Recently, we did an interview with Jonas Seaman (Marlowe) about his great performance as Joseph in the 1984 original Stephen King's Children of the Corn. Near the end, we also got a glimpse as to what he is doing now and it is quite impressive! As many of you will remember from that segment, Jonas has moved on to other things since his acting career, one being his incredible view into the world of photography. So we decided to continue our talk with Jonas (which he has been gracious enough to do) and get an insight to what he sees looking through the lens. To view Jonas' Flickr page, just click on the name above each picture. 

1.) Thank you so much for talking with us again Jonas, it's truly a pleasure. Let's go back a bit and ask you a question. How and when did you get an interest in photography?
 

JS - Actually pretty recently. When I was young I wanted to be an actor and a film director. I did like taking pictures. Even as a kid I tried to think about how things were framed. I don’t think I ever just pointed a camera at something to capture it. I definitely wanted it to look a certain way. I never had a real interest in photography, but I was pretty seduced by images. I don’t think you can grow up in Hollywood without being taken in by them. When I was about thirteen my step mother built a darkroom in one of our closets. She was doing head shots for actors around town. She taught me how to use her SLR, and taught me some darkroom techniques, dodging and burning, stuff like that. The room was tiny and hot and smelled of chemicals. Also, learning the camera was slow work. Film was expensive. Every shot cost something, so I really didn’t stick with it. It’s only been fairly recently that I’ve got back into taking pictures.

2.) Back in July of 2008, you started a website called Americanvirus.com. Jonas, what is the story behind the creation of the site and also, explain to us what Americanvirus means and why did you choose it for the name?

JS - Well, I started the blog in order to stay creative. Actually, I wasn’t planning on doing photography at all. That’s just how things have evolved. The idea was just to be creative. At the time, I was learning video editing and saving money to buy a video camera. The thought was I would make video clips and write. Then at the last minute I decided it would be fun to take pictures... so that’s what I did. I bought a stills camera with my video camera money. It was very compulsive... and liberating at the same time. So much of life we try to structure. It’s a part of becoming an adult. I guess it just felt rewarding to start this creative exercise that’s child-like, with no rules and no real plan of attack. It’s been a fun experiment.



 As for Americanvirus... I just thought it sounded cool. I could try to tell you it’s about creation and social media... you know, spreading like a virus across the country. But really, I just think it’s a cool name.
                    

Very little of what I shoot is planned. I mean sometimes, I set out to take pictures of an area or a subject, but often what I end up with is a surprise. You try to keep your eyes open to what’s around you.

 

I think there’s a certain amount of surrendering that takes place. I guess I try to stay sensitive to not being in control. That’s when a photograph will usually present itself.



4.) By viewing your website, it is apparent that you like to shoot many different subjects. What are some things you have been wanting to photograph that you haven't already?


JS - Well, I’d like to go wider. My photographs can be a bit myopic. I tend to notice details, I’m trying to break myself of that. I haven’t really done any landscapes or cityscapes. Also, I know absolutely nothing about photoshop and very little about image editing. I shoot digitally, but I tend to approach it like it’s film. I try to get it right in camera, which is great, but I feel I’m missing out on something. Photoshop and image manipulation is another direction I’d like to experiment with.

5.) Being an avid photographer myself, I couldn't help but notice you use a Canon EOS 5D. Canon has always been my camera brand of choice and wondered why you chose this particular model and what are some of the features that you enjoy using?
 

JS - It was purely an economic decision. I wanted a full frame sensor. That was important to me... and the Canon 5D was the least expensive camera with a full frame sensor out there. Also, when buying your body, you’re making a decision about glass. Your lenses are going to grow around what kind of body you have. I like the Canon glass. They’ve got the L series of lenses, but they also have very affordable lenses that look great. Also, I knew the Canon EOS 5D MarkII was coming out and it would be a game changer. It was driving the price down on the MarkI, so I scooped one up while I could. It’s a great camera and I’m in love with it, but to tell you the truth, I don’t think it matters too much what you shoot with in this day and age. The technology that goes into all these cameras is so amazing, you can pick up an inexpensive camera, and if you know what your doing come out with amazing images. Remember most of the images that we think of as great photographs from the last 50 years were taken with cameras that don’t have half the technology in them that our current consumer point and shoots do.

6.) Many of your pictures I have noticed, seem to be taken mainly with existing light. Do you prefer this method and what are your thoughts on flash photography?


JS - I think is amazing when it’s done right. Personally, I hate most photographs that are taken with a flash just stuck to the top of a camera. If someone has a lighting kit and the patience to set everything up just perfectly, I think it can be beautiful. At the moment, I don’t have that kind of patience and I never set up a photograph. I take pictures when opportunities present themselves to me. Because of that, I am in a constant battle with light. That’s when you really have to know your camera, your tool. You can’t just set your camera to Auto and expect to get great photos. Also, because I don’t use a flash, I have to make compromises, but they’re compromises I can live with. I would rather shoot less sharp at a high ISO and have noise in an image, then have a flash suddenly go off, changing the very nature of what I was photographing in the first place.

7.) Many things have changed in photography in the last ten years, the most notable being the rise of the digital camera. Looking in local stores, I have noticed the 35 mm film section has decreased dramatically. As the popularity in digital has grown, the film format has all but faded. What are your thoughts on everything "going digital" and do you think that film will just eventually become "unavailable"?


JS - It’s the nature of the beast, but to me it’s about the image. I love what you can do with film. I love the look of film. I think it’s funny that people now a days take these crisp clean digital images, pull them into photoshop, and then beat the crap out of them until they look like they were taken with an old consumer film camera. All the things film photographers were trying to get rid of, scratches, end of roll flares, stuff like that... digital photographers are photoshopping into their pictures to give it that ‘authentic’ film look. Don’t get me wrong. I think that can be cool too, but it’s kind of ironic. Personally, I can’t afford film. I think money is the key ingredient. I would have never been able to afford to even learn my camera if I had to pay for every shot. The beautiful thing about shooting digitally is that it makes it very inexpensive to learn. You can take a million crappy pictures in order to learn how to take some really good ones. You just can’t do that with film unless you have a lot of time and money. The most exciting thing about it, is it puts the power to create in more hands. As for film becoming unavailable, I hope not. It would be a shame. Keep in mind, there are photographers around now who are still taking original daguerrotypes. There will always be purists.

8.) I can remember sending in those rolls of film and the anticipation of checking the local photo store to see if they were back yet. I always enjoyed the out-of-focus ones that I would look at later and sometimes find I liked better than a lot of the ones I meant to take. Do you think that because of the common practice of deleting unwanted pictures nowadays, that a great photograph may not be discovered simply because it's not gathering dust in a shoebox somewhere?

JS - I hope not. Don’t delete. There are probably great undiscovered photographs everywhere, whether it’s a shoebox or a hard drive.

9.) We wouldn't be a Children of the Corn website if we didn't ask a Children of the Corn question. The behind-the-scenes photos you took on the set in 1983 (which fans can view by going to your americanvirus.com website here or at childrenofthecornmovie.com) were some of the best pictures we have seen involving the movie. What kind of camera did you use and what was everyone's take on your "candid corn" shots?


JS - I have no idea what kind of camera that was. It was my stepmother’s SLR. I’ve definitely lost more pictures from that time than I shot. I was pretty ambitious. I was taking pictures of the actors and crew, and then recording interviews with them on my little tape-recorder. Unfortunately most of those pictures and all of the interview tapes have gone the way of time.



10.) From Americanvirus #78 : Flowers to Americanvirus #120 : Window Display, it is clear you enjoy shooting closeups. What is it that catches your eye about a certain subject that inspires you to get up close and personal?

JS - I never really thought about it that way. It’s probably more of a habit than a style. I actually want to break myself of it. I tend to notice details more than the big picture. I like the way the light hits something, or how a color is really vibrant and that’s what I want to capture. I’d like to start pulling out a little, maybe try to take in a whole scene instead of just a part of it. I’d like to take more pictures that tell a story.

11.) One of the most unique pictures in my opinion is for Americanvirus #121 entitled "Ley Lines". It is so brilliantly photographed that it makes me want to look at it again and again. Tell us a little bit about the subject, what inspired you to take that particular photograph and what is the meaning behind the title?

JS - Ley Lines are a hypothetical concept. They occur when there is a straight line crossing the landscape between holy places or ancient sites... something like that. At the time I was thinking about lines and connections between places as something spiritual. It’s a very high contrast black and white photo, and I think it’s the movement of the lines that make it interesting. I also completely lifted the title from the Japanese gangster movie ‘Ley Lines’ directed by Takashi Miike. That’s a really beautiful movie. One of my favorites. As for the photograph, I felt there was something Zen-like about the lines in the picture. Most of my photos have pretty straight forward titles, but for this one I went with something a little more abstract. I named it after a movie I love. I think I said in the post that it would be like taking a picture of a Star Fish and naming the photograph Star Wars.

15.) One thing is for sure Jonas. You stay busy creatively with many different things. Do you have any new projects on the horizon or any ideas you are anxious to try out?


JS - Well, the Gasteig invited me back for another video art exhibit in December of this year, so I'll be making a few more movies to display there. Other than that, the plan is to keep learning and stay creative.



 16.) Jonas, thank you again for doing this interview with us. You have an outstanding photographic talent and we look forward to what you have in store for the future!


JS - Thanks. I'm glad you like it.