ICP Member Spotlight: Q&A with Kristin Boyd
What first brought you to ICP and why did you decide to become a Young Patron (Focus) member?
I found ICP in 2010 when I was looking for a place to take my first photography class. I was brand new to photography, and I intended to sign up for a 10-week class to learn how to take better photos of my friends and family. The more time I spent in classes and at the Museum, the more photography and composition became a reason for me to pay more attention to the most ordinary parts of my day.
What has been your favorite ICP moment?
Last spring, I brought a group of seventh- and eight-grade students to visit Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II (2018). After our tour I asked what they would do if something like this happened today. One of my students told me she would speak up if she heard other students making fun of someone who was different, which is how she could fight prejudice. I thought that was a pretty insightful reaction to the exhibition from a young adult, and it stuck with me. She really boiled the issue down into its simplest form—and also called her fellow classmates (and me!) to action. Without ICP we never would have had this conversation.
If you could meet any photographer, who would it be and why?
I would love to meet Henri Cartier-Bresson. He travelled to so many different places during his life, and his work evokes such a range of emotions for me.
What do you love about taking photographs?
I struggle, sometimes, to be present in my daily life. I work in finance, and the job can be all-consuming. What I love about making photographs is the process forces me to be present in the moment. The discipline to check the corners of my frame and take a step to the left or right to change the angle of my photograph makes me slow down. It gives me a reason (or an excuse) to engage with the people and environment around me, whether I’m on the other side of the world on vacation, or just walking through my neighborhood. Being present and focused on making a photograph gives me a break, even if only for a few minutes, from the obligations of the rest of my day.
With the rise of Instagram and other social media platforms, where do you think the future of photography is headed?
Today, I am so accustomed to consuming photographs on a small mobile screen. It feels truly special when I am standing in front of a print hanging on the wall, or a sequence of photographs curated in an exhibition. Instagram is a powerful tool to increase the dialogue around photographs, and to democratize the process of sharing your work. However, for me it is just one tool, and will never replace the impact I feel touring a beautifully curated exhibit of prints at ICP!
ICP Members receive unlimited free admission to the ICP Museum, discounts on all ICP School classes, and much more. Join today!
