Meet Ed Valfre

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ed Valfre.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ed. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I discovered photography while in film school at University of Texas, Austin. From there, I moved to Los Angeles, where I met an excellent Japanese photographer, who after showing him my work, told me, you have a great eye but a lot to learn. I became his assistant, where I gained an invaluable knowledge of the art and business of photography. After a year, I realized commercial photography was not for me. One can only take so many photos of cheeseburgers, models, cars, and furniture and not be burned out. I was so busy doing commercial work, the very reason I loved photography was becoming lost. It reminded me of a time when I was a musician, playing music six nights a week I would never personally listen to at home. Music and photography are meant to feed the soul, they may not always pay the bills. I took a job as an audio engineer at ABC television, figuring it would allow me to do my photography without the pressure of making a living from it. I could make a decent living in the world of television and for several years it was a fun and exciting. Who would not love a job that had laughter every day and a craft service table? I would take months off to do my own visual work, but after the death of my brother, something in me changed. I took a long road trip by myself and when I returned, quit my job.

After leaving ABC, I traveled the world, had photo shows in Bolonga, Rome and Los Angeles, published two children’s books and began to create music again. Sometimes, understanding that our time is limited can lead to how we choose to live. My brother’s death gave me that understanding and I will always remember his inspiration. Photography now was not something part-time; it was how I wanted to be live in this world. Photography was about paying attention.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
About twelve years ago, my camera was damaged in an accident. I won’t say much, but let’s just say I fell into a swimming pool and it turns out Nikons can’t swim. Those months without a camera had a profound effect. I was starting to see images in a fresh way. Suddenly there was a wealth of things to photograph, beautiful everyday things. When I finally replaced the camera, I decided to shoot every day. I carried a camera at all times. Perhaps I was putting in the ten thousand hours late in life, but it was the first time in years I felt I was improving visually. When people ask me, what is the best camera, I tell them, the one that is always with you.

Ed Valfre’s Dreamland – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At the moment, I am organizing images for a photo exhibit I am calling Noir City. It is my look at the shadows and light of Los Angeles seen through my love for the cinema of film noir. I will hopefully find a gallery where this will be seen in the near future.

I have a website called Ed Valfre’s Dreamland where I create short stories of alternate universes, time travel, personal memories and humor based on my images. There are over six hundred stories and I hope to create a book from the best forty. The website also contains original music where I combine my music mixed with field recordings and old records of everything from children’s poetry to instructional records on learning foreign languages.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was the release of my first children’s book, Backseat Buckaroo. The book was inspired by a road trip I took after the death of my brother. I traveled to some of the places our parents took us when we were children. The hero of the book rides in the backseat of the car on a family vacation. The boy creates a story based on the things he sees while traveling at sixty-five miles an hour. It received wonderful reviews in the Los Angeles Times, Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. It was also the staff pick in one of my favorite bookstores, City Lights Books in San Francisco, and on display at the gift shop at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. I loved meeting the children at schools and bookstores and seeing their enthusiasm. Now that was a real joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.edvalfresdreamland.com
• Instagram: eddie_v50
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ed-Valfres-Dreamland-158663874165216/

Image Credit:
All photo © Ed Valfre 2019

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