@ 7997-7999 / the new snapshot • picture window • adk vernacular ~ a touch of Autumn

October 4, 2026

Dumb ass photography comment culled from the web:

“I have owned cameras that were capable of producing absolutely wonderful photographs”

Really? …. a camera that produces absolutely wonderful photographs? Where can I get one?

THE AUTUMN PICTORIAL SPECTACLE IS IN FULL BLOOM and pumpkins dot the landscape like tics on a mangy bear. But, more important to me is that the Concord grape harvest is here cuz that means it is time for my annual labor-intensive–hand squeezing the pulp out of approximately 400 individual grapes (1 at a time), then straining the pits from the pulp, adding that back to a mix with the grape skins, sugar, flour, and pinch of lemon juice– grape pie making binge.

Also, even though it is not an Autumn thing, the wife scored big time; a rare 4 pack of Coca Cola hecho en mexico (made in Mexico) with pure sugar cane–see photo above.

A piece of grape pie accompanied by a bottle of pure sugar cane Coca Cola just might put me over the edge.

# 6934-38 / kitchen sink • around the house • common things ~ both the blue and the sky

May 15, 2026

“Most color photography, in short, has been either formless or petty. In the first case the meaning of color has been ignored; in the second they have been considered at the expense of allusive meaning. While editing directly from life, photographers have found it too difficult to see simultaneously both the blue and the sky.” ~ John Szarkowski

SZARKOWSKI WROTE THIS COMMENT IN 1976 IN HIS essay in the William Eggleston Guide. He was referring to color photography as it had been practiced prior to that date. Further on in his essay, referring to Eggleston’s color photography, he wrote that:

“…. they are perceived in color, where the wedge of a purple tie, or the red disk of a stoplight against the sky, has a different compositional torque than its equivalent panchromatic grey….”

I have always been bothered by critiques of a photographer’s work wherein the author expresses the idea of photographer’s “use of color”; that’s cuz I do not believe that most gifted photographers “use” color–ya know, like I might use a hammer to drive a nail. Rather, I believe that gifted picture makers see color, as in, a) they intuitively see / feel, simultaneously, the blue of the sky for both its existential and descriptive possibilities, and, b) intuitively know / feel how to organize it within the structure they impose with the camera. In effect, imbuing a photograph with a compositional torque that elevates it above and beyond its utilitarian value as a merely descriptive document.

Or, to put it another way, a gifted photographer sees/ feels the existential form + literally depicted elements extracted from the real world as all of a inseparable, singular piece. And, to take a step further, I believe that a viewer of a photograph must possess the same a+b ability in order to truly appreciate a really good photograph.

That written, I am uncertain as to whether this ability to see / feel, re: a+b, can be taught. My gut says “no”. That’s cuz, to use an analogy, consider music; there are many people who are able to read a sheet of music but, given access to a musical instrument, only a very few can make that instrument “sing”.

# 6934-46 / common places-things • adirondack vernacular ~ a private view

May 11, 2026

I AM CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN A “FINAL” EDIT OF my photographs for my Adirondack Survey project / book, now known as in situ ~ an ADIRONDACK GUIDE. The process involves selecting 80 photos for the book, culled from the approximately 300+ project photos. Those 300+ were, in turn, culled from 3-4,000+ (est.) photos made during the past 26 years of my residency in the Adirondack Forest Preserve, AKA: the Adirondack Park.

It is worth pointing put that this project, in fact, was not a project, per se, or, at least, not one with a conscious intent to create a body of work; rather, it was, quite simply, just me going about my life carrying a picture making device and making pictures of those things which pricked my eye and sensibilities. My picture making was very much in the manner of Saul Leiter’s idea of, “I don’t have a philosophy, I have a camera.”

Consequently, it was only until quite recently that I realized the work’s potential as a possibly significant body of work cuz the fact is that nothing has ever been undertaken, photography wise, on this scale. That is to write, nothing, re: having to do with everyday life as lived in the Adirondacks. Sure, sure, a significant host of photographers have spent a lot of time and effort–over the past 100+ years–picturing the scenic / natural “wonders” of the region. Ya know, like, say…. Eliot Porter and his Forever Wild: The Adirondacks published in 1966.

That written, I have never, in all the time I have spent in the Adirondacks–starting in the early 1950s but only since the mid 70s with a serious picture making intent–pursued the making of pictures in the pretty–calendar–art picture making genre.

In any event, what really caused me to start thinking about my work–in the last few months–as a serious body of work was re-reading John Szarkowski’s essay in William Eggleston’s Guide wherein he expressed this idea about Eggleston’s pictures:

“[a pictures is after all just a picture] …. perfect irreducible surrogates for the experiences they pretend to record, visual analogues for the quality of one life, collectively a paradigm of a private view….”

That idea expresses exactly–or close to exact–what I feel about my pictures; visual analogues for the quality of one my life and collectively a paradigm of a my private view. CAVEAT re: quality of my life / paradigm of my private view; most certainly not my entire life nor the entirety of my private view, re: my complete picture making M.O., just that of the last 26 years END CAVEAT

I am not comparing my work to that of Eggleston. My concept of extracting pictures from the everyday fabric of life–which is nothing new nor unique to Eggleston–is indeed akin to Eggleston’s M.O.. However, the manner of how I see, aka: my vision, is not very similar to Eggleston’s manner of seeing. Neverthless, that written, I do believe that both of our bodies of work are similar in the fact that the photographs “work” best when viewed together in a series / book. And, when viewed as a whole, I believe that both bodies of work convey a a very engaging, private view of a sense of place.

Addendum: re: the new cover. I hope it is perceived in the spirit in which it is intended–that of a pastiche (that which imitates the style of another artist as a form of homage). Now if I can sell a print of it for $578,000USD I’ll a happy guy.

# 6808-11 / landscape • (late) autumn-ish ~ in between time

November 2, 2025

I RARELY LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR THE SOLE purpose of making photographs. That’s cuz I do not go to photographs, rather, I let photographs come to me. Or, to write in other words, while I always leave the house with a picture making device, my habit is not to search for photograph making opportunities but, rather, to make a photograph only when some thing pricks my eye and sensibilities as I am moving about the planet.

That written, there is, for me, one situation that violates that rule; that is, during what I call the 5th season––the season situated at the end of leaf-peeping season and the unset of winter.

I will admit that one of the reasons I enjoy making photographs during that time is that I get a great deal of satisfaction from creating such photographs which, for me, function as a sharp-stick/poke-in-the-eye, as it were, to the hordes of picture makers who salivate at the sight of a landscape chock full of wall-to-wall blazing colors, colors that are most often over saturated in processing cuz, ya know, nothing exceeds like excess. Apparently, they must believe that someone in the CREATION DEPARTMENT––quite possibly the Time Bandits*––screwed up, hue and saturation wise, and they need to assume the role of an ex post facto art director in order to '“correct” that mistake.

On the other hand, re: my photograph making fascination with the 5th Season, I tend to believe that life and the planet earth is in a constant state of transition / flux, or, in the case of the 5th Season, entropy: BTW, a progression that could also apply to my kitchen sink photographs inasmuch as the housewares in my sink are in a transitional condition–– pictured in the transition from clean > dirty > to clean again (or least one can assume so inasmuch as what a viewer “sees” in a photograph is based upon that viewer’s assumptions).

In fact, it could be reasonably stated that all photographs document a transition in that, even though a photograph depicts a static moment in time, every photograph contains, by inference, that there were moments before and after the photograph was made.

*When the Supreme Being finally catches up with the Time Bandits, he is rather pissed at them for having stolen the Map of Time which allowed them to travel through time portals on a looting spree…

Supreme Being: I should do something very extroverted and vengeful to you. Honestly, I'm too tired. So, I think I'll transfer you to the undergrowth department, brackens, more shrubs, that sort of thing... with a 19% cut in salary, backdated to the beginning of time.

Randall (one of the Bandits): Oh, thank you, sir.

Supreme Being: Yes, well, I am the nice one.

# 6736-43 / common places - (un)common things • landscape • adk vernacular ~ out and about

August 28, 2025

UPDATE # 1 It required 2 days of effort but I have finally set up PS as a reasonable facsimile of my older and familiar version of PS. While it is loaded with–some might say “bloated” with–lots of new tools / capabilities, I have yet to find one that I need. And, FYI, the guy at B&H was wrong; this basic version Mac Book works quite fine with PS.

UPDATE # 2 Attended the iPhone Workshop. The best part was when the instructor began–about a third of the way into it–to say, ”let’s let Mark answer that question.”

THE WIFE AND I ATTENDED A DINNER AND A LECTURE–Adirondack folk music and stories–at Great Camp Sagamore..….

Great Camp Sagamore was constructed by William West Durant on Sagamore Lake–owned by Durant–between 1895 and 1897. The camp, which was sold in 1901 to the Vanderbilts, is arranged in two complexes a half-mile apart, the Upper, or worker's complex–homes, church, store, school, work spaces: most employees were year round residents–and the Lower, or guest complex, 27 buildings in all. The guests would not have frequented the worker's complex, as the buildings at the Upper complex are much more utilitarian than those in the Guest complex, and without the embellishment of the buildings designed for entertaining. Sagamore served as a sylvan setting in which the richest families in America could relax, party, and get a feeling of returning to nature. All of this, however, was accomplished without leaving the comforts of civilization behind.

After it was purchased by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, he expanded and improved the property to include flush toilets, a sewer system and hot and cold running water. He later added a hydroelectric plant and an outdoor bowling alley with an ingenious system for retrieving the balls. Other amenities included a tennis court, a croquet lawn, a 100,000 gallon reservoir, and a working farm. ~ from Wikipedia

Prior to the event, we stopped at a funky little bar in the nearby village of Raquette Lake, pop. 115, for a drink. I had a Utica Club beer. A beer which is forever embedded in my childhood memories as a result of the Utica Club tv commercials featuring Schultz and Dooley, the talking beer steins.

6993-97 / adirondack vernacular ~ for posterity

July 9, 2025

***had dinner and breakfast at Chef Darrel’s Diner***

***stopped at a local farm to get some protein for a cookout***

WE TOOK A SHORT DRIVE TO BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE on Saturday for the opening of the Adirondack Lakes Art Center’s new facility–I have had 2 solo exhibitions at the old facility, Stayed overnight in one of their visiting artists cabins–that’s the wife posing on the steps of the cabin. The Center was running the No Octane Regatta-classic Adirondack boats-on the lake on Saturday.

A lot of my photography that is on the walls of our house are 4-picture composites of our various trips and travels like the one pictured in this entry. All of the pictures are presented as “snapshots”. That’s cuz that’s what you do–take snapshots– when you travel.

I also order 4x4 prints of most of the pictures–again, converted to “snapshots”–that I make when traveling and throw them in a box for safe keeping. These are the pictures that are most likely to survive after my passing from the planet. FYI, the template I use for the snapshot border is from a family snapshot of my grandparents.

# 6434-36 / common places ~ from that to this

August 21, 2024

I SURVIVED ANOTHER 6.5 HOUR / 420 MILE THRU THE NIGHT drive-Jersey Shore to home-on Saturday. Next up today is a very pleasurable 1.25 hour drive thru stretches of Adirondack wilderness to Rist Camp where I will spend the next 5 weeks.

The difference between the 2 vacation spots-although I actually reside in one of these vacation spots-could not be more dissimilar. One, iMo, is an urban / suburban megalopolis custerfuck-otherwise known as New Jersey-the other is the largest wilderness preserve, AKA. the Adirondack Park-which, in fact is larger than the state of New Jersey-east of the Mississippi River.

In any event, let there be no doubt, re: on which porch I would rather “vacation”.

# 6685-87 / landscape • common places and things ~ happy and pissed at the same time

August 22, 2023

***the view from the porch*** ~ (embiggenable)

SO, I’M EVER SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD as opposed to being in New Jersey. I consider New Jersey to be something of an aberration along the lines of:

I believe that there's an intelligence to the universe, with the exception of certain parts of New Jersey. ~ Woody Allen (as Miles Monroe in Sleeper)

That aside, I have arrived at this place with 50-60 INSTAX prints made at the Jersey Shore - fewer than I expected to make but more than I know what to do with. The solution to that situation might be found in editing.

While there is a very high number of good / interesting referent pictures, I do believe it is possible to narrow the field down to 16 (=/- a few) that can at least provide a solid hint at the feel of the event. 16 would a good number cuz 2 frames with a cluster of 8 pictures each would look good. Add a nearby bowl with the balance of the prints for easy browsing and it’s good to go.

Re: easy browsing - I can attest to the fact that people find it nearly impossible to resist the urge to browse when confronted with a pile of INSTAX prints. At the Shore, I would leave a pile of prints on a table at our house and within a few hours most of them had disappeared. They were apparently as tempting and tasty as a bowl full of candy.

On a more tragic note, I discovered that the version of PS that I have been using for years on my lap top is no longer supported by ADOBE, and, if I want to continue using a currently supported PS version I have to buy a new lap top. That’s cuz my long-in-the-tooth lap top air can not support an updated OS that will support the currently available PS versions.

This situation really pisses me off. I don’t want a bloated updated version of PS. My use of PS is centered around a handful of “simple” tools and capabilities. I don’t want no AI. I don’t want no video tools. And, “older” versions have always been more than fast enough for my needs.

In a nut shell, I can write that I really hate-yes, genuinely hate-software companies who constantly update software with “improvements”. “Improvements” designed to keep consumers on the ever-revolving treadmill of “improvements” so they can get into our coffers.