PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf: Gregory Halpern – Episode 85

Release Date: October 25, 2024
Host: Sasha Wolf
Guest: Gregory Halpern

Episode Overview

This intimate and process-driven episode features acclaimed fine art photographer Gregory Halpern in a frank, open conversation about his personal journey, evolving philosophy, and meticulous approach to photo projects. With the release of his new book "King Queen Knave" (MACK), Halpern sits down with friend and host Sasha Wolf to discuss his evolution from documentary beginnings to a more poetic, questioning methodology. The dialogue delves into themes of uncertainty, editing vs. shooting mindsets, the pressure of representation, and the emotional undertones in his work rooted in his upbringing and ongoing ambivalence toward his hometown of Buffalo, NY. The episode is rich with insights for artists, educators, and anyone interested in the inner workings of meaningful photographic practice.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Early Influences and Journey to Photography

[13:45–17:22] Gregory's Artistic Origins

• Gregory credits his love for photography to a pivotal experience at age 14 when his father brought home a copy of Milton Rogovin's book "Triptychs".
• Art was not present in his immediate family—aside from his grandmother, who sculpted nudes at the Art Students League in NYC.
• “I looked at this photo book and I burst into tears when I was 14. … You see people age, you see babies born and people die, and it’s this amazing, very simple project.” (C, 14:45)
• Despite this early connection, it took him roughly ten more years to commit to photography.
• He did not major in photography as an undergrad; instead, he took electives (notably with Chris Killip) and eventually pursued graduate studies at California College of the Arts, studying under luminaries like Larry Sultan, Jim Goldberg, and Todd Hido.

2. Evolution from Documentary to the Poetic and Ambiguous

[18:25–23:00] Finding His Artistic Voice

• Began in a Rogovian documentary mode—direct, black-and-white, politically pointed, and activist.
• “The first work I did was a very political kind of activist work... And it felt totally unfulfilling to me.” (C, 20:18)
• Became skeptical of art that “is that clear about the world.”
  • “I'm skeptical of people who are certain, 100% certain, of…how to fix a problem. And I'm skeptical of art that is that clear about the world.” (C, 21:35)
• His next major work, “A”, represented a major turning point, shifting away from certainty and single-message purpose toward open-ended questioning and personal vision.
• “There was a seven year process of me…thinking and looking at photo books and opening my mind.” (C, 22:54)

3. New Work: "King Queen Knave" & Thematic Consistencies

[24:12–27:48] Release of His Latest Book

• Newest book, "King Queen Knave," published by MACK, explores Buffalo, NY—his hometown.
• Halpern is surprised by the book’s success: “They printed 3,000 and apparently they're getting ready to do another print run very soon already.” (C, 24:18)
• Across his projects, there is an ongoing negotiation between fact/document and fantasy/dream, light and dark: “These differences ebb and flow from project to project while maintaining a real through line as far as visual language.” (A, 25:43)
• Halpern affirms that “leaving a tremendous amount of space” for the viewer’s own experience is crucial—he shuns didacticism and is guided by openness and uncertainty.

On Books Without Text

• He intentionally provides no text, captions, or place identifiers—preferring viewers to experience a work’s ambiguity and construct meaning themselves.
• “I like that idea…the author is sort of dead when the work is put out into the world and then the viewer…the reader kind of breathes into it through interpretation.” (C, 28:40)
• “My work is a question—that’s the way it feels to me.” (A, 30:10)

Memorable Moment:

• “I had experience with a Japanese photo book…where I couldn’t read anything…and I found that experience to be quite profound. I really loved not being able to…read about the work.” (C, 28:58)

4. Process, Uncertainty, and the Role of Editing

[31:42–41:00] Making & Editing Work

• Halpern’s books often contain images spanning decades; he describes the value of not looking at certain photographs for years after making them to gain objectivity:
  • “Ideally…my favorite way to edit is to make the picture and then not look at it for many, many years.” (C, 32:53)
• Sasha: “You really don’t want the editing process and the shooting process…”
  • Halpern: “Yeah…when I'm trying to be really present, photographing, I just need to be looking and reacting and not overthinking.” (C, 37:47)
• Separating the creator from the editor within himself is essential—notes John Cage’s famous dictum: “Do not try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes.” (C, 37:47)
• Relies on trusted collaborators (notably his wife, photographer Andrea Parlotto, and Jason Fulford) for genuine feedback.

5. Thematic Tension: Darkness, Ambiguity, Affirming Life

[41:00–52:44] Embracing Complexity & Darkness

• On ZZYZX (2016), which catapulted him to wider recognition:
  • “There’s a post-apocalyptic feel to the book—a world that’s…profoundly uncomfortable but also weirdly, stunningly beautiful…” (C, 43:35)
• Halpern is unafraid of making viewers uncomfortable—not as provocation, but as a mirror of real-world complexities and taboos.
  • “I like bringing stuff into the pictures that is on people’s minds but that isn’t spoken about.” (C, 45:05)
• On Buffalo: wants to show a city “where life and death feel present in the same moment…” (C, 47:51)
• Quotes Robert Adams: “Affirm life without lying about it.” (C, 49:44)
• “Sometimes I think the most despairing picture is one of those mall pictures, you know—you’re painfully smiling so hard…sometimes a forced smiling picture is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.” (C, 51:59)
• Halpern’s refusal to “pick a lane” gives his projects cohesion but also a rich, ambiguous emotional charge compared to more narrowly-focused work.

6. Insiderness, Outsiderness, Childhood, and Emotional Truth

[52:44–62:31] Photographing Home

• “King Queen Knave” is rooted in Buffalo, but Halpern considers himself both insider and outsider—a Jewish kid in a Christian suburb, now a visitor, never feeling fully at home.
• “I think you pick up a camera and you’re an outsider…there’s degrees of it…it’s not black or white…” (C, 60:35)
• For Halpern, the book is less about expertise on Buffalo and more about the “primal feelings” connected to childhood, belonging, and estrangement.
  • “This is where you became a person…all those feelings come rushing back in and color almost everything I say and do in that space.” (A, 58:07)
• Halpern reflects on the difficulty (and relief) of completing the project, noting: “It does feel somehow like there’s always loss when I think about childhood or…I don’t know why. Maybe that’s why there’s so much sense of loss.” (C, 59:01)

7. On Making Portraits: Complexity and Vulnerability in Faces

[62:31–68:22] Portraiture

• Halpern is renowned for compelling, complex portraits.
• Looks for “contradictory traits,” vulnerability, and beauty in faces:
  • “If you look at a face and you see contradictory traits…that is the definition of beauty.” (C, 63:36)
• Relishes the mystery of why we care about strangers’ faces:
  • “There’s something really mysterious and hopeful in that, that it does have something to do with love.” (C, 66:04)
• Describes trying to make people comfortable enough for their “face to be open”—an “incredibly generous, trusting thing.”

Memorable Quote:

• “People try to project certain things but fail…because they’re not just that thing…there are lots of things at the same time…” (C, 65:09)

8. Sequencing, Exhibition, and the Play of Games

[69:04–77:34] Making Books vs. Exhibitions

• Installations (at George Eastman House, Transformer Station) have distinct titles and sequencing from the book, each shaped by collaboration and spatial experience.
• “I do really traditionally think in book form, but I’ve gotten to the point where I realize…if I think about the book too much when I’m making the exhibition, it fails…” (C, 72:15)
• Includes sculpture and video in exhibitions, experimenting with new media and collaborations.
• Editing is deeply tactile: Halpern literally cuts up contact sheets into “playing cards,” arranging and re-arranging them:
  • “I have a fascination with games and like the relationship between games and life…there’s strategy, but then things happen outside your control because there’s an element of chance.” (C, 75:07)
• “Play and chance becomes really helpful in that process…also it’s just nice to get away from the computer and work with my hands.” (C, 77:25)

9. Looking Forward & Embracing a Pause

[77:38–79:09] Artistic Cycles

• Halpern currently has no new major project, and finds the prospect “a little unsettling” but also potentially necessary for growth:
  • “I am a little scared that I’ll, like, never come up with anything good again. But I think…maybe I’m entering a phase like that (a pause), and I think I need to pause, actually, because I don’t want to repeat myself. I just want to make sure the next thing I do feels new.” (C, 78:41)

Sasha’s Closing Appreciation:

• “I think all of your work feels very distinct, so I personally would be happy if the next project was just a continuation of the visual language you’ve been using, because I think it’s really magnificent…and I’d be supportive if it’s something really different. Either way, I think we fans win with you.” (A, 79:09)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Early Influence:
  “I looked at this photo book and I burst into tears when I was 14…You see people age, you see babies born and people die, and it’s this amazing, very simple project.” (C, 14:45)
• On Uncertainty:
  “I’m skeptical of people who are certain…And I’m skeptical of art that is that clear about the world.” (C, 21:35)
• On Editing:
  “Ideally…my favorite way to edit is to make the picture and then not look at it for many, many years.” (C, 32:53)
• On Ambiguity:
  “I like bringing stuff into the pictures that is on people’s minds but that isn’t spoken about.” (C, 45:05)
• On Portraiture:
  “If you look at a face and you see contradictory traits…that is the definition of beauty.” (C, 63:36)
• On Creative Pause:
  “I think I need to pause, actually, because I don’t want to repeat myself. I just want to make sure the next thing I do feels new.” (C, 78:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 14:45 — Gregory’s first experience with a photo book (Milton Rogovin)
• 20:18 — Dissatisfaction with activist/documentary work
• 24:18 — New book release and success
• 28:40 — The “Death of the Author” and leaving space for viewers
• 32:53 — On his ideal editing timeline
• 43:35 — On the post-apocalyptic and ambiguous nature of ZZYZX
• 47:51 — On Buffalo’s life/death duality
• 51:59 — On the sadness of forced smiles and “happy” pictures
• 63:36 — Portraiture as contradiction and layered truth
• 75:07 — Editing as play: contact sheets as playing cards
• 77:38 — The artist’s embrace of a creative pause

Tone & Language

The conversation is warm, candid, and laced with inside jokes, vulnerability, and thoughtful digressions. Both Sasha and Gregory speak in an approachable, reflective manner, making complex concepts relatable and grounded in lived experience. There is a spirit of generosity, honesty, and a shared love of the photographic process.

Summary for Listeners

In this episode, Gregory Halpern and Sasha Wolf take listeners inside the artistic mind at work—unpacking how an acclaimed photographer moves from clear documentary agitations to a mature, questioning, poetically ambiguous view of the world. Halpern’s journey shows the value of uncertainty, the importance of separating creative modes, and the necessity of honoring both darkness and beauty in art. The episode brims with advice for photographers and artists about finding voice, negotiating personal history, and knowing when to wait for the next thing instead of rushing to produce. Halpern’s deep commitment to allowing space for viewer interpretation, his inventive approaches to editing and exhibition, and his refusal to simplify or sanitize reality mark him as a photographer of rare depth and honesty.

For more:
Visit www.photowork.foundation or Instagram @photowork.foundation.
Halpern’s latest book "King Queen Knave" is available via MACK.

End of summary.