Sonic Editions

Sonic Editions sat down with the LA based photographer Stephen Albanese to gain a little insight into some of our favourite images in his gallery and his passion of photography. Continue reading for the full interview...  

SE: What drew you to photography?

SA: I wouldn’t say this technically drew me to photography, but the first time I used a camera to de-facto “document” the experience is pretty locked in. I took 4 rolls of film during my only college spring break back in '97 and, despite the fact I had had nary a drink during that week (and perhaps due to it) my pals that I went down with, who are still dear friends to this day, were so enamoured with all the shots that when we got back they insisted I make duplicates of all 144 for them.

SE: Do you have a favourite camera to shoot with?

SA: This is gonna sound awful, but it really is whichever one is in my hand. Moving on from that gibberish… I’ve been a Nikon guy since my first F100, and have had numerous iterations of their body to keep the largely same assortment of lenses company ever since. Dusting off a Pentax 67 the last year has also been fun.

SE: Who was your favourite person/where was your favourite place to shoot?

SA: I really do love shooting everywhere and most anything, but a moment that stands out to me for this vibe is when on an evening stroll in my neighbourhood… which happens to be Hollywood, CA, all of a sudden it’s 1969 and there’s Brad Pitt driving down Hollywood Blvd. as a guy I would later know and revere as Cliff Booth. Once Upon a Time….

SE: Out of all your photos, which one is your favourite and why?

SA: I’ve been an Oasis fan since '94 and somehow, relatively early in my “career”, I got a pass from Rolling Stone to shoot them during their '05 tour. It was the usual 3 songs, no flash, kinda vibe, but after that was long since over I decided to wade back down “illegally” through the masses, towards the front of the stage and crept my Nikon with a roll of Fuji 1600 B&W between the jumping, drunken hooligans and got this shot of Liam just looking at me, almost as if a portrait, with this thousand-yard stare of badassery. I love that you can see one eye through his sunglasses and, well… Biblical.

SE: Which other photographers inspire you/are you following at the moment?

SA: Still love learning from and looking to the old guard. Eugene Smith, Doisneau, Elliott Erwitt, Salgado. I’m ashamed to say I’ve only just discovered Jerry Uelsmann. Years ago I gravitated to Robert Capa’s sentiment pertaining to “every picture I was taking would be a kid brother to one I’d already taken” and that has only continued to escalate.

SE: According to you, what makes a good photographer?

SA: Someone who can consistently get you to stop and look at a picture for more than a microsecond and either wonder how they did it or what it was like to be there.

SE: Is there someone/somewhere you would love to shoot that you haven’t yet?

SA: Dave Chappelle, whose work I revere, lives nearby and he’s just the nicest dude. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some lovely conversations with him but still not done a proper photo or 2. Dave… if you’re reading, let’s make this happen.

SE: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into photography?

SA: Do it for yourself and take pictures you enjoy. Anything and everything else will or should come from that.

SE: Which photograph do you wish you had taken?

SA: Loaded question… but, being a huge James Dean fan, I’m gonna go with the Times Square shot by Dennis Stock. I actually talked about that shot with Mr. Stock at the 50th anniversary of Dean’s death, in his hometown of Fairmount, IN back in '05. I asked Dennis what the city smelled like when he took it. Kinda sums up how I feel about photography right there.

SE: We love your images of city skylines, what draws you to urban photography?

SA: Walking around a place and always wanting to see it through new eyes regardless of it being the first time there or a place I’ve lived in for years.

Head to Stephen Albanese's gallery to some of his amazing work!