Interesting Exhibition In Old Town Alexandria

2 of my images ( Pinhole & Holga images) are included in an exhibition ... Process: Photography at The Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia ... right up the street from my studio at The Torpedo Factory Art Center. It's a really cool show curated by their President, Twig Murray. If you interested in photographic process, definitely check it out.

A Venetian Comparison

iPhone Image

Holga Image

I spent 3 weeks in November 2011 wandering the streets of Venice. Late one evening on my way back to our apartment from dinner in San Polo, I walked passed the old entrance-way to Casa Goldoni. I had passed by this location many times over the years, but never payed much attention since the doorway had always been blocked with bars and a heavy door. That night in November was different ... the door was open. Upon peering inside I saw these ancient steps and what appeared to be a well-head. I thought the lighting was amazing. My camera was in our apartment and image-making was beckoning. What to do? Well, I whipped out my trusty iPhone, rested it on the iron bars that blocked the doorway and made a few exposures. Very cool, but typical of camera phones, was grainy and noisy due to the auto ISO that most camera phones utilize. ISO 1200 on an iPhone is not particularly smooth! By the time I ran back to our apartment and grabbed my Holga, the door was closed ... darn, missed opportunity ... oh well!

As it turned out, I returned to Venice in March 2012 ... just a few months later. On my agenda was to revisit Casa Goldoni with a "real camera." After dinner (3 slices of pizza), I headed back over to check out Casa Goldoni. Ah, the door was open and the lights were on. There was no way I could use a tripod due to the position of the iron bars on the doorway. Consequently, I placed my Holga on one of the cross-beams and held it snugly in place with my hand for several bracketed exposures. Got it!

Couldn't wait to see how much BETTER the film shot was in comparison to my iPhone photo. Boy, was I surprised ... same subject, same vantage point and basically the same lighting. Not the same aesthetics though. Check them out for yourself ... two totally different images.

Lesson learned ... sometimes the best camera for the job is the one you have with you!

    

"Side by Side" Can Film Survive Our Digital Future

I recently watched (2 times!) a documentary narrated by the actor, Keanu Reeves. The title of the film was "Side by Side." The question it asked was "can film survive our digital future?"

This film, in my opinion, is relevant for both still and cinematographers. Since the inception of movie-making, film has been the standard format for recording movie images. What has emerged in the past 20 years has been a totally new format of movie-making ... digital film-making. This has created a groundbreaking evolution in the film industry. This holds true for still photography as well.
Here is a link for the trailer: Side by Side ... The Movie.

I, for one, love film. I am still capturing all of my images on film. I like its grittiness and organic qualities. I especially like the way it records the dimension and latitude of light. During the past few years I have been playing with digital capture, but have not made the leap to "the dark side!" After seeing "Side by Side," I am a lot more open than ever to capturing my images digitally.

In the film "Side by Side," Keanu Reeves takes us on a tour of the past and future of film-making. He explores the development of cinema and the impact of the digital medium via in-depth interviews with Hollywood gurus, such as James Cameron, David Lynch, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and many more.  Profound ... that's all I can say! Rent it, buy it ... find a way to see it, but don't miss out seeing it. It will be the fastest 99 minutes you will ever spend.      

We Are Spoiled!

Very funny ... what have we turned into!

Here is a snapshot of my friend, Jim Steele cursing at his printer because the paper did not feed correctly; necessitating approximately 20 more seconds to re-feed the paper! Has technology turned us into a bunch of impatient dolts or what! We both had a good chuckle after discussing how we used to work not so long ago ... are we spoiled!

Old school ... after shooting we would have to go into the darkroom and process (soup) the film, wait for it to dry and then make contact sheets ... expose the paper, submerge in developer for about 2 minutes, 30 seconds in the stop-bath and on to the fixer for another 1-3 minutes. From there, on to the wash for 30 minutes to 1 hour and off to the drying rack for several hours, or in some cases a heated print dryer that quickly fried your prints for 5 minutes until dry ... love those little yellow stains on the print and fixer stains on the apron of the print dryer! Better yet, use RC paper ... it develops quickly and drys fast. Thank goodness for instant gratification in the darkroom! 

After making a selection of what negatives to print, you had to make sure you had fresh chemicals. If not, you had to mix some new chemistry. If you were out of developer, you had to mix developer in hot water and wait for it to cool down or use bags of ice to help cool the chemistry to 68 - 70 degrees.

The next step was to clean the negative and insert it in the enlarger, crop, focus and expose a piece of photographic paper to make a test print. After arriving at the correct exposure and proper filtration for contrast, it was time to make the final print. This might take several hours or in my case an entire day working with a difficult negative.

After developing, stopping and fixing the final print it was off to a rinse in Perma Wash to help remove residual fixer before being washed in a print-washer for an hour. With the conclusion of washing the prints, it was time to selenium or sepia tone ... and then back to a final rinse for another 30 minutes to an hour.  Oh, forgot to mention that you hopefully made a few extra prints, because somewhere during the washing process a wet print would get dinged, scratched or destroyed in some way or another. What fun!

Once the prints were dry, which took several hours, it was time to spot out the dust marks and dry- mount the print for final presentation ... a labor or love or a pain-in-the-ass! It took a lot time and a lot of patients. What used to take many hours or even days, can now take a fraction of that time ... thanks to technology.

While technology has allowed us to speed up the entire picture-making process, there are many of us who still spend hours editing a single image in PhotoShop. There is still a group of individuals that profess that the hand-made gelatin silver print is "better" than a digital print. I would not say "better," I would say "different" ... two totally different mediums ... it's like the difference between chocolate and vanilla!

A New Direction?

A long time ago I used to photograph people. I have always had a affinity for faces and personalities. Without bragging, I was actually a pretty good portrait photographer. Anyway, life took over and my body of European work and my images of Washington, D.C. landmarks began to take off. Consequently, I spent the past 20+ years continuing to build those bodies of images and basically put portraiture on the back burner ... until recently.
 

I made this image of my wife, Lesley while in Venice in November 2011. It reminded me of Irving Penn's "corner portraits" made in the late 1940's of writers and various celebrities. Technically, the only difference was the background ... well, actually the big difference was the photographer! Penn used 2 white studio-flats (as illustrated below by the portrait of Truman Capote) and my image used 2 walls at a 45 degree angle covered with flocking wall paper.

Penn's images are so distinctive ... so Penn. According to Mr. Penn, "the confinement seemed to comfort people, soothing them,” he once explained. “The walls were a surface to lean on or push against. For me the picture possibilities were interesting; limiting the subjects movements seemed to relieve me of part of the problem of holding onto them.”

Truman Capote by Irving Penn, 1948

To be perfectly honest, in some small way, I felt my image was a copy or rip-off of the "master." Everything in art it seems has been done before. I think most of us that are serious about our work will reinvent things we have either seen or have been influenced by at one time or another. I need to get over it!!!!!   

Anyway, I made a nice print, but never got around to framing it and bringing it home. It sat on top of my flat-files in my studio. A lot of visitors to my studio would ask about the image.  In January, a couple from California asked if it was for sale because they wanted to purchase it for their collection ... really, OK. Since January, two other collectors have purchased this image ... go figure!

I have to say, taking the photograph of my wife was not an accident. I must have made 8-10 exposures. Using the corner, she did all the work ... and she loved the portrait ... me too. I must say, aside from selling several prints, the feedback I have received from strangers and  friends has been great. It has really renewed my long time interest in making portraits. Ummmm, might this be
a new direction?

                                                 
                                                

Passion

Having a studio and gallery in a public venue (The Torpedo Factory Art Center) has really been a blessing. I know of no other venue where I could gain first hand knowledge of how people respond to my work. I thoroughly enjoy the interaction; be it with collectors, other photographers or just John Q public. It's quite gratifying. Much better than getting feedback from my uncle Morris, who thinks I am a genius and more talented than Picasso!  

Aside from the typical questions about what kind of camera I use and is it digital or film, (BTW: I'm still a film guy), many times people ask about my inspiration ... what led me to photograph certain subject matter? I often hear, "I've photographed the same thing, but mine looks nothing like that." Or, I've seen that before, but never quite like that." The conversation usually progresses to how I identify new subject matter. Images of Washington, D.C. landmarks and European architecture and landscapes abound in my work. Why, because I'm passionate about them. I love my city, DC, and I love the whole European thing too. I guess you could say I am passionate about my subject matter. My goal has always been to communicate this passion through my images. If I were not as passionate about my subject matter as I am, I am sure my imagery would show that lack of passion. I strongly believe that if we photograph something we have strong feelings about, those feelings and passion will shine through.

Most of us have begun our photographic journeys making images of landscapes, portraits, flowers and architecture. My friend, Jim Steele has always used the expression, "first we imitate, then we innovate." How true! We have all been there and done that. Once we get proficient at the technical and aesthetic aspect of photography, it's time to get serious. Keep in mind, there is a lot more to photography than cameras and Photoshop. Just like there is a lot more to painting than canvas and brushes. Start thinking in terms of concept and how to communicate your vision.  

Suggestion ... follow your gut. Ask yourself "what do I feel passionate about ... I mean, what is it that you are most drawn to?" Is it a person, a location, a game, a thing, or a concept? I think most of us can easily identify our passions. Next, go out and photograph it. I bet the images will be really good ... and you will be on the way to expressing yourself through photography.    

 

Exhibits Under the Radar

@ The Federal Reserve Board

Every so often exhibits pop up that are totally under the radar. For whatever reason, these do not make the local news papers or get reviewed by art critics.

Earlier in the week I attended a luncheon and exhibit (Acquisitions: 2009-2011 & Arnold Newman: Famous Faces) at The United States Federal Reserve Board ... better known as "The Fed" or "The Federal Reserve Bank," a beautiful 1930s building at 20th & Constitution Avenue, NW. One of my images was acquired by "The Board" last year: U.S. Capitol from the Washington Sailing Marina.

Stephen Bennett Phillips is the curator and Fine Arts Program Director at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington. Prior to joining the Board, Stephen worked in the curatorial department at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. for almost 20 years. Stephen has written and lectured throughout the United States and has tremendous depth in his knowledge and love of fine art photography.

The Fine Arts Program at the Federal Reserve Board was established in 1975 by former Chairman Arthur F. Burns in response to a White House directive encouraging federal partnership with the arts.
Today, the Federal Reserve Board holds over 400 works of art donated by citizens and foundations. In his five short years at the Board, Stephen has substantially increased the the photographic collection. I am very proud to have my work included in their permanent collection.

The Board presents three exhibitions annually, which are displayed in the Eccles Building. Exhibitions are open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except federal holidays. Reservations are required at least five business days in advance. For reservations and further information, please call 202.452.3778. Definitely worth checking out.

@ The Torpedo Factory Art Center
Studio 9

Another exhibit I have been asked to participate in that is due to open May 10th (with a reception from 6:00-8:00) at The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria, VA is: Diverging Mediums: Photography vs. iPhoneography. 

 The aim of the exhibition (sponsored by The Torpedo Factory's Art in Public Spaces Program) is to raise questions on the nature of defining art in the context of today's technology and phenomenon of artistic democracy. The curator, Hiji Nam, is an undergraduate Art History major at the University of Maryland in College Park. Her belief is that the distinction between the craft and the art of photography lies in the context of the photographer's wider oeuvre, vision and intent. The artist should be able to justify, through their photos, why that particular moment, event, or mood was chosen to be captured and why, more than any other, was and is relevant.

According to Ms. Nam, "The exhibition will be a commentary on the modern tendency of viewing oneself so easily as a creator, which I see as extremely detrimental for the standards of individuals and of art itself. When everyone believes they, too, can be an “artist,” that not only takes away from the truly talented, but also from the goals and standards set by individuals who are content with being just as good as everyone else, which is mediocrity. This complacency has created an age of instant gratification, in a generation of young people obsessed with being heard, instead of listening. Yes, creation is important—but creation is relevant only when thought and consideration precedes it.

The show is an interesting comparison of what I call, "straight photography compared to iPhone photography." I have to say, I feel like a bit of an 'old fart" when my work is viewed in the context of all these hyper-creative images. Many of the iPhone pieces were done by individuals that primarily work in iPhone. It might be interesting to have an exhibition of iPhoneography produced by non iPhoneographers ... traditionalists like me! Bottom line, check out this exhibition ... you won't be disappointed.