things ~ grumpy old men

August 30, 2023

IT MUST HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH AGING (grumpy old men / can’t teach an old dog new tricks)…a number of photography bloggers have lately been bemoaning the demise of something or another from the good ol’ days of picture making. Consider Mike Johnston in his Is Photography…Ending? entry:

“Photographers used to be respected, because, through hard-won skill and knowledge and practice, they could do things ordinary people couldn't. But the status of having specialized knowledge and skill has been evaporating for years now. Paralleling that decline is a decline in the in the need to hire a photographer for a wide array of once-common needs.”

If Johnston thinks this is new news-the “decline in the in the need to hire a photographer for a wide array of once-common needs”-I call “bullshit”. Consider this from a book I just purchased about a heretofor little known Adirondack village photographer, J. S. Wooley (worked as a photographer from 1880s-1930):

…The very existence of the Brownie meant less work for professional photographers, and Wooley, as other village photographers did, simply replaced one form of income with another.

Let’s see now…KODAK introduced the Brownie in 1900. Sounds like it’s kinda like the same as it ever was to me.

Re: “Photographers used to be respected, because… they could do things ordinary people couldn't.” I have no idea what era he’s talking about. I must have been asleep during that special time when all the common folk-every man, woman and child-held a special place in their heart and mind for their favorite photographer.

I can only imagine that every after work cocktail hour was alive with talk about, Adams, Eggleston, Steiglitz, and how about that Robert Frank guy? Not to mention the universal and feverish excitement about the upcoming Jeff WALL exhibition at MOMA. And, without a doubt, every classroom wall was adorned with portraits of beloved photographers like Weston, Evans and Cartier-Bresson. Aaahhh, the glory days.

Re: “… they could do things ordinary people couldn't.” It was Jack Kerouac who wrote, re: Robert Frank, “You got eyes." Which, iMo, was Kerouac’s way of indicating that Frank "could do things that ordinary people photographers couldn’t”. And, guess what…there are photographers aplenty on the planet today who “got eyes” and, no matter the tool they might be using, can do things that ordinary photographers can’t. And, I might add, they get plenty of recognition and respect in the same clique(s) / arena(s) as before.

iMo, it seems that complaining about the notion that things ain’t what they used to be is an old-age right of passage. A right that I have never fully adopted cuz, the way I see it, the more things change, the more-at an elemental / fundamental level-they stay the same.

# 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.

# 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.

# 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.

# 6680 / people ~ the back story

August 13, 2023

***1967 classic Grip and Grin picture*** ~ (embiggenable)

THE PICTURE ABOVE IS SIMPLE ENOUGH…that’s me receiving a commendation and a sizable US Savings Bond from the Commanding General after 3 of my photographs (1 each in 3 different categories) had won 1st place each at the Command level, 2 1st place, 1 honorable mention at the Western Pacific level, 3 honorable mentions at the All-Pacfic level . This event-4 months after buying my first ever camera-soon led to my appointment as a US Army photographer. Simple enough but there’s a back story that the photograph does not, and can not, tell…

On the morning of this event, I was showering in my off-base abode (where I lived with my wife). My Summer dress greens were laid out on the bed. After showering and shaving I went to the bedroom and…holy crap. The kitten we had saved from the street-broken tail and all-had left a trail of diarrhea loaded with worms all over my dress greens. Yikes and triple yikes. This presented several problems…

…1) I would have to wear my Winter dress greens. Most definitely contrary to Army Regs. 2) my Winter greens had silver buttons but I only had brass insignias. Army Reg violation # 2. 3) my company commander and 1st Sgt.-who were accompanying me (to share in the glory)-were going have their own defecation events, aka: shitting their pants, when they saw me. 3a) as we all know, shit runs downhill. And last but not least, 4) commanding generals do not become command generals without playing by the rules. In any event, the die was cast and que sera, sera.

It was a long, very quiet ride to Command Headquarters. Visions of reprimands and demotions dancing in our heads. Sweat was everywhere apparent. It was the sweltering heat and humidity for my companions, compounded by heat and humidity + Winter greens for me.

As it turned out, either it was that everybody at headquarters only saw in low-res BW-can’t tell the difference in brass/button disparity in BW-or that everybody decided they had bigger fish to fry-why waste time with an idiotic draftee who didn’t know any better than to show up dressed like he was? But, whatever the reason, if anyone noticed the problems, they chose to ignore it. And, as many of my experiences in the Army can attest, lots of stuff happened that seemed to defy explanation or logic.

FYI, after becoming an Army photographer-apparently no training required-I made, amongst other assignments, at least a jillion grip-and-grin photographs of one kind or another.

And so it began.

# 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.

# 6675 / common things ~life in the photo ghetto

August 9, 2023

OVER THE PAST DECADE-GIVE OR TAKE A FEW YEARS- there has been an emerging sentiment amongst “serious” amateur picture makers that picture making, aka: photography, as they know it is dead and/or dying. The primary perpetrator of this heinous crime is most often ajudged to be the the cellphone with its camera module, picture making function. Although, most recently there is the AI generated-looks just like a photograph-bugaboo lurking in the PS shadows adding to the photography-killing death count.

To paraphrase US broadcaster Herbert Morrison,

“This is terrible; this is one of the worst catastrophes in the world. Oh it's...crashing dying…Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers photographers screaming around here!”

To be clear, I do not subscribe to the death-by-cellphone hysteria simply cuz the fact is, with a zillion billion (exaggeration employed to make a point) cellphone pictures made every second of the day, the cellphone is responsible for exponential growth in picture making and, if not photography, what the hell are those picture makers doing? Sure, Sure. Most of the picture makers are not “taking it seriously” but, nevertheless, they are making pictures - an activity traditionally known as photography.

Re: AI generative stuff - it may be photo-based, but the end result, although it may look just like a photograph, is, in fact, a photo-derived illustration. That is, an illustration / image which bears little or no connection to the real world as captured / recorded by a picture making device.

All of the above written (as a mere prelude to my actual point), I do subscribe to a certain category of the death of-as I know it-photography. One that is defined by the following interview Q&A:

What are some of the biggest obstacles you have faced as an artist?

Early on it was difficult because I don’t have a MFA, I didn’t come from a prestigious university like Yale. So getting the eyes on the work and getting it in front of the right people was challenging.

Despite the artist’s “burden” of not having an MFA, the answer is what I would expect from that cadre of murders, photography wise. A group that I have, for years, labeled as the Academic Lunatic Fringe. The MFA / advanced degree crowd that idolizes content (concept) over form (the appearance of the referent). A fetish which leads to picture making that attempts to photograph that which, iMo, cannot be pictured - emotional states, mental states, conceptual / intellectual ideas that invariably require lengthy artist statements to try to explain what a picture “means”. A meaning which the picture itself can not “explain”. Pictures that in most cases are vehicles for dealing with the picture maker’s deep personal mental, emotional, societal, issues - a self-diagnosed therapy activity for what ails them. To which I write, good for them, have at it, do whatever floats your boat.

However, the problem as I see it, death of photography as I know it, is that the ALF crowd has taken over the gallery / art institution (photo division) directorship world. Which has led to the fact that the ALF gallery / art institutional power structure admits only certified fellow traveler’s work on the walls of such facilities. Traditional photography*-pictures which represent actual, tangible real-world referents as seen / aided by the camera’s eye-is no where to be seen.

That written, I do not believe that “traditional’ photography is dead or dying. In reality, it just might be flourishing as never before. Unfortunately, for me, it is disappearing from gallery / art institution walls. And, no, viewing a photograph online is not remotely the same experience as seeing a print on a wall.

*pictures which evince the joy of seeing. Pictures that do not require an MFA, either to be made or understood - no mental / self-analytical, psychological deep-dive interpretation required. ASIDE: this does not mean that a “traditional” photograph can not have a significant emotional impact or stir up some mental activity. However, that outcome is determined by the punctum found in photograph as the result of what is pictured (and how it is pictured), not a multi-thousand word essay. END ASIDE

# 6671-74 / common things / places • landscape • people ~ TMI

August 7, 2023

***from the Mountain Course 1st tee*** ~ (embiggenable)

***weekend activities*** ~ (embiggenable)

SOMETHING I DO NOT UNDERSTAND…why would anyone interested in the medium of photography bother to follow a (obstensibly) photo site / blog wherein the author constantly loads it up with chit-chat about swimming / pool / other non-photo activities, coffee, broken refrigerators, audio equipment..hell…even the weather. Reminds me of the few times I was the speaker at some camera club events-do actual go-to-meetin’ camera clubs even still exist?-where the assembled crowd mingled about (pre-speechifying) sipping wine and chit-chatting about all kinds of things other than photography. The exception being, of course, showing off and or talking about a new camera or piece of gear.

Now I’m not suggesting that a camera club meet up should be all photo-talk / business and no play. It is, in fact, a social gathering and it’s normal (almost natural) that people might want to talk-faceo a faceo-about their recent skid into a snowbank, how they got right with their maker or some such conversion before they get down to the business at hand. I get it cuz, unlike visiting a blog, it’s an actual face-to-face gathering / event. I been there, done that.

That written and at least for me, when I am on the interweb looking for interesting photography or interesting writing about the medium and its apparatus (aka: conventions, traditions, and practices), I have no use for those sites that are little more than a (chit) chatroom wherein it becomes all about the author and the inconsequential (photo wise) minutia-verbal, not visual-of his/her daily life.

Quite a while back-3-4 years?-when I was contemplating the direction I wanted to pursue, re: this blog, the one thing I promised my self and readers was that I would never turn it into a my-life chatroom. So far, mission accomplished.

And that is why, as an example, I could write all about my weekend…

…like how the wife and had breakfast in Lake Placid with our daughter and soon-to-depart for college (where he will play college hockey) grandson and describe in detail the bloody mary with pickle I had with breakfast after which I picked up some meds and then went to the framing shop to order a frame for an INSTAX picture a local craft gallery wants to display for sale OR like how on Saturday evening the wife and I went to a newly opened, renovated former ski lodge for a drink and live music and write about the sangria I had and how it compared to the sangria(s) I had in Portugal OR like how on Sunday I played golf on the Lake Placid Club Links Course with the aforementioned about-to-depart grandson and give a detailed account of the course conditions (to include the weather), my score (and how it might effect my USGA handicap index) vs my grandson’s score and whine and complain some more about the idiot 4-some in front of us who refused to let us play through even though there was no one on the course ahead of them…

..but I won’t.