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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PARADISE: Sam Lloyd

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you, can you introduce yourself, and your work?

Sam Lloyd (SL): My name is Sam, I'm a tattooer and student of photography in Portsmouth. I shoot both 35 and medium format.

ADM: What's the guiding concept behind Paradise?

SL: The fundamental concept behind Paradise is memory. It's a visual response to growing up in a pretty mundane suburb, as I'm sure many of us did.

ADM: Did you end up finding out anything about your childhood, or the suburban lifestyle through the process of making your zine? How does memory or nostalgia play into what you photographed vs. what you thought you would photograph at the outset of the project?

SL: So the walk is from my Mums house to my friend Gregs house, from the ages of 11-17 this was the longest walk me and friends would have to make at that time. Now it doesn't seem such a tall order, but that's why I chose this route.

On one of my walks photographing for the zine I had Greg with me and we and we discussed in great length what had changed and what remained, who from the past lived where and other places we would frequent as kids. Looking back over the photos in the zine it definitely didn't occur to me (and my memory) just how mundane the backdrop to my childhood was. I guess if you're having a good time with your friends you could be anywhere. Saying that, I did come across a lot of odd and misplaced things!

The main element of memory/nostalgia in the zine is the sequence of the walk. I like that the relevance of it all is only really known to me. I must admit when I came on to this idea I was pretty set on how I would conduct it, but I haven't been back there in a few years so I had no preconceptions on what I would shoot and how.

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

SL: I'm an avid collector of books and previously made a DIY zine showcasing my creative peers. When they announced the "quarantine" or what ever I just got busy and finalised the project, I thought it might be nice to share something with my friends while they're stuck inside.

ADM: Interesting - what would you say your favorite or most influential books have been (photographic or otherwise), and why?

SL: 10 years ago or so I was really into collecting the free copies of Vice magazine that you'd find in selected stores, they were pretty eye opening as to what kinds of photography went to print and who was out there. It was obviously unlike anything I had been shown at A level in college. As for favourite books, that's tough, but i'd have to say Roger Ballen. I have a few of his now and I just love how he incorporates illustration, sculpture, portraiture and chaos!

ADM: What was the shooting and image selection process like for Paradise?

SL: I took out a Hasselblad with trusty HP5 an retraced a walk I commonly made as child, I needed to structure my ideas and this seemed like a fitting ritual to follow for my project. The images you find on full bleed in the zine are from a roll I put through a Holga circa 2008/9, I couldn't believe my luck when I came across the negatives and it was a really nice touch to the sequence.

ADM: Going from Holga to Hasselblad is quite a stretch - how do you think working with toy cameras influenced your image-making, and can you speak a little more on how contrasting the holga images from over ten years ago played into the zine? I find it interesting because a lot of the holga images center on your friends rather than the topographics you lived in.

SL: That does sound like a stretch put like that! I've never been too precious about what camera/film combo i'm using, I was an avid car boot sale raider as a kid and bought anything I found that wasn't already home. I strongly believe anyone can make a thoughtful image with any camera. I've recently come across a few people shooting Holga still with amazing result!

The Holga images I came across clearing out my spare room and I'm glad I did. My initial idea was to respond to a rather large instax collection I have amounted from that same period of time. I wanted the reader to encounter them along this this walk I had put together as they were flash backs. I wasn't really happy with how the instax sat with my photographs, so when I found the negs in black and white and square format I really lucked out, not to mention they also captured Greg and his brother whom lived at the end of my walk.

I chose only the photos from the roll that featured people so they had some kind of continuity on their own.

ADM: Also re: the layout - what prompted you to set it up so that the modern images are plainly laid out, with plenty of buffer against the holga images which are full bleed? is there a deeper significance to that?

SL: I wanted it to be obvious and quite abrupt that you are encountering a "flash back" or something from the past to break up the sequence a bit, so the full bleed was to enhance that abrasion and difference. I left a lot of white space and one image to a spread to encourage the reader to take their time with each image, like a slow walk or something.

ADM: What did you learn, putting the Paradise zine together - is there anything you'd do differently on the next zine?

SL: I think I had it pretty easy with this particular project due to nature of the sequence being a walk, but it was a learning curve curating a single body of work opposed to my previous zines which were collaborative!

In regards to doing things differently in the future, I would like to play with different layouts and sequences. Not because I'm unhappy with anything in Paradise, but it's nice to have a new challenge!

ADM: When you talk about growing up in the suburbs - is there a particular memory that you're trying to communicate to the reader - or like a specific piece of nostalgia that might escape the viewer?

SL: I honestly don't have an agenda with this. It's very much "my truth" and more of a shared experience with the reader. I guess it just is what it is to some extent, to some it might be relatable and others a window into another way of life.

ADM: From Sadie Rose Bailey - what other creative outlets do you pursue? And what does it bring you that photography doesn’t?

With tattooing i'm constantly drawing drawing, so in many ways photography is my outlet from that. I'm currently painting a lot of flash and have been playing with cyanotype printing. I'm quite lucky to have a close friend who enjoys artsy stuff too, so we're always playing with new mediums, chasing the next high!

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

SL: I think you should carry that last question over, is that allowed? I'd be interested to know what other stuff camera nerds were into!

ADM: Sure, I can let that question ride! Where can we see your more of your work, and order copies of Paradise (if there are any left?)

SL: So my photography is at @fortyeighteighteen on Instagram, I have not deemed myself worthy of website just yet. Copies of the zine are on acidbathvampire.bigcartel.com where you pick up some of my paintings and prints also. I will be ordering another batch of zines this weeks, I had no idea people would actually buy them!

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