Many different characters work in the NSCAD photo department; Steve Farmer is one of those characters. This animated man can be found dashing about the department with photo gear tucked under his arm, trailing students full of questions he tries to answer while on the way to his next class.
Steve is very approachable, he seems always more than happy to stop and help out with any problem a student may have--including, say, the need to write and post a brief article on the photo department. A recognizeable figure in his trademark glasses, beard and running shoes, Steve is an energetic and caring person invested in his students. But he also has a private life--hes'a appily married man and father of two boys.
After graduating from NSCAD in 1989, Steve came back to teach at NSCAD in 1999. The three classes Steve teaches at the moment are "Colour Photo," "Digital Photography" and the "Lighting Studio Workshop". In addition to his teaching, Steve is also a commercial photographer.
When I stopped Steve in the hall to see if I could ask him a couple questions for this piece, he invited me into his office for a chat. In our conversation about photography at NSCAD and photography in general, Steve stressed the importance of a strong technical base in supporting conceptual works. We talked about analog photography; Steve said that he thinks we are losing some of the tactile qualities of the medium. He wonders if some of the magic of photography is slipping now that darkrooms are virtually a thing of the past. --Yet he probably can’t remember the last time he shot a real old fashioned roll of film.
Our discussion on photography was long and winding and could have gone on for hours. I got the feeling that Steve, as both teacher and practitioner, strives to find a balance or artistry and technique in the medium of photography. As student-artists, he advocates that we learn to use all of the tools at our disposal. When asked about how the department has changed, his answer was simple: the technology has changed. Drastically.
I also asked him about his favorite memories from his time as a student at NSCAD and he had three. One was bringing his Mom to his studio where he shared a space with the late Mark Deberov. Deberov was watching a porn flick just as Steve brought his mom into the studio for her tour. He also remembered when Robert Del Tredici spoke on his series “In the Field of the Atom Bomb” and sitting beside Robert Frank during the screening of “Cock Sucker Blues.” As a final question I wanted to know, what was the NSCAD Photography Department like when Steve Farmer was still a student? He answered, “Students were edgier, more conceptual and more international.”
Guess that raises the bar for US now.
by Andrew Farrugia
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