httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q54GTfcoOY&feature=youtu.be
Video by Taylor du Pont & Molly Stine
Molly Stine
Reporter
Freshman Chip Mahoney is not your average photographer, not only does he take and develop his own photos but he builds his own cameras. He has been able to construct his own cameras out of any material he can find and has even managed to successfully develop photos in coffee. Through his vision he chooses to pursue a type of photography different from the average high school art student.
From the beginning Chip learned photography in a completely different way than most students. “I didn’t learn photography the traditional way, I learned photography as a Navy recruit,” he said. “I got into contact with a naval photographer and he ran me through the way that they do photography, so I view it in a very regimented way. But at the same time I break away from that every day, with my own unique style.”
Chip has been able to develop this style and learn a majority of what he knows from the Internet. “I got started with photography when I found it on the Internet,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot of stuff from the Internet, I even learned about using coffee as a developer online. I don’t wait to be taught by others, I try to figure things out on my own. I am what I would call, YouTube-educated.”
While shooting photos is a crucial part of the process, Chip’s favorite aspect of the craft is developing. “There are two parts of photography, the actual shooting and then what comes after that, which is developing,” he said. “Developing is 99% of the process and that is the part I really like the most. My dad calls me a mad scientist because I make crazy chemicals for developing pictures, but I choose to call myself an alternative photographer.”
Chip pursues a type of photography that many see as primitive. “The thing you need to know about photography from my perspective is that I hate digital photography,” he said. “It’s because people take it and they manipulate it too much, it gives them too many options. I use extremely basic cameras, like my pinhole camera, which is nothing but a lens-less camera.”
The genius behind Chip’s cameras come from everywhere, and he enjoys challenging himself by using new materials. “My inspiration for my cameras is pretty random. I think it’s important not to have regular materials, so I’ve worked with materials like paper, cardboard, and even an oats box. I’ve also made a camera out of a vintage 1970 Saltine can.”
And while he doesn’t always experience success in all his endeavors, he has an interesting outlook on how to learn from his mistakes. “I’d rather mess up than succeed, partially because I learn more. If you succeed you learn less. I feel that way about everything, not just photography.”
Chip has clear-cut plans for his future in photography. “I’d see myself living in Maine, in a cabin, where I can just photograph whatever and have a clientele that is very into things that other people aren’t, non-mainstream,” he said. “None of my life is really mainstream. And I try to keep it that way, because I like to be different. Everybody goes with the flow, but I like to be the person that steps out.”
