# 6718-22 / landscape • kitchen sink • common things ~ there's no place like home

September 26, 2023

***Rist • the last PM*** ~ (embiggenable)

***Rist • the last AM*** ~ (embiggenable)

BACK HOME AND WORKING WITH PS ONCE AGAIN. After nearly 7 weeks away from home and my desktop set up, I am realizing, now that I am back in the PS saddle, how much I depend upon PS to realize the full implementation of my picture making vision.

It’s not that I make any drastic / dramatic file processing procedures with PS. Rather, it’s a host of small, subtle adjustments that I feel significantly impact the look and feel of my prints. And, many of those adjustments are simply not possible to achieve with any mobile device software. I can come close enough-for web presentation-but not enough for the finished look and feel I want in my prints.

BTW, working from the iPhone RAW DNG files with the full PS software makes me really appreciate the file quality of those files. Really pretty amazing.

WARNING semi-gear stuff: Even thou I have not used it much lately, I have not completely abandoned my µ4/3 gear. However, I do haul it around on trips and shorter get-a-ways just in case I want to make a picture of something that is to far away for the iPhone reach. At which point, I mount up my 50>200mm f2.8-100>400mm eq.-Zuiko lens on my E-P5 and snap away. FYI, that large lens on the small E-P5 is truly a case of the tail wagging the dog.

That written. my E-P5 is getting rather long in the tooth and prudence dictates that it just might be time for a replacement. At this stage of my life it would most likely be my forever camera. However, replacement wise, I have been far less than enamored with the available candidates.

I have no interest in the multi-thousand dollar Olympus wunderbar cameras. That’s cuz, in large part, I don’t want a DSLR form-factor camera. I much prefer a rangefinder-like form-factor. But that’s a form-factor that the Olympus Systems camera maker has seemingly abandoned.

So imagine my surprise and delight upon discovering that a new rangefinder-like Olympus Systems camera, the E-P7, has been introduced. It is, essentially, an E-P5 upgrade or, depending on your perspective, an Oly PEN downgrade (Oly PEN minus a few that-I-don’t-care-about features).

The only problem is that it is not available in the US. However, it is showing up for order on some e-bay and used camera sites. And, at a very reasonable price - $600-700USD range. On the other hand, my son is currently in Japan for a 2 week vacation…hhmmmm.

# 6688-90 / landscape • common things • kitchen sink ~ too much of a "good" thing?

August 28, 2023

***ode to Oppenheimer*** ~ (embiggenable)

AS I PLUMB DEEPER INTO THE WORLD OF INSTAX print making, taken together with my current-while away from my desktop-loss of PS processing capabilities, I have come to an amended interpretation of the adage:

A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. ~ so said Lord Darlington in Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windemere’s Fan

In my amended interpretation, a man is a picture making people (man, woman, or child) whose pictures reveal everything (max detail, resolution, dynamic range, et al) but capture the value (feeling) of nothing. That is to write, to my eye and sensibilities, such pictures project the impression of a coldly analytical, surreal / hyper real, tour de force of technical “perfection” which, once again to my eye and sensibilities, have no “soul” or visual mystery /mystique.

SO, how does INSTAX prints and loss of PS capabilities factor into my price of everything / value of nothing picture making state of mind? Simply put, looking for extreme or small detail(s) in an INSTAX print is a fool’s errand. However, in my experience, the nearly universal reaction to the viewing of such prints is an immediate connection to the feeling the picture is intended to convey. There are few or no distracting details to get in the way of that perception.

And, re: PS capabilities, now that I have been “surviving” for a couple weeks without PS-using PS Express + Snapseed for my photo editing-I have begun to question my pursuit of “perfection” - things such as creating a high degree of shadow and highlight detail, optimizing color balance by differentiating color balance between shadows and mid-tones, and the like. Processing adjustments that I try to perform with a deft / subtle hand so as to be natural looking / not obvious.

Nevertheless, the question being, do I need to tone it down? The answer to that question can only be answered when I get back to my desktop system-with a working PS-and make a few prints from “toned down” files and in order to see what’s what.

# 6681-84 / common places • common things ~ baby it's hot outside

August 16, 2023

***looking toward Europe*** ~ (embiggenable)

HALF WAY THROUGH HELL WEEK. Although, to be honest, my misery has been tempered by my position at the top of the golf event Leader Board-helped along by an eagle on a par 5 and a birdie on a par 3-and by garnering the longest drive award. However, that consolation was compromised by playing golf in 100% humidity / 86º heat (feels like 92º) during which I rinsed my face, neck, arms and torso with cold bottled water 5 times.

I mentioned in a previous entry that 1 of the things I dislike about the South Jersey Shore was the fact that it is being overrun with the ultra rich and their grossly ostentatious McMansions. See the above old/new normal pictures to see what I mean…it must have been a really quaint unpretentious beach community at one time.

Making lots of INSTAX print pictures. And surprise, surprise - they have kitchen sinks in New Jersey.

# 6676-79 / common places • common things • landscape ~ 2 different neighborhoods

August 12, 2023

***yesterday evening in my neighborhood*** ~ (embiggenable)

***this afternoon in my neighborhood*** ~ (embiggenable)

***yesterday AM from my 2nd floor porch*** ~ (embiggenable)

***the then wife and I 56 years ago in our Japanese abode*** ~ (embiggenable) Canon 7s w Canon 19mm f3.5 lens

SPENT THE DAY ORGANIZING AND PACKING FOR MY so-called annual week in hell, aka: a week at the South Jersey Shore. Don’t like it for number of reasons; fast becoming an enclave for the ultra-rich and their truly gross McMansions, heat and extreme humidity, and people crammed elbow-to-elbow on the beach. This trip I am sharing the place with 110 of the wife’s relatives (both sides of the family). For many, whiskey and weed will be the order of the day (and night). Me, I’ll play some golf and make a lot of pictures - I’m toting 36 10-packs of INSTAX instant print film in my kit.

RE; the last evening in my neighborhood picture in this entry-I can walk to this place-points up the difference between where I live-a place where people visit to escape the extreme summer heat-and the oppressively hot South Jersey Shore. That and the fact that, while I live in an actual park, it nearly impossible to find a place to park at the Jersey Shore.

In any event, I will most likely survive the week cuz I can take solace in the fact that at the end of the week we go directly to our Adirondack Mountain retreat, Rist Camp, for a five week stay.

# 6591-93 / travel • kitchen sink • single women ~ a roving eye...have iPhone, will make pictures

June 5, 2023

AND I QUOTE:

“…Discovery in the photographic realm: treat the iPhone like it's a serious camera—concentrate—and you can do good work with it…” ~ Michael Johnston

Acting parse-imoniously, re: the meanings of “serious" camera / “concentrate” / “good work”, my first reaction is, “Well, well, well…better late than never.”…another doubter bites the dust.

That written, and having just returned from a trip to 4 tourist laden hot-spots, I can state with a high degree of assuredness that (seemingly) everyone has “discovered” that their iPhone-or any other similar device-is more than capable of producing very good quality photographs. How “serious” they consider the camera module to be or how much they “concentrate” when using it, is hard to determine but…I am reasonably certain that they make “good work” with it.

All of that written, if the cell phone picture making hoards even think about it at all-and I would guess that they do not-very few of them would consider themselves to be photographers. Rather, if asked, they might say that they were just taking pictures. Very few would ever say that they were making photographs. That’s cuz, as Jean Shepherd wrote:

“…he is [they are] the simple householder who desires only to ‘have a camera around the house to get a picture of Dolores in her graduation gown’…What artistic results he [they] obtains are almost entirely accidental and totally without self-consciousness…”

iMo, this voluminous picture making craze is a very good thing. Who gives a damn if pictures are being made without the use of “serious” cameras or a high degree of “concentration”. And, if their definition of a “good” picture is one in which “Dolores in her graduation gown” are in focus, properly exposed, with decent color values, made easy by the simple touch of a button, that is a very good thing cuz…

…there really is such a thing-as KODAK phrased it-The Joy of Photography. It can be a very simple joy and you do not have to have a serious camera and a lot of concentration to experience it.

# 6555-59 / common places • common things • kitchen sink ~ walk and see

May 6, 2023

OVER THE PAST COUPLE DAYS THE COLOR red seems to be following me around. Or, is it just the opposite - I’m following it around?

However, point in fact, the matter is as simple as Lee Friedlander stated (modified by me), re: Joel Cohen’s comment about his pictures:

“He says all kinds of nice things that I don’t recognize. Splitting Red, splintering Red. Evidently my pictures are that way, but I didn’t think, ‘I want to take a splintering red picture.’ If you’ve done the same thing for 60 55 years, you don’t think of motive very much. I just walk and see something interesting that pricks my eye and sensibilities.”

iMo, walking-aka: being there-and seeing-with mind and eyes wide open-are the prime ingredients for making good pictures.

Forget motive and simply spontaneously react-exploiting the medium’s unique-amongst-the visual-arts characteristic, aka: its intrinsic relationship with and as a cohort of the real-to something visually interesting that pricks your eye and sensibilities. In doing so, a personal vision, aka: how you see, will emerge seemingly unbidden.

Or, in other words, don'‘t think about it. Just do it. As Joel Cohen put it:

“…the obligation of the person who makes the work is to make the work, and the obligation of the people who view the work is to think about it.”

# 6530-32 / kitchen sink ~ backed up

April 4, 2023

BEEN CONCENTRATING ON THE An Adirondack Survey project and realized that I had a number of recently-made kitchen sink pictures stacking up / not posted.

So, since I am at a point with the AAS project where all the variables are worked out and am waiting for the proof book to show up (scheduled for tomorrow), I thought I would take a break and get the kitchen sink pictures posted.

PS No matter what the circumstances might be, you can rest assured that I will not be posting on this blog any entries about gear, pool, my health, swimming, filing taxes, or any other non-photographic, kaffeeklatsch topics.

# 6496-98 / kitchen sink • kitchen life • still life ~ the thing itself / referents and subject matter

March 3, 2023

“…all photographers of stature whom I admire seem to share this fundamental characteristic: a deep and long-lasting respect and love for the subject matter…” ~ David Hurn

iMo, ONE MIS-UNDERSTOOD AND, QUITE POSSIBLY, destructive piece of oft recommended picture making advice is that a picture maker who is looking for his picture making passion should seek out a subject matter that he/she really cares about.

On its face this seems to be a smart thing to do. However, the problem I see with it is that it almost always leads to thinking about “subject matter” as an actual, literal / physical thing-a people, a place, or an object. A picture making alley that leads to an endless stream of pictures of ever popular subject matter; pictures in the making of which techniques and effects, aka: art sauce, are employed in an effort to “see” the same old stuff in a “different” manner from the rest of the literal subject matter focused picture making crowd.

The advice often goes on to state that…

“if images are not rooted in “the thing itself” then…the photographer has not learned anything about the real world.” ~ David Hurn

…to which I would respond that there ain’t all that much to be “learned” about the real world from the viewing of pictures which show us the same old stuff over and over again-stating and re-stating the obvious-no matter how much technique / effects have been applied.

All of that written, if one looks at the advice, re: finding subject matter, with the idea in mind that subject matter does not have to be a tangible, physical thing, then, iMo, you’re heading down the right track. I write that cuz one is then entering the picture making zone wherein one makes pictures in which concept-not the actual, literal referent-is the subject matter.

Consider, for the moment, my pictures.

The concept-my “subject matter” as opposed to my referents-that drives my picture making is my intent to illustrate and illuminate the fact-the undeniable truth to be found in my work-that the quotidian world is awash-when one has a picture making device in hand and the eye to see it-with seemingly random and serendipitous arrangements of virtually any real world objects that, when isolated and captured within a picture maker's framing, are fertile ground for making images with, to my eye and sensibilities (and to that of others), interesting visual energy and form which creates it own sense of beauty.

And, let me add to that-considering the pictures in this entry-that I do not have “a deep and long-lasting respect and love for” egg yokes, greasy water in a pan, or the things in my kitchen dish rack.

Nevertheless, despite my lack of love and respect for the diverse things-the referents-in my pictures, they are an integral element in my pictures inasmuch as…

“…resourceful photographic formalists regard the complexion of the given environment as potentially articulate aesthetic material….they [ed. I] consider the subject and its visual essence as indivisible….[they] perceive real objects and intervening spaces as interanimating segments of a total visual presentation….The resultant image exists simultaneously as a continuous visual plane on which every space and object are interlocking pieces of a carefully constructed jig-saw puzzle and a window through which the viewer can discern navigable space and recognizable subject matter…” ~ Sally Eauclair

The actual real world referents-the unconventional things, beauty wise-in my pictures also contribute to the perplexity / discomfort many have when viewing my pictures (the oft-heard, “I don’t know why I like these pictures, but I do.”)…

“.…many great photographs displaying beauty reveal a sensation of strangeness, not predictability, a kind of shock non-recognition inside the familiar. They are the opposite of cliche.” ~ David Hurn

All of the above written, I believe that “the thing itself” to be seen in a photograph is, quite simply, the photograph itself and, collectively, that which the photograph illustrates and illuminates.

ADDENDUM It should be understood that this entry is not suggesting / implying or otherwise insinuating that it is impossible to make photographs of things considered to be of conventional beauty that also conveys a concept that is beyond the obvious. However, I can write, without a moment’s hesitancy, that it is very easy to be seduced into thinking that a referent’s conventional beauty is all it takes to make a photograph interesting.