Interview Sarah Palmer

It was the romance that initially drew me to photography.

Name: Sarah Palmer
Hometown: Southern California and more recently Portland, Maine.
Style of photography: Serendipitous
Type of camera(s): Hasselblad 501c/m, Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, and my sweet sweet Fujica GS645
Website: www.sarahpalmer.net, Flickr

What gives you inspiration?

The people I met in art school are my biggest inspiration. Seeing the new work they are creating and being able to include them in my creative process and me in theirs is something that drives me forward every day. As for subject matter I’m most inspired by experimental films, mistakes, weird science facts, outer space, and light.

What are your influences?

I’m influenced by all the great photographers I see every day: on photography websites, blogs, Flickr, out publishing magazines and books. It’s hard to not be influenced by other photographers when you have almost unlimited access to new, interesting photography being made today.

Why did you choose these photos?

These photos are all part of different projects that I’m working on, and are good examples of the mediums I use and type of images I generally make. The plane shot is a Polaroid, and from a series I just finished called “Bodies in Motion”. The portrait and the tree are both new work I made with my Hasselblad, and the last image is actually a color photograph I altered using chlorine bleach for my BFA thesis show at CalArts.

What does photography mean to you?

Photography to me is everything, I can’t imagine living my life without it. It is not only a tool for describing ourselves historically, but also for better understanding ourselves and the nature of our universe. It’s very romantic in its ability to celebrate each moment in time and light. It was the romance that initially drew me to photography, while the understanding and describing parts are what keep me challenged and engaged every time I pick up a camera or think about a photograph.

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