Audio clip
Robert Parker
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, event photographer Robert "Robot" Parker has captured Chattanooga's nightlife in a story that's 2 million words strong and counting.
And with only a year behind the lens at local parties, that's a pretty furious pace.
"I've already gone through one camera body," he said, laughing.
Even with such a brief career, being featured in one of Mr. Parker's shots on his photo blog has become synonymous in some circles with social cachet.
Q: What about photography appeals to you?
A: Through most of my life, I've been this ancillary observer. I was always studying people and situations. There are all these little random things in the world that catch my eye ... totally random stuff that, unless you study it critically in an artistic setting, you wouldn't think it's much to look at.
Q: Are you a different person behind the camera than you are in front of it?
A: Yeah, especially when I'm doing parties and events. Part of my job is to be the public face of the event, kind of the hype man. (At) any event where there's a clear separation of audience and stage ... I'm the part of the event that people can directly interact with and talk to and ask questions of.
Q: Does being recognized at events ever make it difficult to maintain the role of observer?
A: In some cases, like at wacky parties, it's great to be like, "Oh, there's the party guy," but in some cases, you just want to hang back and snipe from the outside.
Q: Why focus on event photography instead of more traditional fine art subjects?
A: (Laughs.) I think we've got enough pictures of buildings and birds and stuff like that. Even in my fine art photography, I look for things that are rare and ephemeral. I try to compose things that have a lot of narrative built in; and with an event, that's an easy, artificial way to inject narrative.
Q: What was the most memorable event you've shot?
A: Probably the after parties at Con-Nooga. Those were just absolutely wacky. It was so wild running around seeing Vikings hooking up with vampires and nurses hooking up with pirates. It was cool.
Q: How do you decide what to post online?
A: For the most part, I look for good energy shots from the crowd, good facial expressions -- those things that suggest the movement of the scene. When the lights are at their most crazy, those are always really crazy, too.
Q: Can you get a good shots from a bad party?
A: Absolutely. Some people have told me that I have this gift of making these tiny events look like there are 200-300 people there.
ABOUT HIM
Name: Robert Parker.
Age: 27.
Hometown: Ringgold, Ga.
Occupation: Photographer.
Family: Parents Anne and Jack; half-brothers, Jeff and Terry, and half-sister, Lori.
Education: Ringgold High School, currently enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Web sites: www.robotparker.com (event photography), www.robertwarrenparker.com (fine art photography)
SEE HIS WORK
Local event photographer Robert Parker will have a free exhibition of his photos on display April 2-May 6 at Leo's Handmade Gallery, 22 Frazier Ave. There will be a reception from 6 to 9 on opening night.
FAVORITES, ETC.
* Pets: Ziggy, a 5-year-old, tail-less cat.
* Dream vacation: New York City.
* His equipment: Nikon D90 camera body with a Tokina 11-16 mm lens.
* First camera: A Canon AE-1 Program.
* Personal hero: Fred McFeely Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers).
* Favorite movie: "Children of Men."
* Favorite book: "Terra" by Stefano Benni.
* Favorite band: The Beach Boys.
Casey Phillips has worked as a features reporter in the Life department for three years. He writes about entertainment, young adults, animals and people of interest. Casey hails from Knoxville and earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts in German. He previously worked as the features editor for Sidelines at Middle Tennessee State University. Casey received the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists Award of Excellence for Reviewing/Criticism in ...
Or login with:
New Account