Michael Donahue, 16
1. What do you look for in a subject? What draws you in to take a photograph?
Sometimes when I go out to shoot I have a particular subject or idea in my mind beforehand. Say for example, I have an idea for a series, I’ll try to compile photos that fit that theme. Other times, I’ll just go out with my camera and shoot whatever catches my eye. What I look for in a photograph changes all the time. Lately I’ve been interested in shadows and the way light falls on certain things.
2. What do you think of the word ‘meaning’ and how it correlates to your photography? What do your photos mean to you? You share intimate and sometimes very honest/simple moments of your friends and family. Sometimes just a photograph of your mother on the porch. It’s such an unassuming photograph, most people pass it up; what part of that photo compels you to share it?
Most of my photos I’m sure have more meaning to me than to anyone else looking at them. Whenever I take a photo, I try to capture a particular feeling I have at that moment. When I look at a photo it almost takes me back to when I shot it, and makes me remember that particular feeling. That photograph of my mom, for example, is down in Wildwood, NJ when we were sitting on the deck in the morning. That’s something I’ve always done down there and I love the feeling, so I decided to capture the moment.
3. Your photography is constantly growing. On your flickr one can see the multiple stages you’ve been through lately in the past couple months. What are your current thoughts about your work? Are you content or ever searching? And can you look back on your previous work with a satisfaction that you have moved forward or with a specific disappointment?
I always look through my flickr at my older work just to see how it has changed. Right now I’m pretty content about how my work is, but I’m still trying to better myself of course. When I look at my older work I’m happy that my work is somewhat improving. I remember the first time I was really stoked on a photo. It was one of my sister on the beach holding her flip flops with her back facing me and her head turned. I took like three or four of her and that was my favorite. It was during the last weekend of summer before I went back to school and my sister, cousin, mother, and I went for a walk on the beach to watch the sunrise. It was such an awesome moment I had to capture.
4. How do you plan to grow more?
Since it’s the new year I’ve made a few photography related resolutions. I want to keep shooting a lot. 2009 was the first year where I shot basically all the way through without any breaks or anything. I also want to print black and white and color in the darkroom. I made my first contact prints a couple weeks ago and that was a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to printing.
5. Tell us about the best thing in the world.
The best thing in the world would probably be walking on the beach when no one else is on it. Either in the morning or at night.
