A R T I S T   S P O T L I G H T

P E T E R  S A M U E L S

PASTEL: Introduce yourself!

PS: Hi! My name is Peter Samuels.

PASTEL: What sparked your interest in photography? 

PS: I’m not even really sure. It’s been a part of my life for so long! BUT, there’s this movie called Vertical Limit (it’s a disaster thriller rescue movie made in 2000) and if you haven’t seen it, you should watch it. It’s so shitty but awesome. And in the movie, the main character (named Peter btw) is a wildlife photographer. They show some POV shots through the camera lens while it’s going in and out of focus on some fighting snow leopards, and the shutter’s released, and I literally asked my parents for a “camera that makes that noise” the next day. So that was in like fifth grade; I was a baby with a film SLR camera. People always asked me what I was doing with it and questioned why my parents would give such a young person that type of camera (film was already basically “dead” at that time). I still have that camera today and I use it all the time!

PASTEL: Are there any underlying themes that you find reappearing in your work?

PS: Well, I mainly take photos of every day life when I see moments of beauty or something surprising, so the theme of the work is really just what I find aesthetically pleasing. I do think that there is an innocent humor in a lot of my work, which makes sense because I laugh at almost everything. I’m really interested in those moments where everything comes together, and it seems too good to be true. Like, when I see a composition possibility where so many things line up and there's finally just the “cherry on top” of something—something that is fleeting and iconic. I’m very interested in iconography and stand-ins—things that people can see and already have all of these associations that don’t exist in the photograph.

PASTEL: You've mentioned your affinity for a 90's aesthetic—and it certainly shows in your vibrant imagery and playful subject matter. What about that time inspires you the most? 

PS: Well, I grew up in the 90's and I am a really nostalgic person. I really just love that time period. It’s so relevant now because we were in the midst of this super digitized age where people are like, "I grew up always having a computer, and I always knew what a cellphone was". Now, with iPhones and such advanced technology, people have really changed. When you watch 90's TV shows (especially kids’ shows) there’s just this really funny and weird humor that shaped me and my friends so much. So there are these visual cues of the 90's—gradients, kind of digital patterns, and this general attitude. I guess every generation thinks that their childhood era was the best.

PASTEL: Are there any other artists, books, or music that you're currently listening to or looking at to fuel your inspiration to create? 

PS: I always look at David Hockney, Edward Hopper, William Eggleston, and Luigi Ghirri as sort of go-to artists. I recently read a bunch of books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which deal with magical realism, which I find really inspirational. I have been listening to so much 80's music, and I think that’s really inspiring me right now, and I’ve been revisiting a lot of childhood movies to think about how they are relevant to me now. Like, I just rewatched The Land Before Time and it was an out-of-body religious experience. I’ve also been watching a lot of new wave French films, and always Donnie Darko and The Virgin Suicides.

PASTEL: A lot of your work also appears to be documentary. Can you talk a bit about your process? Are the people in your photographs friends or family, and how do those series compare to projects like Digitalia (Where the process seems more premeditated)? 

PS: My process is that I basically carry my camera around with a preconceived notion of what I’m looking for, what sort of feel I’m looking for, what colors I’m trying to capture, and I constantly observe my surroundings for something to photograph. I basically see things photographically at all times, and sometimes I don’t have my camera and it’s such a bummer. The people in my photographs are pretty much strictly friends; they’re really used to me having a camera, and there was a time when all of us had cameras with us all the time, so I think we’re all used to it (although I really dislike having my picture taken; I hate when people expect you to pose or smile!) Lately, I’ve been taking pictures of strangers, but only from a distance and when they turn away from the camera so they become more like characters to inhabit the world rather than an actual person—like if I like the color of someone’s shirt or something, I’ll try to use it in the image. Digitalia was interesting because I shot it with my usual method of documentary with a preconceived notion, but I combined it with completely staged images, it wasn’t quite as premeditated as you might think. I had these ideas that I knew I wanted to photograph, and some came more naturally.

PASTEL: Do you think your personality is prevalent in your work? If so, how do you think personal evidence affects the quality of each piece?

PS: I do think that my personality is in my work. It’s hard for me to really know because I’ve only ever seen my work through my eyes. I’ve never been detached from it at all. I have to assume that my personality is there, but for me it’s an almost completely aesthetically driven process—I have to assume that the idea I have formed in my head will come through on some level because it’s what I was thinking as I took the photo.

PASTEL: Looking at your work (especially in Sunrise and Postcards from the Coast), there seems to be an awareness of time (the present's aesthetic, or the passage of time) on your part. What do you want people to take away from your work? 

PS: I want people to look at it and first, be like, whoa that’s pretty. And then I want them to be like, weeird. I really appreciate how everyone can have a slightly different response to things we all recognize and know.

PASTEL: Speaking of time: If you were to put your photos into a time capsule, do you think your audience's reaction to the same work would change 10 or 20 years down the road?

PS: Ah!! So weird to think about. I don’t think the reaction would be the same, no. BUT I think that an educated person (who knew what was going on during the time the photos were taken) would be able to get the same vibe. It’s funny because you never know if something will look dated or if it will kind of continue to defy time—photographs are different because you can see technology, fashion, and essentially the world as it was in the photograph, but with a painting or something it can be harder to pin down.

PASTEL: What are some of your other hobbies outside of Photography? 

PS: I watch a ridiculous amount of movies. Going to the movie theater at least once a week is something I just hhaaaave to do. I also love to draw, eat, hit snooze on alarms, read weird wikipedia pages, drive around aimlessly, watch shitty reality TV, ride my bike, quote episodes of 30 Rock, and when I have the time, travel.

PASTEL: You shoot primarily in 35mm film, correct? How does that method of photography contribute to your process and the resultant images?

PS: Yes, I shoot pretty much only 35mm color film. I really don’t know. Some people say that you can get the same quality from digital as you can with film, and by quality I don’t mean like resolution- I mean the feeling you get. And I have to disagree (at least for me). There’s just something about film that is so special. I’m more considerate about the photographs I take because only so many fit on a roll versus the infinite space on a memory card. I also just love shooting 35mm color film because it’s just part of the process for me.

PASTEL: Quick! List 5 things you could never live without:

PS: Assuming that family and friends are already included in this deal, five things: movies, my iPod, the internet, laughter, work.

PASTEL: What is the best part about being an artist? What is the most challenging? 

PS: The best part is that you get to do whatever you want! This is also the most challenging part.

PASTEL: So, your exit show, Paradise Sux, will be on exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art very soon, and then graduation will be looming on the horizon! Do you have any other exciting plans for your next step as an artist?

PS: Uuuuuuuuggghh don’t remind me! I don’t have any concrete plans yet haha, but I’m excited to see what happens.

PASTEL: Lastly, if you could collaborate with any artist (dead or alive) who would you choose, and what would the project be called?

PS: Yikes! That’s a tough question. There are so many artists I admire and I’m not sure if I want to pollute their work with my own ideas. The late cinematographer of some of my favorite films, Harris Savides, was incredible. He was the cinematographer for Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola. I would have loved to make something with him. I would probably have to see it to name it!

Like what you see? Head to the  Photography Exit Show in Gallery 101  of the Lamar Dodd School of Art on Friday, November 14th from 6-8PM to catch Peter Samuel's series, Paradise Sux, along with all of the other talented photo crew's work (Painting/Drawing, Art Education, & Printmaking students will also be hosting their own exhibitions)!

A R T I S T   S P O T L I G H T

P E T E R  S A M U E L S

PASTEL: Introduce yourself!

PS: Hi! My name is Peter Samuels.

PASTEL: What sparked your interest in photography? 

PS: I’m not even really sure. It’s been a part of my life for so long! BUT, there’s this movie called Vertical Limit (it’s a disaster thriller rescue movie made in 2000) and if you haven’t seen it, you should watch it. It’s so shitty but awesome. And in the movie, the main character (named Peter btw) is a wildlife photographer. They show some POV shots through the camera lens while it’s going in and out of focus on some fighting snow leopards, and the shutter’s released, and I literally asked my parents for a “camera that makes that noise” the next day. So that was in like fifth grade; I was a baby with a film SLR camera. People always asked me what I was doing with it and questioned why my parents would give such a young person that type of camera (film was already basically “dead” at that time). I still have that camera today and I use it all the time!

PASTEL: Are there any underlying themes that you find reappearing in your work?

PS: Well, I mainly take photos of every day life when I see moments of beauty or something surprising, so the theme of the work is really just what I find aesthetically pleasing. I do think that there is an innocent humor in a lot of my work, which makes sense because I laugh at almost everything. I’m really interested in those moments where everything comes together, and it seems too good to be true. Like, when I see a composition possibility where so many things line up and there's finally just the “cherry on top” of something—something that is fleeting and iconic. I’m very interested in iconography and stand-ins—things that people can see and already have all of these associations that don’t exist in the photograph.

PASTEL: You've mentioned your affinity for a 90's aesthetic—and it certainly shows in your vibrant imagery and playful subject matter. What about that time inspires you the most? 

PS: Well, I grew up in the 90's and I am a really nostalgic person. I really just love that time period. It’s so relevant now because we were in the midst of this super digitized age where people are like, "I grew up always having a computer, and I always knew what a cellphone was". Now, with iPhones and such advanced technology, people have really changed. When you watch 90's TV shows (especially kids’ shows) there’s just this really funny and weird humor that shaped me and my friends so much. So there are these visual cues of the 90's—gradients, kind of digital patterns, and this general attitude. I guess every generation thinks that their childhood era was the best.

PASTEL: Are there any other artists, books, or music that you're currently listening to or looking at to fuel your inspiration to create? 

PS: I always look at David Hockney, Edward Hopper, William Eggleston, and Luigi Ghirri as sort of go-to artists. I recently read a bunch of books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which deal with magical realism, which I find really inspirational. I have been listening to so much 80's music, and I think that’s really inspiring me right now, and I’ve been revisiting a lot of childhood movies to think about how they are relevant to me now. Like, I just rewatched The Land Before Time and it was an out-of-body religious experience. I’ve also been watching a lot of new wave French films, and always Donnie Darko and The Virgin Suicides.

PASTEL: A lot of your work also appears to be documentary. Can you talk a bit about your process? Are the people in your photographs friends or family, and how do those series compare to projects like Digitalia (Where the process seems more premeditated)? 

PS: My process is that I basically carry my camera around with a preconceived notion of what I’m looking for, what sort of feel I’m looking for, what colors I’m trying to capture, and I constantly observe my surroundings for something to photograph. I basically see things photographically at all times, and sometimes I don’t have my camera and it’s such a bummer. The people in my photographs are pretty much strictly friends; they’re really used to me having a camera, and there was a time when all of us had cameras with us all the time, so I think we’re all used to it (although I really dislike having my picture taken; I hate when people expect you to pose or smile!) Lately, I’ve been taking pictures of strangers, but only from a distance and when they turn away from the camera so they become more like characters to inhabit the world rather than an actual person—like if I like the color of someone’s shirt or something, I’ll try to use it in the image. Digitalia was interesting because I shot it with my usual method of documentary with a preconceived notion, but I combined it with completely staged images, it wasn’t quite as premeditated as you might think. I had these ideas that I knew I wanted to photograph, and some came more naturally.

PASTEL: Do you think your personality is prevalent in your work? If so, how do you think personal evidence affects the quality of each piece?

PS: I do think that my personality is in my work. It’s hard for me to really know because I’ve only ever seen my work through my eyes. I’ve never been detached from it at all. I have to assume that my personality is there, but for me it’s an almost completely aesthetically driven process—I have to assume that the idea I have formed in my head will come through on some level because it’s what I was thinking as I took the photo.

PASTEL: Looking at your work (especially in Sunrise and Postcards from the Coast), there seems to be an awareness of time (the present's aesthetic, or the passage of time) on your part. What do you want people to take away from your work? 

PS: I want people to look at it and first, be like, whoa that’s pretty. And then I want them to be like, weeird. I really appreciate how everyone can have a slightly different response to things we all recognize and know.

PASTEL: Speaking of time: If you were to put your photos into a time capsule, do you think your audience's reaction to the same work would change 10 or 20 years down the road?

PS: Ah!! So weird to think about. I don’t think the reaction would be the same, no. BUT I think that an educated person (who knew what was going on during the time the photos were taken) would be able to get the same vibe. It’s funny because you never know if something will look dated or if it will kind of continue to defy time—photographs are different because you can see technology, fashion, and essentially the world as it was in the photograph, but with a painting or something it can be harder to pin down.

PASTEL: What are some of your other hobbies outside of Photography? 

PS: I watch a ridiculous amount of movies. Going to the movie theater at least once a week is something I just hhaaaave to do. I also love to draw, eat, hit snooze on alarms, read weird wikipedia pages, drive around aimlessly, watch shitty reality TV, ride my bike, quote episodes of 30 Rock, and when I have the time, travel.

PASTEL: You shoot primarily in 35mm film, correct? How does that method of photography contribute to your process and the resultant images?

PS: Yes, I shoot pretty much only 35mm color film. I really don’t know. Some people say that you can get the same quality from digital as you can with film, and by quality I don’t mean like resolution- I mean the feeling you get. And I have to disagree (at least for me). There’s just something about film that is so special. I’m more considerate about the photographs I take because only so many fit on a roll versus the infinite space on a memory card. I also just love shooting 35mm color film because it’s just part of the process for me.

PASTEL: Quick! List 5 things you could never live without:

PS: Assuming that family and friends are already included in this deal, five things: movies, my iPod, the internet, laughter, work.

PASTEL: What is the best part about being an artist? What is the most challenging? 

PS: The best part is that you get to do whatever you want! This is also the most challenging part.

PASTEL: So, your exit show, Paradise Sux, will be on exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art very soon, and then graduation will be looming on the horizon! Do you have any other exciting plans for your next step as an artist?

PS: Uuuuuuuuggghh don’t remind me! I don’t have any concrete plans yet haha, but I’m excited to see what happens.

PASTEL: Lastly, if you could collaborate with any artist (dead or alive) who would you choose, and what would the project be called?

PS: Yikes! That’s a tough question. There are so many artists I admire and I’m not sure if I want to pollute their work with my own ideas. The late cinematographer of some of my favorite films, Harris Savides, was incredible. He was the cinematographer for Somewhere, directed by Sofia Coppola. I would have loved to make something with him. I would probably have to see it to name it!

Like what you see? Head to the  Photography Exit Show in Gallery 101  of the Lamar Dodd School of Art on Friday, November 14th from 6-8PM to catch Peter Samuel's series, Paradise Sux, along with all of the other talented photo crew's work (Painting/Drawing, Art Education, & Printmaking students will also be hosting their own exhibitions)!