I first met David Drebin in a small, smoke filled bar filled with societal outcasts, cheap vodka and some very obscure klezmir music blaring in the background. We gingerly discussed the possibility of taking a bullet proof vest out to a shooting range and blasting if full of buckshot, all in the name of advertising. When I saw the excitement in his eyes, at the mere mention of visiting a shooting range and killing the aforementioned vest, I knew he was someone I wanted to work with, instantly. I had called David after seeing one of his promotional cards, and was instantly drawn to his sense of time, space, light and of course his unique ability to make still images live and breathe. I have had the honor of working with David over the years, and witnessing his style evolve and mature, and had the pleasure of sitting down with David and asking him a few questions for Threeminds.
Anthony Wolch : What inspired you to become a photographer?
DD: I needed to get the pictures out of my head. In a big way.
Anthony Wolch: What are some of the things in life that inspire you?
DD: Ironically enough I am “inspired” by what bothers me about the world and the way it is presented to me so I recreate my own version of my own world through my photographs.
Anthony Wolch : What artists throughout history have had he most influence on you?
DD: I really am influenced mainly by getting the images in my head out of my head somehow and photography has provided an outlet for me..like MAGIC.
Music inspires me on every level. Kate Bush blows my mind, because I love imagining the images/pictures that go to the music, also SADE. Music that makes me feel something. I guess music inspires me or makes me imagine more than anything.
Anthony Wolch : What is the most unusual shoot you have ever been a part of?
DD: Photographing my family for an editorial fashion story…having to see them as pictures instead of people for a few days while I was making the photographs. It made me feel as though I was objectifying my parents… I felt vindictive, as though it was my way of controlling them for the 1st time after they controlled me(or at least tried to) my whole life. Not that I have any issues with that, wink-wink.
Anthony Wolch : Have you ever feared for your life on a shoot?
DD: Only mentally.
Anthony Wolch : What are you currently listening to on your iPod?
DD: Combination of Broadway show tunes (Dreamgirls, Hair, Grease) and heavy metal (AC/DC, Lawnmower Death, Manowar… ) subtle differences between the two oddly.
Anthony Wolch : Tell us about your new book which is about to launch…
DD: Published by amazing German publisher www.teneues.com and is titled “The Morning After” and is a combination of dreamscapes and tableaus within the dreamscapes I photographed all over the world.
Here is a sneak peak at the forward to David’s new book, written by the Chief Photography Curator at Fotografiska in Stockholm, Michelle Marie Roy.
“David Drebin’s photographs are reminiscent of the allure of the silver screen. His images depict storylines dramatized against the backdrop of urban landscapes. Intimate relationships are suggested by the gestures of the characters we meet suspended in each film still. Beauty and heartbreak often intermingle in narratives that are left to the viewer’s imagination to sort out. It is as if we have walked into the cinema halfway through the feature film. Drebin’s work is edgy, intensely detailed, and ripe with deeply saturated colors. His photographs can be categorized into close-ups, panoramas, tableaus, and interiors. Land-and cityscapes make up Drebin’s vivid panoramas. From breathtaking dark seas reflecting city lights, to sand beaches lined with palms, to the haze of a sparkling metropolis, the panoramas draw us into the glamorous milieu of jet-setting sophisticates.
Drebin’s narratives are often centralized around women. Reminiscent of the surveillance of paparazzi, his photographs allow us a glimpse into the secret lives of these fashionistas. The characters are femme fatales, who are gorgeous and strong willed. Despite the single frame of the image, he manages to convey complex emotions inherent to each personality. Beyond designer dresses and rouge, his characters are often caught up in some intrigue, as seen in his series of women photographing each other. The voyeuristic gaze is two-fold. Is this a play on vanity or feminine rivalry? Like a tabloid devotee, we long to uncover the details of the drama.
The Morning After is a collection of images that reside on the border between art and fashion photography. Drebin, from exposure to print, enthralls us with the style and wit of his visual stories. We live vicariously through his characters, and relish in the fantasy evoked by his images.”
Michelle Marie Roy
Chief Curator of Photography
Fotografiska
Anthony Wolch : What is your experience with all things digital?
DD: I have fully embraced digital. I love the possibilities. The quality is unbeatable from a tech perspective. Broader audience means deeper accessibility, endless inspiration. I am in awe daily with where digital is taking us, however I think that storytelling is sorely lacking from most high profile digital advertising.
Anthony Wolch : How do you think the interactive world will affect your business?
DD: My business is always interactive…Teach me things through learning & growing.
Anthony Wolch : What is the most interesting aspect of the digital world for you?
DD: The products made by Canon to execute my ideas photographically and then the postproduction capabilities with all the programs that are available to help execute the best image compilation possible. Wow.
Anthony Wolch : How did you get involved in the business of selling your art?
DD: Had a group show at a very well known Los Angeles art gallery and that led to shows in Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam and many prestigious Art fairs around the world including Art Basel Miami, Armory show and many others.
Anthony Wolch : Where do you see your business in 10 years time?
DD: Good question…hopefully healthy. Everything else will take care of itself as I continually seek out like-minded individuals to collaborate on projects together around the world. Realistically in 10 years I hope to be doing more books, a continuous stream of creativity, my books are like my version of movies, immortal.
Anthony Wolch : What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
DD: Follow your dreams and you will become what you think you deserve to become.
Anthony Wolch : Do you know any funny jokes?
DD: Yes…but better over phone or live in person as the baritone tone of my voice helps deliver jokes to insure impact. Call me: 416.867.5309
Anthony Wolch : What are your top 3 favorite cities and why?
DD: Berlin, Rio, Bangkok…I love open minded places…. Places with few rules…the inhabitants feel so free to me whenever I visit these places or maybe I just feel free and not confined to any sort of mindset. Berlin.Rio.Bangkok…AMAZING.
Anthony Wolch : Weirdest celebrity experience you can tell us about?
DD: I don’t differentiate between celebrities and “regular” people. People are people are people.
Anthony Wolch : You are getting involved in motion work, what prompted this new direction?
DD: Just another outlet… another channel to create the magic and explore imagination.
Anthony Wolch : What are your three favorite quotes of all time?
DD:
1) There are two classes…First class and no class
2) What comes with beauty fades when beauty fades away.
3) Being a part of society is a bore but being excluded is a tragedy.
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