Interview with Photographer Paris Visone

Photos: Paris Visone

“It would be easy to say my life is a constant photo session. I see the camera as...more of a limb than a prop.” - Paris Visone

Paris Visone is a photographer based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Visone told us once that Glovebox needs to do more photo shows. Actually that was what she said in an email when she said she would do an interview with Glovebox for this blog. She recently did a shoot with Blondie and won a Getty Images Editorial Grant in 2010, among her other cool projects and professions. She has a solo show coming up at Suffolk Gallery July 22nd with an artist talk. More info on that here.

Paris is a straight shooter (no pun intended). At least that was my first impression of her about 3 years ago when she participated in the Glovebox photo show, Focus. She’s a cool chick and she knows it. I spoke to her about her spunk and her skill recently.

GLVBX: Tell me about your personality and how you would classify the type of person you are to work with.

PV: I am definitely a "let it flow" type of personality. And maybe a little loud at times. I do things seriously, but I don't take myself too seriously. Working with me, hanging out with me, there's really no distinction between the two.  "Working" just means we're actually getting something done.

What would a shoot with Paris Visone be like?

I do a lot of shooting from the hip. So it might seem like I am distracted by a situation and not actually shooting. I get a lot of "Oh, you should take a photo of this" from people who don't see that. While they're thinking I'm not doing my job, I wait for photos to happen. The over-presence of a camera can completely alter a situation. I try to stay as "real" as I can.

Tell us how your personality affects your work? Do you think it effects the quality of the shot?

Personality has a lot to do with the photos that you get. You can be standing right next to someone with the same camera and get totally different photos. I shoot with a 24mm lens. This forces me get close to my subjects, which works since I would say that I'm an in-your-face kind of person. Standing across a room with a paparazzi lens to get that candid shot is poor form compared to a subtle wide-angle shot in the midst of the moment. I like to be all up in the situation, rather than stalk it. The more connected you are to your subject, the more confident you become, and that will show in your photos.


I want to ask you about your artist statement. I think you have a really interesting artist statement for a documentary photographer - you end with three words: Experience, Remember, Relive.

Experience--How do you experience a photo session? Are you living it with the camera by your side as a “prop” or are you experiencing the situation through your lens?

It would be easy to say my life is a constant photo session. I see the camera as my replaceable baby. So maybe more of a limb than a prop.

This relates back to my earlier question -- what role does Paris play in how the session plays out?

I really try not to interfere in a way that a photographer normally would. I have a sort of old school documentary outlook on photographing. Even when shooting with a bulky large format camera, I usually stick to normal conversation. I just feel like you have to let people be themselves in front of the lens. Sometime I will get the question, "What should I do?" My answer is usually, "Whatever."  If you give people the confidence that what they already are is what you want, they unknowingly give you the goods.

Remember--When you take a photograph, is your intention to freeze a moment in time? It is a nostalgic exercise?

For me, clicking the shutter is more of an impulse thing. Usually while photographing I have no preconceived notions. I see something that I think is "worth photographing", and I shoot. I know immediately if I like it without even looking at it.

Why I like it is a totally different story. I usually have to live with a photo for awhile before I can really wrap my head around why I took it.  And there a lot of photos that I am in love with, and years later I still don't know why. I think those might be my best. Or worst.

I wouldn't say that I am sentimental in the traditional sense. But I would say that I am somewhat nostalgic, although photography is not for me to generate nostalgia. I shoot because life simply compels me to.

Relive--What does this sentiment mean, to relive? Are you reliving the moment through the eyes of the author (you) or is someone reliving a memory? Explain this idea to me--how important is it for you to be able to relive moments.

One of my intentions is to let the viewer make the photo their own. I love when people tell me that they know a version of someone in one of my photos. Or they feel that they have been in the same place or situation. I really like shooting everyday moments, because it is usually the first thing people forget, but ultimately what makes someone who they are.

But personally, relive is simple. It stems from the fact that I have a terrible memory. If I don't photograph something, according to my brain, it might as well not have happened. Reviewing photos is how I live my life, not how I review it. You could say that what reliving is for most people, is simply living for me. Life is photo.

Paris Visone Photography tee seen here modeled by Matt Katz-Bohen, keyboard player for Blondie (left)

Check out the Paris Visone Photography tees - send Paris a photo of you wearing your tee shirt and she'll post it! More information after these Blondie photos!!

Paris Visone Photography

Upcoming solo exhibition at Suffolk Gallery -- July 22, 2011

Check  out Paris on Facebook and Twitter

Interview with Director of FilmShift: Part I

"After seeing an entertaining film, I feel motivated, fired up, open to new ideas and new possibilities."- Jeremy Jed Hammel, Director of FilmShift

While doing research for the Glovebox Short Film and Animation Festival, we started emailing and talking to other film festival directors to see what works for them. As we introduced ourselves and met people from the community, we were pleasantly surprised to be welcomed with open arms. We connected with Jeremy Jed Hammel, the Director of FilmShift and the FilmShift Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. 

The FilmShift Festival is a grassroots organization that supports and promotes independent films, filmmakers and small businesses. Their mission is to find shifts, both big and small, in the art world and the local community and to highlight the success of these independent artists and entrepreneurs. The FilmShift Festival champions films from across the nation, films that are produced independently and on the local level by professionals and students using predominantly small or “green” businesses. Hammel, always the philanthropist, donates 20% of the festival’s gross ticket sales to non-profit groups. We applaud his effort and look to this veteran festival for mentorship as they lead by wonderful example. Hammel was kind enough to speak with us on the phone, answering questions and doing an interview for our blog readers. He gave us so much great information that we can't wait to share with you. We are sharing the interview in 2 parts because there is so much good stuff we want to highlight each issue separately. His message? We are all here to support each other.

"It's important to me that I make a positive and lasting change within my community...I want to make the world a better place, and Filmshift is my way of doing that."  - Jeremy Jed Hammel, Director of FilmShift
Jeremy Jed Hammel is a multiple award-winning filmmaker and has produced projects for The American Film Institute and NBC’s national network show, and his work has won prestigious such as Best Feature winner. (Read more about Hammel's accomplishments here.) Hammel’s latest producing project, “The Legacy,” Directed by Mike Doto, won Best Comic Related Film at the 2010 Comic Con International Independent Film Festival in San Diego.  

GLVBX: What do you do as a festival director? 
JJH: I book the venue, design (along with our web designer) and update our website, write press releases, update our social media, correspond with filmmakers, procure and coordinate our sponsors, coordinate with our judges, work with our graphic designer, web designer, and festival program designer...Organize volunteers, update each entrant with the status of their work, post our "Call For Entries" with every film office in the country as well as with colleges and industry message boards worldwide, watch every film that is submitted, set up our online ticketing interface, post our flier in businesses around the Boston area, pitch story ideas to the media and do interviews with them, do Q and A's with filmmakers at their screenings, and make sure everything runs smoothly on the days of the festival...there's some more to do in there, but that's the bulk of my work.

Wow! Do you have any spare time after that? What other projects are you currently working on?
JJH: My current producing project, “The Legacy,” Directed by Mike Doto, won Best Comic Related Film at the 2010 Comic Con International Independent Film Festival in San Diego. Doto’s previous film, the award-winning, “Peace,” is available on iTunes and stars Kurtwood Smith from “Worst Week,” and “That 70’s Show."

We know Hammel is a busy guy, proven by the number of projects and accolades in his repertoire. A number of Hammel’s screenplays have won awards in screenplay competitions across the country, including one of his screenplays that made to the Top 15% (out of 5500) screenplays for The Academy’s 2008 Nicholl Fellowship! Hammel has worked in every area of film/TV production, in nearly every capacity.  His crew credits, among other things, include the critically acclaimed hit series, “ER”. Hammel tells Glovebox, 

 "Filmshift has given me the opportunity to bring together my love of film with my desire to make the world a better place."  

Why did you start FilmShift/FilmShift Festival?

JJH: It's important to me that I make a positive and lasting change within my community...I want to make the world a better place, and Filmshift is my way of doing that.  Filmshift combines a few things that I am passionate about with what I am most qualified to do: I feel that it is vitally important that we all donate a portion of our time and/or money to charity, so 20% of our gross ticket sales will go to a local charity called Christopher's Haven.

I am convinced that locally-based, small businesses will save our country both from this current economic downturn and from losing our diverse national identity.  So, I feel that sparking a dialogue with members of the community about how local and green business can help is imperative. Organizations like one of our media sponsors, Somerville Local First, and our Presenting Sponsor, The Longfellow Clubs, as well as our audience raffle sponsor, Cambridge Naturals, have been doing great work within the communities around the Boston area. Their hard work, passion, and leadership inspired me to frame my film festival around local and "green" issues.
Lastly, I believe that entertaining and thought-provoking films can inspire change not just on a grand scale, but within ourselves individually.  For me personally, after seeing an entertaining film, I feel motivated, fired up, open to new ideas and new possibilities...and if I didn't enjoy the film, then I want to find a way to try to do it better...but either way, I feel inspired after I see a good film.  My goal is to have Filmshift audiences feel that same way.

It's in my nature to bring people together, it's in my blood to be an entrepreneur, and I've spent over a decade working in both the studio and independent film/TV industry, so it just made sense to me that I create Filmshift.
What parting advice can you give us about Boston Film Festivals?
JJH: Boston and New England has so many diverse film festivals and so many passionate and talented filmmakers here in the area, I'm hopeful that collectively we can start seeing a consistent stream of high-level independent films, produced on the local level.

The one lesson that I've learned from my time in both Boston and LA is one that I cannot stress enough:  No one is going to Make It Happen except you.  So go do it.  Now.  Make your film  Just don't bet the house on it and don't expect you'll be rich and famous once you do.

Thank you Jed for taking the time to impart these words of advice that will help filmmakers and people who want to embark on putting together a local film festival. Join Glovebox at our first film festival on June 11th. More info here.

Get your FAQ straight!

GLOVEBOX artists, Liang Qu and Melissa Friebe have a new venture that we can't wait to share.  These two Bostonians are starting their own art/lit magazine, FAQ, and you can be a part of the first issue! 

We met up with Liang and Melissa to ask them, just what is FAQ all about?

Liang and Melissa on starting out as artists:
The biggest issue we encountered wasn’t so much a roadblock as it was a puzzling round-about: No one would give us an opportunity to prove ourselves unless we had prior experience; yet it’s hard to gain experience when no one gives you the opportunity. This cycle is tiring and discouraging for all artists.


The epiphany:
Fed up with leaving our fates to stew on the backburners of those too busy to care, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We would display our wares, and we would do it our way – the FAQ way.


So what is FAQ?
FAQ is not just a magazine. It’s a “portable gallery”: literature and visual art in bite-size pieces that are as easy to collect and share as postcards. Each issue will be printed on 5 x 7 cards. The name FAQ, is a reference to 'frequently asked questions' and our last names (Friebe and Qu)... ultimately we want the frequently asked question of FAQ to be "What is FAQ?"


What is your goal with FAQ portable gallery-slash-trading cards concept? Is this, like, the new pokemon?
We want to create a diverse collection of literature and visuals in every issue, all contained within a central theme. Through this, we hope to give new artists the opportunity to gain that essential first experience, an exit out of the frustrating round-about. And we will keep it simple: if you felt the artistic inspiration to create it, we will give you the artistic respect of a careful review.

Creativity is like a party: when everyone brings a little something, the real fun begins. So won’t you accept the invitation to join ours?

Thanks FAQ peeps for sharing! We are psyched to see the first issue. Kudos to the two of you for your entrepreneurship! 

You can submit your art or writing to faqsubmissions@gmail.com for the first issue. The theme is "MUSE" - What is your muse? What do you find a-musing? What do you muse about? 

www.faqtheportablegallery.blogspot.com