Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Salwey.
Hi Bailey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a cinematographer and photographer based in Echo Park, CA. I grew up in Montana. My love of film first came from watching movies with my family there, and we watched a lot of movies. But when I attended undergrad in Bozeman, MT, and started in the film and photography Program, I suddenly felt out of the loop! I realized that Montana wasn’t necessarily the most accessible place to experience new and exciting filmmaking.
We watched a film called, My Winnipeg by Guy Maddin, and it opened my mind to what can be made and what art and filmmaking could be! Shortly after this, I started working in the darkroom, learning to play and experiment. I was shooting a lot of 35mm at this time but not sure what I wanted to do. I knew I loved the darkroom and movies but needed to figure out how to make a career of it.
My darkroom classes were about to end, and the faculty told me the only way to continue was by getting a dual major. The only real reason to do that would be if I were interested in being a cinematographer! At the time, I didn’t know what that was, but I decided that if I got to keep working in the darkroom, I wanted to do it. That is really where it all began for me.
I moved to Portland, Oregon, to hopefully continue shooting and learning. At a point, I realized I could stay in Montana and keep working towards my goals but might not continue growing in the way I wanted to, or I needed to leave and continue somewhere bigger. It was tough for me to leave Montana. It was my home for a long time, all my collaborators and friends were there, but I knew I needed to give it a shot. I enjoyed my time in Portland. I got the opportunity to dabble in commercials, doc, narrative, and stop motion. I learned so much. But after a few years, I ran into a similar problem- I still wanted to experience more!
After recognizing this in myself – it was about the same time I started hearing about this place called AFI. I was reading an interview from David Lynch, one of my favorites, and he talked about AFI, the place he shot and created Eraserhead. Coming from Montana, I always looked up to David Lynch but never considered returning to school. I read more about his experience there and found that AFI sought him out to come and create and create how he wanted to. So I decided to apply.
I received my acceptance letter on the day everything shut down due to the pandemic. I had mixed emotions and wasn’t sure if going back to school with so much uncertainty in the world made sense. But luckily, I had support. My partner said, “None of it matters. You have to do it!” And with that, I made a move.
AFI was exactly what I needed. I wouldn’t suggest it to everyone, but I found a community of artists I’ll work with for the rest of my life. I learned a lot of the technical aspects of cinematography and started shooting on 35mm, one of my biggest draws in going to AFI. I graduated in 22′ with a Master’s in Cinematography and am currently in my first year out of AFI.
Now I’m in an exciting time in my career. I’m starting to work on more and more narrative, getting projects that excite me and allow me to experiment and play, lots of 16mm opportunities, and working with people that endlessly inspire me while continuing to build on all that I have learned on my path to where I am today! I’m looking forward to what’s next and am so grateful for how far I have come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being a woman in this field can be challenging. Although there has been a lot of remarkable progress, many women I work with would agree that there’s still room for growth. Having collaborators that value my voice and perspective is always a bonus.
But my biggest challenge is finding a balance between work, family, and friends and getting outdoors as much as possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work ranges from project to project. But within my cinematography, I like to explore topics dealing with dreams and memory, stories told from unusual perspectives, and stories told using challenging formats or storytelling techniques.
Through my photography, I like to experiment as much as I can. I’m setting up a darkroom/dim room in my place where I can continue working with gum bichromate, cyanotype, and hopefully more Mordançage this coming year. I shoot with primarily 35mm, medium format, and occasionally break out my 4×5 camera. But I love shooting portraits and landscapes, typically mixing the two within my personal projects.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Likes – That it feels like anything is possible here. The proximity to so many different kinds of landscapes.
Contact Info:
- Website: Salwey.info
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bail3ysalw3y/
Image Credits
Priscilla Mars took the first and last photo of me.
