Member Spotlight: Ashton Gooding
Ashton Gooding, CMC Co-Director
What do you love most about being part of Camera of the Month Club?
From the day I first joined and 7 years later, it has always been the people. I find that in my photography practice, people are always at the core. I have made countless friends with this wonderful group of individuals and have learned so much about people who are interested in the art form - there are a million ways to make a photograph. With our 10 year show, I found that we attracted the entire gamut of photographers, from amateurs to people who work for news outlets and publications. I am excited to see what those individuals bring to CMC and the work they develop through their time with us. I also want to be inspired as often as possible, and it is a really nice feeling to be able to see the work up close and ask questions in the moment. The face-to-face interaction is a big part of what we have lost in the digital age and I feel that in person critique is the best way to engage in constructive dialog about photography. This collective is a grounding force in my life and always a place I want to return.
The meals you create at the Annual Fall Retreats have become legendary! How did your passion for cooking and food develop, and do you see any connections between the creativity in cooking and your approach to photography?
I had an interest in cooking from a young age because my parents were curious cooks. I remember the kitchen being filled with Gourmet Magazine. They would actually try to make the recipes for parties, events, holidays, and gatherings. Stacks on stacks of the volumes were kept in the kitchen as reference. This probably explains why I too have too many cook books at home. I tend to think a good cookbook is studded with a plethora of beautifully created still life images. While this isn’t the type of photography I enjoy, it certainly is one of the first instances in which I recognized my attraction to photographs.
Creatively, cooking feels akin to street photography and parallel to jazz. It can be free form and you can adjust as you see fit. I find when I am on the street, I have 2-3 projects in mind and I am searching for the subjects or specific moments that fit the mold. This is also why I am not a baker. I don’t welcome the structure and rather enjoy the chaos of a busy intersection in Chinatown or Soho. Learning to pivot and address the subject at hand is a big part of my street photography ethos. I am not here to create or depict exciting situations. I am simply trying to serve the viewer a slice of life.
How do you feel your street photography has evolved over the past year? Are there any new techniques or approaches you’ve embraced?
I don’t think I have learned any new techniques in particular, but I learned a lot about myself. I embarked on a journey in black and white film and it definitely helped me to focus my eye. I wanted to figure out what my images looked like. Of course I can take the photos and wait to see the resulting image after it has been developed, but this was more a question of personal style, identity, and choice. I never really asked myself what I wanted to create, and 17 years after picking up my first camera, I wanted to define myself as an artist. I was in the habit of buying whichever film was cheapest and using whatever camera suited my mood, but that didn’t help me develop an understanding of my own viewpoint or what the tools are capable of creating. This required a lot of thought and consideration starting from the camera, film stock, and even down to my minimum shutter speed. I have certainly learned to slow down and in turn my camera has taught me a lot about itself, because previously I was not listening. I know that I prefer hard contrast, and that led me to Ilford Pan F. Most people are surprised I use a ISO 50 film for street photography, but by slowing down and physically fading in and out of the scene, I am able to capture crisp images without disturbing the subject. A big part of this past year was understanding how the film stock and my camera interact in most situations. This finally gave me the insight to attempt replicating the combination in a digital format, and I feel as if I have achieved an accurate recreation. I’m excited for what my year of digital black and white images has in store for me.
Could you share 3-5 images from your most recent project or photo series you’re particularly proud of? We'd love to hear the story behind these works and what inspired the project.
The project I am currently working on is tentatively titled “Seamless Studio Sessions”. I have realized over many years that I don’t just want to take photos, print, frame and put the final product on a wall. I want my work to be interactive with the people who are the subject or be presented in a multi-material installation that prompts interaction from the viewer. I have recently been doing a character study of people as they catch my eye on the streets. The work is inspired by the idea that film is not precious and therefore posits the question of, how many images does it take to capture the essence of a moment? I want to expand on that and give the subject more time to be themselves, which brings us back to the next project. I plan to walk the city with a fabric “seamless” attached to a clothing rack on caster wheels and ask random people if they would “explain who they are”. I don't know if there is a video or audio component, but I like the idea of simple prompts that allow for the subject to expound in whatever way they feel comfortable or see fit. It allows for a spontaneous collaboration while also imparting positive feelings to the subject of being seen. As an anthropologist, this is the way I seek to study the human condition.
