Glen Erler is forty something years old and resides in London, England.

MOSSLESS: How important is it to be emotionally connected to what you’re shooting?
GLEN ERLER: In my case, I find it very important. I feel the more connected I am to the theme or narrative of the project, the more meaning there is behind each image taken. There’s a purpose to be there. I’ve been working with my family and friends for years now and find it has given me a more thorough way of making work and an understanding to when an image feels complete. Even if it’s a commission, it’s always helpful to have a real understanding of the subject or subject content in order to feel like the story is complete. If an actor takes on a role without a real understanding of whom he/she is playing, there will be limitations in the final result. This is my view at the moment and this may change from project to project but everyone has their way of working and in what works best for them. This has worked for me in recent years.

GE: How much of what you photograph is caught as it happens and how much is set up?
ML: When there are people in my photographs, I will normally position most everything within the frame, including the person. If a person is absent, I tend to document more often than not, but even then, I will move things if need be. If it is a small object/still life, I will normally also control where that object is and what is around it.

ML: What kind of music would best illustrate the mood in your photographs?
GE: I used to be very much influenced by music and it played an important role, at times, in setting a mood for the person in the photograph. It could have anything from Beth Gibbons to Barber’s Adagio For Strings. Bonnie Prince Billy’s Master & Everyone is quite nice. It would rarely have been up-tempo. These days, there tends to be nothing on other than the existing noises we’re surrounded by at that particular time.

ML: What’s your dream camera?
GE: I was using a 5x4 extensively but this was several years ago and not for any of my current projects. As much as I loved working in that method, I find it too slow for what I currently need to achieve. I started travelling back to California 6 or so years ago, where I’m originally from, to do some commissioned work and from that came several projects. I also started working on my Family Tree project at that time and decided I needed something of great quality but that was also easy to manoeuvre. I then bought a medium format rangefinder that has been with me ever since.