Wendy Ploger: Thank You for Ruining my Birthday

Wendy Ploger: Thank You for Ruining my Birthday by Aline SmithsonSeptember 17, 2024

©Wendy Ploger, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday Book Cover

I recently had the great pleasure of selecting work for the Center of Fine Art Photography‘s exhibition, Words and Pictures. It was there that I discovered the work of Wendy Ploger. It was exciting to see how many artists were using text to expand their story telling. One image in particular (see below) drew me in, and I discovered it was from her first monograph, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday. The book’s impetus comes straight from her personal diary and photo library as Ploger takes us on a journey of self-discovery and dating in NYC.

@Wendy Ploger

An interview with the artist follows.

The book is available for pre-order on website.

©Wendy Ploger, Spread from Thank You for Ruining My Birthday

©Wendy Ploger, Spread from Thank You for Ruining My Birthday

©Wendy Ploger, Spread from Thank You for Ruining My Birthday

Wendy Ploger is a visual artist and portrait photographer based in Tucson, AZ. After 18 years in New York City, she longed for a different environment, trading the buzz of the big city for the subtle hum of the desert, the rhythms of the wildlife, and stunning desert vistas. To satisfy her desire to connect with the human and natural world, Ploger has been working on long-term projects, photographing friends and performers who help shape more distinct messages of internal and external revelation. She strives to capture the beauty of the world, while bringing to light her inner workings, often turning the camera on herself.

Follow Wendy Ploger on Instagram: @wendy22

©Wendy Ploger, From the book, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday.

Thank You for Ruining My Birthday

Plucked straight from my personal diaries and photo library, Thank You for Ruining my Birthday, portrays the rejection, loneliness, and uncertainty of dating in NYC after the sudden end of a long-term relationship. This book shares universal and timeless observations, from the cruel to the comical, that so many of us have felt in the modern pursuit of love. It is a cathartic and sometimes ridiculous story, diving into questions of identity and reinvention, revealing that the ride is more fun when we embrace our curiosity, sexuality, and the messiness of life. Thank You for Ruining My Birthday is my first book.

©Wendy Ploger, From the book, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday.

Tell us about your growing up, and what brought you to photography.

I grew up in Santa Barbara, California, in the 60s, 70s and part of the 80s, way before the royals moved in. It was a very sleepy, small town, and easy to explore. My parents let us kids roam free, playing hide and seek in the neighborhood, often hiding in beds of wild nasturtiums. My parents were also very frugal, and I remember mailing in orange juice can labels for a Kodak 110 camera that got a lot of use from my brother and me. As a young ballerina, I was a model for a class being taught at the Brooks Institute for Photography, based in Santa Barbara. I recall staring at those photos as a kid, fascinated by their creation.

After an abrupt move to the east coast during my senior year in high school, I used a camera as a fun and creative way to escape the awkwardness of trying to fit in. After college, and a degree in graphic design, I worked for a military publisher, and then a small, non-profit for many years, designing their magazines, and other promotional materials. My boss at the non-profit, based in Washington, DC, assumed that because I was a graphic designer, they could also use me as their in-house photographer. Even though my photography skills left a lot to be desired, that experience helped plant the seeds for my future work in New York City.

In 2006, I quit my job as a designer and moved to NYC– unemployed, and very naive when it came to the world of photography. I took some classes at the International Center of Photography, and photographed any parade that the City offered. Eventually I connected with a digital media company that covered many of the hottest parties, and influencers of NYC. My first job with them was to photograph Duran Duran at a concert in mid-town. It was the biggest thrill of my life. I photographed all kinds of events, red carpet, galas, late night parties, product launches, influencer portraits, anything and everything. I loved the challenge of making any event or person look their best. Failure was not an option, but I wasn’t intimidated. It was about the people, from all walks of life, with so many interesting stories. At the same time, I worked on improving my skills by photographing friends and performers, in a more deliberate fashion, occasionally entering my work into competitions.

©Wendy Ploger, From the book, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday.

What propelled you to move to Arizona?

For most of my time in New York City, I couldn’t possibly imagine living anywhere else. Eventually, the noise, the air pollution, and the concrete, was starting to wear thin, and I was craving something different. And maybe New York was tired of me, too. Over the years I had been visiting my brother in Tucson, Arizona, and on one of those visits, I woke up one morning and knew this was where I wanted to live. Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges– a different kind of skyscraper, perhaps. The Sonoran desert is a raw and stunning place, full of unique animal and plant life waiting to be photographed. Because of the pandemic, the move happened more quickly than I had envisioned, but I have no regrets, and do visit NYC often, which, in many ways, I still consider home.

©Wendy Ploger, From the book, Thank You for Ruining My Birthday.

How did the book come about?

In 2015, after the sudden end of a long-term relationship, I kept a diary, which helped me work through all the emotions and questions I had about identity, relationships, and purpose. Over the next 4.5 years, I filled 7 notebooks, which included all the ups and downs of dating in New York City, the death of my mother, and reinvention for a mid-life, single woman. Months before the pandemic, I met my (now) husband, and we moved in together. I was writing less, and I was either going to burn the diaries, or hide them somewhere safe.

As I started to flip through the pages, it was interesting to relive my journey. It was startlingly honest and raw. I also began looking through my library of photos on my phone and computer, noticing how the photos reflected what I had been writing in my diary. It felt like something important was there – universal truths in a modern time, that perhaps others could relate to. I transcribed the diaries, then did an aggressive edit, reducing the pages of text from 116 down to 10. I figured no one would want to read how many different times I questioned getting back with my ex (67!).

Were you involved with the design?

During the pandemic, I signed up for a monthly class with Jason Langer. As I embarked on the book project during those monthly Zoom calls, Cara Buzzell’s name came up as a possible fit for the project. At first, I thought that as a former graphic artist, it would be a no-brainer for me to lay out my own book. I was so wrong. Even though I had designed hundreds of magazines, I couldn’t make sense of my own work. Cara was able to take my photos and words and bring the story to life in a way I could not. Her vision echoed the playfulness, and messiness of the story (in the best way!), with a pace that was on par with the punchy writing and variety of images. I had explored other designers, but she really understood what the story was about, and it was a great match!

Did creating the book shift how you felt about the relationship referenced in the book?

A great question, and something I had not (consciously) thought about. I don’t think my feelings have changed all that much about the relationship. For the book’s creation, I almost became an impartial observer of my own life. The story was also less about my ex, and more about how I navigated the loss/gain. If anything, my feelings of the past relationship have softened, and I am grateful for the time we had together. Perhaps the book over simplifies the memories, but I am also reminded of the complexities of human emotion, and how unique and in constant flux they can be.

What’s next for you?

I’m experimenting with a number of ideas and seeing what sticks. I have a library of photos that I took of my neighbor in Brooklyn, over the course of 10 years. She is fluid in gender, and I have photographed her as a man, a woman, and everywhere in between. I am continually fascinated by how she sees herself, and also how I see her. She is an accomplished painter, and when we put her paintings and my portraits of her together, there is a curious and uncanny connection. As for new work, I have been photographing through hand-blown glass that I have made, blurring the subject matter, as well as the ideas (of marriage and mid-life) behind it. I am also writing again, and after this book project, my words of internal and external exploration will likely be included in future work.