Wikholm:
Since 1984, you have photographed an
enormous number of glbtq events and celebrities. What possessed you to start?
Brinskele:
It seems I have always been
driven to both tell the truth and document what has been important or
empowering to me. I see it as the best way to show my appreciation for it
and to honor it.
Wikholm:
What are the most significant changes you
have seen in Pride events since you began documenting them?
Brinskele:
I see
people relaxed about being photographed but only in recent years. I see a
big change in law enforcement. They were always the enemy in the past and
can now be our friends and family for the first time.
Wikholm:
What
are the biggest challenges you've faced in creating your photographs of
glbtq
parades and marches?
Brinskele:
My biggest challenge for many years
was being able find willing subjects who were not afraid their lives would
be devastated if they were out. These people are still around, but they are
no longer the majority.
Wikholm:
When I first saw your work, it struck me as photojournalistic, but after
spending more time with your images, I've come to see them as documentary.
More National Geographic than Washington Post. Is that a
good characterization?
Brinskele:
Yes, I am
glad you see that. The great clarity is essential but first is the
integrity, always.
Wikholm:
In addition to your work documenting
glbtq history and personalities, what other photographic subjects interest
you?
Brinskele:
People are
my favorite subjects. I feel a need to show the overall beauty I see in each
person. Often someone will say they hate photos of themselves but they like
themselves in my photos. Nothing is better to me than that.
Wikholm:
Documenting
glbtq history probably doesn't pay the rent. What kinds of day jobs have you
had to support your passion for photography?
Brinskele: I
had a twenty-year career in the casino business as a dealer and then a pit boss.
It enabled me to have the free time to do this work in the glbtq community.
More recently I have been an aerial photographer.
Wikholm:
During
the last few years, there has been much talk about Americans entering a
post-gay period. Your images of recent glbtq events seem to
contradict that.
Brinskele:
I am very proud of being a lesbian. I
belong to the part of the glbtq community who have never wanted to just blend
in to mainstream society. We will keep the community from ever being
post-gay.
Wikholm:
What kinds of projects and
exhibitions do you have planned in the near future?
Brinskele:
I have a photography exhibit spanning twenty
years of work at an independent glbtq bookstore in Long Beach called Equal
Writes in June. I am organizing photos to give to some glbtq archives in the
near future as well. I take new photos in the glbtq community for myself and
for The Lesbian News every week.
Wikholm:
This is your twenty-second year documenting
queer California. How long to you plan to continue?
Brinskele:
I have no
plans to stop. |
