Ned Rosen
fashion and fetish photographer
What do you make?
I make pictures.
Where else on the web can we find you?
You can find my work at
http://www.nedrosen.com
http://www.nedrosenerotic.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtylense/
What did you dream about last night?
I remembered what I dreamt last night, for about 5 minutes after I woke up, then like smoke, it faded fast. I think it was a bit scary though, scary and dark. Since it got cold this winter, mostly scary and dark.
What inspires you?
I like things that are used and that show there wear. I have a collection of coins that are all fucked up, rusty, chipped, scratched, they look like they’ve been around the block a few times. In a funny way, I see the same beauty in my wife and my 1967 Triumph Tiger, motorcycle. She wears her bruises well. My desk is an old machine factory work table, the more marks it gets, the better it looks. My photography is different though. I work very hard to keep the lines and the spaces clean, I like to make messes with the emotional elements.I am inspired by emotional content, by the way people bruise on the inside, tenderness and raw patches on the soul. I guess I have a lot of bruises on my soul, when I see a fucked up nickel or quarter, I kind of identify with it. And when I meet someone, and there pain or joy comes out in an honest way, I have no choice but to connect with them immediately.
I think the heart of my photography is about that connection. I really like seeing that grow in my work, as I grow as a person.
Where do you live and what do you like about it?
I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. I really like the people here a lot. There is a really great energy, it’s very exciting yet peaceful. There used to be a lot more street-art around, I miss the amount that there was, there is still some though.
I fell in love with this neighborhood a few years ago, when I moved here. There were a lot of old but working industrial spaces, factories and warehouses. The landscape has changed an awful lot in the past 3 years, the old buildings have been torn down, and new condos push in to the sky. A lot of construction has halted since the economy has turned, and a lot of holes remain empty. Like the street-art, some of the really cool old structures remain.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear, shit, my biggest fear is being asked what my favorite movie is. No, I have a lot of biggest fears, right now, it is rapped around this leap of faith I want to take, regarding taking myself more seriously as a photographer and an artist. I know it in my head, I just really want, and need to believe it in my heart. I also hate making cold calls.
Name a few of your favorite movies \ books \ websites \ bands:
There are so many movies that I like a lot, but when I’m asked... Poof! ...there gone. Let’s see, I like the movie Amadeus a lot, Night Watch was amazing.I like listening to audio books with my wife Aya, while working. I’ll listen to just about anything, she usually does the choosing.
As for music, I like the Cramps, Johnny Society, Saul Williams, Tom Waits, Nine Inch Nails, and so many more.
What are you really good at? What are you really bad at:
I’m very good at getting people to be themselves in front of my camera.I am really bad at, I’m not sure, I’ll get back to you on that one.
What is your favorite thing to eat?
There is a Vegan Death by Chocolate cake at Black Bird Parlor that I adore with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. As the 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream will tell you, I’m not vegan, but that cake is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!
How would you like to be remembered?
I care and I try hard. I’d like to be remembered as someone who cares and tries hard, and who is a little goofy.
What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
I like being goofy.