After Hours // Golden Daze : Gavin Thomas Spellman

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar, could you introduce yourself, and give us an overview of your work?

Gavin Thomas Spellman (GTS): Hi, my name is Gavin Spellman. I’m a film photographer from Bath, Maine. I got into film roughly 11 years ago. After a LONG hiatus I picked it back up again. My work is sort of all over the place. From portraits to landscapes, still lifes to vehicles, I just want to create something beautiful.

ADM: What was the impetus to make After Hours/Golden Daze - how did you reach the idea of making a "dual zine" ? Was the zine created with the or a specific concept in mind, or did you build it out of an extant photo pool?

GTS: I had been thinking of putting out a zine for a while. i had just got into night photography and thought that would be a good theme to roll with, therefore "After Hours" was born. in the process of choosing photos and laying it out i kept returning to my daytime/golden hour shots. i became conflicted and wanted to make a project of those as well. So one day it just sort of clicked, i could combine the two themes. Though very different, the narratives share similarities. The zine split down the middle with no back cover. the back of one is the front of the other (if that makes sense haha).

ADM: You mention narrative - could you flesh it out for us - as in, what the narrative is - implied or otherwise is for the zines; and how you put them together?

GTS: I set the narrative up as if the reader was sort of being taken on a walk. Both zines start at an apartment. As you turn the pages you're brought to different locations, places that aren't necessarily in proximity of each other in reality, but as far as the story goes they are a part of the short little journey. As you continue on, the story brings you back and ends at the apartment at which you started.

ADM: What were the influences for After Hours/Golden Daze - photographpic or otherwise?

GTS: I just really wanted to make something different, a zine that sort of stands out in a crowd. The "After Hours" side was highly influenced by Todd Hido’s work in his book "House Hunting", also influenced by a fellow film photographer, Walter Lodzinski (@risenbeforedawn) His night photography work really got me interested in shooting after dark. As far as the influence for "Golden Daze" goes, i have just always been drawn to the way light paints itself beautifully onto otherwise ordinary scenes.

ADM: How do you think working in the dark influenced your process or narrative?

GTS: shooting at night is definitely a learning curve and i haven't quite mastered it yet. for me it's a lot slower. i have my tripod, and my shutter cable. when metering you have to compensate your exposures with the reciprocity factor in mind. so theres a little bit more calculating that goes into it. so as far as influence to my process goes, i think it has sort of taught me to pay more attention to light and the absence of light.

ADM: What do you generally think about while out shooting, is there a particular thought or visual process you have?

GTS: It all depends on the situation really - if I'm just out and about, I'll shoot whatever catches my eye. If I make a plan to visit a certain location, I'll slow down and approach it with a much more methodical process.

ADM: Can you speak on that methodical process a bit more, or like what the methodology is?

GTS: When I set out to a spot with the intent to photograph it I'll usually focus a lot more on my composition. I'll take multiple meter readings, and bracket my shots if I really like a composition, just so I have a few different exposures to choose from. Mostly it all comes down to finding exactly what I want in frame.

ADM: What was the zine assembly process like for you? Was there a moment where the zine, or dual zine clicked together for you - like particular image or sequence?

GTS: I used Adobe Indesign to lay it out, which was confusing at first but once you get the hang of it you fly right through. The difficult part was design one half of the zine upside-down. I would place a spread, flip it horizontally, then vertically, take a photo of my screen with my phone, flip that to see how the spread would look upright - if I liked it, I would keep it - if not - I'd start again (it was a pain in the ass haha).

The photo that really birthed the project was the cover of "After Hours". That was the starting point for me. Once I realized what I wanted to do I took the same photo at golden hour for the cover of "Golden Daze". I had recently bought "Cape Light" by Joel Meyerowitz, and one sequence in his book shows the same image taken at different times of day. It really shows you the effect that light has on color, and your subjects in photos. That really spoke to me.

ADM: Stepping left - how would you say your environment shapes the narrative, and the compositions?

GTS: The neighborhood I live in has a lot of the same looking brick buildings. I tried to make the shots of these buildings different in their own way. Either by using light or composing in different ways. The surrounding towns are all coastal, so I added a bit of that as well.

ADM: What advice would you give to someone working on night photography, and attempting to build a narrative around it?

GTS: Just try it. You are most definitely going to waste some film and have shots not come out how you envisioned, but don’t get discouraged. Once get a better understanding of your exposures you’ll get the results you’re looking for.

ADM: From Kwasi Boyd Bouldin: How do you want people to remember your work?

GTS: Any way they would like. I don’t really feel I can make people remember my work in any certain way, but as long as at it sparks some sort of feeling to the viewer, I’m happy.

ADM: What's one question you have for the next photographer? You can answer it yourself if you'd like.

GTS: Where do you find inspiration to create

ADM: Where can people order a copy of the zine, and see more of your work - any parting words?

GTS: My zine can be found at gavinspellmanphoto.bigcartel.com and my work can be found on Instagram: @gavin_thomas_spellman

I would just like to thank you for the opportunity to share my work and words. Thank you!

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Landscapes of Nostalgia, and beyond: Karl Bailey on nostalgia, travel, and the zine.

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): Hi Karl, thanks for doing this interview. For those who aren't familiar with you and your work can you please introduce yourself, and describe your work a little bit?

Karl Bailey (KB): Hi, my name’s Karl Bailey, I'm 28 and live in Portsmouth which is a sea city on the south coast of the UK.

A lot of my work is about looking backwards. Many of the locations I've shot at have been inspired by or even from, my own childhood. I'm also keen to preserve and document history and the many changes that we observe over our lifetimes. Ultimately I wouldn't say I aim to have a specific style of work or shoot with a style in mind but I'm always told my work evokes nostalgia.

ADM: I'm curious, when did you pick up photography? Mining a little deeper in, do you think it's linked to your focus on nostalgia? and following that up, what specifically about nostalgia do you find so compelling, both individually, and culturally?

KB: My dad took a lot of photos and video and even had his own darkroom at one point, I was always carrying a little point and shoot on family outings, so I think that's how it was picked up/passed on. I got really into it when I was about 15 and studied Media and Photography in college where I got to use the darkroom and shoot video. From that point on I was part of a local video group that made an amateur sci-fi series for small local TV channels, Then I started picking up photo and video work professionally and ended up shooting all sorts, weddings, corporate, promotional etc but it burned me out and I didn't touch a camera for years. When I finally did in 2018 I realised it was the natural thing that was missing from my life. There is definitely a link somewhere down the line, I love the idea of archiving and not letting any part of history slip away, for no one to remember it; the thought that something or someplace has created so many memories for people and could be knocked down with little thought makes me quite sad even if I'm not personally connected.

ADM: What got you into the zine or photobook format?

KB: I love creating and making things, this stemmed from a diy record label I owned with my friend about 10 years ago. We would release music on CD's, Tapes and Vinyl and I was always pushing myself to create interesting and appealing packaging. It just feels natural to carry on that physical aspect in what I do now. Having something to hold and enjoy is really important even more so for photography, printed work is so much better than looking at it on a screen.

ADM: What does a typical shoot day look like for you?

KB: Some days I will carry one camera, and others I will end up carrying too much. Ultimately it's about exploring new places or turning down roads I've never been down before and seeing what will crop up, usually I will walk miles on end as this is the best way to explore. I always carry a camera on me wherever I am so technically everyday could be a shoot day!

ADM: How do you conceptualize your projects, and what's your selection process like?

KB: I've yet to shoot with a project in mind, although this is something I have started exploring just this month. A lot of my projects (then zines) are born from a moment in time that I've been shooting in. Themes and ideas usually come to me once I have the photos and I can tie them in that way. The selection process goes from contact sheets, narrowed down to printed A6 photos and then I lay them out or pin them up, I'll leave them for weeks and slowly look at them every now and then, make notes and finally pick the ones for a project/book... assembly I'll try to find connecting themes and elements depending on how I lay out the book initially.

ADM: Having read All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, and also having seen work from Greece and End of Summer on your Instagram, it seems like a lot of your work has to do with both travel, resort towns, and decay. What about those subjects do you find so compelling, or what drives you to make projects with those themes?

KB: To most people these things are just ignored, they see the beauty in the shiniest and newest things and not the character that I see when taking these photos, Again it comes down to history and not wanting these things to just be gone one day and for no one to care or see them. Greece was a nostalgia piece for me, I went there as a child and I remembered so much of what it was once and instantly felt the need to document the remnants that were left.

ADM: I know you were living/working in China recently -- do you have an upcoming project with work from there?

KB: This has been my biggest project to date, sifting through 1300 photos to try and get a reasonable number of photos for a project was extremely challenging and daunting.

I currently have 300 A6 photos that I will start laying out for the book and I'll probably end up cutting back at the same time. The project will be one-half of China photos and the other half Hong Kong photos, the China half will be titled 'I don't know why the caged bird sings' which is a social commentary piece on the joy and happiness that I experienced from the populace, despite them living a somewhat oppressed lifestyle under the rule of communism without even really knowing about it. The book will be appearing on Kickstarter in the first quarter of the year and I will be holding a gallery show in my hometown in August.

ADM: Off the some of your other responses you've given, you found your hypothesis for the book after going out and shooting and documenting a lot. Can you speak on what some of the big moments or images you captured were that led you to focus your book on The Joy of the people of Hong Kong and China despite the oppressive nature of their government?

KB: Living in China was such an eye-opener, I strived to understand and talk to as many people as possible about history, culture, family life, politics and the future, I think at the end of it and having experienced some of the more dangerous sides of China It was an almost natural conclusion. Walking around the apartment complexes, going to the food markets and living in the poorer area of the city gave me a real glimpse at the people, sometimes they would come and talk to me, or sometimes we would just communicate solely with body language but most experiences I had were that people seemed happier, more open, more willing to help... it was a lot different to living in England where everyone is so cagey and polite. For Hong Kong it's very different, the city is naturally a mix match of cultures (British/Chinese) and it's totally and utterly unique because of that, it's an amazing and beautiful city with photographic moments to be had around every corner.

AM: For those considering getting into photography -- film or otherwise -- what would advice would you give? Also, for those who might be interested in making a zine, but don't know where to start, do you have any tips?

KB: Just go out and do it! Visit galleries, buy books, find photographers you enjoy, expand your knowledge... don't get hung up on buying gear, don't get hung up on Instagram likes/follows... more importantly, just have fun and use it as a creative outlet... something I think has been somewhat lost in this modern generation. I think understanding design/layout is really important, study from the greats, find your subject or theme for your book, be critical and ask for opinions. Be somewhat sure of yourself and your work, make a zine worthy of owning and not just for the sake of making a zine.

AM: Have you found any particular photobooks or photographers that have strongly influenced your work? If so, who, and can you talk a little bit about why, and what books or work of theirs you'd recommend?

KB: So many photographers, I'm always excited to see old or new work and I love collecting books...

Modern Color by Herzog stood out to me a lot this year which I think is apparent in my 'End of Summer' zine I've also been enjoying books by McCullin, Parr, Laura Wilsons 'That Day' and the Magnum Contact Sheets book. I can't stress how valuable these are to a photographer!

AM: Those are great recommendations. Thanks again for doing this interview! Where can people find and buy your work, either your zines or your prints right now? Do you have any other parting words ? Can we expect you back to talk about "I don't know why the caged bird sings" when it's closer to completion?

KB: www.karlbailey.co.uk for all zines, occasional prints but I tend to put them up as one offs on IG stories (@karlbailey). Thanks for having me on to do this, it's been really fun! I would love to come back when the time comes!