A Photography Phone Call: On Life, Faith And Trains
Jun 20, 2013 03:28:04 #
http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2013/06/18/193056695/a-photography-phone-call-on-life-faith-and-trains
"Over the past few years I've been to a few photography festivals to review portfolios. When I first met Christopher Chadbourne in New Orleans about two years ago, he was showing some photos from a project about state fairs. I liked the photos and that was pretty much all we talked about.
Then I met him again a few months ago in Portland, Ore. This time, he was showing a new group of photos views from a moving train. What's appealing about trains, he later explained on the phone, is how "you have no idea what's coming, so you have literally a second ... to shoot."
The metaphor extends to his life, which, about five years ago, was almost completely derailed by a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Oddly, that diagnosis got him back on track with photography.
After a few conversations, I've learned that there is so much more to these photos and to Chadbourne than meets the eye. Isn't that always the case? All you have to do is ask.
And actually, that's my favorite thing about this blog: the excuse to ask. Especially the big questions over long phone conversations. It seems like a waste to not share them. So, without saying much more, I'll let Chadbourne do the talking in this little experimental video.
Life is like riding trains is like photography: "You have to see the moment and get it fast," he says. "You don't get two chances.""
"Over the past few years I've been to a few photography festivals to review portfolios. When I first met Christopher Chadbourne in New Orleans about two years ago, he was showing some photos from a project about state fairs. I liked the photos and that was pretty much all we talked about.
Then I met him again a few months ago in Portland, Ore. This time, he was showing a new group of photos views from a moving train. What's appealing about trains, he later explained on the phone, is how "you have no idea what's coming, so you have literally a second ... to shoot."
The metaphor extends to his life, which, about five years ago, was almost completely derailed by a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Oddly, that diagnosis got him back on track with photography.
After a few conversations, I've learned that there is so much more to these photos and to Chadbourne than meets the eye. Isn't that always the case? All you have to do is ask.
And actually, that's my favorite thing about this blog: the excuse to ask. Especially the big questions over long phone conversations. It seems like a waste to not share them. So, without saying much more, I'll let Chadbourne do the talking in this little experimental video.
Life is like riding trains is like photography: "You have to see the moment and get it fast," he says. "You don't get two chances.""
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