THE THEATER OF THE BIZARRE | MIKE SPEARS
Oddity connoisseur, surf junky and photographer Mike Spears has made a name for himself traveling about the planet, snapping photos of the bizarre, off-beat, and provocative. From scandalously clad twenty-somethings, to mutilated seafood, to the quirky yet honest portraits of a local inhabitants, our new friend Mike clearly has a knack for cutting straight through the bullshit and finding the heart of any situation. He doesn’t strike me like a guy who wastes much time.
Spears has just published a photo-zine of his work, which he was gracious enough to send us a copy of. It hosts an eccentric spread of titty shots and heterochromatic pups. Let’s take a moment and get to know the very talented Mr. Mike Spears.
Howdy Mike. I noticed the care package you sent was from Brooklyn. Is that home?
Yes, Brooklyn has been home for 12 years now. I live in Dumbo which is picturesque and faces Lower Manhattan. It’s as if I’m always looking at the city and it’s part of me, but Brooklyn is home. Brooklyn is welcoming. Manhattan is elitist.
What’s your weapon of choice?
I shoot with three, 35mm film cameras mainly. I carry a Yashica T4 as a pocket cam for quick snaps of things I see when I’m out and about. I use a Contax G1 for the flashy seafood and fleshy female shots. I got a Konica Hexar in 2008 and love it for landscapes and rich color shots. It’s a poor man’s Leica. I also have an RZ67 medium format but rarely use it unless I’m doing a “photo shoot”, like a headshot job or beauty photos. It’s big and slow but beautiful.
One of the raddest things about your zine (to me) is that it was made through Kickstarter. What was that process like?
The Kickstarter process was easier than I expected. Hardest part was getting my pitch, video shot and edited. I spend a lot of time online so I just hounded people on my Facebook and Tumblr. I also sent out email blasts to anyone I thought might be interested and it worked. The more I pushed the more I got contributors. It’s important to offer good incentives so people feel like they’re not just giving to charity but getting something for their money. I offered prints of my work for contributors over $50 and for $20 you were basically buying the portfolio booklet in advance.
Were most of those contributions anonymous or do you know a lot of the people who donated to the project?
Most people who coughed up loot were friends, acquaintances, and fans of my work. However there were a few complete strangers from overseas who contributed which was encouraging.
All the subjects in your work look like they let their guard down around the dude with the camera. How do you get such a natural reaction?
I have good timing from being a former skate photographer so I know when to hit the shutter release. That said, you have to engage people. Be a good human. Talk to them. Show that your intentions are artistic and not exploitive. I’m also good at editing. Well, I’m ok at it. Some friends say my work is all over the place…which it is. I find everything fascinating sometimes. I guess I just don’t show people all the shitty photos I take too.
You’ve done some work with Vice. Was that a good fit for your aesthetic?
I have no connections at Vice these days. In the mid 2000s I was assisting a lot on Vice photo shoots with Glynnis McDaris and Tim Barber (who was the photo editor at the time and now a major photographer/curator in NYC) so by association I had some “ins”. I had photos in the Do’s and Dont’s about ten times which doesn’t count for much. However I was in the Photo Issue in 2005 and it was a proud moment. Vice likes the snapshot aesthetic which is how I shoot mostly. Also they seem to favor “the theatre of the bizarre” kind of photos which I’m attracted to in my work.
Any surf trips planned out our way?
I don’t have any Cali trips planned in the near future but would love to check out Costa Mesa. I’m feeling the stoney soul surf aesthetic. Hopefully sooner than later I’ll make it out there. Offer me a place to stay and I’ll book a ticket dude!
For more of Mike’s work:
www.mikespears.net
www.alieneyeball.tumblr.com/
