NYC 5: The Big Oof / November 15, 2020 by a zugunruhe

Dude.

The last year started out hot. I came back from LA to a relaxed job opportunity only for it to flip into the most gainful employment of my life. Then, COVID-19.

At one point, I was working 80 hours, 7 days a week and still making it a few extra stops on the L every few nights to shoot a show. I feel like I hit on a good style in LA and wanted to explore it further in NYC, no matter the sleep lost, only for everything to shut down after a few months. I transitioned to work from home on March 10th, and NYC began shutting down on the 12th.

Initially, I didn’t go shoot that much. I very much tried to adhere to shut down rules, only going out for groceries and other essential things. While I brought my camera with me, I didn’t start shooting regularly until warm weather started coming around again in May. Even then, it was only a weekend thing.

Since I couldn’t shoot these amazing artists and scenes around the city, I did my best to turn that energy toward refining my composition skills. I started writing a piece of music every day and then sampling radio broadcasts covering the pandemic as well as the Black Lives Matters protests (The latter you can hear on the @_zugunruhe)

I’m a big believer in not wasting my time. This year I was given a lot of time, so I used that daily project to help me create a series of albums. The first two can be found here, and the third will be released at the end of the month.

So. I guess that’s all I have to say. Here’s some photos.

Nov

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Jan

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March

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April

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NYC 4/LA 1: The ~BiCoAStaL~ Era / November 15, 2019 by a zugunruhe

Life is wild.

Getting back to NYC in January was bittersweet. Reconnecting at the Greenpoint Gallery is always a treat and Brooklyn is far from the worst place to be. But there was a general uneasiness in me being back in the city. I love taking chances and learning new topographies. Being surprised around every corner is something I live for. I had become addicted to being in situations where I understand nothing.

Many things conspired to me leaving for Los Angeles but it was a welcome change. Mostly because I was able to eat my own words about the city after speaking so poorly of the it while living in Austin. I used the opportunity to see things in a new light. Not only through photographing the insane sunlight in Southern California, but through the people I’ve met, the architecture I’ve stood in, and the general awareness I’ve gained through trying something new.

The last thing I expected was to photograph the poet laureate of Gucci and his lady during a choral arrangement of a Beatles song.

This year I whittled down my gear to one body and one lens. An all manual focus 40mm f/1.2 and very capable full-frame mirrorless. While this limits how I’m able to produce, it frees me from thinking in any other capacity. I can see most shots before I pull out my camera. Because of the sheer amount of shooting I did the last few months of 2018, I know exactly how certain parts of the day will look, how much contrasting sunlight I will need to create shapes with shadows, and where to stand in a DIY space to get the most dramatic shots from one florescent bulb on the wall.

I’m not huge on talking at length with the shots I take, but I believe the last year has allowed me to take serious steps towards much more dynamic photography than I have before. I’m beginning to feel proud of my work and I hope you guys dig it.

Also, how the fuck has it not rained in LA in three months?

NYC

LA

NY3: The 'Do I even live here?' Edition / November 11, 2018 by a zugunruhe

11/15/17-11/15/18 has been an interesting time.

After years of grinding out video editing skills, I landed a good job. After years of grinding out concert photography, people started digging my stuff. It has been cool and exciting.

At the beginning of 2018 I was finishing a temp job at MoMA and am ending the year in Bangkok after a three month stay in Europe that was sparked by acceptance to a residency in Arles, France.

When the year began, I was still developing my Sight + Sound series that I shot from February to May 2017 in Switzerland, Cuba, and Iceland. Work that took me longer than expected because I had no blueprint for the amount of work I wanted to put into it.

I also wanted to make strides in as many production areas as possible.

I took my After Effects time more seriously and began ripping random Soundcloud song to make videos. I began my slow decent into Trapcode and 3d rendering software and very much look forward to what will come from spending more time there.

I sold all of the lenses I was familiar with and attempted to transition to a zoom lens. After I was tired of trading quality for a quick change of focal lengths, I switched back to one main prime and it helped me set my focus for the photo sets that I’m releasing next. I forgot how much I loved the constraint of one focal length to help me think about how to shoot situations.

A slightly depressing but productive 2017 set me up for an insane 2018. I can only hope to work even harder in 2019.

I hope everyone’s next 365 days is productive.

Another Year In NYC / November 15, 2017 by a zugunruhe

New York is a weird place.

Over the last twelve months, I've only spent a little over seven here. My time was split between NYC, India, Switzerland, Rome, Iceland, Cuba, Baltimore, Texas, and roughly a week on trains.

This year had me moving out of the country for an extended time to do my first residency in Skagastrond, Iceland. There, I fell short of my initial goals but immediately started producing photo sets like Lightwaves and Dreamscapes that I'm incredibly proud of.

From that experience I came back to NYC to put on my first solo gallery show produce the project Framing, which is something that had been bouncing around my head for over a year.

Beginning with Framing, I started combining my love of making music and putting together visuals to promote my photo sets. This has put me on a very tight schedule with the momentary release of my Sights and Sounds series, a new effort into the travel videos that first pulled me into multimedia production.

I've definitely become more confident as a photographer than I was a year ago. This time has allowed to produce work on a scale I was incapable before and I'm excited for what I have in mind for the next twleve months.

Last December's first snow over the Pulaski Bridge

Takashio Hiisayasu at Greenpoint Gallery, Janurary

Pipilotti Rost: Pixel Forest, New Museum

MTA employee stuck after a stolen car is left in a crosswalk, Bed-Stuy

Ninjasonik/Unstoppable Death Machines/Snoopy at Knockdown Center

Takashio Hiisayasu at Greenpoint Gallery, November

Framing / August 25, 2017 by a zugunruhe

Living in NYC has given me an appreciation for how the surface of a city evolves.

How structures decay, how paint cracks, how advertisements fade, how posters are torn, how the proximity of salt water affects discoloration, how taggers write over others' tags.

Everything comes together in such a beautiful symphony of color and texture, caused by both time and human intervention, that I wanted to capture it in some way other than an iPhone photo here and there (although you can find many on my personal IG: @adamziegenhals).

I will admit that introducing the frame to these photos feels kitschy and hokey. My aim wasn't to make a bunch of Instagram shots and postcards, but to focus the view where I felt a confluence of the project's aim. In the process of shooting—hours spent wandering neighborhoods—I found the frame useful in highlighting what I wanted to capture. It sometimes became the subject itself, leading to some of my favorite shots.

I had the idea of lugging around a frame to do this project for a while, but finding these amazing, albeit beat up, gold frames in a SoHo trash heap kicked things off. How better to frame instances of disregarded beauty, than with an actual discarded frame?