the beginning

When my Dad gave me a book of Edward Weston’s photographs, I saw photography as a way to create a visual interpretation of an object, an idea, or a person. Around the same time, I got my first camera and I mostly photographed my cat, Frisky.  Very quickly, my interests broadened beyond photographing this feline subject!

I began to photograph friends and family, and document my travels.

In high school, I was feature editor of the newspaper. My friend Irene and I published a regular column on places to go and things to do in New York City. Here is Irene…along with her grandmother.

For the feature stories, I began to interview actors and artists, to understand their approach and their work. Combining interviews and photographs,or “words and images” would define my career direction. When I was defining the research for a major travelling exhibition on California Photography as a curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I developed the essay afterinterviewing more than 60 photographers, curators, and critics,  Later on, when I began working at Microsoft, I designed Web sites which combined “words and images” to make the experience more intuitive for users to complete their interactions.

When I went graduate school at California College of Arts, I became interested in photographing people and their environment. For my Master’s Thesis project, I returned to the community where I spent my formative years, and photographed and interviewed the residents. You can see a sample of that work below as well as in the “New Bayside” section on this site.

I have been drawn to photography for various reasons: I enjoy taking pictures and the actual production process which creates a visible representation of what I have seen. I enjoy the action of photographing, which creates an interaction between myself and what I am seeing. I also appreciate the quiet solitude in the darkroom (now digital), and the individual interpretation involved in processing the images. While I considered majoring in film in college, I decided to continue in art as I thought that the film world was too male- dominated and I might have difficulty being supported.

I always knew I did not want to spend my time selling myself and my work and so I decided to pursue a different path in photography, as a museum curator.  I was very fortunate to position myself in the right place, at the right time, and to grow my skills, so that I was hired in a curatorial role at the San Francisco Museum of Modern art.

At SFMOMA, I was able to view lots of photographs, meet many artists and photographers. Basically, I found a way to stay involved in fine art photography and support myself, without having to rely on my own “art” or salesmanship to make a living.  Perhaps it was meeting commercial and art photographers who were successful, yet hardened by the hustle and the constant need to market themselves. I chose not to deal with that.

Instead, I chose to photograph for myself, documenting my journey and travels. I hope you enjoy a small selection on the Web site of that body of work.

Louise Katzman Kurabi