40 watt

possibly a bargain,

2010-03-09T08:46:00.001-08:00

but only for those who would recognize it as such. The listing below is for a framed photograph I've donated to the auction at my kids' school. I'm worried that it's the kind of high-dollar unique item that will be destined for fund-raising failure when offered to the wrong crowd. Proxy bidding is available through Thursday. Hell, I'd even drop a form off for you if you're interested in placing a bid.

Item #L056: Untitled, behind the scenes on Where the Wild Things Are, Bushranger's Bay, Victoria, Australia, 2006

image: archival digital chromogenic print, 20" x 30" image, framed to 30" x 40" in white oak. Signed on verso by Shawn and Max Records

value: $1000

item description: framed photograph made behind the scenes of the departure scene in Spike Jonze's motion picture adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.

bio: Shawn's photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago and the Portland Art Museum and have been shown at MoCP, PAM, the Cooley Gallery, and Blue Sky Gallery among many others. His art work has been published in Remain in Light, Camerawork, DoubleTake, Photography Quarterly, and Adbusters and his editorial work has been published in W, Cookie, Filter, Jalous,Modern Painters and many more.

The Launch of Death:

2010-02-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

a magazine for the enthusiast and the non-enthusiast alike.

in Portland, tonight, at Reading Frenzy. Afraid I can't make it, but you definitely should.

Rumors

2010-02-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

STUPID PEOPLE LOVE HIGH PLACES

2010-01-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

just click on it:

PDX CONTEMPORARY ART, January, 24/7

(note: John Mann's great work is up too - real prints on the wall. Met him and his wife at the opening- super nice.)

luxury

2009-12-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

some eluxury here.

some real-world luxury here:

jenny thought it important to leave a note for housekeeping:

we're hillbillies on tour.

As flattered as I was

2009-11-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

that Paul Graham was writing to me, this isn't exactly what I'd hoped for.

Dear Friend,

With due respect to your person,I Paul Graham kindly wish to ask for

your attention and consideration just for a while. I know this is

certainly not the appropriate channel to contact you but situation

necessitated me to do this. However,I am sincerely sorry for any

inconveniences this may cause you. I am a senior staff of a bank here

in LONDON, and I have a business proposal which will benefit you and i

if it is properly executed.

I was the account officer and personal friend to Colin Morley who died

in the July 2005 London bomb blast. Colin Morley was a reputable

customer of my bank before he died in the 2005 London bomb blast.

He however had a deposit of Nine million two hundred thousand British

Pounds(9.2Million GBP) with the bank and his family members are not

aware of this particular account due to the perennial crisis in his

marital home.

As his confidant and an account officer, he warned me on the

implication of disclosing his account status to
any member of his family.

For more details and confirmation please try and visit this site

below for clarification:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4741333.stm

Based on this, I want you join me in my plans to get this money.

All I need do is to present you as the next of kin to the deceased,the

bank would transfer the funds to you as the beneficiary .Please note

the urgency in this transaction and a timely response is required so

that we can meet with the bank's deadline.

Please have no fear for I assure you that all relevant documents

needed to make this deal successful shall be forwarded to you as soon

as I receive a positive response from you. Note that we need joint

effort to make this deal successful.

I believe strongly that if this deal is carefully executed, it would

be of great benefit to both us.

Waiting earnestly for your response.reply me on my private mail on

p.graham1111@yahoo.de

Best regard,

Paul Graham

Owner of This World: Available Now! well, almost...

2009-10-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Owner of This World is a book of photographs made by Shawn Records during the four months that his son, Max Records, spent working as an actor on the set of Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic. Max was nine-years old at the time, and neither he nor his family had been involved in the film industry before. Records, the elder, is convinced that this book will disappoint anyone looking for insight into the film or the filmmakers and offers it as a manifestation of his own anxieties; a collection of fears and reassurances, upon letting his son out into a world that is beyond his control.

The book is available in a softcover edition for $45, or in softcover with a signed archival inkjet print of your choice (8" x 12" on 11"x 14" paper) for $120. You may order now, but book orders will not be fulfilled until the end of October and print orders not until the end of November. Inquire for prints at other sizes.

88 pp., 54 photographs
8 3/8" x 11" x 3/8"
Xerox laser printed pages, bound in Publication Studio's signature file folder softcover bind

available through Publication Studio

also, a significant preview on We Love You So

I'd share my book announcement with you

2009-10-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

via an email, but I'm afraid that my hosting company, ipower, sucks. On the lookout for a new host.

one more

2009-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Fathers and Sons in Fraction Magazine, curated by Aline Smithson

almost makes me want to rethink that vasectomy.
almost.

honored...

2009-08-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

• honored to be included among many good folks in Daniel Cooney's Late Summer Auction.

• honored to be included among many good folks in PCNW's Photo Op, juried by superstar Jen Bekman.

• honored to be well, honored, by Spike over at weloveyouso.com:

InterviewProject.com

2009-06-01T10:26:00.001-07:00

of interest:InterviewProject.com

Shared via AddThis

shopping

2009-05-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

What I want for Father's Day

2009-05-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Not Niigata by Andrew Phelps

Fall River Boys by Richard Renaldi

For those in the greater Los Angeles Area

2009-05-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Affordable and handsome Lay Flat Editions

2009-05-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Click here and go to "Editions."

You know, Mother's Day is coming up soon.

my major motion picture debut

2009-04-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

between 6:00 & 6:03:

Not to brag, but I've heard comparisons between myself and Deniro, Pacino, and Keitel.

It's a long story, I'll tell you sometime...

sexy

2009-04-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

hmmm... I woke up this morning to a barrage of spam comments from "sexy." I'm guessing that if you're linked on this blog, you did too. Sorry. If it was something I could control, I would. I'll try to enable comment moderation in the hopes that it makes our lives better.

it happened again

2009-03-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

One day it was fine. I opened it, resized it, saved it, etc. The next day it looked like this.

Could it have anything to do with squirrels? We've got a lot of squirrels here.

HOW MANY RADICAL FEMINISTS DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHT BULB?

2009-03-05T09:08:00.001-08:00

Shut up, that's not funny.

Hey ladies, Women in Photography is offering a $3000 grant.

APPLICATION PROCESS OPENS: Wednesday April 1, 2009 12am
Link to online application will be made available on wipnyc.org.

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009, 12AM

Apply, apply, apply. Well, when you can.

what just happened?

2009-03-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

yesterday this file looked like a picture. when I opened it today, it looked like this:

At Your Own Risk

2009-03-03T08:44:00.001-08:00

Damn... Mel, you had to go and post this. Then of course, it made me think of the last time I got sucked into a youtube background replay day. How come there aren't more crude rap songs about contemporary art?

Well, now that I've posted something I should be ashamed to spread around, let me bring attention around to two things I'm downright excited about:

Lay Flat

- I mean, come on, just look at all the great people involved and the exceptionally affordable price tag. I'm really just downright honored to be included in this one.

50 States Project

- this one too. 50 photographers and their different takes on one challenge/assignment. What I especially love about this one is that problem-solving aspect. I have to admit, when I was first approached, I was reluctant to take on any new commitments, but when I saw how many people were involved who I've been admiring for awhile now, I couldn't say no. This is a party I was excited to be invited to. Thanks Stuart.

my new favorite thing ever:

2009-02-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

just press it over and over and over.

oh wait, this one does it to photos. even better:

note: the photo is from my self-imposed studio lighting practice last weekend to see if I could make some sort of intense action-y basketball pictures. It was inspired by Sam's birthday gift- tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters.

the random number generator

2009-02-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

is here.

While most of my work is shot on film, I do still have plenty of photos here that have been made with my Canon 5D. So, the premise of the game is simple: Use the random number generator to choose the photo to post.

today's number: 1531

happy valentine's day

2009-02-14T04:38:00.000-08:00

thanks Karen Eng.

cover songs: Justin James Reed sings Moonrise

2009-01-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

© Justin James Reed, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, 2004

© Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico 1941

Awfully handsome. Both. Thanks Justin.

The List

2009-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

Each term in my intro digi classes, I force each student to draw a number out of a hat, and then give them an hour of class time to research the photographer that corresponds to the number on "the list." From that research, they're expected to give a 5 minute presentation basically covering the time frame of the work and the big ideas & images. I also schedule an additional 5 minutes for me to correct, add, blab, etc.
So basically we cram 170 years of photography into about 4 hours.

Each time I do this though, I can't decide on the list itself. In some cases, a photographer makes it on simply because their contribution must be noted. In some cases, because their work uses some important element that I feel like I should talk about and can't really think of anyone better. So, I guess I'm asking for input/advice/argument. Unless someone changes my mind in the next 6 hours, the list, this time around anyway, is going to be:

Niepce vs. Daguerre
Timothy O'Sullivan
August Sander
Lewis Hine?
Pictorialism
Paul Strand?
F-64 (Adams, Weston, Cunningham)
Man Ray
FSA (Evans, Lange)
The Family of Man
Robert Frank's The Americans
John Szarkowski's Mirrors and Windows
Eggleston's Guide
New Topographics
Richard Avedon's In the American West
Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills
Gregory Crewdson
Maggie Taylor
Sherrie Levine and/or Richard Prince
Jeff Wall
Jason Salavon?

Who am I missing? Who am I including who I should let go of?

Also, keep in mind the academic context: community college, 4th week of class in an intro digi class.

Cover Songs: Brian Widdis

2009-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Brian for being generous enough to send us a photograph that he'd made years ago, inspired by Ralph Eugene Meatyard's "no focus" pictures. Brian writes, "At the time, I justified it by claiming that since it was for a band and the style suited their music, that it was a legitimate choice. Fair enough, I suppose, but not something I would feel comfortable with today."

And a great post on Brian's blog from last Valentine's day to accompany it.

If you ask me, you're both just kind of honoring extra terrestrials:

alien-ufo-research

cover songs

2009-01-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Years ago, while still in grad school, I had the good fortune to have my work reviewed by John Gossage. Moments before my scheduled session, painfully aware of the incomplete and foggy state of my work at the time, I mentioned to my good friend Mericle, that I really didn't want to have him even look at my work, but I just wanted to sit and hear him dispense wisdom. I didn't really want counseling, or advice even, I just wanted inspiration. I wanted a sermon.

Fortunately, for me, that's almost exactly what happened. At one point, fairly early on in the process, Gossage stopped at this photograph and said "You've got to get rid of that one. It's too much like the Stephen Shore picture. You know the one."

mine. forgive the color/sloppiness. This is the only one I could find and it's not worth the time today.

He was right. It was like the Stephen Shore photograph, but that was intentional. At the time, I felt like it was an allusion; a tip of the hat, a nod to a respected forefather, the recognition of my own life intersecting with that of the photographs that had inspired me or some such thing, but when Gossage came across it, he seemed to read it simply as some poor schmuck copying Stephen Shore. It left me feeling sheepish, as if I'd been caught trying to get away with something. Luckily, that photo led Gossage to some Stephen Shore story which led to some sort of Bill Eggleston-with-drink-in-hand-in-the-back-of-the-car story which led to some Bob Adams story, etc. and fortunately, we both just kind of ignored the work that I'd spread out before him and I soaked up his tales as if I were drinking beer in an Elk's Lodge.

Since that time, I've made the occasional photographic nod to other images, but never anything that sticks or seems to be anything more significant than blog fodder. Even so, I'm still really excited about the idea of "covering" other photographs, the way that musicians do. But of course, I guess the trick is that your work is good enough that it's got a voice of its own first (in hindsight, that was my problem with Gossage), but also that the original is recognizable enough that it's properly acknowledged & respected. Of course, you also need to be playing for the right audience too.

I don't know if there's anyone still out there, but if so, please, send in your "cover song" photographs or others that you're aware of. I know Aperture used to have a section devoted to this sort of thing: was it "Photo Echos" maybe? Something like that. How many of you have done a version of Eggleston's red ceiling /light bulb, or maybe even an Ansel Adam's Yosemite or some such thing?

Two reasons why I'm such a lame blogger anymore or How I spent my Winter vacation

2009-01-04T10:47:00.001-08:00

hmm... I guess you'll have to click to see it larger. From Buddha #6 by Osamu Tezuka.

the view from my room

2008-12-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

at the Holiday Inn LAX, while it's undergoing renovation:

My son and I have tried to fly back to Portland for each of the past two days, but the flights were both canceled. Unless something changes, we're crossing our fingers that we can get out on the 24th via Phoenix.

Photographicy Mystery: Strwberry Surprise

2008-12-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is pretty interesting.

One more thing to add to my Christmas List

2008-12-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

David Wright's print sale to support his upcoming trip to Uganda.

The photograph which was sealed

2008-11-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Landscape Video Battle

2008-11-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

Good old Rocky Top

2008-11-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

When I was 13, about the time that that earlier photo of me freestylin' was taken, I was in a Junior High steel drum band known as "The Caribbean Drummers." It was the only steel drum band in Billings, Montana.

Because of this novelty, we were featured on the local evening news, and in an excruciatingly awkward moment, I attempted to "teach" a fumbling female newscaster how to play the introductory bass-line for our crowd-pleaser "Rocky Top." After she attempted, and failed, she made light of the situation and fumbled a transition to sports back at the camera. But within that six or seven seconds of transition, it wasn't clear to me exactly what it was that I was supposed to be doing? Looking at her? Looking at the camera? Looking at the drums?

By default, I subconsciously chose a hybrid of the three and looked downward, averting the camera, the drums, and her gaze, meaning I spent that entire period awkwardly staring at her breasts. Somewhere around here, there's a video tape. But I'm not going to go searching for it.

Since then, as I've previously posted, I feel like I've been perhaps a little extra self-conscious when faced with myself in a security camera, a reflection, or even a photograph. Is that really me? That being the case, it was with great trepidation that I took part in the video documentary portion of David Wright and Ethan Jones's "Pause to Begin". Well, today's the day that they've got the video podcast from our interview posted and fortunately, it's not nearly as embarrassing as I'd expected it to be.

See for yourself here.

It did seem though that there's some weirdness going on with the audio, but I wasn't sure if that was a technical glitch or could it possibly be the way I actually talk. Fortunately, I sent it to a friend and he reassures me, and testifies to you:

That is so weird. It is totally NOT your voice. It sounds like you've got an enormous aristocratic gourd attached to the bottom of your throat and your voice is sort of swirling around in there before it comes out of your mouth. How did they do that?

So, keep that in mind. Thanks Ethan. Thanks Dave.

UPDATE: My wife of thirteen years (yeah, really) just listened to it and thought that it was someone else talking. The audio's definitely been slowed a bit. Whew... I thought maybe that's what I really sound like.

Halloween Show and Tell

2008-10-31T13:26:00.001-07:00

Lately, this here blog has taken a back seat to the one I've been running for Photolucida. But today, I've got something running over there that anyone could/should contribute to: a Halloween Show and Tell. If people seem to care, and so far they seem to, this Show and Tell might become a regular feature. Check it out here and send in your favorite Halloween-themed photo.

maybe once the election's over, we can move on to other topics, but in the meantime...

2008-10-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

"Ten things I recently learned from this box of stuff I brought back from my grandmother's garage, now that she's in a nursing home"

2008-10-24T09:28:00.001-07:00

are posted over on Will Steacy's blog today. Honored by the invitation... Thanks Will.

Will Steacy, Prom #2, New Orleans, 2006, a post-Katrina found photograph, from series "the Human Stain"

pause to begin on Flak photo and Grant's stolen cat

2008-10-22T15:02:00.001-07:00

Flak photo today

dandy periscope

I know, I know, I'm not alone... we're all a little strapped right now, aren't we?

2008-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday after I posted about my clearance sale (I think I've covered the plane ticket so far, but not the burritos yet), I received emails about two more things I'd love to put money toward, if I had any in hand:

Lay Flat, the new publication/brainchild of Shane Lavalette is soliciting donations to try to get their first issue, co-curated with Karly Wildenhaus, up & rolling. In full disclosure, I will have a picture in that issue, assuming it does eventually make it into print, but that's not really why I care. Shane has long been one of the most consistently thoughtful and prolific writers out there. He's building it up with smarts and sweat, folks. I mean, come on, he's got Tim Davis and Mike Mandel involved in this first issue. I tell you, I'd put money into his magazine, whether my work was in it or not.

The other temptation this week is the release of Ron Jude's Other Nature, at the New York Art Book Fair. Looks like he'll be signing books Sunday at 2 pm. Stick around til 4 and you can have Michel Gondry sign a book as well.

print sale update: hmm... I had to suspend the print sale. Thanks for those who expressed interest and/or support, but it ends up that the art market's a little more complicated than I'd like. I'll just have to stick with making pictures and stay out of the business of selling them myself...

hey wait, yet another print sale update: if you want to buy something, just contact me directly and we'll figure it out. There are many options. I heart my gallerist.

I'm on my waaay... A clearance sale!

2008-10-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

One of the defining moments of my life would have to be when I decided, at the age of thirteen, to sell my Motley Crue ticket two days before their "Theater of Pain" tour came through town. It's not that I didn't love the Crue. In fact, I had decorated my bedroom with a pentagram of Christmas lights that very year. But in the midst of my adolescent soul-searching, I developed an odd sense of self-sufficiency and responsibility. The week before the concert, the anticipated highlight of the school year, the rear brake broke on my bike. Not only was it my sole mode of transportation, but freestylin' was my other love at the time. The cost of the replacement brake was $16. The ticket was $18.

At the time, I comforted myself with the smug satisfaction of martyrdom. Unlike my irresponsible head-banging friends, I felt that I understood the necessity of suffering and that, in a sense, my sacrifice made me more responsible and mature than they were. Yes, they all experienced that amazing tour where Tommy Lee and his entire drum kit spun completely upside down, but I lived by my own means. Kind of like Rambo.

me, Billings, Montana, 1986

Today, when I look back, I can recognize the arrogance in my thinking and how really, what I should have done, was just figured out a way to do both. I don't remember the going rate for shoveling snow or mowing lawns (primarily because I never pursued them), but I bet I could have covered all my expenses over the course of a weekend or two. Truth is, while I don't necessarily feel the same passion for the Crue today, I do wish that I would have seen that show. Money comes along regularly, but an opportunity like that...

So here I am, 23 years later and I can't help but recognize that I'm in a similar situation. This week, the registration's past-due on one car, the gate latch and the transmission are broken on the other, the heating oil gets delivered tomorrow, and the property tax bill just came a couple days ago. But what also came in the midst of this financial turmoil, was the most significant Crue-like temptation I could possibly imagine: an email notifying me of this: an opportunity to have a day long portfolio review session with 11 other people and Alec Soth for $135. Well, the other complication of course is that it's in San Francisco.

Long story short, I didn't think, I just pulled out the Visa and signed up. Now I just need to figure out a way to pay for/justify the trip. Yesterday, while cleaning out the shop, I couldn't help but think that maybe I need to have a clearance sale.

Impressed with the direct online sales of folks like Will and Liz, I'm going to follow their lead. Ultimately, my goal is simply to make enough to justify this trip that I'm determined to make anyway.

So, here's the deal, and really, please share with whomever:

print sale update: hmm... I had to suspend the print sale. Thanks for those who expressed interest and/or support, but it ends up that the art market's a little more complicated than I'd like. I'll just have to stick with making pictures and stay out of the business of selling them myself...

hey wait, yet another print sale update: if you want to buy something, just contact me directly and we'll figure it out. There are many options. I heart my gallerist.

call and yet another response

2008-10-03T10:58:00.001-07:00

call & response

2008-10-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

What well-known photograph did I have in mind when making this picture? Would anyone besides this small group of photo geeks ever pick up on the reference? Actually, will anyone within this small group of photo geeks even pick up the reference? Maybe that just makes it a dumb picture?

There should be more contests in the blogosphere, shouldn't there? Forget those postcard books (though I've still got some if you're interested), I'll mail an 8x10 pigment print of practically any picture of your choice to whoever is the first to identify the "source" I had in mind.

proud to be in such good company

2008-09-24T14:15:00.001-07:00

tiny tiny group show

role play

2008-09-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

google image search results for "role playing"

By far the most significant reason my blog's slowed down so much in recent months has been this. First, it was this and now it's this and this. I'm not alone in this situation either. I can think of many of us who hold dual roles as Photographer / Administrator, Photographer / Publisher, Photographer / Editor, Photographer / Critic, etc. Even those of us who bear the burden of blogging wear find ourselves wearing two distinctly different hats at times.

Many interesting questions come of the situation, but I'm afraid that my other lives have me too fried to articulate them at the moment and it's not all that fun when it's one-sided either. Maybe I should have other people enter the conversation? Maybe a group blog'd be better? Kind of like a photo version of the View. Please, chime in.

the desktop test

2008-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

my desktop this morning, courtesy Justin James Reed

Collect pictures into that source folder for your desktop and have it set to refresh every time you come out of sleep. If you find yourself tidying up so you can let the picture breathe alone, there in the center, it's probably a good sign that you love that picture or that it's got naked parts in it. If it does have naked parts in it, be careful on the airplane. Hey Justin, this is one of my favorite desktop pictures these days. Interested in talking about a print swap?

I've heard tales of the most amazing beef.

2008-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Ron Jude, San Fernando Valley, CA, 2004

Ron Jude, The Ice Plant, and Photo Eye.

from New York with love.

2008-09-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

suddenly

2008-09-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Elias Hansen installing work by Elias Hansen and Oscar Tuazon, Cooley Gallery, Reed College, 08.30.08

if you're around, please come to this opening. i'm supposed to design a cocktail, but that might mean PBR. i want something brown and layered, but with a garnish that can function as a visual rupture. any suggestions?

suddenly: where we live now — is a book, a set of exhibitions, and a series of public events beginning in Portland, Ore., this fall, and transpiring in various places around the world. www.suddenly.org

September 10, 2008, 7 pm, 4th floor deck at Milepost 5: cocktails; visual art; and, Colin Beattie discussing Greater Beaverton, including Guatemala and the Sonoran Desert. Photographs by Shawn Records; sound installation by Michael McManus; projects by Gary Wiseman and Mike Merrill; artists in attendance.

Free of charge, Milepost 5, 900 NE 81st Avenue, two blocks from the MAX at 82nd. inquiries suddenly@suddenly.org
suddenly is:

Thomas Sieverts • Saskia Sassen • Fritz Haeg • Karl Marx • Shawn Records • Lisa Robertson • Zoe Crosher • Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College • Center for Urban Pedagogy, NY • Frank Heath • Pacific Northwest College of Art • Rob Slifkin • Sam Lohmann • Hadley+Maxwell • Sergio Pastor • Molly Dilworth • UO Architecture • Castillo/Corrales, Paris • Michael McManus • Yi-Fu Tuan • Alexandra Harmon • Aaron Betsky • Oscar Tuazon • Storm Tharp • Coll Thrush • Nico Wright • Fernand Braudel • Rem Koolhaas • Pomona College Museum of Art • James Glisson • Mostlandian Citizens Junior Ambassador and Katy Asher • Michael Damm • Alison Shotz • Diana George • Mike Merrill • Weiden + Kennedy • Athens West • Paige Saez • Milepost 5 • Eric Fredericksen • Anselm Hook • The Zwischenspiel Puppet Opera Company • Rebecca McGrew • Beaverton Creek Village Mall • Gary Wiseman • Colin Beattie • Kenneth Mroczek • Storefront for Art and Architecture,NY • Danielle Dutton • Marc Joseph Berg • the back room • Matthew Stadler • Stephanie Snyder • and others…

baby steps

2008-09-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Todd Deutsch from Chasing the Family Drift

Yesterday I had the good fortune of hearing Todd Deutsch talk about his work, past and present, in conjunction with his current show Chasing the Family Drift, that's up at Blue Sky. I've been smitten with Todd's work for a good long while now and it was great to hear him talk about it and see how that discussion compared to the BS I've come up with every semester in class. So, now that a full 18 hours have passed, the talking points that stick:

• a photo a day: interesting how Todd described the structure of the Family Days project (that of making one photograph for each day) as working well for making the work, but not necessarily for presenting & editing the work. As I've gone on about before, I think far too often we draw these lines in a somewhat arbitrary or pseudo-sociological fashion, based on a particular subject matter or geographic location. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In this case, I think it makes sense because it comes back to the first-person, but yeah, once you're shooting, the pictures have a mind of their own and it's probably best to let the photographs inform one another rather than the calendar or a map. Of course, of course, there are always exceptions...

• the big picture: at some point early on in the talk, the question of truth came out as being a guiding force in Todd's practice. Which photos more honestly described his family life? Thank you Todd for bringing it back to the obvious. I hope that doesn't sound sarcastic because I'm not being sarcastic at all. Seriously, this is the fundamental question, isn't it?

• weiner-talk: like some other children I know, it ends up that Todd's sons have penises. That being the case, said penises are often present and noted within the course of day to day family life and, on occasion, find their way into a photograph or two. Todd was the first to bring up that question and leave it at that- what do you do with a photograph predominantly featuring your child's nether regions? In the search for truth/honesty within the family, it seems like it has to be acknowledged. My children spend a good portion of their days absentmindedly pulling themselves around while they go about their lives. Part security blanket, part leash... could there be a more potent symbol of childhood innocence?

For that reason alone, I'd argue that yes, the photographs must be made. But Todd's talk brought up another important aspect of this issue- that while a photograph of his son playing video games in his underwear at the age of 10 might not bother the boy, that same photograph, if seen by a girl in his class, might actually affect his day to day life. That's the sign of a good parent right there, isn't it? Looking out for their child, farther than the child might be able to see for his or her self.

So, what's the answer? Well, showing the images in question within the context of a slideshow where the question & the issues of trust, respect, etc. take center stage is a pretty great solution. It adds a new dimension to the artist's talk and makes it something more than a quiet formal rehash of someone's website.

That's not to judge others who freely show it all. I love Tierney Gearon's work, for example, but we've all just got to figure it out for ourselves. I can tell you that I've got a few family pictures that I'd love to use, but can't, simply because they make my family uncomfortable. I guess until I'm prepared to post pictures of my own business (don't worry, I'm not about to go there), I can't ask it of them.

Instead of purchasing naked pictures of kids, you should really buy this book .

Todd Deutsch, from the series Gamers

a good friend poses the question

2008-09-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

google image search results for "squawk"

"speaking of blogs, have you given up?"

Yes and no. I keep thinking that I'm five minutes away from my next blog post, but then something gets in the way. I kind of wonder if it's a seasonal thing for me. The weather's too nice still, but it'll get dark and gray soon. Perhaps it'll come back full force? In the meantime, I'm thinking of it as an extended hiatus in an attempt to rock more and squawk less. Everything's busy, but a good busy.

Say, in the event that I haven't been deleted from every google reader out there and someone will actually read this, I'm actually going to be in NYC next week. Bring on the recommendations so I can add them in to Google Earth. Photo and art recommendations yes, but not just photo stuff, what does one do in NYC with two boys, 6 and 11?

So far I've got Gray's Papaya and Michael Mazzeo's Gallery (hoping to make it to that opening on the 12th) on my personal to-do list and the Natural History Museum and a double decker bus tour for the kids. What else though? New York is kind of a tv place for me... I've been there a few times, but always pretty quick and busy. I'm really looking forward to seeing some things this time around.

i think it's a shame spiral

2008-07-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

my favorite google image search result for "shame spiral"

all I know is that between the editorial jobs, the show I just went to, the show I need to print for, and working towards putting on these Reviews, I not only haven't posted lately, but I haven't even logged in and looked at my reader in at least a month. It's become a source of guilt and I just can't deal with it these days. Hope you're all well. Actually, I am. I may be busy, but it's all the kind of busy I want to be.

Do I seem older, perhaps more mature? I'm a year older as of yesterday.

I'm actually writing for a purpose though. Is there any chance that you're interested in attending the NW Reviews? We've got a lot of great reviewers coming to town and we just had a last minute cancellation meaning there might be an open spot. Let me know asap if you're interested.

since i paid $6.95 for internet access, i should go ahead and do something with it before i catch my plane

2008-06-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

more to come, but a few things I love about Chicago:

New Catalog

the fact that I ate deep-fried macaroni and cheese while sitting across the table from Paul D'Amato (Justin, I chose this one for you)

potato pancakes from Manny's

Brian, of course

Jason Lazarus

and the Git

oh, and I've got no time to properly attribute or link, but add Karsten Lund, and the other fine folks at MoCP, Amy Stein, the brown line, and crunchy french toast to the list and you've got a pretty good idea of how great my last couple days have been. even so, the best part is that I'm almost home... all these great people around have me really excited to get home and make some pictures.

l.a. today, chicago tomorrow

2008-06-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Among the weirdest aspects of my current trip is that the rooftop where I hang out each morning affords this view of the plane hitting the building, over and over again, about every fifteen minutes.

it has been argued that the main distinction between humans and animals is self-awareness

2008-06-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

In an odd twist on my previous post, I had a magazine I'd done an editorial job for request an urgent headshot to run on the contributors page. The problem though, is that I'm currently a single parent in a hotel room with limited light and no tripod... that's where one's kids come in to the rescue. I had the kids shoot numerous pictures of me this morning. Here's one with that rare combination of being semi-sharp and me not trying to tell them what to do. In fact, the head turn with angelic tilt upwards, something I've had subjects do on occasion, was Max's idea. I didn't send it to the magazine, but he's on to something. That something being to make me quit staring into the lens in such a stern fake way. I swear, they all read like I'm either really intense, or that I'm just trying to pretend that I'm not.

I think Aaron, in his comments on my previous post, is on to something. Maybe the best way to deal with it is to go back to the old school methods of reportage. More on this later...

my heroes have always stared out windows (oftentimes while smoking)

2008-06-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

A good friend pointed out the other day that my blog really sucks lately. Yeah sure, I'll take that. Just awfully busy answering to tasks that have deadlines and/or pay. But, that said, all of a sudden here I find myself done with school for the summer (well, I still need to post grades), and down in Los Angeles for the next week. Not a lot of free time, but still, I'm going to try to build up a little blogmentum here. But that said, I just realized that I've got about twenty minutes and then have to leave for the day. I'm going to cut through the bullshit and get to the core…

Yesterday, after my breakfast partner left me at the hotel restaurant to finish my coffee, I had a long and awkward moment with myself. The hotel's mirrored walls left me in an empty restaurant, staring at my remarkably egg-shaped head. Though it wasn't exactly fully conscious, I realized that I kept picking up my coffee cup and staring out the window, while trying to peek back and watch myself doing so. Here it was, that awkward moment my subjects feel when I'm doing an editorial job, only I was there as both photographer and subject, confused in both roles, trying to figure out what the other wanted, painfully self-aware the entire time.

This moment brings up one or two incomplete thoughts that I'd love to just throw out for discussion:

• band photography: is there a way to photograph a group of painfully self-aware 20 somethings in their hipster finest and not have it reek? Please, let's talk about band photography- show/share. My favorite band photo of all time is the inside jungle hippie photo from an old Three Dog Night album, but I can't find it online. I just remember it had a pregnant woman and a watermelon in it and, in a sense, is somewhat reminiscent of Justine Kurland's contemporary work.

• I recently came across something where a curator said that they did not want to see "disaffected young people staring into space." The phrase has stuck ever since… I think it's certainly one of those contemporary clichés, but again, one that I lean toward defending. By keeping the gesture ambiguous, don't we (photographers), create a sort of space for projection? I don't know, it's a hard line to tread. Maybe overused because it's so effective?

Hmm, we'll come back to this. Gotta run.

Robert Frank, the Americans

Anton Corbjin from the film Closer

Justine Kurland

My Dearest Darling,

2008-06-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

yet more google image searching... forgiveness

I know, I know, our relationship's a little out of balance lately. I feel like we really need to have a talk. Early on, when we were just getting to know one another, we fueled each other. You certainly excited and inspired me, and hopefully, at least occasionally, I did the same for you. But lately, work (in its varied forms) has just got me wiped out, I'm not getting any exercise, I'm eating all this shitty food (don't tell my wife, but I've gone to Taco Bell at least 3 times in the past 2 weeks), and in terms of this, our relationship, I realize that I've become a taker and not a giver. Don't think that I don't know that it's been little more than the occasional foul joke and witty photo-related banter, but I know that if I can't give you what you need, you'll go find it elsewhere. I promise, I'll try again. Soon. It'll get better, I promise.

In the meantime, and I know it's asking a lot to ask for more help when I give you so little these days, but still if you can find a spark of what we used to have...
for the life of me I can't figure out how the hell to copy multiple layers in Photoshop and paste them in place within another document as an Action.

As a gesture of how much I appreciate your tips, and how much you mean to me, I'd love to send you a copy of Michael Bishop's incredibly popular postcard book Michael Bishop's Views of the NYS Barge Canal. I remember how much you liked it.

Love,
Shawn

p.s. Thanks Liz, Mel, Jacinda (& Kelli & Betsy), I'm still working on my plans, but hope to book it all tomorrow.

Chicago

2008-05-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Say, if you were going to be in Chicago at the end of July and had secured a little faculty development money to cover your hotel costs, where would you stay that would be convenient for drunkenly walking home from the MOCP? And what else, besides trying to arrange a drink with Brian, Todd, and Amy would you do while you're there? Other than a few airport layovers and a quick drive through, I've never spent any time there. Hoping to book my ticket today or tomorrow.

Reading this in the DART newsletter the other day almost made me choke on my eggs:

really exciting...

if i didn't have fifteen other things i need to deal with today

2008-05-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

i'd follow my nose from here, an image i discovered yesterday while trying to find the phone number of my neighborhood grocery store:

read the comments on the flickr page.

Of course, that lead me to here, a slightly more academic (Arty) conversation about Gursky's picture.

Jorg's got a nice one here.

But of course, it's the auction price that draws attention, isn't it?

But I think this one's my favorite.

among my many fears, i occasionally wonder what i might do if i were to lose my eyesight (or my trampoline?)

2008-05-29T09:53:00.001-07:00

Paul Strand, 1916

And when that question/fear does arise, I try to assure myself that to a certain extent something similar could be done with sound. But of course, without seeing what's going on, it'd certainly be harder to anticipate when to press the button wouldn't it? Thus I guess I'd need to walk the earth constantly recording everything around me and then editing the juicy bits of interest after the fact.

The one-sided conversation from a 24? year old woman I overheard at school yesterday while standing at the coffee vending machine, waiting for my cup to fill:

Yeah, I've got two kids, 1 and 3.

Yeah, we met with a lawyer and he was all 'You've got to go through marriage counseling,' but I was all like "Fuck that" so last night, my husband and I sat down all calm and quiet and just talked to each other like this and decided that we could do it ourselves, fill out all the paperwork and negotiate everything together. It was easy. He gets the Playstation and I get the Wii. I mean, he wants the trampoline too, but I don't care about that. I mean, I can get another trampoline.

an assortment of "happy birthday" google image search results to share with my friend Ralf on his 36th birthday

2008-05-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

you know, i'm thirty five years old, have been making pictures for about twelve years now, but I've never photographed lightning before this weekend.

2008-05-26T10:54:00.001-07:00

with tripod on front stoop

hand-held out back

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2008-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Bob, Chase, Mel, Leslie, Andrew, and Blake on my recent request. You've just planned Monday's class for me. Here's something I can offer in return:

It came in from a former student with "God's Love" in the subject heading, right after Chase's link to the nascent sexuality polaroid study.

help me out?

2008-05-16T10:08:00.001-07:00

next week, in all three of my classes, I want to talk about photo projects that deal with history. I've got an earlier post here where I mention some examples that I like to use. Others include the thirdview site and maybe one or two of the other rephotographic projects (like Susan Meiselas' "Re-framing History," but I'd love to find something where someone is looking into their personal history, rather than our collective. I swear I remember seeing a project somewhere through the blogosphere within the past few months where the photographer was shooting sites of personal relevance. Anything come to mind?
Thanks.

google image search results for "winogrand" that weren't exactly what I was looking for

2008-05-16T09:39:00.001-07:00

plug

2008-05-13T08:26:00.001-07:00

great expectations

2008-05-11T08:35:00.001-07:00

hint: read carefully

Photo District News is bad for me, but Mericle is good.

2008-05-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

the kptv site, right now.

For awhile there, maybe a year ago, Jenny and I found ourselves watching the early news each night, the Fox news that comes on at ten. To a certain extent, we felt like we knew what we were doing, that we could recognize the fear-mongering, sensationalism and the self-promotion with their nightly updates about American Idol, but even with that sense of distance, we just could not get distant enough. Almost every day Jenny would wake up at four in the morning with her heart racing. Meth mouth, the juvenile justice system, the failures of No Child Left Behind, that kindergarten molester in Hillsboro, the gang-related stabbing down the street from here that of course brings up issues of institutionalized racism and segregation right here in the neighborhood so of course, we're somehow making it worse because whether we like it or not we really are the gentrification problem what with our desires for organic coffee and indy video stores... anyhow, there seemed no end to the list of things that we could, perhaps even should, worry about.

After a few weeks, we quit watching. And things got better. That is, Jenny still wakes with the same fears, regularly even, but at least with less frequency.

In a similar way, I just realized that Photo District News brings out the worst in me. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad magazine at all. In fact, I've long admired the way that it often deals with contemporary Art photography in an intelligent way, alongside a feature on a stock photographer from Ohio who's figured out that the key to efficiency (thus profit) is to leave the tripod and lighting in place and just change lens and your models more frequently. The problem isn't with the magazine, but with me. This morning I picked up one of the two issues that I've let sit over the past couple months. After flipping through half of an issue I realized that my mood had gone sour. I need to make new cards, I need to drum up more work, I didn't even submit to three of the calls I see mentioned, I'm jealous that guy's putting out a book, I'm bitter that woman already did, I'm old, I'm petty, I'm lazy, I'm tired... see, the thing is that after flipping through and feeling my blood pressure rise, I realized that the extent of my anxiety had everything to do with business and practically nothing to do with photography.

For a salve though, I put the magazine down and picked up my favorite thing that came in the mail this past week: Danielle Mericle's Seneca Ghosts. This is a quiet book, a subtle book, a collection of what my students would probably dismiss as boring landscapes full of tangled branches and dirt roads shot on overcast afternoons. But of course, it's subtlety is its strength. Following an elusive herd of albino deer through a de-activated army depot in Central New York, Mericle's pictures question time, fact, and feeling. Because of the Cold-war depot's protected status, the deer have thrived. In a sense, these novelty deer are the direct result of our tangled political past, yet whenever we pick up the trail and come closer for examination, they vanish, leaving only traces. It's fascination and failure all at once.

has anyone seen

2008-05-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

it?

I haven't. Does the printing look alright?

Boonville USA, Portland style

2008-05-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's kind of like when you were watching Happy Days and the girls from Laverne & Shirley showed up.

That's right, as I type, Tim's on the couch catching up on his own blog/email/whatever and doesn't even know I'm posting this. In fact, if you add Jenny we've got three laptops humming along right now in the same room. Add some Yo La Tengo and we're practically an indy coffee shop. Anyhow, I had the good fortune to have Tim speak in two of my three classes yesterday and boggle my students with the concept of a modern day itinerant photographer living out of his Chrysler. It was really great...

I don't know if it was inspiring to them, but it sure has been to me.

for today's ramblings

2008-04-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

i'll defer to the fine folks who fart on thunder. thanks guys, that was fun.

here's your chance to come to portland

2008-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Photolucida's Northwest Summer Portfolio Reviews

July 26th & 27th, 2008

FYI: We just announced this and opened registration this morning. Now, three hours later, it's already half-full. Crazy.

By the way, what the information page doesn't tell you: Blue Sky, where the reviews are being held, is just blocks away from Voodoo doughnuts, a great 24 hour donut shop where you can get a wide variety of adult doughnuts (well, on further thought, that wide variety may just be the standard two, maybe three), and doughnuts covered with a wide range of excessive toppings, like Oreo's, Cap'n Crunch, and though I've never come across it, I hear there's a bacon-covered maple bar as well.

some pictures off the card in my camera. some words written about thirty hours ago.

2008-04-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Though I won't have internet to post this until I get home, I actually type from the airport in Athens, at the tail end of a twelve hour layover. I took advantage of arriving early enough to catch the Metro in to see the Acropolis at dusk, but was too nervous (and cheap) to do anything but walk around for an hour and then take the train right back to the airport. Now, I just need to stay awake for the next hour until the plane boards. The rest of the night was spent with coffee and listening to this song over and over.

Perfect.

I guess the details were kind of vague, but due to unexpected events, our reviewer for Blue Sky was unable to make it to Thessaloniki, Greece to review portfolios at their Photo Bienniale. I got a call last weekend asking if there was any chance that I could fill in at the last minute? You know I'm always glad to help.

A few lessons learned:

• Exchange money at the airport, before you head into town after the banks are closed.
• Bring a healthy supply of Tylenol pm. Two pills and a beer helps with the adjustment.
• Travel with a sandwich. In fact, I've still got a sandwich in my bag that I bought about 16 hours ago. I think it's still alright. I wonder if I can save it until I get home.

• My understanding of the history of photography is woefully Ameri-centric. It's really pathetic. But the connections were great. I mean, I met with a really good b&w street photographer who was doing work similar to Nathan Lyons, around the same time, but had never heard of Lyons.
• I am no street photographer. Maybe with some balls and practice, but I lack the courage and reflexes to really pull it off. I did spend a little time shooting from the hip on my one day off. note the bad focus:

• Of course, there are other lessons learned, about the business side of things- the painful necessity of self-promotion, but honestly, it's all stuff I've heard/read/said before (you know, Mary Virginia Swanson's got loads of great advice). But in case you haven't:

• Know your audience. Before you show work to anyone (at least if you're paying for it), know where their interests lie. Don't waste your time showing work to someone from a gallery/magazine/publisher that won't have any interest in your work. If you're honestly just looking for feedback, that's fine, but you're probably not going to get a very positive response if you're showing black & white art-school conceptual nudescapes to an editor from an agency that represents photojournalism.

• If you're not going to label the cd, at least write your name on it. And make sure it works.

• Don't give the reviewers anything more than a cd, or maybe a postcard. Baggage is an issue. I brought everything that works back with me, but I've heard stories.

• Installation views make a big difference.

• I don't know that it's necessary to bring lots of big prints, but at least make sure that the prints you bring don't have chemical stains and scratches on them.

• Meeting people in person actually works. I came away with at least three or four projects I'll bring to the exhibition committee. Actually, I've been on both sides of the table, a few times now. I've reviewed for Blue Sky at Photolucida a couple times now, and have shown work at Photolucida, Santa Fe, and SPE. Of course, it's ultimately about the work, but if the work's good and you meet the right person who recognizes that it's good, then time will make something happen. But don't come in expecting to find solutions for work that you're unsure of. If you meet 5 different reviewers, four will have differing opinions and the fifth will find something else in a picture to talk about (location/weather/politics) to fill the awkward silence because your work is so far out of their range of interest.

Photolucida normally does our reviews every two years, but we've got something smaller and more regional in the works for this summer. Get on the mailing list if you're interested in finding out. In the past these things have filled up really quickly.

talk about a good week (for me, anyway)

2008-04-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

• first, there was this

• then came this

• and now, through an unfortunate turn of events (for someone else), I'm on my way to this, while I should be doing this:

I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty lucky right now. Even though I'm nursing a mild nosebleed in a McDonald's in the midst of a five hour layover in Frankfurt. Reports to come. Hey, anybody know of an easy good way to make a slideshow I can embed in my blog?

i once was lost

2008-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Wakaba Noda, from Making a Map

Yesterday, my copy of Wakaba Noda's Making a Map arrived and I've been swooning over it ever since. I have to admit, I want to spend a little time with it and see how I feel after the initial blush. I must acknowledge that I'm swayed by this really great statement/publisher's description:

Trying to create a perfect place by assembling photographs of small wonders, Noda makes a map of a world not defined by geography, but by the possibilities that photography offers.

Kind of reminds me of another favorite statement, the preface to Some Twenty Odd Visions, a book put out by Blue Sky Gallery all the way back in 1978.

Robert Di Franco, from Some Twenty Odd Visions

The preface:

These photographs are maps to get lost by. They are not instruments to guide our travels through the unknown. Rather than making new territory familiar, they make familiar territory new. As children, we never quite knew what was going on, and the world was filled with mystery. Now that we have grown up and found out what things are, we have forgotten how to imagine what else they might be. We are creatures of habit, and have come to an agreement about how the world looks. However, in these photographs the normal everyday objects and spaces that we take for granted lose their familiarity, and the world regains the richness and mystery that we once saw.

things i really like this week

2008-04-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

• this photo (and the book it comes from):

Andrew Phelps, from Higley

• the fact that Ed Panar made it into APE's recent slideshow/showcase. In truth, I haven't watched the whole thing, just the first of four parts and afterwards found myself thinking that I wasn't really into much of anything there except for a few images. When I checked those out, I realized two of them were Ed's. Congratulations, Ed.
Ed Panar, from the series "Golden Palms." Boy, this would sure make a pretty great t-shirt, too, wouldn't it?

• this photo and the whole series of photographs from art classes:

Kyoko Hamada, Town Paintings, from the series "Apples and Bananas"

I've had quite the art crush on Kyoko Hamada for some time. Go to the Bill Charles site and you will too. I came across this series on this disc of the Critical Mass 2007 submissions. One of the tasks I've been trying to accomplish in my free time is going through each of the Critical Mass entrants and plucking the pictures of interest out for... I don't know, a slideshow, fan clubs, who knows, maybe it'll build it up to curatorial ambitions? All I know is that there's a lot of great work there.

• Two films that really inspire, for completely different reasons (and perhaps audiences):

Apart from That

handsome book with dvd, soundtrack, & stills. only $40!

Just the other day I read somewhere in my google reader that all photographers really want to be filmmakers. I don't necessarily buy that, but I certainly envy the way that film actually has an audience (let's face it, the fans of photography are other photographers). I also envy filmmakers like Randy Walker and Jennifer Shainin who've made a film that's slow, quiet, smart, and like so many independent films, a labor of love that required an enormous amount of patience, planning, and, compared to photography anyway, money. Lately, I've been whining about how hard it is to get a weekend free and hotel & gas costs to go shoot. With this film in mind, I'll just shut up and figure out how to make it work.

The other film is Hot Rod. Believe me, I was as surprised as you are that I didn't hate this.

If you're going to put your money into one, make it the former. If you're exhausted and just trying to make it through the end of the day, the latter.

more t-shirt fodder

2008-04-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

hmm... maybe? Michael Northrup, from Beautiful Ecstasy

my valentine's photo made in a Mexican restaurant somewhere in Washington

Alec Soth, Untitled 47, from Dog Days Bogota

or any of these polaroids from Mike Slack:

right around here (yesterday afternoon)

2008-04-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

My good friend Danielle's visiting for her show at Blue Sky and while giving her a tour of the house, we came across this mystery:

right around here

2008-04-03T16:48:00.001-07:00

click on it... isn't it a beaut?

Do you think there's really some kind of software out there, like that I see in the cop shows, that allows one to lay a photo like this over satellite photographs of an area and determine the exact location it was made from? I want to know where Carleton Watkins was standing. Then I want to do the same thing with my grandmother's photos of her trip to Yellowstone. Hmmm... maybe we could all start a blog/group and rephotograph landscapes of shared interest. I'm kind of busy these days. Somebody go set that up, will you?

ACT NOW!

2008-04-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Find me a photo where one of these titles actually help and I'll gladly send you a copy of Michael Bishop's 1981 postcard book Michael Bishop's View of the NYS Barge Canal:

Ascension
Loss
Tortured Soul
Alone
Solitude
In Darkness
Muse

Please, bring 'em on... add to the list.

yet another thing i need to get done before i die (though i don't have any immediate plans or anything)

2008-03-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Henry & Ruth (in the shop right now)

I had a conversation with a photo friend the other night about obituary photos and how important they are. Neither one of us has a decent photo of ourselves. It made me think that I really would like to have a photograph of myself that isn't embarrassing or where my head's not especially egg-shaped. If not for me, then for the kids. I don't know, maybe this one from the mac camera's okay... still a little egg-shaped though.

spreading the gospel.

2008-03-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

One of the most exciting aspects of Spring Break '08 was finding a package of inkjet iron on transfers that I bought years ago. Sam put one to good use and made himself a t-shirt:

Following his lead (I try to do this as much as possible), I plan on making myself some t-shirts of photos I like. But to work as a t-shirt, the image can't be too complex or subtle. Also, I need to be able to scan it out of a book to get a high enough resolution. Martin Parr immediately comes to mind (and is on the bookshelf). Being such a master of marketing, I'm surprised he hasn't done this already. These three are currently under consideration:

before, during, after

2008-03-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

I seem to have lost my blogging momentum. Lots going on around here, mostly good, and I just haven't had the time to put into it. The passion's still there, but I've been busy, tired, a little flu-ish even. Contrary to what you might think, Spring Break '08 hasn't been full of the beer-fueled ejaculatory shenanigans the mythology (of Spring Break) inspires.

Speaking of, the more I think about it, the more fascinated I am with the subject of sex in photography. Thanks for those replies that I did receive, but I was kind of surprised that there weren't more. Matthew pointed out the difficulty of my query though… photography that deals with sex without being voyeuristic? Is that even possible?

Maybe… I don't know. I wonder if the trick is photography that deals with sex while not necessarily being photographs of people having sex. I guess the thing I'm looking for is work that acknowledges sex as just another element of being human and getting through the day.

Though I haven't put too much effort, thought, or analysis into it, these pictures all come to mind as being somewhat sexual, but not necessarily voyeuristic. Perhaps "intimacy" is the word. I guess you could argue that it's a question of timing. Each strikes me as being sexual in that they could be read as either before or after:

Michael Northrup, from Beautiful Ecstasy

JoAnn Verburg, Untitled, 1989 from Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort

Rachael Dunville, Markus

On a semi-related note, way behind the rest of the world, I finally sat down over the past few days and spent some time with Taryn Simon's An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar. It's the kind of project that really impresses me with it's scope, research, access, and insight. It's one of the best books I've come across in a long while, but the funny thing is that I don't love much of the actual photography. Some is pretty great, but much is maybe a little too deadpan and clinical. Still though, it's a book that excites me and makes me want to get off my ass and make something.

One of the reasons I was so slow in putting the book on my library list, even with all the buzz I've read about it this past year, is that my previous idea of Simon's work was skewed by some older work that I've seen somewhere- highly cinematic and stylized money shots. Though I can't find the image that turned me off (alright, maybe after it turned me on), here's another from the same series. Just imagine Harold Edgerton photographing sex instead of bullets shooting through apples. It's weird that I can't find any more of Simon's sex project today, but I did come across a conversation on Amy's blog from last year that dealt with the same work, but the work in question is no longer on the Richardson mag site either. That passion's gone.

Taryn Simon?, title?, date?

Spring Break '08

2008-03-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

Two more days of grading odds and ends and getting my ducks in a row and then Spring Break '08 has officially begun. Now as much as I enjoy school and photography, I'll be the first to admit that it's nice to walk away every now and then and rediscover other pleasures. To that end, a Law and Order re-run forced me to the internet for my television time the other night and I've spent the past few nights streaming the series of "American Pie" movies on my laptop.

I know, it's sad. No, they're not especially good. Yes, they're very juvenile, but still, now I can't stop until I've seen them all or the free links break.

But of course it's got me thinking about sex. Specifically sex and photography and what photos or projects out there deal with sex in some way that goes beyond the voyeuristic or political? Nan Goldin immediately comes to mind as someone who's done it well, but once again, I welcome input here.

Shit, see how hard it is. Now that the subject's out there, every sentence is an unintended innuendo.

i'm trying to avoid a knows/nose pun here.

2008-03-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

John Baldessari, "Noses & Ears, Etc. (Part Four): Altered Person (with Blue Nose).", 2007

My favorite aspect of this blogworld is that conversations take place, information gets exchanged, and on a good day, I come away having learned something or at least having commiserated in some way. In response to my previous post, my real-world friend Mary Wheeler (yes, everyone I know uses both names every time, I'm not sure why) asked a question I have no answers for, but I can't help but wonder if some of you do? Mary works for a company that creates museum exhibits. She asks...
"we're at the very beginning stages of a project where we'll be developing media for an exhibit on scents or fragrance (to be determined) -- I've been thinking about how various media address the ineffable, and I was wondering what the field of photography has to add to this -- are there works that deal with senses other than the visual? with synesthesia? how can be? if you had to choose a photograph to represent scents or fragrance, what would it be? (and in answering that last question, you'd just be doing my homework for me, so feel free to pass).

Pass, I will, Mary. Pass it on. From all the great responses I've received to my teaching queries in the past, I bet someone out here has some good ideas. I'll keep thinking on it myself, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

is it the name or the context that's more important?

2008-03-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm swamped with grading these days, but can practically smell Spring Break. Identify the photographer, project, or the context of our discussion:

"Edward Norton. Picture shows the Native American life style. Edward Norton would often dress up and pose his subjects in a way that didn't really portray their lives but more so the way the rest of America pictured them."

From Chattanooga to Denver

2008-03-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lee Friedlander, Galax, Virginia, 1962

While I'm here on the front lines with my last class before Spring break today, the majority of the nation's full-time tenure-track photo crowd is assembling in Denver for the national Society of Photographic Education conference. In honor of the Friedlander sub-text of late (in a sense, he's all about scale & self, isn't he?), as well as SPE, I'll reprint one of my favorite pieces of writing by John Szarkowski, his afterward to Friedlander's Self Portrait.

I once happened to attend a conference, designed to wring from photography its deepest secrets, and later to publish them in five (I think) languages, not including, of course, the language of photography, which is too difficult, ambivalent, ambiguous, or mysterious to be broken to pull in harness with languages that have dictionaries and grammars. In spite of the apparent hopelessness of the problem, the conference was attended by critics, aestheticians, other philosophers, social scientists of various specialties, prophets, and politicians, most of whom seemed dedicated to the proposition that the group might, if it put its common shoulder to the wheel, determine what photography ultimately meant, so that the question could by Sunday morning be declared dead, and never again waste the time of the panelists.

The program might have proceeded smoothly toward its goal if Friedlander had not been invited, but he was. He was also, if my memory serves me correctly, the first speaker on the program. I use the word speaker in the nominal sense, for he began by saying that he had nothing to say about his pictures, but had brought three Carousel trays of slides - three hundred and sixty pictures - to show, and would be happy to try to answer any questions that the audience might have. The pictures were carefully and intelligently chosen, and arranged chronologically, and the slides were beautifully made, so that it would have been possible to lean back and take pleasure in the view that an important twentieth-century artist had formed to describe the evolution of his own career. But this would have been rewarding only to those who believe that pictures have a life, and a life history, of their own. To those (perhaps half of those assembled) who believed that it was the function of pictures to provide ancillary proof to truths that might be formulated by wise blind men, it was deeply distressing to be asked to sit and watch pictures without dialogue or sub-titles for ten minutes, then fifteen minutes, without having been given a text that one could agree with, or disagree with, or agree with in part, with wise, witty, delightful exceptions, citing St. Augustine or Groucho Marx or Walter Benjamin or Jacques Derrida or others who, however innocent of any complicity with or even knowledge of the sins or the provisional triumphs of photography, were called upon to bear witness to its ultimate possibilities. Friedlander (perhaps innocently, or perhaps with some higher Metternichian sophistication) had momentarily foiled the philosophers and the politicians and the social scientists by giving them nothing but pictures, which was not quite the grist their mills needed.

After twenty minutes or so of this embarrassing mismatch, a public-spirited auditor in the back of the room decided to sacrifice himself by asking what was obviously a ludicrously irrelevant question, but that might serve to get the intellectual ball rolling. He asked: "Where did you make that one, Herr Friedlander?" Friedlander, obviously pleased to be asked a question that he could answer without compromising his own standards of precision and concision, promptly responded that the picture in question had been made in Toledo. Friedlander was in fact so pleased with the question (which did not concern his life in bed, or his political commitments, or his insights into the ultimate secrets of life), that he announced to the audience that he would be happy to identify the place at which each of the remaining quarter-thousand pictures were made, and he proceeded to do so: "Memphis ... New City ... Phoenix ... Cambridge ... Jackson Hole ... Syracuse ... etc." As Friedlander continued his recitation of place names a considerable part of his audience seemed to sink into a progressively deeper confusion, perhaps in some cases due to the perception that so many great ancient cities seemed to have sunk so low. Finally another voice, polite but firm, asked whether it was really relevant that he had made this particular picture in Chattanooga. Friedlander considered the question for a moment and, with a respectful seriousness of manner that I have no reason to believe feigned, said yes, he thought it was relevant that the picture had been made in Chattanooga, because if he (Friedlander) had not been in that city he would not have been able to make that picture.

- Masters-of-photography.com

any bumper sticker ideas?

2008-03-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Tony Mendoza

In the midst of my drinking and schmoozing last week, I spent some time talking to a nice designer guy from California who referred to himself as a "humble, amateur" photographer. He said that he'd been really interested in photography, but found that after photographing every tree, kid, sunset, friend, etc. around him, it all began to seem redundant and boring. As if he'd approached every available subject, did what he could do with it, and wanted to move on to the next thing.

The more I think about it, the more I think that his approach to photography makes sense, but is the very source of the problem that he's encountering. More often than not, students in my intro classes come in with the notion that the success of a photograph is almost exclusively dependent upon their choice of subject matter. If a picture includes a weathered barn or a dog or a southwest desert, it must be "good." As I've gone and on about here (speaking of redundancy), my interests are in photography that is about that relationship between the photographer and the subject, whether it's a barn or a dog or a red rock arch.

Wright Morris

Len Jenshel

If I were going to lose money by producing photography related bumper stickers, the first sticker I'd make would be "DON'T TAKE PICTURES, MAKE PICTURES" for it's reinforcement of the call for individual action. It's rare that passivity is used to advantage, maybe in terms of personal interaction, but not in terms of the actual picture-making. But still, the question is one of balance. Making work that's honest and personal, yet not so manipulated or indulgent that it becomes excessive or narcissistic. A favorite quote from Robert Adams, a perfect example of a photographer who doesn't appear to have ever gotten bored with trees:

"When we think of pictures in the documentary style we think of views that tend to be frontal, that are made from enough distance to put the subject in context but not so far away as to reduce the scene to an abstraction of oriental planes, and pictures that are printed so that they are not difficult to retranslate back into life. There are, to be sure, as many varieties and degrees of this style as there are photographers who use it, but its distinguishing characteristic is always the same, restraint- an avoidance of bizarre camera angles, extreme lenses and formats, and exotic darkroom manipulations. That rationale is respect, a deference for the subject on its own terms a deference afforded naturally to what is itself eloquent. The photographer's chief effort is to be fair."
-from Why People Photograph ("Michael Schmidt")

a little more on my relative size

2008-03-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Lee Friedlander, New York City, 1974

It's been days since I've posted, but believe me, I 'm still small.

Yesterday morning my email inbox poured forth with 177 messages, 173 of which were old messages that I'd already received months ago. On top of that, when I tried replying to one of those four emails that mattered, I found I was able to receive, but unable to send emails. Four hours and two calls to tech support later, I got it back up and running, but somewhere in the process I've lost my entire email history. Yesterday morning, I had 17,000 emails in my account, now it's about 300.

Ultimately, my frustration is born out of scale, and it's accompanying lack of control. Like love, death, or the weather, the internet seems a little too large for my full comprehension. At least without putting in more work than it's worth. That's the issue, isn't it? Control. Whether it's with a camera, a microscope, or an equation, we look for patterns and boundaries as a way to map possibilities, as a way to have a little bit of control.

In previous posts I've written of how I'd applied for a job in advertising, but was unsure about whether or not I'd even want it. Well last week there was a two day meet-and-greet that involved bringing us applicants together to meet one another and then culminating in a casual party that was very much like a portfolio review, but with music and beer.

It was fun. I met some nice people and spent thirty six hours outside my house, in a world of money and cool. Though we didn't actually talk about advertising much, I've been thinking about it a lot since. I also see it within the context of scale. Ultimately, it's not just me, we're all small. Advertising makes people feel bigger by making them part of something larger than themselves. It sells the illusion of control. Like photography itself, it's kind of a complicit lie:

I am a small man.

2008-03-06T09:20:00.001-08:00

Adam Golfer, from the series Pioneers

Years ago, when I was just discovering photography, I was driving down Broadway Avenue in Boise, Idaho and noticed that just beyond the shadow of the giant football stadium, on the outskirts of the hundreds of cars in the parking lot, two neighborhood kids had borrowed a couple traffic cones to set up a makeshift roller hockey court. At the time, I was struck by how small and oblivious they seemed in relation to the machinery of the world and I cursed myself for not having a camera on hand.

There are plenty of photographs I haven't made that stick in my head, the ones that got away, but for some reason, this one keeps coming back, even now, at least ten years later. I'm guessing that it has something to do with scale. Not just the physical scale of the kids in relation to the stadium, but that constant questioning of the scale of me/us in relation to the world. I can't help but think that photography, if not all photography, at least the kind that I practice and gravitate towards, is nothing but an examination of scale; the constant questioning of what's out there (in both the physical and emotional worlds) and how I/we relate to it. The small person in a big space isn't the only way to deal with that, especially if it becomes formulaic, but it can be pretty effective.

Mitch Epstein, West Side Highway, New York City 1977

from the Powers of Ten by Charles and Ray Eames

Joel Sternfeld, Approximately 17 of 41 Sperm Whales That Beached and Subsequently Died, Florence, Oregon, June 1979

not the same whales (this is from 1970), but certainly of interest:

finally

2008-03-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

my less squawking more rocking Wednesdays are coming together. Lots of new work.

shawnrecords.org

I'm especially excited about a new project: Harbor. It's quiet, but starting to come together.

spread the word

2008-03-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

Carrie Mae Weems, When Did You Leave Heaven? 2001

Anybody have a friend with leanings toward the romantic and a spare $5000? I'm long on the former, but not exactly swimming in cash right now.

Well, tell your money-having collector friends about Photolucida's Great Northwest Portfolio.

the week in review

2008-03-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

One thing I'm still learning about teaching- sometimes it's difficult to drive the computer and talk at the same time. The cadence is one of fits and starts. That being the case, oftentimes the hand clicks and pauses while the mind and/or mouth race to catch up.

Three times in the past week, I found myself kind of pausing midstream to make a point and when I surfaced I realized that I was standing next to a 9 foot projection of each of these images. How much do you want to bet that no one heard a word I said?

Jessica Dimmock

Kelli Connell

Charlie White

Upon the realization, I think I looked something like this:

rendering via simpsonizeme.com

But with a red beard and a sweater.

Speaking of class, thanks again for all the great digi photographer tips.

a letter from A.D. Coleman

2008-02-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

within the past three minutes, this email was forwarded to me twice. Seems worthy to pass it on:

Dear Friends,

Many of us, especially in the arts community, have been waiting for
this bill to come up (again) for a quite a while.

This artist deduction bill (S.548) (H.R. 1524) would give artists the
right to deduct the fair market value of their work when donating it
to museum (and in some cases other charities). Believe me, artists are
constantly being asked to donate work to different charities for
fundraising purposes. Visual Art Fundraisers are very common and
widely used every year to support foundations that benefit cancer
research, Parkinson's, diabetes, AIDS, and other non-profit causes.

Another aspect that I find particularly interesting is that often
museums (of every size) can be hit with budget constraints and this
can be quite difficult when attempting to build or even maintain
certain collections. If an artists gets the same fair shake from the
I.R.S. that a collector might get, then artist donated pieces may more
often find their way into those collections.

As it stands now, the artist can only deduct the amount of the
material costs of creating their work (the cost of paint, canvas,
clay, paper...)

This bill is non-partisan and fair. If you can support it, please
click on this link...

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=9521951

...and simply by typing in your zip code a letter of support will be
sent to your senators and congressmen.

Thanks,

Allen

I'm so biased

2008-02-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

toward straight photography that here I find myself needing good examples of artists who work with photoshop/manipulation to add layers of image & meaning, but I'm drawing a blank. All I can think of right now is Stephen Marc, Jason Salavon, and Chris Jordan's newer work. Come on, help me out... this is for class tonight.

Speaking of Chris Jordan, have you seen this?

update: thanks already for the tips... these are great. of course, how could i forget gursky & jeff wall? two more whose work i can think of, but i'm drawing a blank on: the guy from chicago who strips the text from the world (i'll look through brian's links). the other is the guy with the new england prep school summer camp orgy scenes. hmmm... my description is lacking, but if you've seen it, you know what i mean. oh, and i just remembered two that i do love to show: kelli connell and peter freitag's "examples for communication."

"Oh do it, do it you motherfuckers..." more second-hand inspiration

2008-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Hey, I'm really behind on comments and correspondence, but thanks much for all the feedback. Lots of great stuff there.

As I sit out in my shop and work, I tend to get stuck on a song and play that same song over and over for a good three or four days until I'm done with it. For the past couple of days, it's been this one. Last week it was this one:

I remember an entire month last year when it was this one. And then there was this one. Oh God, and this one.

Somewhere, I've read an interview or an essay about this very phenomenon, where the writer likened this fascination for a new song as a problem, or a puzzle, that the mind needs to work out, thus the necessity of the repetition. While looking for the article (I swear it was either Dave Eggers or Nick Hornsby), I came across an older (2000) interview that had been reprinted in Harper's, between Eggers and the Harvard Advocate. The Advocate's writer asks Eggers about "selling out" and whether or not Eggers was taking any steps to "keep shit real." Ultimately, Eggers analyzes the questions as a sad cultural condition related to the consumption of cool. In a sense, it directly addresses my recent questions about that balance of making photographs, as well as a living. I'm tempted to sit here and retype the whole damn thing, it's so good, but this is a situation where I'd rather just tell you all to get a Harper's subscription and then look up their archives for August, 2000 and read the whole thing yourself. There's a lovely Crewdson photograph in the spread too.

A great portion:

"The thing is, I really like saying yes. I like new things, projects, plans, getting people together and doing something, trying something, even when it's corny or stupid. I am not good at saying no. And I do not get along with people who say no. When you die, and it really could be this afternoon, under the same bus wheels I'll stick my head if need be, you will not be happy about having said no. You will be kicking your ass about all the no's you've said. No to that opportunity, or no to that trip to Nova Scotia, or no to that night out, or no to that project, or no to that person who wants to be naked with you but you worry about what your friends will say.
No is for wimps. No is for pussies. No is to live small and embittered, cherishing the opportunities you missed because they might have sent the wrong message. There is a point in one's life when one cares about selling out and not selling out. One worries whether or not wearing a certain shirt means that they are behind the curve or ahead of it, or that having certain music in one's collection means that they are impressive or unimpressive. Thankfully, for some, this all passes. I am here to tell you that I have, a few years ago, found my way out of that thicket of comparison and relentless suspicion and judgment. And it is a nice feeling. Because, in the end, no one will ever give a shit who has kept shit 'real' except the two or three people, sitting in their apartments, bitter and self-devouring, who take it upon themselves to wonder about such things. The keeping real of shit matters to some people, but it does not matter to me.

… I say yes because I am curious. I want to see things… Saying no is so fucking boring. And if anyone wants to hurt me for that, or dismiss me for that, for saying yes, I say: Oh do it, do it you motherfuckers, finally, finally, finally."

today's rejection letter

2008-02-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

At least this one gives me a clear reason:

Dear Mr. Records,

Thank you for considering Kaiser Permanente for your Health coverage. Our medical underwriting process requires that we screen for pre-existing conditions. Based on the answers you provided on the membership application for Shawn Records, we are unable to offer you coverage for the following reason(s):

Minor height/weight variation

Rheumatism (this is that Gout I mentioned)

Well, the good news is that this is actually good news. Now that I've been officially rejected, I think the state will be forced to come to my aid and insure me.

In the meantime, I've got a personal policy that for every rejection I receive, I've got to submit to something else that week. In this case, I've got the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool, the Humble Arts grant, that New York thing I can't seem to find at the moment, and pause| to begin on my list. Pause | to begin is that fascinating new competition/publication that David Wright and Ethan Jones have cooked up. Not only are they creating a publication, but they're also visiting each selected artist and documenting the creative process as well. Sounds intriguing. I just hope they don't list my minor height/weight variation in my rejection letter.

oh, how to live in the world?

2008-02-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Martin Parr, for Louis Vutton

Over the Christmas season, I mentioned that for the first time in my adult life, I'd applied for a day job that wasn't directly related to photography. Well, I recently found out that I've made it to the short(er) list of applicants so the question swimming in my head (and these waters are murky) is whether or not I'd actually want it if it were offered?

Perhaps it would be easier if the job was one that could satisfy my Utopian desires- if I were publishing photo projects I loved, legalizing gay marriage, or feeding families it'd be one thing, but it's not, the job's in advertising. Ultimately, while I can't really anticipate the specific moral dilemmas that I might encounter, I do have to face the fact that if I took the job in question I'd be putting my time and effort into the creation of cool; building up the machinery of hype that ultimately revolves around selling sneakers, beer, and video games.

Stephen Shore, for Glenfiddich

While it seems to come down to this simple truth, the arts economy isn't all that simple. Outside of teaching or commercial work, how does one make a living with photography? Even those photographers who seem to have risen to the top derive some portion of their income from advertising. Larry Sultan selling handbags for Kate Spade, Richard Renaldi's recent job for Microsoft, Stephen Shore, Martin Parr, Todd Hido… And the thing about each and every one of these photographers that really hits is that they're good and consistently produce work that I admire. Work that, it seems, is partially funded through my/our consumption of Scotch and shower gel. If anything, it seems advertising fuels and supports the arts economy more than any other source. I don't know about you, but I've spent far more on beer and shoes in the past year than buying art from artists. In fact, at one point this year I bought a pair of Tommy Hilfiger shoes at the Nordstrom Rack. Accept my complicity. But you know what? Tommy Hilfiger puts on the TH Inside series of exhibitions, the most recent of which featured work by both Christian Patterson and Tim Barber, great photographers I'm happy to support in some small way through my commitment to discounted yet fashionable footwear.

here. now.

spoof ad, from Adbusters.org

Aside from grants, and the long shot of gallery sales, is there a way to actually make money from producing/selling photographs as fine art? Have any of you tried selling on-demand books? Is there a place that gathers/highlights/promotes them? Should there be?

Is the great 20x200 phenomenon a business model that can work outside the Jen Bekman machine?

Tim Briner, does your Cannery Works donation model cover your expenses in your epic Boonville adventure? Is this a function that more non-profits should be pursuing?

In the meantime, as I continue to mull over the issues, I have decided on some clear actions that at least help create the world that I want to live in while I try to figure out the one I've got:

1) It's not certain yet, but it looks like I'll soon be saving about a hundred dollars a month on health insurance (my fingers are crossed). I haven't discussed it with the missus yet, but I've decided that half of this amount will go toward the costs of making work, and half will go into buying art directly from artists. Big Nazraeli monographs are great, but don't count. Art directly from artists.

2) I've recently joined the board of directors for Photolucida, a non-profit organization devoted to "an increased understanding of the world through photography." Photolucida puts on a big portfolio review event every other year and the Critical Mass juried competition each year. From Critical Mass, at least two monographs are published from those that receive the highest number of votes. While the books are great (Sage Sohier's just came out and Amy Stein's got one coming up), one of my main interests is finding more and more ways to promote work and get it out into the world. Please, bring on your ideas… you've got my/our ear.

3) Put this post to rest, take a shower, and go make a picture or two. Less squawking, more rocking.

Todd Hido, for Axe shower gel

HOW TO: boudouir photography

2008-02-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

One thing we all want is good solid advice on how to make better pictures. And one of the few perks of adjunct teaching is the occasional free desk copy of a textbook I have absolutely no use for. It's usually a pretty direct path from my mailbox to the sales desk at Powell's, but Digital Boudoir Photography is a book that stays around for it's practical "step-by-step guide to creating fabulous images of any woman." I figure I should share the wealth:

- On using your car in the shot:
"The next step is to clean out all of the clutter. the car doesn't have to be perfectly clean inside, but old fast food bags and CDs lying about will detract from the photograph you are creating. The outside of the car and the windows should be reasonably clean. Either do it yourself or take it to a car wash. Once the car is clean, decide on a costume or two. Mini dresses, lingerie, swimwear, or even a pair of overalls will work. Think in terms of what is sexy to you about a car. A bit of thigh showing as a woman gets out of the car in a short skirt is one thing. Showing cleavage while bending over to work on the car is another. Then there is bending over to retrieve something from the car. All of these ideas show a bit of the private side of a woman, and that is what makes them sexy."

Other tips from the top: placing a bathtub outdoors, using a feather boa, creating a "sexy secretary" scenario, and using a hand mixer to make large batches of bubbles. And remember, when draping your model in caution tape, "you should be careful when wrapping to keep it professional and not be 'grabby' or accidentally brush your hand against her. Your photographs may suffer if she does not appreciate the familiarity, because it will be difficult for her to conceal her feelings while posing. The expressions will definitely show her discomfort. the reputation you develop as a photographer is based on how you behave. Even if the model is your wife or girlfriend, keep it professional."

love me tender

2008-02-14T08:31:00.001-08:00