soon

July 24, 2008

Hi, all.

There should be good stuff coming soon. I am going over my gallery generator to make some improvements as the image quality is, to me, sub-par at the moment. Trouble spots have been isolated, and with any luck there will be a whole new set of lovely images soon - and the old ones should be much improved.

Also, as far as I can tell the Lebanon trip is off the table again. I just can’t afford the ticket with all this oil madness. If I could afford it, I’d go, rest assured.

Posted in: bloggy business, filler, photo chatter No Comments »

Back to Lebanon?

May 27, 2008

 

By now you’ve all heard (I hope) that Lebanon has elected a new president and all is provisionally going well. There are tales of optimism and celebration, and the protesters have packed up and moved out of the downtown area.

Since the war with Israel in July of 2006 I have struggled with the notion of a return trip, and for a long time it seemed like I’d never get back there. But it is something I have to do.

For a variety of reasons it is something that I am going to have to pursue sooner rather than later if I am to do it at all. When I move to Buffalo in 2010 I will be financially shaky (moving is expensive!) and my new job will likely not be offering the kind of vacation time I have now until I’ve been there for a few years. It’s now or… a really long time from now for me and Lebanon.

One of the major reasons is what I see as unfinished business with the photography that I started there. Not only did my out-of-practice condition render a lot of good images unusable due to foolish mistakes, but I also started to feel a little twinge of ridiculousness when I put up all of my images and realized: I only had images from just two very tourist-y areas.

Don’t get the wrong idea. I have no intention of marching into Palestinian refugee camps and shooting indiscriminately.

But there are other possibilities - especially out in the countryside. I have never been much of a landscape photographer, but would still like to give it a try.

I also feel that I missed a few important images. I avoided the bullet-ridden and foreboding, of which there are less and less and less as they continue to improve and rebuild. This might have been a mistake. It seems the kind of thing that my style would mesh with quite well, if I stopped regarding them as unapproachable. Same goes for mosques - my host had offered to stop and shoot at a few of them, but not being entirely clear on the etiquette of such a shoot I backed away from the possibility.

One of the more interesting conversations that I had at the opening for Photographing Lebanon was with a Lebanese citizen who thought I was white-washing Lebanon, only focusing on the aesthetically interesting, dismissing the people, and ignoring the terrible recent history that they had been through. I did my best to explain that there are dozens of amazing photojournalists who have done some incredible work for a variety of news outlets. They are great at what they do and have documented the country’s difficulties - especially on a personal level - far better than I could. It is also very easy to find these kinds of images. They are all over the news media.

What I ended up with in the show was far different, however. I saw some amazing beauty when I was there and did my best to capture what was in front of me. The Lebanon that I never saw in the newspaper. Admittedly I now cast some doubt on my set of images that only shows progress and ancient history, ignoring the recent past, but perhaps this is something that I will find a solution for on a return trip via the shells of buildings that dot the landscape.

My time there was wonderful. The people were very nice to me and were very curious (in a good way) about what I was up to and why I was there. When I explained (either directly or through my host) that I was photographing everything that struck me as beautiful in their country, they were even more warm to me and wished me well in my travels. Once they realized that I was not there to yet again portray Lebanon the terrible, they were very supportive.

Politics did not come up. Ever.

Am I being shamelessly naïve and We-Are-The-World? Very possibly. But I can only go on what I saw and how people behaved towards me. Even the few raised eyebrows that I received because of the photography worked out in the end with no issues. Interestingly, after explaining my position at the opening reception I later found that my Lebanese detractor had taken the time to leave a comment in my guest book that amounted to: “thank you for showing the beauty of my homeland”. I suspect that many Lebanese are tired of everyone being scared away from their country by endless political issues.

So I’m going back. At the moment I am looking at October. Unfortunately it looks like airfares will be significantly higher than the last time I went, so there is always that end to sort out (and potentially pull the idea off the table, depending on the final cost - ugh).

Anyone know any good grants? Start one of your own! The “Send Jim To Lebanon Fund” has a nice ring to it.

p.s. I will have a post on Buffalo soon… no, really.

Posted in: photo chatter, the world 1 Comment »

What’s Up?

March 10, 2008

The photos have been few and far between lately, but there’s two reasons for that: 1) we’ve had a real winter, which makes for poor shooting weather and 2) I didn’t really go anywhere I haven’t been before since Vancouver. It’s been work, work, work. I mean, sure, there’s always a new shot to be found - even on the most mundane travels - but I think I’ve done the path-between-my-jobs thing to death, and though I keep looking I haven’t found any new images. I suppose I could shoot around Chelsea, but I don’t like really revealing that I have a camera too much around there.But soon the travels will begin once again.

First up is a trip that Rachel and I are taking down to New York. It started with a production of Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story” and “The American Dream”, which we knew immediately we had to go see. Then the trip planning revealed that the best bet (since Rachel doesn’t drive and I don’t own a car) would be to take the train from Springfield to New York. You all know that I love the train, so this detail is certainly a highlight for me.

Then I discovered by chance that there is going to be a production of Philip Glass’ “Satyagraha” that same weekend - easily my favorite work of his (see “10 Albums”) - at the Metropolitan Opera House! I can’t stand it. Melissa and I went to see “Akhnaten” at the Boston Lyric Opera, now I’ll see “Satyagraha”, and the only thing left is for me to see a production of “Einstein on the Beach” - and I’ll have witnessed Glass’ entire portrait trilogy.

The rest of the trip will consists of eating, drinking, and being merry. There should be some good photos from that.

In May I’m heading out to Buffalo. Ethan and I had discussed seeing The Police in Toronto last fall, but the time/money/etc. commitment proved to be too much for me. But Ethan, good friend that he is, bought an extra ticket on spec for another show in Buffalo not knowing if I’d be into it or not - yeah, I’m in! Noting that the show is the weekend before my birthday, I decided that it would be a good time for another week-long vacation there. Is this becoming a tradition?

Then in July Dad, Nancy, and I are going to boat up from Chester (on the Connecticut River in CT) to Boston to witness the 4th of July fireworks! I had been floating this as a near-joke (with an underlying current of seriousness) since my Dad caught the boating bug, and this is the year! I spent a weekend with them on the boat last year and had a lot of fun, though it was hot as hell - shades of the eighties party.

That covers the first half of the year. I went through my image library last week in preparation for the class I taught on Saturday, and dammit 1) the Lebanon stuff is the best work I’ve ever done and 2) is nowhere near finished. I am not crazy enough to leap on a plane and go over now (not while their political situation is iffy at best), but geez, can’t you guys relax for a few months? I’ve got work to do!

So… I’d love to do it. But…

We’ll see.

Posted in: filler, photo chatter, the world 1 Comment »

Kissing Polaroid Goodbye

March 4, 2008

I don’t pretend to understand business much. There’s a good chance that any business that I had any control of would fail immediately.

That said, I don’t much understand the recent decision by Polaroid to cease production of their traditional instant films and instead concentrate on branding more DVD players with their name.

OK, that’s a bit obnoxious, they are heavily steeped in a new digital process called Zink that could - if they play their cards right - revolutionize printing. This new paper consists of little color crystals that get zapped by an imaging device. The heated crystals form into… well… grain, I guess you could say.

There are big questions to be answered: tonal range? Permanence? Size? Currently they are talking about a little palm-size printer that spits out wallet-size prints. This is a huge mistake. Polaroid keeps thinking that people want itty-bitty prints. They don’t. Most people, and I can confirm this from years at Chain Camera Store, want a nice sexy 4×6 that can fit in their photo album without making you squint.

But that’s all a topic for the future, when Polaroid film runs out completely.

We already got a hint of what was to come when SX-70 film was discontinued. But now its for keeps, every silver-based Polaroid film type will be off the market within two years.

I’d been debating what to do about this. In the past I would comment that the only option for me was to buy film in bulk and store it in a refrigerator. The only question would then be how far I can push the use-by date.

A few years ago, though, my beautiful Polaroid 690 started having trouble. Basically, it appears that the meter has stopped functioning. The camera defaults to some middle-of-the-road shutter speed (1/60?), which isn’t particularly helpful at all. As I returned to 35mm and grew more comfortable with digital the Polaroid sat on a shelf and collected dust. I always figured I’d have it repaired some day.

Well, the company has now forced my hand. Time to make a decision. I checked with Precision Camera out in Enfield, CT (my hometown!) and their current estimate to repair this camera is $110.

Not as bad as I expected (though yes, of course it could go up).

I’ll kick myself in the ass over and over and over again in the future if I don’t do this.

Time to start intermittently buying film at my other job. Who knows how long its going to last. I know that the company sent out a notice to all the stores asking for any remaining 600 cameras… I guess those are already off the market and people are going berserk.

This could be hilarious. Once I live in a somewhat normal residence again I can dedicate my little dorm fridge to the storage of Polaroid film.

“Hey, Jim - got any beer in this fridge… oh. I see.”

Stay tuned, for I’ve already decided that when I’m running out of film I’m going to host a “The Last Polaroid” party where I ceremoniously take the last Polaroid picture I’ll ever be able to take. Put a camera and a pack of film aside for the party, I can guarantee you now that anyone caught sniffing at my stock will lose several fingers.

Posted in: photo chatter 4 Comments »

stranger and stranger

December 17, 2007

OK, folks.

This makes two mystery gifts.

The Who’s Live at Leeds - one of the big live albums of all time. As Stop Making Sense was to concert films, Live at Leeds was to live albums.

Normally I’d load up my ‘Pod and take a lunchtime walk to listen, but it is rather cold out and I don’t think there will be any walking today. So I’ll have to wait for the commute home. I may have to invent a necessary task and go take a walk anyway, though - this one promises to be pretty damn good.

So, thank you very much for Mystery Gift #2! The disc arrived very carefully packaged by your vendor of choice, and the disc/liftlock case/inserts are all in great condition. An excellent gift. This one will be providing many hours of listening pleasure, I’m sure - the big My Generation medley is amazing.

Other than that, yesterday I had one of those humbling moments where a coworker that you are friendly with - but not necessarily active friends - happens to take a look at your work. Not knowing that it’s yours. And not really liking it all that much. And saying so.

*sigh*

After some extended grumpiness on my part my co-worker figured out what I was worked up about and swears that I misinterpreted the whole thing. I think that’s a little disingenuous, but I am willing to accept that he certainly didn’t mean anything hurtful. But it does raise that age-old question: had he known it was mine would that have caused him to a) look at it more carefully and dig something out of it that he enjoyed? or b) lie?

I know I can’t please everyone, but damn, it’s still no fun to hear that someone dislikes what you do. Ah well, this is one of the reasons I actively elected not to get on the art mil as a Working Artist - the rejection can be, well,

crippling.

Posted in: photo chatter, wonderful things 1 Comment »

hmmm.

October 31, 2007

As I get farther along I realize that I may have jumped the gun (mercifully with no investment yet) on this whole digital camera thing.The basic question is as such: What component of my life will this improve, besides having a sexy camera that may or may not be much more delicate than my current workhorse 25-year-old cameras? One that I will resent in three years when there is something in the 20MP range, my originally stated goal for digital?

Looking at these little 4×6 prints I made from the Lumix reminds me of a very important detail: if you want all the detail and smooth color, you need all the resolution you can get. My ideal print size is 12×18. They say this has changed, but I maintain that 300dpi is the bare minimum to make a print that I am happy with.

12 x 300 = 3600

18 x 300 = 5400

3600 x 5400 = ~19 Megapixel

So I need a 20 megapixel camera. These are just around the corner - I give it three years. Canon already has their flagship 21 megapixel camera on the market, but at $8000 I don’t think it’s the camera for me. At least someone recognizes that there’s a call for it, though. In the meantime, although film is losing its footing, I will be safe until 2010 at the very least.

I think I’m going to wait it out.

What of the print sale, then? Still on. I think I’m going to buy a lens that I had my eye on for the new camera, as it will work just fine with my old Nikons as well. But I guess I’m still going to sock money away for my future equipment purchase.

Mmm. Perspective control.

Posted in: photo chatter 4 Comments »

restless

October 19, 2007

UPDATE 10/22/07!

It seems like I’ve looked at hundreds of different gallery generators, services, and whatnot. I have finally settled on Zenphoto. They installation process was a little painful, but the results are immediately worth it. The galleries are slowly being replaced with new Zen versions, and then I have a little bit of tweaking to do to get the layout the way I want it (mostly the readability of some text colors).

—–

After very careful review I have concluded that I don’t like the galleries. Well, I like the automated part of zinging a folder directly from Picasa to Picasa Web Albums, but the resulting galleries? Not so much. They look just a little too… web-portal-ish. Must change.

I messed around a little with the Photoshop gallery-makers, but don’t really like any of them. Guess I have to get out there and see what I can find that I might like - mercifully the generators are a dime a dozen.

Somewhere in my history I swore I’d never be the kind of person who blogged about working on their blog. Oh well, another resolution gone bust.

Posted in: bloggy business, filler, photo chatter No Comments »

Photographers: Are We Dead In The Water?

August 16, 2007

My good friend Brian has known me and my work since junior high. He sent me a link to a blog entry about the current Professional Photography market, the trends, and the influx of amateurs with cheap-yet-nice cameras selling their work for nothing to stock photography sites. There was another link at the end which was a bit better stated.

Here’s my take on all of that.

The last year of getting my BFA in photography I took a class called “Professional Directions for Photographers”. In it we discussed the process and pitfalls of following a variety of paths to reach the stage where our work in the art world was sustainable. We covered showing in galleries, publishing, curating - all kinds of topics. It was the most inspiring class I took in my time there.

One of the most important lessons I came away from this class with was: I never had any intention of doing the legwork, networking, and compromising required to fit most professional photographic jobs. It simply wasn’t going to happen. Never let process stand in the way of product.

The interesting thing about this discovery was that it didn’t ruin me. I didn’t bemoan my squandered education. There wasn’t any point where I felt that I’d made a mistake.

Quite the opposite.

Instead, the realization that I was free to do my work the way I wanted without worrying about my marketability was a fantastic new area for me to splash around in. I immediately accepted that I’d be doing a mundane 9-5 job until I retired to pay the bills unless there was some major fluke. That was, and still is, fine with me.

In the time since I worked all that out, I have detoured into video, went back and got by MFA, abandoned video, shot piles of Polaroids, and ended up where I am today: shooting often and coming up with multiple threads to pursue, with a much stronger eye, a much clearer vision, and a desire to build upon all that I have already done and produce work that fulfills every visual ambition that I’ve ever had.

Will it make me money? Will it make me famous? I like money, but have no need to be famous. Que sera, sera is how I’m looking at My Position In The Photo World. I’m proud of the work I’m doing. That covers about 90% of why I do it in the first place.

So when I hear about pro photographers grumbling over lost profits and the devaluing of photography, I do sympathize. It’s a monumental task to get to that point, and it stinks to watch untrained saps put their work out there so effortlessly. Unfortunately, though, there is always a golden age to anything that will always seem like it has passed, nothing will ever be the same again, and what we are left with is the ruination of what many of us have worked so hard to be a part of.

On the other hand, the major point that springs to mind is that artists have a tendency to panic every time a new tool emerges and makes their craft seem easier and more accessible to the general public. Indeed, it is easier than ever for an individual to produce and sell work on little more than a whim while the pros wince and cry into their ground glass about all the time, care, money, and effort that has been lost to a loser with a fancy beginner DSLR.

I understand all that, but must point to history and mention that this is nothing new. People have been given tools that lend a potentially professional feel to sub-amateur work since just after Gutenberg’s press. Each and every time there is a new technique, tool, or method of producing work a glut of nonsense appears that wows audiences until the less valuable output falls away and the last wo/men standing are the true artists.

This will keep happening. A point that many have made is that those who grew up wanting to be a part of the pro photography system that they are familiar with will need to change or perish. I agree with this. You have to be better than ever, and want it so badly you could scream, to survive in the photography market today - particularly if you expect to be hired as freelance. Assignments just aren’t being offered like they used to be. Cheap stock is plentiful. It isn’t enough to be the best anymore. The whole strategy for getting your name out there and your work recognized needs to be reconsidered top to bottom.

So what do I do? As I mentioned, I never wanted to be in that market anyway. I don’t miss it. However, I’m having a grand old time working on my imaging and am getting it out there in the small, steady ways that I can handle.

I’m not going to put myself in a position to starve over an idealistic view of how an artist or professional photographer operates. There is a major difference between the work that is sold to stock agencies and the work that I (and a lot of other artists) do. Are we whimsically entertaining our lofty, artsy ambitions?

Maybe.

But I’m cool with that.

Posted in: photo chatter 3 Comments »

can’t! stand! it!

May 9, 2007

I’ve been torturing myself on this lunch hour by looking over images on the Buffalo Central Terminal page.

There is just so much work I could do at this site.

Ideally, I’d have hours to work on this. Days. But for now I’m just be thankful for the time that they are taking to let me shoot there. Maybe if I can wow them with some fantastic shots it’ll buy me a few return visits.

One can only hope.

Posted in: filler, photo chatter 5 Comments »

Butchered!

May 2, 2007

No, wait, I mean - Published!

Okay, so it’s in a “Reader Photo” section of a new upstart daily in Boston called BostonNow. But hey, getting on the subway in the morning and being greeted by one of your own images is pretty damn cool. Thanks to the paper for putting my picture in there.

Now. About that cropping job.

Well, you be the judge…

Coulda been worse.

I mean, if you have to have the very “hook” of your photography (angles, shadows) stripped out of an image, well… let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t send a few other candidates. At least it’s still got strong vertical columns (another persistent theme!)

Posted in: photo, photo chatter 4 Comments »

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