Pictures of

Kirk Cypel

"Trying to expose what hides behind my camera."

I have trouble writing my name legibly. I am completely useless with a paintbrush. I am drawn to photography because the camera is a crutch that supports my clumsy hands. It was my only hope of expressing, visually, what I saw with my eyes, what I felt in my heart. I discovered a thrill in standing over a pan and watching an image emerge from a blank sheet of paper. 

But I often feel like an imposter:  There are so many gifted individuals in the world. I see images that take my breath away. And after being lifted by the beauty of another's work, I descend into a mild melancholy as I wish that I could be as talented. I struggle with my failures and look upon these many talented individuals as my teachers. I feel lucky to participate in 1x. By giving me the honor of seeing the world through your eyes, perhaps I can achieve greater clarity through my own.

Kirk Cypel is a San Diego-based photographer.  He was raised in New York's Greenwich Village and worked at his father's printing shop, just down the street from the Strand Book Store.  The shop's clientele included many artists and writers including Wolf Kahn, Felix Pasilis, Nat Hentoff, Michael Abramson and Saul Steinberg (Kirk made a number of the rubber stamps that Mr. Steinberg used in his paintings).  The "proximity to greatness" inspired an interest in and an exploration of the arts. Working at the print shop, he learned elements of graphic design and the use of photographic techniques in printing.  Attending Stuyvesant High School, he became active in the school's photography program, learning the basics of composition, lighting, film processing and printing.  His photograph, "Fire on E. 13th" (http://www.1x.com/photo/27227/all:user:24316) was taken with a Kodak Retina II in 1975, just a few blocks from the school.  Enlisting in the Air Force in 1978, he purchased his first "serious" SLR, a Cannon A-1 --- a system that served him faithfully for the next 10 years.  Over time the challenges of working without a convenient darkroom and/or maintaining a personal darkroom discouraged him.  He drifted away from photography, sometimes taking head shots for friends (and friends of friends) who were struggling actors and musicians.  

Then came digital.  With the introduction of the Nikon D100, there was now an opportunity to produce quality photographs in the 35mm tradition without the need for a darkroom.  

While experimenting with his return to photography, Kirk met met Clinton Smith (see http://www.clintonsmith.com/bio.html).  A brilliant photographer, Mr. Smith's life was touched by Ansel Adams, Ed Weston, Wynn Bullock, and Morley Baer.  Through a short correspondence, Mr. Smith's goodness, rich experience and kind words inspired Kirk to see himself as a serious photographer who, with some hard work, might be capable of realizing a more complete expression through imagery.  Since then, Kirk has become progressively more active in the community - keeping pace with digital technology, writing about photography and working at self-improvement. He displays his work through the web and at various competitions.

As Clinton Smith wrote:

"It's all about learning how to get what you feel in your heart and what you know in your mind down your arm and on to paper.  The process of ten years of absolute, total passion or your pictures will never be more than empty snapshots or technical demonstrations.  And then the real work begins which you must carry on for the remainder of your life.... "a body of work", which you then present to the world.  Who's to say if you or I were any good at it?  Only our dying will tell; but along the way we have the opportunity to touch thousands of lives."