Taylor Hawes - An Interview
It's that time again. Roll on Sundays. If you have been following my blog you will know that every Sunday I will post a new Interview with an amazing Film Photographer that I am admiring that week. This week's Photographer come Musician is Taylor Hawes. A 22 year old originally from Seattle currently living in the San Francisco bay area. While Photography is a passion - Hawes is on the path to making Music his profession. That said, his photography is totally rad and you should definitely check it out here: @TAYLOR.HAWES.
"From a young age, I’ve always had a yearning for experiencing the new; whether that’s new cultures, places, or experiences. This is what drives me not only in photography, but in life as well."
TAYLOR HAWES - Pictured above.
Hey Taylor, so tell me, how did you first discover film?
I had never really been interested in photography (let alone film photography) until about a year and a half ago. I went with a friend from university into downtown San Francisco to meet up with his older brother who is a professional photographer. He wanted to check out a new lens down at Glass Key (which is an amazing film only camera store) and on the way he told me all about his experiences with film and how beautiful it could be. Once there, I chatted up the owners about different cameras and the best camera to get as a complete film novice. They recommended the Nikon F100 as it was similar to the modern day slr, while at the same time having good optics and manual controls. I pulled the trigger and bought the camera and a 50mm lens for about $150 along with “the cheapest film they had in the store” (I think it was Afga). We drove to Corona Heights and I shot a roll not really knowing what to do. The next week I got the pictures back, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Hooked from the start like every other film photographer I know. So, do you still shoot on your Nikon or have you expanded your collection?
I still shoot on the F100, but I got two more lenses for it (24mm and an 85mm) that way I have a small arsenal of focal lengths to choose from. I only shoot prime lenses as well, due to the beautiful focus you get from them. I bought a little Yashica T4 about 5 months into shooting that I’ve really enjoyed but my biggest purchase as of late has been the Pentax 645N. Even though it’s a beast, I love it. It takes incredible pictures, and is great for portraits which is something I’ve been trying to get into recently. I have the 75mm lens and the 150mm which are both outstanding.
Thats quite the Arsenal - so what do you go for in terms of Film?
I really love Fujifilm Superia400 and Kodak Portra400. They’re both wonderful, with the Superia being a little more saturated and punchy, and the Portra great for skin tones.
Great choices, 2 films I will always have in my camera bag. In terms of taking a picture, what is your favourite thing to capture? What is your muse/inspiration?
I’d say if I HAD to pick one thing to shoot, it would be nature, specifically landscapes. I’ve always loved nature and the outdoors and growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I was blessed to have it in abundance. I’m always trying to expand my horizons (sorry for the pun), and recently I have been shooting portraits of my friends which is harder. When shooting nature, I feel a certain way when I look out and I try my best to portray that in the picture, but when you’re shooting people you have to capture how they feel and the emotion of their surroundings. That’s what makes street photography tricky, but when you get it right it’s absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t say I have one thing in particular that inspires me but rather a combination of everything that makes me who I am (as corny as that sounds). For example, I love to travel and I love nature but those two things alone don’t really make up my inspiration alone. It’s the collection of all my friends and family, my passions and the beauty that I see in the world that inspires me.
How do you know when it's right to press down the shutter? What makes you click?
What makes me take a photo is the constant search for the perfect shot . I’m of the belief that while you can be a great photographer, if you don’t push the button and hear the shutter’s click, that moment will be lost. I take hundreds and hundreds of pictures hoping that maybe 5-10 will be great. And I’m perfectly happy with that (although I wish it was a bit cheaper) because that’s the beauty of shooting with film. You can’t instantly check your screen to see if you got the shot, or if you need to adjust any settings. You’re just in the moment and if it turns out great, but if not well that’s ok too. Shooting film takes away that instant gratification that (in the 21st century) we’ve become so accustomed to and it’s so refreshing. Also, getting film back feels like Christmas.
Oh God that feeling. I love skipping to the camera store to pick up prints. It can either make or break your day! Your IG feed [@TAYLOR.HAWES. ] has some amazing landscape photography on there. Whats your process for finding the perfect spot to shoot? Do you research or are you a fly by the seat of your pants kinda guy?
Thanks! In short, finding high places and climbing up to them haha. In all seriousness, it really depends on where I’m at. If I know the area and have shot there before, I’ll pretty much just wing it and see what happens. If I’m in a new place, I’ll spend maybe 15-20 minutes on Google looking at some cool vantage points where you can see the landscape or something cool. It all really depends on the time of day as well. I usually try to reach the place by the sunset for the classic sunset shot.
And finally, what is the best photo you’ve seen and thought “I wish I took that!”?
Aw man there’s too many to count. Every day I’ll scroll through my Instagram feed and see a photo and wish I took it. Other photographers are a huge inspiration for me because they’re constantly showing me different places and ways to see things which is great to get the creative juices flowing. I guess if I had to be more specific I’d say anything by Ansel Adams but more specifically this shot [Click here]. Look at how jaw-droppingly beautiful this photo is. I could stare at it for hours. He is an absolute legend and I dream about one day being as good as he is.
Now its time to let Hawes' photos do the talking. Please share your love by visiting his instagram page here: @TAYLOR.HAWES. OR by tweeting me on @carolannerose and I will share the love.
Prairie Fire
- I took this out of my car during the sunrise midway through a roadtrip somewhere in Idaho on my F100 with Superia400. It was just after the New Year and I had just made a resolution to post a photo everyday for the whole year on my instagram. Feels like forever ago
Seattle
- I took this photo out of an old propeller float plane that does tours around the Puget Sound (Seattle) area. I shot this on my Pentax 645N with Kodak Portra 400 and was lucky to get a clear sunny day with good lighting! Go to Seattle if you ever get a chance! (But only in the Summer).
Skyscrapers
- This was taken with my Pentax 645N and Portra400 at the Muir Woods National Forest just outside of San Francisco. The cedar trees here are hundreds of years old and are the tallest trees in the U.S. Truly breathtaking!
"Golden Hour"
- This was the shot that got me hooked. Taken on the F100 (with the cheap Afga 200 film) while my friend was driving to Corona Heights that first day, I got lucky plain and simple. But it has been and I think will always be my favorite photo, until the next "perfect shot" comes along.
History
- Last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to travel throughout Europe for 6 weeks. Armed with (you guessed it) my F100 and a bag of all different types of film, I shot to my heart's content. This is a statue in Budapest taken with (I think) Superia400. I loved the light and shadows of the shot.
Run
- This was taken in Santa Cruz at an amazing beach (Panther Beach) thats off the highway past the city of Santa Cruz. Taken again with my F100 and Superia 400, I was lucky to get great golden hour lighting, huge breaks, and people daring to challenge them.
Glass and Steel
- This is one of the most important places in the world; The Louvre. Taken on my F100 with Superia400, many people go to see the paintings and sculptures within the building but the architecture itself is a work of art.
A Velvia Sunset
- I was making dinner one night this past year and I looked out the window to see one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. I grabbed my F100 and ran outside to snap a few photos but halfway down I realized that I had some slide film in my camera (specifically Velvia 50) that I had been shooting with earlier in the week. I was bummed because I thought none of the photos would turn out, but sure enough a couple did. This was my favorite of the bunch.
Tow the Line
- This was taken at none other than Yosemite National Park with my F100 and some Superia 400. I got really lucky as there were a bunch of guys slack lining across this the day we were there. It's about a 100-150 meter drop and I am terrified of heights so it was amazing to see these guys attempt this.
Eyes on the Kingdom
- This was shot on Corona Heights and the hair (along with the rest of the guy) is the Ulysses (Brian) Ortega who pushed me to buy my first film camera. I gotta thank him for that. So shoutout to (ig) @ulysses_o he does amazing work, go check him out!