On: Location

This week’s feature is about the concept of ‘location’- in terms of scouting for the best place to shoot on-site, as well as the role ’setting’ plays in a photographer’s work. I passed this questionnaire around to a some photographers who utilize location nicely in their work; Alex Tehrani, Cody Cloud, Shen Wei, Georgia Kokolis, and Micheal Grecco kindly weigh in on the issue:

Jake Stangel: What role does ‘location’ play in your work- do you approach it a driving force, an accent, a supporting role to the subject? Describe your philosophy behind it.

Alex Tehrani: I think it’s at least half the picture, and when you’re shooting an assignment where the subject is less than exciting it becomes even more important…unless you’re Avedon, and he’s the only one in my mind that pulls off shooting without the context of place, the location is such a rich opportunity to say something more about that person, that moment, that mood. It could be a guy on a couch, or a stripper in a bathroom, or a logger in a forest - it doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking location, it can be everyday, but it’s informative. The stain on the rug, or drawing on the fridge…there’s nothing I love more than a place that’s not put together, that’s just what it is. You can shoot all day, indiscriminately, and beautiful things land in beautiful places - something new & unexpected in picture after picture. Then again, that’s me - I like busy images, something to push you visually- that ‘dwell’ aesthetic can be a real heartbreaker- you think you’re looking at pleasant, reassuring images until you realize you didn’t learn a thing from the last 80 pages.

Cody Cloud: Location plays a huge role. I need to start keeping a piece of paper and a pencil in my pocket. I have to write down all the locations I run into and don’t have time to shoot right then or I’ll forget them. That way I have time to better think about the spot and figure out what would work best there; maybe putting a person in or shooting it as is. Sometimes over thinking it ruins it for me, so I listen to my gut a lot.

Shen Wei: For my most recent two projects - Almost Naked and Chinese Sentiment, location plays an extremely important supporting role. For Almost Naked, I find my subject first than I normally choose to photograph in their own environment, which mostly in a quite intimate location such as the bedroom. For Chinese Sentiment, obviously I am clear of the big location, but China is huge, to be able to make a profound project about China, I have to select each city and town carefully. Many times I just follow my instinct to find my locations.

Shen Wei

Georgia Kokolis: Locations are most often the 2nd most important part of my work- the first being the subject but locations can and often do take on that very role. I am guided by how I feel about a place the moment I walk in. I t is a gut feeling and if the light is right then it becomes my location of choice. Sometimes it takes a little longer, I have to revisit and stay a while, not very often but it does happen. Usually though it is that first glimpse that tells me whether or not I want to shoot in a specific place.

Michael Grecco: Location plays two roles in putting together a photo shoot, a logistical one and an aesthetic one. The logistic issues are simple and more concrete. They can include things such as: the subject getting to the location in the time allotted, can you get the gear into the location, is there power or do you need to bring generators, etc. The aesthetic questions are harder to put your finger on. All my shoots rely on a mix of hair, make-up, wardrobe, props, sets, and locations and I balance the use of these elements so that the concept comes across in the best way possible. An example of both roles of a location would be choosing to use very colorful backdrops when shooting the Porn Stars for my Naked Ambition book and movie, but strategically making sure the room we shot everyone in was a close and fast walk to get everyone through.

Michael Grecco

JS: Once you’ve chosen the general area to shoot, could you describe your process of walking around on location, and what elements you look for in deciding exactly where you want to shoot? What kind of criteria, however ephemeral or meditative, do you have in your mind during this process… are you looking to tell a story, simply find visual appeal? How long does this activity take you?

Alex Tehrani: I used to walk around and look for ‘perfect elements’ or ‘the perfect spot’ which was usually something that just looked beautiful and not a hair out of place…then I’d see my film and get frustrated, everything looked just right and there was no push & pull that gave the picture life, made it a force to pay attention to. Plus I’d be so careful about wanting the composition to be just right, making sure that flag or whatever sat just right up in the corner. That was a bad approach for a couple reasons: one, when the picture was too perfect it became just another one of those images, everything in place, too carefully thought out, flat, lifeless…the other bad thing about shooting like that is I was spending too much time thinking about all the compositional bits & pieces instead of just being present, being connected to my subject, talking trash, having a laugh, letting the moments present themselves… they always do if you have the patience and the sensitivity to let them.

Cody Cloud: Checking out the whole location is important, sometimes the best places end up being in the strangest spots. I work very instinctively, not immediately realizing why I’m drawn to a spot. It always dawns on me later that light and color is what caught my attention, not just a spot that gives me a funny feeling. I’m also drawn to scenes that hold a lot of irony, I like humor in photography and enjoy showing people the jokes I come across.

Cody Cloud

Shen Wei: I love strange places I have never been to, that becomes a motivation to me. When I am in a new location, I will take time to explore the area before I even take out my camera. I don’t look for things when I observe, I want to discover elements in the environment that inspire me. I like to just standing there and take a look at everything. It may only take a few minutes if I am photographing in a small apartment, but when I was on The Yellow Mountain of China, I needed 3 days to appreciate everything that’s surrounded me.

Georgia Kokolis: I always look for lighting elements that have a blinding quality to them, there has to be a highlight or backlight the gives it a cinematic feel. I approach my images instinctually a story sometimes develops from that process and sometimes it is predetermined. I prefer the non-linear approach to my work, as this is really the way I see things.

Georgia Kokolis

Michael Grecco: I definitely use my intuition to guide me through all the aspects of making my images. I have shot long enough that I can feel if something works or does not work in my gut. That’s intuition. When it comes to locations, there are so many setting to choose from, even in a small space. I will often squint my eyes to try to figure out how a background or vantage point will look when photographed. What I usually choose though are elements of a location that are graphic, having strong lines or shape.

JS: What is the one image in your portfolio where you feel ‘location’ plays an especially important role in the photograph- however dominant or non-dominant it is? How did you discover that spot, how did you best bring out its strengths, and what do you feel it adds to aura of the shot?

Alex Tehrani: I’m terrible at choosing one image that sums up anything, but I’m happy to offer up a couple - Conde Nast Portfolio (may she rest in peace) had me go to Cabo to shoot Salman Rushdie. The story was about how he pimps himself out to luxury hotels in exchange for free vacations. Actually the story was about more than that but that’s how I like to remember it - he was set to show up at sunset and make the rounds, have a cocktail with various hotel guests at different tables - it was all very thought out, publicists and event coordinators on hand, and most of the pictures felt very benign and like the publicity stunt it was supposed to be. I wasn’t satisfied - it was a sweaty afternoon and the place was mostly tasteful but also a little bit cheesy, and the whole scene felt pretty ridiculous, so I was determined to find that picture as well. This one kind of got there… there’s so much surrounding him that informs what that moment is.

Alex Tehrani

Or when I shot a series on summer in NYC- I went to the Pitt St. pool on the lower east side and started snapping these kids doing wild jumps off the side. The more I let go of framing the projects in the background just right, and just let myself join the chaos of what they were doing, the more the pictures just felt right- loose and uncontrollable and spilling off the edges of the frame… I like this picture.

Alex Tehrani

Cody Cloud: In a city 3 times the population of LA, the Shanghai Zoo was very quiet with few visitors other than the workers there. I discovered the zoo because I thought it would be very hi-tech like most of Shanghai. I quickly found out it wasn’t hi-tech at all, in fact the zoo was poorly cared for and very run down. As soon as I got there I knew I had found my location. I was so drawn to the zoo, I went back a lot because I wanted to capture all of it. I created an entire body of work involving the zoo, the state of its animals and the people in it.

Cody Cloud

Shen Wei: I think the “location” becomes special only when special things are happening in that specific location. “Waiting, Wuhan, Hubei Province.” is one of those images that really fascinates me. The location looks like it can be any park at anywhere, but it has its own little story that makes the location more intriguing. This lonely woman was sitting on the bench, a man standing at the other side. There are a lot of curious possibilities in this picture, whether they know each other, whether they are fighting, or if they are just both alone by themselves in a sad winter park. There are also some unnoticeable silver lotuses and cranes on the upper left corner of the picture, they are the symbols of luck and love in China. All of these elements in this particular location created this interesting melodrama.

Shen Wei

Georgia Kokolis: I recently took a photograph of a girl in my garage. I had been looking at the light in this space for a few months and realized how beautifully subtle it was. This is an example of something taking time and developing. Once in a while there is a gem in places you least expect.

Georgia Kokolis

Michael Grecco: The image of Tim Montgomery running. He was training for the Olympics and we needed to find something near where he trained in San Diego. I wanted to shoot on some salt piles in an industrial area but we could not get the OK to shoot there. I used my second choice which was that ominous sky and tree in the shot. I think that gave the whole image and interesting feeling.

Michael Grecco

JS: Anything else you’d like to add on the subject?

Alex Tehrani: Location is sort of everything and nothing - you’d be a fool not to work it into the picture, but at least for my approach to photography, it will also take you down if you give it too much weight - you can work with just about anything, anyplace. The important thing for me is just to stay open to what it feels like to be in a space, how that reflects on your subject or the picture you want to make, and then how to capture it just right so as to pass those emotions & visual elements along to a viewer.

Michael Grecco: I usually approach a shoot with a plan of what I am going to do. Have the plan, but be willing to go with what you see while there and always try to shoot an image a few different ways. You will surprise yourself with the results.

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