Talia Herman captures rural California life
- Text by Andrea Kurland
- Photography by Talia Herman
Talia Herman is a San Francisco-based documentary photographer who trained at the International Centre of Photography in New York City. Now, having returned to her Northern California roots, she is reconnecting with the region’s residual counterculture through an ongoing project called Queer Habits about a rural non-profit founded by a group of drag queens that raises funds for the local community.
A regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek and Wired, Talia’s assignment work sees her capturing the personal stories behind the headlines – from people living on the breadline to victims of rape – with the same sensitivity that defines her personal work, which centres mostly on family and friends in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County.
In our ongoing series Answers On A Postcard – an existential visual Q&A – Talia sifts through an ambient archive of hot summer moments, butt-naked muses and rural California life and retrieves the stills that dig the deepest.
Answers On A Postcard #5
Who are you?
Talia Herman.
What does home feel like?
As an internal space: peaceful, connected.
What does faith look like?
I like the idea of it having something to do with an intrinsic compass.
What’s your greatest fear?
The Bell Jar.
What keeps you up at night?
Photomechanic…
What helps you sleep?
Making my dog put out and well-played antics.
What’s the meaning of life?
I know what it feels like, meaning that is, and I’d like to experience as much of it as I can.
Any vices?
Sure.
Keep up to date with Talia Herman’s work on her blog.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
The art of paying attention: How Austria’s Alps reward slowing down
Lebensgefühl — With a growing movement of art and music rooted in the area’s mountains, trees and waterfalls, the region is showcasing the importance of the human relationship to nature.
Written by: Sophie Lou Wilson
Grainy, yearning memories of Europe’s ’90s free rave heyday
Never Alone — A new photobook from Cheyenne Clementi and Valentina Morandi presents pictures they made over seven years while touring the continent as part of the Tekno Mobil Squad soundsystem crew. It archives parties, people and a lifestyle largely consigned to the past.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Queer resistance & sun-soaked solidarity at the world’s largest trans pride march
Our Future, Our Fight — Over the weekend, over 150,000 people marched at the London Trans+ Pride, with the parade ending at Trafalgar Square for the first time in history.
Written by: Ella Glossop
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Youthful joy & end-of-era poignancy at a London school prom
Leavers — For several years, Lewis Khan documented young people as they celebrated the last of their school days and the completion of their exams. The series is now collated in a new self-published photobook and short film.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
Harry Gruyaert’s vintage, kaleidoscopic scenes of New York
A Sense of Place — For 50 years, the Belgian photographer and Magnum Photos member has been capturing NYC’s colourful chaos. A new photobook and exhibition showcase his unique, technicolour view of the city.
Written by: Miss Rosen
