Ground Glass

Roger Ballen, one of my favorite images from the NYPF

I know I have been MIA since the last week’s NYPF, but it took me a little while to recover from photo-overload. There are a lot of great posts about the event, Shane, Andrew, Joerg, Robert, and others all have their take on the events. For me it really was a whirlwind of meeting people, and observing how the NY photo world operates. Relationships are the secret to the art world. For instance, Kathy Ryan was accessible for the whole event. I saw her giving numerous tours of her exhibit and talking to everyone. I never quite got up the nerve to introduce myself, even though I have emailed with her before. It just seemed too desperate, like throwing yourself at the hottest guy at bar at 3:45 am. But it was super interesting to watch everyone and listen to the conversations. There is definitely an inside world that once you are in, gives you a lot more opportunities. But while I may not be in that circle, I saw a lot of friends and made some new ones. I am still blown away that people know my work & blog. It is nice to know people get something out of GG.

That is why I am excited about WIP. At this moment, everything in the world is in flux. The internet is absolutely changing how we relate to each other. There is something great about people reaching out and forming communities. It empowers them to express themselves and to connect. Amy Elkins has been an incredible partner on this project. Not only do we feel like we are doing something that could really be positive, we are having a lot of fun. My hope is that WIP can help create more community among women artists. We are already scheduled through March of next year and still have a bunch of great artists to put on the calendar. Amy and I are really committed to showing quality work and to giving people a place to further their art career. So when we launch, I hope people spread the word about the site to friends and photo/art contacts. There will be a launch party in mid-June, more to come soon…

This project has me thinking a lot about intentions lately and what I want to get out of this experience. I think having a solo show online, can be a way to reach people who for various reasons don’t go to galleries. And perhaps help someone get noticed in the very crowded field of fine-art photographers. But the web is a funny thing, every good intention can come with a price.

Last night Nightline had a story about a stay a home Mom that has created an online blog for women to post their pictures and ask strangers to tell them what to do with their hair. She has a 2 year line up of people waiting to get help to ‘look better.’ While researching the hair site, I came across this blog, which illustrates the type of thinking that leads women to the Plastic Surgeons consult chair. I am sure Hair Thursday is only trying to help, but as soon as you use the internet community for this kind of thing, I think you are on dangerous ground.

Hi. How are ya? Please ignore my rosacea, beady eyes, crooked nose, and double chin. This is about the HAIR, people!

Hair Thursday features images of everyday women, who are given advice on their hair. Each person has a celebrity or two selected as their “model” of what they should aim for.

The web is full of places where you are welcome to be rated, the web boards of Teen Vogue include page after page of these rate me posts. As an artist I am fascinated about the human need to feel special. A large part of the Cosmetic Surgery experience is about this drive to be ’seen’ even it is means being judged.

One thing I hear from men a lot (including my own boyfriend) is that women complain too damn much. Most men’s number one complaint about their wives and girlfriends is that they just want to talk endlessly about their problems, and they don’t see what that solves? I think it is perhaps too much of a generalization to say that all women like to discuss, mull over and talk through their issues and difficulties, but from my experience most women do find comfort in being listened to. We don’t like to just take action, without time to reflect and hear the thoughts of others. I personally think in some ways this makes us able to deal with more complex issues. When something does not have a clear cut solution men often get angry or frustrated. They want to ‘fix it’ and move on. Of course all of this is varies from person to person, but in my experience there is some truth to it. So when Joerg first emailed me about the Times article, I could see that he wanted to find a way to fix things right away. But he was frustrated because as a man there was only so much he could do about it. I am saddened by the responses to my post that directed their anger to Joerg. If you look at his blog, he clearly features just as many male and female photographers in both interviews and image selection. What more can we ask of men, then to be sensitive to our struggle and to give us the same opportunities as they give men.

The most important thing is that now, several amazing and talented women are using their considerable gifts to try and come up with ideas to make things better. Many of these issues are actually between women and about how we view ourselves and the world. So it seems to me, that we should be the ones to work to solve them. Hence the creation of Women in Contemporary Photography which is still in the development stage, that be a showcase for the work of women photographers. And the Ask me logo, when you see the logo, you know you are welcome to reach out to the person for advice, questions, or just to say hi. While we are all super busy and probably feel like we don’t have enough time already, a quick email or addressing a question on our blogs or directing the person to someone who can help seems like a reasonable goal. I invite anyone who has other ideas to bring them on. We have nothing to lose by trying all these things out. I also encourage women editors, gallery staff or any women interested to participate. I doubt women photographers are the only ones who would like to get some support.

I am excited to see where we go…

Just in case you are not completely spent from the art fairs and accompanying parties, this week has an exciting array of photo related events. I have never tried a RedBull, but looking at this line-up I may indulge. And several blog-related contests end this week, so don’t forget to send your submissions.

Also, I have added a new sidebar, which I will periodically update. I realize I am always finding new work (new to me at least) that I want to post on Ground Glass, but unfortunately I don’t always have the time. So I will now put links to the artist’s sites, so people can look discover them at their leisure. The first batch, are all discoveries from Scope.

Events:

National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York, New York
(212) 674-8824

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor
New York, New York
(212) 505-5555

Hosted by David Zwirner
533 West 19th Street NYC 10011

Live & Silent Auctions of Original Artwork
6-7pm: Exclusive Champagne Preview
7-9pm: Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction
8pm: Live Auction
Purchase Tickets

Openings:

Sze Tsung Leong
Yossi Milo Gallery (525 West 25th)
525 West 25th Street, 212-414-0370
Thursday, April 3, 6 - 8PM

Gregory Crewdson
Luhring Augustine Gallery
531 West 24th Street, 212-206-9100
Friday, April 4, 6 - 8PM

All applications must be submitted before Midnight EDT on Tuesday April 1, 2008.

What’s The Jackanory

Wow, I just realized I have not posted in almost two weeks. Between shooting, post-production, having the stomach flu, a trip to the ER with my boyfriend and now putting the finishing touches on my book project I have been unable to get to blogging. I will have lots of stuff to write about soon, but I am going to have to attend to my photography for a bit longer. I hope everyone will bare with me. A few bits and pieces. If you have a chance check out the Humble Arts 31 under 31 at the 3rd Ward. I am really excited to see women photographers doing so well and the show has a lot of interesting work. Also, I will be speaking there on the 22nd of this month on a panel hosted by HA with some really talented ladies on women in art photography. More to come soon. If you have a chance, my friend Joshua Lutz has a show up at my Alma Mater, SLC, which is definitely worth the trip. He recently moved to Clamp Art and has a book coming out.

I will dig myself out soon and be back to GG.

At least when it comes to press coverage of attractiveness. I was not at all surprised when Joerg forwarded me a Cosmetic Surgery blog featuring my interview on Conscientious. As I replied to him, “there is no irony in plastic surgery.” I went to the link and was fascinated by the banner ads on the site. The headline “Age Catches up with Demi Moore Despite Fortune Spent on Cosmetic Surgery,” really encapsulates many of the issues I am exploring in my work. When I went to the Daily Mail to look at the entry, I saw another link to a George Clooney article. As you can see below, the two actors looks are portrayed quite differently.

Hmmm…. Is it just me, or are they inferring that 40 something sexist man alive George, really doesn’t need the ‘photo retouch job’ but poor 40ish Demi really looks like shit despite all the surgery. It is pretty amazing how men continue to get ‘distinguished’ and remain sexy well into middle age in Hollywood, while women never seem to be never good enough. One day these actresses are held up as beauty icons and the next they are being shredded. In reality, most actors now seem to get “work done” male and female. My mother recently mentioned to me that she saw Jessica Lange on television, and that her first thought was how old she looked. But then she realized that she just looked like a 50 something year-old woman, not like a 50 something year-old woman who has had a ton of surgery. She, like most of us, is now judging these women against a different standard. Something to consider.

I am honored to be interviewed today on Joerg Colberg’s fantastic fine-art blog, Conscientious. It was a great experience and Joerg asked some really interesting questions. Also, if you have a chance his past line-up of conversations includes, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth, Martin Parr, Richard Renadi, Brian Ulrich and a stellar list of photogs. The interview includes portriats from my latest project which is in progress.

I apologize if you have already read it, it has been pointed out to me that there were some typos in my post today. No, I was not drunk, merely trying to fit my post into a shoot day. Lesson learned.

One of my favorite biographies of a photographer is Sue Davidson Lowe’s, Stieglitz: A Memoir. It really captures of one the great love stories of modern photography. Not the one between Alfred Steglitz and Gerogia O’Keefe, but the one between Stieglitz and Paul Strand. Strand, after studying with Lewis Hine found his way to Stieglitz as a young photographer. During the review of his work, Stieglitz gave him suggestions on his form and technique, which spurred Strand on to create the style which made him famous. Strand was a 291 favorite, Stieglitz gave him his first solo show there, and regularly published his photographs in Camera Work. But as the years went on, Strand’s success grew and a natural competition developed between the two men. Eventually differences in their ideas about photography, politics, and some wife swapping, destroyed their relationship.

The student teacher relationship no matter how fruitful is always complex. It is natural to go through a period of adolescent rebellion and disavow your mentor. Sometimes it is only subconscious tension, or in the case of Strand and Stieglitz a total break up. Or as I mentioned about Alec Soth in my post yesterday, perhaps only to want to be judged on your own work, not always in relation to your teacher. It is necessary to shift to developing your own thoughts and ideas about your work, if not you never find your individual voice as an artist. But you always have an imaginary creative umbilical cord to your mentor. Joel has only ever had good things to say about Alec, and I know that they have a great relationship (which Alec himself spoke of in a lovely email to me yesterday.). I think that it is rare to find someone who can help you find something within yourself that you perhaps did not know existed. And when you find it, although is may have some pitfalls, what you gain is invaluable. I am glad that so many people enjoyed Joel’s article and my post and I would love to hear stories from other people about their mentor experiences.

I actually work part-time doing digital work, and I scan and do minor work on my own negs. And I will admit to love drum scanning and some of the things Photoshop can provide. But it seems no matter how many times women are told that celebrities and models are retouched, we continue to measure ourselves by computer generated standards. I found these videos on YouTube, there are lots & lots of them. While part of me admires the tech ability, there is something sort of horrible about it when you consider that many women decide to get plastic surgery because of it.

I have been a bit busy at my $$ job this week, so tonight was the first night I had to catch up on the Blogoshpere, only to discover I missed some good openings this week. To be honest, I rarely go, I am not an art world luminary and I can never actually see the pictures. The last opening I went to at Yossi Milo, someone dropped their red wine on one of the pics. But sometimes it is fun to go and run into people you want to catch up with. Also I wanted to put a link to a great New Years post by the Jackanory. Mr. Hetherington seems to have parlayed his blog into to an offer for a ‘real job,’ which has sparked his commitment to his photo career. I am a regular reader of his blog, and enjoy the little tidbits and thoughts he offers, and it is very polished, I am not surprised someone offered him a desk job doing it. The funny thing is, photography is supposed to be a purely visual form. But I find writing to be a big part of my process. Perhaps not art criticism, but writing here on Ground Glass pushes me to think about the medium of photography and art in general in a different way. For me, blogging is really more about community. I loved crit classes, being in a room full of people who were all working on projects. It was great to have people to discuss my work and photography with and it spurred me to work harder. One of the nice things about my day job, is that I spend time all day with really smart people who love (and know) about photography. And reading blogs and see what other photographers are thinking, reading, looking at, or showing is very helpful. So I am glad to here Andrew is not going away, but I totally understand how he feels the pressures of time wearing him down. Someone told me to have a successful blog you had to write every day or other day to boost your readership. I prefer to write when I feel that I have something I want or need to say. I hope those of you who read find that to be enough. Thanks for reading!

Also, those of you in NY, Peer Gallery is now featuring the work of Christopher Rauschenberg, Rephotographing Atget. I am intrested to see it, my first thought is that it is not such a good idea, but I am willing to go for a look. So many people already copy him, or copy those who copied him.

I found this tidbit, and it really made me think. Do we turn to our computers because they won’t judge us, or have we just shifted to a society of instant information. Something to consider for the new year. I would say, many of the photographers I know have their most successful relationships with their cameras.

You people trust Google more than your own family

As you gather with those you love to celebrate the New Year this evening and a cloying nostalgia grips you in the gut, consider this: You don’t really give a shit what any of these people think about anything anyway. At least not according to the latest findings from Pew Internet researchers. 58 percent of you, they say, go to the Internet for answers on your toughest questions. Only 45 percent seek out friends and family members. So tonight, as the clock strikes midnight and you suddenly see that all those around you shall pass and fade with time, just remember: You weren’t really that close anyway.

I would say we have lost our fear of the “machine.”

Just wanted to say congrats to the Jackanory aka Andrew Hetherington. I see from his blog that his book, Room with a View has launched. Having been lucky enough to get a peek before it came out I am happy to see it in print. If you have a chance, take a look. It gives a very interesting look into the oh so glamorous world of the life of a editorial photog.

Also, from Flak Photo a new contest designed to shed some light on the film vs digital debate. Check it out here.

And as very smart and thoughtful site - courtesy of Speak See & Remember from LA County Museum of Art Photography curator Charlotte Cotton, Words Without Pictures. The current essay is a very deep look at the nature of photography as art & the work of Thomas Demand. I gave it a quick read and was intrigued, its heady and needs some time. Also, looks like Ms. Cotton is having some great events out there, past speakers have included, Penelople Umbrico, Sze Tsung Leong & Liz Deschenes.

… I just read the ABOUT US section at Words Without Pictures and looks like it is an online collective including some people I know! Not sure how I missed it, but I will be reading up.

WORDS WITHOUT PICTURES is purposefully multi-voiced and multi-layered [2]. It includes essays [3], discussion forums [4], debates [5], one-to-one conversations [6], and questionnaires [7]. Words Without Pictures is using this range of formats to gauge a broad range of opinions about photography before they become received wisdom. We offer the ideas that begin this year-long process fully aware that subsequent discussions on this site will determine the directions the project will take. Words Without Pictures invites you to contribute your perspective on the directional shifts in photography and help us define their meaning [8].

This website is where you can read the current essay, download a PDF and podcast, and join the discussion forum. The website is also where you can contact us to suggest additions to any of the formats of Words Without Pictures and download previous essays of this year-long project. If you register and join the discussion forums, you will be asked to agree that your contributions to Words Without Pictures may be considered for the project’s publication.

More soon… I am almost moved in!

Hello,

Sorry I dropped off the radar, I moved this week to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. So far I am really enjoying be a borough dweller, but I am still surrounded by boxes of useless, and useful stuff that needs a trip to Ikea to be emptied. And we have no cable or Internet, because the guy who lived here before us is holding his cable box hostage somewhere. That said, I will be back hopefully by the end of the week.

I came across this ‘behind the scenes’ video of a Kate Moss photo shoot, and I realized how much it had in common with every video I have seen of a fashion shoot. The quick cuts, good soundtrack and fab lighting makes modeling seem like the most glamorous job in the world. Of course it is all an illusion, but a very pervasive one. Kate Moss, after being filmed snorting coke with her boyfriend has gone on to having an even bigger career. Designing clothes that sell at Barneys New York & now a haircare line. She is and continues to be a female role model. And an encouragement for young girls to starve in order to be beautiful and fabulous. It is an interesting thing to consider when you are involved in creating media images. Yes, there is a certain fun to these things, but they are not the reality of the fashion industry. Models do get invited into the upper echelon of celebrity, and there are many perks for them. But it is also a complex and sometimes damaging industry. I like to find one photographer who finds photo shoots to be this easy.

http://www.jamesbrownlondon.com/

Other videos

All right I am not ashamed to admit it, I want to be ‘found’ - don’t we all? Why else we go through the horror of making promos, websites, calling strangers, etc, and risking rejection, humiliation and criticism. So I want my work to be discovered. That’s right - I am saying out loud. So thank you A Photo Editor for making me come out and ask. I see you have added a new device for people to upload links to their sites. I fear you be so inundated with links that you will have stopped looking by tomorrow. But I am posting some of my commissioned work on the blog, and I guess I will start putting of more of my own work. I just don’t want it to become the All About Me & Pictures blog, I kind of hate those. But I hope you take a look. And yes, feel free to tell your friends, you know the ones who also hire photogs.

Finding New Photographers

November 14th, 2007 There is nothing better in this business than finding and hiring new talent and getting back an amazing shoot. Nothing. Conversely there’s nothing worse than a failed shoot from someone you just hired for the first time. Ahhhhhh the highs and the lows. I probably hire 2-8 new peopleevery issue… whaaaaaaaaaa, 2-8 N.E.W.? That’s right people, a regular shooter gets 2-4 assignments a year, that’s just how I roll. The proces or finding someone new can get a little “CSI.” The method that requires the least amount of effort is to poach someone from a magazine I respect. That’s too easy, so if I really want to earn my paycheck I put together a case based on available evidence that tells me if a photographer is able to deliver the results I’m looking for. It all starts the first time I see a photograph I like taken by someone I’ve never heard of (this is actually somewhat rare). I write the name down on my list and begin collecting evidence. A name can go on the list and it could be years before I’ve built enough evidence or found the right project that triggers an assignment so there’s a lot of names in various stages of case building.

Hey I am all for an editor who will look at my work and pay me money to do what I love

I came across a trailer for a new documentary about the American corn industry, King Corn. I am not sure how I missed it at Cinema Village in October, but I am hoping it will come back to NYC, or I will have to rent it. I have been telling people for years about the American corn conspiracy only to receive blank stares. I am glad to see that someone it finally addressing this issue. Plus the movie looks irreverent and well shot. I will keep an eye out for it. Go here to see the trailer.

I also stumbled on to an even more disturbing trend in American marketing. The NY Times has a wedding marketplace section. There I found the new ‘wedding video’ ideas. They had choices of super 8, 16mm & 35mm. What is astounding is how adept they are at capturing and creating the female wedding fantasy. There is something so storybook about them, that even if you are jaded about the wedding thing you find yourself getting sucked in. It is truly frightening. I worked a bit in the wedding industry before I came to photography and I never saw anything at weddings remotely like these videos. I understand why people are spending so much money these days. After seeing this propaganda, they must feel enormous pressure to have this perfect, life changing, romantic dream wedding. I photographed one of NYC’s most popular wedding dress stores, and the amount of money that goes in to creating these fantasies is pretty incredible. This store really does create a Disney princess experience. Unfortunately my polaroid back malfunctioned and I only had a few images make it. There are so many parts of our modern day life that are now being dictated by these giant marketplaces. The thing that is most depressing to me, is that this level of production leaves no room for actual emotion or record of genuine experience. Things that are in increasing short supply in our culture.

NY Times Wedding Video - The Book of Love

The Princess Bride

Found this on another world press blog. Sometimes the best part about the Internet is finding little gems like this. Yes perhaps a giant sucking hole of time wasting, but sometimes you do learn stuff or find things that were worth the hours that slipped by in a state of near semi-consciousness.

9/11 - Remembering one off FDNY’s finest.
Manny Del Valle, one of the first people who helped me believe I could be a photographer, even a very small way. On this day I just wanted to honor his life, even though I only knew him very briefly.  It was my first B&W photo class at SVA’s continuing education, and when I saw an old building burning during a blizzard by my house I ran out with my Nikon 35mm.  But I was too shy to take pictures.  If Manny had not come over, eating a chocolate chip cookie in the middle of a 3 alarm blaze and asked me to take photo’s of his crew, I would not have felt the courage to take photos that day.  When they used those photo’s for his missing poster after Sept. 11th, and I saw them all over the city, I understood how a photograph can have a life and meaning far beyond its first intention.