His production process combines digital recording technology with self-built lenses. His works have been exhibited in the United States, France and England and have been published in numerous magazines and blogs around the world.

FJORD: How do you feel the Internet has affected the way you work? Have you changed the style of work you do or the way you present your work based on the way the Internet has changed how photography functions?

Alexander: On one hand, the Internet helped me gain more attention for my work. Some decades ago it would have been much harder to show my photos to a worldwide audience. On the other hand, the Internet is the best medium to build up and maintain contacts with other artists, curators, photographers & nerds like me around the globe. But I wouldn’t go so far to say that the internet changed my style of work, i guess. I found my influences much earlier - in a time when 35mm film, slide projectors, 8-bit technology and the Commodore C64 ruled.

F: How do you gain inspiration for your work? Where do you look for ideas?

A: First off, I’d like to mention that I spent my whole childhood in the local video rental store. This 24/7 consumption of all kinds of horror-videos, psycho thrillers and science-fiction movies provided the basis for my “inner visual library”. Much of my work is heavily influenced by these film genres and even today, I love to spend a weekend in front of my TV set, watching horror movies…especially the late 70’s and early 80s stuff like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Hellraiser or Evil Dead. On VHS cassette, of course…

& yes, I am fascinated by occult sciences and paranormal phenomena.

F: What are your favorite websites?

A: There are so many great websites out there that it’s really difficult to mention my favorites. I think Tim Barber’s Tiny Vices is one of the most comprehensive and influential resources for contemporary photography and emerging artists.

Beyond that, there are many great artist blogs like boogiephoto.blogspot.com, funeralfrench.blogspot.com or leonardgrecoblog.blogspot.com just to mention a few.

F: Do you have any suggestions to help new and emerging photographers gain exposure? How did you initially start to promote yourself and your work?

A: Beside popular commonplaces like “contacts” or “submissions” there is only one suggestion from my point of view:  Don’t get irritated by the sheer amount of good work on the Internet. Just find your own way, your own style and your own focus. Serve a cause greater than self-interest and avoid just trying to be important.

if there’s no substance there won’t be anything at all.

F: Where do you see your work going in the next year and in the future in general?

A: I created my best works in the Black Forest and Scandinavia. It’s this special atmosphere in the dark woods which I really appreciate. Therefore I hope to spend a lot of time in these places in 2010. I don’t have any masterplan for the future and I would be thankful if i could just continue with the things I am doing now.

http://alexanderbinder.de
http://alexanderbinder.blogspot.com

The use of natural light is the most important aspect of my work. I mainly shoot with a Mamiya RZ67 with Kodak 160 NC at (pretty much always) f/2.8, this helps me create consistency in my work but recently I have taken a liking to shooting with disposable cameras, which is pretty much the opposite of that. I go from complete control to very little. This is sort of a reflection of how I work as well, I try to go into shoots with little pre-conceived ideas of what the images should turn out like and I let the situation play itself out. The people in my pictures are important as well – I love shooting real, interesting people.

FJORD: How do you feel the Internet has affected the way you work? Have you changed the style of work you do or the way you present your work based on the way the Internet has changed how photography functions?

Peggy: The Internet is the primary but not preferred presentation of my work. I still make c-prints so I find it difficult to match the color and quality on the Internet but this is not something that has changed my style or process. The Internet has broadened my audience though and I think that is incredibly important.

F: How do you gain inspiration for your work? Where do you look for ideas?

P: I have been working with a single subject (Jasper – a Muse, if you will) for a long period of time so when I am looking for inspiration I look to my subject, whether it is Jasper or another person. I would consider my work portraiture, so personality is a crucial part of each picture or series of pictures. Other forms of inspiration come at random from: daylight, movement, places, textures of surfaces, etc. I most recently have been looking at the work of Tom Sandberg but I tend not to think about other people’s photographs when I am making my own work.

F: What are your favorite websites?

P: A couple of blogs I follow: coacd.blogspot.com, sisterwife.tumblr.com, blackberryvision.tumblr.com, purple-diary.com, kelleyhoffman.com

F: Do you have any suggestions to help new and emerging photographers gain exposure? How did you initially start to promote yourself and your work?

P: Use the contacts you already have to your advantage and use the Internet! Keeping strong connections with the people you meet in the industry is one of the most important ways to get started. And the Internet is possibly the best way to get your work and your name in front of people. I created a blog (peggyann.tumblr.com) to do just that, and it works.

F: Where do you see your work going in the next year and in the future in general?

P: I will continue to shoot Jasper to create a larger body of work for that series. I have a few other projects I am going to be working on as well (like a continuation of the black and grey image above) but right now I am mostly going to focus jobs rather than fine art.

http://www.peggymcdonnell.com/
http://peggyann.tumblr.com