The photographer Jon Ervin explores masculinity and id in his tasks
"I hope my work starts conversations," says New York-based photographer Jon Ervin. “Though I never want it to tell you how to think. I like it when my work is open and the audience can get an idea of it for themselves. I want it to spark discussion on a particular topic and maybe even bring in a different perspective that you've never considered before. "
Ervin says he is inspired by everyday life and that he is inspired by people, nature and everything else. “It could be like a group of men standing on a corner talking to each other, like the light reflecting off a building and illuminating an otherwise dark spot, or like a group of teenage boys riding bicycles down an empty street while riding each other,” explains the photographer. “It comes from anywhere, anytime. I'm lucky enough to notice it and keep it in my mind so I can use it sometime in the future. "
Boys will be; All Images: Courtesy Jon Ervin
Ervin grew up in a farming town in Oklahoma called Mustang – soccer was the main interest of the children in the area and his school had no real emphasis on the arts. Even so, he often found himself with a camera taking photos of his family or filming his friends skateboarding. It wasn't until he moved to New York that he finally felt that he had a creative environment to grow into. Ervin received a BFA in Photography from Parsons in 2012 and received his MFA two years later from the School of Visual Arts.
After formal studies in photography, the most important thing, according to Ervin, was learning how to contextualize and talk about your work. “The real world is a good teacher of how to handle lights or use your camera. These things only come from doing and from experience, ”he says. “The school was very useful in understanding why I took my pictures or how to turn my thoughts into cohesive visual narratives. Learning how to take and give criticism was also tremendous. "
Boys will be
Boys will be
Ervin still lives in New York and often draws on images from his rural childhood landscape. His photographs are held in gold tones. His projects range from documenting people and places in the United States to investigating masculinity and shared masculine experiences. These themes can be seen in personal projects such as Man Up, My Mother’s Son and, most recently, Boys Will Be, which explore the different ways men construct and express their identities. Portraits and group shots are a specialty of Ervin and he succeeds in capturing a noticeable energy with every shot.
In addition to personal projects, the photographer also takes on a number of commercial and editorial assignments, with Man About Town, Khaite, Ana Khouri, The Week and Departures being just a few of his clients. Personal or commissioned, Ervin places an emphasis on research. “For (my own) projects, I first take a lot of photos on this topic to see what interests me and what doesn't. Then I look at all of the pictures and try to decide what works, what each picture conveys. It helps me decide how the project should be read, which conversations the project should start and which I don't want to address, ”explains the photographer. "Then I collect a lot of research, look at artists in the past who have dealt with the same subject, and assess how my work fits into this larger conversation."
Ephemeral being
Essential homme
For assignments, research comes much earlier as creating a reference catalog allows Ervin to focus. “I usually gather all of my materials together, go through them with the client, show them my thoughts and the direction to go before I take a picture,” he says. "Once I start shooting, new directions will keep showing up as you figure out the subject, but the overall path is generally predetermined to some extent."
Balancing the two types of photography seems to be a necessary part of Ervin's practice, largely because many of his personal projects are long-term and require many years of transplantation. "Personal projects are often also isolating because you do them on your own, just go out and photograph a certain topic for years," says Ervin. "There's a lot of time on your own head. It's faster with commissioned work. You can work on multiple contract recordings at the same time and on your personal work.
Khaite
Departures
For Ervin, this break from long-term projects brings him out of himself, and he also enjoys the collaborative aspect of commissioned projects. "It's a great blessing to work together on contract work. You have teams of highly skilled and talented people who come together for a day or so," he says.
“Everyone brings a completely different idea and way of thinking about a particular topic to the table due to their different backgrounds. This collaboration encourages you to look at the project in different and unexpected ways. "
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