“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words...”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe







So… Here it is… My first Interview…
I have chanleged two good friends… I guess I can call them that…
And the first one I have the pleasure to share with you is



Mr. John De Bord
aka



I met John and is wonderful art through the club *Ex-po-zure and fell in love with his photography from the very first minute… I see a lot of talent in his photos… And so, I wanted to learn more… John is a really nice person, who from the start as always been so kind to share all his knowledge’s…
I have learned a lot from him and still want to learn more… You all know what I think about sharing talent, and he is a great example of that…
So with no futher delays, here is my interview…



Who is John aka kkart?...

Well, that is a good question! LOL Sometimes I'm not even sure who the heck I am! I suppose you could say some guy in his late 30s with a camera, who is a dreamer, passionate about the photos he takes, a romantic, sharing his little corner of the world with everyone else, because so often what we see around us is ugly, and I try to bring the beauty out. Someone who loves Nature, Landscape, Wildlife, & Retro Photography.

What initial inspired you to enter the world of photography?...

This one I had to think about for a minute. I needed a career change....as making as an illustrator wasn't going the way that I had planned, and I remember about 5 1/2 - 6 years ago seeing this image posted of a sunrise on an illustration email list I used to belong to, and saying to myself "wow"...and how the person had just taken it that morning. It was take on an Olympus Camedia 3000, if memory servers right....I was astonished, at the quality, and that was the first time, that digital photography really showed some promise to me, in terms of resolution. But I think it was that very image that really got me thinking. It has forever left it's impression on me.

Did you have any formal training?...

Yes indeed I do. I was required to take classes in photography while going to Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design in Denver, Colorado, while working on my BFA Degree in Illustration. Funny, I had literally no interest in it at all at that time, but after the first day of class under my professor, Mark Simms, I was hooked. It was all B&W film darkroom based. Sigh...I miss the smell of Fixer and Stop Bath!



For how many years have you been doing photography, and how would you describe your evolution as a photographer?...

Well, I started in 1995, and that went until 1999....then I would put the camera down for awhile, as life threw some real curve balls...and I would essentially pick it back up in 2003. Though it has really only been the last 2 1/2 years I have been doing it seriously.

My evolution is a strange one, a very strange one indeed. Having come from film, shooting almost exclusively B&W or Slide film, my subject matter really centered around the whole Rockabilly music scene...the hotrods, the bands, the style of clothing, the parties, the Harley's, the dancing, the whole 'kulture' if you will. If it didn't involve that I wasn't THAT interested in shooting it. That essentially changed when I met my x-fiance, who for my birthday, took me to Rocky Mountain National Park here in Colorado for my birthday back in 1996, and she lugged along this old AGFA Rangefinder...and I all my old manual Richoh gear, and that was the first time I had ever shot landscapes, and have been hooked ever since. So that is how I got started in Nature Photography. Later after getting my digital camera, I would start to explore Retro and Street photography. The Retro photography is a given as far as my interests go, but I think the street photography kind of harks back to my B&W days in a sense.

These days, I shoot just about everything I can...though I am evolving I feel as well. I think my images are starting to take on more a Travel Photography kind of look and feel, combining elements of nature. Especially after the trip I had a couple months ago down to New Mexico.

Where you a film photographer?... How did the introduction of digital changed your photography?...

Yes and I do still shoot film now and then on my old Minolta x370 manual slr. Though I really feel that film pretty much is dead. Some will disagree and say otherwise, but let's face it, Polaroid is gone, Kodachrome is gone...Velvia has been semi-resurrected, Koadak has stopped making papers. But truth be known, it is dying.

Digital has certainly changed the way I shoot and the style I shoot. It isn't so much about me being more careless, as it is being able to see an image right away...and knowing there on the spot if I need to reshoot it or if I am ok. This is one thing I have found just invaluable. And the fact that I can now bracket all the time, not having to worry about the damn costs of processing! My cameras and lenses have paid for themselves a 100 times over just in the amount of sheer money saved alone. Ad on top of it, I can now shoot pretty much endlessly whatever I wish to, not having to be concerned about how many exposures are left on the roll.



Describe, if you please, some of the important influences and inspirations that have helped shape your vision while a photographer…

Well, my professor in College, Mark Simms, really left an impact on me. He taught me well, and is an amazing shooter. David Perry, whose retro and hotrod work I have loved for quite awhile, really inspires me and has taught me plenty. As far as landscape & nature photographers go, I would have to say Ansel Adams (of course!), Galen Rowell, Clive Butcher, John Fielder, Guy Tal, Art Wolfe, Daryl Benson, Tony Sweet, Tim Fitzharris, etc. Pretty much the really big names whose work, when you see it, stops you cold in your tracks. These people have helped me see, and have taught me to see as well.

What subject matter do you prefer to photograph?...

Well, the Colorado Rockies are always a favorite subject, but along with that, I am also a sunrise/sunset guy, hotrods, waterfalls, floral macros, and certainly wildlife. I also like shooting things of a historical significance such as old American Indian ruins, old Ghost Towns, etc.

What are your favourite tools of your trade as a photographer as well as those you don’t like that much but find it essential?...

There are 3 things that I believe that everyone who takes pictures and tries there best at shooting photos should have. A Circular Polarizer filter, Neutral Density Filters, and a Tripod. These 3 things are the 3 essentials, no matter what kind of camera you have....slr, point and shoot, film, digital, whatever. These are also some of my favorite tools. The tripod though is kind of a pain in the rear at times...as mine is quite heavy. But it is mandatory unless I am hanging out the car window shooting Elk during rutting season. I also adore my Case Logic photo backpack. I carry that thing everywhere. It holds all my gear and 4 cameras. My Cokin filters, which I don't use often, are kind of a pain, they always seemed to get scattered everywhere, and they scratch to damn easily! If I do use them, I don't use holders for them, and just hand hold them.

What does photography mean to you? What is its most important aspect, which makes you want to go out and shoot?... What is essential to your creative experience?...

Ya know, there is something to be said for standing in the middle of Rocky Mountain National Park at first light just after sunrise, with no one around anywhere, and having a gathering of Bull Elk 20 yards out from you during Rutt season, bugling away. The same can be said for the sheer serenity and tranquility that exist when shooting a mountain waterfall...it is only you and nature....in the presence of God. You feel it in your soul, in your heart, there is nothing but THAT moment when you are alone in nature, photographing the most gorgeous sight you have seen with your camera, that makes it all worth it's weight in gold. It is as if every problem in the world just disappears at that instance. You lose yourself in the moment, in that instant, and your soul becomes so utterly refreshed and alive.

I am very fortunate to have scenes like this just mere minutes away...and it is not a convenience but a MUST HAVE for me. The last few places I have lived at, photography played a roll in choosing that location. Being able to get up and shoot the sunrise from your deck while sipping a hot cup of coffee is something I will never take for granted.

Do you capture RAW or JPEG? Why?...

RAW and always RAW, because once you go RAW there is just no going back. Period. If RAW is a Ferrari, them JPEG is the Hyundai. You have so much to gain with shooting in RAW compared to JPEG, and why more people don't shoot this is beyond me. It's not like it's nothing to afraid of. It is allowing your more flexibility in your processing! Akin to having a negative in digital format.

How do you determine exposure? Do you use the meter more or the histogram from a test picture?...

I use the meter probably the most, though I do have an old Sekonic light meter that I use now and then...not often though. Though honestly I should use it more. I also intentionally underexpose by almost a full stop, which I adjust in post work later.

What do you do on the computer for editing and conversion?...

Anything and everything lol
It really depends on the photo at the time. If it is an HDR image or not. Basically though, my workflow goes like this:
RAW Conversion> Photoshop >Bridge (for keywording)

I am still not sold on just one RAW converter though yet. I use Lightroom, ACR, Raw Shooter, and ACDSee Pro 2 (which BTW is a helluva program, probably best bang for buck IMO) I am also not sold on one HDR Program either, and I use Photomatix, Artizen, and Dynamic Photo. These 3 I have found the very best.

For Noise reduction, I use Noise Ninja and nothing else. I have found that it works the best on my images when compared to to anything else out there. I also have a variety of plugins, like the Fred Miranda series, Nik, etc. that I use every now and then.

Who are some of your favourite photographers?...

Well those whom I have mentioned above, and probably quite a few on higher end photography sites like Fred Miranda, Naturephotographers.net, Naturescapes.net...those guys who post on those sites are tops, in my opinion. Also quite a few of the higher end shooters on DA...

Who are some of your favourite general artists?...

Robert Williams, Von Dutch, Ed Roth, Mark Griffin, Thom Taylor, Steve Sanford, Darryl Mayabb, Tom Fritz (these guys are my hotrodding roots!) and then Norman Rockwell, Wyeth, Taylor, Monet, Michaelangelo, Titian, Bev Doolittle, Terry Redlin, Denny Dent, Hugh B. Alexander......quite the mix huh?

Now lets talk about dA… When and how did you find it?...

I heard about DA back in about late 2000 from a drawing email list I was called "Drawing Together", quite a few of the list members were on here and I always found this site interesting...and I knew one day I would probably join it. I just had a really hard time figuring my way around it when I browse it.

What do you like the most about this “world”?... And what don’t you like?...

LOL Can I write a novel??? And I hope everyone reads both sides of the coin here on this....

Ahhhh......DA.....I have a serious love/hate relationship with. I have some serious issues with this site as a whole and how it is run. And I have never been quiet about it. And according to $lolly that has cost me not becoming a Senior member. So if you shout to much about how you dislike certain aspects, be forewarned LOL But ya know, why? DA NEEDS to listen to it's users, whom are more than users, especially if they are paying members, they are CUSTOMERS. Without them, this site would not survive. Instead of laying the smack down with things like "No Senior Status for youuuuu!" lol

I highly dislike the advertising policy here. And I, like many deviants who pay for this site, feel cheated. We were told long ago and promised from $spyed that NO adverts would ever appear on our user pages and ANY time, even for outside visitors to our DA page, people who were not members here. Now I can't even send people to my site anymore. It looks like the Times Square of art sites! We were also told that the adverts would be strictly art related. Well, we have seen where that has gone haven't we? T-Mobil, Wachovia Bank, etc etc etc. Now I understand that DA needs money to run...but please, don't pull a Bush Senior with the whole "Read my lips" to your paying members of the site! Not having the adverts for yourself and others was a paying subscriber perk, I , along with 1000s others would like to see that given back to us.

What is going on with the groups system? Haven't heard any update about that in a LONG time, meanwhile groups continue to die on here left and right and it's a real shame, because I have some brilliant one's come and go. I would honestly love to see a system implemented like what flickr has. That is just downright slick!

How about a Critique Forum in the forums? I did suggest this as part of the subscriber forum.

I think DA needs a category, or maybe a subcategory, for photography>technique. I would love to see Long Exposure and Retro brought back from the dead. Maybe under digital darkroom, add HDR?

The whole DA Shop....can someone please explain to me why I am selling 5x as much on redbubble.com as I am here? We have been begging for greeting cards forever. And why is the whole thing not promoted to the outside world? DA needs to take a clue from RedBubble and start advertising in PRINT, in magazines, newspapers, and let the outside world that it exists. Imagine the gold mine for placing a 1 page advert in the Wall Street Journal during Christmas time that they would make?? The server load would be enormous lol

----Now as much as I have said that above, and there are still a a gazillion other things i could harp on. Let's examine the flip side of the coin shall we?

DA for me, has been an experience, to say the least. There is NO other site on the internet that has so many artist's in one spot that one could browse this site the rest of their life and still not see it all. The community factor here is just unreal. I mean my God, people have met on this site and started families for shit sake! I know a few of my watchers have gotten married to one another.

And as much as I may bitch and moan about it here, I also value DA..and yes I also love it. Sure, there may be things I would change, as I am sure everyone has a list of things which they wish they could. But in the end, DA is pretty much the place to meet like minded people and share like minded thoughts and artwork. It is an odd thing, to have people watch you for years, and you almost feel like you REALLY know them, but have met them in real life. I have had quite a few of my watchers also pass away along the way....but I still have them on my watch list so I will never forget who they are. Sort of the "DA Roadside Memorial" if you will.

I also admire the admins on this site and all the shit they get and go through. I would not wanna be $lolly (besides, that Pony Arms thing freaks me out! lol) nor $spyed ...these guys work their asses off for us. Along with all the volunteers. Would you guys want to be in charge of a website that has a user base, of, what is it now at, it has to be above 6 million. I can't even being to THINK of what that must be like....no thank you!

Wherever DA goes, we are all on this ride together....as artist's....we all struggle together, we cry together, we rejoice as a community together. And there is no other place like it!


Are there any deviants who have inspired you, either socially as friends or artistically?... Why?...

Many...I have a list so long I can't write it all. SO many photographers on this site have inspired me.... guys like *yenom ~collectiveone =Toadsmoothy2 ~osagelady *Wessonnative ~yankeedog ~cybrghst `Davenit *Nzeman ~anonymous66 and on and on and on......these are just som eof the people who have taught me and brought me into my realm, everytime I see an image from them it is like a learning experience, just by looking at their work, you learn something new. They motivate me to be better and to be the best that I can be.

Anything else you haven't said?... Or I haven’t ask that you find relevant for this interview?...

Well people can see more of my work on my website at jdebordphoto.com And other than that, keep shooting like there is no tomorrow!



Thank You my friend… A really big Thank YOU…

Hope you all have learned as much as I did…




...

It was obvious I would start with a Portuguese talent… A self made photographer that is brilliant when it comes to work with light and shadows… I have now the honour of calling him friend… Ladies… And gentlemen I give you…
André Brito

An Australian gifted photographer… You all know him I am sure… He gives us emotions in the form of photography… He gives us beauty through the beautiful women that pose for him… My sweet friend:
Gerhardt

Last but not least, a German… A great photographer… His web site is still only in German, but you will find it is wonderful… UPDATE: We can see the English version already… Weeeeeee…
Sasha Huettenhain