Discovering My Independence....

  Here's hoping everyone has a safe and happy July 4th...

 Megan in Studio, 2010

Michelle in Sun, 2010

Creative projects are in full swing, and time for editing and post work suddenly seems in short supply. I’m also reviewing old film prints, particularly the frames and mats they occupy. These newer works will need homes. Evictions may be forthcoming.

I’m continuing to experiment with soft and no focus work and as a part of that, I’m incorporating the infamous LensBaby into the mix; more of those works will follow in forthcoming posts. Until then, here are two from an older session with Megan and a more recent window light session with Michelle.

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Nostalgia can grip me from time to time. For those that know me well, this may not be such a surprise, but an experience early last week was. I’ve written often of my struggle with the transition from film to digital. I’m making progress. Last Tuesday was confirmation of that.

I was in Atlanta and went to visit the old photography school and darkroom where I did the bulk of my work during the early portion of the last decade. Change has swept the place; the darkroom, studio, and upper floor classrooms are gone. All that remains are the lower level classrooms and a small gallery space. This was not new; the darkroom and studio spaces closed over five years ago.

What was new was the emotion I felt as I drove in. I took a route I’d not taken in years, and as I drove down the busy streets I found myself missing the long printing sessions with old friends; the midnight munchies with my lab partners, all of us stuffing our faces with smoked salmon burritos, gyros, cheese steak sandwiches, and of course beer. Well, beer for them. I gave up drink long ago.

What I came to realize is that with the transition to digital photography, photography itself has become a very solitary pursuit. And while I still sometimes think I would kill for a whiff of fixer or to feel my fingers slick with developer, I understood with startling clarity what I really miss is the friendships that were made and nurtured in the darkroom.

So the door closes a bit further for me on film, and opens a bit wider for new methods of achieving the same goal. And yes, I’ve made new friends, very good friends, via digital.

Perhaps it's not as different as I thought.

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Earlier today, I took a stroll through the local Barnes & Noble Booksellers. I hadn’t been in the store for a few weeks and it was clear there had been a significant reorganization of the store floorplan. In fact, much of it was still in progress.

The shock for me was that the photography books – the anthologies, the portfolio collections, the essays, the biographies – were no longer in the “Art” section. They were in the “Digital Photography” section.

Now “Digital Photography” has long been shelved separately from “Photography.” However, I will readily confess it came as something of a surprise to see the portfolio collections of Imogen Cunningham and Henri Cartier-Bresson shelved alongside works such as “The Photoshop Darkroom”, or “No Plastic Sleeves.” Reality was impressed further upon me when I saw Ansel Adam’s immortal work “The Camera” alongside “Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers.”

Make no mistake; this change pushes my experiences last Tuesday while driving in Atlanta a little further home. And, like much of the digitizing of photography, I understand that retail sales ideals and strategies drove the changes. My head isn't buried that deeply in the sand. But was it really necessary to separate photography from art?

Blurring the Lines...

Two more from the recent session with Michelle.

I wanted to experiment with creating mysterious and graphical shapes of the body using very soft or nonexistent focus. I like the results and plan to incorporate more of this technique into upcoming sessions. Stay tuned.

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My follower count continues to hover at thirteen. I’m not by nature a superstitious person, but I readily admit I’ll feel better with an increase of follower roster numbers. Feel free to spread the word about this blog to anyone you think may find my work of interest. For those of you that lurk, and I suspect there are at least a few, please make yourselves known. After all, photography is about communication.

I had said I wasn’t planning to shoot over the summer of 2010 unless I was struck with staggering inspiration. Well struck I was, literally, by some of the most stunning natural light I’ve seen in recent memory.

These are four brand new images from a session with Michelle R, shot in another old Savannah home, with some of that stunning natural light. Enjoy.

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I’ve decided on something of a different approach to this blog.

When I first started the blog in June, 2009, I wrote that this would be a journal to show not only my figure photography but my documentary, travel, and other work genres as well. I also identified it as a place to discuss art and photography and expressed the hope that it would encourage and foster such actual discussions among artists, models, collectors, and so on.

Of course, showing my photography was the easy part. Has it fostered any discussions among artists? I don’t know. Or more accurately; not that I’ve heard.

Having said that, I always wanted the blog to be centered on and about photography; particularly artistic photography of the nude human form. To my own credit, I achieved exactly that; however, during my short lived but rejuvenating break I came to realize that I was writing more and posting fewer and fewer photographs. Certainly I was writing about photographic topics, and rarely strayed from that. But with the numbers of images being posted dwindling to one per post, and on more than a few occasions, none per post, I felt the blog was heading astray.

With this entry, expect the face of the blog to change somewhat. I’m still going to write about things I believe are of interest to the artistic and photographic communities. Treatises on the difficulties of finding models, the travails of my studio sessions, or the state of the art collector markets will only occasionally find their way inside. And when they do, I’ll keep them concise and to the point. I’ll try my best, anyway.

Well that didn't last long...

Yeah, I know. Just call me Brett Farve.

I've no image to put with today's post; sorry for that. However, the real purpose of this little note is to say that the break I mentioned in my prior post is now suspended. indefinitely. Inspiration, I'm pleased to say, has struck!

In short, I am seeing once again.

Stay tuned for details...

Until Further Notice...

Deaf Man

It’s sounding more and more like the refrain of a bad song; nonetheless, my time has not been my own of late.

To say the past few weeks have been stressful would be an understatement. I won’t bore you with the sordid details, but a minor medical scare, the loss of a long lived and much loved pet, and the strains of being a self employed person married to a self employed person are taking their toll, which amounts to much more than their due share.

Couple that with the simple fact I’m not very happy with recent work. I’m making decent images; even a few good ones here and there, but overall it could be better. I had been hopeful a shift in direction, a move out of studio to shoot with natural, available light would bring about a surge of inspiration. It hasn’t. The honest truth is I can sense the tingle fading.

I think any artist, regardless of the medium in which they work, will say art and all it involves is no different than life itself. For the artist, art is cyclical. It’s like riding a roller coaster, or a being a surfer catching a wave. Inspiration rises and falls, projects begin and end, and some things simply get stuck and go nowhere. The ideas and creativity spin in space, and it’s easy to feel as if all is aimless and without direction or purpose. And like the rider on a roller coaster or a surfer looking for a wave, it’s impossible to not question the structure of your support; what’s really holding this speeding car on the rails or waiting to swallow you in one watery, salty gulp. Thought processes like these make one, for lack of a better word, think.

I’ve decided I’m going to stop, at least for a while. I’ll get off the roller coaster and sit on the beach. For a change, I’m going to spend my summer watching others.

Of course, this decision directly affects what I do here, perhaps for the entire summer. Unless I’m struck with staggering inspiration, which is of course one hopeful outcome of this little vacation, there will be no new updates until the fall.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I’ll see you soon.

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And Since You Asked...

Nude With Flower, Cropped Version

Some of you suggested this crop for the image posted with the previous entry. You can see that entry here. The image is from a studio session with Megan.

I have to say I like it, as it shifts the focal point of the flowers away from center frame. However, I’m fond of the other too. I feel they both work well.

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And Since I Asked...

When I wrote the post prior to this one, I suggested an adjustment to my follower base as I was at 13 followers.

Well, someone responded. They left.

I’m now at 12 followers. Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least I’m off of 13. Of course, there can be a thousand reasons of why one follower dropped away. I'm not taking it personally.

I expect this blog will benefit from something of a rest as well. Still, even though the blog is going to be in hibernation for some time, please feel free to tell others about it.

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Deaf Man pose, from an '08 session with beautiful Anna.

A Continuance...

 Nude With Flower

Not too much has changed since my last post.

The day-job workload is slacking and I’m getting better at managing the hours of my days, or so it would seem. I’m finding stretches of time in which to do some editing on past sessions. I’ve come to realize there are bad habits I could cut out of my day in favor of doing things more productive, which I’ll touch on a bit later; certainly, this has been a big help. Regardless, I’m still far behind from where I’d hoped to be by this time of 2010, particularly where photography is concerned.

There’s a bit more to discuss, but I’ll save that for my next post.

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Events at Horizon

The opening parties at Horizon Gallery went very well, and were wildly successful for a few of the 37 artists represented. No photography sold. Still, the gallery and work was seen by many. Gallery director Luc Ebner holds high-hopes for the gallerie's expansion into other markets. As always, I remain optimistic.

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And On That Note...

Please feel free to spread the word about this blog and my photography. If you’re a reader, but not a formal “follower”, please become one so I know you’re here. I love meeting people at my show openings and it’s always nice to know who the audience is. Having said that, I will confess to ulterior motives here: I’m not superstitious; however, it would be nice to see the follower count rise above 13…

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Another from my session with Megan.

A Coping Mechanism...

Life remains and moves fast.

The day job is keeping me busy, and the need to earn cash and then immediately redistribute it is overwhelming. There has been little time for other pursuits, photography among them. I’m two sessions behind in editing, and I’m shuffling my planned shooting schedule around, pushing dates back on the calendar closer and closer to spring and the start of ‘tan-line’ season. Not that I’m complaining; far from it. I’m grateful to be busy; and as strange as it sounds, grateful to have an income to redistribute.

My primary concern is I’m not devoting the time to my photography work that it both demands and deserves; this is especially true for the figurative work . I’ll get there; I’ll get the edits done and images in gallery inventories for sale, and images on this blog for all to see. Still, it bugs me. I feel almost guilty.

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Come One, Come All....

...and tell a friend or two. Horizon Gallery, my current sole representation, is having an artist’s reception on Friday, April 16th from 5pm-8pm and on Sunday, an open house, from 3pm-7pm. All are invited; feel free to spread the word. The gallery is located at 206 East Bay Street, Savannah, Ga.

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One from Megan’s first studio session.