Tom Epperson captures art in serendipity

Tom Epperson has been living in the Philippines for 27 years and within that span of time, he has photographed so many people and places here.   

 

Although you may not be aware of it, you’ve probably seen at least one of his shots somewhere—portraits of celebrities such as Elizabeth Ramsey and Joey “Pepe” Smith in a magazine, perhaps a breathtaking landscape shot from a luxury resort’s brochure, or that iconic image of Manny Pacquiao kneeling in a corner of the boxing ring for a footwear brand’s ad campaign.

 

Photography as fine artwork  

For years, advertising has been Epperson’s bread and butter, but he has decided to put that aside to focus on doing portraits and “fine artwork.” No, it’s not the kind of fine art that most people think of when they hear that term, but photographs as artworks.

 

“It's just now being accepted as art,” he said. “Recently, a photograph sold for $4.3 million. It’s by an artist that's still alive. I can understand if he was dead, but this guy is still alive. It kinda gives you an idea how big photography is now.”

 

In 2009, Epperson exhibited “12 Below,” a series that focuses on images of frozen objects, at the Chelsea Gallery in New York—the first Manila-based photographer to be invited to show his work there.   

 

His latest foray into photography-as-artwork is a limited edition set of six black and white photographs entitled “Smoke.”

 

“This is not from a fire, from a cigarette, or anything burning. This is chemical smoke; it's two chemicals mixed together,” he explained.  

 

“Smoke” was conceived by pure chance. Epperson was doing food shots, and his team used chemicals to make coffee look like it was smoking. His art director noticed that the smoke looked very artistic in the resulting photographs, so Epperson decided to pursue the idea.

 

“These are all surprises,” he said, pointing at the artworks, which were showcased as part of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Brewfinder exhibit series. “I had no idea I was gonna get these. It's a really difficult thing to shoot. I'm probably exaggerating, but maybe one in a hundred or maybe one out of 50 is good.”

 

The art in surprises

 

Over the last five years, Epperson said he’s been working with “mediums that are basically uncontrollable and a lot are left up to serendipity,” and those that constantly change.  

 

“I like the idea of surprise,” he shared. “It reminds me of going into the darkroom in the days of analog and watching a print develop for the first time.”

 

Aside from smoke and his previous work on ice, he has also tried photographing oil spills in the streets on rainy days.

 

“The reason I shoot this stuff is that most of the time, you see smoke and you don't really pay attention. What I'm trying to show you is there is beauty in that smoke, same with the oil spill,” he explained. “When I showed that work to people, they're like, 'What is that?' You see it every day but you just don't pay attention to it.”

 

Epperson also said that one of the reasons he is fascinated with this type of photography is it is far from the traditional sense, where you take a picture of something or someone and everyone can tell what your subject is.

 

“I saw this guy's work when I was in New York. He shoots nothing but abstracts,” he related. “I sat there and I had no idea what he's photographed, and I find that really intriguing.”

 

“I like when people interpret it differently. Many people wouldn't think this is smoke; it looks like a charcoal drawing,” he added. “But everything I do isn’t affected by Photoshop.”    

Digital holdout

 

Talks of Photoshop and digital cameras brought up something that people who do not know Epperson might be surprised to find out—among professional photographers in the Philippines, he admitted that he was one of the last to go digital.

 

“I actually prefer to shoot on film but I was forced to use digital,” he disclosed. “Everyone was using it, everyone wanted it. I hated it when I started to use it.” 

 

Epperson said he still uses his film cameras when he wants to discipline himself, and advises other photographers, especially beginners, to do the same.

 

“When you use film cameras, it makes you think before you press the button. Pretend you have a roll of film; that's 36 exposures,” he suggested. “Pretend every time you take a frame, it costs you P50. Slow down, think about what you're shooting, and your photography will change. Your images will change.”

 

“I had people walk into my studio, and they're like, ‘Wow, some of your lenses are like 10 years old.’ And I go, ‘Yeah, so? What's your point?’ I always tell young photographers you don't have the top camera and the best lenses,” he added. “It's not about the camera; it's what you do with it.” –KG, GMA News Photos by Gary Joran Mayoralgo

 

Tom Epperson’s “Smoke” series is on display at the Greenbelt 5 Lobby until June 5.  To see more of his work, visit his official website and online portfolio at www.tomeppersonphotography.com.