We have the pleasure of speaking with Chi Modu, photographer and creator of ephotos. Let’s not waste any time and get right to it.. >>>Read past interviews
ephotos: Where are you based?
CM: I have been based in the New York City area for the past twenty years. I grew up in New Jersey, but after graduating from college at Rutgers, I moved up north to Jersey City to be closer to the best city in the world.
ephotos: When did you realize that photography was a career that you wanted to pursue?
CM: I was always a fan of photography from a pretty young age. My older sister had a Minolta X-700 in the early eighties that I used to play around with since she didn’t really know how to use it. The Minolta was a pretty advanced SLR back then and by using it, I gained a basic understanding of the relationship between aperture and shutter speed. Up until that camera, my only photo experience was using 110 film cameras. Most photographers that you talk to today don’t even remember the days of film, let alone 110 film.
ephotos: How would you describe your style?
CM: I consider myself a documentary photographer. I enjoy looking at the world around and recording what I see.
ephotos: Are there any photographers that have influenced you?
CM: Although I admire many photographers work, I have to admit that I was not heavily influenced by the work of others. My inspiration comes more from the world around me as opposed to the work of other photographers. I do admire the classic styles of many early twentieth century photographers like Brassai, Andre Kertescz, and Dorethea Lange.
ephotos: What equipment do you use?
CM: My favorite camera of all is my Leica M7. If you put me on an island and told me I could only take one camera and one lens, I would choose my Leica M7 with my 28mm F2. I also have a Nikon D3 digital SLR with a full assortment of Nikon lenses but I am a huge fan of the new 24-70mm F2.8 zoom. As a slightly more traditional photographer, I have never really been a fan of zoom lenses. I prefer to use fixed lenses but when Nikon came out with this lens that stayed at f2.8 throughout all of the focal lengths, I figured it was time to jump in. Having this lens in my camera bag allows me to carry three less lenses when I travel. In medium format cameras I shoot a Mamiya RZ, usually with a 110mm lens. I have a few other lenses for that camera, but I tend to put the 110mm on it the most often. When I have to use my 4x5 camera, which is not that often these days, it’s a Sinar.
ephotos: Talk a little bit about how photography compares to some of the other art forms.
CM: I rarely ever refer to photography as art. I think that’s a designation for others to make once they look at your work. For me, photography is a window to the world that I can keep on revisiting even after what I once saw has changed. It allows me to freeze a scene to then interpret what I saw at a later date. Although painting can come close to this, photography is probably the best medium within the “art” disciplines for this. The difference between still photography and film or video is when you look at the moving image, you have to search within it for the “moment” while photography, in its purest form, is about capturing the “moment” and freezing it forever.
ephotos: Do you feel photography is undervalued?
CM: This question really depends on how we define value. If you are asking about monetary value then my answer will be, possibly. If you are talking about it’s impact on society at large then I would say absolutely not. The world would be a very different place if we couldn’t capture the images of our existence. Photography gives us the most realistic documentation of our existence on earth and for that it is forever priceless.
ephotos: The internet has influenced the way photographers can show their work and how they communicate. What do you see on the horizon that could have a big impact on photography?
CM: As photographers, we have yet to capture the full impact that the internet can potentially have on our profession. Most photographers’ web sites I see on the web are more about “show and tell” which hopefully leads them towards a job. I feel that by doing this, we are making the mistake of looking at the internet as one dimensional and not a fully interactive destination which can potentially allow us to use our own imagery as assets as opposed to waiting for someone to hire you upon their discovery of what you do. This possibility is far too random, taking into consideration the vastness of the internet as well as the amount of working photographers competing for that same image buyer’s attention. We have to figure out a way to monetize our own visual assets and begin to incorporate them into ideas that may lead to the financial compensation that many of us seek. I recently created a website called http://diverseinsights.com with this approach in mind. The point of the site is to use imagery to draw insights and conclusions about the world around us. I see the insights gathered about spending habits, style, and trends as the end product that a wealth of visual cultural observation leads you to. My imagery is not the end product here but rather tools that people can use to come to conclusions about the world around them that can be used to enhance and expand upon their marketing goals or simply a better understanding of the world around them.
ephotos: What motivated you to create ephotos?
CM: I’ve owned the URL ephotos.com for almost fifteen years. I new that I wanted to use it to help the photography community in some capacity, so recently I decided to use it in its current form as a hub site that from there, you can get to the websites of other photographers. My feeling was that the web is so vast that it is quite hard for most photographers to be found via a google search. I felt that at ephotos you can cut out at least one step in the search process and find a couple of hundred photographers websites at your finger tips. The idea behind the site was to allow any professional that wants a 110x110 pixel square representation of their work on ephotos, we will allow this along with a link to their personal website for free. I also wanted to give photographers the chance to be interviewed and share some of their photography experiences with their peers.
ephotos: What have you learned from the process?
CM: I am amazed at how many photographers don’t take advantage of other outlets that are out there that can potentially bring them extra attention. When we invite photographers to do the ephotos interview, some have been so bold as to turn it down while others are extremely gracious and thank us profusely for the opportunity. I guess that is just how it goes. Some people take advantage of whatever they can to get ahead while others look a “gift horse in the mouth.” I hope I never get to the point in my career where I don’t take advantage of any and everything that can potentially help me to achieve my goals.
ephotos: Do you work with any stock agencies?
CM: I have my own image library http://diverseimages.com where I make my photography, and a few select photographers, images available to licensees via a pass code protected DAM (digital asset management) system. I do some work with Getty Images, but I am not overly impressed with the results they have brought me over the years. We find that we have much more success when we promote and distribute our own imagery via our outlets and network.
ephotos: What do you think about the stock business?
CM: I think the business has gone through a big transition. The market is flooded with “jack of all trades” photographers, who are making it such that the only way to succeed, in stock, is by having something unique to offer. This is not that different from other businesses, but photographers have been slow to adjust their approach to this evolving landscape. I hear many complaints from people that only five years ago used to get 250-300 dollars for a small photo on the inside of a magazine and now that same image is bringing them about 50-100 dollars. Certain stock photography has moved more towards the volume business but the unique and special imagery will continue to demand premium pricing. I made a financial commitment to acquire a system that would allow me to monetize my imagery outside of the traditional stock agencies like Corbis and Getty. Many tried to scare me out of it because they felt that these behemoths had already locked up the market and made it impossible for a small agency to survive. I knew that there would eventually be some push back from the image buying community towards these mega agencies once the amount of image outlets were reduced. This ultimately lead to an expansion which opened up opportunities for those smaller agencies that figured out a way to keep their costs down while delivering quality imagery efficiently to buyers. If I make a sale to an image buyer for 200 dollars and keep 100%, it’s way better than taking 35 percent of a 100 dollar sale that Getty may give me. The big agencies try to argue that you will benefit from the economies of scale since they are so big and people come to them first. I never believed that argument, I feel that they use the imagery of many photographers to bolster the relationship they have with some of their subscription based clients like Time magazine, MTV, etc. where they let them buy imagery for as little as ten dollars. Read the fine print when you deal with agencies and know that if you are motivated, you can make way more for yourself than they can make for you.
ephotos: What is the URL to your website and is it flash or HTML?
CM: My sites are always html. I have a number of websites besides ephotos.com where I showcase some of my work. I use the wordpress platform to create galleries and feature imagery whenever I think it makes sense. I had to learn how to do some website coding in an attempt to keep up with the changing photography landscape. By doing this, I have not been at the mercy of finding a web designer every time I want to make some changes to my site. I felt that this would be too costly and not as efficient as I like to work. You can check out a few of my galleries here. http://chimodu.com
ephotos: It appears that you travel a lot. Where have you been recently?
I find travel to be a great way to change how you look at the world around you because over time, we all get a bit jaded about our own neighborhoods, but going away can help you to appreciate your own environment that much more. I recently spent twelve days shooting on assignment in Lombok, Indonesia. This was a great experience and I learned a lot from the people over there. Upon returning, I didn’t just put the imagery to file on a hard drive but, I created a website for my friends and family to see what the places I travel to looked like http://diverseplaces.com. This supports my earlier point that we should be thinking about ways to use our own work, rather than always waiting for someone to tell you how to use it.
ephotos: Do you keep a camera at the ready?
CM: I don’t always have a camera at the ready. I usually have one nearby. I look at a camera as a tool and not a part of my personality or a prop. I tend to carry them when I plan to use them. I don’t look at photography as a casual pursuit where by you come across the next great image while casually walking down the street. Although you may get lucky, I do believe that the best photographers make their own luck by focus, perseverance, and a serious approach to their craft.
ephotos: What are you currently working on?
CM: I have been working with some strategic planners in the advertising space about conclusions and insights that can be drawn via visual observation. My focus has and always will be to get people to look at a photograph as a window to the world around them.
ephotos: Is there anything else you would like to say about you and your work?
CM: Hopefully, I will continue to grow, while helping others to grow and my next great photograph is still in front of me. ;-)
ephotos: Thank you so much, Chi, for your time and inspiration. I’m sure that many will learn a lot through your experience. Happy New Year and stay focused!