Global warming

I think that part of the problem with getting people's attention (beyond corporate self interest) is the name the science community chose. Global climate shift? Global seasonal shift? It's hard to get the majority of the public to get behind the science when they look at their window to this at the end of February with more to come for the first of March.

Photo ghetto...

I appreciate lively debate. I use Google Reader to access posts that I have subscribed to and there have been at least 10 from various (read: important) sources pointing to the Jeff Wall show at MOMA. Since documentary photography was the starting place in my passion I found this post from The Spark of Accident to be the fuse. Discussion? Controversy? You choose.

At one point in the article Wall is quoted
as saying, "I couldn’t get into ’60s art photography — Friedlander, Arbus and
Winogrand and Stephen Shore,” Wall says. “These guys were in a photo ghetto.
They were into their own world, with photo galleries and their own photo
books."

Lively.

Quote of the day...

"Bucolic or bust, motherfucker!" Zoe Strauss

I first learned of Zoe Strauss from Alec Soth's blog and have been entertained ever since. You can visit her web site, her Flickr page, or see today's quote on her blog. Her work is strong, her style is accessible. How can one not be entranced by this open book lesbian artist who had a makeover by Isaac Mizrahi on the Style network for her opening at the Whitney Biennial 2006?

It has been snowing for 4 days and her post today was just what I needed!!!!!!!

I'm sending you away again...

I am a great lover of photo books. I suppose since my first memory of photography came from looking not at framed prints, but from books. Today I am recommending you take a look at two posts by others.

Mrs. Deane has written many times about her love of photo books. Today she presents the work of Hans Wijninga and his experimental techniques. The link to his book Grijs takes you to a virtual rendition allowing you to turn the pages. For me this is much more meaningful than a gallery of thumbnails or slide show. By preserving the book format I feel much more like I am participating than simply viewing. The work itself is a beautiful realization of his experiment. For me, a time where a technique deepens the narrative. She also writes about reconnecting with Mr. Wijninga at a meeting of a group of artists in the Netherlands that get together to share their work in the formative stages for critique and support. This sounds very much like CoPA (Coalition of Photographic Arts) which I am active in. It is a wonderful thing to have a place to serve as a creative incubator.

Tim Atherton at Muse-ings also writes about photo books today, leading me to Photobook Vols. I & II by Martin Parr and Gary Badger. Books on books! A resource and a read!

What will they think of next...

go to Dynamism.com and see how you can create " a striking juxtaposition to see these classic wooden creations stuck alonside the postmodern lines of our cutting-edge laptops". Why do I think artist Karin van Lieshout is a Mac user?

The Germans are coming, the German's are coming

Ok, not really but if you're a certain age you'll understand the reference. You'll notice that I have Conscientious in my links because he is the mountain top when it comes to blogs concerning contemporary photography. Yesterday's post shows the work of German photographer Daniel Gustav Cramer. The Woodland images in particular are powerful but look through the entire trilogy. Another blog I subscribe to and have meant to add to the links column is Mrs. Deane. Yesterday's post presenting the work of German photographer Peter Granser is a pleasure and I agree with her comments concerning the opportunity to download and print PDF's of his projects. I tried it and they print quite well. Sun City is a treat. The site is a little difficult to figure out but well worth it. The notion of having PDF's for download is quite similar to Democratic Books, another German resource.

You notice that I will often call attention to other blogs, and if that means you go directly to them, then I have done a service. They are sources of education and inspiration to me and I don't mean to recycle their work but perhaps to add one or two more viewers. I would have liked to post an image from Mr. Granser or Mr. Cramer but both have such intimidating terms of use stipulations that I will respect them and hope you go to their sites.

The theme marches on

I am tremendously impressed with photographers that commit to a project and then do it in public. Stranger a Day 2007 by Chicago photographer Roark Johnson is evidently his second go round. His discipline is inspiring. Frankly, I'll be amazed if I can make two weeks with this blog.

I love my friends 2

This joke was forwarded to me by a friend...Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks "Can I get you a beer?" Descartes says "I think not." and disappeared.

Continuing the theme

I have great qualms about the use of long lenses for street portraits. It vaguely hints at ringing the doorbell and running away or making prank phone calls back before caller i.d. That said Jean Christian Bourcart's Traffic portfolio sucks me in with this image in particular. Joerg Colberg, Conscientious, blogged on him at the very beginning of January and this portrait has haunted me ever since. I find her gaze devastating.

I love my friends

"I like to judge people ahead of
time. It's faster."

Tommy Sweeney

Brutal honesty slays me.

Aperture Spring 2007

Just when I think perhaps I won't renew my subscription to Aperture an issue comes that is cover to cover gold. I came home to find it in my mailbox and know that I will be looking, reading and absorbing for weeks. The issue features Pieter Hugo's portraits (it seems to be a week of portraits) from several projects. If you don't subscribe you can see Hugo's work at Michael Stevenson's web site although you'll miss the thoughtful text "Pieter Hugo: The Critical Zone of Engagement" by Bronwyn Law-Viljoen. "...as Pieter Hugo did when asked about the future of the portrait photograph - sotto voce: "The portrait is dead." ".

More in the issue is Luc Sante's conversation with Stephen Shore, a look at the Lee Miller Centennial, and Mary Ellen Mark introducing Jessica Lange's (yes, the actress) photographs.

Good news too, at the back; "Saul Leiter: Early Color" published by Steidel. I presume (see inaugural post) this is the result of the exhibition last fall here in Milwaukee curated by Lisa Hostetler.

It was a good day.

Pitchers and catchers report...

43 days until the 2007 season opener. Spring cannot come soon enough after the February we have had.

Highly recommended

The Soldier series by artist Suzanne Opton is the most compelling group of portraits I have seen in a long time. In an interview she said she was given access and full cooperation from Fort Hood as soon as she told them the work was not political. Vince Aletti's review in the New Yorker's February 12, 2007 issue of the show opening this week at Peter Hay Halpert's gallery in New York states "Dispensing with theatrics, Opton finds genuine drama".

I reserve the right

I have been bullied into finally getting a blog up and running (I'm pointing at you, Sonja). I have spent years blurking (I reserve the right to this word, defined as one who reads but does not comment on blogs, which I made up) and with some trepidation am now throwing myself out there. I have seen the mayhem that can go round the blogosphere and sometimes it isn't pretty.

This blog will mainly address contemporary photography, but I reserve the right to post whatever I find that interests me at any given moment. I love images. Making them and absorbing those made by others. I will post my work and link to or post the work of my betters. I reserve the right to be wrong about my work and the work of others. I reserve the right to post several times a day or not for days. I reserve the right to be opinionated. I reserve the right to be misinformed but not intentionally ill-informed. I reserve the right to allow comments or not depending on the content or the strong possibility that a dirth of comments reflects pathetically on me. I reserve the right to try to keep a sense of humor. I reserve the right to occasionally fail.