If you go through his blog posts, you observe that Jeff has a great sense of humour.
Jeff Kirlin lives alone in a cold water flat and when not taking photos or working on his photoblog, he just sits quietly. :)
On a personal note: Jeff is a terrible typist *wink*
TIP: Please tell us about yourself?
Jeff Kirlin: I'm surprised to find this the most difficult question. I am a 41 year old man living in Bangor, Maine and I work as a speech therapist in the public schools and a hospital.
TIP: Did you go to a school to learn photography?
Jeff Kirlin: No, it has all been trial and error and reading and doing.
TIP: Did your early photographic goals include earning a living from photography, or did it start as a way to express yourself creatively?
Jeff Kirlin: I started taking photos because I had the summer off from work and I thought it would be fun to sneak around and take photos of things I wanted to see again. It gave me an excuse to go places I didn't usually go just to explore
TIP: What is one of your favorite places to travel to take photographs?
Jeff Kirlin: I love taking photos in any large city. Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston. I take more photos of Boston than any other city simply because it is closest to me.
TIP: When did you know you finally "made it" as a professional?
Jeff Kirlin: I have yet to make it as a professional.
TIP: Do you remember your first photography sale?
Jeff Kirlin: I do! The owner of a carnival gave me 200 dollars for some photos of his rides and things. I was delighted. Of course it worked out to about 50 cents per hour. But were still lots of fun.
TIP: How did you get your first book deal?
Jeff Kirlin: I've never had a book deal but I did have an image published in a magazine that I didn't get paid for. :)
TIP: What advice do you have for someone who simply wants to improve their photography skills?
Jeff Kirlin: Take lots of photos, always. You can't take too many photos. Also, find someone you admire, study them, try to copy them and learn how they do what they do.
TIP: Was photography always a passion for you, or did come into it as a way to express yourself, or to pay the bills?
Jeff Kirlin: It started out as a way to pass the time, and then became a passion. I find that I can use my photos to express myself once I have taken them but I usually don't think that when I am taking the photo and I don't know why. I'm not very artistic, I think. I have only made enough money to pay for my first camera which was 4 cameras ago. :)
TIP: Did you have a mentor or someone who helped guide you as you were getting started?
Jeff Kirlin: No. I dislike taking photos with other photographers around. I've had it suggested sometimes that I take photos with someone but have yet to do it. I find photography, for me, is a solitary pursuit.
TIP: What do you like most about being a photographer?
Jeff Kirlin: I enjoy seeing things in a way that will allow me to see it forever. I have a terrible memory and only have a vague recollection of places I have been and things I have done before I started taking photos. I also enjoy that I tend to do MORE for the sake of taking the photos than I would otherwise.
TIP: What do you dislike about being a photographer?
Jeff Kirlin: I dislike the attention drawn to you, or the perceived attention, when it sometimes seems to be an odd interest. And in the US there are so many concerns about security and privacy, that sometimes it can be difficult to take photos.
TIP: What is one of your favorite places to travel to find beautiful landscape photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I like taking photos at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine because the images are lovely and easy. it's hard to take a bad photo there.
TIP: Much of your work focuses on landscape and scenic photography. Do you think it is important to specialize in one area of photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I know this question doesn't pertain to me but I'll answer it anyway because I think a photographer should try to take all types of photos. Frank of Photoschau once listed me as an experimental photographer and I took that as a huge compliment. I think photographers will fall into a type of photo that they prefer taking but why limit yourself? On the other hand, no one think of landscapes when they think of Annie Liebovitz or portraits when they think of Ansel Adams.
TIP: What sort of equipment do you use?
Jeff Kirlin: I use point and shoot digital cameras only. I'd like to get a DSLR but every time I look deeper into it, more than the cost, I find that what I like about taking the photos is being able to frame it in the LCD, and having a very small camera you can always have with you. I'm currently using a Canon Powershot S2 IS and a Panasonic FX01.
TIP: What was the equipment in which you started out?
Jeff Kirlin: My first digital camera was a Samsung Digimax 130 then I upgraded to a Fujifilm A210 and though I found the last camera I'd ever need. Prior to that I used film snapshot cameras. Horrid photos every one.
TIP: Who inspires you?
Jeff Kirlin: All my photo-blogging colleagues, of course. Also Susan Adcock at Cliffhanger and Amy Toensing who is an occasional National Geographic photographer.
TIP: What are your favorite subjects of Photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I enjoy taking photos of people at work very much. I enjoy portraits and taking photos of people and for some reason they seem to mind it less when you are photographing them working. I have thousands of photos of carnival workers and hundreds of photos of other out-of-the-mainstream occupations.
TIP: In your general opinion, do you think photography schools are a good idea or a waste of time.
Jeff Kirlin: I thought they were a waste of time, and then I learned how much I didn't know.
TIP: What's coming up? Exhibits? Shows? Photo shoots?
Jeff Kirlin: What. I have been taking photos of my friends and I have some photos exhibited at a local hospital but that is about it. When I am asked about having photos published and how I ought to try to get into a magazine, I answer that they are already published. On my blog, which I am terribly proud of! I call it a photo-blog but I'm not sure exactly what it is. I will post images just because I have something funny to say with them which, if you do too many times, makes you seem like a clown rather than a photographer. However, some of my most loyal Gentle Viewers are other bloggers rather than other photographers. I know my audience and what they like. (I hope!)
Jeff Kirlin: I'm surprised to find this the most difficult question. I am a 41 year old man living in Bangor, Maine and I work as a speech therapist in the public schools and a hospital.
TIP: Did you go to a school to learn photography?
Jeff Kirlin: No, it has all been trial and error and reading and doing.
TIP: Did your early photographic goals include earning a living from photography, or did it start as a way to express yourself creatively?
Jeff Kirlin: I started taking photos because I had the summer off from work and I thought it would be fun to sneak around and take photos of things I wanted to see again. It gave me an excuse to go places I didn't usually go just to explore
TIP: What is one of your favorite places to travel to take photographs?
Jeff Kirlin: I love taking photos in any large city. Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston. I take more photos of Boston than any other city simply because it is closest to me.
TIP: When did you know you finally "made it" as a professional?
Jeff Kirlin: I have yet to make it as a professional.
TIP: Do you remember your first photography sale?
Jeff Kirlin: I do! The owner of a carnival gave me 200 dollars for some photos of his rides and things. I was delighted. Of course it worked out to about 50 cents per hour. But were still lots of fun.
TIP: How did you get your first book deal?
Jeff Kirlin: I've never had a book deal but I did have an image published in a magazine that I didn't get paid for. :)
TIP: What advice do you have for someone who simply wants to improve their photography skills?
Jeff Kirlin: Take lots of photos, always. You can't take too many photos. Also, find someone you admire, study them, try to copy them and learn how they do what they do.
TIP: Was photography always a passion for you, or did come into it as a way to express yourself, or to pay the bills?
Jeff Kirlin: It started out as a way to pass the time, and then became a passion. I find that I can use my photos to express myself once I have taken them but I usually don't think that when I am taking the photo and I don't know why. I'm not very artistic, I think. I have only made enough money to pay for my first camera which was 4 cameras ago. :)
TIP: Did you have a mentor or someone who helped guide you as you were getting started?
Jeff Kirlin: No. I dislike taking photos with other photographers around. I've had it suggested sometimes that I take photos with someone but have yet to do it. I find photography, for me, is a solitary pursuit.
TIP: What do you like most about being a photographer?
Jeff Kirlin: I enjoy seeing things in a way that will allow me to see it forever. I have a terrible memory and only have a vague recollection of places I have been and things I have done before I started taking photos. I also enjoy that I tend to do MORE for the sake of taking the photos than I would otherwise.
TIP: What do you dislike about being a photographer?
Jeff Kirlin: I dislike the attention drawn to you, or the perceived attention, when it sometimes seems to be an odd interest. And in the US there are so many concerns about security and privacy, that sometimes it can be difficult to take photos.
TIP: What is one of your favorite places to travel to find beautiful landscape photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I like taking photos at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in Maine because the images are lovely and easy. it's hard to take a bad photo there.
TIP: Much of your work focuses on landscape and scenic photography. Do you think it is important to specialize in one area of photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I know this question doesn't pertain to me but I'll answer it anyway because I think a photographer should try to take all types of photos. Frank of Photoschau once listed me as an experimental photographer and I took that as a huge compliment. I think photographers will fall into a type of photo that they prefer taking but why limit yourself? On the other hand, no one think of landscapes when they think of Annie Liebovitz or portraits when they think of Ansel Adams.
TIP: What sort of equipment do you use?
Jeff Kirlin: I use point and shoot digital cameras only. I'd like to get a DSLR but every time I look deeper into it, more than the cost, I find that what I like about taking the photos is being able to frame it in the LCD, and having a very small camera you can always have with you. I'm currently using a Canon Powershot S2 IS and a Panasonic FX01.
TIP: What was the equipment in which you started out?
Jeff Kirlin: My first digital camera was a Samsung Digimax 130 then I upgraded to a Fujifilm A210 and though I found the last camera I'd ever need. Prior to that I used film snapshot cameras. Horrid photos every one.
TIP: Who inspires you?
Jeff Kirlin: All my photo-blogging colleagues, of course. Also Susan Adcock at Cliffhanger and Amy Toensing who is an occasional National Geographic photographer.
TIP: What are your favorite subjects of Photography?
Jeff Kirlin: I enjoy taking photos of people at work very much. I enjoy portraits and taking photos of people and for some reason they seem to mind it less when you are photographing them working. I have thousands of photos of carnival workers and hundreds of photos of other out-of-the-mainstream occupations.
TIP: In your general opinion, do you think photography schools are a good idea or a waste of time.
Jeff Kirlin: I thought they were a waste of time, and then I learned how much I didn't know.
TIP: What's coming up? Exhibits? Shows? Photo shoots?
Jeff Kirlin: What. I have been taking photos of my friends and I have some photos exhibited at a local hospital but that is about it. When I am asked about having photos published and how I ought to try to get into a magazine, I answer that they are already published. On my blog, which I am terribly proud of! I call it a photo-blog but I'm not sure exactly what it is. I will post images just because I have something funny to say with them which, if you do too many times, makes you seem like a clown rather than a photographer. However, some of my most loyal Gentle Viewers are other bloggers rather than other photographers. I know my audience and what they like. (I hope!)
3 comments:
Wow great interview. It's nice to get a straight answer out of Kirlin for once! :-)
Thanks Kirlin. No doubt, that's the nicest thing I'll hear this week. Sorry I'm late to this party but happy to find your site as well T.I.P. All best.
The humble Farmer is a Jeff Kirlin fan.
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