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03/03/2007 09:41:41 PM · #1 |
Our first interviewee is with Susan,  snaffles, our favorite "person who talks with horses".
- What got you into photography?
I got into taking pix because someone gave me a camera when
I was a kid.
- How is taking a photograph like riding a horse?
Taking a photo is a lot like riding a horse - you make sure all
your gear is ready on tight (technical stuff) and that the horse will
cooperate with what YOU want to do (creative stuff).
- What could get you out of photography?
Being married to a really obnoxious photographer, I guess!
- What is the secret of your suckiness?
The fact that I take selfish pictures, mostly for my own amusement;
I care less and less these days about my scores. Also, I am distantly
related, on my Mum's side to a guy named Sir Jonathan Suckling. A
picture of him painted by Romney hangs in the Frick Museum in NYC. He
was a bit of a misogynistic bastard.
- Why are voters evil?
Because they're ignorant (present company excluded of course) ;-)
- Which of your pictures doesn't play well with others?
I don't think of any my pix play well with others...probably my
recent Hate entry.
- What is the most ridiculous extent you have gone to for a challenge?
Oh gawd I have to choose ONE?! TI had to make little pea-people for
PEAS!...I think it would be my very first entry, for Heat. I had to
fire up that little house over the course of 3-4 evenings just to get
the right feel, everything. Also I didn't have a tripod and just my
little Samsung at the time. Having said that I did get originalheat
(in my portfolio) out of it, but back then didn't know how to resize,
so I had to reshoot yet again to get it. Argh.
 
- What is your sign and how are the stars conspiring against you?
I am a Sagittarius, so half-person, half-horse and armed with a
weapon...watch out! Stars are conspiring against me by tossing bad
weather my way so I can't work as much as I could.
- How has depth of field changed your life?
DOF...hmmm...well, now I know what it is...;-)
- Which ribbon goes best with your home décor?
Brown, definitely.
- What activities besides photography help you vent your creative urges?
Writing, doing poetry, making latch hook rugs, even doing drag - I
was the only straight drag king in all of Vancouver during the year or
so I did it. I had loads of fun.
- If you could send one picture from this site to President Bush, which would it be?
Hmm...the infamous glowering vulture pic from the favourites page.
That was one of the first pix from the site that I saw and it
captivated me.
- Which of your pictures is your favorite and why does it give you a warm feeling when you sit down?
I think Inflating Mommy is my favourite non-competitive pic, mostly
because the mare is so passed out and the foal's just being
resourceful. Maybe because I have no kids it gives me a warm fuzzy
feeling. From my challenge pix, I'd have to say...Octopussy! just
because Druli really did put up with a lot of nonsense that day, the
flash going off all the time...poor guy ;-)
 
- Tell us the story behind one of your photos.
Once upon a time...I was looking for an entry for gold and didn't
want to shoot jewellery. I was wracking my brain, driving down a
looonnnnng straight stretch of country road enroute to a client, when
all of a sudden a single field of sunflowers came into view. I pulled
over and got some shots, then clumsily PS'd it and entered.
- What picture on DPC most accurately depicts what your brain is like? Oh man that's a toughie...probably the challenge winner for
Love. All that mundane wall then this burst o' love in the middle. I
think it's wonderful.
- What piece of photography equipment are you currently using as a paperweight? My camera!
- If you could do a photo session with anyone from history, who would it be? Describe the shots you would take.
I'd probably shoot ol' Sir Jonathan Suckling, and try to get him to
explain why he was such a snotty bastard. He was supposed to have been
a true cavalier, however, so maybe I'd take pix of him riding and some
portraits, cause truth be told he was kinda sexy looking with the long
blond hair. ;-)
- Do you take pictures because you can’t cook? Be honest.
I can too cook!
- If DrAchoo and Larus were thrown into a sack cotaining only a tripod, an alien bee and an 8000mm lens, who would come out alive?
Tough to say for sure but my money would be on Larus.
- high key, low key, off key, no key - what's your pleasure?
What...oh you mean like in lighting! I'd say offkey for sure.
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03/04/2007 01:48:51 AM · #2 |
| Very good interview!! Thanks to both Mary and Susan. |
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03/04/2007 03:44:20 AM · #3 |
Excellent. Susan is my new hero. Mary has resident hero status for us all. I just sent my bumbling and obtuse answers inlate as usual, so no change on my status.
Great interview, but I would have picked the tripod over those photographer guys. |
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03/04/2007 03:51:11 AM · #4 |
Great interview...I look forward to reading more.
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03/04/2007 07:15:55 AM · #5 |
:) I loved reading that !
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03/04/2007 07:16:03 AM · #6 |
very good interview, well done
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03/04/2007 08:24:32 AM · #7 |
| That interview was just spectacular. Love your sense of humor, Susan! And the questions rocked, Mary :-) |
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03/04/2007 09:02:23 AM · #8 |
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03/04/2007 09:30:46 AM · #9 |
Now! Peter  raish, our Team Novice Oobiemeister, who only the shadow and silverfoxx know.
- What is the poetry of photography, or vice versa?
The vice of verse and the verse of vice? This be the verse:
naturally, while here: are a couple of my own. It's etymological, really
- the graphic application of photons. The little
magic lies chiefly in the fact that what we visually
perceive is a temporal and cognitive collage of bits
of what we saw in the preceding seconds forming a
background for what is selected from preceding nano-seconds
as dynamic modification, with vague masses of much
earlier memories to fill in the blanks of what we don't
really understand, but don't have the time to investigate
either. Photographs freeze all time and substance and
the camera has neither wisdom nor prejudice.
- What got you into photography?
A camera?
- What could get you out of photography?
Absence of camera?
- What is the secret of your suckiness?
Actually I think I'm pretty fab and don't really suck at all, which might go
some way to explaining how little I listen to those who graciously explain otherwise.
I would explain more in the context of my ambition, but I seem to have misplaced it.
- Why are voters evil?
It's like filling out forms: every little box you fill in begs lots of questions
that are not asked and every answer you give needs some explanation that you are
not given the opportunity to add. Whenever you fill out such a form you are forced
into dishonesty and/or disingenuousness. Voters fill out forms. Bastids.
- Which of your pictures best represents your loss of innocence?
On the matter of begging questions - what innocence? Lost? Maybe these:
 
- What is the most ridiculous extent you have gone to for a challenge?
Entering. OK, here's the obligatory haha pic:
- What is your sign and how are the stars conspiring against you?
Sagittarius - half man, half beast and the right half. Stars like dust so infinite
so varied as to be unimaginable so beautiful as to implode desire so timeless so
essentially bearing of time such spheres of music all so utterly and completely
out of reach. I mean, how fair is that?
- How has depth of field changed your life?
We lived next to a field. The field next door, we called it. There were two towers
about 20 - 30 metres high for gun platforms used to defend a nearby airfield that
was very active in WWII. On the other side of the field was a crater left by the
brave and resourceful German bombers who came closest to knocking them out. The farmer
had to just plough around the crater, so wild flowers like borage, and butterflies,
especially those that lay their eggs on nettles, were to be seen and marvelled at by
us youngsters. As fields go, it was very 3-dimensional.
- Which ribbon goes best with your home décor?
Whatever emblazons the white feather and the white flag.
- What activities besides photography help you vent your creative urges?
I teach kids and I'm a carpenter. To some extent I think both of those things are more
creative than recreational activities of poetry and photography, but I've been wrong before.
- Which of your pictures is your favourite and why does it give you a warm feeling when you sit down?
There's that nice little cameo so painstakingly printed on expanded polystyrene and
lining the toilet seat, which helps with the warmth. This is the one I like best though,
obviously without any sane explanation:
- Tell us the story behind one of your photos.
1982 I worked in a hotel. Accommodation was provided in a rented house nearby that I shared
with the head waiter, Tony. We became good chums. A year later my girlfriend and I had moved
in together further out in the country. Tony had got another job not so far away. We all liked
the countryside and wildlife and Liz was a cook and Tony was very fond of beef stroganoff.
So I told Tony that he should come along and see a white admiral butterfly that I'd spotted
in nearby woodlands (which I had) and in the meantime Liz and I moved a caravan-style gas top
with gas and the necessary utensils and ingredients out into a forest glade. So Tony got the
pleasant surprise of stumbling across his favourite gourmet meal in the middle of the forest
(Liz hid). On the way home I nipped a little ahead and snatched the picture of them all sneaky.
When the picture was developed (those were the days), I saw in it what Liz later told me about,
i.e. that they had got a bit involved with each other. I was an obstacle to that, of course,
but they were both too decent to be out of order. As I look at the picture I wonder if I could
have been a bit less blind and a bit more magnanimous and stepped aside. All of that's probably
more interesting to me than it is to you, but hey, you want in? There you go, feel the love.
- What picture on DPC most accurately depicts what your brain is like?
- If you woke up hungover in a hotel room you didn't recognize, which DPC photo would you most like to see hanging on the wall?I'm taking this too literally - I can feel the headache. As I recall, things that make sense are anathema to the hungover spirit. I'll take this:
- What piece of photography equipment are you currently using as a paperweight?
Whatever it is it's not working, because quantities of paper are emitting androgynous
behavioural traits all over here. Nezaret VI twin lens reflex? Metz 45 CT-4?
- If you could do a photo session with anyone from history, who would it be? Describe the shots you would take.
The builders of Stonehenge. Sorry, I need about a million shots to document the process
of construction, planning, transport of materials and on and on, not to mention the builders
themselves and their nearest and dearest.
- When should you use colour, when should you use black and white, and when should you just give up?
Calling grain 'noise', as is usually the case in the digital world, can be misleading if noise
in pictures refers to any element or information that does not contribute to the whole, or worse,
distracts from it. Colour is an element, or information. All generalisations are dangerous, especially
this one. The trouble with giving up is that you don't get to see what happens (might have happened) next.
- Do you take pictures because you can't dance? Be honest.
Everything I do reflects my inability to dance.
- What is your favourite lens you don't own?
Sigma 105 macro - that and the whole shop, obviously.
- high key, low key, no key - what's your pleasure?
Combination locks.
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03/04/2007 10:21:34 AM · #10 |
| I just read both of these interviews. Very good! Thanks for sharing. |
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03/04/2007 11:27:58 AM · #11 |
great 2nd interview, well done on both
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03/04/2007 12:00:27 PM · #12 |
| I loved both interviews. Ah, this brings a song to my heart. And I can listen to raish talk about stars all day. |
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03/04/2007 12:09:33 PM · #13 |
| Both interviews are very good. It's interesting to see how other suckies think. |
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03/05/2007 03:28:29 AM · #14 |
| :) really really great interviews! |
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03/05/2007 07:47:08 AM · #15 |
super interviews. peter, thanks for including not only your poetry, but of course grumpy larkin's perfect verse.
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03/05/2007 11:21:51 AM · #16 |
| aw shucks, thanks everyone *blushing* |
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03/05/2007 12:13:24 PM · #17 |
| great interviews. Thanks for sharing |
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03/05/2007 12:15:14 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
aw shucks, thanks everyone *blushing* |
Hey, me too. Let's just enter our names in Red. |
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03/08/2007 09:27:32 AM · #19 |
| great interviews enjoyed both of them. |
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03/09/2007 08:56:22 PM · #20 |
Our next stop South Carolina and a visit with our resident YAPPIE supremeO, Noraneko
We need to tear her away from reading for awhile. 
- Are you feeling Japanese? Do you really think so?
Little do you know, I actually am a quasi-albino Japanese national. Hai, honto ni so omoimasu. (I really do think so.)
- Which of your pictures doesn't play well with others?
My goat on the park bench doesn't play well with the red rooster, and the winking owl tried to eat the butterfly off the pelican's nose.
   
- What got you into photography?
My parents bought me a Minolta 35mm SLR the Christmas I was 8.
- What could get you out of photography?
If the internet and all photo stores shut down, I might be SOL.
- What is the secret of your suckiness?
I really don't spend much time either taking or processing most of my photos. I don't know diddly squat about PhotoShop, either, except I'm really good at cutting and pasting. I love photography, but I suspect I'm secretly rather lazy.
- Why are voters evil?
Because they don't all automatically worship my photos and give me 10's. Which means that they don't recognize the exceptional, automatic genius in my photos, as opposed, to say, the photos taken by Larus.
- What is the most ridiculous extent you have gone to for a challenge?
I put on fake eyelashes and dug up a hammer for the Acronym challenge. Oh, and I put my hair in rollers. Didn't bother washing it first though; a little grease makes it hold better, LOL!
- What is your sign and how are the stars conspiring against you?
I'm a Capricorn, the sign of the goat. The stars conspired to make me photograph the goat on the park bench. But really, doesn't everyone need a copy of that *masterpiece* hanging in their bathroom?
- How has depth of field changed your life?
If my field were a little deeper, maybe I'd quit photographing animals and start photographing cool things, like Canon Beach. Okay, just kidding, cheap shot. I would like to learn to set up creative shots better though. Every time I get a good idea and try to shoot something truly imaginative, it ends up being a strong contender for the brown.
- Which ribbon goes best with your home décor?
Well, we do have red dining room walls, but they're a deep red and I suspect they'd clash with the nice DPC ribbon logo. The brown, though, would go very nicely.
- What activities besides photography help you vent your creative urges?
I make Pysanky, otherwise known as Ukrainian Eggs. It entails a wax dying process and each egg takes several hours - I find it pretty relaxing. Here are a couple of samples:
  .
- If you could send one picture from this site to President Bush, which would it be?
Well, my first choice is pretty offensive - it's a picture of Leroy (Photoman Forever) cutting the cheese, and not the cheddar variety, if ya' know what I mean. Wink. Sorry Bush fans, if there are any in Team Suck.
The best one, in my opinion, however, is by Cutlass Dude.  .
Just substitute the title "How is a Rocket Powered Trike a Bad Idea?" for pretty much anything Bush has done.
- Which of your pictures is your favorite and why does it give you a warm feeling when you sit down?
My favorite photos aren't really DPC friendly- they tend to be a little darker and a little starker (hey, that rhymes!) Here is a sampling of the type of photo that actually makes me groove far more than cute birdies (though I like them too!):
    
- Tell us the story behind one of your photos.
Which one are you jonesing to hear about? The winking owl? The rooster? Actually, the winking owl is somewhat interesting. He is a rescue owl living at one of the old Southern plantations (yes, as in Gone With the Wind, and our not-so-proud slavery era). He only has one eye, which is why he winks a lot. Okay, always. He's pretty friendly - he hops up whenever I show up with my tripod and zoom lens. Which is pretty frequently. I'm milking that owl for all he's worth, damn it!
- What picture on DPC most accurately depicts what your brain is like?
Muckpond's Snafu sums it up nicely: sometimes I'm not sure my fish have quite made it into the bowl, if you know what I mean.
- What piece of photography equipment are you currently using as a paperweight?
I admit I'm pretty anal about my photo equipment. I always put it away in the cupboard where I keep it immediately after a shoot. Aside from my tripod, of course.
- If you could do a photo session with anyone from history, who would it be? Describe the shots you would take.
I would like to do a photo shoot of Chopin playing the piano. I play, and love Chopin, but would do a lot to hear his own interpretation of his music. Wait, what does that have to do with photography?
- Do you take pictures because you can't draw? Be honest.
No, I take pictures because I can't sing. My voice is absolutely horrendous, but it sure doesn't keep me from crooning to my cats. My poor husband!
- What is your favorite lens you don't own?
I deeply covet an extreme telephoto, which I guess makes sense for my animal photos.
- High key, low key, no key - what's your pleasure?
I already told you I sing off key, why do you have to keep bringing this up?
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03/09/2007 10:23:04 PM · #21 |
great interview! well done to both - catherine for the witty answers, and mary for, yet again, doing all the hard work. good on yas!
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03/09/2007 11:04:50 PM · #22 |
| Wonderful interview. So much fun to read! |
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03/09/2007 11:27:56 PM · #23 |
| I love these interviews! Good job! |
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03/10/2007 06:45:24 AM · #24 |
| Nice inteview Catherine. How about Maurice Ravel? Piano Concerto in G? |
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03/10/2007 06:56:57 AM · #25 |
| pysanky!!! I saw them in your profile, how wonderful Catherine! |
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