Nikko Interviews Alan!
Nikko: The standard question must be asked, why do you take pictures?
Hey, thanks for asking Nikko.
When I smell onions being sauteed, I immediately think of the meal that comes next because this experience has been reinforced over and over again. You can smell them, too.
When I hear an old song, I relive the emotions I’ve attached to it from hundreds of listens. Sometimes those emotions are based on the lyrics, and sometimes they’re based on an event I associate with the song. You can hear the song but may not feel what I do.
But when I see one of my pictures, I remember details that have faded with time. I am reminded of things that I’ve completely forgotten. These experiences may be from last year or from years ago. But when I see that picture, it comes rushing back as if it just happened. And then I can show others, explain the setting, and convey some of that experience.
Nikko: Can you give an example?
Why, yes I can. This picture was taken for a promotional during my time at LSU. I don’t recall whether the promotion was successful or not, and less than half of the people in this photo even remember taking it. For some reason I kept a copy of it, otherwise I may have not remembered it either.
They–the powers that be–wanted a look from the 1800′s. So, we put on our best clothes, gathered our weapons, and headed for a local saloon. It was about nine in the morning on a Saturday, and there was no one around (thankfully). I remember riding my motorcycle while wearing that six shooter and hoping the police didn’t stop me. But now as we look back on that picture, we instantly remember the experience and the special moments we shared with each other.
Nikko: It looks like you’ve been involved in photography for a really long time.
Not as long as the picture above would imply. I started taking pictures about a year out of high school. That was the first time I could afford a real camera. So, I’m not counting the Polaroid camera I got when I was 10 years old (sadly, none of those pictures survived). But only in the last few years have I gotten serious about taking pictures again. Hurricane Katrina showed us all how fast things can change. If we haven’t made a record of the present, then we forget the past.
This is a picture I took of the Waterbury’s Drug Store on Canal Street in New Orleans (circa 1980). The Sheraton Hotel was being constructed around it and was later opened in 1982. Now the drug store is gone, but I can still look at this picture and recall fondly what Canal Street looked like thirty years ago.
When I combine pictures with music, it can convey an ever stronger message. I’m in the processes of posting a video I made from photographs I took on a BSU retreat during my college days. We all had so much potential. Some of us have gone on to do amazing things…others have just gone on. But, I look back on each and every one of them with only the fondest of memories.
Nikko: Any current projects?
Yes, I’ve been working with lighting effects and post production. Here’s an example:
I took individual pictures of each of these fine specimens using one light positioned directly to their right. The exposure was set to make the background look black. Each picture was then cropped and adjusted to have the look I wanted in post production. Family photos have sure changed.
Nikko: So, what’s next?
I’m starting to experiment with video. I hope to have some example soon.
Nikko: Any parting thoughts?
Yes, when we take pictures or shoot video, we’re setting markers in our past. We can then return to those markers and remember great detail of our past. I only wish I would have created more markers. If you have the opportunity to create these, then do so with all your creative powers. You won’t regret it.
Now, where’s the party.
Nikko’s Bio (in his own third-person):
Nikko has been in the public eye for over 70 years. Almost everyone has seen Nikko, but most didn’t know Nikko’s name. Nikko was the leader of the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. Nikko never spoke in the movie, but today Nikko has much to say on many topics.
Such as…
Electricity. Too much, hurts.
A classic!