TF: Other than Photography, what are some things you enjoy doing?
RA: I’m a total hermit, so much of my happiness occurs at home. we live out in the country with a collection of cute farm animals, I really enjoy taking care of them. They are so funny, and each animal has his/her own personality. About twice a year I make it into Knoxville to see a show or go dancing. I love to dance!
Ella Angelo
TF: You have a beautiful family around you, and your husband Luke Angelo is an Artist, what’s it been like for you living in such a creative home?
RA: It’s great. I can bounce ideas off of them and get instant feedback. Plus knowing that neither of us care about getting rich or driving fancy cars is huge for me. It allows me to spend ridiculous amounts of time on my artistic obsessions.
TF: How does your daughter Ella fit into the world you have created with your camera?
RA: Ella is my world in all ways. She has been my main model since she was born. She is the reason I started carrying my camera everywhere again. She also shoots a lot of her own pics and sometimes the things she captures just blows my mind.
TF: Let’s say you were stranded on an island, and you could choose one bands discography to have, but only one, which band would you choose?
RA: I bet I could get the most mileage out of the good ol’ Grateful Dead.
TF: If you were running out of the house, what’s the one thing you can’t leave without, other than your camera?
TF: What path do you see your talents taking in the photography world?
RA: I’d like to work with more musicians. I see a lot of my images as album covers. I’m also working with a fashion designer out of Philadelphia. She does amazing things so I’m really excited to see where that takes us
TF: Comparing your first set of photos from 2004, what is different about your work today?
RA: In the early 2000′s a PC computer with a bootleg copy of photoshop turned up in my basement. It was my first introduction to the world of digital manipulation and I spent a lot of time sort of poking around in the dark and experimenting. Let’s just say I got a little crazy with the cheese whiz. Now I feel like my technique has become more subtle and I don’t use an effect unless it directly lends itself to what I am trying to accomplish. I still experiment but my focus now is on enhancing the content of my images with out as many gimmicks. I still like my old stuff but much of my earlier work relied heavily on “happy accidents”. Now I create little plans and work to realize what I see in my minds eye.
TF: If you could lay your head down on one thing, what would that be?
RA: Literally, I would like to lay my head down on some memory foam. Figuratively, I would like to lay to rest my random jitters.
TF: Is there any particular time of day you prefer shooting?
RA: There is no telling when the muse will strike but If I’m planning an outdoor shoot I try to get setup when the shadows are long and interesting either at sunrise or sunset.
TF: Digital or Film? Why?
RA: You know both have there place. I tend to think of film as a special treat to be savored where with digital I can let the shutter rock and be more prolific. I don’t have to hesitate with digital.
TF: Tell us something about this picture.
Ella Angelo
RA: It was a weekday during the school year. Ella had changed out of her school clothes and into her “farm clothes.” We were hanging out on a little patch of pavement, playing hang man with sidewalk chalk. We got a decent amount of rounds in before a storm started rolling in. For about 5 minutes the sky was completely half and half, it was a blue sky with puffy white clouds on one side, and ominous gray clouds on the other. I ran inside to get my camera, and I can remember the good feeling I was having about the light and sky.
RA: I think I was about six years old when I got bit by the photography bug. I took my little poodle and put her in my Grandma’s rural mailbox and took a picture. It was the center mailbox in a cluster of boxes. Everyone made a big deal and said I was a good photographer. I liked being called a photographer.
TF: Who or what inspires your lens?
RA: I like taking photos of people as they move through the light and the shadows. I like worn out things and try to capture moments that escape time. The ideal image for me is one in which there is no telling when it was taken.
TF: When did people become such a focal point of your work?
RA: When I moved to East Tennessee I started working at the Tomato Head ( a cool organic bistro). I was surrounded by visually interesting people all rocking their own unique style. My ideas started to crystallize into candid portraits of my friends, and it just kind of went from there. I like how portraits can preserve emotion, and I try to capture a moment in time that tells a story the viewer can decipher.
This week we’ll be checking in on Rachele Angelo, a photographer on the rise in East TN. We asked her some questions about her work, lifestyle, and some of the things that inspire her. Each day we’ll post a new set of questions along with different photos we selected as our favorites. I have to admit that looking at her work all together, it was tough deciding which photos to choose for this piece. She has the ability to create something special and real with her camera. You feel as if you’re there in the moment, playing along with the cast of characters in the world she captures. I think the reason why her work leaves that impression is because it’s not forced. The images continue on after the picture is taken, and while looking at her photos, I was left thinking, what happens next? I find a photo to be remarkable if my imagination is left to do some exploring of its own. This week we’ll get to do just that.
On Friday, August 27th, Rachele will be presenting “Seasons at Home” as part of the Last Friday Artwalk in Downtown Maryville. You can find the gallery and Rachele’s work at 117 W. Harper Ave, Maryville TN.
Twilight Frequencies: Where did you go to school, and what were some lessons you have incorporated in your work today?
Michael Peters: I attended the School of the Arts at the University of Tennessee. If nothing else, I took with me the ability and confidence to believe in your talent and to take with that the initiative of intentionality. Whatever your idea is – run with it. Really try to expand your boundaries. Just because you’re an visual artist doesn’t mean you’re confined to a gallery.
Twilight Frequencies: I know you have had some gallery shows locally here in Knoxville, tell us a little about your work, if you can narrow it down to a few things? What’s your primary medium?
Michael Peters: By classification, I suppose you might say I’m a media artist. But if I had to say I specialize in anything, it would probably be photography. At least that is where my passion primarily lies. I love the idea of pushing the medium of photography beyond just a single photograph. That’s what my gallery exhibitions focus on – expanding the typical single photographic plane into something spacially concerned having multiple suspended panels, or photographs, creating dynamic geometric planes.
Twilight Frequencies: What’s the next year look like for Michael Peters the Artist?
Photo by Kari Foster
Michael Peters: It’s always hard to tell…especially being at the relative beginning stages of my career. As of now, there is nothing solidified but hopefully that will change. I’ve really turned my focus primarily on Backpod. But as days pass, I hope to exhibit somewhere in the near future. I would LOVE to show some photography and film work taken throughout my Backpod travels. I truly believe that’s the direction I’m heading.
Twilight Frequencies: What types of things can people do to become active in providing a real change to the issues in Central America?
Michael Peters: Such a great question! I really just encourage everyone to become active in any little way possible. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be a doctor or in the medical field to do international outreach. I used my passion for media art along with the help of two other bright-minded individuals in their respective field to create this project. There are so many organizations out there (I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself until I did this research for Backpod) that are striving for a better quality something for lesser-privileged individuals. Unfortunately, many of these organizations lack the manpower to get their word out there. It never hurts to contact them directly and see what you can do to help. I found that many organizations have “bases” back in the states. Something as simple as working indirectly with them by spreading the word around your college campus can be crucial in the success of their projects.
Photography by Jimmy Camacho
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Twilight Frequencies: How did your expectations line up with the realities of the work being done by Non Profit organizations? What surprised you?
Michael Peters: We did countless hours of research prior to scheduling the inaugural trip. So we were pretty familiar with the work being done. There was a lot of communication being facilitated between us at Backpod and Global Brigades.
Personal Note: I did not anticipate the fact of how LITTLE Spanish I actually knew. My knowledge of the language was an absolute monstrosity, but I managed thanks in large part to the organization and my Backpod Team members.
Twilight Frequencies: Was there anything you found not in line with an organizations goal? For instance did you ever feel there was corruption involved?
Michael Peters: Not at all.
Twilight Frequencies: How were you treated by the natives?
Michael Peters: Everyone was absolutely amazing! You couldn’t ask for more hospitality. Sometimes having a camera in your face can be a little intimidating or unnerving; but I seemed to be the only one who had any apprehension about that. The Honduran people were just so thrilled to receive assistance in this fashion.
Twilight Frequencies: Among the many people you’ve met participating in Backpod, who are some that have stood out the most, and why?
Michael Peters: The passion of the students who fuel the efforts of Global Brigades really stands out. The student groups plan and fundraise for months prior to the trip, and many times they must sacrifice their own break time from school to attend. While peers are off “spring-breaking it” – these students are making a difference.
…and they are dedicated! Several of the groups who were in Honduras with us have already made it back for a return trip to work another brigade.
Twilight Frequencies: What stood out the most in your quest?
Michael Peters: It was the opportunity to witness how much of a positive impact these students and this organization were having on the local people. They had such a respect for the local culture.
Twilight Frequencies: Where did the mission come from?
Michael Peters: The foundation of the project was always art. Kari and I have always had a strong connection and art was how that connection always seemed to manifest. We had worked/played together on several video art projects; short films, photography, even local commercials – but wanted to find something that was not “just” visually appealing…but really had something to say.
While I was in Tennessee and Kari was in New York, we continued to have a dialogue about our next short film. We were focusing on our usual artsy avant-garde type film, but the motivation wasn’t there.
From Left, Kari, Michael, and Eva. Photo by Theresa Taverno
During this time our friend Jonathan Caleb Meador was traveling extensively throughout Central and South America. He would regale stories of working with the locals on their farmland in exchange for room and board. Staying no more than a few weeks at a time, he would soon pack his belongings and travel by any means necessary to the next location, even if it meant hitchhiking. There was something so simplistic and sustainable, yet productive and inspiring about this idea. As his stories reached state side, Kari and I found our phone conversations to slowly start focusing only on travel adventure and unknowingly began to birth the brainchild we now know as Backpod.
We began to push around the idea of traveling with a purpose.
We wanted to create something that had a purpose not only for us as adventurers, but an idea that could encourage a global mindset in our audience and ourselves. As we began to press further into this realm, the idea started to lend itself more towards a non-profit sector project. In a leap of faith, we contacted non-profits in various Central American countries to pitch this idea of traveling to them and exposing their work by creating short documentation in the form of online video publishing in exchange for room and board. When Global Brigades said yes…we started reaching out to more people, such as sponsors, donors, and media…
We received quite a positive response from many people and Backpod came to life. We are still surprised and grateful to be able to have this project and experience happening.
Twilight Frequencies: Focusing in on Non-Profits there must be a ton of different pieces of information you have obtained about some of their general goals or missions within Central America. Give us an example of an organization you really felt compelled by.
Michael Peters: Global Brigades is an organization that really stood out. If you haven’t heard of their work, you will soon. It is a secular organization that empowers students and professional volunteers to provide communities in developing nations with sustainable solutions that improve quality of life while respecting local culture. GB’s vision is to become the largest student-led social movement on the planet.
What struck us is the idea that students are taking the initiative and making this lasting impact. Global Brigades is really a well-rounded organization thanks in large part to ambitious students with fields concentrating in medical outreach to water purification development even to assisting in local micro enterprise growth. It really had the all-around package.
