Reese Kempter
Our interview with Reese Kempter, a contemporary photographer based in Breckenridge, Colorado. Reese effortlessly captures the beauty in everyday life.
“I have ‘doing my best' tattood on my hand. That’s all you can ever do.”
At what age did you start shooting film, what sparked this passion?
“I've been taking photos somewhat seriously off and on since I was a toddler; going through phases of growth and plateau. Recently i've been more immersed in it then ever before though.”
What feelings do you want to encourage with your images?
“The only consistent thing i've done with my photography through the years was try and create this very specific moment and feeling with each photo. I want to recreate the moments we have through our lives where, at any given time or place, you just stop and feel a bit more aware, and a bit more immersed in your environment, even if just for a moment.”
"I want to recreate the moments we have through our lives where, at any given time or place, you just stop and feel a bit more aware, and a bit more immersed in your environment, even if just for a moment.”
What camera gear are you enjoying the most?
“I most enjoy USING my contax G2, but i mostly use my RB67 for the results it provides (even though the experience of shooting it in blizzards at night is awful).”
How is your work original?
“I don’t think my work is original. There are very, VERY few people able to culminate anything somewhat original these days. It’s all been done before, at least to a degree. Everything is informed by the context with which we exist in.”
What gets you up in the morning? What's the first thing that you do when you wake up?
"In the summers, biking gets me out of bed. We have such a short riding season up in the mountains and its all I live here for. First thing every morning, with no exceptions, is making my (first) coffee of the day in an aeropress."
"Everything is informed by the context with which we exist in.”
Do you think that film is truly still alive? Even in such a digital era?
"That's a really tough one. I'm really unaware of the general populations attitude towards film, and especially the digital worlds view on it. I hope it's alive and strong because I personally love the process of using it. Hopefully medium format digital has a used market by the time film does die!"
What's the weirdest/best situation that photography has landed you in?
"Photography hasn't landed me in any weird situations in many years because it's mostly old man type photos now. 8 or so years ago I had a tumblr called 'rvabove' where my friend and I would take photos from roofs in Richmond. Getting the shot on a crane at night was one of the most stressful experiences of my life due to the heights and the cops afterwards. I think the blog is still up but I have no idea haha!"
For more of Reese's work, head to his Instagram or Site!
