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About the PhotographerBorn and raised in New York City and Suffern, NY, photographer Arielle Bobb-Willis has been using the camera for nearly a decade as a tool of empowerment. Battling with depression from an early age, Bobb-Willis found solace behind the camera and has developed a visual language that speaks to the complexities of life: the beautiful, the strange, belonging, isolation, and connection. Bobb-Willis is currently based in Los Angeles, and is part of the exhibition INWARD: Reflections on Interiority at the International Center of Photography, on view September 24, 2021–January 10, 2022. |
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TiP: Tell me about your process for making photographs.
Arielle Bobb-Willis: It's different every time, because sometimes I'll start off with a location I've found or sometimes I'll start off with a piece of clothing that I've found, and sometimes I'll just start off with a painting that I've liked that I would want to see what that would look like in the real world. That’s kind of a big theme for me. I'm more inspired by painters than actual photographers. I look at paintings on the internet all day every day.
Arielle Bobb-Willis: It's different every time, because sometimes I'll start off with a location I've found or sometimes I'll start off with a piece of clothing that I've found, and sometimes I'll just start off with a painting that I've liked that I would want to see what that would look like in the real world. That’s kind of a big theme for me. I'm more inspired by painters than actual photographers. I look at paintings on the internet all day every day.
I feel like through painting there's no limit to what you can do with the body and with everything. So, it's interesting to push my subjects and people I work with and see how far we can create and move.
And I think it's fun to work with people who aren't really models. When they see the final product, they're like, “That's me? Whoa!” Because I like to push people a little bit outside their comfort zones. That's a part of my process, pushing people a little bit. I don't want to make people feel horrible and uncomfortable, but just to get out of their daily routine and step into my world for a little bit. TiP: What kind of camera do you use? Bobb-Willis: I use a Nikon N80, which is the camera that my high school history teacher gave me. So, I wouldn't say I'm a gear person. I don't have like a bunch of crazy things. I use my iPhone to shoot sometimes for street photography if I see something. I think everyone does that. But yeah, I have a Nikon N80. It's film. It auto rolls itself and it's quick. I've been using it forever. I have a 28mm fixed lens, which is really wide. And I love that. I can get everything within the frame. TiP: What is it about using film that’s appealing to you? Bobb-Willis: Film is always better. I was introduced to digital first when I first got into photography. I was randomly placed in a digital imaging course in high school. And then my history teacher saw how I was severely depressed at the time, and my history teacher saw how happy I was when I was shooting. |
So he's like, “Here, my wife doesn't want this,” and I’m like “Sure. Yeah.” I remember I shot my first roll of film in my bedroom, which I spent a lot of time in, and became kind of gray and just uncomfortable. Through the lens of depression, it definitely wasn't a place of comfort, but then I shot my first roll in my room during sunset, and I got the first roll and it was all the colors were soft and meshed together. Orange, red. It changed my room into something that was beautiful in a time where it was just not a place of comfort for me. So, it was kind of that moment of “Wow. Oh, my goodness.”
So, film has always had a soft place in my heart because that first roll was such a mind-blowing experience for me. And maybe that's dramatic, but I don't care, I love it. It was a big deal.
So, film has always had a soft place in my heart because that first roll was such a mind-blowing experience for me. And maybe that's dramatic, but I don't care, I love it. It was a big deal.
TiP: When you're making photographs, are they planned or spontaneous?
Bobb-Willis: When I make photos, it's both spontaneous and planned. I just bring random things that I find in 99 cent stores, like I found a hula hoop, or I found the end of a mop, the material. And different clothing, oversize clothing. I bring bubbles sometimes, like maybe I'll work with that, just random stuff. I bring things and I plan things so that I can have room to improvise. When I shoot, improvising is incredibly important, and I love shooting outdoors because I feel like there is so much more room for improvising. Things change and move, and people walk by, and there was a trash can there that wasn't there when I saw it the last time, or the sun changes. I love to improvise because I feel like it's pure thought, like there's no real filter. I feel like in everyday life, we all have a bit of a filter, or at least we kind of hold back a bit because, that's what society has taught us to do. I think everyone should have a space or a place where they can just completely be themselves and not have to censor themselves. TiP: Talk a little bit more about painting. When you close your eyes after seeing the painting, do you see the photographs? Bobb-Willis: When I see a painting, it's a feeling. I wouldn't say I see a picture right away, but I feel something whether that be desire or fear or loss or something like that, and I feel like I've felt that before in my own life, so it kind of compels me to create a photo through the lens of myself. The painting goes through my head and out the other end. And that's how the photo comes to life, I would say. TiP: Can you finish the sentence, “Truth and photography is...” Bobb-Willis: Truth in photography is knowing who you are. |
I remember in college, my teacher asked us to write down, “What do you like about the photos that you've seen before?” or “What do you like about the art? Why do you like the art that you like?” I think that's an important question. I think we don't ask ourselves that enough. Why do I like this?
I like photos, where I can see the photographer’s/painter’s personality in the photo, see who they are, and seeing that they have their own internal logic. I think that's important with photos and art and everything. And I strive to have my own internal logic and own way of thinking. And when it comes to my photos, never silencing that part of myself or myself at all when it comes to photography. Being brave enough to not hold back when you're creating is super important. But I also think in order to find the confidence to not hold back and not care what anyone thinks, you have to know yourself and know who you are. Once you get to that point, I feel like no one can take away what you're making and creating. So, I tell everyone, “Just experience life.” I've learned so much about photography by not shooting. Nothing to do with photography. It's about living your life and having experiences. Everything outside of photography is important. People get really caught up in, “My camera. My lighting.” It’s like, “What's your life about? What have you experienced that you can put into the work?”
I like photos, where I can see the photographer’s/painter’s personality in the photo, see who they are, and seeing that they have their own internal logic. I think that's important with photos and art and everything. And I strive to have my own internal logic and own way of thinking. And when it comes to my photos, never silencing that part of myself or myself at all when it comes to photography. Being brave enough to not hold back when you're creating is super important. But I also think in order to find the confidence to not hold back and not care what anyone thinks, you have to know yourself and know who you are. Once you get to that point, I feel like no one can take away what you're making and creating. So, I tell everyone, “Just experience life.” I've learned so much about photography by not shooting. Nothing to do with photography. It's about living your life and having experiences. Everything outside of photography is important. People get really caught up in, “My camera. My lighting.” It’s like, “What's your life about? What have you experienced that you can put into the work?”
TiP: Experience is what we bring into what we make. And I think that's what the International Center of Photography show INWARD is about, isn't it?
Bobb-Willis: The show INWARD is to me, I took it as knowing who you are. It might seem like a simple task, or just like a corny kind of line or whatever, but it's really hard and it takes a lifetime to do. But at least get closer to yourself or listen closely to who you are and what bothers you, what doesn't. It's important to honestly listen to yourself.
Bobb-Willis: The show INWARD is to me, I took it as knowing who you are. It might seem like a simple task, or just like a corny kind of line or whatever, but it's really hard and it takes a lifetime to do. But at least get closer to yourself or listen closely to who you are and what bothers you, what doesn't. It's important to honestly listen to yourself.
TiP: How does who you are affect how you frame the photographs?
Bobb-Willis: When I'm framing the photographs and creating the photograph, it's all intuitive. I improvise a lot, and I never sat down with myself and said, “I'm going to frame my work like this and this.”
Then when I'm shooting, it's not like I'm going to shoot red today because I'm angry. Green today because I'm envious. I don't work that way. When I'm shooting, I'm not thinking about yesterday or last week, I'm thinking about the present moment. And I think it's therapeutic. It's important to really be present while shooting, and I just give myself that time. Everyone wants to be present at some point. Some people meditate, some people clean, some people work out. Whatever it is. But for me, it's shooting.
Bobb-Willis: When I'm framing the photographs and creating the photograph, it's all intuitive. I improvise a lot, and I never sat down with myself and said, “I'm going to frame my work like this and this.”
Then when I'm shooting, it's not like I'm going to shoot red today because I'm angry. Green today because I'm envious. I don't work that way. When I'm shooting, I'm not thinking about yesterday or last week, I'm thinking about the present moment. And I think it's therapeutic. It's important to really be present while shooting, and I just give myself that time. Everyone wants to be present at some point. Some people meditate, some people clean, some people work out. Whatever it is. But for me, it's shooting.
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