Photography in the Key of Design
By Barry Broussard Jr.
24 Jul 2007
1.What kind of designer are you?
I'm an architect by trade (intern really, haven't obtained my license yet) but currently practicing in the museum world as a Curator of Exhibits. While exploring what the career potentials were for someone with an architectural design degree, I realized I wanted to experience other aspects of design as well. Photography, Corporate Identity Solutions, Museum Curator, you name it.
2. What did you want to do for a living when you were a kid?
My parents were both creative people. They both sketched and painted, my father also played multiple instruments and did some photograph as well. I remember never really knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up but I was always fascinated with Legos and a lesser known structurally unique toy called Construx. With photography, I remember never really thinking much of it as something fun until I happened upon a book of wonderful abstract photography in a local bookstore. I had never experieneced colors so vivid and moments captured in time so rare. I'm positive that these specfic experiences among others had a great influence and contributed to my love for design and creativity. My parents agree.
3. What is it about your design work that makes your photography better? And vice versa? Where do you see parallels between the two?
All designs mediums lend to one another so fluidly. As an example, taking a picture can spark an idea that can be better conveyed through a physical architectural exploration ... but this can be said for any two forms of creativity. Having knowledge and skills in multiple forms of creativity allows one not to be stifled by this process which I find has worked out for me countless times with photography.
4. What do you find most challenging about your work?
As a photographer and a designer, I find what's most challenging is not getting caught up in a routine once you find something that works for you. Wether it's lighting, certain angles or perspectives you've grown to love, or even colors. Don't get me wrong I think it's great to explore and embrace these things to really own them in your works whatever they may consist of. If we aren't careful though, the methods we rely on can very well be ones that allow our vision to become stagnate and lose it's creative edge.
5. Do you have design heroes? Photography heroes?
I have always admired the works of Santiago Calatrava (an architect & engineer), the "poet of glass and steel" in Time Magazine's Innovators of 2004. His style of structural design has been herald as combining the elegance of engineering & architecture like no other. Photography has no worldly heroes for me, just the friends I've admired who got me started in photography; experimenting with their newly found digital cameras diving into a whole other world allowing them to further explore their love for creativity. I wanted that.
6. Name some unexpected sources of inspiration you've had.
My artwork. I have a series of sketchbooks that I started in 2000 that consist of pen and ink abstract artwork that I do from time to time. The purpose was to give myself a creative avenue to do works that were completely void of predetermination. I found that trying to isolate out what you know and want to create can be so frustrating ... and yet, so empowering. Surprisingly, the most successful and innovative designs that have come out of these books were the ones that stuck to that basic guidelin, to be completely void of predetermination.
7. Do you have any regular habits/exercises that make you a better designer? Photographer?
I'm always pushing myself to either do that extra drawing I didn't plan on doing or take that extra photograph even though my camera equipment is all packed away. When ever I get stuck on one form of creating, I always look to another for that creative spark. You never know what you will find in a sketch, a tune, a drawing or a photograph waiting to inspire you next.
2 responses
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Joerg Schlagheck gave props (28 Nov 2008):
Reads very interesting, especially when you're a truck driver with a thing for art and photography!
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Brian Betteridge gave props (2 Aug 2009):
excellent story and photo set
