An interview with Photographer, Lee Mann

Ryan Grealy

The VGroove was lucky enough to interview Photographer Lee Mann and talk about his career, how he presents his work and the importance of the presentation.

But first…Lee’s bio…

It all started with a snowstorm high on Mount Denali. Sitting out the weather, I made a momentous decision; I would give up teaching and spend the rest of my days photographing those things that excited me most. Many years and thousands of photographs later, I’m convinced I made the right choice. It is still what I want to do with the rest of my life!
My work over the years has been done with large format film cameras, but today, digital photography sets a new, higher standard for quality. I do now, digitally, exactly what I did with film, but I do it more precisely!

My credo remains the same:
There are no captive animal, zoo or contrived images made from parts of other photographs in my collection. The visual experiences I share actually occurred. Nature’s beauty speaks loudly: we don’t have to fake it! I hope my photographs remind us all to treat the earth, our only home, a little more gently. - Lee Mann

Thank you Lee for taking the time to talk to the VGroove.

VG: We've read your bio and read how you left teaching for photography, but were there any signs or inclinations towards you becoming a photographer prior to that... when you were a child for example?

LM: I grew up living partially off the land. We hunted and fished and even melted the lead for 30-30 bullets in a crucible on our stove. Life was very harsh at times but it did instill the knowledge that we were totally dependent on nature for our well-being. It was inevitable that the natural world would provide sustenance for my emotional nature as well as my physical side. Growing up in the often gloomy weather of the Northwest, light always fascinated me. Even today I will often stand transfixed by how light strikes a tree or a patch of moss. The sun feeds everything.

VG: Did you have a moment when you realized, within yourself, that you were skilled enough to do this for a living and if so when was that or what was it like?

LM: I was naive! I was a teacher for ten years and had no idea of what was entailed in earning a living from photography. But like many high energy people I was sure I could learn what I needed to know and do what I needed to do. My self-confidence was as high as my ignorance, but fortunately matched by my drive.

VG: What photographers and/or artists have influenced you, and how?

LM: I saw Ira Spring's photographs while I was in high school and was instantly attracted to the adventurous life-style his pictures brought to life. Later, seeing Ansel Adams work, made me aware of how art intersected with adventure. I have always been attracted to Andrew Wyeth's painting. There was something about the sparseness of his world that a guy who grew up on a "stump ranch" could relate to.

VG: What other interests do you have (besides photography)?

LM: I'm a lifelong avid reader and read a lot of history, world affairs and natural history. Also I was president of my college alpine club and spent many years mountaineering and skiing.

VG: How have you handled the business side of being a photographer?

LM: Badly, probably! I grew up poor, which is good training for running a small business. Being a child during the great 30's depression, I fully understood what, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" meant. I knew that I had no "sick days", no guaranteed paycheck, no retirement, so I became very careful. No matter how little I made, I always saved a small percentage.

VG: There's the old saying: "In ______ presentation is everything!" How do you typically present your work at tradeshows, galleries, etc. and is the "presentation everything"? i.e. How much would you says the presentation of your work contributes to it's sale?

LM: I have never presented a portfolio to an editor or gallery owner. I concentrated on photographing what I loved, matting and framing it and offering it to the public through art shows and my own galleries.

VG: Do you use mats and frames to present your work and if so in what ways?

LM: Not today. Today we use a laminating process and extremely careful printing to make single pieces up to 10 feet in length and triptyches up to 20 feet long. We market mostly to designers for large public buildings and large homes. Our work is glare free, easily cleaned and has a 100+ year display life.

VG: What inspires you to continue shooting and how do you keep motivated when a certain shot or moment just doesn't happen?

LM: There is always something interesting to photograph. I could work the rest of my life without leaving the Skagit Valley. I watch for the light. The right light can magically transform even the mundane into something stunning. Most people look but don't see. Also I go back and back and back to places I visualize in a certain way until it comes together....but often serendipity causes me to stumble over something else, while I'm looking for what I had previously visualized.

VG: What advice would you give to photographers just starting out on how to market and/or present their work to the world?

LM: Photograph what you love and the money will follow, but don't "live out of the till" or you will go broke!

VG: Any parting comments?

LM: Enjoy beauty, work hard and remember that this is our only home!

Thank you again Lee for taking the time to speak with us and just a reminder to everyone that Lee's work can be seen at: www.leemannphotography.com and www.islandart.com

Here's some fun questions we asked Lee:

• What is your favourite word?
  Outdoors
  
• What is your least favourite word(s)?
  "These are your golden years"
  
• What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
  Light
  
• What turns you off?
  Environmental degradation
  
• What sound or noise do you love?
  Wind blowing through conifer trees.
  
• What sound or noise do you hate?
  Traffic noise
  
• What is your favourite curse word?
  You don't want to know, but I actually have a more varied vocabulary than most loggers.
  
• What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
  Journalist/photojournalist
  
• What profession would you not like to do?
  Be a corporate executive
  
• If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
  It doesn't, but if it did I would expect a just God to say, "You have been an honest skeptic and tried to leave the world a little better place. Come on in!"

Thanks again Lee!