NIGHTED Life 9: Gone
Through film photos and personal writing, 8 photographers were asked to answer one of three questions:
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
“NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” is a 44-page full color zine featuring work from:
Olivia Garner
Kris Kirk
Siggy Bodolai
Kelly Graham
Jonathan Sherman
Brandon Aighty
Julia Rinaldi
Graham Meyer
Limited to 140 copies. International shipping available.
Out now at NIGHTED.Storenvy.com
Jonathan Sherman: As the World Turns
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I decided to share my closest call with death.
2. Where did you grow up? What was it like?
I grew up in a dysfunctional suburban household bordering the city of Toronto. My neighborhood offered me very little, so at a young age, I began distancing myself from home as much as possible. I got into skateboarding at around 13 or so and from then on, I spent most of my time hanging out in the city’s downtown core.
3. How did you decide to start shooting film?
I have been around film cameras my whole life, so it was only natural I started using one of my own. My uncle was a photojournalist for LIFE, Time and a few other major magazines from the 60s through to the 90s. He’s done some pretty crazy work. Ron Laytner, look him up. Anyway, my first camera belonged to him long before it belonged to me.
4. What types of situations do you find you point your lens towards most commonly? Where was your head at while compiling shots for NL9?
What I shoot seems to always change. Lately, I’ve been really into wall mounted objects as bizarre as that may sound. My head wasn’t in a particularly different than usual space for this project. I am, however, really excited to see what everyone else put together. From what I’ve been hearing it’s going to be pretty heavy.
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens to a person after death?
Nothing and the world keeps turning.
Instagram: @normalandboring
Olivia Garner Meets World
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I answered the question about a death that had greatly impacted me.
2. Do you remember having a moment of realization in your youth when you grasped mortality?
The first time I actually realized my mortality was when I was 7 or 8 watching Boy Meets World. It was the episode where Shawn’s dad died. Before that I’d never really been exposed to death. After seeing that I ran into my mom’s room and cried and told her that I didn’t want either of us to die.
3. What made you decide to pick up a camera and start shooting film?
In 7th grade my best friend’s dad took me to a pawn shop so I could buy myself something with the birthday money I had just gotten. I saw a Nikon SLR and thought it was so pretty. He taught me how to use it and bought me my first rolls of film.
4. How did you go about compiling the shots for NL9: Gone?
When choosing the pictures for “Gone,” I tried focusing on the feelings and atmosphere of death or, more specifically, dying loved ones. For example, some of the photos I chose were in a friend’s deceased grandfather’s house. With this group of photos, I wanted to show fleeting memories and the sense of nostalgia and remembrance that surrounds losing someone.
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens after death?
Your aching stops but grows for those dearest to you.
Instagram: confirmedtwink
Kris Kirk on Absolutely Nothing
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I answered the question regarding what I would want done with my body when I die. Seemed to be the most interesting question, as it can go many directions. Depending on a person’s background and ideals of their life, I feel that question really bit into the idea of “worth of one’s self.”
2. Do you remember having a moment of realization in your youth when you grasped mortality?
I can’t specifically remember one instance. I think it I just grasped it eventually when you have pets, friends and relatives die. Then it hits you like, “Oh ok, I’m never going to see these people or things again.” You can even tie in photography with this. When you realize someone or something is gone, you find yourself going through all your old images of what once was and that feeling of life comes back for that brief moment.
3. What was is like growing up in the OC hardcore scene, and how has that influenced your photography?
I don’t think the Orange County hardcore scene specifically has influenced my photography. I did enjoy seeing photos people took at shows and what not, but I think being involved in a sense of underground community influenced me in many other ways. Yes, photography being one of them but, it really teaches you how to do something by yourself and for yourself. That all spills into every aspect of my life.
4. How did you go about compiling your shots for NL9: Gone?
Nick had asked me to be a part of the GONE zine that had a theme of “death”. At first, the theme was a head scratcher. I couldn’t think of it beyond the literal meaning. The longer I thought about it, the easier it came to compile images for the theme presented. So keeping that in mind – that it can range from literal to metaphorically – I tried to do a mix of each.
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens to a person after death?
Honestly, absolutely nothing.
Instagram: @kristopherkirk
Kelly Graham is Not Worried
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
“Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?”
2. Where did you grow up? What was it like?
Grayling, Michigan. “The Heart of the North.” It’s a highway town of just over 1,800 people that rely heavily on outdoors-related tourism. Everyone goes to the same middle school, the same high school. Everybody knows everybody. I started playing guitar when I was 13 and fell in with a group of people who also loved and played rock and roll. Our hangout was the local skatepark, which had a loft where all of our bands practiced. It was in a building that previously housed a Fred Bear museum. I feel like that’s a pretty accurate representation of the town: this whole modern subculture living in this building that had honored a famous bow hunter and subject of a tribute song by Ted Nugent. Nowadays, Grayling has great coffee shops, craft beer breweries and a fantastic record store. When I was a teenager, though, the closest record store was 45 minutes away. I’m glad to see it continually growing.
3. What types of situations do you find you point your lens towards most commonly? Where was your head at while compiling shots for NL9?
What I am looking for when I shoot can be pretty fluid. Lately I’ve been thinking, ‘If I were to never be in this place again, what would I want to remember? What do I feel a connection with, that I would also probably forget about without a photo of it to look back on?’
I love to catch things that make me feel a strange sadness. It can be something that’s a result of human behavior I find peculiar, or something that makes me feel nostalgic. Sometimes things come together perfectly in a way I can’t explain, but I know it when I see it. I also love shooting in that moment between an inhale and an exhale and I love when I can convey that emotion. I can find a bit of melancholy in many of my photos.
For NL9, I was focused on portraying multiple types of death.
4. What role does photography play in your day-to-day life?
It is something I am thinking about almost constantly. I’m observing and watching everything with it in mind. It’s often my main reason for going anywhere. It has been helpful in that aspect. I tend to feel overstimulated easily and prefer to be more of a hermit, but living that way can also feed into general anxiety and even depression at times. Photography helps keep me balanced.
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens to a person after death?
Haven’t yet decided, but not worried.
Instagram: @kellygrahvm
Siggy Bodolai Will Let You Know When He Finds Out
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’reposting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I decided to answer the question about which death had the most impact on me, and why.
2. Where did you grow up? What was it like?
I was born in Toronto, but grew up in Los Angeles. It was an interesting experience to say the least. There was always some sort of trouble to get into.
3. What types of situations do you find you point your lens towards most commonly? Where was your head at while compiling shots for NL9?
It differs depending on where my head is at that moment. In day to day life, I have a fascination with seemingly ordinary or mundane things. And why we perceive them as such. Shooting stuff for “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” was a bit different for me. I don’t think my photographs usually have such a literal meaning. I like to think that my photographs are made for the viewer to infer, and project their own meaning onto them. NL9 was quite different than that. It was the first time I’ve done a project with such a literal series of photos. I was excited to do this because death is something that I think about often, and has had great impact on my life.
4. If you could choose one song that feels like it fits and accompanies the situation you wrote about for the release, what would it be?
Burzum - Dunkelheit
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens after death?
I’ll let you know when I find out.
Instagram: @sigsigsig
Brandon Aighty is Back
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I answered the question about my closest experience with death.
2. Where’d you grow up? What was it like?
I grew up 25 minutes from Seattle after leaving Mexico when I was 7. When I first got here, it was difficult not knowing the language and being unfamiliar with everything American. I had never seen a football or heard of a PB&J and 7-year-old me thought it was all stupid. Once I learned the language, things got better but it was still a constant struggle to assimilate while trying to understand my identity in this country.
3. How does photography play into your day-to-day life?
I haven’t been carrying around a camera 24/7 anymore like I used to, but I look at photos I’ve taken and family photos every single day. On a day to day basis, photography helps me understand and see my life in a narrative that allows me to center myself in the present.
4. What types of situations do you find you take photos of most commonly?
Most of my photos are portraits and the people in them are usually smiling or having fun. Real moments of pure joy and excitement are few and far between, and having photography to capture those moments is really a gift.
5. What’s changed about your perception of death as you’ve gotten older?
When I was in middle school I was really depressed and would think about suicide a lot. As I got older, those thoughts went away but I developed self-destructive habits and was doing things that put my life at risk constantly. Now I have a higher respect for life and I’m doing my best to live long.
6. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens to a person after death?
You become fucking dust.
Instagram: @Aighty93
Julia Rinaldi Wants to be A Ghost
Leading up to the release of “NIGHTED Life 9: Gone” on March 1st, we’re posting one interview a day with each contributor. In this zine, 8 shooters respond with photos and writing to one of three questions.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to dying?
What do you want done with your body when you die?
Which death has had the biggest impact on your life and why?
1. Without going into detail, can you share which question you decided to answer for NL9?
I sort of just wrote a statement that summed up the photos for me. It was something I said while discussing the questions with a friend. It seemed more fitting.
2. Where’d you grow up? What was it like?
North Vancouver. Lots of hills.
3. What made you decide to pick up a camera and start shooting film?
I shot photos on film when I was a little kid. (I remember in grade 2 or 3 I got a new camera for Christmas and it had a pretty long zoom. Anyway, I took it to school all excited and a couple of boys, real jerks Luke Martin and Mackenzie Smith, took it from me and killed the battery pretending it was their tiny boners… They sucked). I focused more on video in high school and in first year university I started shooting 16mm film. Around the same time, I saw how fun point and shoots were so I started carrying one around.
4. How did you go about compiling the shots for NL9: Gone?
All of the photos were taken in Winnipeg leading up to or on the day of my grandmother’s funeral.
5. In 10 words or less, what do you think truly – as far as you can explain or imagine – happens to a person after death?
Idk about other people but I want to be a ghost.
Instagram: @T_T.__.T_T