Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2. Which of your photographs feels most like a conversation you had with your subject—and what were you both saying?

• ANSWER 2. This is a great question. I’m just going to go with the first one that came to mind. It’s a photo of a girl laughing at the absurdity of the moment. It’s also a warning and a reminder. Stay away from train tracks. We were at a small Amtrak station doing a photoshoot, and I was locked into photography mode. I was kneeling down at the edge of the platform with my back to the approaching train. I didn’t know the train was coming, I didn’t even hear it. But I felt it as it rushed past me. I could feel the air being pushed aside as a gust of wind pushed me over. I caught myself on one knee and scooted away from the tracks. At that moment, it dawned on me. I did hear the train. I heard the train blowing it’s horn, warning me, get back. It was there all along, but I was completely zoned out and locked into photography mode. There was only this moment between photographer and subject. As the train sped on, I cast a glance toward my subject, who also appeared to be caught off guard. I think I said something like, “holy fuck”. Immediately, she erupted into laughter, and it was one of the most honest laughs and emotions I had seen all day. I quickly pressed the shutter. I think in this moment, we were both saying…WTF. 
  
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Michael Falk
Photographer

BIO: Hi. I'm Michael Falk. I live in the Metro Detroit area and I'm the photographer and blogger behind SeeImagery, where I collect light and chase stories. I also write a Substack called What if Nobody's Watching. It's about art, photography, NFT's, and the quiet act of creating stuff that means everything to you and nothing to everyone else. And maybe that's OK? I think?

LINK: seeimagery.com

QUESTION 3. What do you hope people feel in their bodies when they look at your work?

• ANSWER 3. I just want people to feel closer to the beauty and mystery of life. Like they can relate to how I see. I want them to leave with both an answer and a question. I don’t know if any of my work has ever reached the level of a visceral response. LOL, maybe a couple. Hopefully, nobody's throwing up in their mouth. I will keep looking and searching the world, though. So who knows? There are big moments out there. Hopefully, I’m able to catch one that lands somewhere in your chest or gut and sort of lingers. Not just as a thought, but as a weight that anchors us both to this moment in time. If not, then there’s always the new dawn and with it, the gut feeling, that you too can always start new. 
  
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QUESTION 1. What’s a place you’ve never been that you’re certain would change your photography forever and why/how?

• ANSWER 1. I’ve never been to New York, but I’m almost certain it would change my photography forever. I’ve always been intrigued with Street Photography, dabbling here and there, but I live in a smaller city, and I am a very reserved person. I’m in my head a lot. So, it’s hard for me to get into that place of comfort mentally. I think with a really big, busy city like New York, there is a density of things going on that would make it easy to feel invisible. I think I could finally relax and do the photography I want to do without feeling out of place. Without feeling, very, very, visible. 
  
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