This week’s Member Moment features work by Film Club member Konnor Durante, whose work shows a wide range of portraiture, landscapes, and documentary photography. Scroll down to see his pictures and to read the interview!
PL: What got you interested in photography?
KD: What got me into this all? Funny enough, for me that started in high school when I originally wanted to study architecture. However, I found myself not very inspired during the experience, but the instructor at the time wanted me to meet his friend Eric Smith. Eric saw I had creativity and even though I wasn't taking his class he gave me an AE-1, a roll of XP4, and told me to "give this a shot". I was 15 at the time and I'm 27 now. I've had a camera in my hands since. And no... I never took his class haha.
PL: What type of camera do you shoot with?
PL: When taking pictures, what are some objects or elements or feelings within a scene that inspire you to take a photo?
KD: Oh man! It really depends. I think for this question I'll stay away from the commercial ideas and focus on my more personal work. Feeling is such a hard thing to put into words, but I tend to walk around with my cameras a lot while listening to music. This evokes a feeling in me where I can let my mind drift and whatever I see in front of me almost feels elevated? I don't know if that makes any sense but when I see something I just SEE it, through and through. Even when I miss a shot and I've missed SO many times, I can look at the frame and instantly remember what I was looking for.
PL: Of the pictures you submitted, can you share an interesting story about one?
KD: Of the 15 I sent I wanted to make sure to show a range! For instance the photo of the construction workers is from the first roll of film I ever tried to scan myself when I was 18, I was obsessed at the time with keeping the frames in around that time. I'm not sure why. Haha maybe it was being tumblr obsessed at the time!
I wanted to include the range though to show how much your imagery can change overtime. If you compare that to the one of the lady with the bags, you can see how much my confidence in street photography grew. Take the frame of the mountain pass with the same borders vs the lake from Wyoming last summer, you can see my understanding of composition, exposure, all of it had advanced.
PL: What do you enjoy most about digital/film photography and what is challenging about it?
KD: I think with photography the thing I enjoy most about it is I get to isolate a moment, a memory in time. I write a lot as I tend to reflect on days past and with all that writing I have a clearer picture of my life (pun intended). I think I have carried over this philosophy with photography.
I have worked as a photographer professionally for almost a decade, and the things I will remember and take with me are the photos of friends, family, and lovers past. That's the beauty of it all, like the embarrassing feeling of opening your journal from highschool and seeing how your crush didn't laugh at your joke in class, photography can transport you back to a feeling.
When I look at my shots I can remember the music I was listening to at the time, the smell of fresh air in the mountains, how anxious I was to shoot medium format for brand or engagement wondering "what if it didn't come out this time? Did the film jam? What if I over exposed it?!" It all keeps me feeling alive. I love it.
PL: How would you like to grow this collection of photographs?
KD: Hmmm that's a great question! Because I don't see myself stopping shooting anytime soon, I literally just dropped off two rolls at your shop this week and I have four ready to shoot in the coming days! I think for me it's taking my imagery offline. I have never gotten the chance to put on a showcase, or be a part of one. I think for me my goal is to either cultivate a collection or shoot one specifically for a show this year! Sharing your work in person is something incredibly intimate, there's no screen of protection, no username to hide behind. It's just you. I want to challenge myself this year to feel that!
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