Handcar Regatta

We continue the ongoing series of profiles on local luminaries and creative doers to watch in this interview with photographer Misha Miller. Many who have attended The Regatta may have seen Misha at work with a large format camera on a big tripod like days of old, freely shooting anyone who might pose for her lens.

Now on to our conversation…

Erasmus P. Kitty: How did you get started in photography and why does it appeal to you?

Misha Miller: I started shooting as a sophomore in high school. I had always painted, drawn, or had my hands in some sort of visual media, but I especially connected with the process of photography. Exploring in the field, shooting, developing, and all of the late hours hunched in a dark room printing, to come out to the light and see what I had created; it was a magical process.

EPK: You’ve used an interesting old camera at The Regatta for the past two years. Describe the rig you use to shoot portraits there.

MM: I use an Omega 4×5 studio camera with a Rodenstock lens. It’s a large rig and pretty heavy. I had originally used this camera in college for studio work, product, and architectural photography. It seemed fitting to bring the camera to the Regatta because of its antique nature and complex shooting method. There are a number of steps and many variables involved in shooting with it, which I love; the camera is a contraption in itself. The combination of this setup and the Polaroid Type 55 film gives the images a really old fashioned feel. Sadly, the film is no longer being produced since Polaroid stopped making film.

EPK: Who are your artistic influences, photographers or otherwise?

MM: I tend not to follow or idolize other artists. I’m more influenced by inspiring ideas and people around me; friends, loved ones, activists, and supportive community are more influential than famous artists. A few photographers I’ve admired are Richard Avedon, Mary Ellen Mark, and Dorothea Lange.

I found photography as a personal art form; it’s a way for me to process and express feelings and ideas… When I resonate with a subject, it fuels this fire; the image is already created in my mind and at that point it is a race for me to capture it. Sometimes, when it’s not possible for me to capture it in the moment, I get this image burned into my mind, or the idea anyway, just floating there in my head… it sits there and bubbles and ferments until the time is right to pull it out of the cellar and bottle or shoot it.

EPK: Your Web site quotes you: “My photography is inspired by the natural world and the human influence that is constantly transforming and evolving within it.” Is this related to your mention of “social landscapes”? What does this mean?

MM: I’m interested in the juxtaposition between people and our environments, making statements about the confrontation and relation to our landscapes, whether we’re working with or destroying what’s around us. I enjoy looking at the many levels of our relationship to nature and the many forms in nature that mimic the human body and vice versa.

Social landscapes can be images of people, objects, or nature, that are not necessarily portraits, still lifes, or landscapes. Through these different forms I feel like I can express internal feelings and ideas using shapes, body language, perspective, juxtaposition, and light, to create a story.

EPK: If you were stranded somewhere and limited to one camera, what would that essential rig be?

MM: This is too hard to answer! I’m a collector of many different kinds of cameras for many uses. I love to experiment and all cameras have their uses. I like my Rolleiflex though. Its beauty is in its simplicity. It reduces the need to think. I can just shoot with it and not get caught up in complication.

But my primary tool of choice these days is in the digital realm; I shoot with a Canon 5d Mark II. This camera allows me versatility and a new process in and of itself; including new avenues for experimentation and image creation. It is like falling in love with photography all over again.

EPK: Do you have one photograph that haunts you, either because it’s the perfect shot or an image you’re compelled to recapture?

MM: There is one picture that haunts me, that got away. I lost a camera that had this one photo. It was an epic picture of a man I met at Burning Man. We were on top of this pyramid, he was tall and thin with a big curly mustache. All he was wearing were striped socks, a sort of loin cloth piece, and a small cap. I was talking to him and he folded himself all the way back and around so that his head was between his dangling legs like a contortionist, looking up at me. The sky was gorgeous with a beautiful sunrise and puffy clouds with the whole desert. He had this big circus entertainer grin. I took a shot of him like that on top of this pyramid…

It killed me to lose that shot. I get really attached to images. I fell in love with the shot at the time and it took me a long time to get over it. I think it represents an opening in a story of my photography I’d like to explore and a subject I’d always wanted to shoot. Burning Man is definitely an inspiration. It’s so overwhelming and difficult to be there and shoot at the same time. There’s a risk of trying too hard and being disappointed with the results. I like to be in the moment and then take that inspiration home to recapture the ideas and emotions in my own recreations.

EPK: What did you take from your early work at the Ox-Bow School of Art? Was there a defining moment there you still draw from today?

MM: The main thing was about intention or purpose in my work. It’s not art for art’s sake. The question is always “Why?” Dissect and figure out why the image or feeling is important or meaningful. I learned to take myself seriously or no one else will. I was encouraged to dive into the mental process of creation and intent. I had to go beyond the initial steps of the mechanics of just shooting a photo.

EPK: Likewise, what was gained at the Brooks Institute? On your site you mention a multitude of techniques explored there. What were the sacrifices and benefits to this approach?

MM: Brooks was more technical and career focused. They encouraged me to find a style and stick to it. I rebelled against a lot of the rigid technical orientation though. There was a lot of focus on correct process over artistic intent in the beginning. I needed to find meaning in my assignments.

I majored in advertising; I’ve always wanted to make messages understood through images. I also studied architectural photography at Brooks. At first I thought it would be too dry and boring. After trying it, I find it’s a nice balance between technicalities and aesthetics.

EPK: What’s next for your career?

MM: I am open to new projects and collaborations with other artists. I would love to do more community projects, too. I love to meet new people, explore new territories, subjects, and tap into the inspiration and creative abundance that surrounds us…. I am looking forward to a couple of collaboration projects that are in the works, and I will hopefully be able to disclose details soon!

I will also continue to photograph commercial architecture as well as continue my personal work with people and creating social landscapes. I am also looking for a studio space locally for portraiture and product photography. Currently I am shooting bands, circus, and dance performers too… There are so many amazing performers and artists in the Bay Area …and I’m especially excited to do more portraits at The Regatta this year.

I suddenly feel at home among all of these creative people who are making events happen on their own artistic terms. It’s much needed, and inspires playfulness with a very vibrant community, supports important causes, and gathers people who are creating something new and vital together. We’re so connected. We can tap into this resonance and movement that we need at a core level.

EPK: Where else can your work be found?

MM: My main website MishaMiller.com has many examples of my work. I am working on a blog that will be up soon and will have more work on it. I’m currently in a group show at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. The show is called Through the Lens and Beyond.

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