When I first glanced at Scott Irvine's photos, I was taken to another place and almost to another time. Since I am a big fan of the dark side and all it's wonder, I was immediately taken by his images. There is a somber mood in his photos but he captures beauty in another dimension persae. When you look at a Scott Irvine photo you're not really sure when it takes place but you are sure that there is a mystery there...a story.

When he's not playing guitar with his band Moto:Rosa, he is creating this fantastical world of dreamlike seduction. He has shot the likes of bands like Interpol, Dresden Dolls and Still Life Decay and has also done some amazing things with his still life photography. We can only hope to see the world that Scott Irvine is building for the future.

#1 Relationship with photography – About ten years. I have a B.FA degree from R. I T. (Rochester Institute of Technology) for photography. I also studied photography for a year in Europe at The Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria.

#2 I don’t think that my photographs are necessarily from a “dark place”. The images are inspired by things that I see and people I know. I don’t see them so much dark as from a romantic, nostalgic, half-reality. I was inspired early on by Kafka’s stories where everything was taking place in a reality that had a dream/nightmare quality to it, and the reality was only “half-real”. Within my urban landscapes, I am interested in structures, buildings, and spaces that I find visually interesting, and that I feel can transcend their existing reality and everyday scene. Such places as a mini-golf course, a construction site, or a zoo taken out of context, for me, can take on a new and strange identity.
I am now attracted to the idea of the “strangeness” of objects or landscapes that have become the normal in everyday life. Also along those lines, with my photography, I am interested in the idea of taking something that is either considered ugly, dirty, common or overlooked, and making something visually beautiful and/or intriguing.

#3 Techniques: Right now, all traditional techniques. I spend a lot of time in the darkroom, and use a few different cameras—a few vintage, and a few more “modern”.

#4 Choosing subjects: Well, for people as subjects, I am drawn towards people who have a timelessness quality. I am intrigued by faces that somehow are not indicative of the present time; people who have a strong sense of personal and individual style, and who do not fit into any one “category.” I like to try to create portraits that can transcend the present moment. Sarah Moon’s work was very inspiring to me when I was first getting into photography. I was so confused as to when her images were made!

#5 Challenges: Right now, I feel like one of my biggest challenges with my photography is to remain consistent, yet also evolve and continue to keep my approach and vision “fresh”. I think it is important to me to continue to experiment with new processes both in the darkroom and in the camera. Until now, my work has been done completely using traditional methods. I am excited to incorporate the computer as a tool into my process. I feel like especially Photoshop is an amazing tool if used in a tasteful way. I like the idea of constantly swinging back and forth between digital and traditional, and blurring the lines between the two processes.

For more information on Scott check out his site at:

www.scottirvine.net

Back to Art