An Interview with Photographer Jim Newberry

By Lauri Apple in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 2, 2008 7:15PM

Chances are you've spotted the work of Bucktown photographer Jim Newberry before -- while reading about your favorite Chicago band in Spin or Rolling Stone, or catching up on the Trib. Newberry took some time out from shooting household names to answer a few questions for us. You can catch him in person tonight, actually, when he appears with several other artists Martyr's for Pecha Kucha Night: an evening by, of and for creatives.

Chicagoist: So, how did you become a photographer?

Jim Newberry: My father is a great photographer and teacher--he founded the Photography department at Columbia College (Chicago)--and he encouraged me to take pictures when I was very young.

C: Did you ever want to be something else?

JN: Yes, a cat.

C: You've shot many people who are household names: Paul McCartney, Mike Ditka, and others. What was your first big assignment?

JN: McCartney was the first major celebrity I shot. I was in Liverpool with a writer -- we were there to cover the debut of his Liverpool Oratorio concert. We weren't able to get a one-on-one interview and photo session, but luckily we were invited to a photo op at his old school, Liverpool Institute for Boys, which turned out to be a great setting.

The Ditka shoot was ridiculous, but fun. It was an "after" picture for LA Weightloss. Da coach didn't take too kindly to an arty pipsqueak like me giving him posing direction.

C: Do you find it more or less stressful now to shoot these big names than, say, a band whose image you might be somewhat responsible for shaping (because the press photo is their introduction to the music scene at large)?

JN: Shooting big names is more stressful and challenging, because normally you get very little time, and typically they're less flexible about how you photograph them. I shot billionaire Sam Zell recently, and he was generally accommodating, although he refused to pose with a copy of the Trib or L.A. Times (he owns both papers), as requested by my photo editor.

Shooting up-and-coming bands is a lot more fun, because usually they're willing to spend a lot of time on the shoot, and more likely to do almost anything for the photo.

C: Besides your talent, what other personal qualities do you think have contributed to your success?

JN: Being flexible, persistent, resourceful, laid back, and diplomatic.

C: How much of your work is non-assigned? When you do these personal projects, what are your objectives?

JN: Most of my work is assignment-based, but lately I've been making personal work a priority. I do like to experiment; I like working with different formats. Lately I've been shooting 3-D/stereo photography, QTVR panoramas, and shooting with toy and antique cameras. Also, I've always been interested in street photography.

C: Are your subjects usually comfortable with being photographed, or do you have to help them along?

JN: I strive to keep my subjects comfortable, and sometimes after a shoot the subject will say, "That's it? That was painless," which I take pride in hearing. But often people are very self-conscious, which is not conducive to capturing an expressive picture of someone. Or, they have a preconceived idea of how they want to be portrayed: a picture face they want to give you. I try to coax their true personality out, which means diverting their attention away from the big camera pointed at their face. So you want to get them to relax as much as possible and forget they're being photographed. Drugs and hypnosis can be helpful in this regard.

C: Do you ever have photographer's block?

JN: Sometimes, especially with personal projects that don't have deadlines. As far as assignment work goes, I'm used to having to come up with something creative regardless of time or other limitations.

C: You shot Rahm Emanuel back in 2004. Can you remember what he was talking about when you took that shot?

JN: That was for a profile in Esquire. I also shot some Widelux panoramic shots at a grocery store where he was greeting his constituents. I can't remember what he was talking about when I took this shot; I was concentrating on the picture-making process.

C: With so many people taking digital pictures nowadays, the market saturated with a lot of amateur photography (some of which is done pretty well), and the economy kind of falling apart, how has your business changed in recent years?

JN: The ubiquity of good, inexpensive digital cameras levels the playing field a bit. Of course, owning a digital SLR doesn't make a person a great photographer, but it does mean that it's much easier to make photographs that are technically good. Another problem, in addition to the ailing economy, is that print editions of newspapers and magazines are hurting badly. So things are tough, but it's always been a highly competitive field. And so I push myself harder to shoot more new work, and turn the volume up on marketing and self-promotion.

C: What will you be showing at the Pecha Kucha night?

JN: I'll be showing a representative sample of my assignment work, but most of the images will be 3-D/stereo pictures I've taken over the years. Everyone who attends the show gets free 3-D (anaglyph; red and cyan) glasses.

Pecha Kucha Night: an evening by, of and for creatives is tonight December 2 at Martyr's, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave., 8 p.m., $10