez and Caravaggio are three masters I have always considered photographers.

Did any model ever get mad at you because she was looking “ugly” in your pictures?

The simple answer is no.

I will add a thought though that may offer some insight into this. When you are starting out, you are trying to find your style, your voice. You bring all your cameras to a shoot, pack all your gear. You yourself are not sure what will happen. Once you develop a style though, models contact you to shoot with clear expectations of what the outcome will be.

What I often say to them though to define my approach is that I am not trying to make a beautiful picture of them, I am trying to make a beautiful picture that they are a part of.

What do you do in your free time?

I walk in places I am not likely to encounter people. I read. I write. It is all a part of this in some way.

What is the difference between a good nude picture and an amazing one?

In a good picture, you notice something about the quality of the image before you notice the subject is nude. Perhaps it is how the light defines form or how the form relates to its environment. Nudity is not the main interest of the image.

In an amazing one, you notice something unexpected but familiar within yourself before you notice the quality of the image.

Who is, in your opinion, the most overrated nude photographer? And the one who is not appreciate yet?

I am unaware of a rating system to measure such things and would be skeptical of the rubrics involved if one existed. I would simply say that we place a great deal of importance in our culture on popularity and rarely are the important things popular.

As far as list of under appreciated photographers goes, I would put those who inspire me not only with their images, but regularly reach out to me with their words and encouragement as well. Those would be Oliver Berlin down in Tasmania, Anisa Nin in North Dakota and Artografico in New York.

Your biggest fault.

I fight a daily battle to keep a balance between what I think and what I feel.

What does your partner think about your work?

She thinks of me as a faithful, well-read and moral man who occasionally does things profoundly incompatible with his nature.

Do you remember your dreams in the morning? Are you able to interpret them?

I rarely remember them. They seem so important though when you wake from them in the middle of the night.

I sat up recently, turned on the light and wrote one down on an index card that was on my nightstand. I forgot all about it until sometime later when I found a torn corner of the card beneath my bed. My dog had eaten the rest. I have no idea what it said.

tumblr: http://reverendbobbyanger.tumblr.com/
email: revbobbyanger (at) gmail (dot) com

MATTEO PALMIERI

Are you vegetarian/would you like to be vegetarian? 

No, I’m not vegetarian. And, in this moment, I don’t want to become one.

Did you study photography in school?

I learned to take pictures on my own.

A picture that you would love to take.

I’d like to photograph a famous actress or musician.

Do you sell your prints online? Why?

For now I don’t sell my photos online but I wish I do it, one day.

Have you ever attended photographic workshops?

I have never attended  photographic workshops because I do not like the idea of paying someone to tell me how to take pictures. Taking photographs is something that starts from the inside. Without technicalities.

Do you like looking at your old pictures?

Yes, I love looking at old pictures because I consider myself a nostalgic.

Do you have prints of your works hung on your walls?

There are no pictures on the wall.

What social networks are you using? Are they working for your career?

I’m on Facebook, Tumblr and Flickr. I think social networks are essential for increase the career of any photographers.  Perhaps it is the only way.

Do you believe in horoscopes?

No

A picture that is very important for you.

This picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photomatto/6094262262/in/photostream 

It reminds me of a very nice holiday in Paris.

Your comfy food.

Always pasta!

Are you currently planning any trip?

I’m thinking about a trip in Eastern Europe. Bosnia or Serbia.

The photographer you would like to spend time working with.

I would work with Tim Walker or Paolo Roversi.

What is the best photographic book you have seen and why.

I like the works of Yougo Jeberg, they are sincere and fearless, although extremely sensible. He shoots his life and people around him. He’s one of my favourite photographers.

website: matteopalmieri.altervista.org

facebook page: www.facebook.com/matteopalmieriphotography

tumblr: matteopalmieri.tumblr.com

flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/photomatto

email: matteopalmieri86@gmail.com

AURORA GOES WILD WITH

unusual interviews in the Pussy Pusher’s style.

Episode 15: AARON MCELROY

When did you decide to start shooting girls? What was your “mental process” behind the decision? 

I never made a conscious decision to photograph girls. I started photographing them slowly and it kind of emerged from shooting the minutia of my life and everything around it. Then I started becoming interested in the anonymous figure.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? 

The first thing I do when I wake up is open my bedroom door and let my cat in the room.

Does your mother appreciate your pictures? 

No way, my mom is not into art.

A movie that we should watch.

Breaking the Waves.

Who is your “dream” model? Where would you love to set your shooting?

I don’t really work with models, they tend to be too comfortable and want to work the camera and I like to just shoot in a very natural way. I love to shoot in new places. Places I am not familiar with.

Are you usually turned on by the model you are shooting?

Making photo’s turns me on but in the way a pyromaniac gets turned on when they light fires. In the moment I am too busy trying to make the image so I get a little detached unless I am with my partner then it can be a little more fun.

Name three photographers that you consider masters

Man Ray-Dirk Breackman-William Eggleston

Did any model ever get mad at you because she was looking “ugly” in your pictures?

My subjects sometimes get mad if they see my image before its finished but most of my work thus far the subject is always anonymous so it isn’t much of an issue.

What do you do in your free time?

Look at stuff, listen to music, spend time with friends.

What is the difference between a good nude picture and an amazing one? 

It’s hard to say, I think its about setting a mood. I don’t really think of an image as singular I think of them as a sequence so it would be judged on a group of images rather than a single photograph.

Who is, in your opinion, the most overrated nude photographer? And the one who is not appreciate yet?

Its hard to judge a persons vision. Art photography is such a niche that I don’t really think there is any over rated or underrated photographer. There are just photographers who get noticed and ones who don’t or have not yet.

Your biggest fault.

Procrastination.

What does your partner think about your work? 

My partner is also an artist so she understands my work and process and supports what I do.

Do you remember your dreams in the morning? Are you able to interpret them?

I remember them-but I never interpret them- if I had more time I think I would.

Also I have a new book out After Wake available here

http://shop.ampersandvintage.com/product/after-wake-aaron-mcelroy-pre-order

website: www.aaron-mcelroy.com

AMprojects: http://www.amprojects.org