BRYAN SHEFFIELD

We at HUMBLE GIANTS are big fans of Bryan Sheffield and he so graciously agreed to reveal a bit of himself to our readers YAY! He is armed with sarcastic wit and a camera which makes way for an intoxicating level of creativity. Bryan…. you rule!

Tell us a little bit about yourself for our readers?

My name is Bryan Sheffield. Although my name is Bryan, only 3 1/2 people call me “Bryan”. Those people are my mom, Meryl Slay, Claire Weiss, and Matt Rubin when he is upset with me.

I am a Los Angeles based photographer, but I rarely photograph Los Angeles. That’s a lie, I photograph Los Angeles a lot. I grew up on the East Coast, but I am well over that side of the country. Traveling there for work 6 times a year is enough for me.

I have a BFA from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Art school taught me about aesthetics and what is pretty and what is not pretty. I am still confused, so I am currently reading a 1200 page book called Aesthetics: What is Pretty and What is Not Pretty, I am currently on page 11. Shit’s rough, i have to look up every 5th word in a thesaurus.

How would you describe your work?
I would describe my work as “photographic portraiture”.

In your work it feels that the scene is naturally happening, that the audience is a voyeur who has been invited in for this nice exciting moment. (I notice you even sneak in a foot here or there.) How do you work with your subjects to create these moments?

Thank you, based on your adjectives “nice” & “exciting”, I will take that as a compliment. I always admired the way that Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, and Juergen Teller have a very self-involved view. There is an intimacy, and a glimpse into the photographers life, that compels a viewer.

Whether it is personal work, or for a client, I just like to have fun when I am shooting. I joke around, interact, put people in situations that make them comfortable, or extremely uncomfortable. As much as I am there, and (possibly) a stranger with a camera pointed at them, I try to make the comfort level that of that if the subject was alone or with close friends.

If you aren’t connecting with your subject, do you have any secrets in getting them interested or involved?

I wouldn’t shoot something that doesn’t interest me, or compel me. I open up and/or make fun of myself a lot, that breaks people down fast. Shooting interesting people, and/or drugs and sexualness, helps too. I read somewhere that there were a lot of drugs around when Clark shot “Tulsa”. Those people look right at home.

what are some of your greatest sources of inspiration?
Music, drawing, and espresso… namely Dinosaur Jr., Edgar Degas, and Starbucks.

If you could shoot anything right now what would it be and why?
A three week road trip through Western Canada with Agyness Deyn. Just the two of us in a black 1981 Jeep CJ7.

what are some upcoming projects, freelance, art shows you are working on or have in store that you would like to share with our readers?
I have some shoots in NYC later this month, shooting a boutique clothing line look book tomorrow, shooting the PabLove bicycle tour in AZ and Souther California next week, working on a solo show in LA for January or February or June or October. Some traveling too. Headed to Seattle and Vancouver for a week in December, and Southern Colorado for New Years evening and New Years day.

what are some of your favorite websites you find yourself frequenting lately and why?
www.flickr.com (To look at photos.)
www.google.com (To look up drug interactions.)
www.facebook.com (To Facebook™ chat with strangers at 2am.)

What has been the best way you’ve found to promote your work?
Word of mouth is always the best, I also pass out business cards featuring a 16 page fold-out showcasing my work at local trade shows and have a fairly active LiveJournal webpage of my interactive jpegs.

what is the best advice you would give someone wanting to do what you do?

Don’t do it, a steady paycheck does wonders for combating anxiety and stress. That being said, if you are rich, or someone in your family is rich, then do it. Just shoot a lot. Edit a lot. travel a lot. Don’t sleep a lot. Show people your work a lot. Experiment a lot. Have fun a lot.