Photos by Boogie

This is one of the most insightful interviews I’ve read in a while. Boogie’s work continues to astonish me. Not only for the beauty of his images, but also for their honesty. We’ve featured some of Boogie’s work before. Here and here, but I recommend you checking out some of his photo books as well. Sclusey F, Morgan? That means you. Recently, Matthew Newton spoke with famed culture photographer Boogie, about the impact of his work, his life as an immigrant and the lure of the American Dream. In short, Boogie’s images give us a window to view realities that we’d otherwise never encounter. I said it well, but Matthew said it better:

Boogie’s photographs have the power to knock the wind out of you, or set a fire in your mind. His shots are provocative in an unexpected way. Amidst violence, sorrow, and grim reality, he manages to wring clarity and beauty from the chaos.

When you hear the term, “the American dream,” what does it mean to you?

[The American dream] used to mean something, but now I think it’s dead. Before coming to the U.S., I had this vision of Americans starting their little business and succeeding based on their hard work and good ideas. Nowadays, you open your little coffee shop, you do great, and then Starbucks comes and destroys you. Or you pay your health insurance every month for years, then you get sick and the insurance company won’t cover you, so you go bankrupt. You hear more and more stories of normal, middle-class people struggling to meet ends. Doesn’t sound like a dream any more.

Do you think this means that life in America has become harder, or that life in the 21st Century is just more difficult as a whole?

I think life is more difficult in general, but it doesn’t make any sense to me. With all the technological advancements we see, people’s lives should be easier, not harder.

Photos By Boogie

When you first arrived in New York, did you experience culture shock?

Of course, it was a huge culture shock. I’d never been to the States prior to moving here. So whatever I knew about the U.S., I learned through the movies. It meant I knew nothing. In the movies, even police detectives have amazing lofts in the heart of the city, and there I was in my studio in Queens without TV, just a mattress and an old radio. So it was rough. But what can you do? You accept it and get through it. It took a while to adjust. And if you ask me if I would do it all over again? Nope, never.

How do you select a topic or person to photograph? And once that choice is made, how do you gain the trust needed to shoot such intimate photographs?

I don’t really select a topic or person [for my photos], or have a method of gaining trust. I just go with the flow and things somehow work out. I try not to judge people and approach them with an open heart, with respect. And people recognize that and feel ok with me. Most of the shots that I have of gang members with guns and people shooting up I have because they asked me to take them. You can’t really ask people if you can shoot them in those situations—imagine going to the projects and asking people to take photos of them with guns? It wouldn’t end well.

What attracted you to photography as a career?

It’s simply the only thing I can imagine myself doing.

Visit True/Slant for the full interview