Photo by Pia Arrobio
Angela Boatwright is one part tough bitch and three parts shy Ohio girl. At an age when most girls were fantasizing about joining the cheerleading team, Angela was busy putting her face on so she could seduce burgeoning and established rock stars with her camera lens. Full on thrashing, unabashed metal is the fuel that lights her artistic fire.
Angela's conversation with Ladies Lotto New York members at Brooklyn skate shop,
KCDC was like a no holds barred cage match -- minus the blood and steel chair. She dissected her career in the industry, helped dispel myths about current trends in photography and went further into her love of metal and the inspiration it's had on her work.
Through Angela we learned that those seemingly effortless photos shot by Ryan McGinley and Terry Richardson are carefully planned; locations are scouted and people are cast. The photo industry is not for the faint of heart. One has to be bold, intelligent and able to think ahead. It's not just about the hundreds of party picture sights that have popped up thanks to the proliferation of digital cameras. It's not about the size of the pixels but how you use them. Up and coming artists have to have a full knowledge of photographic history because photo editing is not what it used to be. Photographers can't just hand an image over to an editor and expect them to do the rest; they must deliver a finished product. Angela's the first to let you know she geeks out when it comes to the science and art that is photography.
Although she's shot many familiar faces and many in her field have succumbed to the cult of celebrity, she stands firm in her need to stay true to her artistic beliefs. While others are scrambling for work, she is turning down projects that aren't in line with her vision. Angela envisions a future where she has a killer book that captures the world she thrives in as an artist. Recently, she quit drinking, did less commercial work and went back to chronicling the thrash metal scene she was immersed in at the begining of her career.
Ballsy is definitely a word that can be used to describe Angela Boatwright. She believes in creating organic relationships -- stemming from her feminine, esoteric approach to what she does -- with the subjects or products. She can't and won't fake it! As Angela said, right now she is running on guts, soul and wind.
>> Stay tuned for an interview with KCDC's
Amy Gunther.
All work by Susan Ledgerwood
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