Our close friend and collaborator Robby Staebler visited Cleveland last month and brought along a few of his favorite cameras.  The following photographs are the result of that trip.  Here is a short interview I did with Robby about his work.

Me: Robby, what are you trying to achieve with your photography?

Robby:  I want people to look at my photos and get the same weird feelings I do when I see them. If that happens then I am somehow connected to the viewers through my own past and become a bit of a time travel guide to my previous experiences for the audience. I don’t really stage my photos in the sense that most think of when they hear that word. I don’t have grand ideas of complex photographs, I simply choose to photograph people in situations where there are no extra distractions in the frame. Basically I avoid time signatures. I want people to not know when I took the photos. Timelessness is part of what I aim for.

Me: Why do you get “weird” feelings from looking at your photographs? Or I should ask, what are these weird feelings you get?

Robby:  I wont say because the people who read this will think about what I defined instead of feeling it out.   It would contaminate the specimen.

Me: Who/what are your influences, photographers and otherwise?

Robby:  Consciousness is my main influence.  Absorbing everything around me.  I listen to a lot of Brian Eno when I’m working in the dark, sometimes it’s too heavy when it’s pitch black, it really puts me in a strange place. I think that physical and audible contact effects end results in a big way.    I’ve had a lot of photographic influences, but over the years I have come to respect Sally Mann’s work the most. It makes me feel close to what’s important.  I sound like a fucking robot.

Me:  How has your approach to shooting evolved since we were roommates two years ago?

Robby:  My approach is the same.   I just shoot other formats now which slows me down . I’ve been shooting  4×5 and 8×10. The pace difference is pretty significant from using my Hasselblad. It’s good this way.  I have been feeling like everything in my life is going warp speed, so using big cameras is helping to balance out my mental wildness.

Me:  Thanks for the words and the wonderful pictures.

Go to Robby’s website designed by my bro (graystatic.com): www.robbystaebler.com

By Kurt on 11/24/09