Member Moment: Tony McCall

Tony McCall is a long time Film Club Member and Student Ambassador. His photos have been featured in our Member Shows and in our University Student Show where his photo won third place. This week we decided to interview Tony to see a larger collection of his images and to get to know his relationship with photography.

Q: What got you interested in film photography?
A: I became intrigued with film photography by exploring black and white Tumblr blogs, as well as watching the documentaries Everybody Street (2013, dir. Cheryl Dunn) and Finding Vivian Maier (2014, dir. John Maloof, Charlie Siskel) back in high school. 

Q: What type of camera do you shoot with, and what kind of film do you usually use?
A: Currently, I am using a little Ricoh camera, and I typically shoot Kodak Ultramax and Tri-X stocks. But I’m a sucker for Ektar and Gold.

Q: There are a mix of color and black and white images within this collection of photos. What do you like about each type of film? 
A: I love how some images just bleed with color, rather than others. And I’m also a big fan of grain.

Q: There is a mix of up close and more landscape photos within this collection as well as day time and night time photos. What is it about something that makes you take a photo of it? 
A: I photograph in an unusual way. I usually take my photos pretty spontaneously. Life’s surreal and I like to capture moments that display those emotions worth remembering. 

Q: Many of your photos in this series are taken on the street. What do you enjoy about photographing street scenes and what is challenging about it? 
A: Street Photography is one of my favorite mediums to shoot because of its playfulness and the endless opportunities. You never know what you’re gonna get! That’s the most exciting part I think, the exploration, and the chase. One of the most challenging aspects about street photography though is getting over your fears. I often say to myself, “Damn, I wish I took a photo,” but hey, the chase is still there. 

Q: Out of all these images, which is your favorite and why? 
A: Out of all of these images, I think my favorite is the dogs! It makes me chuckle whenever I look at it. It's good to laugh. 

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