Statement

Contained on this site are interviews from photographic creatives that support knowledge and community while providing vision and inspiration in their pursuits. Written here are the thoughts, ideas, and efforts of those who have excelled in their medium. They are starting points and roads to travel in search of your own process and goals.

This is by no means an authoritative statement, but an exploration and a work in progress. Knowledge is essential to what we do, with any positive direction taken being worthwhile, and hopefully is to anyone who gleans even the smallest scrap from the words written here. I hope you enjoy these interviews and images, and always welcome your ideas and criticisms. It takes a village.

Regularly featured interviews were posted every two weeks, from this site’s inception in August of 2018 to April of 2021, before adopting a more relaxed posting schedule. Occasionally, we will post interviews conducted from partnered sources as they become available. These will be announced on our home page as well as all of our social media channels.

If an interview was conducted and posted elsewhere before appearing here, then a note will appear at the bottom with a link to direct you to its origination. Credit where credit is due.

Inform. Educate. Inspire.

Founding Editor: Michael Kirchoff

Michael Kirchoff is a photographic artist, Editor in Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, Contributing Editor for the column, Traverse, at One Twelve Publishing, and Co-Host for The Diffusion Tapes podcast. Based in Los Angeles, Michael conducts artist interviews, presents features, and curates fine art photography bodies of work from emerging and mid-career photographic artists worldwide for all entities.

Michael is also an independent curator and juror and advocate for the photographic arts. He has been a juror for Photolucida’s Critical Mass and has reviewed portfolios for the Los Angeles Center of Photography’s Exposure Reviews, PhotoNOLA, and CENTER’s Review Santa Fe. Michael has been a contributing writer for Lenscratch, Light Leaked, and Don’t Take Pictures magazine. In addition, he spent ten years (2006-2016) on the Board of the American Photographic Artists in Los Angeles (APA/LA), producing artist lectures, as well as business and inspirational events for the community. Previously, Michael spent over four years as Editor at BLUR magazine.

Michael’s fine art imagery has garnered recognition from the IPA Awards, PX3, Photographers Forum, and Critical Mass. His photographs have been published in L'Oeil de la Photographie, B&W (U.S.), Black & White (U.K.), Seities, Esquire, BLUR, Harpers, Adore Noir, Fraction, Shots, Diffusion Annual, and Lenscratch, among others. Michael also continues to exhibit his work domestically and internationally, with more than a dozen solo exhibitions, and over fifty group exhibitions to date, with limited edition prints in both public and private collections.

Why Catalyst?

Catalyst: Interviews are born out of my own thirst for knowledge, as well as a deep curiosity for the creative process. Using the word catalyst simply denotes the fact that at a point in our creative lives there was a spark, an instance of passion for the medium that started us down a path to image-making. How others create their work and projects is something I’ve always appreciated and learned from. In addition, I can recall giving interviews for blogs and publications in the past, and realizing that as I was doing them, I was also learning about myself and becoming even more connected to what I was doing as a photographic artist. Questions about our work, our process, or ourselves are often triggers to a deeper understanding of what we do. This site is my concept for housing this knowledge as a way for others to learn from.

When I started doing interviews for Blur Magazine, I quickly realized how much I'd enjoyed doing them, and wanted an outlet to do more. Being involved in photography for over thirty years, from student to professional, I hadn't really thought of adding a journalistic approach to my career, but I am finding it to be a very helpful and satisfying endeavor.

One final aspect to doing this is that when I wanted to propel my fine art photography forward I received quite a lot of support and guidance along the way. This has become a way of feeding my curiosities while giving back to an arts community that has been so kind over the years. I wish for the words and images included here to support and encourage others who desire a similar positive experience. I believe that this truly benefits all of us. I hope you like what you find.

Proud signatory of the Photo Bill of Rights.