Gossip [&] the Devil

The Flaming Lips, September 2009 (Photo by R. E. Barbash)

Photography is only recently coming into its own as an art form. But photography has cemented a place in the arts for some of the same reasons as painting: preservation. Two different sets of eyes using the same camera will capture different results. We are allowed a view from someone else’s perspective. Photographers freeze moments we’ll treasure forever; whether it’s that special magic during a show or your children running in the park, photography can grab a fistful of what the human eye must let go.

Rachael Barbash has been capturing the insanity at concerts for years, and many fans turn to her website to re-live the memories. While still a student at Columbia State Community College she’s logged countless experience and face time.

Rachael stubbornly pursues her dream despite making little to no money doing what she loves. The hundreds of photos she posts to her Flickr account are free for people to take and use. But, like musicians or painters she considers herself an important part of the humanities.

In the days when every 14-year-old in the world has a digital camera, what separates her from the masses who want photo passes and recognition on the scene? What separates those who do it for art vs. those who are hobbyists?  Rachael sheds some light on the subject below when I asked her a few questions about what makes photography an art form.

Years shooting: 7

Sign: Aries

Julie M. Tate: We’ll start easy. First band you ever shot?

R. E. Barbash: I was kind of late to come to the concert scene since I was a bit of a homebody in high school and lacked any serious form of transportation.  Once I left for college I started going to shows pretty regularly.  The first band I ever shot while performing was OKGo in 2001 with a little 35mm disposable camera.  Once I got a more professional camera, a 35mm Canon SLR, the first band I shot was Kill Hannah who was performing at an outdoor festival at Ohio State, where I was going to school at the time. I finally got my first digital SLR, a Canon Rebel, before the 2006 South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX. Thousands of band play there every year and is an amazing experience.

Kill Hannah, September 2009 (Photo By R. E. Barbash)

JMT: Who have been some of the easiest bands to shoot live? The hardest?

REB: By far the easiest band I’ve shot is Kill Hannah, partly because I’ve been to so many of their shows but also because their stage presence is probably the most engaging I’ve ever seen.  Recently I shot the Flaming Lips who were also amazing.

The hardest bands to photograph have definitely been on the recent Alternative Press tours (Mayday Parade, the Academy is…, Set Your Goals, You Me At Six and the Secret Handshake).  The guys never seem to take a pause and are just constantly running around the stage.  The kids at these shows are crazy though! Very fun.

JMT: What makes a band easy or difficult to photograph?

REB: It’s much easier to photograph a band if you know their music.  That way you can sort of guess what they’re going to do on stage and how a crowd might react to a song but you don’t always have that advantage.  I’ve shot some bands who just sound like noise (no matter how poppy they actually are) and I can’t guess their next move.  I’ll end up at the wrong side of the stage at the wrong time and miss amazing moments of their act.  Also, bands who look like they’re having fun and engage the audience area always the most enjoyable to shoot.

Innerpartysystem, January 2009 (Photo by R. E. Barbash)

JMT: You’ve been capturing concerts for years. I’m sure music had an impact on your life outside of the lens as well. Do you consider yourself an artist? If so, how has music in particular shaped the artist you are today, and who are some of your favorite artists personally? If not, what does photography do for you?

REB: More than an artist, I think of myself as capturing what’s already there and trying to show the beauty of the world.  What I photograph most regularly is live shows so music has been a huge part of my life.  I love catching what happens on stage and the interaction between the performer and their fans.  I love so many bands but my favorite musicians are the Smashing Pumpkins, IAMX, Radiohead, Muse, Thursday, Interpol, Rasputina, Emilie Autumn, The Dresden Dolls, local guys Flotation Walls and, of course, the bands Kill Hannah and Shiny Toy Guns who pretty much taught me to use my camera by shooting them so often.  As far as visual art goes I love the work of Kyle Cassidy, a documentary and portrait photographer, Pete Souza, the White House photographer, and digital artist Natalie Shau.  As the photographers go, their work really inspires me because they capture real life but show it at a different angle.  Show ordinary things in a new light.

JMT: Favorite photographers?

REB: It’ll sound corny but my favorite photo ever by another artist is probably this photo of the Obamas:

Most of my favorite photos have a very big photo journalistic aspect to them and Pete Souza is one of the best documentary photographers out there.  Other favorites are Kyle Cassidy, Kristen Burns, Philip Warner and Akif Hakan Celebi. As well, there are very talented photographers who are also in my photo program at CSCC.  I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.

JMT: What tends to catch your eye in a natural setting?

REB: While I have done some studio photography, most of my photos not taken at shows have come from random moments throughout the day, which is why I try to always have a camera with me.  Usually the way lights hit an object or just the ambiance of a scene.

Untitled (Photo by R. E. Barbash)

JMT: Is there a place in the arts for things like studio work or is that merely a means to an artistic end? (I.E. getting paid)

REB: I think if you think of yourself as an artist, then you’re an artist.  If you think of yourself as a corporate slave then that’s what you are.  Even photographers at Wal-Mart family portrait studios can have some artistic input to their shots.  Though most of my favorite photographers are actually more on the documentary side of things.  Beautiful things can be made out of ordinary every day scenes.  For example, just the other day, undeveloped negatives by street photographer Vivian Maier were just unveiled and I was captivated for hours looking at her photos of Chicago in the 1950s.  If this is your thing and you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get hired on by a magazine or newspaper.  But mostly photography is done for yourself.

JMT: To me, photography is akin to a poem in that it captures a point in time that you can never get back. Especially considering the way I write, a poem can be a little picture made of words and vice versa. There’s a beautiful marriage that happens when two art forms cross over. Considering books like the upcoming Flowers + Filth by photographer Lisa Johnson and lyricist wiL Francis, they can be put together to make a compelling and unique piece of art. Have you ever considered doing something of the sort

REB: That’s similar to Who Killed Amanda Palmer, the book. Photos and words can always work together.

The Shiny Toy Guns, April 2009 (Photo by R. E. Barbash)

JMT: Much like music testifies to a time or paintings reflect it’s surroundings, what is photography’s place in preserving our culture and why is it important?

REB: As far as preserving our culture, photography can not only capture events but it can show someone’s individual view of the world. Even though photography has been around for more than a hundred years it’s just beginning to be respected as an art form. Whether it’s a set up scene or documenting an event an exact scene happen again or be seen the same way by different eyes.  It’s important to freeze the moment so others can see what was there.

R. E. Barbash (Photo credit: Unknown)

(For more information visit R. E. Barbash Photography. Rachael currently attends CSCC.)

This first post will be a bit lengthy, but my agenda is simple: I want to use my art to create a sort of positive symbiotic relationship with other artists. If I can use my continuing dream to support and learn about other artist’s dreams then the creative circle lives on. I’m more than convinced this needs to happen if our society and culture plan to have any sort of longevity throughout this growing technological future. Something tangible you can wrap your hands around, something you can feel from the audience. Something you can read and see in your mind, something that leaves a lingering taste behind. Reactions. Revelations. Appreciation.

While I am a born author I also have a scholastic background in journalism, ranging from radio and broadcasting interview work to print and freelance work with bands, poets and teachers. As poetry can be a rather isolated and lonely little island I find myself missing the brilliant back-and-forth interaction between people who share a similar dream. Given that most of my creative inspirations exist within the magical world of sleazy guitars and heart-cracking lyrics, similarly many musicians cite life-changing books and works of poetry as Mecca’s for inspiration.

One of these people is Jessica Allyn, a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from New York whose voice could have come straight from the 1920’s. (Listen to her song “Professor Harold Hill” and you’ll see what I mean.) As of this interview she’s flipped the bird to her civilian job in order to focus on her craft full-time.

Jessica Allyn (taken from her Facebook page)

I first discovered Ms. Allyn via Twitter when our mutual love for Amanda Palmer/The Dresden Dolls crossed paths. I approached her with the idea for an interview in order to explore other artist’s inspirations, creative processes and methods of writing. As I’ve come to realize, just because you practice a particular craft doesn’t mean you have to operate exclusively within those lines.

Case in point, Allyn’s latest effort, a concept album titled I Am a Camera, was brought to life using a line from a Christopher Isherwood book called Goodbye to Berlin: “I am a camera, with it’s shutter open, quite passively, recording, not thinking.”

In this sense she has managed to capture the marrow of any artist’s body of work; their unique mental snapshots brought to life. From the downright rock and roll crunch of “Standing O” to the ukulele-decorations on “Kayla’s Song” (titled after a ukulele designer for the artist collective Post War Trade) I Am a Camera is the musical equivalent of flipping through a strangers scrapbook.

In the following paragraphs I’ll discuss with Ms. Allyn creative inspirations. Parts two and three, to be posted Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll discuss the creative process behind I Am a Camera, and technology and madness, respectively.

Part 1 | Inspiration:

Julie M. Tate: For inspiration, do you seek it, or does it usually find you? I’ve found that inspiration usually finds me, solicited or not.

Jessica Allyn: It definitely finds me. And, it’s usually when I’m not looking for it. It’s a gift and curse. I usually go through the motions. Months later I’ll write about it and think, “Well thank you (and sometimes fuck you) for the inspiration!”

JMT: Does what inspires you stay the same or mutate every few years/weeks/days?

JA: It mutates every few hours, to be honest. Life is ever changing and it’s hard to keep up at times. But I have always been overly sensitive and affected by things, so I’m constantly inspired.

JMT: I find it very difficult to “make time” to write, though I’ve been told countless times in as many creative writing classes that writing every day is essential. It’ easier said than done in my experience. Are you able to make time to write or must the muse “hit?”

JA: I used to be able to pump out one song after another. Now I am seeing a change. I rid myself of 15 years of baggage on this record. It was cathartic and beautiful but left me somewhat empty. I’m finding that I have less time to write these days. But I keep my eyes wide open for inspiration anyway.

JMT: Many great artists of our past would be considered obsolete now but not because they weren’t great. I’m convinced the majority of the population isn’t equipped anymore to recognize a truly great artist, be it musician, painter, poet etc. Do you think artists should study those that came before or try not to be influenced and do it on their own?

JA: I think an artist should allow themselves to be influenced by other artists. The history of Art, Music, and the like speaks for itself. Everyone is influenced by something, or someone, else. That goes for any profession. I went through an arrogant phase where I thought I was being innovative and ended up coming across several artists who did what I was doing, did it better, and long before I was even born! It was a slap in the face but a wake up call. I think the key is to learn how to balance both your own quirks and that of your influences. Then find a way to fuse them without being a carbon copy of someone else. Find yourself first.

JMT: I agree. I’m of the mind that it’s impossible to completely “do it on your own.” In most cases you’re sorely disappointed and embarrassed when you inevitably do stumble across that someone who’s done it better before. You could have learned something if you’d only studied a little research. That being said, are any current musicians/lyricists impressing you?

JA: I’m rather under-whelmed with most of the music out today. I find myself rediscovering old favorites these days. Still the reigning queen being Amanda Fucking Palmer. She’s got it down to a science, lyrically. She’s just absolutely brilliant and uses sarcasm and wit in the right places. Musically, her compositions are heart-breakingly beautiful. Other artists/bands that never fail to impress me lyrically: Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Muse, Placebo, Morrissey, Robyn Hitchcock, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, and PJ Harvey.

JMT: What about favorite authors and/or life-changing books? (Other than Goodbye to Berlin, which we’ll get to in a moment.)

JA: My favorite author would have to be Hubert Selby Jr. – He wrote Requiem for a Dream and Last Exit to Brooklyn. His books definitely changed my life. They were so descriptive, so poetic, so brilliant. He found a way to make the grotesque evils of the world almost beautiful. That being said, Requiem for a Dream is still my number one favorite book. I could read it over and over.

(Part 2 which includes discussion of I Am a Camera and it’s writing process will be posted tomorrow, so check back!)