IN FOCUS: Marshall Williams
Taco Stand Vernacular explores the rich cultural landscape of California by honoring these ubiquitous structures as works of folk art, seen as both neighborhood landmarks and cultural touchstones, they stand as totems to the hard work and found prosperity that California has long represented.
Meet Marshall Williams
Marshall Williams is an award winning California based commercial photographer. Born and raised in the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara, CA he attended the renowned Brooks Institute of Photography, graduating in 1990.
Working out of his San Diego studio for 30 years, Marshall shoots for a wide variety of lifestyle, food and hospitality clients nationwide including some of the top luxury resorts in country — he is widely sought after for creating images that imbue a sense of connection and joy.
In his recent fine art series, Taco Stand Vernacular, Williams’ visual recordings draw inspiration from the richly crafted social documentary photographs of California photographer Max Yavno during the mid 20th century.
Williams was born in Santa Barbara, CA. He and lives and works in San Diego. His images are included in corporate and private collections and are available for purchase.
atedge: What was the inspiration behind your “Taco Stand Vernacular” project?
Marshall Williams: One day I was sitting at a traffic signal, it was dusk, and I was looking at a taco shop across the street when suddenly the lights all came on— it just lit up. And I was struck by the transformation that had just occurred – like it had just assumed an evening persona. And it dawned on me how unique and very much a reflection of Southern California these taco shops are. Many of these places have stood on the same corner for 30 or 40 years, they have become neighborhood landmarks. And as I started photographing a couple of them I began to realize a particular visual lexicon they all shared. The scenes reminded me of Max Yavno’s photographs of California in the 1940s, compositionally graphic and luminous.
atedge: As a California native, what was it like growing up here?
Marshall Williams: As I’ve gotten older, I have a deeper appreciation for my childhood having grown up in the small coastal town of Santa Barbara. And my perspective of the world of course has been formed and influenced by my California roots. Santa Barbara very much celebrates it’s Hispanic and Latin origin and I guess I have a sense of affinity for the culture – even though I am not Hispanic myself.
atedge: Can you tell us about your working process?
Marshall Williams: A lot of fine art photographs are defined by “the process”. I’d say for me it’s more about the outcome than the process— it’s the final images I’m interested in. Because I am ultimately wanting to make a picture at the moment of a particular ratio between the ambient light from the sky and the lights from the structure, I have a narrow window in which to work, maybe 20 to 30 minutes after the sun has set. It’s not unusual to visit a location a couple of times to get the image I have in my mind. And sometimes it takes that long to find what that vision is. I am also being mindful of what may be unfolding naturally in the scene and sometimes I am inspired by the idea of what I might have seen if I were standing there on a different day.
atedge: You’ve shared that you like a quote from artist Edward Hopper, “If you can say it with words, there’d be no reason to paint.” Can you speak more about that and how it makes you feel about photography?
Marshall Williams: Sure. There are thousands of cues that we take in on a visual level that would be nearly impossible to try to describe in writing with the same effect.
atedge: What is your photographic philosophy and how did it shape this project?
Marshall Williams: I was raised on National Geographic, and the images in that magazine rely mostly on three things – composition, light and gesture. There is a fourth component to a photograph that is less easy to quantify — time. Photography has a unique ability to expand and compress time, the duration of the exposure, the duration of the event that is being recorded, how the relevance of an image may evolve over the passage of time, and how certain cues or artifacts are revealed by the effects of time. I like to photograph with the idea of what the passage of time might mean to an image.
atedge: Were there any parts of this project that surprised you or changed your vision for it?
Marshall Williams: Yes – definitely. I was surprised by people’s response to these images. There is truly an affinity for these taco shops in our community. Many people shared how a particular taco shop played a role in their lives or of a childhood memory. This helped expand my idea of what this project could be about.
atedge: As a love letter to California, what is the key takeaway in this project that you’d like viewers to come away with?
Marshall Williams: California is immensely diverse on many levels. I was looking for some aspect of life in Southern California that provided a point of convergence, something that transcends social, economic, and cultural boundaries — something uniquely “Californian.” I think maybe I was trying to find something that we all have in common. Doesn’t everyone sneak away for a taco now and then?
atedge: What would be your dream project?
Marshall Williams: I’d say this project comes pretty close, it has been gratifying both in the experience and outcome.
atedge: Do you have any advice that you can lend to new photographers?
Marshall Williams: It’s really the same advice for mastering anything – you just have to do it— a lot of it— for a long time. Photograph something that you know and is meaningful to you. Looking at other peoples images helps too.
atedge: Lastly, which taco stand is your personal favorite? Or, what are your top 3 pics for San Diego?
Marshall Williams: I love Adalbertos, Vaqueros Carne Asada and Los 2 Pedros— but assuming you mean cuisine, I’d have to give the nod to Nico’s on Morena Blvd- the studio go to for breakfast burritos.
