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 …
Impressions
Impression I, II, III All three photographs were made with my iPhone 4, cropped to 4×5, and processed with the Magic Hour filter, all in the Camera+ app. I tweaked curves slightly, and added borders in Photoshop after import. One of the first things I did when the Ottawa Hospital finally let me have a Day Pass to go wreak …
Point & Shoot, My A**
This March, I spent more time making photographs with my iPhone down the coast of Oregon than I did with my D3s and Pelican cases full of gear. Many of the images I made in those days are among the best of my recent photographs; unobstructed by all the gear I was more able to play. But not once did …
Voices, Part Two
A cable vanishes into the clouds in a marble quarry high above Carrara, Italy, the place Michelangelo sourced his marble for David. Much of my own artistic journey feels like this, more of what I’m looking for is obscured than revealed at first glance. I spend a lot of time waiting for the mist to clear. When it comes to …
I Hear Voices (So Do You)
Some thoughts on the voices we listen to. My disclaimer: I’m still on meds that make writing a little tough. I feel foggy. I probably write more from my gut right now, which is good unless you want this stuff to make actual sense. So this one might be a little more rambling than others… As artists and creators we …
Valley of Fire, Nevada
Morning coffee at Valley of Fire S.P. and a chance to look at the maps. Today marks one month of traveling. We left Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park this morning after two nights there. The Valley of Fire is spectacular and while there are weeks worth of photography to be had, we’re still on a timeline that’s somewhat inflexible. …
Don’t Break The Rules
I call this one, OH MY GOD HIS HORIZON IS IN THE MIDDLE! New Zealand, 2010 While I can’t yet talk openly about the next book, my time in Jamaica brought me to finishing about 2/3 of the draft and as it slowly takes shape it comes closer and closer to becoming a real thing, a thing I can talk …
Blurred Vision
So what do you do when you feel your vision has abandoned you? That it’s dried up or gone missing? I talked about this while I was in Kathmandu on a personal level but I’m seeing it all over the internet and in emails from friends. I can’t be the only one. The downside to believing that our photography is …
Leaving Kathmandu
Boudha, Kathmandu Canon 1Ds MkIII, 85mm, 1/160 @ f/1.2, ISO 800 After the last post, and what one reader called my exhausting angst, I’ve been shooting very little and just enjoying this place. Guess I just needed a break. I’m really grateful for the comments left, and for the thoughts and ideas expressed in them, but I trust you know …
Wrestling in Kathmandu
We’re on the second full day of the Kathmandu Within The Frame workshop, based in Boudhanath, and man am I struggling. My first task here is not creating a body of work, but teaching, but I believe the best teachers are the ones that are always learning, and man am I learning. The hard way. I’ve never shyed away from …