Ernesto Gonzalez on the Magical Spontaneity of Polaroids

MILK GALLERY: THANK you FOR HAVING US in your studio! DO YOU MIND STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING? YOU CAME FROM MEXICO TO NYC AND STUDIED AT ICP (INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY)? WAS ICP THE PRIMARY REASON WHY YOU CAME TO NEW YORK? 

Ernesto Gonzalez: I knew about the ICP but I wasn’t set on it. I came to New York when I was twenty, and at the time photography options in Mexico were not that many. Commercial photography in Mexico was a very small and closed circle of people. It was a very small network. There weren’t that many opportunities to work as a camera assistant or as a photo assistant for still photography. Eventually, I ended up working as a teacher’s assistant at the ICP. With that, I exchanged time for credits to pay for classes and with a bartending job in Tribeca I would make all ends meet.

MG: WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED STUDYING AT ICP YOU WANTED TO BE A CINEMATOGRAPHER. IS FILM STILL SOMETHING YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PURSUING?

EG: Yes, I find moving images beautiful, and right now motion content is in such high demand. The possibilities are endless. It is an open field and I am definitely interested in directing and shooting more motion projects.

MG: After completing your studies, you ended up assisting for Enrique Badulescu. How was that?

EG: At the ICP, I met a few people involved in fashion photography, and through other people that I knew in Mexico from the photo business we ended up linking up in New York.  One of my best friends knew Enrique’s first assistant at the time so I started hanging out with them and they gave me an internship. I worked for free a few times, helped logging equipment and on set. Some time after i started working with them as a second assistant and eventually I was offered a job as a first. The job showed me how to manage things on a set. Apart from the wonders of traveling and a technical background, it taught me about the dynamics on set and how to interact with teams. I was exposed to knowing that photography is not only a personal creation, but the creation of a team. You start interacting with stylists, with hair and makeup artists, with models, and I do have to say working with Enrique was where a lot of my exposure to Polaroid happened, because he did do a lot of work with Polaroid. I also worked for Kelly Klein afterwards, who was also doing projects on Polaroid. She was also a great influence and definitely made my interest on instant film grow.

MG: Were they primarily test shots?

EG: Yes they were. At the time, digital technology still wasn’t in the picture so we used to have cases of Polaroid. We had film to do whatever we wanted with. We used to have Polaroid cameras around to do test shots, but aside from those we also had SX70 and other cameras to play around with. This showed me that you could create beautiful, unique images and that’s when I started getting really obsessed with Polaroid. Back in Mexico when I was a kid, I remember one time going to lunch with my parents and my dad had one of those box cameras, the white ones with the colored strip… I remember my dad taking a picture with it and thinking, “Whoa! What is this?”  But years passed and I never paid much attention to it until I started assisting. I had so much exposure to it; it became fascinating!

MG: YOUR POLAROID PHOTOS HAVE A VERY ORGANIC QUALITY TO THEM, WITH MORE TEXTURE THAN YOU SEE WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY THESE DAYS. IS THAT PART OF THE AESTHETIC YOU ARE GOING FOR?

EG: Absolutely. I think that is the whole idea behind it. On principle, to me Polaroid is about having something tangible, an object, and it allows you to play with different textures. I think with digital technology photography became a little bit homogeneous. It all looks the same. Everything is about perfection and to me, that’s a bit boring to tell you the truth.

MG: GOING BACK TO YOUR POLAROIDS, THE WOMEN YOU PORTRAY HAVE AN EDGE. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN YOUR SUBJECTS? 

EG: I like strong women. It’s funny because I’ve had prior conversations where a question about sexism comes in because a lot of my work involves nudity and so on. But in the end, the persona of the woman I photograph is always very strong because I see all of this as homage to women. It’s not coming from a sexist or misogynistic perspective; it’s actually quite the opposite. It’s about women empowering their own sexuality and persona. Every time I shoot a girl, I try to have an exchange and develop a character together. I explain an idea and then we collaborate on it, similar to how a director would work with an actress, where there is an exchange.

MG: DURING THE CASTING PROCESS, HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO YOU WANT TO SHOOT? HOW DO YOU DETERMINE IF THERE’S THAT CHEMISTRY?

EG: There’s definitely the physical aspect. I have to find models beautiful and fitting to an initial idea, but there also has to be a connection. There has to be an understanding and they have to be open. I don’t know; it’s something that you just feel. When you meet someone, and talk to them and explain what you do, you just have a feeling. It’s something that just clicks.

MG: do you ever work WITH NON-MODELS?

EG: I have. I’ve shot acquaintances and friends, it all depends on the project.

MG: In terms of the starting point for an idea, how do you begin your process?

EG: I guess the ideas just show up from time-to-time. In order for you to be shooting and showing work, you have to be constantly exchanging ideas with other artists, with other collaborators. Do research. So maybe through a movie, or another editorial that you saw from back in the day, or some other kind of reference, there’s always something that triggers those ideas. But I believe it also happens just because it happens when it happens. I don’t have an explanation for that.

MG: Are there any cinematographers or directors that inspire you or your work?

EG: Robby Mueller, is probably who I can refer the most because Wim Wenders’ films were so popular when I was first getting into photography. There are so many others, it’s hard to name a favorite.

MG: GOING BACK TO WHAT YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY BEING A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU DECIDE WHO GETS INVOLVED IN YOUR TEAM AND WHAT MAKES THE MAGIC HAPPEN?

EG: Who I pick in my team depends on the project. I have a lot of talented friends who are very busy, but I’m also in a period where I like to experiment with pushing rawness. A few of my latest projects I did without hair or makeup, just the model, a stylist, and myself. The stylist and I controlled the hair and the makeup, and it came out really beautiful.

MG: DO YOU HAVE A SET TEAM OF ASSISTANTS?

EG: Lately, I’ve been working on my own. Using old technologies, it’s difficult to find people who know them they way I need them to. But mostly I just like being hands-on; I like to move my lights and organize my own Polaroid film, so that also has something to do with it.