October 27, 2008

A conversation with Alex Webb about InSight America

Alec Soth

On the eve of the election, a number of Magnum photographers have been venturing into American to capture what they can of this historic moment in time. The project is called InSight America. But rather than publish this work as a book a year after the fact, Magnum is posting the work online and on the fly.

I caught up with Alex Webb after his recent journey to Ohio:

USA. Youngstown, Ohio. October 6, 2008. Outside bus station. © Alex Webb/Magnum Photos

Alec Soth: Hey Alex, before we start, maybe you could explain how this project emerged. Who came up with the idea of InSight? And how quickly did the concept turn into you being in Ohio.

Alex Webb: The idea of Magnum photographers going out and documenting the U.S., particularly in relationship to this historic election, has been batted about at Magnum for some time. It only coalesced as a project in September, when Fred Ritchin, Melissa Harris, and the rest of the team -- as well as some funds -- came on board. The notion of my going to Ohio came at least partially out of a personal interest of mine. It is part of a larger project that I hope to continue in the future -- to photograph in several struggling Rust Belt and Sun Belt cities.

USA. Youngstown, Ohio. October 7th, 2008. Downtown. © Alex Webb/Magnum Photos

Soth: I'm guessing you chose Ohio because it is a swing state. But was there any particular reason you chose it instead of, say, Florida. I mean, you are the author of From the Sunshine State? Have you ever previously worked in Ohio?

Webb: I chose Ohio at least partially because it is a swing state, but also because it fit into my larger idea of photographing Rust Belt and Sun Belt cities (I plan to go to Miami the week before the election.) My wife [the photographer Rebecca Norris Webb] pointed out to me an article which discussed Youngstown, Ohio as a shrinking city. The article noted not only Youngstown's drastic population drop since the closing of the steel mills, but also the innovative program started by the city's mayor to raze abandoned houses and buildings in order to reduce crime and create more green space. The city, rather than sounding the tired refrain that jobs would somehow materialize, had decided to embrace the notion of a shrinking population. I was intrigued by this.

Soth: One of the dangers of this kind of project is turning it into a smaltzy 'Day in the Life' book. In your first trip to Youngstown, you tell this great story about a peculiar groundhog type creature you keep seeing around town. In a conventional election photo-essay, there wouldn't be much emphasis on bizarre rodents. Were you worried that this sort of observation would be seen as less than relevant?

Webb: I respond to what I find -- that is one of the things that I find most exciting about this kind of photography. I never know what I will find when I step out the door. It's like embarking on a journey with no clue as to where it will lead or end. In this instance I was initially startled to find all these groundhogs on the edges of the downtown in Youngstown. The presence of these creatures strikes a serious note, in that they are a manifestation of how nature is transforming what was once a booming steel town.

USA. Youngstown, Ohio. October 7th, 2008. Watching the 2nd Obama/McCain presidential debate at Club Deja Vu, which serves as a local community meetplace. © Alex Webb/Magnum Photos

Soth: One of the comments to this story was as follows: "I'm sorry you didn't see some of the beautiful things that I get the opportunity to shoot daily as a multimedia reporter at Youngstown's newspaper... No shots of my friends and I at the martini bar, no shots of our thriving arts community, no pictures of Mill Creek Park - one of the most beautiful in the country... We're a very diverse town." If you are like me, you get this sort of reaction a lot. How do you respond?

Webb: I make no claims that my photographs -- or text -- are in any way objective. They are a personal interpretation, as is an interpretation of Youngstown as a place of "martini bars", "a thriving arts community" with a beautiful park. (I do, by the way, agree with the commentator that Mill Creek Park is gorgeous.) What I am consistently struck by in Youngstown is a sense of emptiness, and of nature taking over the city.

Soth: Okay, a couple geeky questions. In one of the essays you mention working with an assistant. Can you tell me how you use assistants?

Webb: I used an assistant, Rebecca's and my intern, Justin Hunt, a photography student at Drexel, because I was working digitally seriously for the first time and was scared that 1) I might not be able to figure how to transmit images and that 2) I might do something really stupid and erase a bunch of images. I have a lot of digital anxiety. So I had Justin overseeing my digital transmissions and making sure I didn't screw up the files. For the writing -- which is unusual for me, since I rarely write anything but captions from the road -- I had Rebecca -- the poet in the family -- editing my text pieces before I submitted them. Anyway, Justin and Rebecca proved to be invaluable.

Soth: How do you feel about working digitally?

Webb: Look, there is no doubt that I am happiest using film. But in this instance it was necessary to transmit immediately. So I decided to use this opportunity to begin to try to work digitally. As the films that I have relied on for some 30 years are being discontinued, I realize that I may have to learn to work digitally. If I could just keep working with Kodachrome 64 and Kodachrome 200, and printing digitally from scans, I probably would just continue doing that. But the latter film has been discontinued. Who knows how long the former will be with us. So I am experimenting with other transparency films. I am experimenting with negative films. And I am also experimenting with digital photography.
The great thing about digital is of course being able to see right away what you have done (and to be able to transmit if appropriate). I find it quite wonderful to look at what I have done each day in the evening. On the other hand, I feel that ideally I should wait a little longer before editing my work. It's easy to not be tough enough on oneself when transmitting right away... I am now re-editing the work and it looks stronger as a result. I suspect if I re-edit it six months from now it will be stronger yet.
I also prefer film because it is tangible. I like being able to hold things in my hands -- negatives, transparencies, prints. I am uneasy just with a card or some hard drives that contain some images. I can't touch them -- are they really there??? But I suspect I will eventually get over this latter anxiety. I haven't really entered the 21st century photographically. And then there are the storage issues with digital...... I won't even begin to discuss those horrors...
I used a Leica M8, largely because it mimics the Leica M film cameras that I use regularly. It is small and unobtrusive -- very important qualities for me.

Soth: In the The Mahoning Valley story, there is a picture where you show Obama supporters going door to door. What kind of reaction did they get from people.

Webb: The Obama supporters were campaigning in Canfield Ohio, a predominantly Republican district. I was impressed with the volunteers' fortitude in continuing to go door to door in the face of opposition, ranging from polite rejections, to people not answering the door, to, in one noteworthy instance, a furious slamming of the door. Towards the end of our tour of the neighborhood a few Obama supporters emerged -- to the relief of the volunteers.

Soth: In the same story, you talk about a registered Democrat who says, "I'm not much on the two candidates. I liked Romney," She goes on to say she "really, really like Edwards." What is going on here? And be honest, do some of these undecided voters drive you crazy. I mean, c'mon, make up your mind already.

Webb: I am as baffled as you are....

Links
» Alex Webb's Magnum Portfolio
» Alex Webb's "Youngstown"
» Alex Webb's "Youngstown 2"
» Alex Webb's "Debate Watchers in Youngstown"
» InSight America Website
» Alex Webb's Books (in the Magnum Store)

Published on the Magnum Blog on October 27, 2008

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