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I can see his struggle to be at peace with his environment. A cigarette would put his mind at ease but he recently quit. He still buys a pack time and again, then crushes it and throws it away. He's human. It seems that he's uncomfortable sitting for too long. His demeanor is logical and at ease but not without struggle. His eyes go in and out of contact for fear someone will figure out how to remove him from his cage. His fingers collapse between each other except for the index fingers. They point straight to the sky while his forehead slides down the ridge of his hand. Poetry and light... Scott Council tames potentially chaotic environments by the use of light thus creating what some might struggle to understand, poetry. Every face is a blank page and with the manipulation of light, Scott Council has shown in his photography that not unlike language, every person is unique and complex. It is Scott's thirst to communicate that truth which keeps him apart from an oversaturated community of trend followers instead of trendsetters. Scott is a Pasadena Arts Center graduate and a California native. He is crisp and concerned. His attention to detail is limited to the truth which light can shed but more importantly, the truth that lurks beneath the shadows in between. It's obvious that Scott loves his subjects. They seem to trust Scott and take the time to expose themselves over and over again despite the fact that he offers zero promises that he won't reveal their vulnerable nature because he captures their strengths and weaknesses in every image. No man or woman is summed up by his or her strength or weakness. They are defined by their humility and ability to communicate the truth and Scott is no different, he simply captures this struggle on film and forces us to see who we truly are.
Let's not pretend for a second or two or even a moment that people want to know what inspired you to be a photographer, instead at what point in your photography career will you be able to look yourself in the mirror and see the man you dreamed of being ten years ago? Along the path I started ten years ago I became so obsessed with lifting the veil on things. I wanted to see the face under the material who is that person. I wanted so bad to say something about the human experience and have an effect. I guess in that way I feel that I have reached that point with in myself I feel very clear about what I am communicating now.
Aside from trying to decide what you and your wife are going to eat for dinner, what has been the hardest decision you've had to make as a professional and as an artist?
We live in a world of distraction from truth. I try to say something profound about the whole of all people. We have culture that is built around this advertising image of the happy face, the gimmick. All the good people are happy? So we try to cover up what we really are. What if human beings are powerful, strong, and we have some control over who we are? It is the totality of our sadness and our happiness that makes us unique. No amount of drugs or overly happy people on TV is ever going to change that. So I have tried to develop a style that feels internal and shows the range of humanity.
What do you think photography today lacks and how have you contributed to filling that hole? We tell our children to be who they are, being themselves but when we go to work we create images and ideas that are removed from that. There has to be a way to for all people in the media not just photography to make create that reality in our work.
You've heard the old saying, "You can't teach height?" If you haven't heard that saying, you have now. Are you more drawn to technically savvy photography or simple photos where the subject tells the story?
Has the advancement of digital photography encouraged you to compromise some of your artistic values?
Okay, let's get it out of the way, three artists that have truly inspired your style. and what did they do in their work that captivated your senses? First off you James James for helping me to realize that being artist and being honest is a good thing to dedicate your life to. Ginger Cho my wife for showing how elegance and beauty exist everywhere in all things. Bill Hendricks for teaching me to see the world and communicate my point of view.
This will be the last question I ask. You can't take it with you when you die, but if you could, what would you take with you?
- Contributed by James James |
