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Words w/ Drew McDermott [Fixation Fotog]

Reported by Tracy

Photo by Angela Kleis

Wandering through the red-light district in massive crowds of Japanese and more neon than I’ve seen in my life.

Our next Fixation photographer is the unassuming Drew McDermott. Drew is an information security engineer who first picked up a camera while shooting for his college paper. When he’s not protecting the information grid, you can find him at the 930 Club, DC9 or The Black Cat taking in the DC indie music scene, with this camera of course.

TC: Good catching up with you Drew. Can you tell us about the work you’ll be showing at Fixation?

DM: I’m showing photos of DC bands: Fugazi, Janel and Anthony, The Dismemberment Plan and New Rock Church of Fire. The common thread amongst the bands is they all come out of the District’s music scene, specifically the punk or indie rock scene. Although Janel and Anthony aren’t really what I’d call rock and they just moved to New York, so that kind of undercuts the whole thing nicely.

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TC: Angela mentioned New York in her interview yesterday, no mentions of NYC allowed, just kidding. Care to share your thoughts on the DC art scene or DC photography scene in general? Do you think us, as photogs are a “subculture?”

DM: As an office drone with a hobby in photography, I have to admit that I’m still really just a dabbler and outsider when it comes to the DC art scene. Over the past few years, I’ve found there’s a pretty active and stimulating community of amateur photographers in DC, which is certainly a kind of subculture. Last year, a good number of the finalists in the Fotoweek DC competition in the amateur and student categories were photographers that I know. It was pretty cool to see the list of finalists and see many of the usual suspects turn up.

TC: How did you get into photography?

DM: I got started by shooting for the college newspaper at Carnegie Mellon. Working on a weekly paper forced me to get out and shoot on a regular basis, and also forced me to shoot a wide variety of subjects: bands, sports, speakers, events, etc. I had to get out there and shoot whatever I was assigned, rather than shooting what I thought was worthwhile or interesting. I pretty much learned by trial and a whole lot of error.

You prefer digital or film? Why?

DM: I learned to shoot with black & white film, and spent almost a decade shooting, processing and printing in the darkroom, so I have a lot of affection for film and still shoot it on occasion. That said, about four or five years ago, I finally made the transition to digital, and I’ve embraced digital completely, even though it kind of felt like learning to shoot all over again. Nowadays I’m all digital, except for some occasional forays back into film.

Shoot, shoot, shoot.

TC: Any advice for photographers just starting out?

DM: Shoot, shoot, shoot. You’re not going to get anywhere if you aren’t out and shooting as much as possible. If you’re interested in a particular type of photography, reach out and get in touch with photographers with experience in that area, they’ll be able to help you with pointers and advice, maybe save you a little bit of time, and certainly save you a ton of frustration.

TC: You recently took a trip to Japan, what did you enjoy photographing the most while there?

DM: Probably the most enjoyable thing was taking photographs of each city shortly after arriving, during that period where I was just completely disoriented, didn’t know where anything is and was just out getting lost. Probably the best example of this was checking into my hotel room in Shinjuku and then getting lost in Kabukicho on a Saturday night. Just out wandering through the red-light district in massive crowds of Japanese and more neon than I’ve seen in my life.

TC: If I only had one exposure left or my battery is about to die, what’s the one shot in Japan that I must get?

DM: One exposure? That’s a pretty tough one. Don’t waste it on another photo of a shrine or temple. You already have a ton of those, just like every other tourist in Japan. Go to a Tokyo Yakult Swallows game and try and get a good shot of the fans singing and hoisting their umbrellas after the Swallows score a run. The tickets are easy to get, unlike tickets for Yomiuri Giants games, and the Swallows’ stadium is nice, small outdoor venue rather than a dome.

TC: So there’s a team called the Swallows?

DM: [Long pause] More interesting perhaps is the photo I wish I could have gotten: Shonen Knife playing at Club Quattro in Shibuya. I got to see them play in Tokyo, but had to leave my camera in a locker outside the club, so I don’t have a photo of one of the best memories from my trip.

TC: Okay now that your back in the DC area from Japan, what do you love about DC?

DM: Playing pick-up soccer on the National Mall, even if I haven’t played much since getting my ACL repaired. I tore it while playing on the Mall. DC United, even after a lackluster couple of seasons, summer shows at Fort Reno, and local music in general, obviously.

TC: What do you hate about DC?

DM: Vinny Cerrato, for failing to assemble a decent offensive line. Snyder for continuing to employ Cerrato. Myself, for getting so worked up about the Skins. It’s just been bred into me and I can’t help it.

TC: Is there a place in DC you go to find inspiration for your work?

DM: I don’t really have a particular place, but the work of my friends keeps me motivated and inspired. Whenever I feel lazy or unmotivated, which is often, the steady flow of new photos popping up on Flickr reminds me I need to get my ass in gear.

Get off of your ass and inspire me, you fuckers!

TC: Any upcoming projects or shows, beyond Fixation?

DM: No, nothing planned at the moment. I was feeling a little burnt out on photography after the summer, but I’ve had long enough of a break. Now I’m just being lazy and not really doing anything. That or my friends are failing to inspire me lately. Get off of your ass and inspire me, you fuckers!

To view more of Drew’s work check out his Flickr stream or photoblog. His photos will be showing this Saturday at Fixation.