Member Spotlight: Will Vogel

For this Member Spotlight, we sat down with CMC member and photographer, Will Vogel. He tells us a little about why he enjoys being a part of the collective, his love for shooting film, and his project in the works called “affordable for whom?”. 

Tell us how you discovered CMC, and why do you like being a member of the collective?

I took up photography as a serious hobby a few months before I met my wife. We had a conversation one day about meeting other photographers and she mentioned that she knew this person who had founded a camera club and that I should check it out. I reached out to Erica and she invited me to join them at that month's meeting. I was instantly hooked. The people and the energy were so inviting. I showed my first set of photographs for critique a few months later and participated in the show that Fall. It's crazy to think I've been a member for 5 years. I guess I would credit the tight knit community like the one that exists at CMC. The diversity of the group is so cool too - from professionals to hobbyists and everyone in between. If you want to talk about photographs as art objects or if you are a gear-head, there's someone for everyone.

You shoot a lot of film. Do you prefer film over digital? Why?

It's cliché but it's the tangibility of film that I enjoy. The contrast, the grain, all of that stuff. Moreover I also like the constraint of having only 36 frames. It helps me organize my thoughts and my life. I started out using disposable cameras only because of their accessibility and for the simple fact I knew nothing of the technical side of photography. pre-set aperture, ISO, focal point. Everything preselected. The only thing I had to worry about is what I put in the frame. Looking back I realize that it was very challenging but it allowed me to hone my ability to frame a scene quickly. After a few years of disposables I got an AE-1 and started learning my exposure triangle. I recently acquired an Olympus Pen EE which is cool because it is a 1/2 frame camera and it allows me to click with reckless abandon since I get double the frames with each roll of film. I guess it's almost like a digital camera in that regard!

What do you think makes a good photograph?

I think a good photograph is one that is earnest and sincere. The photograph not only sets itself apart from all other moments, but also captures the particularity of its subject, however unique or banal that might be. It allows life to be what it is rather than what we want it to be. I'm particularly drawn to those images that are well composed, but I enjoy the random coincidences of a street photograph as well.

Share 3-5 images of your most recent project or photo series. Tell us a little bit about the project or photos. 

I'm currently working on a series titled "affordable for whom?" which documents the physical transformation of Flatbush, Brooklyn. As a Preservationist, I know that with every storefront and every single-family home that is knocked down and replaced with an "affordable" residential building built to maximum zoning, we lose a bit of light and open space, and a physical link to the community’s past. I understand that opposite this issue is the need for housing. But when the city is fueling this gentrification and eventual displacement, under the guise of tax abatements for "affordable" housing, it becomes a more nefarious problem. My hope is to highlight and drive discussion around the need for a more equitable affordable housing program that should be affordable for all and not just a few.