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[ May 20, 2002 ]
Bill Lusk's photography career began in 1989 when he was hired to shoot apparel for a very modest sum. Seeing as that modest sum was more than he was earning as a sculptor, and considering that he had been doing photography since high school, he took the job. The work mostly consisted of lay downs with clients who were very particular about texture and color accuracy. "It seems," says the North Carolina native, "like I was constantly asked to shoot white fabrics with a sheen next to black velvet and retain texture and color in each. Hence, my lighting skills grew rapidly as did the work."
Nowadays, lighting is an integral part of all of Lusk's work and a key component in the "hyperreality methodology." Whereas Webster's Dictionary defines "hyperrealism" as photo-realism, Lusk says the term describes the technique of looking around the obvious in a situation. For Lusk, hyperrealism is a methodology: "It's much more difficult to work that way but good creative doesn't come easily," he says.
Lusk's philosophy has evolved from the years he spent sculpting and working as a metal caster. Although Lusk considers himself a generalist when it comes to photography, his work is everything except general: He is always looking to push the boundaries of a project while meticulously controlling the light, color, and timing. The result is an instantly accessible experience of what is not seen, not to mention a client list that includes AT&T, Nike, and Delta "I'm not as concerned with what I'm shooting, it's how I'm shooting it," he says.
Altpick.com spoke to Bill Lusk in his North Carolina studio where he lives with his wife, Fran.
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What were the tenets that lead to "hyperreality"?
It came about when I was trying to think about how to market myself on a national level and to help clients understand what I was doing. My approach to shooting is a lot like my approach to sculpture and that is I always take the angle of "what is the hardest way to do this?" If I'm asked to shoot something and make it as white as possible, I'm going to figure out a way to shoot black things and make them as white as possible. My college sculpting professor said I was the most perverse guy he'd met because I would do all my sculptures this way, but people have commented on how my work brings out an emotional element rather than just being a photograph of a person or an object. Hyperreality to me is a way of thinking, a way of approaching the creative.
Do you have difficultly convincing clients of trying things the hard way?
Clients come to me because they believe in the need to use an artist's point of view in their advertising. So it's my responsibility to provide that. I look for the unusual point of view, technique, location, etc. I want to push the boundaries of our assignment until clients say, "Whoa, wait. I don't think we can do that." Then I know that we've explored the realm of possibilities for the project.
What made you transition from sculpting to photography?
I don't really see them as different. Sculpture and photography are a lot about light. They are also about putting certain materials together and making choices and decisions about what things go together and what things don't. If you are going to cast metal you are using a lot of the same thought process such as calculating light fall off. If you are looking at a sculpture of a mother and child throughout the day, the light starts to emphasis different things as you watch it. There are times of the day when the light is falling on the mother's head and you feel like the sculpture is a lot about this woman. And there are times when the light is falling low on the void, lower in her form, bringing out the form of the child. The sculptor is making you see what he wants you to see. Photography is like that for me because lighting is the key.
I would think that when sculpting you would focus on the specifics of the finite object. The way you describe your photographic process you focus on all the details outside the finite object to bring out the emotional quality.
You highlight the one obvious thing by finding all the little supporting, less obvious elements. Like, if you are trying to sell ice tea, well, ice tea is a tea bag and a refreshing looking glass. But maybe what you really like about ice tea is that cool feeling it has on your throat when it's hot outside.
Whose work do you admire?
Too many to mention: Gordon Parks, Walter Gropius, Henry Moore, Lars Topelman, Paul Aresu.
How do you keep yourself inspired?
I look. I look constantly. I watch people. I look at buildings, furniture, paintings, sculpture, landscaping. I watch a lot of videos. I look at things from many perspectives and to use as many people's points of view when looking. I'm always trying new things.
- Contributed by Mary Beth Holland
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