Rising Stars: Meet Gary Glasser

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Glasser.

Hi Gary, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I had an interest in photography since I was about seven. (early 70’s) I always enjoyed looking at the family Polaroid photographs. Everyone seemed to have a photo album of pictures then. As I turned each page of the photo album, the sound of the thin plastic picture protectors sticking to each page. I also loved the smell of the film as it was freshly pulled from the Polaroid bellows the camera. Even the sturdy leather case that kept the camera safe for the next family get-together and photo opportunity. When I was about 10 ish, I received my first camera, the Kodak 110. It was cheap but sturdy. The film had a hint of a familiar smell as it was pulled from the sealed package. I shot a lot with it but having the filmed developed was costly for a ten years old budding photographer and getting to the Photomat booth was also troublesome. Once in a while, I rode my Candy Apple red Schwinn Stingray bike about 3-4 miles to drop off film at the Photomat. (Castro Valley Blvd, Castro Valley, California) Growing in Northern California, in the East Bay, I was just a bridge hop to San Francisco.

Growing up there, my family and I spent many weekends in the picturesque city. There were summer trips to Felton (Santa Cruz) or along the northern coasts of California and Oregon. As I grew older, attending elementary school, junior high and high school, I didn’t photograph much. I played sports mostly and my clicking was far and few between through those times except for one Christmas. In 1981, I received what I called my first real camera, a black Minolta X-700 with a very sharp Sigma telephoto lens. It’s currently in storage. I used it often and slinging it everywhere until I took some college photography classes in 1991. One of my instructors was Geir Jordahl. Somewhere I think I still have my coursework folders and yes, I still have some of my negatives. Shortly after, I moved to Colorado and had two sons. Then came digital. It wasn’t until about 2007 when I became infected and engrossed into a digital DLSR, a Canon 40D. I took that thing with me everywhere including to work in Denver. “Memory cards are cheap.” That’s also when I started shooting murals and graffiti in Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Austin. Of course, I had to learn editing software and am self-taught but still learning with regular Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Oh, I have four external hard drives now.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Hmmm…struggles along the way would be, Id rather be shooting than my regular job. Or I missed shooting some wall with graffiti on it before it got “buffed” over and the wall was repainted by someone else. The Boulder skatepark wall for example. I sarcastically call it the “The 2-hour wall” since it painted over that quickly. I would get too obsessive about editing instead of life work/chores.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a 15 years employee for the City of Denver. I’ve always had a work vehicle which allows me to see many neighborhoods and walls. As for photography, I am known for my graffiti and mural work locally, twice published in Westword, Flashback Magazine and numerous times on 12oz Prophet online zine, Bombing Science online zine as well as having a beer label made of one of my photographs of local graffiti artist Think426. That photograph made it into a national beer magazine as well. To my understanding, that label was the first time a graffiti artist made it onto a full-time regular production beer in the United States, rumor was the world as well.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Well, luck is always important in photography. Being there at the right moment is paramount to years of skill and study. I consider myself fortunate in my personal and photographic art life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flickr.com/people/pycpoet/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anarchivistphotography/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adpco

Image Credits
Graffiti Artist: JHER Mural Artist: Sepia Graffiti Artist; RAPES Graffiti Artist: EMIT Models: Private