I had forgotten how much fun photography can be! Yesterday, for the first time in months, I set out in the morning on a mission to stalk out some photos. I used to do that tri-weekly, with three devoted days to photo trolling. But circumstances have forced me to change all that. I still get out, take a quick drive down to a cemetery, etc., but I have not been in my shooting zone, that's for certain.
Yesterday I got back into the groove. Detroit has been very, very good to me as a source of interesting subject matter, but for now, I'm not doing Detroit. The suburbs don't really interest me that much, since finding death and destruction is a bit harder. But I have an ace in my back pocket because besides death/destruction, I like quirky. I can find that in the 'burbs.
One good thing about the 'burbs is that I am much more relaxed shooting people. If they catch me, so what? In Detroit, there is the possibility they might shoot back.
I still have hundreds and hundreds of never-seen photos from Detroit. One thing about being an obsessive like I am is that I took thousands and thousands of shots. Granted, not all ones I'd like to carve my name onto, but some stuff I wouldn't mind showing. But I'm definitely feeling quirky at the moment, plus I have a few projects that always seem to hold my interest, like a fascination with what people do to advertise who they are to the world, be it carved wooden figures on one's property, or a Virgin Mary set up on the lawn. Or flags. Signs. I also like indications of rituals. I do plan on shooting up the 'burbs for a while, so that is my plan of action. I have a few other projects up my sleeve as well, but no use spilling the beans, huh?
I do plan on visiting Detroit in the near future, too. After spring hits, the cemeteries pretty much die for me because of the abundance of life! However, I will troll those sacred grounds periodically, just to keep in touch with the dead.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Toilets and Photographs
Perhaps you are like in (at least in this regard) that when you view people in public, there is that equalizing thought that each one must, on a more or less regular basis, drop their bloomers and evacuate their colon. Well, ass-uming that person is not a member of the colostomy bag brigade. Yeap. We all gotta do it.
So what does that have to do with my blog, my photography, or life in general? Probably nothing, and the connection is ever so tenuous, butt I was thinking about pictures, and how each picture required some decisions, something caught the photographer’s eye enough to cause him/her to stop in his/her tracks, raise the camera, perhaps ponder what would work best in the photo (aperture/speed/distance/lens, etc.) and then it is all over in a ‘snap.’
Just like I ponder potty sittings, sometimes while viewing a photo, in a book, online, that thought pops up, where I try to envision the circumstances of that particular photo, sometimes trying to second guess what it was that caught the photographer’s eye.
Just a thought…
So what does that have to do with my blog, my photography, or life in general? Probably nothing, and the connection is ever so tenuous, butt I was thinking about pictures, and how each picture required some decisions, something caught the photographer’s eye enough to cause him/her to stop in his/her tracks, raise the camera, perhaps ponder what would work best in the photo (aperture/speed/distance/lens, etc.) and then it is all over in a ‘snap.’
Just like I ponder potty sittings, sometimes while viewing a photo, in a book, online, that thought pops up, where I try to envision the circumstances of that particular photo, sometimes trying to second guess what it was that caught the photographer’s eye.
Just a thought…
Monday, March 21, 2011
Boring Project
Since not much is happening in my sex life, I mean photography life, and I have no interest in giving up my pursuit of art and meaning (or something along those altruistic lines), and since boredom plagues us all...(though usually I am not inflicted with that plague), I have decided to turn my "art" into what's really going on. And I must warn anybody reading this that I read...a lot, and sometimes after I finish reading, I think. And drink coffee. And sometimes what I read afflicts my life. I am drawn, like a firefly to an open flame, to images that just look nice, no particular meaning or symbolism, but just nice things on which to rest one's eyes.
Ahhhhhh....
This has led me to a new project which will show up, to some extent, in my Flickr gallery, Nice Looking Boring Pictures! We all see them, and when we're busy looking for that decisive moment, we have an abundance of boring sights in view. Why not honor the banality? I hopefully will capture well composted boring images that fill my life.
Watch for it at a theatre near you.
And speaking of R-U-D-E...
I'm sick and tired of being passive when someone has entered and violated my air space. Today, I sat in a coffee shop, very peaceful and quiet, and one woman came in, sat in a seat facing all of the quiet drinkers, and engaged in a way-too-loud "I don't care about you because I am" conversation. A few mephitic glances did not deter this noisebox from barking on her cell phone, so I decided to do something about it. I changed seats so I was facing her, took out a camera and pointed it right at her and shot her. She knew what I was doing. You will see it in her face when I post the shot tomorrow.
Ahhhhhh....
This has led me to a new project which will show up, to some extent, in my Flickr gallery, Nice Looking Boring Pictures! We all see them, and when we're busy looking for that decisive moment, we have an abundance of boring sights in view. Why not honor the banality? I hopefully will capture well composted boring images that fill my life.
Watch for it at a theatre near you.
And speaking of R-U-D-E...
I'm sick and tired of being passive when someone has entered and violated my air space. Today, I sat in a coffee shop, very peaceful and quiet, and one woman came in, sat in a seat facing all of the quiet drinkers, and engaged in a way-too-loud "I don't care about you because I am" conversation. A few mephitic glances did not deter this noisebox from barking on her cell phone, so I decided to do something about it. I changed seats so I was facing her, took out a camera and pointed it right at her and shot her. She knew what I was doing. You will see it in her face when I post the shot tomorrow.
Dragged by the Current
Not much progress in my desperate search for that next thing with my photography. When I have the available time to go out, I can't muster the enthusiasm. However, my photo life is not sterile by any means. As is my custom, I ALWAYS have cameras on my body (including a mini-camera I keep stashed in my coat pocket) and most of the time, I'm on alert for things to shoot.
And in the evening, I am going through some of my photograph monographs, which is where I think I learn the most about photography, looking at the photos I like, sometimes wondering 'why.' The most important point I think I've learned from pouring over these collections is that rules only apply if you want them to apply. Some of the photos I most enjoy are not that dramatic. I think we have a built-in filtering system integrated into our inner photographer which finds certain scenes, objects, colors, forms, whatever...interesting to our sense of aesthetic.
Two photographers on my study list at the moment are William Eggleston (who I mentioned in an earlier post) and Diane Arbus. I have the huge Diane Arbus Revelations collection. I want to know why she created her body of work, what was it that drew her in. She dealt with her subjects differently than most portrait photographers, and I am fascinated by her drive to see in her subjects the part of themselves they really do not care to be seen. It's strange, from the inside, we might think we have a certain appearance when in fact what the camera sees is very different. Flaws. That's something that Arbus noted. It's what most of us note when we scan a person. Symmetry - asymmetry. What is out of place? What is revealing?
I'd like to do more portrait photographs but not just shooting randomly on the streets. I seek characters who are more than just an image, but rather are a story themselves.
I need to think more on a strategy to achieve this goal.
Another book I have on the horizon is one that investigates voyeurism and surveillance with the camera. Exposed. Anybody with a camera in hand, street shooters I mean, IS voyeuristic, trying to access views of people unaware, looking for secrets about them, or catch them in the act of being themselves in an uncensored manner.
And in the evening, I am going through some of my photograph monographs, which is where I think I learn the most about photography, looking at the photos I like, sometimes wondering 'why.' The most important point I think I've learned from pouring over these collections is that rules only apply if you want them to apply. Some of the photos I most enjoy are not that dramatic. I think we have a built-in filtering system integrated into our inner photographer which finds certain scenes, objects, colors, forms, whatever...interesting to our sense of aesthetic.
Two photographers on my study list at the moment are William Eggleston (who I mentioned in an earlier post) and Diane Arbus. I have the huge Diane Arbus Revelations collection. I want to know why she created her body of work, what was it that drew her in. She dealt with her subjects differently than most portrait photographers, and I am fascinated by her drive to see in her subjects the part of themselves they really do not care to be seen. It's strange, from the inside, we might think we have a certain appearance when in fact what the camera sees is very different. Flaws. That's something that Arbus noted. It's what most of us note when we scan a person. Symmetry - asymmetry. What is out of place? What is revealing?
I'd like to do more portrait photographs but not just shooting randomly on the streets. I seek characters who are more than just an image, but rather are a story themselves.
I need to think more on a strategy to achieve this goal.
Another book I have on the horizon is one that investigates voyeurism and surveillance with the camera. Exposed. Anybody with a camera in hand, street shooters I mean, IS voyeuristic, trying to access views of people unaware, looking for secrets about them, or catch them in the act of being themselves in an uncensored manner.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Color My World
I have this ongoing struggle @ Flickr, between what I want to post and what people want to see. I have a different idea of the sorts of things I like to photograph, and viewers want to see Detroit in ruins. The irony is that I chose to shoot Detroit when I first reemerged into photography when the digital revolution began for me back in 2003, needing something other than my stock cemetery pictures to post in the newly formed Deviant Art. It sure was exciting back then. I wanted something exciting to contribute to the site and one bitterly cold New Years Day mourning before 8 AM, I head into the city for the first time in years. What I found there blew me away, sights I was totally unprepared to witness. If you are reading this, you’ve probably seen my photos. At first I thought I hit a little pocket of destruction but as time passed and I probed deeper into the bowels of the city, I found pretty much the same condition everywhere. Well, sort of. There are pockets of nice areas in the city, but I do not photograph there because it doesn’t tell the story I want to share.
So, Detroit was just subject matter at first. I grew up in Detroit and still feel a strong link/draw to/from the city.
Detroit is only part of my gallery. I have hundreds, thousands of never posted pictures. Images that I occasionally drop into my gallery to lukewarm response.
Post what I like. No. My public gallery is for you, not for me. I know what I have and can look at my stuff whenever I want. I try to post images that you will find interesting.
Okay. I’m not a great photographer. My camera isn’t magic. I do take some good photos, but I’m definitely not in the league of the photo gods. I don’t want to be. Photography is fun for me, a creative outlet, filling the gap of time between now and when Death comes knocking at my door.
At the moment (and actually for many moments in the past) I am drawn to vernacular color photography. Color gets a bad rap, like only good photos are in black and white, or something like that. But color is so strong in our world and I like it, the dimensions it adds. For form and impact, black and white works. It’s old school and it is time to move on. Back when ‘art’ photography was defined by a lack of color, color film technology was primitive and colors were unstable. Color My World.
I’m in ‘stuck’ mode right now and desperately trying to dig my way out. Out come the books. I have a decent collection of photo monographs by many of my favorite shooters…Walker Evans of course, Diane Arbis, Winnogrand, Friedlander, Frank, Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz, Mary Ellen Marks, Sally Mann, etc. And then there are the colorful ones, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Joel Meyerowitz, Joel Sternfeld, Jeff Wall, etc. At the moment, I’m enraptured by the photos of William Eggleston again. I picked up a video about him recently and it reignited the fire. I don’t know why I like his photos so much, but they draw me in. It’s the color, the banality of the subject matter, little pieces of the real life that we all live. Maybe I like him because when I view his work , I give myself permission to go out and shoot just about anything, with no regards for the outcome. Eggleston sets me free.
And that’s where I’m at right now, painting/photographing by color. When I’m on the picture prowl, sometimes designs catch my eye, or non sequitur situations, and often, it’s the color that pulls my attention to something I want to shoot.
The sad truth just might be that my photography is banal and the only thing that sets off my stuff is where I shoot, as in Detroit. I’m betting I’ll be back in the city, probably sooner than later. But for now I’m feeling colorful. I have many unpublished Detroit pictures in my archives that I will be pulling up, so hopefully I can keep enough people interested in my flow to maintain an interest in sharing it with you.
So, Detroit was just subject matter at first. I grew up in Detroit and still feel a strong link/draw to/from the city.
Detroit is only part of my gallery. I have hundreds, thousands of never posted pictures. Images that I occasionally drop into my gallery to lukewarm response.
Post what I like. No. My public gallery is for you, not for me. I know what I have and can look at my stuff whenever I want. I try to post images that you will find interesting.
Okay. I’m not a great photographer. My camera isn’t magic. I do take some good photos, but I’m definitely not in the league of the photo gods. I don’t want to be. Photography is fun for me, a creative outlet, filling the gap of time between now and when Death comes knocking at my door.
At the moment (and actually for many moments in the past) I am drawn to vernacular color photography. Color gets a bad rap, like only good photos are in black and white, or something like that. But color is so strong in our world and I like it, the dimensions it adds. For form and impact, black and white works. It’s old school and it is time to move on. Back when ‘art’ photography was defined by a lack of color, color film technology was primitive and colors were unstable. Color My World.
I’m in ‘stuck’ mode right now and desperately trying to dig my way out. Out come the books. I have a decent collection of photo monographs by many of my favorite shooters…Walker Evans of course, Diane Arbis, Winnogrand, Friedlander, Frank, Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz, Mary Ellen Marks, Sally Mann, etc. And then there are the colorful ones, William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Joel Meyerowitz, Joel Sternfeld, Jeff Wall, etc. At the moment, I’m enraptured by the photos of William Eggleston again. I picked up a video about him recently and it reignited the fire. I don’t know why I like his photos so much, but they draw me in. It’s the color, the banality of the subject matter, little pieces of the real life that we all live. Maybe I like him because when I view his work , I give myself permission to go out and shoot just about anything, with no regards for the outcome. Eggleston sets me free.
And that’s where I’m at right now, painting/photographing by color. When I’m on the picture prowl, sometimes designs catch my eye, or non sequitur situations, and often, it’s the color that pulls my attention to something I want to shoot.
The sad truth just might be that my photography is banal and the only thing that sets off my stuff is where I shoot, as in Detroit. I’m betting I’ll be back in the city, probably sooner than later. But for now I’m feeling colorful. I have many unpublished Detroit pictures in my archives that I will be pulling up, so hopefully I can keep enough people interested in my flow to maintain an interest in sharing it with you.
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