The Sunday interview: 5 questions for Donn Dobkin

Today I will present Donn Dobkin, the author of Glimpses and Visions. Donn is an award-winning fine art and portrait photographer and a great supporter of photographic community on Substack.

1.     Why photography?

I love creating, but in grade- and middle school I was unhappy with my efforts. In high school I learned that when working with photography, I was capable. Previous attempts to draw, build, etc. left me frustrated and unfulfilled. But I immediately felt I could to a lot of things with a camera, and I greatly enjoyed both capturing and processing images. I’ve loved it then, and even more now.

2.     What is your favourite gear? (camera, lens)

I’m not a gearhead. But what I use the most is a Sony RX10iv, because it works quite well for many, many applications while also being small and lightweight. It’s truly astonishing, and it’s almost always with me. There’s no reason to leave it at home given its portability, and "f8 and Be There” remains a wonderful mantra. But I also still like my older Canon pro-grade SLR with its L lenses, and I pull it out on occasion. 

Additionally, I’ll use a tripod for specific things, but generally I want the freedom of movement I feel with hand-held shooting. I feel a flow when the camera is in my hand. It’s emotional as much as it is technical. Maybe more.

3.     What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

I love so many things. For years I shot primarily sports, wildlife and landscape/fine art work. Over time my wildlife and fine art works made their way into galleries, and for a long while that’s all I cared to create. But I’ve found a new love with portraiture and editorial work. Creative design and choreography are thrilling me; they are a substantially different kind of work to do. And I’ve come to love storytelling. I especially enjoy combining the two, creative design and storytelling. I feel immense joy when attempting both, together. Note that I don’t say “achieving”, although that’s amazing and always the goal. Attempting, that’s the thing for me. Everything comes from attempting to create new things.

4.     Can you name a few of your favourite photographers?

Even within the world of portraiture it seems impossible to name just a few. But I love whimsy a lot, as you might guess from my own work, and I love powerful emotion, too. In the realm of whimsical portraiture, Rodney Smith is fantastic. Annie Liebowitz. For power, Dorothea Lange, among many famous names. 

Beautiful images are wonderful, but the images that really resonate with me do something else. They make me smile, make me cry, inspire me or touch a nerve. They help me feel like I know the subject, or that I desperately want to. There are many photographers I love who are not in the classic, top-20 of all time lists, but who make me curious and/or draw out emotions. Blaise Arnold is cinematic in his portraits, while also making me curious to know who his subjects really are. Claudine Doury is dreamy and super creative with more in-depth studies. Robbie Quinn makes super-expressive, fun, street portraits. I could list many others but I’ll stop for now with those three.

5.     What can Substack community expect from you/your publication in the future?

I create regularly and write weekly. The storylines vary along with my interests, but they always include a handful of images. Sometimes I highlight an inspirational person, sometimes I explain the process of imagining or creating an image, but it always involves a bit of me and how I relate to my subjects. I still shoot and discuss wildlife & fine art sometimes, but I write about people more often. I mix it up.

Regardless of the subject, I try to let people in on the joy of the experience. That’s why I’m here.

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