Name: Eric Kaufman
Age: 26
Currently Residing: Raleigh, NC
Currently Listening to: Drop Dead, Gorgeous - The Cooper Temple Clause - It Dies Today - Nine Black Alps - From Autumn to Ashes

How long have you been taking photos?

My parents bought me an old Canon manual SLR body about 5 years ago as a Christmas gift and it’s been an addiction ever since.

What's Melachi? What's the DiVide? How did these things evolve?

Melachi Inc. is a design firm run out of Raleigh, NC that I started when I graduated college. The name stems from an inside joke between my brother and I from and old television character. We do everything from websites, print work, to producing short films.

The Divide is my personal photography portfolio that is technically a sub division of Melachi Inc. I never liked using my own name for promotion and didn’t want ‘Eric Kaufman Photography’, so I came up with The Divide……maybe I should make up a better story for that.

What type of equipment do you use?

I used to shoot all film until I moved into the studio where I’m now shooting with Canon bodies + lenses. I still like film better simply because of the look and still shoot almost all film in the field with my Contax rangefinder system. The workflow in the studio just makes more sense with digital.

You've traveled a number of places, how does shooting in different locations inspire your art?

To be honest, I’m not quite sure how traveling effects my work. I do know that I’m always looking for a little pocket of culture or personality that you wouldn’t normally see as a tourist. Taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower at sunset, doesn’t interest me much. I’ve seen that picture a thousand times.

Do you use any effects in your work? Photoshop or add textures, etc?

I do use Photoshop to touch up my digital images whether they are from a digital camera or a film scan. I do not add in textures or use any special effects in the software. I use Photoshop to tweak exposure, crop the image, and to take out the occasional pimple from a models face. I love Photoshop, but I use it more in the design world than I do in my photography.

What subjects do you enjoy most in shooting?

I really enjoy working with the people I meet when I travel. Young kids who love to pose and Old men who stand proudly with their shoulders back as far as they can get them make memorable subjects.

You've done some commercial work, what projects have you done along
these lines and how does this differ from say, your abstract work?

Obviously with Commercial work, you’ve got a specific goal in mind you’re trying to accomplish. Something the client wants portrayed in a particular way. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just shifts the way I approach the shoot. I actually enjoy trying to think of different ways I can give them what they want in a way they never imagined.

Music seems to be a big influence of yours, how do you incorporate this aspect of your life in your work?

I’m a huge music fan and always have been. It’s the one art I never got to take part in and I really respect what musicians do. Influence-wise, the music I listen to puts scenes into my head. It makes me think of short films they would be soundtracks to or images that would interoperate that sound.

How do you motivate your subjects?

In the studio, I try to have my models fully understand what we are doing and what I’m going for, which so far, has got them excited about the project.

Do you prefer color or black and white?

I prefer B+W images to color for the most part. I could give you some artsy sounding explanation of why I fell that way that I stole from somewhere else, but for me, it just keeps everything simple.

Have you shot anyone infamous, famous, or otherwise well known?

I haven’t shot anyone famous yet, but I would love to have a chance to do some quirky celebrity portraits in the future. Probably my most well known subject matter has been bands in a concert setting. That’s been a recent venture that I’ve really enjoyed lately.

Who or what is your dream subject?

I’m most interested in doing concept based photo shoots, where the production has as much to do with the image as the photography. I would equate it to setting up and shooting movie stills as a scene while creating a little back story. There is an amazing photographer named Gregory Crewdson who is doing just that, producing images that inspire me every time I see them.

Do you have any future projects in the works?

Right now, I’m trying to do what I can to build my portfolio. For so long I was just capturing images, realizing now that very few should make into my portfolio. I’m mostly working with models in my area who are interested in expanding their portfolios with my off the wall concepts for shoots.

How do you feel you are leaving your mark on the world of photography?

I haven’t left a mark of any kind yet. I still have a great deal to learn and long way to go to get to the level I want to be at. When it comes down to it, artists are never famous until they’re dead anyway, so I think I’ll hold off on leaving my mark for a while.

Any other interests, say film, in the future?

I have a huge interest in moving into film, music videos, and commercials. I actually learned how to use a 16mm film camera before ever picking up a still camera, so my photography was really born from the production of short films. I’m looking for any opportunity that would let me venture into that industry.

Actually, the first short film my company produced just got accepted into the Bang Short Film Festival in England. It’s a dark comedy called Just Add Alcohol, so we are really excited about that.

What medium do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the film/video medium the most. For me, it’s a blend of what I do best, graphic design and photography.

Do you feel your work tells a story and if so what is it?

My work does tell a story, but it’s not up to me to decide what that story is. Everyone who looks at my photography and gives me feedback tells me something different. I like that everyone reads into it in their own way. Most of the time, I have no story in mind. I just plan on what ever I’m doing will make people read into way deeper than I ever thought about it…...works for me.

Favorite action movie?

It’s an older movie, but Glory is one of my all time favorites. No one has

ever seen it, and it has a bunch of big names in a story about the first black regiment in the Civil War. It’s worth a rental.

Please check out the extensive work of Eric Kaufman at The Divide and look into his services at Melachi.

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