Photographer, Director of LightWork, Editor and Publisher at Lavalette
Shane Lavalette in his home studio. Photographs by Allison Beondé, 2015
When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
I first became interested in photography as a child, growing up in Vermont. In high school, I was lucky to take a photography class that introduced me to the black and white darkroom. Like many do, I fell in love with the medium through the magic of that process, and started to explore the possibilities of images as art. I went on to study photography in Boston, MA before eventually moving to Syracuse, NY, where I currently live and work.
Shane Lavalette working in his home studio. Photographs by Allison Beondé, 2015
What are you currently working on?
I'm working on a few projects, one of which is an ongoing body of work made in Syracuse that looks at the ways in which architecture and urban planning has the power to connect or divide a city.
The following are spreads from Shane Lavalette's "LOST, Syracuse" (published by Kris Graves Projects, 2019)
This is an issue that is very present in Syracuse, as a result of Highway 81 reaching the end of its lifespan—for years, the highway has cut directly through the heart of the city. I'm in the process of publishing a small book of some of the early images from this project, which I've been making since 2016. To see more from the book or to purchase online, visit Kris Graves Projects.
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a photographer's practice. What do you do for inspiration?
Beyond art, I tend to look to music and food for inspiration. Similarly, they are one of the great joys of life and they connect people in important ways.
Shane Lavalette in his home studio. Photographs by Allison Beondé, 2015
Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?
For me, it's a bit of both. It may start with a general idea or area of interest and research, but so much of photography is about chance—the circumstances that bring together the right subject with a certainly quality of light.
Shane Lavalette working in his home studio. Photographs by Allison Beondé, 2015
Who are your biggest influences?
Beyond my own work, I also work as the director of Light Work, a non-profit photography organization in Syracuse that directly supports artists through exhibitions, publications, residencies, and a lab facility. The artists that I have the pleasure of working with through these programs are truly some of the most inspiring creative people. Explore some of their work at the Artist in Residence Program.
Sharing one's own work is an important aspect of being a photographer, publishing is an avenue for that. Can you tell us what inspired you to get into publishing?
As I was first learning about photography, I became really interested in photobooks. This may have been in part because I was in Vermont and there weren't a lot of exhibition venues to see the kind of work I was interested in on the walls. Books present photographs beautifully, and allow a viewer to spend intimate time with a body of work and move through it in a way that an artist intended. In 2009, I started publishing photobooks by other artists through my own small publishing house, as a way to work with those that I admired. Eventually, in 2016, I self-published my first book, One Sun, One Shadow. This publication is available to view and purchase online at Lavalette.com
One Sun, One Shadow (published by Lavalette, 2016) Photograph by Allison Beondé, 2015
What other kinds of books are an important source of inspiration?
Poetry is a big source of inspiration, and was something I gravitated to at a similar time as photography. I love photography's poetic potential. Lately, I've been returning to books by E.E. Cummings and Mary Oliver.
How will Innovate Grant contribute to your practice?
Finding funding to continue making work is one of the biggest challenges of being an artist, so this grant will help cover some basic costs associated with this ongoing project.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Carrie Mae Weems once told me, "give your best hours to your work." I think it's a great reminder to always nurture your creative energy, especially if you have a lot of other things you are juggling in your daily life.
What is the best advice you would give to other photographers and artists?
Share your work with people you trust for feedback and guidance along the way, but at the end of the day simply follow your own gut.
Stay up to date with Shane Lavalette
Instagram @shanelavalette
Twitter @shanelavalette
www.shanelavalette.com