PIX CHAT : Christy Rogers

When this blog started, I began paying more attention to exhibitions around town. I had heard of Christy Rogers' "Siren" series since earlier this year. Well, about a week ago, she had another showing over at A&I Hollywood where I had a chance to finally meet her. I asked her if I could ask a few questions...

What lead you to where you are today in terms of your underwater images ?

I love the water! It represents the ultimate in purity to me. As a child growing up in Hawaii I learned a deep respect for the ocean, and always wanted to be near it. And I was fascinated by the unpredictability of it's movement, especially when I was caught under the forces of a crashing wave. Let me tell you, I've seen some of the most amazing scenes while opening my eyes under the ocean. So, when I moved to LA I began exploring the use of water in one of my experimental short films. I guess I was a little home sick. That underwater scene turned out to be really dark, dreamy and almost deathly, but I recall being stunned by it's simple beauty. So I started experimenting more with color and shapes, throwing everyone I could find into the water. Things were different down there. I could create magic and suspend the body in ways that I had never imagined, and I lost myself in that world.

What were some of the more difficult aspects of your work that you didn't expect ?

Until I tried it myself, I didn't realize how difficult it was to be immersed in twelve feet of water, constantly moving for hours on end with heavy fabrics. Because of the positions required for the photographs, you breathe in extreme amounts of water, it just seeps right into your nose. Los Angeles is warm, but the water gets chilly at night after hours of soaking in it. So this is always a challenge, to capture the beauty within such harsh conditions and to make it always look graceful. The models have to be really talented in swimming, positioning their bodies and holding their breath, and they've got to be creative and able to improvise. Most of them are dancers and actors. I give them so much credit for making my job look effortless. Lighting is key to these photographs and so if the model is a few inches too deep or off to the side, we do it again. And again and again. But I actually think the most difficult part of taking these photographs is creating an environment where enough unexpected accidents can occur, because it's in the mistakes where I find the gold. And you have to be ready to capture that.

I do believe in accidents and I can imagine how difficult it is to allow that to happen especially with the conditions you are in ! How exactly do you find these actors and dancers and were they open to the idea right away or did it take some time to persuade them ?

Well, I started by photographing friends, and because I like to experiment and go into a shoot with no major plans, I'd invite them over for a casual photo shoot and we'd mess around and have fun. From this shoot I'd figure out what worked best and then I'd invite them back over to experiment some more. I then started posting ads and finding friends of friends. I wasn't looking for professional models though, I wanted to find real women, and mostly women that expressed a certain kind of vitality. Someone that didn't have any experience posing but would instead just be themselves. That was my biggest criteria and was so important to the feel of the final image because I didn't want perfection, the shots had to be natural. Most of the women had never been photographed nude or in water before. I'd show them some of my work and they'd immediately throw aside all of their considerations, mainly because they could see that I was making something more than a nude photograph. And interestingly, although the conditions were harsh, they all expressed to me at the end how freeing the experience was.

It sounds as if you do several sessions with each person ! How many women did you photographed for the series and how many made it to final selections ? And is this part of a continuous project or do you have other projects in mind for the future ?

I've been photographing this series for over five years. But about a year ago I found the perfect pool, which would allow me to express a new concept that I had added to the series - Space. The collection of photographs from this time on are what make up my "Siren" collection and they involve about eight different women. All of whom are part of the final collection.

On my desk sits a notebook full of ideas for other projects, but I couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities of expanding this series. And so last month I began my new water project. I can't say now where it'll take me but the first shots inspire a whole new level of mystery. You'll also see video installations as part of the collection.

I'm curious to see what comes next, please keep me informed !

Her work is currently up at A&I Hollywood until Sept 4th and will be moved to A&I Santa Monica from Sept 11 - Oct. 16th. More info can be found at www.ChristyRogers.com


(Photos above by Reserve Result (Fujiroid) and Jordan Lancer)