The Dancer
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Unusual Viewpoints: 20 Days in May Photography Invitational
Some of my new work will be shown in this juried exhibit, Unusual Viewpoint: 20 Days in May Photography Invitational. The exhibit will run from may 11th through May 31st with the opening reception on Thursday evening, May 12th, from 4-7 PM at the Martin Mugar Gallery at Colby-Sawyer College on Main Street in New London, New Hampshire.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Cloud Ship
A few weeks ago, I was approached by a young photographer who was a little depressed. She felt like she was being called to create, but was getting no support or respect for what she was doing. "How can I get people to quit looking at my work and saying "It's just clouds."?
Just clouds?
Cirrus, Cirrostratus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrus Uncinus, Contrail, Pileus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Altostratus Undulatus, Altocumulus Undulatus, Stratus, Nimbostratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulis Humilus, Cumulonimbus, Pyrocumulus, Cumulonimbus Incus, Cumulonimbus Calvus, Cumulus Congestus....
Just clouds?
Rain, snow, sleet, hail, shade, tornadoes, hurricanes....
White, gray, black, orange, red, yellow, gold, silver, and pink....
Always present and always changing.
Just clouds, you say?
So what do I say to this aspiring artist?
First of all, stop showing your work to anyone who says "It's just clouds." Secondly, don't let your self worth be determined by outsiders. Your work needs only to be validated by you. Now, if you are subconsciously saying to yourself "It's just clouds", then maybe you need to rethink your subject matter. Sometimes, when negative comments really hurt, it's because you are thinking the same thing and were really hoping for validation as opposed to a confirmation of your own fears. I haven't seen these photographs of "just clouds". Maybe they are poorly done, maybe skill and vision is lacking. I don't know. But any failure can certainly not be placed on the clouds.
It's never "just a kitten" or "just a flower" or just anything else... I've seen beautiful photographs of kittens and flowers and single, solitary rocks. I've also seen horrible photographs of kittens and flowers and single, solitary rocks. Once again, skill and vision trumps the subject.
Remember laying on your back in a field as a kid, looking up at the clouds passing by? Where has that wonderment gone?
It's almost sad that someone could look at this and say "It's just a cloud."
Just clouds?
Cirrus, Cirrostratus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrus Uncinus, Contrail, Pileus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Altostratus Undulatus, Altocumulus Undulatus, Stratus, Nimbostratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulis Humilus, Cumulonimbus, Pyrocumulus, Cumulonimbus Incus, Cumulonimbus Calvus, Cumulus Congestus....
Just clouds?
Rain, snow, sleet, hail, shade, tornadoes, hurricanes....
White, gray, black, orange, red, yellow, gold, silver, and pink....
Always present and always changing.
Just clouds, you say?
So what do I say to this aspiring artist?
First of all, stop showing your work to anyone who says "It's just clouds." Secondly, don't let your self worth be determined by outsiders. Your work needs only to be validated by you. Now, if you are subconsciously saying to yourself "It's just clouds", then maybe you need to rethink your subject matter. Sometimes, when negative comments really hurt, it's because you are thinking the same thing and were really hoping for validation as opposed to a confirmation of your own fears. I haven't seen these photographs of "just clouds". Maybe they are poorly done, maybe skill and vision is lacking. I don't know. But any failure can certainly not be placed on the clouds.
It's never "just a kitten" or "just a flower" or just anything else... I've seen beautiful photographs of kittens and flowers and single, solitary rocks. I've also seen horrible photographs of kittens and flowers and single, solitary rocks. Once again, skill and vision trumps the subject.
Remember laying on your back in a field as a kid, looking up at the clouds passing by? Where has that wonderment gone?
It's almost sad that someone could look at this and say "It's just a cloud."
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Hippo: Arts and Entertainment Magazine - Best of 2011
I'd like to thank The hippo for these awards, but more importantly, I'd like to thank every single person that wrote my name down. You have no idea how gratifying it is to accept your praise. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Top Ten Photography Books on My Shelf - #1
And finally.....
#1 - The Daybooks of Edward Weston; Two Volumes in One: I. Mexico, II. California
It happens all of the time. Do you want to learn about what it takes to become a millionaire? Who should you
listen to? Other millionaires would seem like the reasonable answer. Do you want to know what it takes to be a photographer of legendary proportions? Who should you listen to? Photography legends, that's who. Don't be a sucker and pay the latest fly by night guy with a camera good money to buy his coolest Photoshop action that is going to make all of your images look just like the 600 other suckers that just paid for the same Photoshop action. If your only path to mediocre success is to press a button and have your work look like a thousand other peoples, maybe you ought to look into a trade school. Being an artist is not about the mechanics. Being an artist is about inspiration, heart, voice, and thought. I hear that there is quite a demand out there for good electricians. Maybe it's not too late for you to get in on the action. Or, you can listen to what the Masters have to tell you and be inspired.For over fifteen years, Edward Weston kept a diary in where he wrote down his thoughts regarding self examination, photography, and the way the world looked at it. Rarely are you able to get inside the mind of someone at this level of his craft. He writes from his heart in this stream of consciousness called "The Daybooks". Volume I covers the time he spent in Mexico, while Volume II covers the time following that in California. True insight is hard to find, and Mr. Weston offers plenty of it in these pages. Pay attention.
"It was as though the things of everyday experience had been transformed . . . into organic sculptures, the forms of which were both the expression and the justification of the life within . . . He had freed his eyes of conventional expectation, and had taught them to see the statement of intent that resides in natural form." - John Szarkowski
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Top Ten Photography Books on My Shelf - #2
#2 - Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
- Ted Orland and David Bayles
- Ted Orland and David Bayles
Great things can certainly come in small packages, and weighing in at a minuscule 122 pages, 8" x 5.5", and less 
than half an inch think, this book is worth it's weight in gold.Written by two longtime friends and working artists, this book is written to make you realize that you, as someone compelled to create art, are not alone in the void. It will help you understand that we all have doubts, fear, and insecurities with regards to our art making, and this can sometimes be enough to keep you on the path, and occasionally break you from a creative slump just by the sheer glacial force of continuing to move forward. It doesn't tell you how to create whatever art form you are working in, but it does try to help inform you on how to keep moving forward, and sometimes, that can be half of the battle.
While both of the authors are photographers, the philosophy enclosed in this book will apply to any medium or artistic endeavor equally as well. This is a book worth having on your shelf, and worth reading, and re-reading as required. You might want more than one copy so that you can give one to a good friend.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Ten Best Photography Books on My Shelf - #3
We're closing in on the end of the list, and it's been difficult to arrange the last three entries. Now remember, these are just the ten best photography books on MY shelf, not ANYWHERE. I certainly don't own every photography book ever published.
#3 - Ansel Adams at 100
- John Szarkowski
- John Szarkowski
Released on the 100 year anniversary of Ansel Adams birth (2002), in my opinion, it is one of the great photographic publications. After beginning with a long biographical section on Adams that contains many 
rarely seen portraits of Adams and contemporaries, it moves to the photographic section of the book. First up of the 114 reproductions included are some of Adams early images from 1920, and then moving chronologically through his life. It is amazing to witness his growth as a technician and as an artist, The reproductions are immaculate and strikingly beautiful. My favorite section of the book is where on opposing leaves, it compares two Adams prints made from the same negative at different periods in Adams life. In all of the cases provided, the images are very different, but both beautiful, proving that as Ansel was fond of saying "The negative is the score, and the print is the performance."The book's paper is custom-made, it is bound in linen and presented in a linen slipcase. A heavy book that is a pleasure to view.
There is a paperback version available, but I have not personally seen it and have heard reports of a lack of quality in some of the printings, so I cannot vouch for the paperbacks quality as I can the original hardcover.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Top Ten Photography Books on MY Shelf - #4
My choice for #4 steps away from my bookshelf again, and lands on my DVD rack.
#4 - What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann
This 80 minute documentary film, directed by Steven Cantor, was released on DVD in April of 2008. Focusing on the period of Ms. Mann's life after Immediate Family
, while she absorbs the success of that work, and struggles to put together her next body of work, all the while working her horse farm, being a mother to three children, and a wife to an ailing husband.This film captures the essence of the artist, displaying her strength and her frailty, her pride and her insecurities, and her family life and thought process. This film is not for the squeamish or for the judgmental, but neither is Mann's work. Many of the images from Immediate Family are included and discussed in this film, and the new work from What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann can sometimes be difficult to look at, but look at it we must, to gain perspective on our own existence, and lessen the fear of what is inevitable for all of us.
are included and discussed in this film, and the new work from What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann can sometimes be difficult to look at, but look at it we must, to gain perspective on our own existence, and lessen the fear of what is inevitable for all of us.Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Ten Best Photography Books on My Shelf - #5
#5 - B&W: Black & White Magazine
One of the few photography magazines that I find worth reading (along with View Camera, Blind Spot, Photographers Forum, Lenswork, and Aperture) is B&W: Black & White Magazine
. It is a beautifully put together magazine that is a joy to hold with heavy paper, beautiful reproductions, and inspiring photography from as many styles as you can name. Featuring Artist Profiles, Portfolio Reviews, Artist Spotlights, and other regular and semi-regular features, the collection of imagery in each issue is stunning.No page after page of mundane ads from every camera store in the country hawking their wares, no equipment reviews, and no junk. Every page of this magazine is for serious black and white photographers. Galleries and individual artist ads are included in their own sections, front and back in each issue, and they aren't interwoven every other page with the articles and portfolios, creating a much more pleasing viewing experience.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Ten Best Photography Books on My Shelf - #6
#6 Brett Weston: Out of the Shadow
Brett Weston was one of four sons born to photography legend Edward Weston. An extremely popular photographer during his lifetime and 60 year career (beginning to photograph in earnest at the tender age of 12), Brett Weston has lost some of his popular steam since his death in 1993. Not attending any formal schooling after the age of thirteen, Brett learned his craft under the wing of Edward while in Mexico in the 1920's. Even though Brett had his first major international exhibition at the age of 17, and a one man museum retrospective at the age of 21, he was always concerned that his work would not be taken seriously or he would be accused of imitating his famous fathers work.
This catalog accompanied the Brett Weston traveling exhibit, "Out of the Shadow", that made four stops around the country, ending in January of 2010 at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire. With over 130 images, this was the largest showing of Brett Weston's work since 1975 and "Voyage of the Eye
".
".The exhibit itself was something special to behold. Beautifully seen and composed black and white images, subtly nuanced, and printed with a masters hand. From the abstract ice, broken glass, and cracked mud images, to the natural forms of plants, sand dunes, and underwater nudes dapples with light, each image piled upon the previous to build a massive body of work. The sheer volume and quality of the work took multiple viewings to truly absorb.
The reproductions in the book are outstanding and richly printed, and there is much interesting information regarding Brett and his photography included in the pages. This volume would be a welcome addition to any photographers bookshelf.
"I note Brett's interest in photography. He is doing better work at 14 than I did at 30. To have someone close to me, working so excellently, with an assured future, is a happiness hardly expected." - Edward Weston
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
