A native of Southern California, professional photographer Chris Weeks loves to travel but has never found reason to permanently leave what he describes as the "ambient shooting conditions" of his place of origin. That seems fitting for someone whose work is as connected to the original intent of light as his seems to be. In fact, after I having had the pleasure and privilege of reading his responses to my questions, it seems to me that the same kind of decisiveness he describes regarding his place of residence has always been present in the choices that led him to a career in photography. Although he has had a camera to his eye since age eleven, his life has not been limited to career. In addition to being a photographer, he lists being a father, discovering new restaurants, attending art and photography exhibits, and spending time with his significant other at home as the things that make a difference in his life.


"I have had a camera to my eye since I was 11."

Like many professional photographers, Weeks began his education in photography but left school to pursue work that was already available to him. Beginning in his twenties, he began photo-assistanting commercial and editorial motorsports photographers. He says that if someone considering a career in photography doesn't opt for photo schooling, assisting is the way to get trained but cautions that "you could go to Brooks and become a photo assistant for life." While he likes some of the work he's seen from students coming from the Art Center in Pasadena, Calif, he is wary of the schools that offer cookie-cutter educations and says simply, "Good luck working at Olan Mills". This kind of healthy sceptisim and sense of humor combined with an innate confidence in his ability to make choices has put him in a position to be represented by the biggest wire services and agencies on the planet. He is really and artist who has used his craft well and practically to make a living doing what he loves.





What initially inspired you towards the direction of photography?
I liked the way geometric elements existed in a frame. I liked the way light reflected off of subjects.

Never really wanted to be a starving artist so... I was a principal of a consulting organization to Fortune 500 multi-national companies. When I saw how uninspired the guys I first assisted were, I decided to leave "my other world" and make photos for clients, agencies and wire services. Whilst assisting I shot editorial features for lifestyle magazines. Since I had a book of published tearsheets, it was much easier to segue to a much larger national and international audience.

I think it's funny when I hear from younger photographers thinking they can eclipse putting in their dues and immediately shoot for agencies and wire services. Perhaps they actually can "make a photo" but they know nothing about WORK-FLOW in the REAL WORLD nor what the market wants from a photographer (e.g., art buyers, photo editors, etc., etc.). Thinking you're going to shoot 2,000 photos and take more than one hour to "get the photos out" ... makes me laugh. You have to start small. Local outlets. You're probably going to have to work for free. I mean everyone is a f---ing photographer now so ... you're really gonna have to work for free tear sheets now.

Get your tear sheets and then approach. Otherwise, they will not return your telephone calls because no matter how much you think you know about shooting your Rebel XTi ... they don't want to train you in photographic methods you should already know.

So ... having assisted primarily available light commercial shooters ... I knew I'd never shoot "that kind of commercial." It's interesting learning how to light very large objects such as cars and motorcycles. I may not shoot them today but learned plenty of lighting tricks which translate to many other subjects. I was always attracted to "making it work" and "making it look beautiful" with just light. The shit we did out in the desert in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than positioning, time of the day, bounce, anti-reflection and other things ... really intrigued me.

Even though I have to shoot a lot of on- and off-camera flash for the weeklies -- they love a well-lit, if not a touch on the overly-lit -- I always loved shooting available. Back when I was "doing something else" but perhaps always being very observant of what was going on... I would make photos with my F3's, F4's and F5's...

Even though I was "on the street" for wholly different reasons, yet fitting in because of the fact I "could have been a tourist", I rarely got caught making the sneaky street photographs.

Since then I use only the most inconspicuous equipment to make street... lit by light which is preexisting... with only me to "make it work."

I'm very happy the people I assisted largely used available light... it's stuck with me.




For how many years have you been doing photography, and how would you describe your evolution as a professional photographer?
I've made more than 80 percent of my income as a photographer for more than ten years, however, I've received commissioned assignments since my early twenties, augmented, of course, by the assistant dayrates.

I shot for the local paper as a teenager.

When I don't have to work as much as I do at the present time, I will only shoot what I want. I won't, however, ask 15 year old girls to pose halfway naked.

My evolution went from shooting editorial assignments for lifestyle publications whilst assisting to shooting more editorial assignments to being asked to be represented by an international agency. From that point I've shot for a few different agencies, which have now all been absorbed by the "dark star" of the photo-world, and the most prestigious wire services on the planet.

Interestingly, because of the work I do personally I've gotten more editorial assignments in that they were "looking for something different," which is read "shot with film." There is a look and feel to film which cannot be duplicated with digital.

In a way ... my personal work (e.g., with a film camera and black and white film) has driven me to take my professional work in different directions. I wish more of my shooter-friends would do more personal work.




Could you qualify your personal experience as a photographer? (For example, as an artist.)
Qualify? Hmm. My work has been published tens of thousands of times in over a thousand publications worldwide. The same could be said by many of my contemporaries yet I would hardly f---ing call them "artists." Most "just show up" and don't use the access we're given to "push the envelope." The set it at f/7.1 and forget about it. They do the same boringly lit portrait setups they've been using for years. Those who "only do their job" and fail to develop their passion through personal... I don't have much respect for their work. Yes, I've told some of them that to their faces.

I have met some amazing people through photography. In fact, what's cool is that I've been able to introduce my personal work because of the professional work to very interesting people I'm not going to name.

My archival photographic catalogue includes numbers in the millions redundantly backed-up over three terabytes of drive space in addition to boxes upon archival boxes of carefully preserved negatives.

I've spoken, written and been interviewed on behalf of internationally-known photographic brands.

I used to even DD stuff here on dA! That was a pretty cool experience...


Describe some of the important influences and inspirations that have helped shape your vision, whether they be cinema, photography, general art, literature, people, etc.
I now this sounds pretentious but I shaped my own vision. As much as I love Helmut Newton's work ... I don't think that it's influenced anything in my style, he used tight apertures and lotsa light in his work, and I love as much light as is needed and wide apertures. with blown dreamland-like backgrounds.

I'm influenced, if there's anything that really influences me, by knowing that if I have "goose bumps" I know I'm on the right track.

I'm influenced by being allowed to be breathing when I wake to an entirely new day.

I'm influenced by seeing that one angle on a face which would make any person fall in love with that person.

I'm influenced by redirecting energy in a positive way, as much as most would fail to see how that's possible.

Having a child influenced me the most.




What subject matter do you prefer to photograph?
I love photographing people. People are totally different from one another whereas landscape is ... like the same ... unless ... of course ... you're working that 20th layer of saturation into the HDR mix. Working with people includes a dynamic much different from still life and landscape shooters. In fact, I find that most still life and landscape and Photoshop-jockeys don't even know how to interact with human subjects.

Photography is all about details. And, most importantly, nailing the details you see IN-CAMERA!

The light reflected by a face is one of the most amazing things one can play with as a medium for creation. I think, at least.

I prefer natural-looking fashion.

I love playing with off-camera flash without being one of those Strobist-geeks.




Tell me about your interest in street photography.
When I'm shooting for weeklies and monthlies I'm there to make certain photos for specific purposes. Moreover, even when I'm doing commissioned editorial portraits it's very specific. There is room for artistic vision but given the timeframe I'm there to "make the photo" it seems very confined to me. Not quite stifling but ... when a publicist is hovering and there's hair and make-up, styling, grooming, art direction ... an assistant and some other fucker's assistant ... there's only so much you can do.

With street ... To me ... Its like fly fishing. Not that I fly fish or even golf any longer ... but ... it's one of those pursuits which is always fleeting and hard to grasp and that you only know by doing over and over and over. And, perhaps over and over again. One practices street yet I'm not sure If one ever completely masters. I don't know any studio-only guys who could do street. If it "isn't there" and "setup" and that's what you're used to shooting, then street will elude you. So much out there yet ... it will elude them.

Street is like riding a wave of anarchy and random events and coming away with a nicely composed photo of a detail ... such as a moment between humans and their environment. Photos of streets are urban-friggin-landscape. Just so you know.

It's one thing to make overt observations of the human condition -- whether that's in some 2 stop light town or in a metropolis -- but it's quite another thing to do the same thing but covertly. When you read this I'm sure there are those that will say this "covert talent" was probably because I was a paparazzo. Not even close. Trust me on that. Street photography -- because of it's nature -- could almost be called "Street Pap" (as in paparazzi) but it's INTENT is different. Papping by pappers is there to covertly -- and now very overtly -- exploit some fucking celebrity buying groceries with their child. Yet, when I make a photo wherever the f--k I'm making the photo ... of someone selecting the perfect apple ... to me ... it's not exploitation ... it's a statement about how I see the human condition. Intents is big. Ask someone up for 1st degree murder; it's all about the intent.

As much as I love a lot of the work by HCB or Erwitt or Doisneau I think we are so lucky today to have meters in our cameras, fast lenses and fine-grained fast film at our disposal. I think there is better street photography being produced from many different photographers today ... than there was when the genre was pretty much defined. And not only in black and white ... I love Helen Leavitt's colour work in NYC. I totally agree with her in so many ways.

Unlike so many other genres where you really do need expensive gear ... with street ... you need a camera ... some film ... expert knowledge of changing light conditions ... and the thirst and passion for "chasing the moment."

It really is almost the most simple form of photography -- which so many art-f---ing-donkeys call puerile or simplistic -- yet is so damn difficult to be even halfway good at doing. There is not a perfect street photograph. That's another reason I love the genre. No matter how much you may chase a moment you'll almost never get the perfect photograph of the unobserved statement of human condition. Why? The nature of the subject matter is not perfect: How can a photograph of the same be perfect?

Moments of singular personal introspection.

Moments between a human and their environment.

Moments between parent and child.

There are so many.

And getting it "right" and getting it RIGHT in-fucking-camera ... ah ... the pursuit.


What are your favorite tools of your trade as a photographer?
My Leica MP with the Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH is my favourite artistic tool yet as a professional-professional. I utilize Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III digital SLR's with L-series glass and San Disk CF cards. In my professional world an old photo is a dead photo. In my artistic personal world getting contact sheets is like Christmas morning. Every-single-f---ing-time.

I think it's so f---ing funny to hear the discourses of "supposedly good photographers" and their continued lust for more and more megapixels and more Photoshop techniques. Many of them shoot cropped-sensor d-SLR's and bitch about wanting fullframe sensor dSLR's. Amazing film-based gear is like a fraction of what it used to be. If I had only one camera and lens to make photos, it would be the MP and the 35-'lux.

My new favourite camera is still being built for me and I cannot wait to get it. It's a rangefinder. It shoots 4x5 polaroids. Cannot wait!

I'm not much of a gear-masturbating-whore. Don't get me wrong, I know gear. Just because you "know gear" doesn't mean you know shit about photography. I know a very very well-known photographer who doesn't know crap about anything technical but he makes better photographs than 99% of the people reading this. In fact, he makes better photographs than 100% of the gear-bators out there.

I also use Apple equipment and Aperture as my RAW-converter. Yes, I know Lightroom is cool. I like Aperture better.

I love the look of Ilford Delta 400 (scans nice on a neg scanner), Ilford Delta 100, Porta, APX 25 and Velvia. All of those are tools of the trade as well. Best full-frame sensors out there ... those rectangles of film.


What does photography mean to you? What is its most important aspect, which makes you want to go out and shoot? What is center to your creative experience?
Photography in its purest sense of the word is capuring something written with light. Beyond what one normally associates with "slight darkroom adjustments" I believe a photograph is made in-f---ing-camera. I've heard from people who knew certain famous landscape photographers that, in fact, their negatives were ugly and most of the artistry came out in the printing. So ... even they ... didn't "get it right in-camera." Whatever. F--- viewcameras. They suck. I can say that as I had to shoot and prep those lumbering bitches whilst assisting and vowed to never use one personally. That was back in the day when the client had to Scitex the 4x5 chrome for additional post-production. There's almost no need for that in today's world.

Adding 19 layers, excessive toning and saturation or adding or removing photographic elements IS NOT PHOTOGRAPHY. That is graphic design.

For those you who don't have that many pageviews, don't let that intimidate you. Comment on work you admire. See if they comment back. Luckily, you have many great examples of amazing work on dA. I mean that. Amazing.

The other day i saw Rebecca's work ( *fondaffections ) ... it's different and very interesting to look at.

What I like about that is I could probably see something she's done and say to myself, "That's that Rebecca from dA." She has style.

Trust me ... oversaturation is not a style. Shooting on a diagonal is not a style. Shooting genre-specific themes is not style. People will tire of your work; you will tire of whatever you're doing because you're not getting the attention you think your "style" deserves.

You'll move on to other things.

Photography isn't about some fad-bullshit ... it's something that you MUST do every single f---ing day. I don't feel complete unless I've made a photograph.

Photography should be your passion that gives you a lump in the throat and chills on your arms or legs or back or scalp.

If it isn't, those with a "real eye" know.


Who are some of your favorite photographers?
Newton. Allison Jackson. Doisneau. Boubat. Jaimie Trueblood. Erwitt. Jim Marshall. Platon. D'Orazio. That dude who did the crazy things with the elephants whom we spoke about the other night over dinner.


Who are some of your favorite general artists?
Jeff Koons. Monet. My Kid.


Who are some of the deviants who have inspired you, either socially as friends or artistically?
Honestly, no one on dA has really inspired me individually. I'd say it's more of a collective (speaking about my photo-friends) inspiration. dA to me, back in the day, was somewhere I could share some personal photos. It seemed to be like a giant photoclub and at the time I thought it was about the best thing out there. I'm "real world friends" with several people I met on here. Matt Craig. Charlotte, ~Gonzale. Severin, !coxi & !kinderschokolade. Arthur AKA ~banxter. The lovely Elinor, of course. Laith Majali, ~lmajali. There are so many. Some will be pissed I didn't say anything about them, but I type fast.

In fact, I have an original Polaroid by Elinor on my wall. Um ... I have one from Seamus. I have one from Severin. I have one from Riccardo as well. There are others which will be framed soon. I'm working on a six foot print for myself. Yep, six feet. It almost ended up being a bald head.

The one thing I'll say for dA is that it, perhaps, inspired me to do more and more personal work. I enjoyed sharing my work here. Flickr seems like a place where people just "dump their cards" and call it photography. Dunno if that happens here on dA. In fact, I rarely went outside the photography community of people I was acquainted with on dA. Flickr is the new Photobucket. I hope that never happens to dA.

Photography being defined as someone writing with light inside a camera's shutter box ... means not only those who nail it with film ... with confidence ... but those who nail it and make a beautiful file on a sensor as well.

That I respect.

If it weren't for the time we're at and place we're at in this world ... I would have never met some of the people I consider friends.

That I think is cool.

Personal experience can be an amazing thing. Walking around Paris with Sev and f---ing with people ... chilling with Michael,`micdt, and making photographs in Amsterdam ... shooting a protest with Charlotte, ~Gonzale... I believe that those experiences have enriched my life both as a person and an artist ...

And even though I have had my differences with the direction dA has gone -- in my opinion, of course -- I will be forever grateful.

I forgot to mention that I really enjoy Errol's work ( ~erainey ) and that of =MyPrivateParty, too! Sorry.

Anything else you haven't said?
Probably not, except that I wrote this question as kind of my way of getting the last word in.

I basically go upon the assumption that most people who photograph and do it from the heart would probably like to do this for a living and see their work published. Given that, that's who I'm really speaking to... You may have an amazing gallery. There are lots of good photographers out there. Always have been. But just having an online gallery of good work will not always get you work.

You have to edit-edit-edit the best of the best of the best ... and make prints ...

And make your book.

And then find out what it's like in the real world ...

After you get assignments and commissions...

Once you have the book and assignments start coming in...

And you know how to make it...

Then ... your opinion counts ...

I know I sound harsh. I don't offer my advice to many people. In fact, there are those few who know who they are... to whom I actually gave personal advice. Knowing I've helped at least one achieve their success... There are those who know that I've opened a door for them that they probably would have opened ...

That makes me feel good... Because all I care about is making photographs with the best of your ability ... from your heart.

Your eye may see it.

Your brain may process it.

But you know it in your heart when it's right.

I hope you feel that in your heart.

And then know it's right when you feel the chills go down your arm or your neck or your back or wherever...




A note from the author: I am personally grateful for opportunities made possible to me on dA. Meeting top-notch photographers such as Chris is one of the many opportunities that dA has afforded me. As always, I have learned but have confirmed a lot of what I already knew about this artist by participating in the interview process.