 |
Q1 Please introduce yourself.
My name is Erica Shires and I was born in Detroit, MI. I spent many years in Texas and now live in Brooklyn, NY.
Q2How did you start?
My father was an illustrator who used black and white Polaroids for his work. I was seduced by this immediate gratification of an image at an early age. |
|
|
|
Q3 What kind of people do you like to photograph?
I am most intrigued by girls with an air of melancholy about them. Life isn't about sunshine and happy faces.
Q4 Do you have any favorite camera or equipment to work with?
The more I shoot digital, the more I like film. The texture and depth of an analog image contains much more soul. The two cameras I use most often are the Mamiya 645 AFD and a very old 4 x 5 view camera.
Q5 What do you look out for when you're shooting?
Awkwardness. Some honest, little fleeting moment. This could be anything from a detail of a bent wrist or a subtle personal gesture to a look the model gives me. I am a quiet shooter, giving minimal direction. Many of the images evolve as my model settles into this quietness. I am always exploring the idea of impermanence and death. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Erica Shires is a New York based artist. At 34, she began a new career by moving to NYC to study photography at Pratt Institute. She was selected as one of PDN’s Top 30 Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2006. She has photographed for such clients as the Ad Council, Kodak, Kodak and Nivea and her editorial contributions include New York and Bust magazines. Shires' personal work has been exhibited in New York, Paris, and Belgium. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. |
|
|
Q6 When is the happiest moment as a photographer?
When I love my location as much as my model.
Q7 What does beauty means to you?
Flaws are beautiful.
Q8 What gives you inspiration when you make art?
Creepy stories, ghosts, old children's toys, doll heads; things with scars and past lives. Memory.
Q9 What do you see Japanese culture right now?
Very relevant and inspiring imagery, vibrant colors masking dark subject matter. So much of the art we are seeing in New York right now is coming from artists living in Japan. I have a painting by Tomoo Gokita in my living room and am amazed by the moving art of Takagi Masakatsu. I just watched Battle Royale and I loved it!
|
|
|
|
Q10 What's coming up in 2008?
Right now I am shooting a short film. I am also teaching a workshop in
Italy at TPW in August.
Q11 Any last words?
Thank you for inviting me to this. |
|
|
|
