Join us here on ALC for Women With Cameras on Wednesdays, where Dorie Hagler will be highlighting the thoughts and experiences of a professional female photographer or filmmaker. Her goal is to share great work by great professionals who are not yet in the limelight. This week, she spoke with street photographer Andi Schreiber, on her recent work.
We crave stillness, but move about aimlessly. Once a place of relative calm and routine, our home teeters in a state of fluid negotiation. All of the players are in flux.
We lose parts of ourselves, in much the same way as we surely lose the people who surround us – through death, through life, through drift.
A: That depends on whether the shoot was for a client or for myself but my favorite way to work is to keep it super simple in terms of gear. I like a DSLR with a short prime lens and a flash and a Demb diffuser. I could forgo the external flash for the pop-up flash, which, despite its limitations, I have found to be a really useful and great little tool
Q: As photographers, we all get that “got it” feeling when we get the shot we are after. What needs to be present in an image for you to get that feeling or know you nailed it?
A: That’s a good question but I rarely come home from any job feeling like I nailed it — just ask my family and friends! There’s always a bit of anxiety until I can view what I have on my computer. I think that the rear screen on my digital camera causes this uncertainty as I’m constantly checking it and making modifications in how I’m shooting. And I do this fully-knowing that it’s not a good indication of what I’ve gotten. I do miss the days of shooting film and seeing a negative develop in the darkroom. That certainly felt more magical. And I believe that we learned faster from our mistakes back then since they were the kind you could never forget making and were often irreversible.
Q: How do you balance your personal work with your client work? What percentage of your work is what you are passionate about and what percentage is produced to pay your bills?
A: There is no balance between my personal and client work since earning money through photography is a constant concern and has to take precedence. So when my shooting work is slow I try to do the other things to earn income. I have been editing and creating custom photobooks for clients for the past 10 years. Recently I started a photo workshop and have also been mentoring photographers one-on-one. I do this in person and also online, which is amazing. I find working with other photographers to be very inspiring and really opens my eyes to other ways of seeing and doing. My personal work takes some degree of attention and getting into that headspace is not always easy. I really appreciate the freedom to create when I have it but it feels like a precious commodity these days.
Q: If you didn’t have to worry about earning a living, what type of work would you do
A: Wow, that’s a great question. I would run photography workshops to destinations that I’d like to explore all while having someone at home to do the laundry, shop for food, cook and drive the carpool. And then, upon my return from these wonderful trips, I would have someone who would select and then process my images, making all the correct choices and adjustments according to my sensibilities.
Q: I often feel that I keep making photographs because I don’t know how not to. Why do you keep making photographs?
A: I love to see and then, to feel. The act of photographing keeps me rooted in the present in the best possible way. It also forces me to get away from my computer and meet people. Keeping photography in my life on any level brings me great joy. I eat, breathe and dream about it. I’ve often said I’m an infatuation junkie and live to be sparked, visually.
Q: There are many obstacles and gatekeepers that present challenges to getting my work seen. But I know my worst gatekeeper has been me – I had to learn how to get out of my own way. What has been your greatest obstacle and how did you overcome it?
A: I think my greatest obstacle has been to accept that I can be both an artist and a working photographer at the same time and that doing one doesn’t negate the other. It would be great if I had the luxury of working only on photographs that are close to my heart but the reality is that I need to spend more time on marketing myself to potential clients. And for some reason, doing that is almost more difficult and time consuming than promoting one’s fine art. I’m trying to be a smarter self-marketer and get myself out there, yet not lose sight of who I am at my core. So to get through the various tasks related to marketing and promotion I make lists and try to check off at least one item daily, so there’s always some progress on that front.
Q: What is your dream assignment/project?
A: Okay, don’t laugh, but I’d be a full time street photographer. Of course I could be doing that right now but I’m too nervous. As I gotten older I’ve become more risk-averse. I have a fear of photographing in public that I would love to get over, somehow. Maybe if I had an actual assignment I would force myself to do it? One of the reasons that I love to photograph parties for clients is because everyone knows why I’m there – – to picture them! This feels so different from photographing on the street where I feel self-conscious and fear confrontation.
To see more of Andi’s work, follow her on Instagram @andischreiber.
