We recently caught up with photographer Lacey Johnson in Los Angeles. We asked her a few questions about her work and what led her to decide to become a professional photographer.
ephotos: Hello Lacey. I'm sure our readers would love to know a bit more about you and your work so we'll start with the basics. Where are you based?
LJ: I’m based out of Los Angeles.
ephotos: When did you realize that photography was your thing?
LJ: When I was a teenager, I remember feeling like all my friends knew exactly what they wanted to “be” when they grew up, but I had no idea. I was always pretty creative, and I knew that my favorite things were traveling and meeting new people. I also knew that I was too restless to be satisfied working a nine to five job at the same place everyday. When I took my first photography class in high school, I realized how much photography fit with the sort of life I wanted. I could be paid to visit new places, be artistic, and meet interesting people that I wouldn’t have a reason to speak to otherwise.
ephotos: Was there a photographer that inspired or influenced you?
LJ: The photographers who have most influenced my own work are probably Diane Arbus, Jonathan Moller, Ken Light, and to some extent, Lauren Greenfield. Although, I’m constantly finding new photographers whose work inspires me. I recently discovered Corey Arnold, whose photographs are amazing.
ephotos: What type or style of photography do you shoot?
LJ: I consider myself a documentary-style editorial photographer
ephotos: What type of equipment do you use?
LJ: I primarily shoot with an old 500C Hasselblad and a Nikon D200. I also hate to get slowed down by too much gear on a shoot, so I’m a big advocate of carrying multiple hand-held flashes with me rather than a lighting kit.
ephotos: Do you have a website? Is it flash or HTML?
LJ: I have a flash-based website through a company called Qufoto, which was actually created by a friend of mine. It’s similar to Livebooks, but a whole lot cheaper. Check it out: www.laceyannphotography.com
ephotos: What’s the worst thing that has happened to you during a shoot?
LJ: The worst thing that’s happened to me during a shoot was fortunately not that bad. I was in the far north of Sweden shooting for a Scandinavian travel company. It was the middle of winter and we were about forty miles north of the arctic circle, so it was absolutely freezing... probably -25 degrees Celsius. To get where we were going, we had to travel by dog sled. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity to sit up in the front and get some shots of the sled in motion. I was shooting with my Hasselblad, since I knew my digital camera wouldn’t work for the duration of the ride in such low temperatures. About twenty minutes into the ride, the film I had preloaded into my film backs had run out. I didn’t want to take my hand out of my glove to load another roll of film, but the light and scene were so perfect that I decided it was worth the risk. I’m pretty fast at loading film into a 120 back, but just as I was winding it up I felt my hand completely freeze. I couldn’t move it and I wasn’t able to feel a thing in my fingers for the rest of the ride. When I was able to warm up inside, my whole hand burned like hell, except for the end of my shutter finger, which was totally numb for two weeks.
ephotos: Do you have a rep. or an agent?
DW :I’m represented by Aurora Photos, which does both stock and assignment representation.
ephotos: Do you feel like you’re being treated fairly by your agency?
LJ: I just signed on with Aurora recently, but so far so good
ephotos: What do you see as the next big trend in the photo industry?
LJ: I think that all the ultra-sleek, digital imagery we’re seeing today can only lead to a trend that goes against all that. People are becoming desensitized to the flashy, heavily manipulated stuff that used to be so impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a wave a grittier Holga-esque photography in the next few years. Just look at how popular lomography cameras are becoming.
ephotos: Where have you been recently?
LJ: I recently went on a trip to Guatemala, where I stayed for a week on a coffee bean farm. It’s an amazing country to take photos, but it can definitely be dangerous.
ephotos: Do you use a resource site or publication?
LJ: There are a few sites that I check out from time to time - viiphoto.com, aphotoeditor.com, and humbleartsfoundation.org are some of my favorites. I like to read Photo District News as well.
ephotos: What's next?
LJ: I have a few small things lined up, but I’ve mainly been working on a new portfolio, which I’m excited to get out the door.
ephotos: Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself or your work?
LJ: Nothing I can think of.
ephotos: That was great Lacey. Thanks for sharing and remember to keep the focus!