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Michael Kirchoff: Some of my earliest memories are of flipping through the
pages of National Geographic Magazine and being dazzled by the photos contained
within their covers. Every page was a new and exotic location that I’d never
heard of, and I was completely mesmerized by it all. It wasn’t just the thought
of traveling to these exotic locations, but noticing how mankind was changing
and shaping the existing landscape with its very own marvels of science and
architecture. The structures that different people and cultures have
constructed throughout history have always fascinated me. My parents,
particularly my father, had a deep love of history, and this contributed to my
desire to get out and explore. Around the same time I was given my first camera
for my birthday, and used it extensively on a trip that I had been inspired to
plan myself, while I was between the ages of seven and ten. My parents and I
traveled by car throughout the Western U.S. for a month while I snapped away,
and I was hopelessly addicted to travel and exploration of both the natural and
man made world from then on.
The power derived from shooting this subject matter comes
from creating images that give you a definite sense of the scale and magnitude,
revere the past, and at the same time present them with an air of mystery. This
mystery that I love to inject into my work is what I hope brings people to go
out and discover these and other places for themselves. I’m a big advocate of
getting out there and experiencing the wonders of this planet yourself. People
need to leave their fears behind and not let it keep them from discovering the
things that have the potential to bring them great happiness. Search and you
will find, so to speak.
AK: Where are some of your
favorite places to travel -- Top 5 locations you have photographed?
MK: That is a difficult question, but I’ll do my best to keep it
down to five. Here’s the basic list that comes to mind at present: St.
Petersburg, Russia; Prague, Czech Republic; Beijing, China; Harbour Island,
Bahamas; and Lake Baikal, Siberia. Within the U.S however, I could shoot
forever in places like NYC or San Francisco and the Bay Area. Also, some of the
most incredible natural spaces I’ve ever encountered could be found in states
like Utah, Colorado, or along the coast of Maine. Okay, I get it, too many
already right? I told you it was difficult to keep the list brief. The immense
and varied landscape of the U.S. is always calling, and the history and culture
of Europe and Asia needs also to be experienced and documented by anyone with
even and inkling of curiosity.
The largest body of work I’ve been creating has been
photographing the cultural landscape of Russia and her former territories. It’s called “An Enduring Grace”, and I’ve
been working on it consistently since 2007. That series alone has led me to
travel solo along the original route of the Trans Siberian Railway, a journey
that I will certainly never forget. It is also one that had enabled me to visit
cities and towns I never would have seen otherwise, and bring back some truly
wonderful images. There was a bit of trepidation about going at it alone, but
then my process usually dictates that I am alone in order to achieve my desired
results.
I’ve found it quite the challenge traveling and shooting
alone throughout Russia, since I have no ties there and cannot read or speak
the language. Thankfully though, I’ve always seemed to find a way to get around
language barriers. Maybe my furious hand gestures and charades-like acting
amuse people well enough to get me into, and back out of, some difficult
places. Because of my love for travel
and history, I’ve developed a deep connection to Russia, both in terms of its
culture, and of course its people and landscape.
MK: First of all, before I leave for any location, I do a fair
amount of research. I get some travel guides, peruse Google for helpful links,
and occasionally reach out to people through social media who have insight into
where I’m headed. It doesn’t bother me to go into a location blindly, but I’d
rather have a rough outline in my head as to what I may want to achieve while
I’m there. My process often leaves much to chance, so if I can eliminate some
questions and variables while I’m out there, then much the better.
Permission to me is a relative term. I will definitely ask it
if I feel it’s my only option, but will often find my own way to get things
done if I’m refused. Going in through the out door has allowed me to get places
most people don’t get into, at least for a short time. I like to fly under the
radar whenever possible, but often stand out in a crowd, so I find the need to
be quick on my feet. I like to shoot well-known places as well, but in a much
less than conventional way than people are used to seeing. I usually find
myself taking on the role of observer while I’m shooting, so I’m constantly
hiding, stalking, and trying to predict what will happen next within my current
environment. This goes for weather I’m shooting people and events, or even an
architectural subject, as clouds and weather patterns play a key role in many
of these images.
My fine art work finds me using cameras and film that are
often unpredictable or downright problematic. I don’t know why, but for some
reason I like to make things difficult for myself while I’m working. I usually
use things like Diana and Holga toy cameras for some of the images, and a 60’s
era Graflex XL medium format press camera for others. With either camera I
sometimes forego even using the viewfinder, finding it unnecessary for my
needs. Anyone who’s ever used a toy camera knows that they can break at any
given moment, so I usually carry several. The Graflex allows me to shoot
expired Type 665 Polaroid (also very unpredictable) to get a large negative,
while still allowing me the mobility and quick reaction I like. It’s really the
best of both worlds for me, but again, it is also a camera with its own set of
quirks. Once, while traveling by ship along the Volga River between Moscow and
St. Petersburg, the lens I was using had the shutter mechanism die on me. I had
a different backup lens, but didn’t like the results I was getting with it. I
was only a couple of days into this trip and thought I had a disaster on my
hands. I went back to my cabin and with nothing to lose, began to disassemble
the lens as much as I could with the few tools I had with me. I couldn’t figure
out what was wrong exactly, but upon putting it back together, it suddenly
worked again! It hasn’t failed me again since that happened three years ago.
Quite often, luck prevails.
MK: Thankfully, I sort of have it easy there. I don’t just shoot
fine art work, I’m also a commercial photographer, and often work with other
photographers doing lighting for still and motion projects. I travel often for
that as well. Every single day I am immersed within some aspect of the
photographic medium, so quite often the fine art side motivates and supports
the commercial side, and vice versa. I have to say however, more of the
motivation comes from the community of other photographers I work with, and am
friends with. I feed off of the excitement others show for their own work, and
love being supportive of their efforts. I am always amazed at the ideas others
come up with for some of their work, and that in turn helps motivate me to
conceive new work. Be honest and gracious with your colleagues, and it will
return to you tenfold. This I know from experience.
Also, networking through social media has become an important
part of staying out there and working hard. When I hear of someone saying
they’re headed to overseas to shoot, it gets my blood moving, and I begin to
think that I need to be out shooting and exploring more myself. I always have
one eye gazing out at the horizon wondering where to go next.
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