"You, A Great River That Never Runs Dry" or "The Stranger" : J. Han (@all_gods_creatures_have_knives)

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): For those who aren't familiar with you or your work, could you please introduce yourself? and give a brief overview of your work? 

James Han (JH): My name is James Han and I live and work in Portland, Oregon.  I started making color film photos in 2016 and in 2017 I attended a black and white darkroom class at the now defunct Newspace in Portland, Oregon.  Since then I have been hooked.  I love making black and white portraits of people, mostly strangers, where ever I go.  

ADM: You just put out "You, A Great River That Never Runs Dry" or "The Stranger" which is a set of 5x7 darkroom prints that you've assembled into a book. What inspired you to make a book of your printed work? Is there a central thread that connects the photos contained in it?It seems as though books are the ideal medium for showing photographic bodies of work, rather than a website or Instagram.  I enjoy the tactile experience of flipping through a book of photographs rather than scrolling through a website.  Though scrolling through Blake Andrews' Tumblr account from beginning to end in one sitting did something to my brain.  The central thread that connects the photos in this book is that every person (except one) was a stranger the first time I approached them.  

ADM: What challenges did you have assembling your work, and printing it? Did the darkroom process inspire or shape the book heavily?

JH: Assembling the book requires a lot of time and effort; the time and effort it takes to print each page in the darkroom, editing the images and hand binding them together.  It is a labor of love.  Yes, the darkroom process inspired and shaped the book heavily.  The darkroom process allows me to build the book from beginning to end.  I do not need to pay a printer to print the books or have to live with a quality of print that leaves me less than satisfied.  Some research was done and the quality of printing I was looking for was cost prohibitive or a large quantity of books would need to be ordered to bring the cost per book down.  The end result of the darkroom print also shaped this book; once the printing was complete there was an additional edit and 5 photos were cut because the print quality did not match the others.  I also enjoy the feeling of holding and flipping through a stack of 5x7 prints more so than copy print paper. The darkroom prints are heavy and thick and it feels like the photos and book have weight and substance.

ADM: The book seems to be made primarily, or entirely of portraits that are fairly intimate - what was your process like for getting your subjects to pose for you, and was there anything specific you had in mind while making the portraits?

JH: The intent at the beginning was an exercise in moving into the fear of people that was imprinted at such an early age.  Each time there was movement into the fear and existence within it rather than remaining outside of it, the less power it held over me.  It has been a very enjoyable and challenging process; one that has forced me outside of my tiny perception of the world and into a slightly larger one.  At the beginning of the process I would approach just about everyone whereas now I am a little more selective as far as who I will approach.  There are some triggers, but now there seems to be some energetic attraction that draws me to some folks.  Some people are leery of me and the camera but once we get to talking most people will open up and allow me into their space to make a portrait of them.    I've been called names and some people have yelled at me as if I had committed some great crime or insult.  To this day, I am continually amazed at the fact that people will readily say 'yes' to having their portraits made by a complete stranger.  There was nothing specific I had, or have, in mind while making the portraits, I would shoot without much thought or without some goal in mind. 

ADM: Did you find or have any particularly big or moving experiences or conversations while finding and working with strangers? If so would you mind sharing?

JH: No, nothing comes to mind.  Though one time this person thought I snapped a photo of him and he started yelling at me to delete the photo.  I yelled back to him and told him I had not taken a photo of him.  He started coming at me from across the street still yelling.  Instinctively, I started towards him and in my mind I wondered why am I doing this and what is going to happen next.  He then jumped up and bumped his chest against mine.  Afterwards, and without thought, my left hand drops down to my side and the next thing I know I’ve got his leg in my hand and he’s hopping on his left leg.  I then start to move him so that he is hopping backwards and soon he fell to the ground.  I told him I was done.  He jumped up and pulled out three or four knives and he threw each one to the ground, one by one and said “let’s fight for fun, no knives.”  I responded “no” and walked away.  Later on that day my buddy and I circled back around into that part of downtown and I heard “hey come here”.  It’s the same guy and I could hear that there was no anger or malice in his tone so I went over and he thanked me.  I asked him for what reason.  He told me because I had held back and that I could have beaten him up and hurt him.  Ever since then we have been friendly towards one another whenever we see each other.  

ADM: The book, and by extension, the rest of your feed is in black and white, have you always worked in BNW, and if so is there a reason that you gravitated to BNW? if so how did you get there?

JH: No.  When I started shooting photos in 2016 I did not appreciate the beauty of black and white photography and started with color film.  In 2017 I attended a black and white darkroom class at the now defunct Newspace in Portland, OR and have been shooting black and white since then.  I love the fact that I can roll my own film, expose the film, process the film in the kitchen and make black and white photographs in a darkroom.  

ADM: In terms of influence, you mention Blake Andrews - but was there anything or anyone else that you found influential at the time - either as an active or passive influence. You also speak about people being attracted - bruce gilden actually talks about a similar phenomena - can you expound on your experience with that?

JH: Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Diane Arbus, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Mary Ellen Mark, Henri Cartier-Bresson (I spent so many hours looking at his portraits), Eugene Richards, Duane Michals and the list goes on. It seems to be a completely instinctual and an unconscious process. It is also a process of letting go of any preconceived ideas and wants and letting it all just happen. Then effort seems to disappears and there is just this doing and the doing leads to meeting people without consciously looking for something or someone specific.

ADM: What advice would you give to, or do you have for someone who might be new to street portraits, or approaching strangers, and attempting to make a portrait of them?

JH: Keep your heart as open as possible.

ADM: From Chris San Nicolas: What non-photographic thing do you find most enriches your photography/life?

JH: Commuting to and from work by foot and mass transit.

ADM: What's one question you have for the next photographer? you can answer your own question if you'd like.

JH: If you practice black and white film photography and use a darkroom to print photos, which photographer's (alive or dead) darkroom would you like to have access to and be able to watch work in their workspace?

ADM: Where can people find more of your work, and purchase either prints or copies of your book from you? 

JH: Instagram.  Please DM me if there is any interest in purchasing a print or a book.