JONATHAN CHERRY: What did you have for breakfast this morning?

DANNO WATTS: A cup of water and a handful of trail-mix.

JC: What was the last photography book you picked up?

DW: Unseen vogue : the secret history of fashion.

JC: What is your current personal project all about?

DW: Exploring a variety of emotions with differing levels of intensity through portraits of people. God damn that sounded pretentious. Simply put; I’m taking pretty pictures of pretty people displaying raw & intense emotions.

JC: What has 2011 got in store for you?

DW: It seems like 2011 is the year of traveling and expanding out of my local market; I’ve got 6 trips to Los Angeles, 3 trips to San Francisco and 2 trips to New York all booked before april.

JC: What draws you to portraiture? 

DW: Connecting with my subjects and revealing a side of them rarely seen, let alone captured with my camera; being able to connect on a raw human level. Plus a good dick joke is bound to get a genuine smile/laugh for the camera.

JC: How did you become interested in photography?

DW: I was a graphic designer and a client needed a photo of their business for their materials. So I bought a camera and taught myself how to take photos. They were horrible photos, truly horrible, but I absolutely enjoyed taking pictures. My design business was doing well that I no longer needed to design but to just manage projects, which allowed me to pursue photography. It’s since become a wonderful outlet for my creativity, frustrations, joy and emotional distress. It’s also got the added bonus of bringing in money, allowing me opportunities to meet and work with insanely talented, creative people & create art on my terms.

JC: Top photography blogs you look at?

DW: Ben Trovato, Carlos Nunez, Jessie Craig and Chris Saunders.

JC: Any pearls of wisdom to recent photography students?

DW: Go out and fail. Take a bunch of shitty photos. Fail miserably. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re a good photographer or a horrible one. There’s something freeing with failure. Just don’t give a fuck what others are doing (easier said than done). It’s normal to feel like you’re going to be “found out” and exposed for the horrible photographer you are; insecurities keep you humble. Paranoid, but humble. Take everything with a pinch of salt … even this.

JC: Other thoughts?

DW: Thank you for interviewing me and taking the time to post this. I think it’s great that you’re promoting artists from around the world. Keep on chasing after the good, the true and the beautiful.