We got a chance to chat this week with Chrissie White. A prolific photographer of over a decade, she brings her passion and experience into her first year of photography school at SCCA. Recently published Celestial Bodies, a photo book collaboration between two UK photographers, is now out and featured in a number of publications including DAZED. You can purchase the book at the Seattle launch party in March or online here. Read on to learn about the launch and more about White’s distinctive photography.
Collaborative self portrait with Eleanor Hardwick.
You’ve been doing photography for a long time, what brought you to SCCA?
I learned about SCCA through two friends, Chloe and Chelsey Scheffe who were in the graphic design program some years ago. I had been planning on going to Pratt in New York, but was disenchanted by the idea of art school after realizing how much money it costs. The facilities here really convinced me. After I went to the portfolio show I made the decision to apply. It seemed like a great community and they had a wilderness themed photobooth at the show!
“I have a fascination with capturing light at night time because it shows up on the camera in a different way from how our eyes see it.” Celestial Bodies, Box Canyon California.
This shot “entailed getting buried alive and having sand leak into all the wrong places” Celestial Bodies, White Sands New Mexico.
Your photography subjects vary, but you have a distinctive style to your work. How would you describe how you see your work?
I would say that my work in the past has been mostly an exploration of the imagination or an exaggeration of reality. Lately I have been playing around with the concept of the human spirit in relation to each other and to nature, I call that series “Awakening The Spirit”.
Exploration of “how small we humans are compared to our environment” Celestial Bodies, Box Canyon.
“My original idea was to show the human form so that it appeared like cells in the body, but as I experimented more while taking photographs I subsequently ended up with an exploration of the transformation of human energy into an animal state.”
Ephemeral: “I was inspired by an episode of the x-files one night which began with an invisible body, and the work of one of my favorite artists: Andy Goldsworthy who deals with ephemeral art made out of nature.”
“I captured this image on a whim, we had been driving trying to get to the South Jetty Sand Dunes in Oregon and promised we wouldn’t stop to take any more photos along the way. About 5 minutes later we saw this beach and the light was so magical that we had to pull over and capture it.”
Your photography showcases a clear affinity for the natural world. If you could be reincarnated as a plant what would it be?
I would be reincarnated as a redwood tree because they are beautiful, they sound cool (put your ear up to one when it’s raining and you can hear it drinking water), and they smell yummy! Plus they are giants, and I have always wanted to be taller.
“In order to achieve this image I held a flashlight over my head and we opened the shutter for 30 seconds. That place feels so alien that a lot of the photographs I’ve taken there aim to show the human form in a cosmic-otherworldly way.” Celestial Bodies, White Sands.
The Cosmic Crab, collaboration with Clara Pathe, Daniel Harm, and Maureen Traxler.
“While this was being captured a teenage boy walked by and we could tell he was totally embarrassed by the nudity. I wonder if he had ever seen a naked lady in person before?” Celestial Bodies, taken with a Polaroid, Valley Of Fire in Nevada.
How did you end up working on the project Celestial bodies and what was one of the most interesting parts of the project?
The project originated after I had consistently been doing road trips to California, my friend Elvia and I wanted to make a travel book on how to travel on a budget with a car. But of course it turned into an art book instead. I had met Elle and Rachel Hardwick (my collaborators) years ago on Myspace when I first started using the internet back in 2006/2007. They originally inspired me to start photography, so it was very serendipitous that we would finally meet in person and end up creating our first photography book as a team.
“This is from my long-term project entitled “Awakening The spirit” which explores the connection of the human soul and body to our planet and the cosmos.” White Sands.
“Clara Pathe and I created this image using one flashlight shining towards the figure, a shawl (which appears as the energy ball due to long exposure), and a lantern that our friend ran around shining behind the log.” Eastern Washington
How can we find more about the book and where can we get a copy?
You can purchase the book right now online here although I recommend you wait and buy it from me in person at Common Area Maintenance as it will be cheaper. Our launch party is on March 12th so keep an eye out on the event Facebook page for news. We also have interviews in Id Magazine, The British Journal Of Photography, and Dazed about the book.
You can find more of Chrissie White’s incredible work at chrissiewhite.com.