{"id":14122,"date":"2014-10-29T11:55:15","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T16:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?p=14122"},"modified":"2014-10-29T11:55:15","modified_gmt":"2014-10-29T16:55:15","slug":"15-questions-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/14122\/15-questions-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Questions Answered"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"6_ExhalationI_1997_425\"<\/a>
\nAlumni Dianne Morton interviewed me as part of her graduate studies.
\nShe asked great questions, which I recommend you answer yourself.
\nHere are my answers.
\nWhat inspired you to become a photographer?<\/strong>
\nI was always driven to make images \u2013 even before I could talk. I was fascinated with two things about photography in particular; one, photography can be used to explore abstraction and metaphor; two, two people using the same equipment side-by-side can make very different images that reflect their personal natures. Pursuing painting first, the invention of Photoshop was my personal tipping point that made photography my primary medium.
\nWhich photographers influenced or currently influence you?<\/strong>
\nEarly influences include my father, Eliot Porter, and Ansel Adams. Photographers who challenge my current thinking in stimulating ways include Richard Misrach, Edward Burtinsky, Chris Jordan and Joel Peter Witkin. Many of my most important artistic influences come from people working in media other than photography – painters, filmmakers, sculptors, writers and even composers\/musicians.
\nI\u2019ve written quite a bit about my influences<\/a> on my blog \u2013 and I plan to write more. It\u2019s a useful process I recommend to everyone.
\nWhat motivates you to continue making photographs (intellectually or emotionally)?<\/strong>
\nI love doing the work. It\u2019s endlessly challenging and rewarding.
\nIs there one particular piece of advice you could give to someone who has just picked up a camera for the first time?<\/strong>
\nGet clear about what you want to do and why. Only pursue opportunities that further that in some way. Make plans but stay flexible so you can make the most of every new opportunity.
\nHow did you get from being an aspiring photographer to actually doing it full time, for a living?<\/strong>
\nI decided to do it and worked hard to make it happen. I made a plan. I pursued new opportunities that supported my long term goals. I didn\u2019t plan to write, make public presentations, lead workshops, or consult for corporations; those opportunities presented themselves and they\u2019ve all contributed to my overall success and the fulfillment of my long term goals.
\nWhere do you think you have succeeded or failed?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve succeeded in being a positive influence on the medium of photography and making positive contributions to many members of the photographic community. I haven\u2019t succeeded in making substantial contributions that address my environmental concerns \u2013 yet.
\nWhat\u2019s in your camera bag and what technology\/software do you use?<\/strong>
\nCanon 5DMKIII and Lightroom\/Photoshop. See my website for more on the\u00a0tools I use<\/a>,.
\nWhat is one thing you will never get tired of photographing?<\/strong>
\nNature.
\nWhat is one thing you do NOT like to photograph?<\/strong>
\nMedical trauma.
\nJump back in time\u2026.what would you do differently if you could?\u00a0 Do you have a cautionary tale?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d steal a little time every day to work on my most important goals. Compound interest pays big dividends. Big chunks of time are hard to find and often compromised or stolen completely. I\u2019m still trying to get this right. Practice makes better. No matter where we are, I recommend we all start practicing this now.
\nAmong your works, which one is your favorite?\u00a0 Why?<\/strong>
\nExhalation I. It heralded a personal break through when my creative voice became stronger and clearer. I\u2019ve had more responses to that image than any other, some of them very personal and touching.
\nHere\u2019s a link to something I wrote about\u00a0Exhalation I.<\/a>
\nIf you could sit across any one photographer with a big cup of awesome coffee, and talk photography\/shop for an hour, who would it be and what would you talk about?<\/strong>
\nWhat a great question! It has so many possible answers. The final decision would be based on how honest the other person would be and how much they would be willing to reveal. And an hour\u2019s not enough. How about an evening with dinner and wine?
\nI\u2019d like to sit down with Alfred Steiglitz and Minor White and go further\/deeper with the concept of equivalence. I have a feeling part of the solution would be to explore White\u2019s mention of resonance.
\nI\u2019d like to sit down with Eliot Porter (and possibly Ansel Adams at the same time, if there was total trust and no posturing), to review the history of photographers making environmental contributions and brainstorm ways of making more effective environmental contributions today (if he\/they were up to date on what\u2019s happened since his\/their death). But then, after engaging this question, I realize I should do this now with Robert Glenn Ketchum. Maybe I should even write a book about it. See what a great question that was?
\nWhat\u2019s your favorite quote?<\/strong>
\n\u201cThe only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.\u201d \u2013 Marcel Proust
\nAbove all, what inspires your art the most?<\/strong>
\nNature.
\nFinally, can you sum up your photography in just four words?<\/strong>
\nCreative Conscientious Environmental Interaction
\nEnjoy\u00a0more interviews here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alumni Dianne Morton interviewed me as part of her graduate studies. She asked great questions, which I recommend you answer yourself. Here are my answers. What inspired you to become a photographer? I was always driven to make images \u2013 even before I could talk….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[615],"tags":[3370,440],"post_folder":[],"yoast_head":"\n15 Questions Answered - John Paul Caponigro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/14122\/15-questions-answered\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Questions Answered - John Paul Caponigro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alumni Dianne Morton interviewed me as part of her graduate studies. 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