Really pleased to have Evan Baden MULL IT OVER with me … I have been a fan since I first saw his project The Illuminati. Hope you all enjoy this one as much as me.

JONATHAN CHERRY: What is your favourite breakfast meal?

EVAN BADEN: 3 egg omelette with ham, green pepper, onion, tomato, and cheese. Toast with peanut butter. Glass of orange juice.

JC: I noticed you were featured in a recent issue of Foam … how did that come about? Were you pleased with the quality of the printed images? 

EB: I am not exactly sure where the people at FOAM found my work. One day I got an email from their managing editor asking if they could present my work for their Peeping issue. I am not a frequent reader of the magazine, but I knew of it and jumped at the chance to have my work published in it. And having the opportunity for someone else to write about it was really excellent.

I was pleased with the printing, although some of the colors were not right on. There always seems to be problems with my images when they head to the printers. Many times they appear too dark, which also makes them look over saturated. But overall I was pleased.

JC: With regards to your recent project Technically Intimate - was it ever a little awkward while photographing? Were the models friends or strangers? If any were indeed strangers how did you find them?

EB: In the beginning it was awkward. I did not really know how to go about finding models for my images. I began with asking friends if they knew anyone that might be interested, which took a long time. 

I ended up making the image of the couple (Alice and Ryan) first. I met the young woman in the image through my old roommates girlfriend. I liked that because I had someone to vouch for the work that I had done in the past and for the work that I wanted to make. After that first image, I began to search for strangers to model. I used CraigsList (which is a place to post online classifieds) to search out models. I was really looking for people that hadn’t done much, if any, modeling. 

I would say that for about 3/4 of the images in the project, the models were strangers. The other 1/4 were people that I had some sort of connection with.

I still have trouble, after all of the lighting tests are done, asking the model to undress. I just never really know how to go about doing that.

JC: Your previous project The Illuminati have been rather successful in the photographic world - why do you think this is?

EB: I think that viewers just really have a connection with the characters in the images. The viewer can so easily put themselves in place of the figures. I have seen other photographers make images that are similar to mine, but I don’t feel that connection. There is just something very intimate about the images that I made for that project. 

I think the other thing that makes The Illuminati special is the light. The way that I lit those images really gives the viewer a sense of place. It helps to ground the characters. With the other images that I have seen, the backgrounds are usually very dark, or the image just appears to be a floating face. The images that I shot just have more context to them, which I think is a big key to their success. 

What I can’t figure out is why they have been so popular in Europe as opposed to the U.S.

JC: How important has promotion and exposure been with regards to The Illuminati? Any tips?

EB: I have always thought that promotion was 50% of being an artist. It’s maybe a bad way to look at it, but I see the artist and their work as a product. You can make the work, but if no one ever sees it, was there a point? For me, I make work not only for myself, but because I want to say something to others. That’s important to me.

Even before I have finished a body of work, I begin sending it out to all sorts of places. I send to museums a lot, but have now begun to send work to galleries as well. Also, whenever I travel anywhere, I always try and set up a meeting with the curator at the museum there. It is a great way to get some face time and actually talk about the work you are making.

And if you find a curator that likes your work, have them recommend places that you should send other portfolios. Recipients are much more likely to give the work a look if it is coming with a recommendation.

I also think that juried competitions are really great things to apply to. I always look at who is judging the show. If it is someone that I want to see my work, I usually apply. For me, juried shows are really only about getting something in front of one of the jurors. They have to see your work if you submit.

One final thing: if you are going to send out a portfolio of work to someone, make it memorable. I know a lot of people will send out discs or web addresses, but those require work on the part of the curator or whoever is receiving it. I always send contact prints of my 4x5 negatives. They are small, but give the receiver an idea of what the work looks like instantly, without the need for a computer. Plus, they are cool, unique, and something that many of the people I send them to end up keep for a long time. And sometimes they may be more apt to look at something like that because it is unique.

JC: What is next for you photographically?

EB: I have to finish Technically Intimate first. Then, I have become really interested in how porn is connected to the learned sexual behaviors of youths. I touch on it a little in Technically Intimate, but I would like to explore it more in depth and maybe a little different stylistically.

JC: In your opinion what makes a successful portrait?

EB: Connection with the viewer. The most successful portraits are those that the viewer connects with the subject.

JC: Any tips for recent photography graduates?

EB: I guess it is the same thing I would say to current students: Work, Work, Work. 

Create as much work as possible and don’t ever let money be an excuse not to make work. Sometimes it really is a sacrifice to try and make work. For a while I had no money for 4x5 film, so I started shooting super 8 video film one frame at a time. That would get me over 3000 images to a roll. At least I could still make work. Now with digital there is really no excuse to not be exploring.

JC: Any other thoughts?

EB: If anyone asks you about the project you are currently working on, you should be able to sum it up in less then 3 lines.