# 6132-35 / in situ (street photography) ~ an instant of life captured for eternity

June 23, 2022

“‘A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you.” ~ Brigitte Bardot

AS MENTIONED IN MY ENTRY, STREET PHOTOGRAPHY ~ a first world problem, my intention was to make a photo book-the same pictures in color and monochrome in separate groupings-to investigate the differing viewing and appreciation experience (if any) between color and monochrome versions of the same pictures.

Initially, my thought was to limit the number of pictures to 10. That was, in part, cuz, not being a street photographer, I thought that coming up with 10 good street pictures might be a stretch. As it turns out, much to my surprise, I came up 30 very good-(iMo) picture possibilities, So, my now second first-world problem is editing down the choices to 10 just pictures.

After several go-arounds I narrowed it down to 15 strong pictures. So I thought, 15 it is until…I started designing the book-each spread with a picture on one page, location caption on the facing page-at which point I realized I was creating a 66(ish) page book. While the number of pages, per se, is not an issue, the cost of such a photo book with the design and production values I want-premium paper, lay-flat pages, 6C printing-would be in the $100USD + range. Once again, the cost is not an issue for me….except….

…what I hoped to create was a book in the $30USD range in order that some of you, the blog followers, might be interested in acquiring the book. Not because I am a brilliant picture maker but, rather, to partake in the investigation, re: color v monochrome of the same pictures, of whether there is a difference in the viewing and appreciation experience.

If there is an interest, I will edit the pictures down 8 or so and make a soft-cover book with 4C instead of 6C printing. The book would be available direct from the POD printer, Blurb. If anyone is interested just hit the LIKE button. FYI, I am not looking for big numbers. 5-6 would be enough for me to make the effort. And, BTW, I would be selling the book at cost.

# 6114-17 / street photography ~ a first-world problem

June 17, 2022

(l>r / t>b) **Pittsburgh, PA / Florence, Italy / Paris, France / BInghamton, NY**~ (embiggenable)

OVER THE YEARS I HAVE NEVER BROUGHT MY picture making attention to the street photography genre. However, on those occasions when I am in an urban environment, my eye and sensibilities are sometimes pricked by what seems to me to be a street photography moment. Consequently, I have made a few pictures which would be labeled as street photography pictures.

Of course, since all of my image files are created as RGB files-cuz I see the world in color that is how I picture it-when it comes to processing the street pictures, I get a bit befuddled, re: should these pictures be printed as BW or should they be printed as Color?

The hide-bound photo traditionalist in me says that all street photography picture should be-or is it “must” be?-BW pictures. On the other hand, the thoroughly modern picture maker in my head says, “Not so , grandpa.” So I guess what I will have to do-or so the voice in my head is telling me-is pick 10 or so of my better so-called street pictures, process them to BW (aka: monochrome), and print both versions in a single book and let the viewers decide.

That written, the BW and Color pictures would not be printed side-by-side. Rather, the Color work would be presented as a single grouping as would the BW work. That is cuz, one thing I truly believe is that each grouping would most definitely create a decidedly different viewing and perception experiences.

Or not. Maybe it just might be six of one, half a dozen of the other.

# 6106-08 / roadside attractions • the new snapshot ~ a question

June 10, 2022

“There is nothing as mysterious as a fact clearly described. I like to think of photographing as a two way act of respect. Respect for the medium, by letting it do what it does best, describe. And respect for the subject, by describing it as it is.” ~ Garry Winogrand

IN A NUTSHELL, WINOGRAND’S QUOTE IS A PRETTY EXCELLENT, SIMPLY-STATED description of straight photography.

I have always subscribed to making straight pictures and consider myself, re; my landscape photography, to be a New Topographic photographer, a moniker which emerged from the exhibition (the 2nd most—cited photography exhibition in history), New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape-at the George Eastman House in 1975. That exhibition introduced landscape pictures-primarily of the American West-that were stripped of any artistic frills and reduced to an essentially topographic state, conveying substantial amounts of visual information but eschewing entirely the aspects of beauty, emotion and opinion. Pictures that exhibited a cool detachmrnt / unsentimental manner of picture making.

To this day, the influence of that exhibition and the picture making M.O. that it spawned still commands a formitable following in the straight photography world. And, it is rather ironic that the pictures in the exhibition, which critics / academics described as having “an alleged absence of style”, became the forerunners of an actual style that has been called “…Arguably the last traditionally photographic style”.

FYI, 10 photographer’s prints-10 prints from each-were presented in the exhibit. The photographers were: Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Joe Deal, Frank Gohlke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Stephen Shore, and Henry Wessel. With the exception of Stephen Shore, all the photographers worked in BW.

In any event, I mentioned all of the above cuz I have given some thought to the question, has straight photography, in particular the New Topographics genre, reached a dead end? Or, perhaps, is it just aimlessly driving around in circles in a cul-de-sac? Which is not to write that there is not some very good work being created. However, it does seem that it has fallen out of favor in the Fine Art gallery world.

Perhaps a related question-how long is it possible maintain a cool unsentimental detachment?-is also appropriate.

Any thoughts?

# 6102-04 / roadside attractions ~ helter-skelter juxtapositions of time and space

June 1, 2022

“If photography is about anything it is the deep surprise of living in the ordinary world. By virtue of walking through the fields and streets of this planet, focusing on the small and the unexpected, conferring attention on the helter-skelter juxtapositions of time and space, the photographer reminds us that the actual world is full of surprise, which is precisely what most people, imprisoned in habit and devoted to the familiar, tend to forget.” ~ John Rosenthal

# 6025-26 / civilized ku•the new snapshot ~ something to look at

April 10, 2022

“…it is the habit of approaching works of art in order to interpret them that sustains the fancy that there really is such a thing as the content of a work of art.” ~ Susan Sontag

# 6006-22 / a new adirondack vernacular ~ what went before comes around again

April 8, 2022

AFTER A WEEK OR MORE OF AGONIZING / STRESSING OVER THE idea of reinventing my picture making M.O. for the purpose of creating a new body of work about the place where I live, I came to question, having already created a body of work, the adirondack snapshot project, what exactly is the point of reinventing the wheel? My conclusion? Other than slathering some salve on an acute case of artist angst, there really is no valid point at all.

The adirondack snapshot project-which I will repackage under the title of a new adirondack vernacular-is comprised primarily of well over 200 pictures made over the the couple of decades. (although a number of pictures are culled from the late 1970s>2000). To that number, I can add up to 70-80 more pictures made over the past 2-3 years (made after my adirondack snapshot project solo exhibition). That written, I could potentially end up with 500+ new adirondack vernacular “snapshots”.

The new title, a new adirondack vernacular is co-opted from the book (published 20 years ago), Adirondack Vernacular - The photography of Henry M. Beech. A book written-with 250 photographs-by a Syracuse University professor. While the book is not a photography book , per se, inasmuch as the pictures are presented addendums to the text, it is an interesting take on the life, times and photographs of Henry M. Beech (1863-1943).

From the book:

Henry was a local, an insider to the world he photographed, a person intimate with the region’s people and geography.…[I]t was from that position that he photographed the Adirondacks. In addition to shooting as a local, he had little formal education and did not seem to be professionally trained in his craft. He lived far enough away from mainstream society that his work was not dominated by national styles and trends, and was unencumbered by art-world pretense. He was free to focus on different subject matters, add quirky elements to his pictures, experiment with form and composition, and do things with images that other photographers would not. The result is a vernacular documentary style that is unique, engrossing, and significant.

Believe me or not, even though I have had the book for a number of years-I believe I received it as a gift-this morning was the first time I read the previous excerpt. And, at the risk of engaging in self-aggrandisement, I was struck by the idea that I am, Adirondack picture making wise, cut from the same cloth as Beech. Especially so, in that he was in his Adirondack picture making prime for approximately 20 years (1905-1925). A time frame that approximates the period of the bulk of my adirondack snapshot / vernacular picture making.

Are my adirondack snapshot / vernacular unique, engaging, and significant?

Re: unique - I am unaware of any other picture maker who is creating and exhibiting Adirondack “snapshots”. Nor do I know of any picture maker who has a body of diverse work that reflects the everyday life-people, places / sights, and things-of living in the Adirondacks.

Re: engrossing - Judging by the reaction and comments I have received to solo exhibitions (here in the Adirondacks) of my work, viewers of my photo books, and comments from gallery directors, there is at least a better than average interest in the work.

Re: significant - To whom? The Art World? Locals? Adirondack tourists? Not for me to judge. Only time will tell. Although, that written, iMo, it is a significant body of work, if only in size and scope.

# 5987 / reflections on art (book) ~ it is exactly what it was

March 23, 2022

AFTER 8 YEARS I HAVE FINALLY GOT AROUND TO remaking the photo book, refections on art ~ the eye traffics in feelings. The photo book which was actually stolen. A happening that I consider to be of the highest compliment.

As I felt it necessary to mention in the book, I will write again here that the pictures in the book are straight out of the camera. They are not double exposures or composites.

FYI, I believe it is worth a mention, re: Mike Johnston’s OL/OC/OY notion, that I am not a such a picture making practitioner. I am (in my personal picturing), in fact, a OL/OC/IP - that is one lens / one camera / in perpetuity.

To clarify: in the making of pictures meant to be art / fine art, I have always, through a number of picturing “periods”, used one lens / one camera for a considerable length of time. In the beginning (c.1980) I used an 8x10 view camera and a Ektar (Kodak) 10in. lens for about 3-4 years. Later (c.2000, after a 20 year fine art hiatus), I used an Olympus µ4/3 camera (one iteration or another) with a 20mm lens on one camera and a 17mm lens on another-the 2 lenses were very similar in angle of view. Eventually, about 3 years ago, my “one” camera became the iPhone (one iteration or another) and using the “normal”, aka: semi-wide lens. During the 20 year hiatus I did use one lens / one camera to make a ton of personal snapshots ( and a some Fine Art pictures). That camera and lens combination was-I actually had 5 and still do-the Polaroid SX-70.

I mention this because I truly believe that one lens / one camera is the only way to find one’s vision and move on to making Fine* Art.

* for what it’s worth, in a series of books (mystery books by a single author) I am reading, a re-occurring character defines FINE as, Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Egotistical.

# 5986 / kitchen sink (book) ~ look, really look, and you shall see

March 22, 2022

YET ANOTHER PHOTO BOOK, the kitchen sink ~ a rich life of its own, HEADED TO THE PRINTING PRESS. And I must admit that when I began the edit to narrow the pictures down to the top 20, I was a bit intimidated inasmuch as there were over 160 pictures in the kitchen sink folder.

However, after viewing all 160 of the pictures as a group in Adobe Bridge, I was able to surprising easily cull out 50 pictures in my first cut. Then I opened those pictures and arranged them in neat rows on my monitor where, once again viewing them all together, it was rather easy to identify the 20 (actually 22) finalists.

All of that decided, I came to the artist statement challenge, about which Thomas Rink had a few thoughts (thank you Thomas):

…I think these pictures do not need an essay at all to go with them - they speak well for themselves. Absolutely no need to rationalize (or justify) why you made them! There is a high risk that an essay will appear contrived, which would rather take away from the series instead of adding to it….

I tend to agree with Rink’s idea to the extent that I have been considering (for a couple years) of simply using a quote from Paul Strand as a stand-in artist statement:

“Every artist I suppose has a sense of what they think has been the importance of their work. But to ask them to define it is not really a fair question. My real answer would be, the answer is on the wall.”

So, you can read my adaptation of Strand’s position, re: the artist statement, above. Although, in the case of a photo book, I may amend it to read, the answer is on the pages of the book