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Rayko Plastic Camera Show

2012-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Rayko's 5th Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show opens Wednesday, January 18th with a reception between 6 and 8pm. In the past this has taken place in March with the opening on a Friday night and accompanied with large crowds. It will be interesting to see whether the mid-week January date has any effect on crowds. Always lots of interesting images at this show. I'll be eager to see what made the cut. Your's truly will be 'the featured artist'. Say hello at the opening and I'll give you a free print.

Update: Good lively crowd at the opening last night. I was particularly taken by the images of Erin Malone, Eben Otsby, Bob Delavante, Gayle Stevens and several others I fail to recall. Choosing winners has to be difficult. I have a few free prints left over. Anyone want one should shoot me an email with your mailing address.

I was harassed by Gloria Allred

2011-11-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Call it sexual harassment or call it inappropriate behavior, never-the-less I was made to feel 'uncomfortable' by none other than attorney Gloria Allred! Allred has a knack for being in the news by representing people connected to high profile news stories. Yesterday she represented a woman accusing presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment. The press event (no questions allowed) was held in Manhattan at The Friar's Club, a formerly all male club for comedians. Allred liberated the Friars Club Beverly Hills and engaged in a little sexual hostility while doing so.

Sometime in the 90s Fortune Magazine assigned me to photograph Ms Allred Esq. at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. You see the Bohemian Club is an all male club and Allred was and is opposed to all male clubs. Fortune wished to get to the bottom of the issue with assistance from a bottom feeder.

Allred agreed to fly up to San Francisco for the photo shoot. I picked her up at the airport and drove to the Bohemian Club. Arriving at the Bohemian Club my assistant and I began scoping out the exterior of the club for a suitable vantage point. We correctly assumed the club wouldn't allow a photo on its premises. Before we could begin shooting Allred stationed herself by the club entrance and began scolding members as they entered. As you would imagine this was not a one way conversation. Intending this to be a portrait rather than a re-enactment of the free speech movement I struggled to regain control of the situation. Having shots of Allred only from the backside would not be a career enhancer. This proved difficult so we moved Allred to a new location across the street.

Upon finishing Allred was freed to return to shouting at men entering the Bohemian Club. Rejoining Allred near the entrance she prevailed up me to enter the club lobby. There she requested an application for membership from the person at the reception desk. The receptionist directed Allred to a small phone booth across the lobby. Allred entered the booth and beckoned me to join her in the cramped enclosure. I did but she insisted I come even closer and place my head next to hers. Some would say this was to facilitate hearing her request over the shared telephone receiver, but could there have been another reason--perhaps one that was unsavory? Momentarily Allred's perfume altered my senses and I remain unable to recall much else.

Were these the innocent actions of a well-meaning socially active citizen, or perhaps worse? I'm ill-equipped to make that judgement without proper legal counsel. I wonder if Ms Allred would take my case?

Steve Jobs, Francis Coppola and the Grateful Dead

2011-10-06T02:58:00.000-07:00

Around the time Apple opened its Palo Alto store film director Francis Ford Coppola opened a restaurant two doors down. I happened to be passing by on the evening Coppola's restaurant held its grand opening. Standing on the street talking with Coppola was Steve Jobs. Behind them, in the window, comedian Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) was performing. Coppola's restaurant has closed, Steve Jobs has died but the Apple Store lives on in the same location that previously housed Swain's House of music where the Grateful Dead bought, practiced and borrowed instruments. A tile depicting a harp still rests in front of the store. And now Apple dominates the music distribution world.

Venice Past and Future

2011-09-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Owing to my failure of imagination I couldn't foresee returning to Venice in quite the way it has turned out. When we first visited, in 2005, our daughter had just finished high school and had little interest in continuing on to college and a short time later she would head off instead to Chicago for City Year a Americorps program.

Venice is spectacular with it's ancient history, unique transportation, and its nearly incomprehensible winding streets that periodically open to one surprising view after another. As a guess I would suppose there are more camera carrying visitors per square mile than anywhere on earth. I had just begun using a toy camera back then and was anxious to try point it in new directions. The results, I confess, were less than spectacular.

But still we enjoyed sightseeing and seemed to constantly hoping aboard vaparettos for rides up and down the Grand Canal. We visited the Doges Palace, St. Marks Tower, the Lido as well as the modern art at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. That was also a year in which the large semi-annual art exposition The Venice Biennale was taking place. From time to time we stopped in to the various national pavilions to see what strange and interesting creations artists had come up with. My daughter seemed to take an interest.

Italy made an impression on my daughter and when she finally started college the following year she immediately signed up to study the Italian language. And when she asked if she could enroll in a University in Italy the following year we agreed. Last year she graduated with a degree in Art History and moved to London for further study in contemporary art. Upon completion of those studies my daughter was accepted as an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. That's why we've returned to Venice, but it doesn't end there. Earlier this month her fine Italian boyfriend Andrea proposed marriage on a Venice bridge and she accepted. My imagination wasn't that large.

My Computer Signed by Steve Jobs

2011-08-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

My first MacIntosh computer--the Mac Plus purchased in 1986 for somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500. Luckily I had it on hand in 1989 as a prop for a photo shoot with most of the original MacIntosh team for the 5 year anniversary (scroll down). In the photo are most of the people whose names were embossed on the inside of the plastic case. They're mimicking a familiar Steve Jobs hand gesture at my suggestion.

At that shoot I asked those present to sign the underside of my Mac. Here's a photo of that.

Among those not present at that event were Bill Atkinson, Burrell Smith and Steve Jobs. I frequently see Burrell Smith walking in Palo Alto and have tried to ask him to sign the computer but he refuses, and although I have photographed Bill Atkinson I forgot to bring the computer along. As for the Steve Jobs autograph--I did not forget to bring the computer on my last shoot with him. Here is that signature.

Steve Jobs' childhood home

2011-08-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

Anyone engaged in a creative activity is faced at some time with non-challenging work. If it weren't for the possibility of losing a client by refusing to accept a dopey assignment the thought generally runs towards a grudging acceptance. Such was the case when asked to shoot the exterior of the house Steve Jobs grew up in. I had it all sized up. Pick a sunny day and bang out a roll or two from a discreet distance and be gone. Simple.

I arrived at the house mid afternoon. The streets were empty except for the blue pick-up truck parked in front of the address I had been given. Somehow it seemed dishonorable to be secretive but it also felt odd to be standing in the street aiming my camera towards the ex-home of a famous person. So I decided to find out if the owners were home and tell them what I was up to.

The owner of the house answered my knock and he appeared to have recently arrived home from work since he was wearing dark blue clothing typical of industrial workers I'd known. I explained what I was up to and asked him to verify that this was the home Steve Jobs grew up in. He confirmed the story and surprisingly invited me in to have a look around--provided that I took no photos inside.

The home was small but neat and soon after entering I was directed towards a cramped bedroom just to the right of the front door. I remember looking to the room and being surprised that the room displayed early Apple Computer posters, as if the room were decorated for curious visitors. And then I asked, "Are you Steve's dad?" He was.

Paul Jobs and his wife Clara adopted the infant Steve when the unmarried birth mother and father gave him up for adoption. I asked Mr. Jobs if his son had provided him stock in Apple--he said he had none. He did volunteer that he was somewhat frustrated early on that the boys (high school aged I take it) needed prodding to get them to try and sell their garage production of electronics. But then perhaps he wasn't aware of what they were really doing.

Since there wasn't much else to see in the house itself, Mr. Jobs directed me towards the garage where his son and Steve Wozniak had worked on assembling some sort of electronic device. Except for a yellowed newspaper clipping that mentioned two local boys building computers (Jobs and Wozniak) the garage was clean and bare.

Thanking Mr. Jobs for the kindness of the home tour I proceeded to record the outside of his garage to satisfy my assignment.

Me and Steve Jobs, part III

2011-08-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

After the buzz about Steve Jobs' NeXT Computer died down and the prospects were considerably dimmer the company relocated to a quieter part of Silicon Valley next to a boat dock in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City. NeXT's sleek two story headquarters no longer exuded energetic invention--rather, it had a library vibe. I was given an assignment to shoot Jobs there.

Every photographer I knew, and ones I'd only heard about, had stories about long waits to photograph Steve Jobs. I recall the story told to me of a photographer who flew in from New York to shoot Jobs at the Redwood Shores location only to be told after a long wait to come back the next day, and when he returned to shoot on the next day it was also cancelled after another long wait. So in the back of my mind I was prepared to arrive on time and be ready to shoot at the agreed upon time, while still knowing the shoot may be seriously late or cancelled at the last minute.

As I selected my location and began to think about the prospects of Job's canceling the shoot and the trouble this would cause my magazine client, it occurred to me that if this were to be about to take place it might be wise to counter with a stripped-down extremely quick session that would smooth the way to an agreement. Normally I would shoot using strobe lighting but that would necessitate waiting for the strobes to recycle or risk a last minute strobe failure wasting precious minutes. I decided to use the hot modeling light built into the strobe head for my illumination instead of the flash. It would prove useful.

The shoot was scheduled for 3pm, Jobs showed up 2 hours later. He appeared tired and began to beg off, suggesting we do it again tomorrow. In response I said that we could do that but it would probably involve the same amount of effort from him. Rather, I proposed, since he was already here we dispense with it in 30 seconds. This would also allow me to FedEx the raw film to meet the magazine deadline. The logic appealed to him. I sat him down and held my finger on the shutter release through a full roll of film using the camera's motor drive. As promised it was 30 seconds. He was happy, I was happy and the magazine need not be bothered with a missed deadline.

Me and Steve Jobs, part II

2011-08-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

After Steve Jobs left Apple there was significant interest in his next venture--which indeed was NeXT Computer. In preparation to revealing their first computer product NeXT Computer arranged a single day of several overlapping photo shoots with national media in the same large conference room. Business Week had asked me to do the assignment for them. I seem to remember I followed Newsweek and Time and was followed by others.

The NeXT PR department was under orders to not allow photographers to duplicate the work of others. The problem for photographers was that NeXT wouldn't previously reveal what others had done, only after they saw that you were about to do what someone else had done. After having a couple ideas shot down by the PR executive I devised a scheme that was sure to be approved. I would shoot Steve in front of a black cloth. Where the cloth existed no film would be exposed (pre-digital) leaving me to rewind the film and insert something else in its place to be exposed. I had used this technique in the past and was pretty confident I could re-roll the film and get the frames to match up. Remember this was before PhotoShop was widely used.

Sure enough no one previously had shot Steve alone in front of a black backdrop and I was given the first go-ahead. Steve was ushered in and wanted to know what the plan was. I told him, he seemed highly skeptical but consented and I proceeded to shoot several rolls, the session ended, we said our good byes.

In addition to the portrait I was to shoot the top secret new computer system which was all black. Because this set up was ready to shoot I re-rolled the film and double exposed Steve with the computer. The combination of black background and black computer allowed a unique portrait.

When the NeXT Computer was revealed in the press there was a good deal of interest. As a photographer I was curious to see what others had done with the NeXT limitations and was satisfied that I had done well. After a few days I received a call from someone at NeXT who asked me to hold the line. Then Steve Jobs came on the phone to tell me that he finally understood what I was attempting to do and that he loved the result and thanked me. As you may suspect, this never happens.

Me and Steve Jobs, part I

2011-08-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

The recent announcement that Steve Jobs has stepped down as the CEO of Apple seems to signal a change in his health prospects. Unless one knows the details of his pancreatic cancer it isn't likely to know with great specificity what his life expectancy would be, but the upper limit for most pancreatic cancers seems to be about 5 years. Jobs was diagnosed in 2004 and it appears that he has beaten those odds.

Since I've been able to photograph and assist in photographing Steve Jobs on a number of occasions this seemed like a good time to remember.

I met Steve Jobs for the first time after running across the Stanford University campus loaded down with photography gear. After giving my shot trying to carve out a career as a fine art photographer I had decided that there was something to be said for making money doing commercial and editorial photography. The irony was that I had just been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts artist fellowship and intended to use the money buying lighting gear for my lateral move. Being able to understand how one went about completing assignments seemed a prudent thing to know and so I began assisting editorial photographers in order to learn what they knew.

And so there I was assisting Ed Kashi on an early morning shoot at Stanford. We were running late because our time with Apple Computer's then CEO John Sculley had run long, and now a portrait of Sculley and Jobs together was the next thing to be done. Sculley was very concerned that the guy who hired him, Steve Jobs, would be left waiting alone on the Stanford campus wondering when we would arrive. Remember when no one had cell phones? Everyone knew Job's temperamental nature and as we ran we imagined the worst. With apologies and heavy breathing the shoot commenced with none of the histrionics we'd come to expect. Could it be that we simply got Jobs on a good day?

(here is a photo from that shoot with Ed Kashi)

As I will reveal in subsequent posts, this was entirely consistent with several other experiences I've had with photographing Steve Jobs.

Composer Alexander Borodin, 1928

2011-08-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Looking more like a sketch than a photograph yet someone thought the image needed improvement with a sloppy smear of gray paint.

J.P. Hanna, 1938

2011-08-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Executioner--not a nickname, it was what he did for a living. The newspaper clipping on the back of this photo sketches in a few details about a pending execution but the web has more.

J.P. (Phil) Hanna was an Illinois farmer who developed hanging apparatus for capital punishment cases and supervised the executions for devices of his design. On at least one occasion he agreed to also be the actual executioner.

Mary Nash, 1921

2011-08-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

She was a noted stage actress in New York and successful in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood in 1934, where she was in films until 1946. According to Allmovie: "Nash was often cast as seemingly mild-mannered women who turned vicious when challenged, as witness her work in College Scandal (1936) andCharlie Chan in Panama (1940).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Nash

Mrs. Evangeline Lindberg, 1927

2011-08-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

The isolated headshot gets a decorative edge effect while Mrs. Lindberg's head resides among the stars.

Miss Louise Chase, 1919

2011-08-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

Little retouching on this one but the crop marks are a stylish addition.

R. Clifford Durant, 1920

2011-08-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

This photograph got me interested in heavily retouched press photography. See it large by clicking on the photo.

Grand Marshall Joffre of France, 1917

2011-08-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Another heavily retouched photo from newspaper archives.

Gen. Coolidge

2011-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Gen. Charles A. Coolidge, 1925

(click on image to see larger)

As the previous post indicated, I've recently acquired a number of photographs from newspaper archives that were heavily retouched. What I like about these images is the pre-photoshop handiwork that went into enhancing or isolating aspects of the photo, as well as some of the accumulated markings from periodic handling of the image. Rather than the photograph simply bearing witness to events recorded by a camera, in the hands of newspaper editors these have become both an artifact of the way images were handled in newspapers as well as objects of an accidental aesthetic.

Time Passes

2011-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Two months without a blog post is like forever in the world of these things. After Photo Lucida my photo production tapered off. Shooting gave way to production, entering in a few competitions and the general futzing around that seems to be a harbinger the desire to move in new directions. Inspite of the black and white work I'm fond of I also have been shooting in color. Some of which I like a lot, but I'm still feeling my way along. Until I hit on a recognizable vein I'm reluctant to show that.

Back in the day black and white was the hallmark of the 'concerned photographer' and now we seem to besotted with the ennui of the modern day large format color shooter. Their type of commentary leaves me wondering where the field of photograph is headed. My inclination is always toward personal imagery rather than reportage and reportage seems to be carrying the day even in the art photography community. Meanwhile popular personal work aims to dwell in places of low regard.

Recently I discovered a caché of photographs from newspaper archives from before the advent of the digital darkroom. Some of these go back to the 1920s and seem to taper off in the 80s. Of particular interest is the markings on the photos. The photographs show the work done to these photos in preparation sending them to press. They have grease pencil or tempera painted crop markings, written instructions for when they were to appear and some paint over subject matter that didn't seem to interest the editor. You see the thinking that went in to decisions about what to show or not show. Now days all of that is done without leaving a mark. I've acquired enough of these to at least put together a Blurb book in the near future.

High Hat

2011-05-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

The British royal family seems to wield an impressive amount of influence in the US. This fine bit of wedding headwear worn by princess Beatrice seems to be getting a fair amount of attention...

...as evidenced by the cranial decoration preferred by the Obama administration while monitoring the capture of Osama bin Laden.

Photolucida 2011 part IV

2011-04-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Although Portland this time of year tends to be wet and gray it's citizens appear to be decidedly pleasant and upbeat. It is a wonderful venue for Photolucida. The city center has done what a lot of cities Portland's size haven't been able to pull off. It has retained it's older core and tastefully built upon that. Pervasive streetcars, well maintained streets and dignified shops show Portland to be prosperous in an old school way. The scale of the downtown and adjacent areas as well as a variety of destinations make walking enjoyable.

Nevertheless, the volume of young street people signals something gone wrong. The Sunday morning feeding of the homeless a block away from The Benson Hotel in O'Bryant Square, while certainly charitable, is truly shocking. According to this 2009 story Oregon led the nation in homelessness. Although desperation or substance abuse can lead to aggressive behavior, at no time did I see anything like that.

Photolucida 2011 part III

2011-04-19T12:39:00.001-07:00

Photolucida provided the opportunity to meet some photographers who've I've only known online. The toy camera work of Thomas Michael Alleman and Gordon Stettinius have been inspirational and I was pleased to convey that to them directly. I enjoyed hearing Gordon tell how he came to be the conservator and publisher of Gita Lenz's very satisfying photography. Elizabeth Sunday is a photographer who's work in Africa I've known about but had not seen in person. Her prints are wonderful and her generous comments about my efforts were also appreciated. I also enjoyed seeing Tami Bone's great prints and hearing her discuss her working methods in that charming Texas accent.

More Portland pictures taken while at Photolucida last week.

Photolucida 2011 part II

2011-04-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

One common comment heard around the Benson Hotel lobby is 'How are your reviews going?' Well my reviews had a bookends quality to them. I had my first review on Thursday with Susan Spiritus of the eponymous gallery in Newport Beach, California. It couldn't have gone better. Susan was enthusiastic about my portfolio and the allotted time seemed insufficient. I left feeling that Photolucida was going to be a triumph. But of course that isn't how these events generally go.

The last reviewer on Sunday was Crista Dix proprietor of Wall Space Gallery in Seattle and Santa Barbara, California. Before looking at photos she asked what I hoped to get out of the review. I said that, like nearly everyone there, I was looking for opportunities to show work in galleries such as Wall Space. As she began flipping through the first few images I said that I hoped to show in Wall Space. Without pausing Ms Dix said that my work wasn't appropriate for Wall Space because she needed images that told stories outside of the frame. Since this happened within the first five minutes I contemplated making an early exit for the airport. Later, as I reviewed the artists chosen for representation, I have to admit to not getting the connection between Dix's stated goal and the images presented. As the review proceeded we had an interesting discussion about the economics of running a gallery and the tenuous times we're in. I wish her all the best in maintaining the galleries.

In between those bookends the most interesting review was also my disaster. Michael Mazzeo immediately started complaining about my presentation. Since I print on tracing paper it has become necessary to show photos in sleeves. To him this presented an obstacle. He then went on a rant that kept repeating 'I can't see them, they're too fuzzy'. Having no defense I simply kept quiet. As the review came to a conclusion I sincerely thanked him for honestly sharing his true feeling about what I showed. I might disagree, but that's how taste in art goes. I have no complaints.

On the lighter side, I discovered that reviewer Paula Tognarelli and I have a shared history. We both worked as strippers in our youth.

These are some shots I took while in Portland. They don't represent work I brought to Photolucida.

Photolucida 2011 part I

2011-04-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Having just returned from participating in the 2011 Photolucida I thought I'd post a few photos shot in Portland while not showing my portfolio. I've only been in Portland two other times and didn't feel I had a handle on the city in either visit. Also, the longer I remained in the hotel the greater the pull to have a break from telling lies about myself and get to the business about telling lies about the host city. (click image to see larger version)

A few current shows I'm in.

2011-03-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Krappy Kamera 13 up at Soho Photo Gallery in New York. Can't get to the show? Buy the book.

The 4th Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show opened last March 4th. Here's a preview The show features Michelle Bates and Sam Grant. Lenscratch has a selection of images.

Holga Out of the Box runs through March 26th at Tammy Cromer-Campbell Photo Gallery in Longview, Texas. Here are the selected images.

This Good Earth

2011-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Opening tonight at Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, Oregon. Why yes I do have a couple pieces in the show--thanks for asking--along with Jody Ake, Linda Alterwitz, David Ashman, Angela Bacon-Kidwell, Tami Bone, Lucy Call, Dennis DeHart, Peter Dressel, David Gardner, Richard Gilles, Mary Shannon Johnstone, Dave Jordano, Eleanor Owen Kerr, Jeffrey Krolick, Richard Lasner, Jim Leisy, Blue Mitchell, Bruce Morton, Zach Nader, Lauren Orchowski, Jan Sonnenmair, Kendall Stewart, Michele Thompson, Julie Verdini.

Pier 24 in San Francisco

2011-01-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I visited an amazing photography collection in an amazing gallery. Pier 24 is located almost directly underneath the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. It's the creation of money manager Andy Pilara and the Pilara Family Foundation. Although Pilara's photographic holdings are on the scale of what you'd expect of a substantial museum, the gallery was showing a portion of another large collection, that of San Franciscan's Bob and Randi Fisher. The Fisher's collection has substantial holdings in American photographers (though not exclusively) who defined the medium during the 1960s to 1980s. It features Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, Robert Adams, William Eggleston and many others.

Visiting Pier 24 requires you to register in advance--my reservation was about two weeks in advance. Reservations allow two hours of viewing among a small group visitors and it's free. The space devoted to showing work is vast without being crowded. For anyone serious about the art of photography this is a stop you should not miss.

Giant assignment

2010-12-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

Although I'm no longer seeking photo assignments, occasionally a few do come my way. Following the San Francisco Giants World Series victory Harvard Business Magazine wanted to feature Larry Baer, Harvard Business School graduate and president of the Giants. And so I got the call from long time Boston publication designer John Sizing for the shoot. I felt that I owed my son the opportunity to meet the president of his favorite team. Herewith Mr. Baer going into his wind-up on the pint sized playing field at ATT Park.

Thomas Alleman

2010-11-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Photo Lucida has announced the top 50 photographers in for the 2010 Critical Mass. Among the 50 is a personal favorite and fellow Holga user Thomas Alleman who entered some of the photos from his excellent series Sunshine and Noir. Here are the winners and here is Thomas Alleman's website.

Low Tech High Tech

2010-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Fans of toy camera photography have to be encouraged by the news that the as yet unreleased white iPhone 4 is experiencing light leaks.

Apple announced this week that its white iPhone 4 was delayed yet again this time until Spring 2011. Apple has not offered any reason for the delays, except that the device has proven "more challenging to manufacture" than the company had originally anticipated.

Cult of Mac on Wednesday offered a potential explanation for the delay: an anonymous source "with connections at Apple" indicated that the white model takes poor pictures due to its white glass. That person indicated that the white case allows light to leak in, causing washed out pictures.

Genaro Molina

2010-09-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

A story on the Los Angeles Times features the toy camera work of one of their staff photographers Genaro Molina. Molina discusses using toy cameras to shoot top movie directors who seem genunely excited about the playfulness these cameras suggest.

(Link is now fixed)

Bupkis

2010-08-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

The top 175 entries in Photolucida's Critical Mass were announced over the weekend. Alas, unlike a year ago, my entry went unchosen. The yiddish word for this is bupkis. For those who may be interested here is what I entered.

Johanna Drucker

2010-08-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ordinarily an academic lecture on art criticism wouldn't be at the top of too many lists of what to do for fun on a Saturday night. But with my art history interested daughter in town off we went to the San Francisco Art Institute to listen to Johanna Drucker discuss aspects of her critique of contemporary art criticism. Drucker's book Sweet Dreams, Contemporary Art and Complicity was the basis of her talk. In it she argues for decoupling art from various frameworks a critic uses to convey purposes and meaning in works, as well as a call for an end to unnecessary obscurity and a reintroduction of aesthetics. Although this post any indicate otherwise the talk was upbeat and positive about newer developments.

It isn't the pitch, it's the product.

2010-07-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Joerg Colberg, at his blog Conscientious, published my response to the discussion over Fotofest (and the like) portfolio reviews. It seems disappointment is common at these gatherings, which to me seems to be the most likely outcome. Not going has an even higher level of rejection.

It all started with Joerg's earlier post.

See also this this and this

Hebe

2010-06-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hebe Magazine. Never heard of it? Me neither, until editor/director Octavio Ferrero emailed asking if I would be interested in Hebe running some of my toy camera photos in the next edition...which is out now. Stunning design.

free photo offer

2010-04-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Houston Walkway--8"x8" on tracing paper

I'll send this framed photo to the first person that responds by email who hasn't previously won a print (this means you C.Gary Moyer). Must provide a shipping address either in the US or Canada only. Do not leave your information in the comments--send it to my email address: bobholmgren@gmail.com

We have a winner. Rebecca Sexton Larson clocked in at 7:20 PM 4/28/2010

On being interviewed and interviewing

2010-04-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Chris Gulker after our interviewing each other in my office.

Chris Gulker along with his wife Linda Hubbard Gulker and Scott Loftesness run InMenlo a hyper-local blog in my town of Menlo Park, CA. When an article concerning me appeared in a local paper they asked if I'd consent to being interviewed and so I agreed. I wasn't sure what to expect when Chris arrived to both shoot photos and interview me, but it turned out to be less an interview than good conversation with a fellow photographer who has wealth of experience in other areas as well. He has freelanced, worked in newspapers, and in technology. He's shot Hollywood celebrities by the bushel as well as helping deploy some of the earliest web publishing tools at the old San Francisco Examiner in response to a newspaper strike. He's also worked for Apple and Adobe. Chris' good cheer shines through even allowing for the health issues that have been visited upon him. I've often remarked that one of the main benefits of my commercial photography was the opportunity to meet and converse with so many wonderful people. Today Chris reminded yet again of that simple pleasure.

RayKo 3rd International Plastic Camera Show review

2010-03-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Nice that the San Franciso Chronicle covered RayKo's 3rd International Plastic Camera Show, and it's also nice to be featured along with Carlos Arietta, Michael Borek, Rachel Fox, Jan Watten and Layven Reguero. Notice that the writer mistook the camera setting 'bulb' for 'bold'. FYI on the reference to my photo that is 'perhaps a jail'--actually it's SRI International a think tank.

free photo offer

2010-03-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

Jesus Saves Houston--8"x8" on tracing paper

I'll send this photo to the first person that responds by email. Must provide a shipping address either in the US or Canada only. Do not leave your information in the comments--send it to my email address: bobholmgren@gmail.com

UPDATE: C Gary Moyer clocked in at 3:13 my time and wins the photo. Stay tuned for other offers.

The mess that is the press

2010-03-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well the story of my confronting a Palo Alto police officer over the right to take photographs in a public setting is in today's Palo Alto Daily Post. What a mess they made of it.

"Dispute over Pix"
by Austin Walsh, Palo Alto Daily Post

"Bystanders cheered when a police officer yesterday told a retired photographer to back away while taking pictures of a man who had fallen and injured himself on a downtown Palo Alto street, according to police. The photographer, Bob Holmgren of Menlo Park, said he didn't violate any laws, but claimed the officer told him that backing away would be the moral thing to do.

Holmgren, 64, said that he called 911 immediately after the man fell outside Lytton Roasting Company coffee shop at Lytton Avenue and Waverley Street at 10:20 am yesterday. Holmgren then began taking pictures and continued to snap away when medics arrived a prepared to take the man to Stanford Hospital. Holmgren said he decided to take the pictures in case the man wanted to sue.

A police spokeswoman, officer Marianna Villaescusa, confirmed that officer Nanell Newbom told Holmgren to back off, and that the bystanders cheered. Vallaescusa said she couldn't confirm that Newbom had asked Holmgren to pull back on moral grounds, but said the officer had legal ground to have him get out of the way of medics. "II didn't hear any cheering when she asked me to back up," said Holmgren "and if there was a comment about interfering, I would have complied." Holmgren added that he was using a zoom lens which allowed him to stay more than 10 feet away."

Here's what's wrong:
1. They had their own reporter on the scene from the beginning. The reporter told me today that she doesn't remember hearing anyone cheer. There goes their lede. People cheered--so what, I don't expect people to know their legal rights in such a situation--I do. The issue is whether I have the legal right to take photos. If people indeed cheered--confirmed by no one--who knows the reason for their behavior unless someone asks. No one asked. Suppose they booed the officer. You think a police spokesperson would use that on my behalf? Perhaps as their last official act.
UPDATE: I've asked the woman who was attending to the person who was injured about whether she heard anyone cheer--she doesn't. Thus far only the police officer heard cheering while 3 others at the scene report no such activity.

2. I was never told to back up. It was requested that I stop taking pictures. I don't have a legal right to stand in a particular spot and I know that. My claim had solely to do with the right to take photos in a public place. What kind of idiot refuses to back up when asked by a police officer? What kind of idiot reporter refuses to report my version of events but happily tells readers what someone not there thought happened?

3. My cell phone recorded the 911 call at 10:06 not 10:20. If we accept their timeline--also confirmed by police--I called before the accident happened. So much for press and police accuracy, but it is a step in the direction of time travel. I'm putting in for either a Pulitzer or Nobel prize.

4. I told the reporter that it wasn't necessary to give a reason for the photos but among the possible uses would be for their news value or for a potential lawsuit. This got interpreted to mean that I was only looking to support a lawsuit.

6. A police spokesperson is in no position to confirm what an officer said. Why not ask for confirmation that I was always at least 10 feet away, or that I was obligated to listen for cheers to determine how to respond. The spokesperson can't assert knowledge in one instance and not another without it becoming obvious that she simply prefers one narrative over another.

UPDATE: The paper published my letter in response. End of story.

POTM

2010-03-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks Holgablog!

War on Photography

2010-03-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things just fall into your lap. Here's a photo of events outside my coffee shop this morning shortly after I arrived. An old guy tripped and fell on his face. As several customers pitched in to treat his wounds and comfort him I called 911. We watched a city EMT unit drive past and wave and then a couple of police cars had to be waved down. Ten minutes later help arrived. I think he's going to be alright since his vital signs seemed pretty good.

As I took photos a female police officer suggested I wasn't welcome to do so. I firmly pushed back telling her that as long as I wasn't interfering I had the legal right to continue taking pictures. I then asked if she knew the law. Without answering the question directly she said her comments were based on morality--the morality of imagining what someone else may not want anyone to see--at which I suggested her job was legal in nature and perhaps removing the uniform would be a more appropriate way to address the moral issues. A reporter from the Palo Alto Daily Post was having coffee at that time of the accident and immediately went into reporting mode. After the confrontation with the police officer she then interviewed me about events. I suspect this may have some news value for tomorrow's edition.

Here's a handy guide to your photography rights.

Fotofest III

2010-03-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

At Fotofest's Meeting Place participants await the signal that the time begins for a new round of reviewers.

Reviewers in action, such as it is.

The Sunday night event allows the public to interact with photographers displaying their wares. Here Dr. Paul Greenberg discusses his panoramas with an interested party.

Fotofest II

2010-03-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

The venue--Fotofest headquarters off downtown Houston. Getting there with a few fellow photographers was an adventure. We hailed a taxi outside of our hotel. The driver was a pleasant Somli man who had no idea where we wanted to go, but was happy to drive around somewhat aimlessly until one of our group pulled out a GPS phone and gave turn by turn directions.

Richard Mosse showed massive prints from his series on Iraq. You have to admire the technique, vision and bravery to pull this off.

Much of contemporary photography seems geared towards inducing depression. A little, okay, but it dulls the senses over time.

Lots to take in. Time for a break--let's follow the red carpet to the VIP tent. Opps, sorry, I thought I was important...sure I'll keep moving. It looked dull anyway so nothing lost.

Fotofest I

2010-03-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Fotofest, the biannual gathering of photographers and those interested in the topic, convened in Houston on March 12th. Photographers interested in showing their wares to galleries, curators, publishers and the like have an opportunity to do so during Fotofest by signing up in advance for one of four four-day get togethers they call The Meeting Place. This year I attended for the first time in the first session of The Meeting Place. I hope to do a series of posts that show some of the activity.

Following the first day of reviews Fotofest kicks off the month long event with a party/gallery opening. Not sure about that line 'Literacy Through Photography". According to my understanding literacy is the ability to read and write.

Jason Lazarus was among the exhibiting photographers.

Jeff Bridges

2010-03-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

From time to time I'll check in on Jeff Bridge's wonderfully wacky website. He's also a very fine photographer with a Widelux. Seems appropriate to have a look around after being given the Academy Award for best actor. Take it away Jeff...

Rayko 3rd International Plastic Camera Show

2010-03-02T22:14:00.000-08:00

I think I got all of them. Click to see larger version of each photo.

Earthquake Record

2010-02-27T22:33:00.000-08:00

The recent earthquakes in Haiti and now in Chile I'm reminded of something I came across recently--the only recorded visual record of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. No not sound, or photographic or film recording, I'm talking about the scientific recording that preceded the distinctive squiggly lines on a circular drum that we've all come to know.

This is how earthquakes were recorded around the time of the 1909 San Francisco earthquake. Typically the discs were brushed off and reused. This one wasn't, and is the only such record in existance. It's on display at the Mt. Hamilton observatory above San Jose, California.

Large Tracing Paper Prints

2010-02-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

For scale here is a picture of me with the recent print of 'Da Vinci's Wing'. More detail?

Too close?

Here's a side angle shot of 'Big Fish'.

And here's a detail shot showing the translucency of the coated tracing paper.

As it appears on the studio wall.

World's Most Handsome Man

2010-02-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

When I noticed this obituary of a man named Charles Atlas and showed it to a friend, I realized my friend didn't recognize the name as the promoter of manly strength in a series of ads frequently seen in comic books of a bygone era.

In an attempt to explain the connection I took out my iPhone and searched for 'Charles Atlas'. In addition to the above image the search resulted in locating another less well known photo of Mr. Atlas who seems to be also Angelo Siciliano 'The World's Most Handsome Man'.

Nice socks Chuck.

UPDATE: I've been informed by a comment to this post that Charles Atlas® is a registered trademark. They also maintain this website which has additional information about Charles Atlas®, however it doesn't include any reference to Angelo Siciliano who Wikipedia claims became Charles Atlas®. More fun stuff here including this ironic quote:

"Our women are too selfish. Mothers going here and there, wearing pants like a man, showing their backsides to people. What is this? They should be home cooking real food and feeding their families instead of out showing their backsides."

Bubbles Bernini

2010-02-18T15:26:00.001-08:00

Piazza Navona in Rome has a large fountain with a sculpture created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. A passing demonstration, complete with ballons, added what could be thought of as bubbles...or clouds.

Large Head Missing Leg

2010-02-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

Madrid seemed to be hosting a convention for the direct appeal trade.

Krappy

2010-01-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

Looks like I'm in Krap--the Krappy Kamera show at the Soho Photo Gallery in New York.
UPDATE: The nice folks who manufacture the Holga selected my entry as the winner of the Holga Inspire award. Thanks Holga!

Eternal Vigilance

2009-12-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Rome is the Eternal City and video cameras are keeping watchful vigil over these Roman ruins.

Crypt in Rome

2009-12-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

There is a church in Rome run by the Capuchin monks that houses a crypt which artfully displays the bones of its deceased members. Check it out here. The Marquis de Sade was quite taken with it.

faded love

2009-12-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Something about allowing fading of this product photo that works to undo the 'love' message. It's now commentary.

Scale

2009-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Because the metal grid beside the face image is so ambiguous, the scale of this image is--to my mind--difficult to sort out. The reality is that the face is about 20 feet tall. Click photo to see larger.

Joy

2009-12-19T15:21:00.001-08:00

This is a photograph that seems to be conspiring to hide the joy in a melange of color, form and architecture. Sort of a Where's Waldo concept.

Eyes

2009-12-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

All throughout the central core of Madrid you'll find various hanging artworks such as these in the Tirso de Molina neighborhood. Note: the right side of this image is a reflection of the left side, as will become obvious when the image is made larger by clicking on it.

Dancing Dots

2009-11-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

A Madrid flea market find.

According to eHow Spanish gypsies were responsible for bringing the flamenco dress into popular culture.

Critical Mass--comments

2009-11-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Following the judging of Photolucida's Critical Mass--in which my entry passed the first level of 175, but didn't end up in the final 50--the organizers kindly sent out comments that jurors had toward the submitted work. Here are those comments.

* Close but not enough individuality.

* Entry is a bit dead in comparison to the others. Great application of the tones and graininess to the subject matter and yes you have some wonderfully tight compositions for some incredible architectural finds, the edge of nature amidst only adds.

* i find these too decorative and with uneven style/printing. others may love them. i would tighten up the printing and lose the vignetting while keeping the simple and graphic-- as some are. bk (Me: Maybe I shoulda mentioned the toy camera vignetting issue)

* Love the compositions. Wish I could see the actual prints as the process sounds very interesting.

* Lovely series! Thanks for sharing it through Critical Mass.

* Nice work. I have a hunch that seeing them on a display does not do them justice.

* poetic

* Very nice!

* You definitely captured the turn of the last century sensibility with some very contemporary subjects. I was completely involved, inthralled, captured. Sigh. Lovely.

Dreams

2009-11-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

Yes it's a business, but as to what it is in business to do I have no idea--well sure the business of dreams, that seems explicitly stated. Photographs are often an invitation to speculation, and in this case it comes with a telephone number to assist you in pinning down the speculation. Note that the number is in Madrid before picking up your phone.

Bowl of Hygieia

2009-11-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Another image from Madrid. This was indicating that the business was a pharmacy. According to Medhunters the cup is called the bowl of Hygieia, from which we get the term hygiene. Hygieia was the daughter of Asciepius, the god of medicine in Greek mythology. Hygieia was the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. The snake became a symbol of Asciepius as well as for Hygieia.

Madonna Obscured

2009-11-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

I spent most of last week in Spain both in Barcelona and Madrid. While strolling about the huge Madrid flea market on Sunday I spotted this Madonna with obscured face decorating a nearby building. While it may be my own preconception of the Spanish Catholic culture, nevertheless this image seems to reflect some of the conflict that is inevitable in most free societies.

Brian Ulrich goes dark

2009-10-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Brian Ulrich is a recent recipent of a Guggenheim grant for photography. As of this writing he has several recent images up at the Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco, where I caught up with them yesterday. Ulrich is known for observing popular culture at the consumer level, having photographed both people and the environments in which they shop. Brian Ulrich's previous exhibition at Koch contained two memorable images, one outside a grocery dairy case in which milk had been spilled, and another that showed a window sign purporting to show that day's homeland security threat level, but which shows only the sky beyond. Cheerfulness and humor are never far from view.

In the recent body of work, Dark Stores, Ulrich, for the most part, goes outside of the shopping environment to feature the boxy container where modern consumers do their consuming, or in this case--used to consume--since all are now failed businesses. Stores come and go all the time, but these pictures seemed timed for the current economic environment. The photographs are large and lush with subject matter that suggests an artist's purpose rather than a documentarian one, but ultimately we're left with desolate architecture and any echos of the absent shopper are long gone. Remembering Ulrich's earlier pictures one can't imagine not wanting to return to happier times.

Ulrich's strength is in not beating around the bush. His photographs are accessible in a way that much large scale contemporary color work isn't. The viewer feels that they know what point is being made while at the same time is fully entertained pouring over the minute detail and his effective use of color.

Muybridge

2009-09-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

Anyone aquainted with the early history of photography will recognize the name Eadweard Muybridge. It is popularly understood that in 1878 Muybridge's photographs validated California governor Leland Stanford's assertion that a horse at gallop will have all four legs in the air simultaniously. Muybridge came up with a plan to photograph Stanford's horse Occident with a series of cameras whose shutters were activated by electrical triggers designed by John D. Isaacs who was the chief engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The experiment took place on Leland Stanford's farm which became Stanford University. What many people may not know is the location of this famous experiment continues its history with horses. The Red Barn at Stanford is a campus equestrian center, and the historic location is commemorated with a plaque in the honor of Leland Stanford, Eadweard Muybridge and John D. Isaacs. Note that the largest name on the plaque goes to the founder of Stanford University rather than those most remembered by the experiment.

While working on the Stanford's horse photography experiment, Muybridge shot and killed a local mayor who he suspected of alienating the affections of Muybridge's wife. The photographer was judged to be not guilty.

printing on tracing paper

2009-08-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've recently started printing photos on tracing paper. When the initial attempts failed to produce strong enough blacks I started to add layers of tracing paper prints to give the desired density. The transparency/translucency effect left me wondering how to advance the image making process. At first I cut away portions of the underlying image. Next I began coloring the images from behind. Each of these didn't seem quite right somehow.

After processing about 50 prints I was content to let the images be themselves. But then a chance encounter with an automobile roadmap gave me the next idea of adding a map layer to the image. In the example above the map is a lunar map of suggested landing sites. Click the images to enlarge.

puddle

2009-08-21T14:35:00.001-07:00

All together now 'puddle'.

People Pictures

2009-08-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

(click photo to view large)

Back before pixels formed images there existed photographers who marshalled the assembled mass of military bodies, religious groups and others into human pixel-like formations as incredible as any in the history of photography. The studio of Mole & Thomas concocted photos with names such as The Living Uncle Sam, The Human American Eagle, or The Human Statue of Liberty that were the combined efforts of the photographers and the thousands of men in uniform that were required to render these images. It is emblematic of a big vision, skillful execution and human patience seldom known today.

The Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago has several Mole & Thomas images in their inventory. This website gives you an idea of the distortion required to achieve a believable effect with 10,000 to 30,000 people.

According to Cabinet Magazine Arthur Mole's family came to the United States from England to follow the religious teachings of Dr. John Alexander Dowie a Christian utopian who had established a large church as well as the city of Zion, Illinois. The church's choir director John Thomas was enlisted to help Mole with some of his early formations using the church choir. The pair then teamed up to produce succeeding images.

Mole and Thomas began by tracing the image they wanted to produce on the ground glass of an 11x14 view camera. According to Cabinet Magazine "Using a megaphone, body language, and a long pole with a white flag tied to the end to point to the more remote areas where the bulk of the troops had to be stationed, Mole would then position his helpers on the field as they nailed the pattern to the ground with miles of lace edging. In this way, Mole also figured out the exact number of troops required." The photos often took a week or more to complete.

R.I.P. Julius Shulman

2009-07-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Julius Shulman has died.

From the Los Angeles Times obituary:
"It was a chance meeting with Neutra in March 1936 -- two weeks after Shulman left Berkeley -- that would open up the possibility of becoming an architectural photographer. A man who was renting a room from Shulman's sister, and who was working as a draftsman for Neutra, invited Shulman along one day to see Neutra's Kun house, which was under construction near Fairfax Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard.

As was his habit by then, Shulman took along a vest-pocket camera that was equipped with a bellows that unfolded.

"I had never seen a modern house before," Shulman said. It "intrigued me with its strange forms -- beyond any previous identity of a house in my experience."

Shulman developed a few of the pictures and sent them to the draftsman, who showed them to Neutra. The architect, then in his mid-40s, sent for young Shulman and ordered up more prints.

With Neutra's invitation to photograph other projects, Shulman was suddenly a professional architecture photographer."

Simply Stupid

2009-07-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Is this not the stupidest photo idea ever...while also being kinda fun?

Photojournalism's sad sack world

2009-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

It strikes me as odd that misery and journalism are best of friends. I recently had the opportunity to see the winners of The World Press Photo Association's pictures of the year. The bulk of the subject matter was war, poverty and pestilence--same as it every was. It seemed to be a contest to see who could depress the most, and don't we know the world has plenty of that.

The bad news for photojournalism is that seeing more of it doesn't lead to a desire to see more of it. At the exhibition I found myself glancing at the wall labels for the bare essence of the problem about to be revealed. Once identified, I could then skim the photos certain that the outcome would prove harsh. The visual process was short circuited into stereotyping for the purpose of awarding the most sad sack story.

With that in mind, along comes the following news in the world of photography awards. The two student winners of the Paris Match photojournalism prize admit that they faked the photos after seeing the winning entries of the previous years' award and concluded that the predicability of photojournalism meant that "something real could be translated into something staged.” What began as a joke proved all too enticing for the judges.

Horses Think has the story along with the British Journal of Photography.

Word of the Day

2009-06-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Having nothing what-so-ever to do with photography:

The word of the day is ...

Lake Como column

2009-06-15T15:04:00.001-07:00

I was recently in Italy and spent several days at Lake Como (Lago di Como). It's beautiful--which for me isn't necessarily a motivating factor when it comes to taking personal photographs. Something about beauty that has a pre-formatted quality I'd rather not repeat.

One morning, while appreciating the gardens of the Villa Monastero on the perimeter of Varenna, I realized that it's beauty offered up different possibilities. I was able to mix unresolved formal elements and add historical time to the image. Pulling images out of situations can sometimes be hit and miss. Here the possibilites seemed plentiful, and the time spent shooting was as pleasurable as any I can remember.

Word of the Day

2009-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Having nothing what-so-ever to do with photography I offer the following link for your edification.

Click here

Hitler on photography

2009-06-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

"The future belongs to color photography." --Adolf Hitler

No kidding. Read about it here. Something I've always suspected.

The New Book

2009-05-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

Check it out.

Cypress tree Pebble Beach

2009-04-24T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm not naturally drawn to nature as subject matter. I'm more inclined to view disruptions of the natural order as ripe for picture making. But still, I do appreciate what others have done in this area. On those occasions when in such scenic locations--and when carrying my camera--I do snap away with the thought that perhaps something will rise above the ordinary wonderfulness. Later, when confronted with the decision to devote time to a photo, I've concluded that my image offers nothing of particular value. On this particular day where the beauty of the central California coast was the most obvious visual disturbance, I surprised myself by liking this.

Shrink Wrap Building

2009-03-27T18:43:00.001-07:00

Seldom do I find myself looking at a potential photo from 1/4 of a mile away. For me it is far more likely to discover the photographable from what is easily seen while walking. And yet here I was following the most readily observable object on the horizon while driving to San Francisco on the freeway. But then how often are hotels wrapped in white plastic. So the lesson here is don't ignore something just because it screams to be photographed. Oh and the other lesson...the best part was on the backside facing away from the freeway. So I guess having a walk around big obvious things can payoff in the end.

I have a nephew who likes to fish. And when he goes fishing it becomes obvious to those around him that he catches more fish. Inevitably these other fishermen want to know what he's doing. Some think it's the bait, some think it's the location. In reality my nephew catches more fish because he has developed the finely honed skill of knowing what kind of fish he wants and knowing what that fish wants. Some think of this as simple math, but I suspect that it has more to do with having a few easily known facts and an almost psychic ability to deploy that knowledge. Photography sometimes seems like fishing.

Big

2009-03-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

Back in the day photographers liked to repeat the saying 'If you can't make it good make it big'. The photo taken by Omar Sobhani/Reuters is from a story in the New York Times, and deals with the reburial of the remains of the first president of Afghanistan Mohammad Daoud Khan.

Of course these days everyone makes it big. None bigger than Andreas Gursky, but then I may have missed something along the way. When Gursky's photos were shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art I was struck by the photos that, while large, were smaller than the immense images he also produced and were in the show. There came a point with the size of his images where the image began to come undone. When being immersed in a large image the photographer needs to retain resolution to maintain the bond with the actual event. Size restraint was called for.

In my commercial photography career I became aware that some of the people I was assigned to shoot would die and my photograph would be the image that became their most remembered identity. I recall when the first African American judge on the California Supreme Court died and his family requested a large picture to display at his public funeral and also at his law school. On another occasion a renowned scientist, who was also related to one the most prominent families in California, passed away and an image I made of him ran with his obituary in a number of scientific publications as well as in the New York Times. These instances made me aware of my responsiblities to the subject.

When Mohammad Daoud Khan had his photo made it probably seemed similar to other such occasions. Imagining that the image, blown up to heroic proportions, would be held aloft by strutting soldiers of another Afghan government was out of the question. And who could predict that the shaved head look of 30 years ago would seem so contemporary.

Entry

2009-03-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

I'm going over my entries to the Communication Arts Photography issue that is coming due this week. As usual they announce a deadline, and then just as it is about to end, they extend the deadline by a week or two. That extension is the period where I find myself bearing down on what I would like to submit. Having had images accepted, as well as having none accepted, I begin to ask myself how strongly I feel about the images I'm likely to enter. Right now I'm wondering about the pig photo (above) that I shot last spring outside a supermarket in Interlaken Switzerland--I'm not sure about that one just yet. And because no one likes to throw money away I ponder the cost/benefit ratio. Of the images I've had published in the Communication Arts Photography issue I've made enough in stock sales to justify a fair amount of risk. One particular image sold over $10,000 in stock and another resulted in an additional $2000. Interestingly, when these went into the Getty Images catalog they generated very few sales. But, still, the cost and the economy nags at me to hold down my submissions and to evaluate whether I submit a cost effective series of shots ($60 for a series of 5) rather than the more expensive, but more realistic individual submission costing $30 a pop. Communication Arts seems to be leveraging game theory quite well.

Rayko Plastic Camera Show

2009-02-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

Last night San Francisco's Rayko Photo Center held the opening for their 2nd Annual International Juried Plastic Camera Show. We arrived promptly at the designated 6pm start time hoping to have a chance to view the assembled masterpieces before crowds decended en mass. Good idea but the gallery was packed from the get go.

The show featured the excellent work of Roy Berkowitz (double color image seen here), Michael Emery, and Aline Smithson

I've admired the work of Tinker Green for several years. Using the very tiny self-portrait he uses as an icon on Flickr I was able to recognize Tinker and have a very pleasant conversation about our mutual interest in toy camera photography. Tinker has his work in the show too.

The variety of display choices and image innovation was enough to spend far more time digesting than the crowded gallery would permit.

A few of the compelling images of Aline Smithson line the bottom of this photo and Miles Mattison goes big on top.

Flickr pal Ann Texter scores a hit with this well known image.

Long time toy camera photographer Gordon Stettinius makes an appearance.

And then way in the back, well away from the frothy crowd surrounding the wine table, the remaining photos were to be found, including my panorama called Cantor Steps.

the guppy

2009-02-23T15:17:00.001-08:00

This very unusual aircraft is confusing from any angle--seen head-on probably makes it even more-so. Called the Super Guppy or the Pregnant Guppy, the plane was designed to carry outsized cargo. The only one left in service is used by NASA to carry parts for the international space station. This particular one is non functioning and is at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

One of the choices I have when taking a picture is whether to make the subject matter clearer or more obscure. Obscurity allows people to consider various meanings for subject matter they would not be familiar with. Obscurity allows for wonder and imagination. Clarity generally has the opposite effect. Aircraft aficionado's typically would prefer clairity. I am not one of those.

Enigmatic art (another way of saying obscure) seems to be mostly a product of modernity. Okay, I haven't done any research about that--it's just an assumption. I have a hunch that it comes from the desire to undermine the desire for knowledge and certainty that comes with the rationalist world view. For centuries art, painting, photography--the visual arts--have been put work in service of explanation. As various methods of explaining ourselves have proliferated, we increasingly take the tools of explanation in other directions.

Here's the sideview that allows you to figure out the function a bit more clearly.

Pantheon

2009-02-21T21:01:00.001-08:00

Last May I visited Rome for the first time. Before going I began having ideas about places I wanted to photograph--including the Pantheon. Once there it is easy to see why the Pantheon gets lots of attention. It is a very imposing. But that's also part of the photographic problem: It's nearly impossible to take a shot that doesn't diminish it. And, since I planned to do the job with a toy camera, it seemed rather foolish to try for the grand shot. But then I noticed how the hole in the center of its dome directed light across a few columns.

This snapshot gives a sense of how that appeared.

And this awareness of what unique about that slice of time caused me to rethink the problem. By shooting a series of overlapping exposures with the Holga camera I could multiply the effect. Readers may already know that the Holga doesn't automatically stop when you wind film to the next frame. In fact it willingly lets the user shoot over a previous shot. Using this technique I was able to shoot a couple rolls this way. Of course it's nearly impossible to know whether any of it will be worthwhile until after the film is developed.

My version of the Pantheon will be displayed in Krappy Kamera XI at the Soho Photo Gallery in New York from March 3rd to April 4th 2009.