“I think because I lived most of my life until now without taking pictures, or trying to stage anything, I am drawn to capturing what´s around me. Like im playing catch up in a sense and am drawn to the documentation rather than staging.”

Currently New York based but Del Mar/CA origin, Photographer Eric Chakeen picked up the camera in his last year of college, following his instinct to do something with his active imagination. The list of beautiful people in front of his lense is long and through his images you can feel the models being at ease and themselves. And the list of big names he has worked for so far is impressive as well: Ryan Mcginley or Dan Martensen among others. So we had a little chat with him about his starts, his fascination about vibrating life-style images and his opinion on art and commerce ruling each other out…

So Eric, when did you first pick up a camera?

I started photography my last year of college, so around 21 or 22.

Have you always been creative?

In other ways, yes. I´ve always had a very active imagination. But i actually played sports all throughout my life and got a scholarship to college to play. I knew i wanted to do something creative and photography kind of dropped in my lap. I quit sports and immediately dove in.

You have a lot of vibrating life-style images in you portfolio. What fascinates you about that genre?

I think because I lived most of my life until now without taking pictures, or trying to stage anything, I am drawn to capturing what´s around me. Like im playing catch up in a sense and am drawn to the documentation rather than staging.

Also working for Ryan Mcginley and going on roadtrips as my first job in photography definitely influenced the aforementioned tendency.

How much of yourself is in your work?

A lot I imagine. I basically capture whats around me and in my day to day, friends, girlfriends, trips im taking, my constantly injured dog. So i don´t think it could have any more “me” in it without me actually being in the photographs.

Do you collect anything?

A lot of books.

Do you think that art and commerce rule each other out?

Nope. see: Juergen Teller

Black and white vs colour?

Both

The most important thing in life?

Peace of mind