Christopher Schreck (interview)

Christopher Schreck is an talented American artist that experiments with video and colors in his images.

MIRE: WHERE WERE YOU RAISED? DOES THIS PLACE LOOK LIKE YOUR PICTURES?

Christopher Schreck: I was raised in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to the city when I graduated high school. Although a lot of my photos are taken here, I actually don’t think they evoke Chicago much at all. My photos are almost always some subtlety or detail in my surroundings that I happened to find interesting, and I usually don’t like to offer much context for or in the images. So it doesn’t really matter where I am; Chicago is just where I spend most of my time. Personally, I think images are often stronger for not being obviously tied to any one place or situation – it opens things up for both the photographer and the viewer – so ultimately, my photos don’t look like my city because I don’t want my photos to look like anywhere.

M: DO YOU PREFER TO TAKE PHOTOS ALONE RATHER THAN WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS? HOW IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

CS: I have a pretty loose approach to taking photos. I like keeping the process open to randomness and happenstance as much as possible; the more intuitively and spontaneously I work, the more fun I have. I don’t spend much time at all calculating or setting up a shot, and I rarely take more than a couple photos of a given subject. It makes the process that much more exciting for me, because when everything works -good composition, interesting filter effects, and that strange sense that the image has transcended what is usually a fairly banal contex- it feels kind of special.

I always have my camera on me, and I take photos whenever and wherever, so being alone or with people doesn’t really define my process too much. If pressed, though, I would say it is usually easier for me to work if I’m alone. That’s only because if something catches my eye, I’ll stop to take the shot regardless of what else I’m doing, and I just think it can be a drag for all involved if I keep having to interrupt a conversation or activity in order to do that. When I’m with my friends, I don’t like detaching myself from the interaction by observing it like a photographer. Truthfully, that’s a lot to do with why people have rarely been the subject matter of my photographs so far.

M: YOUR PHOTOS HAVE A PEACEFUL AND TIMELESS FEELING THAT REMAINS FOR LONGER. ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE PHOTOS IN A SPIRITUAL WAY?

CS: For me, I wouldn’t say my photography has much to do with spirituality, at least as far as my own definition of that word goes. I’m just trying to make compelling images, operating under the notion that substance and aesthetic beauty are not mutually exclusive. Among other things, I’m interested in some of the concepts behind Romanticism – sublimity, atmosphere, natural beauty as embodiment of mystery – and I think those ideas are often times equated with notions of spirituality; maybe that has something to do with what you’re speaking of. It certainly doesn’t bother me if someone interprets the work along spiritual lines, but truthfully, it doesn’t play any conscious role in the way I create or think about my work.

M: ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS? WHOSE PICTURES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO SEE?

CS: I’m still learning and improving every day, but I’d say there are a few approaches that are beneficial to all photographers: Work hard and work constantly. Never be afraid to experiment. Take as many photos as possible but never be precious about an image just because it’s yours. Always make contact with people you admire or find interesting.

Equally important are reading as much as you can (not just about photography) and spending a lot of time looking at other people’s work. I get psyched about new work I come across every day, but these people in particular have taught me a lot:

Jennilee Marigomen, Jason Lazarus, Marcelo Gomes, Nicholas Haggard, Peter Sutherland, Alexander Binder, and Nicholas Gottlund.