Patrick Stromme is a Photographer Based in Milwaukee, WI, USA
I first met Patrick by chance because he had a Gitzo tripod listed on Craigslist and I asked if it was still available. That led to driving up to Milwaukee and enjoying an afternoon coffee talking all things photography. This is the great part of photography and our community. Random people you would never meet but can learn so much from and have so much in common.
Patrick brought a Plaubel Makina W67 camera that day we had coffee and that was fantastic to play with. He also convinced me he could easily teach me color film development…we will see….
Thank you Patrick for taking time to share with RedDotBlueDot readers! I’m thrilled to have you as a Photographer in Focus!
Five Foto Facts
First camera: Nikon FE
Favorite camera: Leica M2
Photographer who has most inspired you:
Male: Jens Olaf Lasthein
Female: Francesca Woodman
Favorite travel destination: The United Kingdom
One place left on your travel bucket list: Norway, Iceland, or Newfoundland
Photograph by: Patrick Stromme
The Interview
RDBD: Tell me a little bit about yourself. What do readers need to know about you to get to know you? What is your personal, professional, and photography background?
P.S.: I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From an early age I was interested in art and being creative. I had a very active imagination and did lots of doodling throughout my formative years. I decided to pursue my BFA from UW-Oshkosh, followed by my MFA from UW-Milwaukee, specifically revolving around painting with a bit of photography. I now teach Intro to Drawing and Figure Drawing courses at Mount Mary University here in Milwaukee where I currently reside.
My introduction to photography came when I was about 14 years old after begging my dad (for years) to let me use his camera. He always kept it hidden away in his closet and I would sneak in there and often look at it. It was always an alluring object and tool, and film photography was magical to me then, and still is today. It was a Nikon FE with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. He let me take it out with my friends and shoot a roll of 36 exposures even though I had no idea what I was doing. To my surprise because film is so flexible many images ended up turning out.
From there I continued photography in my high school darkroom, during my BFA got a job at a local camera store, Camera Casino, and started my own wedding photography business which is still running today. My wife and I shoot together, www.pmphotomke.com.
RDBD: What type of photography do you consider your primary genre and why? What does it mean to you? How did you become focused on this area of photography?
P.S.: This is a really hard question for me to answer. I like all different types of photography and shoot a lot. I do landscape, portraiture, street, photojournalism, and dabble in studio. Besides this, I like very experimental types of photography and conceptual works.
My last solo show was entitled “Hand Developed” and it featured four different viewing sections: experimental paintings, realistic paintings from photographs, photographs with light painting within them, and finally Fuji FP-100C peel-aparts with oil paint applied to the surface. In these ways, I get into the romanticism of the physical object; dust or fingerprints on negatives, light leaks, scratches, etc.
Acquiring my MFA really helped push me to think in ways beyond the standard “window to the world” approach, in both photography, as well as painting. “What material? Why? What can the photograph do in terms of its own physical or material elements that a painting cant? Does this matter? Why?” I’m always questioning my work from this perspective. Though, often times I need remind myself not to overthink these things and make sure I’m being simply authentic and intuitive in the artmaking process.
I also love documentary and photojournalistic photography for its narrative and story-telling abilities.
RDBD: Please tell me why you chose the image to submit as your one image. What meaning does the image have to you?
P.S.: I’ve been working on a new series about the fair. It is a strange place with its alluring lights, movement, food, colors, animals, and people. I’m shooting a Widelux F6B panoramic camera to document different scenes with a photojournalistic approach. I like the camera for this type of work because it lets me capture multiple narratives and elements into one image. It also warps the image’s horizon line giving a very atmospheric aesthetic.
This image in particular is one of my favorites because there is so much going on within it. The two girls, possibly twins, are extremely expressive and dressed the exact same. There is so much movement going on within the background. The lights are vibrant, and you can feel a lot of energy throughout the scene. It was hot and sticky out and there were several different smells in the air. There is another figure, the boy, with a lightning stripe buzzed into his hair and if I remember correctly, he had just taken a large handful of nachos or something and shoved it straight into his mouth while his mom was in line ordering more food. It has a kind of surreal feel to me and leaves a lot of interpretation in terms of the narrative for the viewer.
RDBD: In an era where everyone has a smartphone and selfies and micro-blogging daily activities are quickly becoming the norm, why does traditional photography still matter?
P.S.: Traditional photography, specifically film photography, makes us slow down.
If you go on a trip for a weekend and only bring one camera with two rolls of film, you are extremely limited to what you can take a photo of. You have to be conservative. The exposure and composition must be right, so you really live in that moment with the image and think about the entire scene. “Is it worth it? Why? Agh… Don’t overthink… just do”. After shooting that roll, you carefully slip it into your coat pocket because its precious and contains physical images you’ve spent time with. You then delicately process the roll with chemicals, and again, you have to be in the moment with your processing, hanging, drying, enlarging or scanning. There is a preciousness to the entire photographic process. A person becomes more gentle and humbled because of it all, I believe.
Digital does this to some extent, but for me, it’s just not the same. Maybe I’ll feel different down the road though…
RDBD: What is one question you thought I should ask but didn’t?
P.S.: What or who is another non-photographic inspiration in your life? My wife, Michelle, as she pushes me to be a better, more empathetic person, every day. I wouldn’t be nearly as kind, understanding, or successful if I didn’t meet her.
RDBD: What photographer would you like to see answer these questions and recommend RDBD contact to be featured?
P.S.: Dominykas Jasinauskas – He is one of my best photography related friends. So down to earth. He lives in Chicago. He is a fantastic street and documentary photographer. His images really hit home for me.
https://www.instagram.com/dom.jas/
Dre Hudson – She is another amazing photographer friend of mine. She is a spitfire. She is working on a big project about her family, addiction, and finding the feeling of home again.
https://www.instagram.com/haidredre/
Contact Patrick Stromme:
website: http://www.patrickstromme.com
instagram: instagram.com/patrickstromme
email: patrickastromme@gmail.com