Artist Leroy Skalstad
Congratulations to Leroy Skalstad for earning his place as a winner in the Boynes Monthly Art Award February 2023! Leroy is also the 3rd Place winner in our 1st Edition!
Who are you?
I'm a local here at Marquette University in Milwaukee. I've been living here for about 32 years. I'm a disabled combat veteran diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) about 30 years ago.
Part of my photography was really, really difficult for me, because of the post traumatic stress disorder, you know, actually getting out and communicating with people. But I was going to a local community meals site here in Milwaukee, and I got to know a lot of the people there. And some of the people that I was there with, struggled with the same disability that I had, and we were able to connect on that level, but somehow was able to break through that barrier and actually able to get out and communicate and work with people. What a lot of people tell me about the photography is that it's it seems like the person I'm photographing has a comfort level developed in certain comfort level. So basically, I got more of a comfortable photograph that, you know, basically shows their personality as their personality comes through in the photo.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
Did you always photograph even when you were young?
My mother was an amateur photographer. And I, at the age of eight, in 1956, I caught the bug from her and I, you know, eight year olds can be a little bit manipulative, right? Well, I got my mom to buy me a camera, finally. For me back then, I was fascinated with the concept of freezing time. And that's basically how it all started. The black and white film, dropping a film up at the the old fashioned drug stores years ago, and then waiting for the for the black and white prints to come back, which was really, really exciting. What's interesting about what I remember of that early experience, at the age of eight, is I still get the same excitement when I edit my photos on the computer. And that was like 66 years ago.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
even during your military service, you still had passion for photography?
Yes, and it wasn't particularly easy to do. I was in the infantry. So I carried everything in a rucksack in the field. And a lot of times living out in the field where everything we owned, was subject to being exposed to the environment. And that included the monsoon season. So it was really kind of difficult to carry a camera out there. Um, some people did manage it. And we did get some we do have some work from my old recon platoon back in 1968. But I really didn't get an awful lot of work done during that time period. I wish I would have. But you know, because of the environment we work in, it's really difficult.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
where were you stationed at that time?
I was stationed in Vietnam. And we were basically on the Central Highlands portion of of the country. So that would be you know, like, in the middle of the country. So that would be like the contour play coup some of those other near some of those other cities in that particular area.
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By Leroy Skalstad
would you be able to show some of those photographs from your time if you still have them?
This was the part that's really difficult. I shot the photos with Kodachrome, and if I still had those slides, they'd probably still be in perfect condition because Kodachrome ages well. However, I kept the slides in my parents' living room as I was moving around a lot back then and didn't want to lose anything. My mom is an efficient cleaner, and unfortunately, my work on Vietnam got lost.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
How would you describe your work?
It's basically interactive, it's the result of two people making a connection. In my particular case, I've been through a lot of the same experiences, as the people that I photograph. A lot of times I'll carry my camera with me. But I'll carry it in a camera bag. And it won't be obvious that I'm a photographer. And a lot of times, what happens is, I will meet somebody on the street and offer to buy him a cup of coffee. And we'll sit and chat over over a couple of hot brews. And, you know, I'll slowly mentioned about the fact that I'm a photographer, and sometimes, sometimes those chat sessions will transition into a portrait session. But the portrait session, under those circumstances, basically tends to be the person is basically sharing the experience to the lens of my camera. And I know, sometimes they'll ask me, “Well, how do you want me to pose for you?” That's usually the most common question I get, I say, “Just be yourself. And, you know, look down my lens, like you're sharing your life story with me”. And that's basically how I like to work.
The main thing is that a lot of some photographers I know are like to get out there and you know, get to get everything done quickly. This kind of photography requires an awful, awful lot of patience. I wouldn't recommend it to anybody that can't muster a lot of patience, because it, for them, would be real difficult.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
what do you hope your audience takes away from your photography
It's unique, because, a lot of the people that I photograph, probably you can see from if you're driving, say down the street of a city or something in your car, and look out the window and see the same person that I photograph, you would just simply see them on the sidewalk as a singular person. But when you when you look at their photograph, which is different, you know that they're comfortable with me and I developed the report and the fact that they understand what what I'm trying to accomplish. Basically, you're basically looking right into their soul, which is something you're not going to see if you're looking out your car window.
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By Leroy Skalstad
Have you ever experimented with other mediums like maybe painting, drawing or sculpture?
I have an aunt that was an artist. And she was known for doing landscapes. And one of the things she did really, really well was birch trees. You know, some artists will focus on one thing like that and get really, really good at it. And I followed her for a little while, but after doing it, I realized that it just wasn't. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
Can you talk about your most incredible experience with your photography?
Um, there was the most thing incredible experience with one photograph was that, you know, that young homeless couple photograph that's on Pixabay. Okay. So when I took that photograph I was barely out of homelessness myself. And I was I was living in a rooming house back 30 years ago. And the Veterans Administration approved me for some disability money. And basically I went out to a pawn shop and I bought an old Pentax K1000 film camera. And then I went to a local Walgreens and I bought some black and white film. And then I went down to the was the Historical Society in Milwaukee because Health Care for the Homeless served soup and sandwiches at 1230 every day. And I met Dawn and Katrina, actually, I've known him from before. And I, you know, I set the exposure that the focus and I released his shutter, but there was something in the back of my mind, you know, there was something when I really as soon as I released the shutter, there was something in the back of my mind, that told me that that photograph was going to be special. And it really was. I entered it in the Kodak international newspapers snapshot awards. Kenza, they called it. The kid, the acronym was Kenza from the walkie journal, and it took first place for black and white. So it was the circulation for the Milwaukee Journal, I think at that particular time was, like 600,000. And that's where I really got my first major exposure. It was an incredible experience, and I'll never forget it.
“Dawn and Katrina”
Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
tell me something that you wish you had known at the beginning of your career, that would have really helped you?
I kind of wish that I would have actually taken the time to take some tutorials, on advanced editing techniques in Photoshop, where I could actually get a more more dynamic visual impact on my images by just, you know, utilizing, you know, certain techniques, you know, in Photoshop, what I really, really regret is that I am really, really bad when it comes to storing raw images. I don't know why. But I've always been really, really bad at that. And I'll see an image, you know, years later, and the light will go off in my head. And when I go back to the image, it's not a raw file anymore. It's a JPEG. You know, of course, I could work with it as a JPEG. But, you know, it's just not the same as working with a raw file. That's, that's my, that's my biggest regret.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
are you working on any new projects?
No, in the wintertime, all winter time is a difficult time for me. I don't really get out an awful lot. You know, I don't shoot an awful lot. So what with spring right around the corner, what I basically did.. Have you ever heard the saying what's old is new again?
Yeah, what's old is new again. Well, I've been shooting digital since about 2000. And, what I did is in Milwaukee, we still have a couple of wet labs, you know, film labs here in Milwaukee. Basically, just two, one is a camera store. And one is a full blown lab, they do everything there including eight by 10 film as well. And it's just a few blocks away from Marquette University where I live. So what I did is I bought I bought some orb I bought some filming equipment a few weeks ago, and I'm really, really anxious to get out into the street with this black and white film and start shooting.
And the one of the lenses that I bought I was in really, really good condition off eBay. It's the 105 millimeter f 2.5. And it's the same lens that Steve McCurry used on the Afghan girl. So I'm really looking forward to getting some street portraits, street portraits are done this summer with film.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
do you have any advice for artists who want to submit to awards and competitions and residencies?
Always keep in mind that each every juror is different. And every juror visualizes differently as well. I have had situations where the impoverished child photo went over the top, it just went really, really over the top. And I had other competitions, where it just went flat. And it all has to do with how a juror visualizes work. And as a photographer, you have to remember that it's not on you. I mean, you're submitting your best work for consideration. It's basically all up to how the jury visualizes.
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Photography
By Leroy Skalstad
What advice would you give to your fellow photographers?
General advice is to is to get to know some of your local photographers and get to know their work. And I kind of get inside their heads a little bit and learn, how they visualize their own work. And in some cases, you can really, you can really advance your own work by learning how other people visualize as well. As an artist, never work as a singular person. Always get out there and interact with other artists. Socialize with them, get to know them, talk to them, and understand their work. A person can only grow by doing that.
To view more of Leroy Skalstad work