So, this is fun

This is just really fun and cute. I enjoy it quite a bit. Fun to look at recreations and stuff.

Cool Thing to try?

Hey! So I found this video tutorial online about how to transfer a photo onto a block of wood. Making transfers is really easy, it's something I used to do a lot in high school, you just need to make sure you're using a print made by a laser printer rather than an ink printer. But I thought I would share this with people who might want to try a new presentation technique or just want to learn something new. :)

For those Freudian people.

A Dangerous Method is due to release next month. Its about Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud... not sure if its actually based on fact, but it does look interesting enough. Good actors and actresses. Might be something to look into for those of you who are concentrating on psychological concepts.

For Kelsey.

Meek's Cutoff is the movie I was telling you about a couple of weeks ago. I think you'll really enjoy it. Its SLOW but stay with it! The whole film is comprised of beautiful, sweeping landscapes of the West. Let me know what you think about the ending, it frustrated the hell out of me but its super thought provoking.

For Hali

I stumbled upon this artist, Irina Wering, her series back to the future is what i want you to look at. She takes old photo's of people and recreates them as accurately as possible. LOOK AT IT WOMAN.

For those photographing people

Steve McCurry's 1 Minute Masterclass

For Augusta - Allen Ginsberg's Photographs

Allen Ginsberg, "Rebecca Ginsberg, Buba, wife of Pincus, laundry-man, my paternal grandmother...", 1953.

I thought this photograph Ginsberg took of his grandmother relates directly to you photographing your own grandmother.

This exhibition was at the National Gallery last fall. It included an extensive collection of Allen Ginsberg's photographs, after archivists discovered his extensive negative and 5x7 print collection. Ginsberg bought a cheap Kodak Retina in a pawn shop and began documenting his fellow beat authors during their prominent rise to fame. He then started shooting again in the eighties, which reveal some amazing portraits of William S. Burroughs, his life-long partner. One amazing thing about the exhibition was that Ginsberg's handwriting was at the bottom of every photograph, lengthily describing each situation in full detail. This could possibly be an approach to try if you felt inspired to do so.

Here is the link to the National Gallery's archived site:

Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg

500 Photographers

http://500photographers.blogspot.com/

For Victoria

I know your project is about yourself and people close to you, but I thought you might consider referencing some imagery from documentary photographers, specifically those that show people after natural disaster that are disconnected from loved ones, or children in war torn areas that are literally abandoned by parents. I don't suggest recreating them, just see what makes these images emotional, and translate that into your own work.

BBC News- Congo

For Kate C

Art + Botany: X-ray Photography

I like how simple these are, viewing the biological forms. It might be a good place to get yourself focused again, since you seem a little disjointed as to what you want to do right now.

Also check this out:

Medical Photographer

For Adriana (Late!)

You should check out Danny Santos II. He is a street photographer from Singapore, and I think his series The Street Is Everyones Catwalk could be applied to some of the stuff you're trying to do.

For Alexis (Late!)

You should look up De Biasi Mario. He unfortunately does not have a central website, but you can Google image search his photographs fairly easily. He's an Italian photographer that began working during WWII. There's something very relatable to your work about identity that also relates to perception, which could be inspiring to you.

For Ravi

Check out Glen McClure.




I interned with this guy about 2 years ago. He does commercial work to pay the bills, but on his free time he often photographs strangers that he meets on the street. He usually sets up a mini studio outside and then has his wife (and other assistants) ask people to come get their portrait taken. He is able to relate to each person through friendly chit-chat, which relaxes the person. This so called "chummy" atmosphere allows him to capture wonderful moments of pure personality. I know your dappling with making your subjects uncomfortable, but I thought I would show you an example of the other side of that.

For Diego

Like I told Kate C. below, movies are wonderful resources because they are so chalk full of well-executed imagery and themes. I think Son of Rambow relates to the whole "childhood" aspect of your concept. Of course it does deal with actual kids, but the shenanigans they get into reminded me of the games Kate and Mel were describing during your crit. I really recommend watching any sort of boyhood (coming of age) movie, from the classics like THE GOONIES to modern ones like Son of Rambow or even Hesher (although that is much darker).

For Kate C.

I often find that movies are great sources of inspiration! About 1 minute and 15 seconds into this clip from A Beautiful Mind we see a chaotic collection of papers/pictures pinned up to walls that to us (and to the wife) seem to be ramblings of a mad man, but in the mind of of the man (John Nash) it all makes perfect sense. Is this the sort of imagery your hoping to capture for your photographic project?

Alexis

Li Hui

Looking through her work reminded me of your concept. A lot of her images tend to play off of feminine identity and memory, I also think that the way you should would lend itself well to color 35mm film.

For Mark

David LaSpina has a few series about locations, which I think could help give you ideas about what to photograph in Farmville. Here's his website: David LaSpina

I thought of your project when I saw this picture, because your concept is sort of a backstage-view of the situation, and this photograph is literally a backstage view of an event. But, you get the idea.

Ravi

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Tourist-Stranger-Self-portrait/925193?utm_source=network&utm_medium=project_sidebar&utm_campaign=project_sidebar_references

A series of self portraits by strangers on the beach by Benoit Paille. A good example of giving more control to the strangers you photograph, even if it's just the shutter button.

For Jamie

I think you should look at Uta Barth's work. It feels very sentimental and fragile to me, which, I think if you interpreted it in your own way, could work well for the memory aspect of your project.

For Adriana

Francesca Woodman, On Being an Angel #1, 1977

Adriana,

Research Francesca Woodman if you haven't before. I think her work speaks of a theme similar to yours. I thought of Francesca Woodman during your critique and I couldn't remember her name for the life of me, but I finally remembered. I got to see some of her work in Chicago over the summer, and it is very powerful, especially in the context of her life's story. Hope this helps.

Here's a good link:

Francesca Woodman

For Augusta

Check out Wesley Cummings

He documents the changing effects of a space around him though time. I believe this work to show you another approach towards pushing your concept of relating your grandmother to our culture.

For Adriana and Hali

http://pictureperfect.theballetcats.com/

Family Picture Perfect from The Balletcats on Vimeo.

His work with masks applies to Adriana's concept and interactions with family could work with Hali's concept.

For Adrianna-




























Clarence John Laughlin

I just recently learned about this photographer. His work sort of reminds me of yours, I thought you should check him out!

For Kate

Kate,

I really enjoyed the images you showed us on Monday, you are definitely headed in the right direction. I am sure you are familiar with Phillip Toledano, as we have even discussed him in our class, but I think going through his Days With My Father series a few times could spark some ideas. He photographs his father in a somewhat similar way as you recently. I believe Toledano broke away from a traditional, structured way of shooting and pursued digital methods, similar to what you were saying about your turning away from your usual use of medium format.

If you haven't seen this yet, it's rather gut wrenching.

Here's the link, hope this helps:

Days With My Father

For Kate

Not sure how much this applies to what you're doing in exploring your parents through your adult eyes, but i did mention it in class. Aline Smithson's portrait series of her mother...if you were looking for any way to give it a whimsical spin heh heh. has a nice artist statement with the series too
http://www.alinesmithson.com/site.html

For Thibby

Dan Estabrook's work really relates to a lot of your sensibilities, as well as your themes. I appreciate his ability to work graphically through symbolism and think that his photography could be of great influence to you.




http://danestabrook.com/artwork/NineSymptoms

For Hali

Hali,

This is the series I was talking about yesterday in class. The butterfly image you showed the other day proves that you are definitely on the right track. Keep up the good work and I hope looking at this helps.

These are from Cortlandt Glover's series DCA/JAX.

Here is the link to the rest of the series:

cortlandtglover.com

For Kate

Check out Corinne Day and her "exhibition" part of her website: http://www.corinneday.co.uk/exhibitions.php
She had a knack for capturing moments full of emotion and disfunction... could help you out?

America is...

This photograph is from Mitch Epstein's American Power series.

For Adriana

Thought of you and your Mask when I was revisiting Kim Sooja's work entitled A Needle Woman.

@ Sam

Check out this work by this person: Oliver Morris Reminded me of your image you showed us in class

For those of you working with Family

Jocelyn Allen

For Kate Cantolina

Stephen Eichhorn is a mulitmedia artist who makes arrangements using a variety of plants

Look at this idea

Here

For Adrianna

Hello!

I was looking through Olivia Wright's series Figure of Speech (under portrait) and was thinking of the mask's you have been using. Instead of using a full mask she's changing different parts of their faces. I know it's not exactly what you're looking for but it might be something to try.

=)

For Hali

Hello my Love!

There is this photographer named Ryan Pflunger that I found a long time ago. He mostly photographs other gay men, some lovers some friends. However, he has one series that he did on his father, it's titled Not Without My Father. This is the series I want you to look at. Specifically the last image which is a dyptic of he and his father and old family photo's of the two of them. I don't nessecarily feel that this series is extremely strong but it is a portrait of a relationship which is beneficial to your concept.

<3<3

Paul Graham - Definitely Read

Photography is Easy, Photography is Difficult

It’s so easy it's ridiculous. It’s so easy that I can’t even begin – I just don’t know where to start. After all, it’s just looking at things. We all do that. It’s simply a way of recording what you see – point the camera at it, and press a button. How hard is that? And what's more, in this digital age, its free - doesn't even cost you the price of film. It’s so simple and basic, it's laughable.

It’s so difficult because it’s everywhere, every place, all the time, even right now. It's the view of this pen in my hand as I write this, it's an image of you reading now. Drift your consciousness up and out of this text and see: it's right there, across the room - there... and there. Then it’s gone. You didn’t photograph it, because you didn’t think it was worth it. And now it’s too late, that moment has evaporated. But another one has arrived, instantly. Now. Because life is flowing through and around us, rushing onwards and outwards, in every direction.

But if it's everywhere and all the time, and so easy to make, then what’s of value? which pictures matter? Is it the hard won photograph, knowing, controlled, previsualised? Yes. Or are those contrived, dry and belabored? Sometimes. Is it the offhand snapshot made on a whim. For sure. Or is that just a lucky observation, some random moment caught by chance? Maybe. Is it an intuitive expression of liquid intelligence? Exactly. Or the distillation of years of looking seeing thinking photography. Definitely.

"Life’s single lesson: that there is more accident to it than a man can admit to in a lifetime, and stay sane" 
- Thomas Pynchon, V

Ok, so how do I make sense of that never ending flow, the fog that covers life here and now. How do I see through that, how do I cross that boundary? Do I walk down the street and make pictures of strangers, do I make a drama-tableaux with my friends, do I only photograph my beloved, my family, myself? Or maybe I should just photograph the land, the rocks and trees – they don't move or complain or push back. The old houses? The new houses? Do I go to a war zone on the other side of the world, or just to the corner store, or not leave my room at all?

Yes and yes and yes. That's the choice you are spoiled for, just don't let it stop you. Be aware of it, but don't get stuck – relax, it’s everything and everywhere. You will find it, and it will find you, just start, somehow, anyhow, but: start.

Okay, but shouldn’t I have a clear coherent theme, surely I have to know what I’m doing first? That would be nice, but I doubt Robert Frank knew what it all meant when he started, or for that matter Cindy Sherman or Robert Mapplethorpe or Atget or... so you shouldn’t expect it. The more preplanned it is the less room for surprise, for the world to talk back, for the idea to find itself, allowing ambivalence and ambiguity to seep in, and sometimes those are more important than certainty and clarity. The work often says more than the artist intended.

But my photography doesn't always fit into neat, coherent series, so maybe I need to roll freeform around this world, unfettered, able to photograph whatever and whenever: the sky, my feet, the coffee in my cup, the flowers I just noticed, my friends and lovers, and, because it's all my life, surely it will make sense? Perhaps. Sometimes that works, sometimes it’s indulgent, but really it’s your choice, because you are also free to not make 'sense'.

"so finally even this story is absurd, which is an important part of the point, if any, since that it should have none whatsoever seems part of the point too" 
- Malcolm Lowry, Ghostkeeper.

Ok, so I need time to think about this. To allow myself that freedom for a short time. A couple of years. Maybe I won't find my answer, but I will be around others who understand this question, who have reached a similar point. Maybe I’ll start on the wrong road, or for the wrong reasons – because I liked cameras, because I thought photography was an easy option, but if I’m forced to try, then perhaps I’ll stumble on some little thing, that makes a piece of sense to me, or simply just feels right. If I concentrate on that, then maybe it grows, and in its modest ineffable way, begins to matter. Like photographing Arab-Americans in the USA as human beings with lives and hopes, families and feelings, straight, gay, young, old, with all the humanity that Hollywood never grants them. Or the black community of New Haven, doing inexplicable joyous, ridiculous theatrical-charades that explode my preconceptions into a thousand pieces. Or funny-disturbing-sad echoes of a snapshot of my old boyfriend. Or the anonymous suburban landscape of upstate in a way that defies the spectacular images we're addicted to. Or... how we women use our bodies to display who we believe we should be, Or...

"A Novel? No, I don't have the endurance any more. To write a novel, you have to be like Atlas, holding up the whole world on your shoulders, and supporting it there for months and years, while its affairs work themselves out..." 
- J. M. Coetzee, Diary of a Bad Year.

And hopefully I will carry on, and develop it, because it is worthwhile. Carry on because it matters when other things don't seem to matter so much: the money job, the editorial assignment, the fashion shoot. Then one day it will be complete enough to believe it is finished. Made. Existing. Done. And in its own way: a contribution, and all that effort and frustration and time and money will fall away. It was worth it, because it is something real, that didn't exist before you made it exist: a sentient work of art and power and sensitivity, that speaks of this world and your fellow human beings place within it. Isn't that beautiful?

Yale MFA Photography Graduation, February 2009.

For Adriana

Adriana, this is the movie I was talking to you about this past week (Submarine is it's name). Cheers.

This Is Halloween

A link for Diego.

Diego,

First and foremost, I am really impressed with the large format images you showed us all yesterday. After hearing all the ideas that arose from those images, I am really excited to see where you will go with it. I just thought I would share a link with you, because I don't remember many artists being mentioned for you to look at.

Jordan Swartz graduated from Corcoran last year, and his work was entirely based on his everyday life with his friends, mostly focusing on touring/traveling the country. He shoots mainly 35mm, and I honestly think you have much greater potential, given the images shown yesterday, if you continue with large format. Hope your ideas keep flowing.

Here's the link:

Jordan Swartz - How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Two more in relation to Ravi's assignment..

a new image

2 Images.

Development

Related To Many Of Your Ideas About Family/Friends

Portraiture (Or, A Little More Than...)

other things

For Augusta

New Images

The first image follows Adriana's instructions given to me earlier this week. The second image is a summary of work that has influenced me and some things I have not been doing in my photography so far.

Ravi's assignment for Kate & Success of Failure

Marriage is:

















Success of Failure

Success dwells in the shadows of failure's boundless potential! Or rather, the theoretical idea of failure.. I appreciate the author's acknowledgment of failure as a starting point into another body of work, or refinement of your intentions. Our ever-changing idea of "rightness" (in the art world, at least) gives me the feeling that it's impossible to achieve a personal understanding of success from your work. That is, unless you've reached an ending point or a final destination; that last image you'll ever create or the final time you'll ever critically think of work. For this reason, failure is a necessary motivator! An instigator, even. As for the idea of failure through unfinished work and mental obstacles- how do we interpret this as failure? Have we learned from our beginnings, or do we move towards something blindly without recognition of the steps taken to achieve even the most basic conceptual thought of our work.

Sam at Mel
restatement:I think it would be really good for you to examine this idea of passage of time, as well as the presence and absence of people. Go to a bus stop, bus stations, train station etc. and photograph the phases and transitions of the people there. The people that remain there after a period of time and the people the quickly leave. You might try and set up a tripod and take a series of images that almost turns into stop motion where you can go back and view the progression of peoples movement.

Success of Failure

This reading made me think. The title of the article it self made me very interested in reading because as an artist, we always have to deal with failure. Also this reading made me remember the conversation we had during class. We talked about how we should never limit ourselves when creating an artwork because you never know how it will come out. The part where Fisher talks about satisfaction is linked to that. As we expect ourselves to have better photograph and exceed the project before, the satisfaction that we seek from our works gets harder and harder to get. Is is really a failure if you are not satisfied with your work? Is the word "failure" mean the same to everyone? In our society, failure is looked upon as a negative thing. However, we realize that we learn way more by failing than any other things.

Success of Failure

This article basically explained the different ways your can interpret failure. It took examples and observations the author had to explain the different concepts. Some of the things that stood out to me in the reading included, "Failure only exists in contrast to success" and vice versa, "existence without grace". This gave me a very different perspective to view failure, however most of the article did same thing, this quote of at the beginning seemed the strongest. Another point in the article that stood out to me was, when the author shared how after his son was born he picked up a medical book on child birth and it showed dozens of ways birth can go wrong, and very few ways it can he healthy and successful. He then landed on the conclusion that its possible formal medical analysis is more comfortable with failure than success. I found this to be intriguing, how failure can be more comfortable in a world where failure often leads to death, as opposed to the art world where failure has much less severe consequences. Finally one of the last ideas that really stood out to me was. How failure of big ideas is often better than the success of small ideas. I think it's a great idea to live by considering photography or even art in general.

Joel Fisher: The Success of Failure

This article is rather encouraging and thought provoking. Many of the things Fisher proposes in this article are great, and unfortunately, at least in my own case, not included in everyday practice. I definitely believe in my work, if not in everyday life, that everything happens for a specific reason. That being said, in slow times it becomes very difficult to put that belief into practice, or practice what I preach. I was watching the Sally Mann documentary, What Remains, the other day and she basically summed it up saying, "Every photograph ups the annie". Isn't there a myth that most artists believe their best work is their latest? Anyways, I think that Sally Mann's comment relates to what Fisher is saying in this article concerning artists and their understanding, or rather implementation, of success. I also enjoyed Fisher's summation of the many ways a work of art, or many other things, fail in amounts such as, "Too aggressive, too augmentative, too arrogant, too arty, too big, too coercive, too confused, too cultured, etc." Fisher's article has certainly provided some different approaches to accepting, and celebrating my own failures, and possibly eliminating that word from my vocabulary. I'll be printing this article out and putting it on my bulletin board, due a slight inclination that I will need to read this one a few times over this semester.

Kate for Ravi - Response + concept

Assignment from Alexis

Success of Failure

This was a very in-depth and long-winded essay accumulating several different ideas and perspectives of the definition of failure. What I most appreciate about this piece is its light hand in dealing with each perspective. Fisher does not presume that his interpretations are correct, because it would be a huge inherent contradiction in writing such a piece. An important concept I took from the reading was the idea that failure is more tangible than success, and from each failure a definitive boundary is made and beyond it is an array of intangibles. Through drawing a line of experience, I can see myself becoming more comfortable and confident in my own self to trust my gut direction, even when it pulls towards something I can't see.

Response to Failure Essay.

I find this article to be very thought-provoking, simply because of the stream of consciousness that I am now experiencing. I found the story of the author reading about the dangers of childbirth interesting, mostly because I interpret it to mean that failure is more common, or in this particular case, more easily accomplished, than success - but I don't believe in that. I think the reason failure upsets me so much when I experience it is because I'm not used to it. And that's not to say that I'm perfect and a champion at life in general, but simply to say that more often than not, I am satisfied with my work, or at least content. I view failure to be the complete opposite of satisfaction - I have failed if my work, whether a photograph, an essay, a batch of brownies, or a conversation - does not leave me feeling like I've taken one step, no matter how small, to understanding/reaching happiness, which is my ultimate goal in life. Failure occurs when I am uncomfortable with the way something turns out. Therefore, it is impossible for another person to convince me that I have failed, if I don't think that I have. Which is partially due to my stubbornness and pride, but also partly to do with my belief that a person must be somewhat selfish. I say/do/feel what I want (within reason... usually), and if I'm satisfied with a project, it is (probably) impossible to convince me otherwise. That being said, I think there are different levels of success, or at least whatever not-failure is, but once one drops below that line, it is failure, no matter how extreme. Sometimes I feel content with a project, but not elated. That is not failure, but certainly not perfection (which is an entirely different conversation, but my current word of choice). 

I appreciate the quote "the risks of failure add value to success". I always feel pride when I finish something and am happy with it, because I know that the outcome could have been different.

Another paragraph that I found interesting was about hiding our failures, and protecting our friends from their failures - I find myself doing this often. When speaking to people about potential mistakes, my brain is constantly on over-drive, one step ahead in a conversation, wondering if my next comment is going to cause pain. I constantly rephrase my thoughts to make my words easier on the ears.

"One could even say that acknowledged failure does not exist" - not true. If you fail, recognizing that failure doesn't erase it, it simply helps you learn from the mistake and hopefully helps you from making the same one again. It may be relieving to recognize failure, but it certainly doesn't eradicate it.

2 Pieces

Success of Failure

"Often things fail only in amount- too this or too that. Too agressive, too argumentative, too arrogant, too arty, too big, too coercive, too confused, too cultured, too dangerous, too limited, too self-conscious, too sentimental, too sloppy, too shy, too subtle, too thin, too little. Too much. The excessive is our preferred value judgement."

This idea of excessiveness in work is what stood out the most for me throughout the entire article. It was the only idea that I truly felt I could agree with and understood why exactly I was agreeing with it. The idea of having everything be bigger and better is engrained into our society, bigger cars, cooler toys, newer computers. Everything must be better than the last. This follows us into our creative process. Causing us to feel the need to top ourselves. The idea of our next work not being even better than our last is considered a failure because our culture forces us to think in this way. This is why, at least for me, the idea of failure isn't "fake" or abstract. Failure is in fact very real. The goal, as we're told, is to do what no one has done. This in itself is a need to progress as much as possible. And, as society tells us, succeeding is achieved by progressing. Everyone fails, it's understood and we know this. Failures do not encourage success, our failures are magnified and will always have a negative light.

New Work