When we received our first print order from Ben Folds we were a little star struck. After all, this was the genre bending solo artist, the lead man of the Ben Folds Five, the hip and insightful judge on The Sing Off. With such a diverse portfolio of talent, what would Ben Folds the photographer be like?
Turns out that Ben Folds is a very talented photographer, who has created an extensive body of work much like he has done as a musician. Ben has a long history with the photographic craft. He himself is an excellent printer and often shoots film. When it comes to photography, Ben refers to himself as, “an obsessive freak,” and he always has a camera close at hand, usually an old Rollie, Leica range finder, or digital Leica Monochrom.
On his web site Ben states, “…my interest in photographs has expanded to equal that of music and I find one art form always informs and inspires the other.”
It makes sense that someone as creative as Ben Folds would bring his sensibilities of composition, contrast, expression, and craft to all artistic endeavors. His elegant black & white photographs do not disappoint.
With the release of his album “So There,” Ben produced several versions on vinyl that included signed prints of XX photographs both on RC and Fiber DSI Digital Silver Prints®. We were fortunate to produce the prints for Ben, and we probably should have included an ice pack for his signing hand.
Many people, including myself, are fans of Ben Folds the musician/singer/song writer. As an artist he is always pushing boundaries, and I think that’s a good example for anyone involved in a creative endeavor. As a photographer Folds appears to be exploring a different side of creative expression. But what else would you expect from Ben Folds.
For more on Ben Folds, the photographer and musician, follow this link.