SentimentalMichelle Groskopf

SentimentalMichelle Groskopf

Anna Condo: You are one of the most productive photographers I know. Do you shoot every day?

Michelle Groskopf: Back when I lived in New York City I started running. At first I could only run about two blocks. That was my limit and it frustrated me, so I kept at it. I’d run every day, rain or shine, ice on the ground — I didn’t care. I’d get out there and do my daily route regardless of my mood and it became something extremely special to me. It was a meditation. I would think my thoughts and forget about the path, because it was usually the same route over and over. Before I knew it I got better. The more I did it the farther I could run. It was simple. In a couple of years I went from two blocks to 20 miles.

That was one of the single greatest lessons of my life. Do the work, put in the miles and you will get better. When I got to L.A., I put the same rigorous schedule in place for my photography. It’s replaced running as my meditation and I’d like to think I’ve gone from two blocks to 20 miles with it, as well. I have an obsessive personality when it comes to the things I love so if I’m not out there shooting I’m spending time reading up on gear and lighting, editing photos, etcetera. It’s a huge part of my life.

What constitutes a great shoot day? And what makes a great picture?

A great shoot day has everything to do with energy — the energy I’m putting out while I’m working and the energy people return to me. Those are the two things that matter the most. If I’m in a great mood and I’m open, people

can feel it. They often want to reciprocate and will open themselves up to my camera in return. It’ll be a day where I’m seeing all sorts of people and details that thrill me and they offer themselves up without any tension. That’s a great day and it always shows in the photos. I’ll come home with work that really summed up the environment I was in, summed up the mood or vibe of the day. A good day flows; it’s full of movement and goodwill.

A great photo for me has everything to do with stillness, balance and pointedness. It conveys emotion or an idea in a very simple, to-the-point sort of package with little else to distract you from its meaning. You look at it and right away you get a little message from me. I often photograph people, faces and moments in the midst of a lot of action, but am able to frame it in a very still way. I’m stop-ping time to show you things that thrill me in the hope that they’ll thrill you too. A great photo also takes me back emotionally to my youth. I’m a sentimental person and often have memories triggered by things I see when I’m simply going about my day. Those are gifts and I want to bottle them and think about how they make me feel. I use my camera to do that. Those feelings are fleeting and I often want to hang on to them a bit longer.

Tell me about hitting the street or the market on Sundays. How does it affect you, body and soul?

I’m coming to grips with the fact that I like the thrill of it. There is nothing I do that can compare to it. Those feelings of creating and of danger side by side. I like being that present and in-the-moment. I turn into part eagle, part hummingbird. My vision shifts and I can see the tiniest of details from blocks away. It sounds like bullshit but it’s true. My senses become extremely heightened, I’m 100 per cent focused on what’s happening around me and my adrenaline is pumping. When I’m done for the day, especially if it was a big one or an eventful one, I come down from it, I want to

Q&A with Anna Condo

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Uncle Monte

For Sasha Tivetsky, my love and partner. Together, everything is possible.

To Julien Beaupré Ste-Marie and a lifelong friendship started over a glass of wine in West Hollywood.

To MaryAnn Camilleri for believing in this strange thing I do and having the heart to share it.

To my family for your inspiration and love. The big hair and colourful nails, the bagels, the backyards and the mall — you are at the root of all of it.

To Anna Condo for your encouragement, your mentorship and, above all, your friendship.

And finally, to every last one of you who made art with me in the street. This is all for you.

Aaron ShinnLiza SilinaSera SloaneAline SmithsonSamuel SmothermanBrian SokolowskiBrian SorensenLandon SpeersKim Spencer-NairnSarah SteinbergAshly StohlChris StoltzElli StuhlerWill SweeneyPhilip TabahBarry TalisShawn TheodoreGiulia ThinnesEve ThomasSergei TivetskyPayton TurnerAl UrlacherDavid ValeraSinzi VelicescuAndreas VogtChris VossMark WaingerKen WaltonSkyid WandNichole WashingtonSusan WeberDebra WenofEliza WexelmanJojo WhildenDavid WilliamsKristiina WilsonRebecca WiltshireCharlene WinfredKenneth WoodhouseTara WrayClif WrightJoshua WrightToby Ziff

Thank you, everyone!