Local Artist Spotlight on Amanda Dahlgren

Now in its sixth year, the Art of Photography Show received a record breaking total of 13,692 photographic entries from artists across 67 different countries. This year’s honored judge is Natasha Egan, who is the Associate Director and Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. And for your enjoyment, 111 of the best of the best photographs were selected by Ms. Egan, and will be on display at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery with an Opening Reception on Saturday, August 28th, and running through November 7, 2010.

A sampling of the 67 countries which are represented in the Art of Photography Show include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, India, Italy, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. And out of all the 111 incredible photographs, two San Diego photographers stand out in the global spotlight. The two local photographers who made it to this year’s Art of Photography Show are Amanda Dahlgren and Andrew Folz.

In honor of the 2010 Art of Photography Show we sat down with celebrated San Diego photographer Amanda Dahlgren to get the Insider scoop on the way San Diego culture inspires her work, where she sees her career in five years and how her current photography series transformed into a social commentary right before her eyes. 

Amanda Dahlgren acknowledges that there are many perverse elements throughout contemporary culture, and through her artwork she strives to reveal truth and help people re-evaluate the way we view reality. Her current series, Distressed, exemplifies this vision in that it’s a social commentary on the San Diego real estate crisis. Through these very real photos, Amanda shines light on how locals tend to obsess with the grandiose over the genuine. Amanda’s piece in The Art of Photography Show is a selection from the Distressed series. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Amanda is also a professional portrait photographer by day who is obsessed only with exceeding her commercial clients’ expectations and making their vision come to life.

DiscoverSD: How does it feel to be recognized in such an exclusive group of top international photographers?
Amanda Dahlgren: It is truly an honor to be chosen out of such a staggering number of high-quality entries.

DSD: When did you first find your passion for photography?
AD: I have always been an artistic person and I have always loved photography, but I did not really seriously embrace photography as my artistic medium until about 6 years ago. 

DSD: Please explain your artistic vision and signature photography subjects and style.
AD: I have a portrait photography business and my clients are sometimes surprised that my fine art photography work is so different from the work I do commercially, but to me, there is a clear delineation. The work I do for my clients is all about them and my only goal is pleasing them.

Only in my fine art photography work can I really explore concepts and subject matter that are truly personal to me. Most of the time, my fine art photography work revolves around questioning the way our culture places value and/or the way our culture defines beauty. My visual style is strongly influenced by my background in graphic design, with a strong attention to the formal qualities of the photograph, such as color and composition, but it is always in support of a strong concept.

DSD: What is your inspiration for your photography? Do you strive to tell a certain story?
AD: In a very general sense, I strive to reveal truth and I hope to cause all of us to re-evaluate the way we move through life in some way. My current series, Distressed, (which my piece in The Art of Photography Show is from), is a social commentary on the real estate crisis as a symptom of our cultural obsession with the grandiose over the genuine (please see amanda-dahlgren.com for more information).

DSD: What is your favorite piece of art work in the Art of Photography Show?
AD: I have only seen a few of the pieces that are in the show so I am very much looking forward to the reception on Saturday and to being able to examine the work of my peers and speak to them about their concepts. From a glance at the pieces that are online, I am very much drawn to Nigel Grimmer's "Roadkill Family Album (Jo, Hull, 2000)." There is something haunting about it that keeps me coming back and trying to figure it out. There is also something humorous about it, but it's one of those feelings like, "Is it okay to laugh at this?" I also find Douglas Yates' "Fata Morgana" to be a stunningly beautiful photograph. And I think we all want to meet Miss Aniela and ask her the how and why behind "The smothering"!

DSD: Where do you see yourself and your photography work five years from now?
AD: I hope to continue to grow formally, technically, and conceptually in my photography. I will finish my MFA in about a year and a half and hope to be teaching at the university level soon after that.

DSD: How does San Diego culture inspire you to explore your artistic side?
AD: Honestly, for me, there is a lot that is twisted and perverse in the larger culture we live in and San Diego's culture is certainly a microcosm of that. I think most of us want to be accepted for who we are, but we find ourselves in a culture that mostly values what we have. Dichotomies such as that are what drive me to create art.

DSD: Where in San Diego do you love taking photos?
AD: For my Distressed series, the areas of San Diego that were hit the hardest by the real estate crisis are the ones where I find the most financially distressed properties (short sales, foreclosures, etc.) to photograph. But I definitely would not say that I "love" taking photographs there; there's definitely a sadness to these homes, many of which have been abandoned, and I feel like somewhat of a voyeur when I photograph them. But I see the photography as a mean to an end of the social commentary.

DSD: When you’re not taking photos, where can we find you in San Diego?
AD: As I mentioned earlier, I have a portrait photography business: amandadahlgren.com, and am also working towards an MFA in Photography at the Academy of Art University. And one of my favorite things to do is see San Diego through my 3-year-old daughter's eyes, which usually involves outings to parks, Sea World, the Zoo, and the like.

DSD: In your opinion, who are some of the top emerging San Diego artists across any genre?
AD: Patti Fox (pattifoxart.com) is my favorite San Diego painter and she is also an amazing educator.

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