VISUAL DISPATCH, VOLUME 4:

Harris Mizrahi

In Vol. 4, we sat down with Brooklyn-born photographer Harris Mizrahi to talk about his experiences and ever-evolving journey behind the lens. Earning his B.S. in photography from Drexel University, Mizrahi honed his technical skills shooting a wide array of fashion, commercial, and fine-art projects for clients such as the New York Times Magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

His personal work, however, explores vulnerability as the link between artist and subject in relaying the human experience. Wrestling with mental health issues, Mizrahi often embarks on solo road trips throughout the country where he meets people along the road or in bars and motels to photograph. These trips allow him to create narrative-driven, almost cinematic pieces of art that elicit a sense of time and place. Our conversation dives into Mizrahi’s evocative artistic process as well as his plans for the future as he redefines his relationship with photography in a post-pandemic world.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?

The pictures that I’m always going back to in other people’s work are ones that don’t reveal themselves to you at first glance; that build with you over time. And ones that you can keep revisiting. All the stories I usually tend to tell in my images revolve around people.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN PORTRAITURE OR DID YOUR AFFINITY FOR PORTRAITS EVOLVE OVER TIME?

When I started making pictures, I was in a place where I was kind of on the outside of social interactions. I found myself observing people. I still love sitting on a park bench for hours and watching people.

A LOT OF YOUR WORK IS MADE ON ROAD TRIPS – ARE THE ROAD TRIPS TYPICALLY PERSONAL OR FOR A SPECIFIC JOB?

These trips began as an escape. I was suffering from intense bouts of depression and was essentially running away. That depression and the mood swings from bipolar disorder were so emotionally and physically depleting on their own and then coupled with hundreds of miles behind the wheel – I was emotionally raw and vulnerable. I think that allowed me to connect with people in a way I might not otherwise be able to. My vulnerability gave the people I photographed permission to in turn be vulnerable with me.

DID YOUR ROAD TRIPS GIVE YOU RELIEF FROM WHAT YOU WERE WORKING THROUGH?

It’s kind of an emotional roller coaster you put yourself on. On these trips, I don’t necessarily find relief, but an outlet to indulge in. When I meet someone or make a photograph that I’m excited about, it’s a high that I need to chase. It feels like a drug. When I allow myself to do this I feel a sense of euphoria that lasts for a period of time but ultimately subsides and leads to a crash until I do it again. [These emotions produce beautiful work] but they also lead me to feel like I can’t make that work if I don’t feel [those negative emotions]. In that way, I’m having to figure out how to redefine my relationship with photography, because it’s always been attached to these really raw, emotionally vulnerable feelings. And that is not the healthiest way to live or make work.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SUBJECT YOU’VE MET OR A FAVORITE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU’VE HAD ON THE ROAD?

I met a family in Mississippi who was living off the grid with two kids. I ended up staying with them for a few nights and visited them again after that. They kind of embodied what I wanted out of life at the time. I photographed the boy, Grayson, on that blue school bus which was also his bedroom. I felt drawn to and was a bit envious of his wildness. That was something I never experienced as a child growing up in a city. That family and that photograph are really special to me.

HOW DO YOU ESTABLISH TRUST WITH YOUR SUBJECTS?

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT MAKES A GOOD PHOTOGRAPH?

When I approach people, it’s always from a place of love and affection. I’m never trying to make a malicious picture. People can sense that.

That’s such a loaded question. I think it’s very, very personal. For me, it’s a quietness that allows itself to wash over you over time, like a heavy blanket. It’s not a one-two punch, and then it’s over. It’s a photograph you can can keep revisiting, one that continues to reveal itself with each viewing. You can keep revisiting the photograph and it keeps revealing different parts of itself to you.

HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY ANYTHING LATELY OR HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING NEW DURING THIS MOMENT IN TIME?

I’m giving myself permission to step out of the routine I have created for myself and allow myself to do things I would normally just say “that’s not for me.” I’m allowing myself new experiences, stepping out of comfort zones that I created for myself.

I think for a lot of people – coming out in this new world after quarantine – we are allowing ourselves to have more genuine interactions with others, and with people we normally may not have felt comfortable reaching out to, old friends, new friends, people we’ve wanted to have relationships with. And that’s exciting.

During the last few months, I’ve realized that I need to redefine my relationship with my work. I think I need to give myself the opportunity to figure out how my relationship with my artwork evolves from here and how to continue making work that’s surprising to me and impactful.


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