kitchen life / kitchen sink # 3591-93 ~ what's not to like?

June 2, 2020

test print / how it might look ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone — ***test print / how it might look*** ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

I BELIEVE, BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT THAT I am incapable of making a bad picture. The reason and logic for that arrogantly stupid belief is the simple fact that (wink, wink) I believe it to be true and it does not matter if others believe to be true because it is only important that I believe it to be true. So there, that settles that.

In any event, I am about to test my belief inasmuch as I am meeting with a local business owner to discuss the possibility of sponsoring a "fresh air" pop-up photo exhibition on Main Street in our home town. Part of the discussion will, of course, focus upon how good my pictures are. And, I am certain he will be blown away by my sample 3x3' (on 4x3' paper) print.

The nuts and bolts of the idea is to fill approximately 20 large store front windows on Main Street with 1-each 3x3' (on 4x3' paper) prints of my life during wartime pictures. The prints will be Engineer Prints made by Parabo.Press that will be simply taped to the glass on the inside of the windows. As mis-fortune would have it (albeit lucky for me), nearly all of the Main Street stores in town are empty. So, getting the ok from the property owners to do this will be no problem.

Once the prints are hung, there will be, most likey on a late Saturday afternoon, an outdoor art-walk exhibition opening. Probably do the wine and cheese thing as well.

Wish me well with my meeting with the potential sponsor. Who, I might add, had previously expressed interest in sponsoring / underwriting one of my town-centered photo exhibition ideas. It is my firm belief that he believes I can not make a bad picture.

kitchen sink / around the house / the new snapshot - #3582-84 ~ pricking the un-thought known

May 25, 2020

socially distant ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone — ***socially distant*** ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

WHENEVER THE IDEA OF "READING" OR FINDING "MEANING" in a photograph comes up, I am reminded of a quote attributed to Gen. George S. Patton in the movie, PATTON:

You know General, sometimes the men don't know when you're acting.
Patton: "It's not important for them to know. It's only important for me to know."

However, in my head, it goes lke this....

You know Mark, sometimes viewers don't know what the meaning of/is in your pictures.
Me: "It's not important for them to know. It's only important for me to know."

And, more or less, what I know is that, picture making wise, I am (primarily, not exclusively) a formalist. I.E., I place an emphasis on form over content or meaning in my picture making and, to be certain, in all of the arts. Add to that the idea that I am also a sensualist inasmuch as, re: picture making and the arts in general, I tend to make pictures-and view / appreciate art in general-which prick the physical sense of vision, aka: seeing, rather than to stimulate the mind. That is, to instigate feelings rather than thoughts when a viewer encounters my pictures.

That written, I certainly understand that feelings can, and most often do, lead directly to thoughts. Which is pretty much how our wiring works. But, when it comes to making pictures and viewing art, I have been, iMo, fortunate to have been able, to quote Bagger Vance, "to learn how to stop thinking without falling asleep."

A practice which I believe is most valuable to the "understanding" of art.

kitchen sink / # 3569 ~ (photo) book 'em, Danno

May 12, 2020

a couple recent photo books (embiggenabe) — ***a couple recent photo books*** (embiggenabe)

OK, OK. I ~~HEAR~~ READ YA. APPARENTLY, THERE IS A pent up desire for me to spill my guts, aka: photo book making "secrets". OK. OK.

However, believe me or not, doing so can not be accomplished in a single entry inasmuch as making a good quality photo book is the result of a chain of activities / steps, each one as important as all of the others. Hence, I use the word chain because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Consequently, screw up one of the steps required to make a good quality photo book and the end result will suffer, perhaps fatally.

To be certain, none of the steps required to make good quality photo book would be considered to be rocket science. Nevertheless, in this entry I am going to list those steps and in doing so the list just might elicit a groan or two from some of you. However, don't panic or become discouraged. As we go along the path, each step will be explained in manner that will be easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to perform. In fact, the most important steps are basically the same steps a picture maker should be using to make a good quality picture....

THE STEPS:

1. using whatever picture making device / file format you prefer, make good quality image files for your planned photo book
2. process the files-on a reasonally calibrated (no special equipment required) screen-to create files which look like how you want the final pictures to look like. Save the files
3. make "proof" prints from the files as a comformation that the pictures do, in fact, look like you want them to look like. Additional processing may be required to get some files to that place.
4. convert the image files to the format your chosen photo book source requires - usually jpegs
5. upload all of your image files for the book to the photo book site and layout your book
6. when completed, hit "print" and wait for the book to show up.

WARNING .... have no doubt about it, each one of the above steps has multiple, critical sub-steps, all of which will be explained in upcoming entries.

kitchen life / kitchen sink / # 3561-63 ~ I made a picture with a "real" camera

May 7, 2020

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, CABIN FEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR my use of a "real" camera to make a picture. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a sub-concious impluse to just do something to shake up my stay-at-home semi-rut. In any case, it just happened and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. 'Nuff written

# 3542 ~ can't see the forest for the trees

April 14, 2020

YET ANOTHER VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY photographers, as a group, make up a horrible audience for seeing a photograph for what it is....

....yesterday on T.O.P., Mike Johnston brought his audience's attention to this photo essay on the New York Times site. And, with no intention of denying Johnston's right to an opinion, he accompanies the link to the photo essay (presented as example) with text which laments the "...the styles and fashions that are emerging as prevalent", re: "bad" digital-era BW practices.

To be fair, Johnston does recognize that the photographer's choice to present these pictures with "extremely dark, depressed tones" is "expressive interpretation" which is employed to support the idea of "the mood" which "is meant to be grim and threatened". However, for his retro-bw eye and sensibilities, it "goes too far" and "it's not expressive, just excessive."

Up to this point, Johnston is giving a pretty fair accounting of his opinion on the merits of the pictures as he would like to have seen them presented. (a very typical photographer comment, aka: "I would have..") But then, the photographer in him just has to also write that pictures "like this gives black and white a bad name." Really? You mean like, as an example, say....Robert Frank's BW pictures did back in the day?

Ok, fine. Written like a photographer looking at photographs. But, guess what? The overwheming number of people-who are not photographers-will look at these pictures for what they are .... pictures which either do or don't incite them to "feel" the dark (think metaphorically), menacing / threatening (literally) and uncertain times (what's happening here?) during which we are currently living. They simply won't give a rat's ass about classic BW conventions and whether or not they reflect badly on traditional BW photographic practices.

Rather, they are "just" pictures which are meant to tell a "story" and convey a mood. Pictures which are meant to convey the photographer's impression of what he "sees" rather than a straight-forward documentation of what he "sees". You know, kinda like what an artist might do.

FYI, to my eye and sensibilities, the first picture, The Office of the Medical Examiner’s temporary morgue in Manhattan, is, by far, the best life during wartime picture I yet seen.

And, BTW, IMo, these pictures, in no way, were meant to be viewed from the perspective of "photojournalistic objectivity". They have the photographer's subjectivity written all over them.

civilized ku # 1325-31 ~ not bending my curve

April 6, 2020

koyaanisqatsi ~ looking through the glass (embiggenable) • iPhone — ***koyaanisqatsi*** ~ looking through the glass (embiggenable) • iPhone

WARNING: NEW VIRUS DISCOVERED. LOOKING FOR A CURE.

The new virus is called the Coronavography Virus. Don't know how contagious it is but I sure as hell got it. My primary symptom is undeniable ... over the last 2 weeks of stay-at-home (apparently a pre-condition), I have made at least 42 pictures that have made it into my "finished" folder, aka: "keeper" folder. And, the count keeps rising.

Case in point, the pictures in this entry were all made within the last 4 hours. I even had a break-down of sorts and made a picture of toilet paper. And, I am about to go out on a drive about with the expressed purpose of making more pictures.

Might be time for an intervention.

civilized ku # 1315 ~ on with the show

March 24, 2020

THERE IS A WEBSITE SET UP FOR our group CORONAVOGRAPHY project - coronavography.blogspot.com. On it there are a few pictures which demonstrate how the site will look - simple and clean with emphasis on the pictures. Comments can be posted but pictures must be clicked on-trying to change this-to see picture maker's name / title.

Re: sending files.

1. Use the CONTACT MARK link to send me your email address. I will then send you my email address to use for sending files. This procedure is such so I don't have to post my address in the open. Your email address will not be shared or published in any way.

2. file size should be no larger that 1000 pixels in any dimension. Resolution should be 72dpi. Idealy, color profile should be sRGB but I can convert if needed.

3. Pictures will be posted shortly after I receive them.

That's it for now. Will keep you advised of any changes. Comments or suggestions, re: the above, are more than welcome.

civilized ku # 3613-14 ~ let's get on with it

March 23, 2020

spring in the garden ~ on my desktop (embiggenable) • iPhone — ***spring in the garden*** ~ on my desktop (embiggenable) • iPhone

UPDATED. The kitchen sink and iPhone made galleries on the WORK page have been updated with new pictures. Also, a spring in the garden gallery has been added. Check them out and let out your inner photo critic and tell me what you think.

In other news, there is now the critical mass-much thanks to one and all-needed to embark upon the CORONAVOGRAPHY ~ life during wartime online gallery project. So fire up your picture making devices-cameras, phones, et al-and start making pictures ....

... the theme is simple: pictures ("straight" photography or otherwise) made in your home or close by that illustrate your life during wartime (aka: cornavirus isolation) experience.

For my part, within the next few days I will determine how the pictures will be published (online) and how to send your pictures.

If participants are up for it, we could, for as long as the life during wartime event lasts, do an additional gallery every 2 weeks or so. Let's have some fun with this and I will make a "best of" book at the end of all of this (a picture from every participant will be included).