# 6988-91 / kitchen life • flora ~ pictures, not words

All photos ~ (embiggenable)

“I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good.” ~ Anonymous

IF IT IS NOT OBVIOUS, LET ME NOTE THAT I RARELY caption or title my photographs, neither on this blog, in my photo books, nor in an exhibition. My primary reason for this omission was, coincidentally, explained in an essay by Lincoln Kirstein in the book Walker Evans ~ American Photographs–a reproduction, page by page / spread by spread–of Evans’ original book as published in 1938:

“The scheme of picture titles [left] only the page numbers as minimal distraction to the images …. Without the title’s immediate juxtaposition to the images, the viewer was obliged to fashion his or her own synopsis of the pictures’ content and form. This was another Evans’ impulse to purge all editorial comment from his work. Even his perfunctory titles were bare notations of place and date.”

I have always believed that, cuz the medium of photography is a visual art, words are not necessary. Some even believe that, if words are necessary, a photograph is a failure. That is a bit extreme but I believe a photograph should stand on its own visual merits. In addition, for what it’s worth, I also believe that “cutesy” captions / titles should be eradicated from the face of the earth.

All of the above written, my photo books and exhibition photographs are nevertheless always accompanied by an artist statement. The statements are written as a rather short and sweet synopsis of my picture making intent. Consider the artist statement for my An Adirondack Survey work:

“My photographs are visual analogues for the quality of my life, a private view of subject matter found in the commonplace realities of the Adirondacks. An Adirondack Survey, created as an engagement of personal vision rather than as a topographic documentary, illustrates my intent to animate, elucidate, and reveal a sense of beautiful strangeness. That is, not predictability (the opposite of cliche), but rather a kind of shock non-recognition hidden in plain sight within the quotidian landscape of the Adirondacks.”

In a very real sense, this statement, with a substitution of the title of any of my bodies of work in place of “An Adirondack Survey”, could be used as the artist statement for any of my bodies of work. I believe that to be true inasmuch as none of my bodies of work, with the exception of my Life Without the APA work, were undertaken to infer / connote any particular social / cultural commentary or intellectual concept; they exist as a simple visual statement from which a viewer may experience any reaction that suits their fancy.

That written, far be it from me to suggest with words what a viewer should experience when viewing my photographs.

# 6979-87 / common places • common things • people ~ 2 fer 1

cover photo -The World At My Feet ~ all photos (embiggenable)

11 YEARS AGO I MADE POD PHOTO book titled The World At My Feet. In hindsight that title was a bit of a misnomer inasmuch as, while my picture making gaze was cast downward, neither my feet nor the ground / floor were integral to the photographs (with 2 exceptions). Retrospect suggests that a more appropriate title should been something like Looking Down, or, Eye Contact Down, or, Downward Gaze.

In any event, during the 11 years since the making of that photo book, I have made hundreds of downward gazing photographs, to include the 5 in this entry which were made over the last 2 days. And then there is the Eyes Downcast gallery on my work which, FYI, has not been updated for a few years. Update coming soon.

To be certain, I have never considered the photographs resulting from my downward gaze M.O. to be a body of work. However, I do believe that now is the time to round up the best of the bunch and make another photo book.

BONUS CONTENT:

all photos (embiggenable)

A TRIP TO NYC IS IN MY VERY NEAR future for the sole purpose of seeing the North American premiere of Constellation, the most comprehensive presentation–454 prints–of work by Diane Arbus. I must admit that I feel that viewing 454 prints replete with Diane Arbus subject content is an intimidating proposition. It might just require a 2-day viewing experience; day 1–a comprehensive walk-through to get a grasp of the scope and tenor of the collection, and, day 2–spend time engaging with some of the more captivating photographs. In any event, it should very interesting.

FYI, over the years I have made a few–very few–Arbus-like photographs. Strangely enough, most are of children. While my photos do not have the Arbus strange weirdness vibe, they are a bit on the quirky side.

6962-78 / common places • common things ~ 5 days of ordinary life

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“Some people are still unaware that reality contains unparalleled beauties. The fantastic and unexpected, the ever-changing and renewing is nowhere so exemplified as in real life itself.” ~ Berenice Abbott

OVER 5 DAYS, LAST WEDS.>SUNDAY, IT RAINED A lot. I took the ferry to Vermont for service for one of our cars and killed time in a Panera Bread. Next day I played golf along Lake Champlain on a Canadian wildfire smokey day. Saturday there was a motorcycle rally in my home town and then it was off to Saratoga Springs for the running of the Belmont Stakes-2nd leg of the race for the Triple Crowd, a fitting appointment to have my irons re-shafted, and to hear our son-in-law’s band. Sunday was a quiet, sunny day at home.

FYI, I have made a few photo books that fall under x-number-of-days titles, i.e. like the title of this entry. Making such a photo book happens when I have had a number of consecutive days of intensive picture making for one reason or another–or, at times, for no reason at all. When I show the books around, viewers are usually rather intrigued by them inasmuch as they are rather fascinated by their interest and attraction to seemingly mundane picture matter.

That written, viewers almost always find a picture or two that really hold their attention and I am often surprised by their selections. I have even has requests a copy of some of the books. The most common comment I hear about their selection(s) is “I never would have thought to take a picture of that” and I must confess that that reaction gives me a great deal of pleasure.

RE: Abbott’s quote …. I would amend it to read that real life provides opportunities to make fantastic, unexpected and beautiful photographs. That cuz, real life does not always present us with unparalleled beauty. And, to my eye and sensibilities, the magic of photography is its ability to transmute the commonplace into something else, i.e. a beautiful–or at least interesting–print.

# 6951-61 / Polaroid ~ instant gratification

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“I bought that thing as a toy, and I took it as a kind of a challenge. It was this gadget and I decided that I might be able to something serious with it.” ~ Walker Evans

I COULD CREATE A BOOK TITLED My Life With Polaroid. The book would a voluminous thing inasmuch as it would contain at least 200 photographs culled from the thousands of Polaroid photographs–straight out of the camera, manipulated images, image transfer images–that I have made over the years.

Like Evans, I initially purchased a SX70 camera as a “toy” but soon realized that I could create some “serious” work with it. Work, that at the time, was a kinda a darling of the photography Fine Art World. I also did quite a number of “serious” consumer magazines and advertising assignments with the SX70–most notably, a 24 hour, day-in-the-life of Pittsburgh assignment.

“Serious” work aside, the camera was a constant instigator / temptation for just screwing around and making pictures with it. So much so that I was very surprised when the Polaroid company announced that it was closing the doors cuz I thought that my continuing, voluminous purchases of TIME ZERO print film was enough to keep them in business.

Re: Walker Evans and Polaroid: very late in his life Walker was alone (recently divorced), tired, in poor health, recovering from near-fatal stomach surgery. He was being supported by a few neighbors and a few of his Yale University students. While visiting a dentist–a friend and a collector–who was working on his teeth, the dentist/friend spurred Walker to acquire an easy-to-use camera, an Polaroid SX-70. Between September 1973 > November 1975, Walker made over 2,600 photographs with the SX-70. He was aided and abetted in that endeavor by the Polaroid Corporation which supplied him with all of TIME ZERO film he desired.

All of that written, this entry was inspired by an Academic Lunatic Fringe website that is featuring POLAROID WEEK. The displayed work is very typical narcissistic navel gazing ALF bovine droppings stuff that reveals not a thing about the genre’s spontaneous, instant, and joyful picture making heart and soul. Be that as it may, that ALF flapoodle-and-green-paint junk did cause me to revisit some of my Polaroid work which reminded me how much I miss that era in my picture making life.

In revisiting my Polaroid work, I decided to make this entry and include a couple book recommendations, re: Polaroid Photography. In researching sources where the 2 books could be purchased, I discovered 2 things ….

…. the first recommendation, THE POLAROID BOOK–253 photographs by 203 photographers, culled from The Polaroid Collection of fine art photography–is a available at quite a number of sites for $20-30USD. It is beautifully printed and filled to the brim with stunningly good work created with all manner of Polaroid materials-including TIME ZERO, 4x5/8x10 instant sheet film (BW and color), and the infamous 20x24 inch Polaroid camera.

…. the second recommendation, Walker Evans ~ POLAROIDS is out of print but can be had on the used market for between $300>700USD (depending on condition). ASIDE: I purchased my copy years ago while still in print for $50USD. END ASIDE. The book is beautifully printed and all of the photographs are presented in their original size, one per page.

FYI #1, there has been a Polaroid-esque revival of late. A variety of cameras, to include the legendary SX-70 are available, as well as print film for all. None of this resurgence involves the defunct Polaroid Corporation but the gear and films have reach near-Polaroid specs and quality. So, instead of buying a book about Polaroid photography, maybe acquiring a Polaroid-esque camera and film would be a better introduction to the instant picture world.

FYI #2, the cemetery picture above is of a the casket of a very good friend. After the grave-side ceremony, as I was leaving the site, I glanced back just as a sunlight highlight burst forth on the casket. It was one of those weird / cosmic / hair-on-the-back-of-my-neck-standing-up experiences …. almost as if she was giving me a goodbye wink.

# 6948-50 / around the house • kitchen life-sink • common places-things ~ a string of pearls

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“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” ~ Dorothea Lange

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely every hundredth of a second.” ~ Marc Riboud

“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” ~ Ralph Hattersley

“Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.” ~ Paul Strand

BEGINNING WITH THE VERY FIRST PHOTOGRAPH I ever made, I can truthfully write that I never made a photograph–personal as opposed to commercial–that was driven by the desire to convey a meaning. Over time, as I advanced in my pursuit of so-called Fine Art Photography, I pursued my picture making with the belief that photography is a visual art and therefore my picture making objective objective was/is to make photographs that are “interesting”–in some manner or another–to look at / view. Photographs that exhibit what something looks like when photographed in a manner in which I see it.

To be certain, an interesting photograph that incites an emotional reaction / feeling might also, concomitantly, incite word-thoughts which can be expressed verbally. That written, it is a commonly held belief that any emotional and/or word-thought reactions to a photograph are primarily influenced by what the viewer brings to the table– as Sontag wrote … “inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy”.

If a viewer of my work were to spectulate that my photographs left them with the meaning that beautiful / interesting form can be found in the most mundane of things, I would respond by stating that I am happy you feel that way.

All the above written, I can write that, re: my eye and sensibilities, I am comfortable with the fact that I know the answer to the question, What is a photograph? However, the question to which I do not have the definitive answer is, Why do I make photographs?

That is not to write that I have never thought about the why of it. In fact, I think about it every time I have to write an artist statement to accompany an exhibit or a photo book. Inevitably, such statements will refer to my attraction to the form I see in the quotidian world; a statement which is true as far as it goes and is almost always appropriate. Nevertheless ….

…. at this point in my life, let’s refer to it as late in life, with multiple thousands of photographs in my photo library, I am wrestling with the idea of; a) what do I do with all the photographs, posterity wise? and b) why have I made so many photographs?

Inasmuch as I have made photos nearly everyday over the last 25 years, it is no surprise that I make a lot of photographs. While some might think this activity is some sort of obsessive behavior, I attribute it to the fact that my eye and sensibilities are very sensitive to / aware of the seemingly everywhere form I see that can be photographically extracted from the everyday world. Inasmuch as I live my life with eyes wide open–literally + figuratively–it is almost like a sensory overload. The potential for picture making is nearly inexhaustible so I make a lot of photographs.

WARNING: Psychological mumbo-jumbo to follow.

Let me try to string together the quotes at the top of this entry…

Inasmuch as Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still, it stands to reason that Taking pictures is savoring life intensely every hundredth of a second. Ya know, kinda like Evans’ delights of seeing; the defining of observation full and felt.

That written, I must confess that, when making a photograph, I can not write that I am savoring life at the picture-making moment inasmuch as I have never been able to stare at a blade of grass and see the secrets of the universe. That’s cuz, in part, time marches on. Fortunately, one of photography’s magic tricks is that it can “stop” time and with the production of a print that depicts that stoppage, the maker of the photograph–and possibly other viewers–can, indeed, savor the moment over and over.

Does anyone make photographs to understand what our lives mean to us? In all probability, some do–or try to–but, I do not. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that, buried deep in my subconscious, I am making photographs to understand / reassure myself that I am still alive. Not that I am clinging to life by a thread by any measure but, it’s a thought, albeit an unconscious one.

As for Strand’s notion that Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees, I suppose that, at least in my case, that’s true if he meant the word “living” to be a question of what gives a life a sense purpose, significance, and value; in pursuing knowledge, creating art, or experiencing profound moments of awe and connection.

Which is not to write that making photographs is my raison d'être but it is difficult to imagine what my life would be without it.

# 6947 / photo-based illustration ~ narcissistic navel gazing

cover illustration ~ Executive Report magazine (embiggenable)

illustration for article about the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine ~ (embiggenable)

”....it's been quite some time since I read an artist speak so eloquently and clearly about the world beyond his/(her) own asshole.” ~ Bill Jay

Re: speaking beyond of his(her) own asshole:

In my project “Far From” I want to make visible what landscape photography can look like for a female photographer with child rearing responsibilities. I combine landscape photographs of the American West with embroidery to challenge the masculinity of traditional landscape photography and the myth of the West. Landscape photography was traditionally dominated by male photographers as it was deemed unsafe and impractical for women who were constrained to the domestic sphere, close to their housekeeping and child rearing duties …. I am drawing on the history of embroidery as both a symbol of female submission and a weapon of resistance for women, and overlaying that to the masculinity of landscape photography and the American West.

AS I HAVE WRITTEN MANY TIMES, I HAVE LITTLE, if any regard for the photographs made by adherents to the Academic Lunatic Fringe crowd, i.e., those whose picture making is driven by obsessive narcissistic navel gazing, and the like. The navel gazing is most often about attempting to make a photograph that expresses some deep personal angst, emotional distress, obsession with a social cause and the like.

If that’s your picture making thing, have at it. However, iMo, the resultant photographs fail on 2 counts; a) they are not very interesting / pleasing to look at, and, b) they require a zillion word artspeak essay that attempts to explain what it is that the viewer is looking at.

The narcissistic navel gazing artist statement example in this entry is a case in point. Right from the get-go it states that the photographer had a desire to make visible what landscape photography can look like for a female photographer with child rearing responsibilities. Say what? I mean, does a female photographer with child rearing responsibilities make photographs that differ from those made by a female photographer with business responsibilities. How about a female photographer with commercial aviation responsibilities, or…. etc. etc. etc.?

And I won’t even get started, re: the masculinity of traditional landscape photography or the wacky idea of embroidery as both a symbol of female submission and a weapon of resistance for women. But, then again, say what? Can anyone find me a woman who was deterred from making landscape photos cuz the genre was dominated by male photographers and subsequently decided to take up embroidery as a weapon against…what?…misogyny? Somehow I have a problem with envisioning a group of angry female wanna-be landscape photographers, now “constrained” to embroidery, confronting a group of male landscape photographers while holding up their work efforts and screaming, “Take that you bastards!”

I could go on but I won’t. Let me just write that this example of artspeak-driven, narcissistic navel gazing, ALF folderol is spot-on typical of the ALF genre. iMo, their #1 problem is that they are attempting to photograph something–an idea–that can not be photographed. However…

…. do not misunderstand my rant. I am not suggesting that a visual element in a photograph, or an the entirety of a photograph can not have a symbolic meaning, I offer as evidence my photo-based illustrations in this entry. The assignment for a magazine cover was to create a picture for an issue about the revitalization of the Pittsburgh “rustbelt”–a term referring to a region in the United States that experienced a major decline in manufacturing and industrial activity in the late 20th century, resulting in economic hardship, job losses and where industries like steel, coal, and automotive production were once dominant.

I don’t think that it requires a PHD in art / photography studies to figure out that, under the cover heading of “Revitalizing the Rustbelt”, the rusted iron objects were symbolic devices, that the wilted flowers represent the demise of the steel industry, that the drawn lines and angles suggest something other than heavy industrial occupations, and that it was not an ad for new home accessories outlet.

The non-literal dental image assignment was made in an effort to suggest / imply the idea of “dental” in a more visually captivating manner than a “straight” photograph would be.

FYI, the Rustbelt photo-based image is a Polaroid Image Transfer on fine art non-photographic paper. Some hand coloring was added–primarily on the flowers–along with the ink-drawn lines and arrows.

The Dental photo-based illustration is an SX70 film, manipulated emulsion image.

# 6941-46 / landscape • common places-things ~ home sweet home

all photos (embiggenable)

“The photographer’s act is to see the outside world precisely, with intelligence as well as sensuous insight. This act of seeing sharpens the eye to an unprecedented acuteness. He often sees swiftly an entire scene that most people would pass by unnoticed.” ~ Berenice Abbott

ON MONDAY PAST I DROVE TO THE GROCERY STORE. THE photographs in this entry are some of things I saw along the way.

It should come as no surprise that, living as I do in the Adirondack Forest Preserve*–aka: the Adirondack PARK–I have made thousands of photographs of the landscape. Inasmuch as the Adirondack Forest Preserve–larger than the State of Vermont–is a mix of private and public land–public land is enshrined / protected in the NY State Constitution as forever world–my photographs of the place are a mixture of the “pure” nature world and scenes with evidence of humankind.

This M.O. stands in direct contrast with the predominance of Adirondack picture making which emphasizes the landscape–featuring high peaks and large lakes–bathed in golden / dramatic light with absolutely no evidence of the hand of man. A school of landscape picture making that I call pretty calendar art. Which is not to write that the Adirondack landscape does not, on occasion, offer up some amazing Hudson River School-like apparitions. However, that written, the preponderance of daily life here in the Adirondacks is not a continuous stream of golden picture making moments.

That being the case, I prefer to photograph the landscape that most people would pass by unnoticed. Actually, the word “prefer” should, more accurately, be replaced by drawn or compelled. That cuz, photographing the landscape that most would pass by unnoticed is, quite honestly, what interests me the most. It is, in fact, the backdrop to my daily life and it has always been my belief that, if you can not embrace the everyday, what is the point of life / living?

But wait, I am not suggesting that I am, in the making of my photographs, advocating for the embrace of daily life. Some viewers of my work might glean a hint of that concept but, to be perfectly clear, the impulse that drives my picture making is that I like making and viewing photographs that exhibit a lot of visual energy, Consequently, I am drawn to referents that are chock full o’ visual information / detail and the Adirondack landscape delivers that in plentiful abundance.

Simply written, I have always thought that the standard picture making advice of simplify, simplify was a lot of malarkey. I mean, come on, are we to assume that those who view photographs are so simpleminded that our photographs must be dumbed down to the point that a kindergartener can “understand” them? Of course, on the other, the way I look at it (pun intended) is that there is very little to actually understand when looking at a photograph. It is a visual exercise not a intellectual one. Or, as Berenice Abbott wrote:

“People say they need to express their emotions. I’m sick of that. Photography doesn’t teach you to express your emotions, it teaches you to see.”

LINK > Sometimes it really pays off to photograph what interests you.

*FYI, there are approximately 100K permanent residents–spread out in 101 small towns and villages–in the Adirondacks. On the other hand, it hosts approximately 12 million visitors a year. The “park” is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined.