Hello from Roatan, in the Bay Islands of Honduras. I’m limiting my movements to snorkeling and reading in the hammock and foraging for nuts and berries at the bar, so if this is all you hear from me this week, that’s why. Please don’t send search and rescue, I like it here. Yesterday I left Oaxaca far earlier than I’d …
Rehabilitating Art.
I saw this man in Ethiopia 4 years ago. Kneeling on one leg, missing the other, letting nothing stand in the way of doing what he was there to do. Not the strongest photograph I’ve ever made, but man do I like this guy’s style. I can’t begin to properly tell you how my time in physical rehab is affecting …
Surrounded
Winston Churchill, by Yousuf Karsh. I love his determination and defiance. The Rehab Centre in Ottawa, in which I am currently imprisoned – I mean, ahem, a resident – has hanging on its walls an amazing collection of large prints by Yousuf Karsh. Karsh has long been one of my favourite photographers, and his influence was one of those that …
Don’t Stop.
Agra Fort. Agra, India. 2008. I rediscovered this sequence of photographs while putting together Photographically Speaking. In the book I discuss one of these images and explore the elements and decisions that make the photograph what it is. But looking at the 3 together I think there’s a lesson along the lines of the stuff I’ve been talking about lately, …
45 Days.
This is a pragmatic post, and I hope it doesn’t sound too preachy. But one of the things creatives struggle with is finding time to create. We all do. I get emails all the time asking how I cram it all in, how I “find the time to do everything I do.” I posted a longer, different response to that …
Originality Part II
A week ago I left what might have been my shortest post ever: Originality is Overrated. It generated some good discussion, and from the comments it seemed to really resonate and get some thoughts going. My own thinking has been stirring too, but before I tell you where those thoughts have -for now – settled, I wanted some ghosts to …
Do The Work
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” ~Emile Zola Lately I’ve had nothing but time. My feet are still weak and the closest I come to walking is fearful crutch-work across the kitchen floor as I put more and more weight on the feet. I have visions of the screws and plates popping …
Originality is Overrated
There is much talk in artsy circles about being “original”. I’m not even sure I know what that means. (Or if it exists.) Of all the places to put our energy, I think this is among the more futile. It’s the wrong answer to the right question. Is desiring originality (insert vague personal definition here) a good thing? Yes. Of …
1000
Today marks my 1000th post, more if you count some of the drivel I edited out when I moved this blog over from Typepad years ago. I had all kinds of ideas about how to mark this 1000th post, but none of them were exceptionally good, and to be honest all I really want to say is Thank You. …
Buy The Tickets.
A door in Jodhpur, photographed on my first trip to India. Images from that trip benefited me more than the best lens I could have bought or the newest camera, never mind the experience and life-long memories themselves. I ran across a great article this morning on the Adventure Journal. Simply the premise was, “You don’t need all the …