Another Conversation with Emily Shur

© Emily Shur

Emily Shur, much like Tema Stauffer has been involved or connected to every Nymphoto project. Emily early on participated in our conversation series. It is nice to come full circle. And thus today we present another conversation with Emily Shur - catching up on what has happend since our last conversation and discussing her assignment and her personal work.



© Emily Shur

NP: Can you fill us in a little to what has been going with you since our last interview?

ES: Well, I just looked up the date of our original conversation which was July 8, 2008, so it’s been quite a while. Lots of things have changed, but also lots of things are the same. 2008 and 2009 were very difficult years for me, professionally and financially. I was not making any money, which I’m sort of used to, but it reached a critical point towards the end of 2009, and I was forced to take a hard look at what was going on in my career. The industry was (and still is) shifting away from all of the things I had become comfortable with. I made a living shooting for magazines for almost 10 years, and continuing that has become impossible at this stage in the game. It’s unfortunate because I still love shooting for magazines, reading magazines, browsing at newsstands, etc., but it was time to accept what was happening and make the necessary adjustments. Towards the end of last year, I made a few major professional changes. I changed agents and did a full re-design of my website.


© Emily Shur

Another good thing that came out of this professional slump was that it re-connected me with my personal work. Because of nothing but sheer frustration with what was happening in my work life, I forced myself to shoot things and subject matter that I enjoyed and brought me pleasure. I was worried that my unhappiness with my career was going to spill over into my overall feelings about photography. I always want photography to be enjoyable, fulfilling, and some sort of refuge for me. I was beginning to feel mostly negative feelings about it and needed to stop that before it got any worse. I had lots of free time, so I began to put most of my energy towards shooting and editing my personal work. I applied to reviews and submitted my work to lots of contests and websites. It has been a very enlightening and positive experience, and it’s brought my attitude towards picture taking back around from the dark side.


© Emily Shur

NP: We like the re-design of your site. Particularly that we get to see more of what you call your personal work? Has your focus been shifting? And does your personal work inform your assignment work or vice versa?

ES: Thanks! It was important to me to incorporate more of my personal work into my site re-design. Right now, I’m not yet at the point where my personal work and assignment work are intertwined or derivative of each other. Part of the thought behind incorporating so much of my personal work into the new site was that hopefully I would be looked at in a different light as a photographer. I want art directors and photo editors to know that I can do more than take portraits of famous people. I want them to better understand my overall point of view, and I think that showing my personal work definitely adds an element to my body of work. I would love to get assignment work based off of my personal work, or be asked to use my personal work as inspiration in my assignment work. Showing all of my work together on one site is still kind of new, so I realize it might take a while for people to see me as someone who does quiet landscapes as well as celebrity portraits.



© Emily Shur

NP: In our last conversation you said you weren’t sure what drives your personal work. Do you still feel that way?

ES: I still am not a very project oriented photographer which I half want to change and half don’t care to change. Like I said in my answer to the first question, a lot of my personal work is pretty selfish in nature. Simply stated, it’s how I most enjoy photography. It’s how I remind myself why I love photography, and it’s where I feel most free as a photographer. The only pressure involved is pressure I put on myself. The only person I need to please is myself. So, I guess it really is driven by the hedonist in me.


© Emily Shur

NP: Your blog is popular! And it also has a new look and a new address. Can you tell us how the blog fits into your world?

ES: It is? It does have a new look and new address (www.emilyshur.com/blog). I got nerdy over Christmas break last year and taught myself how to design in Wordpress. The blog is a bit all over the place – one part photography, one part self promotion, one part love letter to The Baroness (our dog), and one part utterly and completely random. The blog is, I think, important to one’s photographic career right now although not everyone needs or wants one. It’s sort of public, so I can understand that not everyone wants to share their inner most thoughts on the internet. My blog is a place where I can get outside opinions on new work, promote upcoming events, and give people a bit more insight into what kind of stuff inspires or interests me. I’ve ‘met’ lots of other photographers and creative people all over the world because of my blog which is pretty cool. Sometimes the blog is stressful for me...I can’t think of things to write about, I censor my real thoughts because I realize that people in a position to hire me might be reading, and I feel a sense of obligation to keep it interesting and updated. So all in all, it’s not this complete zone of freedom and awesomeness, but I do enjoy it, and it makes me happy to think that people all over the world know how cute The Baroness is.


© Emily Shur

NP: What’s next?

ES: I’m planning yet another trip to Japan with my husband so that I can continue taking pictures there. I’m preparing my work for this year’s Review Santa Fe which is in June. I also recently had a piece in a group show at THIS Gallery (in conjunction with MOPLA) on April 30th. I’m hoping this year will bring some good assignment and commercial work, and that I can continue making a living doing what I love.

NP: Thank you so much!

Friday: Transplants - Emily Shur, Liz Kuball & Others

click to enlarge
Transplants. A photography show in conjunction with MOPLA.

4.30.10 – 5.14.10.

Opening night – 4.30.10 7-10PM.
This 3rd show is co-presented with the good people from MOPLA (Month of Photography Los Angeles). 10 renowned and award winning photographers, living and working in Los Angeles but born and raised elsewhere.. in other words 10 Transplants:

Adam Amengual.

Aaron Farley.

Amanda Friedman.

Sian Kennedy.

Liz Kuball.

Chris McPherson.

Scott Pommier.

Ryan Schude.

Emily Shur.

Claire Weiss

Jeremy Weiss

Sad But True

In case you missed it, head over to Emily Shur's blog at www.emilyshur.com/blog to read her post Sad But True -- thoughtful writing.

Conversations Special: Art for Haiti Auction

Artist: Brea Souders
Title: Hung
Date: 2008
Size: 20x20 inches
Medium: C Print
Edition size: 10
Signature: Signed in ink, on reverse

As part of our Art for Haiti Auction event, we'd like to revisit conversations with participating artists. Today we're focusing on Brea Souders and Emily Shur, both of which are in Humble Arts Foundation's 31 Women in Art Photography.




© Brea Souders

Nymphoto: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Brea Souders: I was born and raised in Frederick, Maryland and studied photography at the University of Maryland Baltimore County before moving to New York City in 2005. I grew up as an only child in a house surrounded by woods, and I always had plenty of time to myself to daydream and breathe in my surroundings. My mom is a painter and my dad a physicist, and they have both influenced me in many ways. I was interested in psychology for most of my life growing up and started out in college as a psychology major, but quickly learned that I was not so interested in rigid text book theories, but instead in the vast potential and diversity of the human mind. I began to look to people who were pushing those boundaries rather than defining them. It was at this time that my interest in art became my primary interest. I wanted a better way to understand and engage life, and photography provided a perfect outlet.



© Brea Souders

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

BS: All kinds of things – the changes of seasons, shifts in light, bicycling at a fast clip, overhearing snippets of conversations when I’m out having coffee somewhere. All the usual things like that. The fabric and flower districts in New York are new places of inspiration – I like to cruise the aisles and imagine ways to use the various gems I discover. I always like to have a lot of books on hand, although unfortunately I rarely finish them. I’ve been reading a lot of dream journals for a current project and have found that to be really invigorating. Jack Kerouac’s Book of Dreams is an especially exciting read! Of course, learning about anything new is always inspiring, and I’m influenced by people who are determined to live in an expanded world and people with unusual beliefs. I’m also inspired by the discoveries of strange new organisms and any discoveries in space. And maybe most of all, I find a great meal with friends to be very inspiring. Good things usually come out of conversations had over a delicious feast!



Artist: Emily Shur
Title: "Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, California"
Date: 2004
Medium and Size: 20x24" Digital C-print, edition 5/15, signed


Mila Kunis © Emily Shur

Nymphoto: Tell us a little about yourself.

Emily Shur: Well, since you asked! I was born in New York City in 1976. We moved around the tri-state area a bit and then eventually landed in Houston, TX when I was seven years old. I grew up in Houston and lived there until I went to college at NYU when I was seventeen. I was back in New York for almost twelve years. Now I live in Los Angeles with my husband and our dog. I am an only child. I enjoy eating sushi and drinking red wine (not at the same time of course), and I hope to excel at the expert level of Guitar Hero at some point in my life.


Images from Japan © Emily Shur

NP: You are an accomplished photographer. Can you tell us a person you would like to photograph, who you have not had the chance to photograph yet? And which sitting has been your favorite so far and why?

ES: Some people I would like to photograph but have not yet had the chance include (but are not limited to) Stevie Wonder, Anthony Bourdain, Jack Black, Anne Hathaway, Barack Obama, David Lee Roth, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Tina Fey, Jenny Lewis (I have shot Rilo Kiley but it wasn’t one of my best), and Morrissey. I have different reasons for wanting to photograph all of those people, and those same reasons are what would make a past shoot stand out as a favorite. Some shoots I love because I got to photograph a person I have admired for a long time and has done something that truly impacted me...say David Byrne and/or Al Gore. Some shoots I love because it’s someone I think is super talented and the shoot is a true collaboration with that person...say Jason Schwartzman, Amy Poehler, and Alan Arkin. Then there are some people that are just plain great to photograph for multiple reasons. They get it. They get the process of photography, what makes for a good portrait, they look great, they’re interesting....say Jeremy Piven, Zooey Deschanel, and more recently Amanda Seyfried.


Images from Japan © Emily Shur

NP: On your blog you speak about your personal work and you have a section for it on your website. What drives your personal work? It is interesting that you photograph people for a living while they are absent for the most part in your personal work.

ES: I could bullshit this answer, but to be honest I’m not 100% sure what drives my personal work. I can say that I love exploring and wandering and documenting and feeling calm. This is exactly what’s going on with me when I’m making my personal work. I have never been a very project oriented photographer, but I do have certain long term bodies of work that I am currently in the midst of. Right now I am in love with photographing in Japan, have been for a while. I also recently began a project in New Jersey. As you said, there are barely any people in any of my personal photographs. I think one reason for this is that I make a living dealing with people and personalities. Portraits are so mental. It’s a lot of work to connect with a stranger, appease multiple people at a time, and make it look good. When I shoot for myself, I just want to deal with just one personality – my own. Mostly, I want to explore things and places that are interesting to me and interpret them and my place within them using my voice and perspective.

Remember, you only have 5 days left of the auction. Please help us support Haiti.
Click here to see all the artwork offered in the auction and be sure to check if the reserve minimum have been set.

There Is Still Time

Fire, Ise-Shima, Japan, 2004 © Emily Shur

There is still time to bid on Daniel Cooney's latest Emerging Artist Auction:
www.auction.igavel.com -- but bidding ends soon!
Great works by Emily Shur, Brea Souders and others.

collect.give

©Susana Raab

If you like photography and collect, www.collectdotgive.org presents a great opportunity to buy great art and also give money to charity.
Currently available are works by Nymphoto 'alumni' Emily Shur & Susana Raab , as well as a work by John Loomis, Dalton Rooney, Allison V. Smith & Kevin J. Miyazaki (who also is the founder of www.collect.give.org).
Please re-visit our conversation with the talented Emily by clicking here and our conversation with the equally talented Susana by clicking here.

Picture of the Week: Emily Shur

from the ongoing Japan Project © Emily Shur

This Picture of the Week was taken by Emily Shur on her most recent trip to Japan - it's hot off the presses so to speak.
See more of Emily's work by visiting her website: www.emilyshur.com and her blog My Four Eyed Fantasy. Or re-vist our conversation with Emily by clicking here.
And stay tuned for our new interview with Emily, which will publish in the weeks to come.

Revisit

Today is the right day to revisit a post by photographer Emily Shur from September 11, 2008. Find the post titled 7 Years Ago and 7 Years from Now by clicking here.

Wall Space Gallery

Venus © Lane Collins

Head over to www.wallspaceseattle.com to see work (and purchase affordable prints!) by Liz Kuball, Lane Collins, Emily Shur, Karen Florek, Beatrix Reinhardt, Lydia Panas, Sarah Malakoff, Catharine Stebbins & Priya Kambli.

You can re-visit our conversations with Liz Kuball, Emily Shur, Lane Collins and Beatrix Rheinhardt by clicking on their respective names or by visiting the Nymphoto Conversations Archive - to be found on the right sidebar of this blog.

Emily Shur @ 20x200

Victoria's Peak © Emily Shur

Head over to 20x200 to check it out!

Last Chance: Vote!

Vote for the People's Choice Award at Blurb.

Here are just some of the awesome women photographers competing for the People's Choice Award:

The Woods by Emily Shur

Consumed + Off-Season by Susana Raab

Amazingness by Anna Hillman

Faces: A Study of Human Faces by Michelle Brea

Some Fox Trails in Virginia by Susan Worsham

-americans: Contemporary Collodion Portraits of Metal and Glass by Keliy Anderson-Staley

Voting ends August 20th!

Op-Ed by Emily Shur

I read Emily Shur's post, My Review of My Review, on Review Santa Fe which she posted on her blog My Four Eyed Fantasy. I thought it was well written and definitely came close to many thoughts I've had about reviews. Thank you Emily for letting me share this with our readers.


©Emily Shur

My Review of My Review

I have so many thoughts about Review Santa Fe, and I am going to attempt to organize them right now. Also, I am a fan of a good list. So, here I go.:

Thought #1: I think the most important thing I learned this past weekend is that I need to figure out whether or not I want to parlay my personal work into another facet of my career, or if the pictures should remain what they are - a quiet escape from my career. Being at the review made me realize that the art world (or review world) is as much of a social climbing, game playing world as the commercial photography sphere, and now is the time in which I need to decide if I want to do that all over again...and this time with work that is way more personal than my portraiture.

Thought #2: Ultimately, a photo review is a culmination of opinions given to you by a respected group of people in the photo industry. We, as photographers, need to understand that in the end, we have to be happy with the work we are making and stand by it. The reason I say this is because I, along with other photographers I spoke with, got complete opposite feedback in many reviews. One friend of mine had one reviewer tell her that her palette was dated, and she should more carefully consider the time of day that she was photographing. She had another review that same day where she was told her palette was beautiful, and the time of day in which she was choosing to take pictures was perfect.

Thought #3: Believe it or not, being in Santa Fe made me appreciate my day job. I started spending more time and energy on my personal work as a response to being frustrated with commercial photography. I felt as though I wasn't progressing, which is probably the worst feeling I can think of for someone doing what we do. At the review, I felt out of place for the first time in a long time which made me realize that I am part of a photographic community already, and although at times my community is slightly superficial (and there are some annoying people within the community), I am very lucky to do what I do for a living, and I love the people and crews I work with here in LA. I am proud to be a photographer and make a living doing something I love.

Thought #4: The actual event of Review Santa Fe is a very well oiled and organized machine. I felt a bit as though I was at college orientation all over again, but hey...college was fun, and some of my best friends still to this day are people I met in college. I met some really lovely and fun people at the review, not to mention some really good photographers. I was impressed with the variety of ages and nationalities in the "Review Santa Fe 100" and also the work. A few small critiques of the event would probably include the horrible internet connection in the hotel, the horrible coffee in the hotel, and possibly the location of the hotel since it was not downtown and a far walk from anything town-like. One big compliment on the event would likely be the fact that at no time did it feel chaotic, and to me, this is a big plus considering how many photographers and reviewers were together in one place.

Thought #5: Was it worth it? This is the question I have been asked the most by friends and family, all of whom knowing how much time, energy, and money I invested into my potential experience at Review Santa Fe. I suppose the answer would be yes, it was worth it, although I'm not going to lie and say it wouldn't feel more worth it if something tangible came out of my time there. Although, only time will tell if that (a show, gallery representation, or maybe a published book) will in fact happen. Going into the review, I was misleading myself by thinking that just getting in was the big obstacle to overcome (and I had done it!). Getting in was merely a small first step onto a long road, and that realization deflated me for a minute on my first day of reviews. In the end, I left feeling encouraged and not discouraged, and now it's up to me to decide how far I want to walk down the road.

PDN Pulse: Q& A w/ Emily Shur

Head over to PDN's Pulse for a Q & A with Emily Shur about her Santa Fe Review experience.


© Emily Shur

You can revisit our conversation with Emily by clicking here --and find out more about Emily & her life as a photographer, by visiting her very astute blog: My Four Eyed Fantasy.

inside the photographer's_home: Emily Shur Edition

Forest Whitaker © Emily Shur

The Jackanory visits the home of photographer Emily Shur. Watch it here.
And revisit our conversation with Emily here.

Friday Wrap Up

Beth outside Tallahassee, Florida ©Amy Stein

Amy Stein has posted new images to her website: www.amysteinphoto.com. And you can purchase a print of Amy's a great price via the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

Joanne Ratajczak was highlighted on www.featureshoot.com.

Emily Shur and Liz Kuball had lunch in L.A this week. AndEmily Shur also blogged about the importance of keeping at it and how Stephen Shore continues to inspire her.

Have a great weekend everyone! And see you next week when we hope to announce the line-up for the Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf show!

Nymphoto: 2 Shows, 1 Book & 1 Call for Entries

UPDATE: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED UNTIL APRIL 7, 2009 11:59 PM!

The Nymphoto Collective is pleased to announce its first self-published book & the accompanying exhibit at Sasha Wolf Gallery.

"Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is a collection of interviews (initially published as blog entries) with various women photographers in varying stages of their careers. The interviews reveal not just the work of the artist, but discuss the thought process involved in the creation of work. While some conversations are more revealing than others, they all expose the persona behind the work; they are all a brief glimpse into the minds and thoughts behind the art. In order to establish continuity, all of the questions in the interviews are in essence the same. General and non-specific, they allow the artist to determine how much of the process and self she wants to expose, lending her the power to dictate.

Accompanying the release of "Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is the exhibit of the same title at Sasha Wolf Gallery in New York.

Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1
Group Show III
Sasha Wolf Gallery
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 6 – 20, 2009
Opening Reception: May 6, 6 – 8PM.

Work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Michal Chelbin, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams.


Nymphoto is equally excited to announce its 4th group show and the collective's first public call for entries.

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery - Call for Entries

Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery
Group Show IV
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 23-June 6, 2009
Opening Reception: May 28, 6-8 PM
Nymphoto is a collective of women in photography that provides a supportive community for (its) artists and strives to send a positive message to the creative world: We firmly believe in the power of community. Through "Conversations" we are able to expand our community by including new artists in each interview and present their work to our growing audience. The collective is a fusion of disciplines: the scholastic, the representative and the museum. The call for entries exhibit serves to expand on this idea and our growing community, and aims to encourage connections and discourse among female photographers. The efforts of the collective are directed to correct the gender imbalance that continues to prevail in today's (art) world.

Find the submissions guidelines at www.nymphoto.com.
(ed.) Submission Deadline: extended until Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST
For more information, please contact Nymphoto at contact(at)nymphoto.com.

Emily Shur on Too Much Chocolate

© Emily Shur

One of our participating artists in our Conversations series and our upcoming group show, Emily Shur, was recently interviewed by Jake Stangel of Too Much Chocolate. I think it's a great interview to read for those just out of college or those trying to figure out what route to take. I'm really glad we have her to participate in our Volume I book and exhibition in May.

Remembering MLK

Site of MLK Jr. Assassination, Memphis © Emily Shur

Op-Ed by Emily Shur

Emily Shur at Work © Lydia Burkhalter

Being a photographer is a great way to spend a life. It’s my job, but it’s also way way more than work. When I was asked to write a little something on what it’s like being a professional photographer, I had a very hard time honing in on how to describe what it’s actually like. I mean, what isn’t it like? We have to be artists…creative left-brain people, and at the same time, we have to be business oriented, strategic right-brain people. We have to be able to read people whether they are our clients or our subjects. We attempt to satisfy so many people with our pictures, and usually pleasing ourselves gets put on the back burner. We embark on this journey because of our love for the art and somehow have to maintain that wide-eyed optimism throughout the painful rejection and disappointment.
I can only speak from my own experiences, and I make a living as a portrait photographer. It’s funny how things work out because I would never in a million years describe myself as a “people person”. I’m not good at small talk. I’m fairly awkward in general and not very social. Honestly, I think I initially wanted to be a portrait photographer for superficial reasons. It seemed so glamorous, and I wanted the notoriety. Turns out there’s a little bit more to it, and I would probably say that I have learned more about myself than about photography in the past 10 years.
The technical stuff is easily absorbed if you are observant. Portrait work is much more about people and personalities. It’s about me as a photographer and artist trying to get my point across and just as much about capturing what the subject is willing to present. I have to form some sort of bond with my subject basically upon first meeting. I have to gain trust almost immediately. My awareness of the subject’s comfort and/or discomfort must be acute and subtle. I never want to seem unsure. I never want to seem uncompassionate. I always want to let the subject know that I am open to anything, but at the same time, I must have a focused idea of what I want from this shoot. There are many things to consider.
Over time, my want of glamour has subsided and given way to a want of meaning. I wonder if where I started will be where I end up. Making a living as a photographer is not for the weak or stupid, not for the whiny (although I have been known to whine), and definitely not for the unsure. When all else fails, and inevitably everything will fail, we need to be secure in the knowledge that this is what we are supposed to be doing…even if we are the only ones who think so. I’ll be the first to admit that self-confidence is not an easily learned trait, especially when my (and any professional photographer’s) success depends on other people’s opinion of my work.
The good part of what I do is that it’s almost never boring. Photography is mentally and physically challenging. It never allows me to become complacent or satisfied (and I see dissatisfaction as a positive mechanism). The bad part is that when you choose this as a profession, instead of simply a passion, it becomes work. Be prepared for competition, unfairness, and paperwork. Be prepared for disenchantment, but also be prepared for an extremely unique journey that I feel utterly privileged to experience.

Emily Shur is photographer living in Los Angeles.

Feature Shoot

Photographer and photo editor, Alison Zavos, runs a new photography resource called Feature Shoot. It showcases new and upcoming, as well as established photographers with interviews to give insight on photographer's intent and process. It is a great resource for peers as well as photo-professionals seeking new talent.

One of my favorite interviews and work thus far has been with Kate Kunath. (I have an affinity towards rabbits and animals.) Alison has also showcased many women working in photography on the website including Sarah Wilmer, Sarah Stolfa, Emily Shur, and many others. Good to see more resources out there!