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1. Have you allways lived in New York?
nope. Born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia. Came to NY 4 years
ago (won a green card lottery)
2. artcoup is now up to version 6. When did the first version
launch and what type of respsonse did it get?
I started artcoup in March 2002, out of pure boredom. I got
15,000 hits during the first week, it was unbelievable. I
was like ' hey, this shit works, I should continue ...'.
3. What took place during the shoot of artcoup3?
Train was just entering the station, when I saw a cop running.
Of course, I got off the train immediately. The cop was chasing
a guy, I have no idea what he did. The subway station was
elevated, so I was able to shoot the whole bust without being
noticed...
4. Much of the photographic content on artcoup
is quite raw, taken at street level of overlooked and in
some cases forgotten parts of society. What has photographing
these people taught you?
Homeless people, people on the margins of society in some
cases have wisdom the rest of us don't. Probably its the street
that gives you that. I used to hang out with some homeless
guys on Coney Island, crackheads Many and Jay. They lead normal
lives, had families and children before crack messed them
up. But I think that doesn't make them less worthy than the
rest of us... life is full of shit, you never know what's
gonna happen to you, when you're gonna snap, how you're gonna
end up
5. Has there been any particular day, person
or photograph that truly stands out from the rest?
Protests in Belgrade in 1996. That was great, fights with
police, constant adrenalin rush, total chaos ... perfect for
taking good shots :)
6. What do you look for when taking a photo?
How do you decide what is photogenic?
I try not to think, just react. It's usually a split second
moment, there's no time for thinking. I carry my photo equipment
with me at all times, I'm sick of missing good shots, happenned
already too many times. The best shots are not planned, they
just come when they want, usually you don't even know you
have them before processing the film.
7. When do you find black and white photography
to be more appropriate than color?
I definitely prefer B&W, although I do color sometimes
too. Somehow, with color, there are too many parameters involved,
you can easily miss the point. And since I usually shoot streets,
especially the darker side of life, B&W is ideal for that.
Sometimes I think I see the world in B&W
8. When and how did DeadByDesign
come together?
I used to work as a web designer for a crappy company here
in NY during the peak of internet era. But it really sucked,
dealing with bosses and all kinds of clients. So I gathered
a few friends and started my own company. We did pretty
good for a while, but now it's pure survival. I guess web
design is dead, it never was real art anyway. Right now
I'm focusing more on photography.
9. What was the last great CD you have listened
to and what was the last great movie you have seen?
CD 'The Worldwide tribute to real OI'
...movies suck lately
Thanks man ..... keep Artcoup alive! |
