June 21, 2004 - This week, we interview John Perkinson from Orbit1.com:

Please tell us a little about yourself:
I'm 35 years old. I was born in Texas. I now live in Wisconsin (just moved here last year). I sit in front of a computer most of the day. I met my wife at summer camp. I have two delightful daughters that surprise me everyday. I have a dog. I like books and magazines. I like good cigars. I love a good red wine. I love women's bodies. I love art of all kinds. I love the water. I secretly want to live on a large sailboat with my friends and waste away my days swimming, getting high, and enjoy being alive...

First time grabbing a camera?
One of my aunts gave me a Minolta rangefinder for my eighth birthday. I loved that thing. I ran many rolls of film through it until it fell about 30 feet in a cave when I was in the fourth grade. I didn't pick up another camera until my first daughter was born in 1999. I did manage to retrieve the camera stuck down between two old stalagmites, but it was broken. Every once in a while I'll take it out and feel it – someday I may have it fixed.

Why the long hiatus?
I'm not sure why the camera wasn't replaced. Maybe I didn't do a good enough job conveying my rabid interest in photography at the time. It's strange, but maybe I romanticize a little too much about it, and I really wasn't that interested in taking pictures.

It's funny though - I remember actually going into the camera store the day my first daughter was born and realizing that I hadn't actually held a real camera in a very long time. I left the store that day with two brand new cameras! Maybe I was trying to compensate..?

Interesting... So why then does photography interest you?
I believe it's therapeutic for me. There's something powerful and at the same time playful about capturing small moments that would otherwise never be seen or soon forgotten. I think that's why I like quality snapshots so much.

Other hobbies other than photography? Do they mix with it?
That's a funny one. I used to be a real computer nut (and I guess I still am in many ways). Programming, games, everything... I took up photography as a hobby to help get my fat ass out of this Aeron chair, but it turned out to be a very naive thought on my part. Here I am right now typing this, in between processing digital images... The darkroom has been a wonderful way to get away. Try traditional printing – it's guaranteed to make you stand for hours and not even feel your feet.

So does gaming and programming help out in any way in photography? Composition? Your site? Etc.?
Obviously all the years of computer programming has helped with my site. As far as photography goes, I don't know – well, maybe gaming helped my aim! :-)

What's your most memorable photographic experience?
I have a very limited experience to draw upon, but a memory that sticks in mind is a trip last fall to Lake Michigan. I was working on photographs for a project, and I decided I wanted to drive North up the coast and catch the sunrise over the lake. It was one of the coldest nights I've ever spent in a tent. I was unprepared for a cold front that came in after I arrived. At one point I seriously considered a motel room, but I knew I wouldn't make the sunrise if I indulged. I stayed and froze under some light down with Katie (my dog). I can say without a doubt the sunset I witnessed that morning, was the most striking I've ever seen. My photos barely begin to do it justice. The warm beauty of that sunrise melted away most of the cold I had in my body. I didn't realize until I got back to the car that my hair, beard, and eyebrows were covered in thick frost. I don't think Katie quit shivering until we were more than an hour away.

Most negative experience?
See the question on the first time I grabbed a camera.

What is your shooting style? How and what do you prefer to shoot? What is the underlying theme in your work?
I like portraits (both candid and posed), and long exposure photography. I'm not sure that's a style though...

Why do you prefer portraits and long exposures? Why not anything else?
I'm really drawn in by portraits. I think they can be magical. I like night photography because at times it can be a little surreal and it allows your eye to see things it normally can't...

Now the most debated question: Film or digital?
Both. Why not both..? I really do like digital for my color work because it's pretty expensive to process color film around here. I think film is more fun in a lot of the ways that digital is more efficient. I hope film is around for a long time...

But what makes film so much fun?
I'm certainly not going to say anything film photographers don't already know, but when you take a photograph using film, the experience is quite different from digital all the way through the process. You don't get the instant feedback, although Polaroid's are sort of an exception to this. Your exposures are 'blind' – you have to rely on instinct and/or a good light meter.

The devilry doesn't stop at exposure. There are these rolls or sheets that are your babies that you have to take back into the darkness and process. You choose your developer, development time, and agitation etc. – all to produce a negative (or positive) that reflects your vision at the time of exposure. Of course that's only part of the story; the real work begins with the print (or scan). It's really magical to see your prints come to life in those trays.

I think I have ten times the anticipation level waiting for my negatives to dry versus watching RAW files download from my flash card. More people that have only known digital should go and give film a try – and develop their own film to print or scan.

Good words... Now to your site. Why did you start it?
I made a post about this at the beginning of this year. I had never seen a photoblog until the Spring of 2003. That's pretty pathetic since I've always like photography... I had been thinking about creating a photography log online to document my learning process, and then I found all of these wonderful sites. How in the hell could I have missed this for so long? Anyway, some of the first sites I saw really kick started me into getting my software together and posting my first images from a pencam.

What's been the biggest joy(s) in running Orbit1?
Meeting other photographers (even if it's not in person yet), and getting the feedback. I'd love to see more critique...

The biggest strains?
I haven't found it a strain at all because I usually have a considerable backlog of photos. The only thing that becomes a pain at times is posting images while out on road trips. It's more difficult than I thought to find reliable access points.

So your family doesn't mind you being on the computer a lot? Orbit1 doesn't take time away valuable from your life?
There is no life up here in the frozen tundra. My family is very understanding - they know I have to go take photos almost everyday just to stay sane.

Actually, I spend very little time on the computer at home - maybe an hour a day on average. After coding at work all day the last thing I want to do is come home and park my ass in front of the computer. Much more time is spent out taking photographs than processing.

Has photography and photoblogging changed your life?
Only the smaller things – like taking time out to go shoot specifically for my flower log or the daily photo thing. I sit down almost every night and select one or more photos to upload. Sometimes I forget...

Your inspirations? Both in photography and photoblogs?
I have to specifically mention Larrie Thompson here. When I first saw his photographs at Night Photographer, I knew I wanted to shoot a lot of my work at night. It was the primer for me to get into photography beyond just my family snapshots. He's still the reason I shoot at night so much... I think many of the big names will be mentioned in each of your interviews, so I'll try to avoid some redundancy and only list some that I find particularly inspirational:

Eugene Smith, Mark Tucker, Jim Brandenburg, Galen Rowell, R & S ParkeHarrison, Loretta Lux, Michael Kenna, Rolfe Horn, Bill Schwab, Emil Schildt, Sally Mann, David Fokos, Alec Soth, Sacha Dean Biyan, Ann Arden McDonald, Yousuf Karsh. You can also find a good portion of my inspiration on my links page. I'm always adding links and I visit most of the photobloggers listed there for daily inspiration during my morning coffee.

You have quite a knowledge of photography. As such, what's the best photograph you've ever seen?
At first that seems like a tough question, but it's really simple for me when I think about it - "The Walk to Paradise Garden" by Eugene Smith. A very evocative photograph for me.

Why? What makes it THE BEST EVER?
When I first saw the photograph, I was immediately moved by it. It personifies hope.

Eugene Smith was injured at the end of World War II and this was his first image made after his long recovery. The photograph both symbolizes his recovery from the injuries and that generation's emergence from the darkness of the war and their expectations for the future. I like to think we're a part of that light those two children are walking into...

Beautiful... Not always the case with these blogs. What can make photoblogs better?
Better photographs, and perhaps a more creative presentation. It would be fun to see more images from other countries too.

Are you involved in anything else photography-wise other than your photoblog?
I do some local commercial and family portrait work. I'd like to expand on this.

As always, we thank you for both this interview, and for your wonderful photoblog...