PHOTO CONFESSIONAL: Scott Brennan
IF YOU WEREN’T A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT OTHER PROFESSION WOULD YOU PICK?
I wouldn't mind being a bus driver. Think of all the places you could go and the people you would meet along the way.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CRUCIAL DECISION YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR CAREER’s DEVELOPMENT?
After a trip to Japan in 2015, I decided to trust my intuition and not be overly concerned with rules.
HOW IMPORTANT IS RESEARCH IN YOUR WORK?
I think research is very important to my work.
IS THERE A PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST WHO IS A CONSTANT REFERENCE FOR YOU?
Herman Melville and his novel Moby-Dick is a constant reference for me.
WHAT WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH?
A sunset.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE, AND WHAT IMPORTANCE DO YOU GIVE TO TECHNIQUE?
I photograph almost exclusively with film now, though I have nothing against digital photography per se. The ability to compose an image is very important, but knowing when to press the shutter button remains a mystery, and it's probably the most important aspect of technique one can attend to.
WHAT IS THE STARTING POINT OF YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
Intuition, when an idea arrives out of nowhere.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH a #tag
N/A.
at what point did you feel you were a photographer, and what made you think that way?
I realized I was a photographer when I took a candid portrait on the subway of a woman suffering from a terrible toothache. She was in so much pain, trying to soothe her aching jaw with her hand. I took the photograph as an expression (I think) of empathy for her. I couldn't help her in any way, really, but I felt her pain when I took that photograph.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH REJECTION?
Get pissed off, take more photographs.
HOW DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SUCH SUCCESS?
If I have accomplished anything, it's because I took photowalks almost every day for five years when I first taught myself how to use the camera.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH STRANGERS IN YOUR PROJECTS OR TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PROJECTS?
I rarely if ever approach strangers.
IS IT COMMON FOR YOU TO QUESTION YOURSELF OR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
Not really. The desire to take a photograph is probably reason enough to take it. One must be careful not to repeat oneself out of habit, though.
how is to approach to the art world/ photo-book world?
I like to read and collect photo books, though they can be quite expensive. I often go to museums and galleries, and I find doing so motivating. I submit my work to magazines, though the process is tedious. Publish or perish.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A NEW PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS JUST STARTING OUT?
Cultivate a passion for art history and take many thousands of photographs.
ABOUT Scott Brennan
A writer and photographer, Scott divides his time between Miami, Florida, and Vermont. His photography has been exhibited at Mana Contemporary Art, The Audrey Love Gallery, Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, and The Annex. His work has also appeared in a number of magazines including Smithsonian, Harvard Review, Sewanee Review, The Hopkins Review, Columbia Journal, The Berkeley Journal of Sociology, The Gettysburg Review, The Journal, Prodavinci, and elsewhere.
Selected by Billy Collins to receive the Scotti Merrill Award, Scott's first book, Raft Made of Seagull Feathers, recently appeared with Main Street Rag Press.
portrait by Roberto mata
