Keba: How do you say your last name?
Skye Skjelset: It's tricky... Sort of like "Sk-yell-sette" or
something.
K: Are you the chief documentor in Fleet Foxes?
SS: Nah, not really... I do happen to take an annoying amount of
photos, but I know Casey really likes to take photos of landscapes. He's a real
Ansel Adams with his phone.
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| Skye |
K: How did you start taking photos?
SS: I had been bringing disposable cameras with me almost
everywhere. I went for a few years and taking photos, but I bought my first real
SLR in London a couple years ago. Our tour manager at the time took me to a
place called Mr. Cad's in south London and helped me pick out a camera. He was
showing me all of these amazing photos he has taken over the years while on
tour and it really got me inspired.
K: I see you've worked in 35mm as well as 120 film, do you have
a preference?
SS: I find 35mm to be easier to work with, but I wish that I
used 120 more often. I have a few different 35mm SLR's, but only one 120, which
is kind of hard to use. I'd really like to get a better medium format camera,
but they are just so expensive! Still, 120 has such a beautiful look.
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| Morgan Henderson |
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| J Tillman |
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| Robin Pecknold |
K: Do you prefer taking pictures of people or city/landscapes?
SS: Definitely people. I feel like it's brutally obvious answer,
but I really enjoy how engaging it is to take photos of humans. Even in a snap
shot, you can capture something about a person that is so specific to that
moment. I like shots of still things as well, but I feel like it takes a lot
more finesse to capture something evocative. It's not really a talent of mine,
I guess.
K: Where is your favorite place that you have been
photographically?
SS: Venice was incredibly beautiful, but I have always found
Japan to be so mesmerizing. The juxtaposition between the rolling countryside
to the density of the cities is unbelievable.
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| Christian Wargo |
K: Do you engage in any other creative things besides of
photography and music?
SS: Not really, no. I enjoy studying language, but I wouldn't
say that's inherently creative.
K: What do you think of Brooklyn compared to Seattle?
SS: I've really enjoyed living in Brooklyn a lot. Seattle is and
always will be my home, but I really enjoy all the people and happenings that
go on in Brooklyn. There is always something to do and things to see. Also,
riding a bicycle in New York is one of the greatest things I think a person can
do in there life, which is something I would always miss if I moved away. I
find that in Seattle, I have a tendency to be sitting in bars a lot at night.
Although, there is an incredible music scene in Seattle though, which I think
no other city can compare to. It's so open and creative, musically.
K: There is a black and white picture on your site of a place
filled with a bajillion guitars - where is that?!
SS: Trading Musician on Ravenna in Seattle.
K: What's the most memorable show you've ever played with Fleet
Foxes?
SS: Chicago Theatre with the Walkmen was really amazing. Green
Man Festival and Bestival were incredibly, too.
K: What music are you listening to at the moment?
SS: I've been listening to some things out of my norm lately,
like Aztec Camera and Strawberry Switchblade. I've also been listening to a lot
of the Cramps and the Walkmen's second record, Bows + Arrows. There isn't a day
that goes by that I don't listen to some Joni Mitchell, either.
