This here blawwg began four years ago this week. When I see posts elsewhere of this self-referential nature (“Sorry I haven’t been posting lately, blahblahblah…”) they always seem to have a built-in half-life. They go stale.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9hlh0Ur8vo&feature=share&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active is my solution to this. It’s my fbf Kenny Drew, Jr. playing Monk’s Christmas tune and a Blue Monk-ish SCICTT. Production values are perfect; enjoy.
Bob Thall: “Compare my career to Stochl’s experience as a photographer. I had wonderful teachers who were sophisticated and supportive. I studied with many other young photographers who became friends, competitors, and resources. I’ve received grants, fellowships, and commissions that supported my work. Curators, dealers, editors, and publishers have been generous with their long-term interest in my photography and provided opportunities for exhibitions and publications. Critics and collectors have provided me with feedback and support…I’ve been lucky and yet, I admit, at times I’ve found it difficult to keep working ambitiously as a photographer. It’s hard to keep going for decades upon decades. I’ve sometimes gotten lazy, confused, or discouraged. Despite my good luck and advantages, I’ve never found it easy.
“Gary Stochl had none of the kind of support and encouragement I had: no teachers, no exhibitions until his first show in Fall 2003, no community of like minded photographers, no dealer, no sales, no commissions, no publications, no reviews, no grants, and no job in the field. Nothing. Absolutely nothing for almost forty years. And yet he’s consistently worked with astounding dedication, self-discipline, and ambition…Like all great stories, this one holds some lessons. Gary Stochl’s long journey should re-teach us the importance of devotion, perseverance, and personal vision. His story suggests that many of us should care a bit less about our careers and reputations and a bit more about our work.”
…or so; just, y’know, on the floor, or on a sidewalk somewhere. I’m talking about the surprise of realizing that one has some money that isn’t earmarked for film, or groceries, or darkroom chemicals, or home repair, 0r photo paper; cash in the category of lottery winnings. I don’t obsess over wardrobe or wine… (but, apparently, I admire alliteration).
I would install an illegally loud horn that exceeds a reasonable decibel level for my unprepossessing automobile (not unlike the Huge School’s fire alarm).
I would wear this device on my ear, which saves the previous thirty seconds: http://www.looxcie.com/products-page/cameras/looxcie-2-5-hour
I’d stock up on some tres elegante photo paper: http://www.hahnemuehle.com/site/en/1163/lana-beaux-arts.html
I’d consider a long lens for the 8×10, around 600mm or so (equiv to portrait length on a 35mm film camera), but really, how much use would it see. Rental?
You?
…in this week’s Times Sunday Magazine.
“The afterglow of your unique, youthful experiences — the kisses and cigarettes and cups of espresso that followed the movie, as much as the film itself — cast a harsh, flat light on the present, when you sit at home watching a DVD with a cup of herbal tea as your spouse dozes next to you on the couch. But don’t blame Hollywood for that!”
Your first answer is… wrong.
I’m not kidding: each time I came across one of these, I had to dig all the way back into them. Order out, lock the door, take the phone off the hook(!), whatever it takes.
Wayne Bremser http://bremser.tumblr.com/
Levi Wedel http://imagesfound.blogspot.com/
Ricardo Armas http://ricardoarmasphotography.blogspot.com/
Ron Slattery http://www.bighappyfunhouse.com/
http://notcommonpeople.blogspot.com/
1. A middle-aged self-proclaimed “Lesbo Commie” tends to fidget during a panel discussion.
2. An unanticipated thunderstorm need not nix street shooting in a city of broad shoulders.
3. One can unwittingly become like unto an employee whilst dining at a family-friendly neighborhood joint.
4. Not every academic authority is willing to dismiss a connection between Storyville and klezmer.
Contact me for details.
Sit, on furniture designed for students, at a designated spot in the hall. Do not attempt to concentrate on anything, or to make effective use of the inadequate work surface provided.
Graciously open the door to admit employees from the Republic of Special Services who went out for “fun food” and have no keys to the locked outer door (but who choose not to enter through the unlocked doors).
Compile a concise list of the many things you could be doing instead, that have more to do with skills you acquired as part of your own education, as well as with the reasons you chose to work here.
From time to time, wave to the surveillance cameras.
The world’s oldest (known) (surviving) heliograph (aka “photograph”), made by Joseph Nicephore Niepce,* dates from 1826; It resides at the University of Texas,1963 Niépce’s tin plate photograph is part of the exhibition “The Birth of Photography: Milestones from the Gernsheim Collection,” which opened on September 9.
“This is like the Mona Lisa, or the Blue Mauritius,” the exhibition’s curator, Claude Sui told the press, in regard to the unique nature of the image.
“Watching students grow is interesting—and them observing my process helps them see that it’s not that mysterious of a thing to do. In order to figure this art-making stuff out, it’s trial and error and experimentation, and takes some time and hard thinking. Putting work out in many forms and stages is an extension of how I see things. I feel the art process is best served when it invites comments and constructive criticism from people. It’s a strategic gesture, too, because the feedback I receive helps me move forward with my ideas, which is what process is about—to craft and evolve something.”
Creative Camerawork 