Photographer, poet John P Rairdon
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| John P Rairdon, self-portrait |
Mr Rairdon’s game plan is quite simple: “I take photos. I write poems for some of those photos. I post them to the internet.”
Indeed, about 4000 of his images, taken over the past five years, are available on Flickr and he has also participated in shows locally at the Dooryard Festival, the Centre for Culture and Creativity and the McCain Gallery.
His poetry can be found on Tumblr.
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A rare,"sneaky" shot
taken during a family holiday. |
John P, you have an impressive portfolio on the internet. How did you get started in photography?
Actually, my younger brother gave me a Pentax K1000 camera when I was 18. Film processing was difficult then, and expensive, but I did a lot of experimenting with that camera and I learned a lot from books.
Eventually you made the leap away from film though…
When my son was born, I bought a digital camera ─ mostly to document his childhood. I’ve got lots of shots of him but I also did other things and that’s when my advocates responded.
Advocates?
I have a few friends who are enthusiastic about my work and they like to participate. They helped me get into some shows and galleries.
Photography is, in many ways, a barely recognized art. Would you agree?
Partly it’s because people think they can just use their phone and most don’t recognize artful photography. In fact, photography as art can often be overlooked unless the photographer can really connect with the viewer ─ but of course that’s true for many artists.
I often walk in the same areas and shoot over and over again.
Even at that, I sometimes feel like I’ve missed so much.
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| Taken with a compact camera, 20 low-resolution images were combined to create this winter landscape near Rosedale NB. |
I tend to stay away from recognized photographers. Even Karsh and [singer] Bryan Adams are famous not so much for their skill or execution as for their famous subjects. But they do control their subjects and are recognized for that.
Y.
For all the safety they prescribe on power tools
I have consistently done more damage
with a pen
which has never come
with a word of caution
or warning sticker
about proper use.
So tell me how you started writing.
My mother and my English teachers influenced me. I was stubborn and defiant in school but I liked alliteration and rhyming couplets and started off writing haikus [an unrhymed form of verse employing three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables]. They were short but rather story-ish.
When did you start writing poetry to accompany your pictures then?
A while back, I was bored on a road trip and a friend suggested that I write poems for fifteen of my photos. I actually did thirty-two in eight days ─ and I liked it.
How do you get inspired these days?
You can always find something awesome in any situation. I just sit at the table and look at a bunch of photographs. Eventually something clicks and I say “Oh yah, that reminds me of …”
You say that most of your poetry is based on real life and some of it is quite explicit. Does that ever get you into trouble with people you know?
Sometimes I think “I shouldn’t have done that.” I did write one that got me into a lot of trouble. It was about understanding jealousy. After that I got discouraged ─ I hadn’t wanted hurt feelings. Now before posting, I make sure that sensibility is making the decision.
Is that why you’re not as active on Tumblr these days?
It doesn’t take much to topple a house of cards. Tumblr is a stripped-down experience, mostly for photos and for people with a short attention span. You post something ─ Hey look at me! ─ and hope that someone pays attention. I was trying to get attention when I was feeling negative. But looking back, I’d say that the work still has value two years later.
I had a broken heart and
not much more to do except write.
ALL IMAGES © JOHN P. RAIRDON