I found this lecture to be rather interesting, but by far this was my favorite statement, "if you use an 8x10 film camera you can take photos of junk and it becomes art." He somehow implies that the very nature of large format adds value to his images. Even when I asked about this specifically Brian goes on to discuss why he won't participate in consumer culture and buy digital, but he never mentioned the nature of his large, night exposed, images being better suited for the high quality of large format film. I find this concept baffling, even as one who utilizes and prefers film. I thoroughly enjoyed his sense of humor and his light hearted take on such a serious subject matter. I was again taken aback when he said he never gets model releases or property releases. It seems that someone gaining such prominence would be more conscious of ethical concerns. Photographers do have a right to snap away in public but in private stores we do not, it would be such a shame to not use his images because he doesn't have permission. I really enjoyed how he discussed his approach to work, and the way he transitions from one series to another. He mentioned how he composes a street photography shot, and then waits for something interesting to walk across his "trap." This is a brilliant approach to this type of photography. I always feel so intrusive when I photograph strangers, you don't want them to think, "what is she doing? She just followed me click- click- clicking away!"
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