World's worst photo interview question
From an interview with Rinko Kawauchi, a Japanese photographer I am unfamiliiar with, comes what is possibly the world's worst interview question:
Miss Kawauchi, your photos bring me into a world of quiet contemplation, your camera captures the most intricate details of every day life, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary and revealing a lyrical rhythm to our daily lives and surroundings. Before I go into your motifs and motivation, may I start by asking you what cameras you use?
I tried reading this question out loud to my wife but was so lost in laughter by the time I came to the actual question that I could hardly finish it. To start with such a sycophantic statement that would make even Charlie Rose or James Lipton blush only to follow with "what cameras do you use" makes me marvel that Ms. Kawauchi finished the inteview at all. Glad she did. Apparently she's "the next upcoming photographer - even in London"!
I don't know if it's the most stupid question, but it's really not the best way to start in interview, with such a long prelude followed by the most simple question you could ask a photographer.
Greetings
Ferdinand
www.japan-photo.info
I would mark "what camera do you use" as the most insulting question you can ask a photographer. Underneath it lies the camera club conceit that if I just knew what camera you used, what film (or photoshop filter), what time of day, etc, etc, then I would be able to go out and replicate your results. To front load it with a long-winded, contrived complement only highlights the problem.
I've one of Rinko Kawauchi's book, i love her work, but "what camera do you use" would probably be the last question i'd ask her, even if she posted pics on flickr...
I saw a woman on the street the other day wearing a t-shirt saying, "Explanation Destroys Art." This may sound extreme. But there is some truth to the statement.
Giving the public what they want.
Years ago I went to see a photographer talk about his work. He talked all about his concepts and really put himself out there. Afterwards there was a Q&A and the first question was "what camera did you use".
Picasso, you are one of the most recognized figures in 20th century art. Your revolutionary genius transformed our concept art, yet your work shares the same qualities of light, color, composition, and form shared by all great art through history. Your work awakens our emotions and helps us gain a deeper understanding of the human condition. Tell me, what kind of brushes do you use?
aaa .. i dont think it's the worst question .. i take interviews too .. and what the person is doing is being nice and getting to the point. There are many things that an interviewer has to cover .. if he was impressed by her photography then he had to compliment .. and that's what he did in conjunction to the question, what cameras do you use. Because cameras play an important role in detail in a picture (which he talks about in the beginning) ..
:)
If the camera you use has a particular effect on the work you do, why is it a stupid question? I have heard the argument above as much as I've heard that question. The fact is, it is important what camera you use because it does effect the outcome. Perhaps it could have been asked at a different point in this interview but it remains a valid question. However, having said all that, what camera you use obviously does not make you a good photographer, but this is just common sense.
Just to extend my previous comment with an example, I just wrote a piece on Joel Sternfeld. Knowing what camera he uses is intergral to understanding his process, the 8x10 camera is heavy, the negatives are expensive, therefore his process of working is very deliberate, careful and slow. It is also interesting to note that some of his work has a 'news' quality, yet he is not using 35 mm but his cumbersome 8x10 camera.
Again having said all this, the problem of this question comes from the intentions of the person asking.
Right, ok, I've had my say.
The juxtaposition of the flattery with the sadly too common fetishization of "kit" is what struck me as absurd. I'm not saying equipment is unimportant. I doubt you would go into an interview with Sternfeld not knowing what camera he used. You probably admire his work, so you know a little about his working style and you obviously know what sort of camera he uses. Your questions are likely to be a bit more intelligent, probing exactly HOW he uses the 8x10.
Point taken, though my response was pointing towards some of the comments. I felt, some comments discarded the need to know outright.
So for me it was a question of intentions. if I wanted to learn a particular effect used by Picasso then I 'would' ask him what kind of brush he used. But, if I asked him thinking that the same brush would make me famous like him, well that's where stupidity comes in.
Who wants to stand in front of a beautiful Joel Sternfeld print and have this thought ringing in their head:
"8x10! 8x10! 8x10!..."
Knowledge can be a distraction.
Who does that?
So what camera does she use?