Printable Version in PDF format PDN: I've noticed that most of your older images are marked "Untitled." Was that a conscious decision? "I just want to make a positive statement that I've learned through the vision of others." – Jerry Uelsmann UELSMANN: Well, I used to title my pictures a lot. And then, when I started getting a good amount of success back in my 15 minutes of fame in the late Sixties, I found that the critics would focus in on these titles, so, then I did less of that. But now as I'm getting older, I title them. I like the titles to be a little bit cryptic too but sometimes they can provide a clue as to what your feelings are. I mean, I'm happy to share with people what I'm thinking about at the time these things are happening but I also want to allow for them to have their own interpretation. Untitled, 1985 PDN: You seem to have a lot of themed series of work. Windows are one; hands are another... Can you explain why you like doing this? UELSMANN: It took me many years before I felt comfortable using the same negative again and again, but sometimes I get attached to them and then realize that, the images all function differently but have the same common kind of base structure. The hands are a kind of open ended metaphor, the "he's got the whole world in his hands" kind of thing. There's actually a whole series of images I have where I sort of anthropomorphize nature. There's one image where a figure becomes part of a waterfall; there's another image where a figure is sort of embedded into a rock form and then a face occurs. I really like those pictures in that they sort of symbolize for me this whole basic mythical concept that somehow you imbue nature with human qualities and you find some kind of resonance with that. PDN: What are you working on now? UELSMANN: My current project is called Referencing Art. I spent 40 years in an art department discovering images that make direct references to art, which is why in this book I pay homage to artists and photographers who have inspired me over the years...Ansel Adams, Aaron Siskind, Man Ray, Joseph Cornell, Max Ernst.... I recently had the opportunity to photograph at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where I could not use a tripod but I still survived and came up with some material that I could use in the book. With this project I just want to make a positive statement that I've learned through the vision of others. PDN: Any words of wisdom for photographers who haven't found their niche yet? UELSMANN: Well, when you're young, you really have many paths. I mean, my early work is like the history of photography of America in the Fifties. I had work in the decisive moment approach; I did a lot of documentary kind of work at one point; and then I started exploring the darkroom using various techniques. For young people today, they really should explore as many different areas as they can and then find the ones that they feel closest to. There's suddenly been the resurgence of the silver print yet we also have the whole computer revolution. I think that it's a healthy time for people who are visually oriented to explore their options. At the same time, you have to work on the reality of, "Hey, I've got to earn a living,' so that's when you have to let some of these other things impact upon whether you want to try to do some form of commercial or journalistic work. And if you choose fine art, realize that you are going to have to either find a teaching position or some other means of subsidizing your food supply. 1   2   3   4