Interview with Joshua Stearns

Hello, can we start with a little bit biography about you? Could you tell us, how did you start to be an artist?
I received my education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I majored in photography. While I attended school I got a lot of exposure to other digital mediums. I spent time learning video and I took some basic design courses. While in school I was really more focused on making music. I played in a few bands and when I graduated I gave up everything to pursue music. I didn't touch my camera for over a year, working various part-time jobs to survive. The band I had been playing in dissolved soon after and I had to rethink what I wanted to do with my life. At that point I decided I needed to starting taking pictures again. I saved money, bought some new cameras and moved to San Francisco. With the little knowledge I had gained in college about design, I landed myself at some advertising agencies: Organic, Blast Radius and EVB. I worked on some high profile advertising campaigns including Nike, Jordan, Mitsubishi and 2K Sports. I was also producing a lot of work for myself photographing people. I quit my day job working advertising, moved to Hawai' and began working freelance. During my time I in Hawai'i I photographed and surfed every spare moment. After a year of working freelance, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my photography. This brings us to present.

So what are your plans for the future? Open your own studio?
Definitely, a studio is in the works. Currently I am focusing most of my energy on my photography. I am working on getting some bigger clients and I am hoping to open a studio in LA. I would like to get to a point this year where I can hire some creatives and start a full service production team. I also am talking with some photographers that I hope to team up with to open a super studio. I also love design, so I am going to continue to produce work and grow that part of my business as well.

About your photography style. What inspired you? Do you have favorite photographers?
I am really inspired by my environment and right now that is Los Angeles. I think you will see LA creep in to themes of my work this year. I know that living here is really going to affect me. Living in LA is a total shift for me. I am learning to tolerate the traffic and the way people interact here. It's a fast-paced city with so much happening; you just have to walk outside your door for inspiration. My two favorite photographers are Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Nadav Kander. Both of these photographers create beautiful and evocative images that I aspire to.

What would you advice to people who just start. Should they start on buying a good camera first? Books?
I think people get way too focused on buying gear. For me gear is aside from the point. I've seen amazing work come from the worst equipment, and it says a lot about ideas. I would like to see people work harder on ideas and buy less equipment. I think there is one true recipe for success: work hard, regardless of your medium. For people starting out, I would tell them to experiment. Also, produce work like it is a job. You have to have some discipline, you need to continually produce work to grow. If you are living near a urban area, go check out a contemporary art museum. You will see some truly amazing work hand-picked for you. Take some notes and incorporate ideas in to you own work. Once your ideas are solid, go buy that 12 billion megapixel camera.

Back to your Web Design career. Why you like photography?
I've produced a lot of work over the years and when I think about what is most fulfilling I think about my photography. I have been blessed with the design projects I've been a part of. I have been very passionate about it, but at the end of the day it is about being fulfilled. I dream about taking pictures and I really feed off it. Truthfully I know photography it what I am best at.

But when you will quit doing web, will you still will try to be in the field, by reading news, visiting design portals?

Design, I can't quit you (Broke Back Mountain reference)! I love design, that is why I ended up in a design field. I was very attracted to it from the beginning. I will always seek it out and incorporate it in my work. To what extent? To put it vaguely, I can't be certain.

Sometimes photographers has the same style. Do you think it's good or bad? Why?
I won't speak for other photographers, but for me style is important. It gives my work its own identity. At the same time, I don't want my work to get trapped in a particular style. That is when the work can get stagnant; I want my work to grow and evolve. I often evaluate my own work and notice if I repeat myself too much. If I am, I try to remove the element of repetition. It can be easy to repeat things that work, but they have to go at some point.

Let's talk about Photoshop and photography. How essential is editing images? I heard some photographers never edit their shots.
There is a whole camp of photographers that pride themselves on zero digital manipulation. I am not in that camp of thought. These days there is a new level of perfection that photographers have to achieve. I was looking at a Helmut Newton book yesterday and I noticed so many imperfections that you don't see with photographers today. I absolutely love his work, but it feels dated and rough. 

The edit is essential, and is imperative to my work. I can't emphasize this point enough. I edit out about 99% percent of what I shoot. I only show images that I think are my very best. I notice a lot of really talented photographers who just can't edit. If they took a moment and narrowed down their selection, I think their body of work could be much stronger. There is a big distinction between a good image and a great image, but I think people have a hard time detaching themselves.

But maybe we should call it digital art then? What's your opinion?
Many people collage photos as well. Edit and add elements from other images.
It depends on how far you take it. I think that distinction should be made by the artist.

What are your most favorite photography related site which you visit regulary?
I like flickr, but my fascination with it dwindling. Other than that I can't say there is any place I go regularly. I see a lot of portfolio sites, often shared on my delicious feed.

Can you tell us, are there any books, which you think helped you very much? Maybe you can suggest some?
I love the new book by Sagmeister called "Things I have learned". Josef Koudelka has a book called "Chaos" which I drew a lot of early inspiration from. American Photography puts out a annual book which I like because it shows current work.

What kind of photography do you like most of all? Nature? People? Commercial? Why?
I like it all, my only prerequisite is quality. I don't really care if it is a cute image of a fat cat jumping in the air. If I find it compelling, then I can get in to it.