I got to interview John Eric Lutz a Landscape photographer who also had owned a oral surgery practice in Clackamas, Oregon. John or as I know him by Dr.Krump was the photographer I wanted to interview because growing up and going into work with my mom at his practice I would see all of his photographs up on the walls. I always loved seeing them because they were beautiful and raw, The one I remember the most was a photo of a single tree in the middle of a photograph it was black and white. He has been my inspiration ever since, he grew my love for black and white photography. Unfortunately John was out of town and could not get me any of his photos at the moment until he gets back but here is what he had to say to my many questions. 1. Do you prefer Film photography or Digital? Why?
For more than 150 years the only way to make a photograph was to start with an analog piece of film ( negative or transparency). The first time I saw a digital camera some 20 years ago I thought it was a joke. It was crude by today’s standards. We have come a long way since that time and the technology is now such that digital rivals if not surpasses anything analog. I have been using nothing but digital for the past 10 years and will never go back to film. But I still have a lot of my film negs to make prints from.
2. What are your favorite things to shoot? What do you shoot the most? Why?
Favorite things to photograph are anything in nature ie rocks & trees, clouds, etc. But anything that catches my interest and I feel I can express myself in a photograph will do. I do not do weddings, portraits, etc although I have done some in the past and did a good job. Just not my forte.
3. Do you prefer Black and White or Color? Why?
I find B&W “tickles” my neurons more than color does. Not certain why but I “see” in B&W and not so much in color. Nowadays all my photos are taken in color but the vast majority are then rendered in B&W.
4. When you are shooting for black and white what do you think is the most important thing to consider/think about?
There are many things to consider when making an image regardless of the color or lack thereof. Framing, composition, center of interest, what do you want to say about the image, motion, etc. How do you feel about an image, etc.
5. What type of shooting do you try to avoid doing( like portraits,product,or landscape,etc.)? Why?
I do not actively avoid making any image. I simply do not make myself available for weddings, etc. Nor do I have a studio for portraits ie high school photos, etc. It is a different type of photography that requires set ups that I do not have nor want to have.
6. Do you collaborate with second shooters or assistants? Why or Why not?
I have never used an assistant but sure wish I had one on some long hikes with heavy back packs. I have gone with groups on many occasions but never had any personal assistant. Sounds like a good idea tho.
7. What kind of camera is your favorite for both film and digital? What lens do you prefer to use why?
My favorite format for film photography was 4x5 inches. The black box was not terribly important but I did use a Linhof. My lenses were mostly made by Fujinon. Nowadays I use Sony cameras with zoom lenses. I am getting old and don’t want to carry around a lot anymore.
8. When did you start doing photography?
I started taking photos as a child with a Kodak Brownie camera and roll film. I had a flash as well. I loved the medium then as now. I really took this interest to heart while in the Army during Vietnam. There were photo darkrooms available to give guys something to do with their time off. I spent my time developing film and making prints. Bought my first SLR at the local PX.
9. What photographer influenced your style of photography? Why?
I started out doing mostly documentary photography with people like Alfred Eisenstaedt as an inspiration. I then morphed into landscape images with the usual suspects as inspiration ie Ansel Adams, the Westons, etc. The images of Bruce Barnbaum are some of my favorites.
10. How did you start getting interest in photography?
Some people hear notes and put them to use making music. I am a visual person. It seemed only natural that I could record what I saw in the form of a 2 dimensional image. I do not recall what piqued my interest in photography to warrant the purchase of that Brownie camera at about 10 years old. It may have been a gift that I asked for.
11. Were you self taught or did you take any classes?
I am mostly self taught having never taken a class for credit in high school or college. That said I certainly have taken a number of workshops over the past 20 years from experts where I have leaned a great deal. There are also many books and nowadays web sites, etc. I continue to read and attend lectures. I am also a member of a local photography group. I am not a member of any camera club.
12. When you first started out what do you wish you knew?
Wish I knew then what I know now about all the things that make photography worth seeing and enjoying. When I look back at some of my early prints they were clearly made by someone without a clear vision of what he wanted. It’s a maturation process that takes thought and time. There do not appear to be any short cuts in this process (or anything else?).
13. Do you sell any of your work? How do you promote or put your work out there?
I have not sold any of my work for a long time nor am I out there promoting it. I do it for enjoyment but if someone is interested we can talk. Over the years I have given away many of my photograph for graduations, marriages, etc. I get nothing but thanks for years afterwords. But, this is not the way to make a living. That’s where oral surgery came into focus.
14. What made you wanna do Oral Surgery full time instead of photography?
I always wanted to be a surgeon growing up. Worked well for me. And there is the old saying: “don’t give up your day time job”... For me photography is an avocation, not a hobby. It was not a way for me to make a living. The combination of both did work out well.
15. Was anyone else in your family a photographer? Was your family more supportive of your Oral Surgery career more than photography?
My mother was always supportive of my career goals. She encouraged me all along. I did photography on my own but many in my family enjoyed and benefitted from my expertise in this area. My mother was an art major in college. She was a painter and wonderful at crafts. Perhaps I got my “visual genes” from her, if there is such a thing (?). The rest of my family on both sides are in the field of health care. Lots of nurses, MD’s, dentists, vets, etc. Too many to count. I had almost 50 first cousins at one time.
16. What does photography mean to you?
Photography is a means of personal expression as is music and other forms of art, theater, etc. For that matter surgery is both art and science. Another reason I liked doing it. I always wanted to work with my hands and brains and thought doing surgery would be the most interesting way to make use of both. Making images with a camera is also fulfilling.
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