What inspired you to start publishing books?
It was pretty much the last thing on my mind since I don't consider myself a very good writer. The thing is that I had been building a pretty good body of work photographing artists in Wisconsin's Driftless region and people kept saying that I needed to turn this series into a book. I hesitated but did some research on publishers I thought would be a good fit and even had an offer from a very talented designer to design the book. Unfortunately, there weren't any takers in the publishing world and even though I appreciated the designer's offer, I knew I had to create this myself. So I self published which turns out to have been the best approach I could have taken.
What draws you to the photobook as a format?
I've been a commercial photographer for 40 years. It's been hard work but I've loved it. I've gotten to meet so many interesting people and have traveled around the world and have even been hired by Sony and Pentax to help launch new cameras and in Sony's case became a spoke person for a new camera and part of their campaign. When I was rejected by all of the publishers, there reasoning had to do with the book being too regional and that making photobooks was too expensive for them. So far I'm in 5 regional bookstore though and after 2 months all of them have restocked a least twice. One daunting thing are the book signings and "author" talks I've been asked to participate in. I have 3 lined up and I'm nervous about what to talk about.. The region? The artists? The book making process? Photography approach? I'm just not sure yer
How has your practice changed over time?
It's looser now than it used to be, largely due to what current cameras are capable of. I used to lean into a lot of supplemental lighting and carried hundreds of pound of gear with me on the road but now I can use ambient light more and travel way lighter. I shot my book with this approach and i allowed me to travel by myself, which was so key to taking my time and getting to know the artists I was shooting. As this project has gained steam and some fun stories to share, friends and family have often asked to come with. And while I have brought my wife with me a couple of times, I stil prefer to travel alone and have actually grown to like it quite a bit. My daughter said that it sounds sad to her that I was eating dinner alone but I told her that that was often the best time since I'm pretty good at stricking up conversations and meeting even more interesting people and often getting leads.
What's a book you've been involved with that surprised you — either in how it came together or how it landed?
My book, Driftless Artists has been a 5 year love affair with a beautiful part of the Midwest and the artists who call it home. It was done for my love of photography, art, traveling, and most of all spending time with interesting people. I've formed many new friendships and bartered my photos for some beautiful artwork. Also, I hope l am drawing attention to these wonderful artists.
What's next for you?
People keep asking that question and saying things like "You ought to photograph artists in this region next" or "Why don't you do more of a travel book on Wisconsin's Driftless?" I might be "one and done" though. Just not sure yet. One selfish thought might be to keep making revised editions of this book so that I have an excuse to keep coming back! Right now I'm kind of digging the aftermath and being able to return to the region to see new friends and deliver books.