A Conversation with Liz Kuball

The first time I heard of Liz Kuball was around the time the notorious "gallerina article" published and caused a small ruckus among the online photo community.
Liz was one of the first to respond to the article on her blog and to take action by coming up with the "Ask Me I've Got Answers badge".
Liz Kuball always wears her heart on her sleeve and her blog is an intimate diary of her journey and growth as a photographer.
In this conversation Liz speaks about her love for photography and California --two things which have led to her most recent and perhaps most compelling series --the aptly titled California Vernacular.




© Liz Kuball

NP: Tell us a little about yourself.

LK: I was born in Washington, D.C., in 1973, but when I was a few months old, my parents moved back to the small town in Michigan where they had grown up, and that’s where I grew up as well. I went to college in Indiana, lived in a converted horse barn in the woods for a couple years while I was in grad school, and then moved to Indianapolis to work as a book editor for a publishing house. I went freelance in 1999 and, a couple years later, realized I could live anywhere I wanted, so in 2001 I moved out to Los Angeles, knowing no one. Most people I knew in the Midwest told me I was making a mistake, that I wasn’t “the L.A. type.” But I fell in love with the place—every little bit of it—and my mom has finally stopped asking when I’m moving back. I live with my 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Boo Radley, who likes to bite my ankles when I’m doing push-ups. I have the refined palate of the average kindergartener. And I can knit a mean sweater.




© Liz Kuball


NP: How did you discover photography?

LK: My formal education is nearly entirely in literature and writing—I have a master’s degree in each. But when I was in grad school for writing, I realized that writing wasn’t where my heart was. Midway through the program, I enrolled in an independent study course, and before the semester started, the professor asked what I was interested in. I said, “I’ve always liked photography,” and I feel like that sentence changed my life. He came up with a list of books for me to read—collections of essays on photography—and by the time I graduated from that writing program, at the age of 31, with $40,000 in student loans, I knew that I wanted to be a photographer.


NP: Where do you find inspiration?

LK: Sometimes it’s other people’s work—I’m a big fan of Stephen Shore’s American Surfaces and William Eggleston’s just about anything. Sometimes it’s my own work, strange as that sounds—I try to keep my favorite photos around me so that, if I’m ever stalled or stuck, I remember that I’ve made at least a few images I’m proud of. Many times it’s movies— No Country for Old Men, Revolutionary Road. . . .I just love seeing, and showing people what I see.

© Liz Kuball


NP: How do your projects come about?


LK: I don’t really know, actually. I feel like I’m still so early on this journey—I’m basically still pulling out of the driveway. I can tell you that my first real project, In Store, came about for all the wrong reasons: I was looking around and noticing that everybody I admired was working on a project and that I’d better get one myself, and it occurred to me that storage facilities would make a good series. But I wasn’t passionate about the subject and didn’t feel any real connection to it.

My current project, California Vernacular, is exactly the opposite. I was taking pictures, trying to figure out what I was interested in, posting them to my blog, and toward the end of 2008, Lisa Hunter e-mailed me and said that she thought I was capturing a California vernacular of sorts, that my photos reminded her of a Joan Didion essay, “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream.” I love Didion, so when she said that, everything clicked for me. I knew right then what I was doing, what I was working on, and what I was trying to say. But my actual process in terms of working on this project isn’t as direct as it was with In Store, and that suits me. I just take pictures, as often as I can, and if I see ones that fit with the project, I include them there. In other words, I don’t go out looking for images for this project—I just go out looking for photographs, and I let where they fall happen later.

© Liz Kuball


NP: What’s next?

LK: I’m working right now with www.20x200.com on the editioning of one or two of my photographs and looking forward to seeing that go live. I’m continuing to work on California Vernacular. And I’m playing around with ideas for new projects as well. I’d really like to move in a documentary direction with my work, and I have a couple ideas that I want to research and possibly pursue.


NP: Thank you so much!

To see more of Liz Kuball's work please visit www.lizkuball.com and don't miss out on her blog: www.lizkuball.com/blog!

Tema Stauffer Interview

Jacob (Red Brick Alley) © Tema Stauffer

Head over to Tema's blog PlamAire to read an interview with her conducted by Pratt student Alex Segreti. You can also revisit our conversation with Tema, by clicking here.
The two interviews compliment each other nicely.
You can currently see Tema 's work at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in New York - through April 18, 2009.

Ellen Rennard

Photographer Ellen Rennard's work can be seen at Project Basho Gallery currently in the "Onward '09" exhibit. Ellen also runs a lovely blog called "Quintessence" and Women in Photography did a beautiful job showcasing Ellen's work on their site last year, you can revisit it at: www.wipnyc.org.

Everyone Loves Juliana

This is just a reminder to go check out Juliana Beasely's newly started blog. Julianna is a gifted storyteller in any medium. You can find Juliana's blog at: www.julianaslovelylandofneurosis.blogspot.com.
Juliana is also participating in Daniel Cooney's 2nd Emerging Artist Auction at www.igavel.com.

Photocentric Blogs Powered By Women

20x200
amy stein
amy elkins
brea souders
ground glass
hee jin kang
i heart photograph
jane tam
juliana's lovely land of neurosis
liz kuball
look underfoot
marketing photos with virgina swanson
my four eyed fantasy
nina corvallo
nymphoto
palmaire
photo attorney
pink elephants
plum and lion
quintessence
rachel hulin
wan.der.lust.ag.ra.phy
zoe strauss
zoum zoum

We are sure we forgot someone, so post your suggestions!

Ground Glass Interview

Head over to Ground Glass for a very thoughtful intro & interview by Cara Phillips with artist Jesse Chehak.

Niche Photo Sites

Art Carrer's Jessica Merritt recently posted a list of 100 interesting photo sites. You can find the list here.

En Foco Blog

En Foco now also has a blog, check it out at: www.blog.enfoco.org

Uncritical Mass: Jane Tam & more

Photographer Liz Kuball curated an online show of artists whose work will not be reviewed this year during Photolucida's Critical Mass. It's a very nice idea (Liz is full of those!) and a beautiful online show, title "Uncritical Mass". Take some time to check it out, there is much talent included. Like our own rising star, the gifted Jane Tam.


Grandfather Helping Grandmother Up the Hill to Pick Gingo Nuts ©Jane Tam

my love for you is a stampede of horses

A big thank you to Meighan O'Toole for featuring my work on her outstanding blog: www.myloveforyou.typepad.com.


courtesy my love for you is a stampede of horses (blog screenshot); © Nina Buesing (photograph)

Zoe Strauss, Election Day

Head over to Zoe Strauss' blog for some images from election day: www.zoestrauss.blogspot.com

Lane Collins highlighted

New Work from Lane © Lane Collins

Head over to Hey, Hot Shot's blog to read some more about Lane Collins. And/or revisit our conversation with Lane.

Andrea Diefenbach @ Shane Lavalette

Head over to Shane Lavalette's Journal to see his recent post about photographer Andrea Diefenbach and her emphatic reportage about "AIDS in Odessa".

A Response to A Photo Editor 's Recent Post

Artist and blogger extraordinaire Cara Phillips responds to Rob Haggart's AKA A Photo Editor post Fair Use of a Photography on a Blog on her blog Ground Glass with her post Very Important.

Fair Use by APE

Read Rob Haggart AKA A Photo Editor (APE) post titled Fair Use of Photography On A Blog.

Empowering the Artist

Rob Haggart A.K.A. A Photo Editor recently posted two important posts on his blog.
In September he posted Educating Artists about Bad Practices and Finding a Rep or Starting a Collective.
Both both are very relevant and give food for thought - and further underline how artists can respond to changes in the industries (both commercial and fine art). The latter post also speaks about why a collective (like this one ;) ) can be a good idea.
Another excellent site to visit to keep informed is www.photoattorney.com published by attorney and wild life photographer Carolyn E. Wright.

Lane Collins

We are happy to have been added to the blog roll (also know as “Blogrolliciouscrumpdiddlyumptiousness”) of Lane Collins. Like Liz Kuball, Lane offers a frank discussion of her process/ journey & the struggle artists so often face.
More about Lane Collins coming soon. Stay tuned.


? © Lane Collins

Victoria Sambunaris @ Women in Photography

Head over to WIPNYC.ORG to see the work of Victoria Sambunaris.

More Rona!

Us Nymphoto Ladies are on fire these days ;)
Head over to I Heart Photograph to see more work of Nymphoto's Rona Chang.
And also to 52 Photographers, another site featuring Rona's work!


Fireworks, Kuanyin, Taiwan © Rona Chang

Women in the Arts

We are grateful to Tema Stauffer for posting about her history with Nymphoto today and to provide for newcomers to the collective some insight as to the history of the collective.
It is really exciting to see such an emergence in women artists, entrepreneurs, gallerists & curators.
20 years ago there were pioneers like Julie Saul, Mary Ellen Mark & Nan Goldin. But it seems often they had to operate in a vacuum. Times have changed and the Internet had no small part in it. Whether it is talented women photographers like Tema , the innovative 20x200 or sites like Women in Photography, blogs such as I heart photograph, the Ask Me I've Got Answers campaign or the outstanding Sasha Wolf Gallery (all run by women!) --the Internet has allowed for quicker and stronger community building worldwide (The Nymphoto blog has readers in about 50 countries!).
And thank you also to all of you readers & supporters.