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In Focus With Alexander Richter Artist: Alexander Richter Interviewer: Ritz Carlton |
In Focus With Alexander Richter
Interviewed by Ritz Carlton 10-01-07
AmalgamDigital.com: I read that you started off originally as a documentary film maker. In looking at your photos, they have almost a film like quality to them; there’s a lot of movement and energy in your prints. Do you think that your film background has influenced the way you take photos and your mentality towards still shots?
Alexander Richter: Definitely. I don’t think it’s something that I am consciously aware of but more so something that is just part of me. I take time when I work, and focus my attention on detail(s). I have always loved movies so it is only natural that I attempt to make my photographs have some sort of cinematic quality.
AmalgamDigital.com: What motivates you to be a photographer? Are there times when you want to throw in the towel and find a more traditional career path?
Alexander Richter: My motivation is the world around me. I am influenced by my family, friends, music, and travel just to name a few. I refuse to limit myself to one thing and as a result my body of work has a little bit of everything in it. As far as “throwing in the towel” goes I have to say no. I work a day job which provides the bread & butter when photography is slow. I look forward to the days when I have enough stable business that I can leave the day job behind and focus solely on my photography. As it is now I work during the day and then come home to work on my photography at night. Like Nas said “I Never sleep, Cause sleep is the cousin of death.”
AmalgamDigital.com: I feel that a lot of videos and photo shoots end up portraying all the negative stereotypes associated with hip hop. Your photos succeed in that they capture the artist and give you sense of who they are without objectifying them. Is this something that you do intentionally? What do you think about the photos of artists you see every month in hip hop publications like XXL and the Source?
Alexander Richter: I can’t really speak on what other photographers or video directors do, but when it comes to my work I can say that the most important thing for me is to make a photo that honestly captures the person that I am photographing. I think that it is imperative that I connect with the person who I am photographing otherwise the lack of communication will be evident in my photograph. Photography as you know is 50 / 50. It is extremely hard to make a fantastic photo if your subject is just looking like a dead animal and so it is essential that I connect with them on some sort of personal level so that we can make this photo together. As for the the photography that appears in hip hop publications like XXL or The Source it can be hit or miss. For every great photograph that I see in one of those magazines I see another and think to myself that I could have done it better.
AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the worst experience you’ve had on a shoot?
Alexander Richter: Fortunately I have not really had one yet aside from your typical glitches that happen like being lied to by PR people, artists being late, and, or forgetting some essential piece of gear. But in the end I still manage to work things out so I feel pretty happy that nothing disastrous has happened and I hope that it doesn’t.
AmalgamDigital.com: How do you know when a shoot is complete and your work is done?
Alexander Richter: It’s hard to say. Often times the shoots come to a close because the artist and myself are on a time line so we only have so much time to make things happen, otherwise there are plenty of shoots that I would have liked to have more time with. As a result I have to work as hard as can for the time that I have and put all my energy into making those photographs. Even after the photo shoot is done I still find myself thinking ” I could have done it like this, or I could have changed the lighting,etc..” I am a very harsh critic of my work so I always feel like I could be doing more or I could have done something different.
AmalgamDigital.com: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Alexander Richter: Drinking a cold caipirinha in Brazil with my girl (laughs). In addition to that hopefully 10 years from now I will have secured my position in the photography world. I want to contribute to a photographic legacy. Hopefully in 10 years time when people are thinking about amazing photographers my name will get placed in the mix.
AmalgamDigital.com: You’ve worked with a range of artists from Pharoahe Monch to the Juggaknots to the Clipse. What do you do in preparation for each shoot? Do you have an objective when you pick up the camera? Do you shoot with the intention to communicate who the artist is through your photos?
Alexander Richter: It all depends on who I am photographing. If I am going to photograph someone who is quite famous then I do some research on them. I look around the web and print magazines to see what other photographers have done so that I don’t repeat something. I also like to find things out about the person so that I can connect with them. I also have a little note book that I keep with me in which I sketch out ideas on how to potentially pose the people, different light set up’s, and random other notes about the subject or job. As I mentioned earlier the most important thing for me is to portray the artist in an honest fashion, so yes I do make a conscious effort to communicate who the artists is. At least communicate who that artists was during our time together.
AmalgamDigital.com: Everything seems to be going digital- from film and music sales to photography. What’s your take on the digital revolution?
Alexander Richter: I am fine with it. I started out with a 35mm and a medium format camera but now I also use a digital slr. I love shooting film but if you are on a job and don’t have an extra pair of hands around shooting film can be a bit slow. Where as with the digital format I can have a couple 4 gig memory card’s and bang out close to 300 photos per card. When you think about 12 photo’s per roll of 120 medium format film you can’t help but see the advantages of the digital age. This being said if I could get my clients to budget for film I would prefer to shoot film. In the mean time I stay shooting film but more so these days for my own personal archives.
AmalgamDigital.com: If you could photograph any person on earth, who would it be and why?
Alexander Richter: Hmmm. At this very moment on a Thursday morning I would have to say Rick Rubin. Not only does Rick have some serious clout in the hip hop world, but he has also been the go to guy for some of rock n roll’s greats. I just recently read an article on him in the New York Times and I feel like he has some crazy stuff going on in his head. He has been taste maker for the last 20 some odd years and his influence on American Culture has been tremendous.
AmalgamDigital.com: What would you say is your biggest motivator and your biggest inspiration?
Alexander Richter: My biggest inspiration is the world around me. I love life, and I am
continuously trying to capture this energy in camera. Obviously as a photographer there are other photographers out there who inspire me and so people like Bruce Davidson, Jonathan Mannion, Sabastio Salgado, Nigel Perry, Piotr Sikora, Chris Buck, Bettina Rheims, Lee Friedlander, and others whose exceptional photographs challenge me to step up my game and create the most honest, and original photography that I can.
To see more of Alexander Richter’s work please visit:
http://www.alexanderrichterphoto.com
