Stephen Vanasco was first exposed to photography through the 90’s skateboard scene. Having grown up studying magazines such as Thrasher,Slap,Big Brother & Transworld he was shown early on that making photographs could be a self expressive and creative outlet. This ideology mixed with the mindset and approach to life skateboarding would give him would have a profound impact in his life for years to come. Stephen has a passion for printing, for sharing his images in a tangible form rather than swiping through the small digital images on his phone.
"The biggest power of printing your work is the ability to self audit. It is one of the purest ways to look at yourself and ask where have you been with your photography? What are you doing now with it? Where do you want to go with it? In the form or print and truly looking at your work is how one can answer these questions for themselves and to see their way of making photos evolve.” - Stephen Vanasco
Learn more about about Stephen and his work.
Tell us about yourself and your work.
My name is Stephen Vanasco. I was born in NY and raised in LA. I grew up exposed to skateboarding and underground hip-hop at the time which had an immense everlasting impact on my outlook and approach in life. Skateboarding demonstrated this idea that you don't have to confine yourself to one exact thing. You can be fluid but still leave the fingerprint of your style in whatever you do. This idea transcended into my photography. When people ask what type of photography do you do I just reply all of it. With an art form as creative as photography is it feels like a shame for one to limit themselves to one subject matter. Which I feel is reflected in my work since I shoot aerial, street, portraiture, abstract/fine art, etc. I love exploring how to see things.
How did you get into photography?
I didn't go to art school. I wasn't handed down a camera from someone in my family it was merely through a lucky opportunity. I was always inspired and attracted to photography but never fully fell into it due to my passion for skateboarding at the time. But with this offer I had the ability to work for someone and part of that job incorporated the ability to learn photography for their productions.
Why is it important for you to print your work?
One of the initial ideas of that got me printing years ago was the fact I couldn't afford the cool art I wanted. So I saw printing my own photos was a way to not only start the ball rolling on how to print but to provide myself and friends with photos. Now a days I print my work to have a better understanding of what I am doing. I feel there is a translation to ones work that gets lost if you leave it on a digital screen. Aside from comprehension of the photos I make I also believe printing the photos you like is essential for archiving. Hard drives crash aside from other technical difficulties. Needless to say it is very important to have a physical copy of your most beloved photos around. The other bonus factor of printing is the idea of sharing your art whether gifting it to people or selling it. People may see a great photo you made through their phone or computer but giving them a print is so much more impactful.
How did ‘one print a day’ start?
It was just an idea that when I can I try to run 1 print a day to not only motivate myself but to motivate others. Once your photo is done with whatever your process is... print it. It doesn't take that long and you will thank yourself later.
What papers do you use?
I love to explore all the papers Moab offers. They all have their own look that you see when applying different photos to them when printing. But I would say the Juniper Baryta Rag is my favorite by far. The weight, the texture the warmth along with the materials used to make it you can feel the quality in it when you pick up a sheet. Plus I love how it is universal in the sense it can work with black and white or color. A consistent look that extends my photographic signature.
How do you choose a paper for your different images?
Picking a paper comes down to the photograph and which paper will go best with that photo. Understanding the colors and textures involved in the image and how it will translate to which paper you pick. Knowing how to use your printer and paper is equivalent to knowing how to use your camera with a favorite lens. It should become second nature.
What's next we should be looking forward to?
As far as upcoming projects I have an aerial exhibit coming up (currently postponed- TBD on a new date) at the Regime Contemporary Gallery in L.A. Aside from that constantly printing, building on my work and planning whats next.
