Holographic photo:  "Butterflies" by Erin Antongnoli

In her artist’s statement notes: "I use my Holga camera as a way of digging deeper beneath the surface of my environment.  By overlapping multiple images in a single frame of film, I am able to make connections that are not otherwise apparent, and am able to uncover a spirit in a city that I initially viewed as cold, corporate, and soulless."  (she’s talking about Washington DC).

As a rule, photography has to be very different to catch my eye.  I think of good photography like I respond to good poetry:  when it presents itself, the acknowledgment is a bodily  sigh of recognition..  This is what Erin’s photographs do for me. 

Erin was kind enough to take the time to do a direct interview with me:

I’ve never heard of Holga photography  is it something that is well  known or is it a niche?

It is fairly well known among photographers, but I’m not sure how much non-photographers know about it. [to the right, Holga photograph by Erin called:  "Cherry blossoms."]

How did you discover it?  Is it hard to learn?  How long have you been doing it?

I first heard about the camera in grad school, and picked one up then.  I used it a couple of times and shelved it because the results were kind of boring to me.  That was in 1999.  In 2005 I picked it back up after moving to DC, and found that the way I was making images really resonated with me here, so I ran with it.

The Holga is easy to learn in that there are no controls, no settings, and overall it’s the most basic of cameras.  But it’s very hard to master and get consistent results.  It takes a lot of practice to figure out how to get the results you want.  I rarely see Holga images that draw me in, but when I do, I’m very impressed.

Where does one find a holga camera?

I have several Holga cameras, and I have gotten them through a variety of places.  A couple were purchased through photo supply stores like Calumet or B&H, a couple through Holgamods, and one was a gift from a friend in Atlanta.  The gifted Holga is slightly modified, and the Holgamod cameras can be customized as well (though mine are more or less the standard that are offered through there). [above left Holga by Erin:  Skagway Car 1]

When you take photographs, what is your primary inspiration?

When I started out a few years ago on this project, I just wanted to make myself better acquainted with DC and the surrounding area since I was new here.  I was mainly looking for details, shapes, textures…the inspiration was anything I could find on the streets when I walked around.  I would combine these things I found into a city0-scape of sorts, taking and combining elements that might be near to each other but didn’t necessarily "go" together.  I like the weathered areas, as opposed to the clean, pristine areas of town for this type of work.  lately, I’ve been incorporating people into my work and so the inspiration shifts somewhat.  I am still looking for the shapes and textures, but instead of making a city-scape I’m making a portrait. [to the right, Andrew-Door-1]

Do you have a favorite subject matter?

For my Holga artwork, I like the city.  I like man made texture.  I am not certain Id make this wort of work if I lived out in the country, because it’s a different type of texture you find out there.  Less man made, and more natural.

If you could go anywhere and photograph anything, where/what would it be?

There are lots of great places to make art, but the art would be really different depending on where I was.  I went to India a few years back, and shot more color than I think I ever have in my life!  When I visit most places, I shoot black and white for the most part.  I’m always open to new experiences and like to go places I’ve never gone before.  I really think I can make great art anywhere, it’s just a matter of figuring out the best way to go about it. [digital photo to left, Wedding Violin]

If there were no obstacles, what is your dream for your photography?

I like to keep the process organic, so I don’t have any dreams set in stone.  I am always open to try new things, and always hope to grow as an artist.  I don’t want to feel pressured into keeping to one sort of style due to financial/social/other reasons.  I want to always make what inspires me.

In addition to artOMatic, are there other places where people can see your work?

I try to show locally at least 4 or 5 times a year, and sometimes show in other cities around the country.  I have 3 solo exhibits coming up at the start of 2009.  One will be in Reston (Va), one in Frederick (MD) and one in Colorado.  I update my art web site with the latest information of where to find my work.

You do wedding photography; can you give us a portfolio url?

http://halophoto.blogspot.com – I try to update this at least once a week with whatever I’m up to in each of my 3 photo lives. [ed note – to the right is an engagement photo which I love.  Erin has a great eye and imagination which come together to make what could be very rote, very fresh instead]

[and to the left here is a wedding photo of bride’s maids’ feet – again:  fresh and fun – you know there’s a story here and you find yourself happily trying to see/hear more]

Do you have favorite artists you’d like to share with us?

Some famous artists who I’ve drawn inspiration from are Duane Michals, Michael Kenna, Jean Michel Basquait, Anton Corbijn, Frida Kahlo, and Andres Kertesz.  But there are a lot that I like, and I’m probably leaving out someone who I really love – I just can’t name that many here so best to keep the list small!

Why do you participate in ArtOMatic?  Have you had time to find "favorites" ?

This is my second AOM.  My first was last year in Crystal City.  I got to see a lot of work I loved, though some of it was from artists I already knew.  But AOM is nice because I get to see the newest work, and often more experimental work, from a lot of these artists.  Some of my favorite displays from last year were Sean Hennessey, Phil Nesmith, Susan Abraham, Marcie Wolf Hubbard, Shanthi Chandra-Sekar (image from Shanthi to the right, Unity in Diversity, from last year’s ArtOMatic.  I covered her here).  I have not even gotten to see all of the floors this year, so I’ll be trying to knock out a few with each visit and hopefully compile a favorites list for this year.

thought for the day: Gertrude Stein, America’s most relentlessly experimental writer, was influenced by the cubist experiments of her painter friends – and wished to investigate the objects of her attention simultaneously from numerous angles.  through a series of continual permutations on a few ordinary phrases, wrenching the common syntax of English from its moorings, she shaped language into new configurations.  If there is often a sense that her poems represent language at pure play, at times there is also a sense that a complex meaning is being elucidated through an hermetic language that  has become hypnotic and seductive in its continual repetition and variation.  Steve Kowit, In the Palm of Your Hand:  The Poet’s Portable Workshop