Ground Glass

With last week’s announcement of the end of Polaroid, covered on pretty much every blog and must discussed in every corner of the photo world, I have to worry that film cannot be too far behind. While Kodak is promising to make film for at least another 5 years, with Polaroid gone, it seems that many film holdouts will have no choice but to go at least partly digital. The question I am asking myself, is digital like color film? When Eggelston, Shore, Sternfeld and the other early color art photographers switched, I’m sure the B&W purists feared that their form would also disappear. B&W survived but it became a ‘niche’ instead of the dominant force in fine art photography(sorry B&W shooters out there, don’t shoot the messenger.) I know there was quite a fight over color film in the early days, and I imagine artists felt much like I do about the current debate. But perhaps it would make more sense to embrace the technology and try to make to work, rather than hold on to my love of film. Personally, I find digital too perfect and lacking the sense of emotionality that film can capture. I have yet to see work shot digitally that can compare to large format film.

Yet the argument could be made that this is the moment to rethink my aesthetic choices? Maybe the too perfect, too harsh, and too sharp look created by these camera’s computer chips, better reflects the content of our current culture. Is there any sensitivity or nuance to the national obsession with the mental and physical breakdown of Britney Spears? Do reality shows use soft lighting or turn the camera away to protect people from being seen at that worst? Part of me feels that I should be shooting to reflect that reality, but another part of me feels that I should hold out, and stay true to my vision and hope for the world. If we all give up, and give in, is there any chance for us to rise out of our culture of exploitation and celebrity obsession - I will admit to having VH1’s Celebrity Rehab DVR’d. There is something entertaining about all of this, maybe Western Culture has never really left the Colosseum?

Which is better…

B&W or Color?

Eggelston

Walker Evans

Film or Digital?

Annie Leibovitz

There seems to be a lot more blending these days between fashion & art photography. While looking for a recommended essay by Charlotte Cotton I came across both her book, Imperfect Beauty: The Making of Contemporary Fashion Photographs, (which I will be looking for it at the Strand) and a fashion website in London run by successful fashion photog Nick Knight. The site is an interesting mix of behind the scenes, info and publicity. I like looking at fashion photography sometimes, there is something about the high production and fantasy that is compelling. It is sort of like potato chips, or ice cream, you know maybe its not too good for you but sometimes you can’t help but indulge. The quality of technical ability of many of the shooters fascinates me. From a purely aesthetic view the images are captivating. In a way there is something satisfying about the simplicity of the image, in the sense that they are resolved. They are created to be beautiful, shocking or fabulous, and to get noticed. There are some great quicktime’s on SHOWStudio where you can watch the shoots taking place and hear the creative’s discussing the project. Some of it is sort well, not to my taste, but parts are really interesting. I love watching other photographers work. To me there is something magical about the entire photography process. I was looking over APE’s very worthy photo book list, and kudos to him for his X-mas revelation, and it made me think how as important these core photo/art sources are, it is also really important to be looking elsewhere. I read a lot of fiction, and I have been a huge movie person my whole life. I don’t think my photo’s would look like they do if I had not been obsessed with film noir and 1940’s b&w films as a child. So one of my News Years Resolutions is too keep expanding and opening myself to find other sources of inspiration.

Today I visited my friends at Lens & Repro photo rental house in NYC. Steven and his brother Jeffery, along with their amazing staff are always there when I need them to help me. While it would be nice to wander the streets experiencing “defining moments,” and taking world class photos a la Bresson, I have worked very hard to bring my technical skills to a level that can help me achieve my conceptual goals. Without the help of my many tech savvy friends and the staff of L&R, I would be much further behind. Without mastery of form, you cannot go very far in any art.

Recently went to see the Richard Serra show at the Moma. When I experience his sculptures in person, I am always struck at how they must require an enormous undertaking of technique, yet I experience them as natural objects. People react to to his structures like they they do massive rock formations, or waterfalls. By the time I got to the Moma, they were already taking the some of the show down, so all of 6th Ave was lined with giant wide-load flat beds on which lay huge semi circle slabs of iron. Deconstructed, they seemed more like man-made structures, once their process was visible their magic dissipated. So much of artistic endeavor is process. Some of the best advice my photo mentor every gave me was, if I ever wanted to be happy as an artist, I had to love the process as much as the product. Serra’s art is about the beauty of intelligence and awareness and our ability to create. I rarely go to a show at the Moma and see kids running around joyfully playing and enjoying the exhibit. Luckily, I do love the process of photography, even when it is incredibly frustrating and goes all wrong. Serra’s sculptures remind me though that the tension between the technical and the sublime must always be in balance.

The Moma has an interesting interview & making of video here: Richard Serra

One of my fav photogs recently did an entire book photographing Serra’s work. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s strange and mysterious images capture how your sense of balance and reality are thrown off inside Serra’s creations.