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Interview

Ted and Gloria Maloof

Ted and Gloria Maloof by Chip SimoneIn 2008 the APG Board of Directors recognized two very special members, Ted and Gloria Maloof with the dedication of exhibition space within APG's main gallery. This space on occasion highlights exhibitions of individual merit. July 11th, 2009 Ted and Gloria celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. For many of those 50 years, Ted & Gloria have devoted their efforts to the sustenance and growth of APG as if they were raising a child - years of challenge and commitment. If you are a new member to APG or even a long standing member you may not be aware that through their diligence and dedication Ted and Gloria symbolize the heart and soul of APG. Author and photographer, Gregory E. Lang interviewed Ted and Gloria shortly after the dedication of the Maloof Gallery; his interview gives us insight about their life in photography and ardor for the oldest non-profit photography gallery in Atlanta. Read on!

Ted and Gloria Maloof
an interview by Gregory E. Lang

A Fascinating Journey

From the time when it was only a small gathering of photographers meeting in a living room to critique each other’s work and exchange ideas, Ted and Gloria Maloof have been active members and supporters of the Atlanta Photography Group. From helping lead the organization, helping to craft its mission, founding EPAT (Explorations in Photographic Art and Technology), a division within APG created in the early 90’s to discuss and critique images created using the new digital technology, to helping organize APG as a non-profit organization, selecting artists and images for the annual limited-edition Collector Prints, writing and negotiating legal documents, raising money and working for APG as volunteers, the Maloofs have made many contributions to the success of the gallery, not to mention often being selected for APG shows over the years. In recognition of their work on behalf of APG, the Maloof Wing of the gallery was christened on December 14, 2007, opening with a display of the photographers’ images. Ted and Gloria were interviewed recently about their shared lives as photographers.

When/how did you get started in photography?

G: Ted and I got each other started in photography. I bought him his first camera, an Argus, for his wedding present in 1959.

T: I immediately fell in love with photography. I upgraded to a Leica within six months.

G: That’s when I thought, “What have I done?” Years later, after our son Julin was born, Ted suggested that he teach me how to use his Nikon camera so that I could photograph Julin. This introduction to photography eventually led me to take classes at the Atlanta College of Art, and I ultimately earned a Masters Degree in Photography at Georgia State University.

Who are your artistic inspirations?

G: Edward Weston, Edwin Smith, John Sexton, Michael Kenna, Gordon Parks and Wynn Bullock are among my favorites.

T: I am interested in art of the Impressionist, Surrealist and Pop Art eras. Van Gogh, Dali, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, and Roy Lichtenstein are all influences. As for photographers, Gordon Parks, Jerry Uelsmann, Helmut Newton and Diane Arbus have all been influential. I also love to traveling to New York to visit the galleries there to see what new “on the edge” art styles are emerging.

Do you shoot "what grabs you," or do you set out with a specific composition in mind?

G: As a black and white photographer, I’m attracted to the play of light and contrast of different textures. As a film photographer I compose in the camera and am always looking for subjects that emphasize these two aspects of the scene. I also look for a sense of solitude and serenity. Others may not necessarily see an object or scene as I do, and it might exist that way only for the brief moment that I capture it, but I try to make it “visible” and convey my emotional response to the magic of that moment.

T: I shoot what grabs me but what I shoot is not necessarily what I show. I need fodder; what I shoot are the photographic elements that I use when creating an image. Rather than compose in the camera I compose in the computer. I, in effect, paint using photographic elements.

How do you distinguish fine art photography from other forms of photography?

G: Fine Art photography transcends the subject matter and transports one to a mysterious emotional plateau. It is more than a record of the subject; it is an interpretation of the artist’s emotional and aesthetic response to the subject. I also think the boundaries between the different genres of photography are breaking down. Look at fashion photography – in my opinion many of those photographers are introducing a narrative in their work.

T: Picasso said, “Art is a lie that tells the truth.” Everyone who pursues fine art photography doesn’t create “art.” A photograph may fail to be art if it doesn’t have an aesthetic overlay that evokes an emotional response. Admitting that we are in a subjective area, I think we can agree that the role of art is to make you think or feel something that goes deeper than the object or scene being photographed. True art has a universal and transcendent quality that goes beyond the subject matter. If it does not, then it probably fails as fine art photography.

Where do you stand in the digital vs. film debate about which is the "real" photography?

G: They are both real. It doesn’t matter how one gets to the end product. What matters is the artistic sensibility and aesthetic quality that is realized in the end result. The end product will stand on its own no matter how it came to be. I think one advantage of the digital photograph is the ability to reproduce an exact copy. That is difficult to do in a wet darkroom, to get that level of consistency from print to print.

T: One of the things I am most proud of is the creation of EPAT. In the early 90’s, most photographers used the traditional darkroom. If someone showed up at an APG critique with a digitally created or manipulated image, most of the photographers dismissed them as phony photography. I used to tell them,“One day everyone will be using the digital darkroom.” EPAT was created to give these photographers a forum; we had the first digital print show in Atlanta. Today EPAT is no longer needed because digital images are no longer derided and have become the standard methodology.

What challenges, if any, do fine art photographers face in a world where it seems everyone is using a digital camera?

G: The new technology gives photographers incredibly sophisticated and versatile tools. As in any expressive medium, the cream will rise to the top and be readily distinguishable.

T: I use the digital darkroom and digital printing techniques. These tools better enable me to create a work which expresses what I feel and see in my mind, triggered by a particular experience or observation.

If you were to teach photography, what objectives (other than learning basic technique) would you have for your students?

G: I think it is important to have an awareness and appreciation for the history of photography as well as what are currently considered important works. I’d also focus on teaching what constitutes a good composition. Having said that, I would caution one against having inflexible rules. There are times when the subject should be right smack dab in the middle!

T: Yes, (laughing) rules are made to be broken.

You are a husband and wife duo. Do you compete artistically speaking? How have you influenced each other?

G: No, we do not compete. From the very beginning we have been supportive of each other’s work – yet we are each other’s most severe critic. Our work is quite distinctive which helps us to be supportive rather than competitive. We trust each other’s honesty and thus know we are getting a sound opinion when we ask for one.

T: Gloria delights in my successes, and I delight in hers.

If there are themes in your work, what are they?

G: I am primarily a landscape photographer, and I like nature studies as well. I like the isolated figure in the landscape with an air of mystery or foreboding. The camera is a magic key to the world around me, encouraging me to look at everything with much more careful observation and incisiveness. My hope is that my photography will express my passion and enthusiasm in the making of the images and will help viewers to see things they might otherwise miss.

T: I am not making photographs to be a “window on the world” or to depict a slice of reality, but rather to create an aesthetic object in its own right. Photography, particularly an alternative process, is my preferred method for expanding my potential for artistic expression. I describe my work as “real surrealism.”

What is your favorite body of work?

G: The photographs recently displayed during the dedication of the Maloof Wing are my favorites and I believe among the strongest work I’ve done.

T: The Polaroid transfers I did a few years ago of images I captured while canoeing in the Okefenokee Swamp.

In what new direction would you take your photography?

G: I’ve just taken the plunge into the new technology with the purchase of my own computer and first digital camera. I’ve long had an interest in alternative processes and am excited about all the creative possibilities, including the time-savings versus all the time spent in the darkroom.

Any last thoughts?

G: Photography is, for me, an endlessly fascinating journey.

Indeed, it is for us all.