funky music

For photographer Josh Arter, art can seem two-dimensional.

Josh Arter

When I go out to take photos, it's over my lunch break at work. So, I have, like, you know, 45 minutes to an hour to walk as far as I can in the radius of where I'm at.

Angela

But that doesn't bother Josh. In fact, that's kind of what he's going for. I put forth an extra effort, no matter where I am to always constantly be looking and seeing, you know, is there something that looks interesting? Is there something composition-wise that could be really striking? So striking that he's taking his photography game to the next level. I used to wear headphones and, like, listen to music or podcasts or something. But now I don't because, you know, nine times outta ten, somebody's gonna be like, you know, "Hey, excuse me, what is that?"

laughs

8-bit gaming music

Picture this

a handheld gaming console with its very own digital camera. Today, it might not sound that cool. But in the 90s, the idea was pretty radical.

Josh

Nintendo knew what they were doing because the bulb, the housing for the lens, can actually spin 180 degrees. So, you could take selfies, so... They were way ahead of their time.

chuckles

Angela

The image quality, not so much. I've had a couple people who have described the quality of the image as digital dirt, which I thought was pretty cool. It's essentially four colors. It's white, light gray, dark gray, and black. And that's it. Sometimes it's like, you know, I take a picture. I'm like, "Oh, that's gonna look great." And then, when I get home and finally dump it off my Game Boy, it's like, "I don't even know what I'm looking at."

laughs

Angela

But that doesn't mean it's 'game over.' Sometimes, you just need to find the right combo.

Josh

Due to the limitations, there are certain times where it's like, you know, this photo would look really great, but I have to come back to shoot it because the sun's at the wrong angle and all of that. It's definitely a camera that isn't so easy just to rip off a bunch of shots and be done.

8-bit gaming music

Angela

He bought the camera with one goal in mind; To capture and showcase the city of Milwaukee bit by bit.

Josh

There's a lot to experience in the city. And then, in turn, you know, with my camera, there's a lot to capture.

Angela

So much so that he created an Instagram account to share his work. You know, when I first started doing it, people didn't really get it. They were like, you know, "A. I didn't even realize that Nintendo made a camera. "B. Like, okay? kind of a really niche audience for that." People have really started to come around. It's kind of the nostalgic feelings that surround Game Boys and video games. Uploading hundreds of pictures, displaying some of his favorite landmarks in Milwaukee.

Josh

The art museum is really great. The Hoan Bridge is really great to shoot because it's such stark lines and you can get really good contrast. And too, it might sound crazy, but even along the Hoan Bridge with the riverfront, there are these rails. And so, when the sun pours through them, it casts really strong shadows, and you can get some really, really cool photos of that, as well.

Angela

For Josh, his art not only takes you for a spin around Milwaukee, it also allows him to take a moment and pause and think back to a different time...

Josh

They're like, "Oh, my God, is that a video game? "Oh, my God, I had one of those. It's so cool."

Angela

...where everything felt pixel perfect.

Josh

It really does evoke those memories of childhood. Whether it's Christmas morning and you rip open a Super Nintendo or a Game Boy or something, and just thinking like, "Wow, oh my God! "Oh, I wanna get this game, or this game, or this game." For me, like I said, it is-- it's just thinking back to all my favorite games that I've played growing up. It's kind of fun to take a step back in the future and say like, "This is what it used to be."

laughs

inspirational music