The New Media Collective

Do you use tools like Photoshop to enhance your photographs? If so, to what extent?
Yes, I do use Photoshop. I try to limit my use of PS to things that can be done in a traditional darkroom—things like dodging, burning, exposure, color-correction, etc.

Although very beautiful, your work expresses some loneliness and melancholy. What are you telling us about yourself? Is this how you feel most of the time?
I'm not sure. I can be lonely and melancholy just like everyone else. I've heard this before about my photos. Maybe my photos are more honest than I am.

Who are some of your artistic/photographic influences? Whose work do you admire?
Some of the well-known photographers I find inspiring are Josef Koudelka, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, and Abbas, among many others. However, photoblogging has opened up a who new world of photographers for me. There are many talented people out there who are not known but whose photos inspire me every day.

The subjects in many of your portraits are either partially out of frame, or looking away from the camera, giving them a certain emotional distance. Why is this?
Although I love photographing people, I often find them to be distracting. They become the central element in the photo and tend to take away from everything else in the photo. I've been trying to put the human subject at the same level as other objects in some of my photos. I think eyes can be very distracting and therefore I've been experimenting with having my subjects look away from the camera.

Your photos appear to be shot in both the streets of the U.S. and the Middle East. How do people relate to you photographing them over there vs. here in the U.S.?
In Iran people say "thank you" when you photograph them. There is no such thing as the "personal space" in the Persian culture. It's much more difficult to photograph people here. People are suspicious and very protective of their "personal space." Of course, the irony is that people here don't seem to be too concerned about the government intruding into their "personal space."

As an person of color, how do you feel about the digital divide? Do you believe it's closing? If not, what do you believe can, or should, be done about it, and who's responsibility is it to bridge the gap?
This is a big problem—not only here. But it's also a part of the bigger problem of economic inequality in our world. Let's remember that over two billion people in the world still don't have access to basic sanitation or clean water let alone telephone, internet, digital photography, etc. It is impossible to bridge any of these gaps without economic equality. Much of the work has to be done in a traditional manner, outside of the internet—we need foot soldiers, more emphasis on community organizing the old school way.

Tell us about Reza Mazaheri outside of the blogosphere. What's your life like in the real world?
I have a million ideas and not enough time. I do human rights work which consists mostly of research about really bad things around the world. I'm also in law school which takes up most of my time. The real world is not a great place at the moment and this stresses me out. I keep sane with the help of my camera, film and music.

So, what's next for you? Any new projects?
I would like to combine my photography with my human rights work. I'm currently thinking about doing something on torture. We'll see.

Check out Reza's work at www.rezamazaheri.com.