“Photography gives you a purpose to venture to amazing places, meet interesting people and most importantly it enables you to retain a child like sense of curiosity about the world.”
Jeremy Blincoe
Jeremy Blincoe. Born in 1981, Jeremy Blincoe is a contemporary photographer currently based in Melbourne, Australia. He studied photography at “Massey University, Wellington” (New Zealand), followed by years working in advertising honing his craft.
A predominate focus of Jeremy Blincoe’s work is on youth, and are set in wondrous landscapes, giving the viewer a license to create their own narrative inside a mysterious and mythical world he has created.
Interview with Jeremy Blincoe
Jeremy, what was your first camera and photographic experience?
My first camera was a panoramic, point and shoot that I found discarded, or more likely forgotten on a dusty mountain access road in South Island, New Zealand. With my hands on a camera and half a roll of film on the roll I began photographing my friends and landscapes.
Why did you become a photographer?
I fell in love with taking and creating pictures and as my involvement with the medium escalated I realized that I wanted photography to be a dominant driving force in my life.
What does photography mean to you?
It is everything to me. It gives you a purpose to venture to amazing places, meet interesting people and most importantly it enables you to retain a child like sense of curiosity about the world.
Which photographer has inspired you most and why?
Gregory Crewdson, the dedication to his craft, uncompromising vision, sheer scale of the productions and attention to detail are all qualities I admire and hope to instill into my own practice over time.
“It’s about finding meaning through light. I’m always interested in tensions. A primary one is the collision between the familiar and the strange.”
Gregory Crewdson
What’s your favorite photography quote?
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without the camera.”
Dorothea Lange
How would you describe your photographic language?
If pushed I think I would describe my images as conceptual narratives. In terms of working process, I try to shoot as much as I can on location, though as my ideas has been evolving the location images will often be combined with studio shoots to create the final image.
“Images created in the series Fleeting Embrace ask: what are we leaving for the children of this world? Perhaps the fleeting embrace of the title is that these children are holding on to what is left before it disappears.”
What’s important in order to develop an own photographic voice?
I think stealing from all the great artists that you admire, soaking up the details instilled in their work then applying the lesson’s learned and techniques all the while tweaking things to make the image your own. This is the road I travelled to develop my own style and I continue to do so as there is so much to learn and vast space for my images to grow and evolve.
What do you consider to be the axis of your work?
Technically, I don’t have a set formula and would rather be fluid focusing on what works best for each image. Conceptually, creating narrative images with a hint of ambiguity that have the ability to envelop the viewer, sparking their imaginations to find their own meaning in the work. This is one of the important goals for me when creating new work.
What qualities does a good photographer need?
Curiosity, compassion, patience, attention to detail and a strong desire to communicate a unique voice to the world.
What does a photo need to be a great photo in your eyes?
I think it needs to be aesthetically beautiful, enticing me into the photographer’s world so that I may leave with vivid imprint in my mind and slightly altered perception of the world.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your photographic projects?
I love reading, once I have decided on a thread or rough narrative for a series, I will read as much as I can from a wide variety of sources, all the time keeping a notebook handy jotting down excerpts and ideas, as you never know when two seemingly disjointed association will come together to form a good idea.
I also collect images, both cut outs from magazines and books – also on the computer. I later spend time browsing through the images collating them into folders relevant to my idea or series.
What kind of photography equipment and photographic supplies do you use?
Canon 5d mark II, Profoto for studio lighting and Broncolour for on location lights.
What’s your favorite website on photography?
I like to look a lot at a blog called “500 Photographers” by Pieter Wisse.
What photography book would you recommend?
I think “Image takers – Image makers” by Anne-Celine Jaeger is a pretty good book about photography.
Which advice would you give someone who wants to become a professional photographer?
Dedicate your life to creating images and continually strive with every new project to further refine your craft, explore new directions and articulate your voice.
I think developing a slight obsession with the images in your mind and creating them by any means, even if you have to spend your last few dollars. It’s such a shame so many good idea’s will not escape the confines of a notebook as the author perpetually waits for all the right conditions to come together before acting.
A healthy work ethic and a good dose of patience are fairly vital ingredients also.
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Jeremy Blincoe “Bound” – www.jeremyblincoe.com
