# 6705-08 / in situ • common places-things ~ I contain multitudes

January 10, 2025

LIFE IS BACK TO POST-HOLIDAY “NORMAL”. Been busy grinding out more SEEN magazine editions, most recently Issue No. 5, IN SITU. Also updated the IN SITU gallery on the WORK page. From the zine’s Artist Statement :

As I see it the medium of photography and its apparatus has as its primary capability making visible what something looks like when photographed. That characteristic is the impulse that drives my making photographs obsession….

…. Presented herein are photographs culled from my picture making oeuvre organized under the discriptor of in situ, aka: in the original place. They pay homage to the genre of street photography but not all are made on the street. My intent in the making of these photographs was to record, in a pictorially interesting manner, divine and sometimes quirky snippets of the human condition / comedy.

The other thing that has kept me somewhat busy is seeing-now 3 times-the A Complete Unknown movie. Wednesday evening I drove, to and from, a theater in Lake Placid during a moderate snow storm with 2˚F temps and a bitter, biting wind. Some might suggest that that certifies me as a Dylan fan-atic but, truth be told, I am not wrapped up, as so many others are, in the never-ending quest to unravel / decipher / understand the who and what of Bob Dylan.

In order to avoid going completely OT, I’ll bring it back around to photography, re: Paul Strand; who when asked about his work, simply stated that “the answer is on the wall”. Dylan has spent a lifetime of not answer any questions about his work and his private life. Which, in most people’s minds makes him enigmatic. I don’t think of him as enigmatic inasmuch as I believe the answer to Dylan is, simply stated, in the music cuz, after all, he was-and still is-aware that The Times They Are A-Changing, so consequently, he let it be know that (he) I Ain’t Gonna Work On Maggie’s Farm No More, and, he was-and still is-not afraid to tell his fans that It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (..take what you need You think will last But whatever you wish to keep You better grab it fast). And, of course, if you still can’t figure it out, you might wanna remember that The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowing In The Wind.

What I appreciate / respect about any artist is their authenticity-true to one's own personality, spirit, or character-and an unrelenting commitment to their art. iMo, that’s true of many photographers, musicians, et al. Also iMo, I do not believe that in that regard Dylan has ever changed inasmuch as, no matter the musical “notes” / rhythms he pairs with his lyrics, his lyrics are always amazingly lyrical-think Nobel Prize for Literature.

All of that written, it’s back to photography, specifically, my photography. Like Dylan, I contain, photography wise, multitudes. Consider this from the In Situ Artist Statement:

During my 60 year picture making life, I have adopted no allegiance to any one photographic genre-landscape / nature, still life, people, street, et al. Rather, whatever pricks my eye and sensibilities is impetus for my discursively promiscuous picture making endeavors.

As I am creating multiple SEEN magazines representing many of my separate bodies of work-kitchen sink, in situ, life without the APA, picture windows, art reflects, poles, decay, autumn color / urban + nature, tangles scrub / thicket / trees, single women, all of which reside under the umbrella of discursive promiscuity-that endeavor serves to reinforce my understanding that ordinary life is my source of artistic inspiration, aka: my muse*. And, it should be made obvious that, like Dylan and his work, I refuse to be put in a box, referent wise.

Although, it should be made plain that I am not consciously “refusing” to do anything; rather, simply put, I am being true to myself and my muse, aka: being authentic. What others may think about what I create is of little concern to me** cuz I am doing just what it is I have to do.

*Some common synonyms of muse are meditate, ponder, and ruminate…. all these words mean "to consider or examine attentively or deliberately which describes precisely my picture making M.O.

**but, of course, I do appreciate that others may appreciate my work.

# 6704 / common places • common things • the new snapshot ~ I hate it when my eyes bleed

January 3, 2025

THERE EXISTS A SOMEWHAT CONTRADICTORY DILEMMA which stems from 2 ideas a.) that digital is better than analog (aka: film) and that, nevertheless, b.) that there is an interest in film simulation apps. Or, in other words, that you make a photograph using some form of digital capture-cuz it’s better than film?-but would like it to look like it was made with film-i.e., exhibiting the visual characteristics of film-cuz it looks better than digital?.

It would seem that the obvious solution to that somewhat contradictory situation is quite simple; if you want your pictures to look like they were made with film then, duh, make your pictures using film. However, it is not really that simple. Using film is much more expensive in the long run than using digital and it also involves finding a reliable source of high quality film processing-more expense-which, depending upon where one lives, is like finding a needle in a haystack. And, quite frankly, even finding film can be a challenge; that is, if you can want certified “fresh” film-film that has been properly stored and handled before sale. In my commercial film-based hay-day, when I purchased film, it came out of a refrigerator and was then kept in a refrigerator in my studio (film warmed to room temp prior to use).

Truth be told, very few picture makers are willing to enter-or re-enter-the film world. Consequently, app makers have recognized enough of a demand for a film-like appearance that can be applied to digitally produced images. So now you have it, film simulation apps aplenty. Haven’t tried any of those apps and I don’t intend to. However….

….. all of that written, I must admit, I do like my prints to exhibit film-like appearance. Which is not to write that I want my prints to look like they have been made with a specific type of film-aka: Ektachrome, Kodachrome, Kodak color negative film, Fuji film, Agfa film*, et al.

Rather, what I strive for is what might be called an anti-digital look. That is, a “softer” look that is less color saturated, has less acutance (edge contrast), softer highlight / shadow contrast, and a smidge-and-a-half less “sharpness”. I can get that look all by my lonesome all of which produces a print which strongly resembles a C-print made from a color negative. A look that, to my eye and sensibilities, is more gentle on the eye than the prints that exhibit all of the “better” qualities of digital capture.

*true confession, I did love Agfa color negative film.

# 6700-03 / common places-things • picture windows • single women ~ OT New Jersey and some whiskey

December 31, 2024

SPENT THE WEEKEND IN NJ FOR THE WIFE’S family holiday get together. Snuck (aka: sneaked) out with a few family members to see-2nd time for me-A COMPLETE UNKOWN. Both the drive down and back were a Dylan music fest in a car, our car. At times it felt like we were on Highway 61.

Speaking of which, Highway 61 wise, for the Holidays Dylan gifted me a copy of his hand annotated lyrics to Subterranean Homesick Blues. It was wrapped around a bottle of his Heaven Door Homesick Blues Minnesota Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. How nice of him.

FYI, here’s a review typical of his whiskeys:

Okay, so there's something just a teensy bit creepy about naming a booze brand after a Bob Dylan song with a title that's a euphemism for dying (via YouTube). Dylan does own the distillery, though, and presumably drinks the whiskey as well, and he's still knock-knock-knockin' right along in his 80th year. By all accounts, the man is quite the whiskey aficionado, so he's not going to attach his name to any old plonk. While not all celebrity-branded booze lives up to the hype, Heaven's Door Master Blender's Edition seems to be well worth the price. You can still pick up a bottle for around $100, which is not bad at all considering its striking Dylan-designed artwork.

BTW, not all of his whiskeys are $100 but, that written, I do have one (2020 edition) that was $650 off the shelf, now selling for $1,000-2,000+ a bottle. That’s why I have 2 bottles-one to drink, one (it was a gift) to hang on to for later sale as the supply dries up. The 2019 edition is currently selling in the $3,000+ range - iMo, this is a rather bizarre / ridiculous absurdity not unlike, say, buying a “bargain” priced, used Leica M4 for $7,557.29.

For the record, I do not buy whiskey as an investment. I buy it to drink it cuz, ya know, I enjoy it.

FYI, the design on the bottle is of one of his much sought after iron gates; gates he makes in his iron working studio that are put together with scrap metal he gathers while on tour.

# 6594-99 / common places-things • kitchen sink • landscape ~ over the river (lake) and thru the woods

December 24, 2024

***Vermont as seen across Lake Champlain*** (6th largest lake in North America-120 miles long and 13-miles at its widest point)

CROSSED LAKE CHAMPLAIN INTO VERMONT AND went to Middlebury, a quaint college town, to do some Yuletide season shopping. The main street is lined with a number of small, eclectic gift laden shops. 5 miles out of town we drove into a snow storm which created a stereotypical winter wonderland vibe. Throw in a roaring waterfall along side of the main street and a late pub lunch and it was a grand day out; although, no visions of sugar plums dancing in my head were to be had.

In any event, Merry Holidays to all and to all…goodnight (and no, rest assured that I am not saying goodbye, blog wise.)

#6594 / common places • common things ~ blog note

December 19, 2024

IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY CHALLENGING TO address / create the written content of this blog. That is not cuz I’m bored or due to a waning desire to do so, rather, it’s just that after 20 years of blogging, I seem to have exhausted the reservoir of things to write about-without repeating myself over and over-re: the medium of photography and its apparatus.

As I have written previously, my desire for this blog is to keep it focused on things photography/ic and to avoid, at all costs, turning it into a chit-chatty coffee klatch about pool tables, swimming, tea, et al, and, god forbid, photo gear. Ya know what I’m talking about; like all the OT stuff on TOP. With all due respect and sympathy, no doubt it seems that Mike Johnston has essentially exhausted his reservoir of things photography as well.

That written, the photo-related blogosphere-like blogging in general-has pretty much run its course. This blog keeps limping along with 1.1K visits, 880 unique visitors, and 1.7K page views a month, a fraction of its former numbers. However, the numbers do not tell the whole story; use to be that there was quite a respectable number of comments about my various posted ideas, thoughts, and musings which instigated interesting discussions of sorts-an exchange of ideas and musing. There were even bounce-back, vying opinions expressed on other photo blogs. iMo, unfortunately, all that is long gone.

FYI, the reason I began blogging was 2-fold; a) to get my photos seen, and, b) more importantly, to get my thoughts and ideas, re: the medium and its apparatus, outa my head-for all the world to see-and down on paper (virtual paper, that is) in an effort to understand / sort it all out what the hell I was doing, photography wise (and, I might add, item b has been well served in that regard). If that proved to be of interest for others, so be it. If not, it is not like I was taking up too much space.

All that written, at least for the immediate future, nothing much is gonna change here on lifesquared. Although, an important element of my upcoming New Year’s Resolution is to do a significant, fine-tuned / focused update to my WORK page.

# 6589-93 / unusual place • unusual things ~ ho, ho, ho

December 18, 2024

‘TIS THE SEASON, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, so the wife and I and our friend Robert went to the North Pole, a little village-just a few minutes away from our house-located in North Pole , NY., the home of Santa’s workshop.

North Pole, NY is an actual place with a ZIP code and a Post Office-you can send Xmas cards to friends and family postmarked NORTH POLE. Nestled on the low north side of Whiteface mountain, the village contains 15 buildings and handful of kiddie-sized amusement park type rides. The village was founded in 1949 and is considered to be the world’s first theme park. Its peak attendance day was in July, 1951 when 14,000 Santa seekers showed up. My first visit was in the summer of 1958(ish). Somewhere in the family archives is a picture of me peeking around the very same North Pole pictured above.

It is truly somewhat of a miracle and, most assuredly, a labor of love that has preserved and kept this 75 year old time capsule alive and kicking. It should have a National Historic Landmark designation.

# 6585-88 / pinhole * common places-things ~ pin perfect

December 10, 2024

WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND DECIDED I NEEDED TO make some new pinhole photographs for my pinhole collection. That meant hauling out the µ4/3 camera and mounting the pinhole “lens” in place of the regular lens. It also meant setting the ISO to 1250>2000 cuz the actual pinhole opening is the equivalent of an f125 aperture. FYI, the effective focal length is 22mm.

Yet another adjustment must be made to regular picturing routines; the camera’s viewing screen is basically a blank black screen making framing essentially a guessing game. That written, I kinda like that aspect of pinhole picture making cuz there is always a surprise or two along the way.

In any event, I would emphatically recommend giving it a try. There are many pinhole “lens” available for most cameras and they are not expensive. And, it is as “loose”-there ain’t a lot to shuffle and fret about-a way to make photographs as there is. Just let go of all the its-gotta-be-”perfect” crap and be open to surprises. You may actually learn a few things and grow as a picture maker.

# 6579-84 / landscape • instax • film ~ I contain multitudes

December 3, 2024

MICHAEL JOHNSTON’S CALL FOR BAKER’S DOZEN submissions, re: film, got me to thinking about, well…film. Or, to be precise, making pictures with film and submitting one of my pictures that was made using film.

So, I took a trip down memory lane, picture making wise, and rummaged around looking for files of scans made from ancient pictures made using film. Came across a number of submission possibilities but ended up choosing one of the pictures from my death in ER series as the “winner” and sent it on to T.O.P.. That choice was based upon the fact that it depicts something ya don’t see or picture everyday and it was made with a camera-WIDELUX 1500 (120 film)-very few have ever seen much less used. Which got me to thinking…

….back in the good ol’ days, I used so many different cameras-35mm/120mm cameras, multiple view cameras 4x5>8x10, multiple Polaroid cameras, 2 different rotating lens panoramic cameras, half-frame cameras and other exotica + way too many film variants to mention. All of which I used to photograph all manner of things….which got me to thinking about Bob Dylan’s song I Contain Multitudes in which he wrote/sang:

“….I paint landscapes, and I paint nudes
I contain multitudes”

In any event and all of that written, it begs the question, do I miss it? Answer: kinda but not with much of a sense of longing to repeat it. To be precise, I do miss the look of C prints made from 8x10 color negatives. Nothing in the digital world equals it. In addition it is also worth noting that most of my family and friends and family/friends gatherings, events, etc. were photographed with the use of Polaroid cameras and films. And, I have thousands of prints to show for it.

While I am never going back to photographing with an 8x10 view camera, I have added a instant print feature to my family/friends and events picturing activity; the addition of an INSTAX printer to my out-and-about kit. Just as making a Polaroid picture and passing it around was a big hit in the past, making a “snapshot” with my iPhone, sending it to the INSTAX printer and then passing that instant print around incites exactly the same kinda hit. And so, my INSTAX print collection grows and grows and grows.

A bit of photography history, re: the instant prints in this entry: In the book, The Art of the American Snapshot in the chapter titled, Fun under the Shade of the Mushroom Cloud - 1940-1959,

… Praised as a “worthwhile recreation” that teaches “observation, alertness, and patience.” photography was also an extremely popular diversion in the late 1940s and 1950s… by late 1944 and 1945, more Americans from all walks of life made more photographs than ever before… in the 50s as Hollywood opened the to the bedroom, snapshooters also began to share some of their secrets with their cameras, giving glimpses of what they did in the privacy of their homes… Not wanting to be left out of this profitable market, Polaroid advertised how it “Perks up a party” and suggested to hostesses that they throw a “Polaroid Picture Party”….

I believe that Polaroid was ideally suited to implementing the idea that “snapshooters also began to share some of their secrets with their cameras, giving glimpses of what they did in the privacy of their homes”. While some were snapping away at “secrets” with their Brownie cameras, Polaroid pictures came straight out of the camera thus avoiding the possibility of censorship and the potential embarrassment of trying to have your film processed at the corner drugstore or eventually at Fotomat.

In fact, although I do not know how it could organized but a curated exhibition of “snapshooter” photographs-let’s call it “erotica”-could be fascinating to see. I’d bet there must be hundred of thousands, if not millions, of such photos out there hiding in closets or under beds.

FYI, I never threw a Polaroid Picture Party” but I did take a Polaroid camera to a lot of parties.