An Interview with Fine Art Photographer Benjie Chankin



"In wildness is the preservation of the Earth" - Hugh Prather
"When you know how to listen, everyone is the guru." - Ram Dass

These are two favorite quotes of Benjie Chankin. Benjie is a chef at the Motion Picture and Television Fund, where he enjoys making a difference in people's lives.

Benjie is also a Fine Art photographer with an emphasis on floral and nature photography. In this interview, Benjie shares with us how he began his photography career, tips and tricks, and shares with us a wonderful
Vegetable Torte recipe.

You can find Benjie's photography on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ClipsFromTheGarden?ref=br_rs

and Instagram:

https://instagram.com/clips_from_the_garden

https://instagram.com/clips_from_the_garden_2

Enjoy!

All photos ©Benjie Chankin


Tell us how you became interested in photography. Has it been a lifelong pursuit or more recent? And how did you decide to concentrate on floral/garden photography?

I've called myself an artist from a very young age, but the truth is in college I had to take a photography class and I hated it. I was very uncomfortable with cameras as they were "way too technical for MY art" and I swore I'd never pick one up again. Fade to only a few years ago when in an effort to lose weight, I started walking a lot. Not being one to be stuck on a machine in a room with four walls and already being a lover of nature (instilled in me by my summers growing up at camp in the mountains), I much preferred walking outside. Well, it is the 21st Century after all, so like the masses, I had my iPhone in tow. I knew it had an easy-to-use camera and as I was moved by some flowers I was walking by one day, I thought I would "capture" them to enjoy later at home. To my surprise, the pictures came out quite nicely, especially with a little "crisping up" through editing. As for my concentration on flowers (besides their obvious beauty), I am moved by intimacy, and as I became more comfortable with the camera, I started looking for that same intimacy with my subjects. I found flowers (and later leaves, grass, stones, dew, etc.) to be full of secrets. The closer I got, the more secrets I was privy to. For my part, however, it was a trust I had to earn…The more I honored my subjects and the more I respected their secrets (especially the ones they weren't ready to share), the more comfortable they became with me. This intimate relationship, like any, demands constant sensitivity, give and take, and, of course, love.


What kind of equipment do you use (camera, filters, lenses) especially for the close-up photography required for flowers?

iPhone, that's it. No fancy cameras, filters or lenses. I started with the iPhone 4 and now I use the 5. The only editing I do is from iPhoto, no Photoshop. For those close-ups, it's simply a matter of kneeling down…leaning in…steadying my hand…and taking a few shots, most of which will be discarded in favor of that one or two which offer the most possibility. Using a more advanced digital camera has been suggested to me but traveling light is part of the essence of my craft, and because I feel I need my phone anyway, I'll stick with my iPhone for now.


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For those close-ups, it's simply a matter of kneeling down…leaning in…steadying my hand…and taking a few shots, most of which will be discarded in favor of that one or two which offer the most possibility.
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Do you have any advice for anyone interested in photographing flowers or nature in general?

Getting good…at anything: PRACTICE…period. Take lots of shots, then throw most of them out. Obviously, the better the camera, the better the shot, but for those of us who want to travel light, you do not need anything more than your phone to take a great shot. Play with zooming in on different parts of your picture. While it's hard not to be drawn to the center of a flower (I often am and my photos represent that), the obvious and symmetrical crop is not always where the magic is. For macro shots (close-ups), unless you're using a tripod, the key is a steady hand. That also takes practice but it helps to rest your hand on something, your knee for instance. Specifically for nature, like people, it is alive, so it moves, which means your shot will be blurry. So, wait…until it is still; capturing movement is much more complicated and therefore takes a lot more practice and a much better camera.

If your subject continues to move, don't get frustrated…surrender. It is its life, its dance that you love in the first place; just enjoy the movement and move along to shoot something else.



What is the best time of day to photograph? Morning? Evening?

Ahh… That is the beauty, every time of day offers its own personality. That being said, until and unless you have a camera that can be set to shoot in the dark, light is imperative. So when is the best light? I've found that unless it's a macro shot, it depends on your subject and your preference. For macros, I like the morning. The relationship between light and shadows in the morning is profound. There are a couple of other reasons I prefer shooting in the morning. Everything is still "waking up." Buds are opening, dew drops are sparkling and little critters haven't scurried away from all the noise yet. I like the secrets nature tells, and the morning is when you hear the best stuff! Spiritually speaking, the Native Americans believe, and I share this belief, that the greatest power is early in the morning, and you have to be out and in Mother Nature to get the most benefit from it.


Where do you do most of your photography? Parks? Backyard or neighborhood?

I prefer Paris; I love the light there. Ok, just kidding… Never been, I'm very provincial. Most of my walking I do in my neighborhood. I live in the West San Fernando Valley and I particularly enjoy the foothills north of the Boulevard, as well as the local mountains. Good exercise, nature, and plenty of photo fodder are all motivations to get out and walk. I used to look more for that special flower that stood out, but now I am just as moved by dried-out or bug-chewed leaves, blades of grass that manage their way out of the sidewalk or chipped paint on the curb. Don't get me wrong, I still "fall in love" with those flowers, but I've come to see beauty in almost everything, and I think it's important for people to realize that they are surrounded by it even if they don't have the blessing of big, open, natural spaces or gardens nearby.

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I am just as moved by dried-out or bug-chewed leaves, blades of grass that manage their way out of the sidewalk or chipped paint on the curb.
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What separates an outstanding photo of a flower or nature from a mediocre one? What are the challenges of photographing flowers? How do you make your photographs special and unique?

Art, as we've all learned, and what is outstanding is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Ironically, sometimes I think a photo is outstanding but the response is tepid while other times the opposite happens. To be certain, there are "classic beauties" that most see as such and then there are those shots that will move only a few, but more deeply or personally and I'm okay with that. In social media, where my pictures are featured, everything is often measured in the number of likes or shares, but if a shot moves one person deeply, that is very rewarding to me. In the end, I can be the only true judge of what is mediocre or outstanding in my own photography. I've always been my own biggest critic, but I guess if enough people say a photo is outstanding, who am I to argue?

One of the challenges of photographing flowers, other than a still hand and good lens (which I talk about above), is access. That is, actually being able to get close enough to the subject you see. It may be on the other side of a fence, up a tree, down a hole or hiding among other foliage. But like movement, you try your best, and either succeed, settle or surrender… All part of life.

When I started, I didn't do much editing, feeling as though I owed it to subjects I had yet developed trust with to not alter or misrepresent them. Now that I feel I've gained that trust, I play more with some of them to show "other sides." I see them in their original beauty, appreciate them as is, then imagine them in a different light. How do I show you the beauty I see when I look at these lovelies? How do I imagine them in my heart and in my soul? I feel what makes my photography unique is this relationship I've developed.



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When I started, I didn't do much editing, feeling as though I owed it to subjects I had yet developed trust with to not alter or misrepresent them. Now that I feel I've gained that trust, I play more with some of them to show "other sides." I see them in their original beauty, appreciate them as is, then imagine them in a different light. How do I show you the beauty I see when I look at these lovelies? How do I imagine them in my heart and in my soul? I feel what makes my photography unique is this relationship I've developed.
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Who are some photographers that influence and inspire you?

Growing up, I was fortunate to be exposed to lots of art and photography. It's hard not to appreciate them all, but the impressionist painters were particularly influential to me. Of course, who could have been around the photography of Ansel Adams without being touched? And the magical painting of Georgia O'Keeffe… I'm sure her influence will not be a shocker to anyone who has seen my photography. I'd say a bit of Judy Chicago as well, but if you tell anyone, I'll deny it!

More recently, since I've been on Instagram, I've come to appreciate a whole world of photography…literally. I love connecting with people all over the planet through a common interest of photography, and the influences are countless. I have my favorites, a few who really have magic in their lens, and who have legitimately made an impression on the way I look at things but they all form a fabric of influence that I am grateful for and recognize in my work every day.


What is your favorite flower? Favorite color?

Hmmmm… Favorite, that's a hard one. Albeit cliché, I guess I'm a sucker for roses. I just don't think they ever look bad, from bud to decay, beautiful all past their dying day. The lovely form of the petals of a Dahlia and the fascinating details in the center of a Zinnia have to be mentioned. A field of sunflowers is a goldmine of images waiting to be captured both wide-angled as well as macro; such glorious diversity all willing to share the spotlight without ego. OK, I can see I'm about to go on and on here but I'll stop before it gets late.



Favorite color depends on the day, the time, my mood…the song I've been listening to. My iPhone struggles with red so you won't see as much of that, but I really do love all colors. Shhh, don't tell "pink," I have professed my love to her more than once…



What are some of the gardens around the world that you think are especially beautiful or you would like to visit?

I wish I could say I have seen many, but it remains a dream. I've seen many pictures of places I can only imagine walking the paths of… The greens of the Lakes District in Scotland, the wonderful Asian gardens in China and Japan, the stunning and changing themes of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada, just to name a few. Last year, during a vacation visiting new family Back East, I was blessed with a plethora of natural riches. First, I had the pleasure of visiting the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. What a wondrous place. The exotic pleasures of the orchid room, the butterfly sanctuary, all the flowers brought in from around the world, and of course the glorious Dahlia gardens! Then a drive to Connecticut enabled me to scratch something off of my bucket list: those famous and absolutely stunning panoramas of the trees in fall and their rainbow of greens, yellows, ambers and reds… I'm not at all ashamed to admit it brought me to tears.


OK, I suppose a visit to heaven should be shared. It was in the Olympic National Forest in northwest Washington State. (Officially a rainforest, which many people don't know, not that far from Forks and the area where the Twilight movies were filmed.) Anyway, a three-hour hike from our cabin to the ocean brought us through an area so full of dew, it was raining. And it had been so moist for so many years on old growth and decaying trees that there were canopies of light green moss with dark green accents hanging everywhere. With an overcast blueish-grey sky in the background, the colors were subdued but at the same time brilliant pastels. The raining dew could be heard as it gently tapped the variety of fallen and moss-covered trees on the forest floor. In the distance, even though still quite a ways away, the faint murmur of hundreds of seals could be heard. I was lost… and at the moment, I would have been at peace with never being found again. There were three of us, and I vaguely remember the sound of one of my other travel mates commenting to me about how beautiful it was. Then my other travel mate said something to her like, "Leave him, he's not with us right now" … Heaven.




Are there any garden recipes from your Clips from the Garden Facebook page that you could share with us?

You can find his Vegetable Torte Recipe here:
http://www.wheretothistime.com/interviews/benjiechankin/benjiechankin/torterecipe.html


How can readers become collectors of your photography?

I don't have a website at this time but I aspire to have one in the future (or in the meantime, possibly hitch a ride on a like-minded artist's page). For the time being, you can see my pictures on my Facebook page, Clips from the Garden, or on either of my Instagram pages, clips_from_the_garden or clips_from_the_garden_2.

I also have a very large body of work (including beach shots, classic cars, urban and architecture) that isn't posted and is available if someone is looking for something they don't see on Facebook or Instagram. I very easily work with people who are looking for certain flowers or colors. Lastly, I am available for hire if someone wants a custom shoot (i.e. pics from their own garden) or a custom collage (i.e. the letters of their name spelled out in pictures of flowers).





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