One of the best things about running an art blog is that I get to converse with some amazing creatives about their work.

TonyInSeattle is one of the newer photographers I had recently discovered and as soon as I saw his work on Instagram, I knew that I’d love to ask him some questions about his work, and luckily for me, he was ver happy to!

Check out the interview below!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself… What drew you to photographic and 3D art and what inspires you to create?

I’m a long-haired military brat who lives in Seattle and who likes to cook and hike. I was first drawn to photography and the idea of creating art while working at my college newspaper back in the late ‘80s. I was a copy editor, but I went along on several of the photo shoots with the photo team and I’ve been hooked ever since. Back then it was film and dark rooms, but I learned film development techniques that allowed me to alter the images to be more artistic or creative. Much later, I was turned on to the idea of 3D software and I started to combine that with my photography. Lately, it’s been mostly 3D work with really no photography at all.

2. Did you get formal training in photography or 3D modelling or are you self taught? What are your thoughts on art education? Is it important for artists to have a degree?

I’ve never formally studied photography or 3D art. Nor any sort of art, for that matter. My “studies” were all of the informal sort – late nights in front of the computer or reading instruction manuals. My husband and I started a furniture design business years ago, and I had to teach myself 3D rendering as part of that work. I became fascinated with the idea of designing furniture and bringing it to life in a photorealistic image. I’ve taken that knowledge and started to create stuff for fun. I don’t believe you need to formally study art or obtain a degree in order to create good art.

3. What is the most challenging or surprising aspect of being an artist and is there anything you don’t like about it?

The most challenging part is the sitting down and creating. It’s summoning an idea and making it into something worth looking at. I’m not one of these people who can just turn off the world and start creating within minutes. I need my space to be clean. I can’t be too tired, or too awake. Or hungry. It’s easy for me to not feel creative. Then, during the actual creating, I’ll hit roadblocks. Everything from “well that looks nothing like what I envisioned” to “I don’t have the technical skills to create what I want.” But, in the end, despite all of this, I love the time I sit down and create something new. It’s so rewarding that it makes the struggle worth it.

3. Nowadays, the creative industry is an oversaturated market with both amazing and mediocre imagery. Does this concern you and how do you manage to stay motivated to create in such a crowded environment?

Nah, this doesn’t concern me. We’ve all created imagery at one point or another that fails to inspire, but is it “mediocre” or just the beginning of something great? I’m just happy that there are so many ways to gain an audience today without having to go through galleries or print media. I’ve discovered so much more talent than I ever would have been able to 20 years ago.

4. You have quite a strong presence on social media, especially on Instagram. What are you thoughts about social media and how has it affected your practice over the years? Do you ever find yourself creating work with your viewers in mind?

It’s easy to be frustrated about social media, and especially Instagram. It’s so different from how it was in the very early days of the app, when it was all creative art and photography and follower counts didn’t matter as much. (Remember “ghost” followers and how we used to get rid of them?) But, Instagram and other social media platforms are a terrific way to gain an audience and to make friends with similar interests. I’m still friends with people I “met” nine years ago on Instagram and sometimes those friendships have turned into in-real-life friendships.

5. Your work is just stunning, and when I first discovered it, I was immediately drawn to your use of colour and lighting, which i’d describe as cinematic. Do you think that ‘cinematic’ is a fitting description for your work and is a stylistic choice you consciously include in your work? Additionally, are there any disadvantages to creating such stylised work and what do you think makes an image cinematic?

Thank you for the compliment! I’m not sure I set out to create cinematic work, per se. I think it just developed naturally. There are a few elements, I think, that people think make my images look cinematic – the dramatic lighting, the horizontal format, and maybe the “story” I try to tell in each image. So when I hear that one of my pieces is cinematic, I take it as a big compliment. If I can make people wonder what’s happening in an image and what will happen next, I consider it a success. I suppose the only disadvantage I can think of in creating such stylized work is that if I’m not careful, it can look trite. I think that’s why I almost always add a bit of darkness to each image.

6. You have a few different series of work called Warehouse, Stairs, Lot and Framed. They almost all feature different characters passing through or located within these wide expansive spaces, almost as they are trapped in some sort of limbo. Can you talk a little bit about the concept behind each series of work and how they differ? Which was the hardest to create and why did you choose to put your characters in such expansive spaces?

If you scroll way back in my Instagram feed, you’ll see a ton of wide, expansive beach photos with little people. We are lucky enough to have a beach house on the Oregon coast on one of the prettiest beaches anywhere. It’s 3.75 miles / 6 km of expansive sand, sky and waves. I’m pretty sure that’s where my interest in this “look” started. Now that I’ve moved more into 3D work, I’ve been able to create this same feeling but in made-up spaces – a street of non-descript warehouse buildings, giant staircases, or a large parking lot. All of these series are 3D work. The “Framed” series is photography. Oddly, I added the dark frames around the figures to close them in a little bit. Maybe that’s the opposite of what I’ve been doing, I don’t know.

7. Additionally, what is your creative process when creating and working on a new series of work? Where do you go for inspiration and when do you consider a body of work finished?

I have a collection of images I love on Pinterest, and I’ll often go there for inspiration. I also have an RSS reader on my phone and I subscribe to several art blogs. When I need a break from the news, I browse through these images and save what I like to Pinterest. Sometimes I feel a series needs to have a set number of images (can you really do just two?). But honestly, I’m just “done” with it when I’ve moved on to something else. I don’t worry about completing it, really. I also know that it’s possible I’ll come back to a series later and explore more themes. So maybe none of them are really done!

8. Your work is created through a combination of photography and digital art. How did you discover this method of working and how does using digital art add to your artistic goals? What do you gain by using this method as opposed to just using purely photographs or purely digital art?

My early images were all heavily manipulated photographs. When I started learning 3D software, I found it interesting to add some simple 3D elements to these images, such as a skyline of buildings. As my skills increased, I found I wanted to create everything from scratch. If I envisioned the inside of a giant stone-block pyramid, I wanted to create it! So, I guess this technique turned my photography more into “painting.” A painter can add any elements he/she wants. A photographer can’t always do that (how about an elephant on a car?) without an unlimited budget and resources. Truth be told, neither can I because I do run into technical limitations (I’m no good at fire, smoke, water, etc.). But, nevertheless, I love creating these new, impossible worlds that I would never be able to photograph.

9. Your imagery reminds me of Heterotopia, a term coined by by philosopher Michel Foucault to describe “certain cultural, institutional and discursive spaces that are somehow ‘other’: disturbing, intense, incompatible, contradictory or transforming. Heterotopias are worlds within worlds, mirroring and yet upsetting what is outside.” Although the term is referenced mainly to real world places, such as prisons and ships, I often feel that it works well to describe the worlds or places within images and art. Do you consider your work to exist in a place and time that is not our own and should art reflect reality? Also, what do you think that viewers get out of looking at imagery that could be considered otherworldly? Is art a good form of escapism?

I’ve been told repeatedly that my work is dark and brooding and evokes a feeling of loneliness, but that it always offers a little bit of hope. My wish is that I always capture that second part. That my work can be so dark and lonely is strange since I’m not those things is real life. I love joking around and I have a lot of friends. So I think these dark worlds are just a reflection of something that interests me, or maybe it’s a reflection of some of the darker periods of my life. Either way, I’m drawn to this feeling in artwork, and not just my own. I suppose the viewers get out of these fantasy places the same thing I get out of it; a little story that would be impossible to experience in our everyday lives.

10. I really find your series Stairs intriguing, as it’s one of the only series that involve several characters in one frame. Can you talk a bit about how adding more than one character in the frame changes the narrative dynamic of your images and why a lot of the other series only contain one person per image?Additionally, how important are narrative and ambiguity to your work?

A lot of those “Stairs” images show a single figure separated from a group. Usually the single figure is ascending the stairs. I love exploring the issue of fitting in, or wanting to fit in, or maybe not caring to fit in and ascending to something better. I’m not sure it’s important to tell a story with an image – some images tell no story but are compelling nevertheless – but it’s surely what I’m drawn to and aspire to.

11. I find the time period of your work to be interesting as it harks back to an earlier period such as the 1940s, which adds a sense of nostalgia to the imagery. Do you think that people respond to ‘nostalgic’ imagery in a more reflective way and how do you think your work would differ if you had chosen to clothe the characters with more modern attire?

I apply heavy texturing and layers to my images in order to give them a painterly or old-fashioned look, like old prints from the attic. I suppose that’s why it makes more sense to outfit my characters in more dated attire. Even back when I was shooting on the beach in Oregon, I’d put the camera down as soon as my distant subject pulled out his phone. To me, that technology “ruined” the image. However, I’m changing my tune a little now. In some of those “Stairs” images, there is a man on a phone.

12. You are currently based in Seattle. Do you think your location has any impact upon the images you create?

Sure! Seattle is known as a dark and rainy place. (It really isn’t that bad, but please don’t move here!) And I think that informs the aesthetic. I suppose if I started my photography on the beaches of Hawaii (where I lived in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s) I would have a totally different look to my work today. Seattle is a moody, tearful, beautiful woman, and she shows up in my work all the time.

13. You often sell your work as prints, which are available here. How have you found running a creative business and do you think that artists can sometimes sacrifice the quality of their work for the benefit of making more money?

I love making prints of my work. Somehow they look more complete and permanent on paper. When I get a print order for something I haven’t printed before, it’s exciting for me to see how it will transform on paper. But, with that said, I’m not worried about how many prints I sell. I think if I were, I’d lose interest in creating the work because “the sale” would always be in the back of my mind.

14. How important is it for you to show or document the creative process of your work? Do you ever show your ‘failed’ images and should artists be more open about the creative process?

I haven’t really shared much of my creative process, except in interviews like this. I’ve thought about it, though. Perhaps I could post several “in process” images of my work along with the finished piece. Or even do a video outlining the process on Instagram. But then I also like there to be a bit of mystery surrounding the work. I think it might take something away from the finished piece if three seconds later the viewer is seeing a screenshot or movie of how it was created. So, I struggle with this and have so far avoided it. But I’ve always been open to answering questions and revealing techniques when I am asked.

15. Do you think that the rise in digital photography has made changed the way photographers work for the better? Is it a good thing that we’re able to shoot a high number of images quickly, delete frames at will and are able to edit images so that the original files are almost unrecognisable? Has this made photographers lazier in their approach to image making?

I think digital photography has been an amazing development in creativity. Back in the film days, I could shoot for a whole evening before realizing back at the lab that I was doing something really wrong. Today, you can play around with your camera shooting dozens or hundreds of shots in a day, refining as you go. Try this trick: Go to a photographable location in your area (maybe an old part of your city, or a beautiful landscape) and commit to shooting 100 photos in an hour or so. I bet in there you’ll have at least one or two great shots. Looking at those shots, you’ve learned something for your next outing. This speed of learning and refining was not possible with film. And when it comes to editing images beyond recognition, I say, why not? Is that not art, too? Some people are adamant about posting only what comes out of the camera, and I think that’s valid, too. But others, like myself, like to move beyond that and “paint” something new with photographic elements. That’s no less valid.

16. In this current society, do you think that art is important, and do you think that social media has altered the way we view art?

I think art is extremely important. It’s in more places than we realize. It’s in the architecture we explore. It’s in the food on our plates. It’s in the clothes we wear. It’s not just framed and hanging on walls. Social media has impacted how we view one type of art (photography mostly) but it’s also exposed us to art in the buildings, plates, and clothes of faraway places.

17. Can anyone be an artist? Is there a difference between image takers and image makers?

Sure, I think anyone can be an artist. Now, if you mean “artist” in the sense of “make a living doing art,” maybe not. But in the broad definition, yes, anyone can be an artist, and everyone should try to create something compelling in their lives … whether it’s a song, a signature dish, a piece of furniture, a photo, or a painting.

18. In your opinion, what makes a good piece of art? What was the last image/piece of media that captivated you and what was it about it that left an impression on you?

I’m drawn to art that surprises me. An unexpected or hidden element. A surprising technique. Or a twist on a classic. I love following the work of artists who follow a theme, but don’t adhere to the theme so closely that you keep seeing the same thing over and over. I like to see something new around the corner all the time. I return to the work of Edward Hopper constantly. I love his color use and mood. Andrew Wyeth also; he is a master of composition. And Darren Waterston creates lovely abstract worlds that are gorgeous reflections of nature. I also love the 3D artwork of Ray Caesar as well as the paintings of Aron Wiesenfeld. Caesar is fantastically twisted, and Wiesenfeld is deliciously dark.

19. What is your favourite image you’ve produced so far and why? Additionally, how often do you search for inspiration and do you ever feel pressure to create work as your career has progressed?

One favourite? Impossible! I have different moods all the time. I always think I love my most recent piece, but the lustre soon fades only to be replaced by my next new piece. I certainly have several older images I have continued to love. But I’d be hard pressed to pick a single favourite.

I look for inspiration all the time – on the street, on blogs, in museums, in magazines. But I never put pressure on myself to create. OK, I’ll admit that having an Instagram account does put some pressure on you to post, but for the most part, I create when I’m in the mood. If the mood doesn’t strike, I move on to something else!

20. Copyright, especially in the technological age, is a huge problem. What actions do you take to ensure that your work is not being used without your permission, and have you had any experiences with plagiarism? Is this an issue that you think about and what are your thoughts about intellectual property rights for artists?

I have seen some minor instances of plagiarism of my work, mostly online. It always appears to be a kid in a faraway country who has lifted my work and posted it as his own. I’ll sometimes comment and ask for it to be taken down, but honestly, I don’t waste too much time on stuff like that. Other than that, my original digital files are my artwork, so I don’t share them unless I have a contract of some kind protecting me.

21. Are there any questions you’d like to ask the next artist I interview?

I would love to hear from the next artist: “How easy is it for you to create what you create? Describe a frustrating art day as well as a fulfilling one, and give us an idea of how often you experience each.”

22. What are you currently working on and where can readers find more about your and your work?

I’m continuing to polish my 3D skills so I can expand upon some of that work. I’ve also had an inkling to create some abstract work, but honestly, I’m having trouble knowing where to begin. This may be one of those ideas that never makes it beyond the “thinking about it” stage. I’ve also been feeling that I might want to spend a little time returning to my roots of photography. It’s been a while since I’ve created an image using mostly photographic elements, and I’ve been feeling the itch to do that again.

People can see all of my work on Instagram under @tonyinseattle. Also, my website www.tonynahra.com has a selection of my images as well as links to interviews and such. Prints are available by contacting me directly on Instagram or through my website.