10 posts tagged “photography”

Last night I went up Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons to photograph. I've always loved backpacking, and rock climbing and such, and lately I've been thinking of ways to incorporate those activities into a photographic project. If there's one thing I've learned from framing homes its: stop thinking about "it" so much and just do "it." So last night I did just that, and instead of sitting and stewing longer about how to approach this "project," I went out to begin making photographs (I actually learned this lesson during my B.F.A. project, but I guess I needed a reminder). I ended up making only three photographs, because I didn't get out the door till later than I had hoped; I ruined 10 sheets of film by dropping them in my bathroom sink with the leaky faucet, and had to open up a new box.
I'm fairly pleased with what I shot so far, although they may or may not have anything to do with rock climbing. Come to think of it, they look pretty similar to these:

One of them had a river in it, and there was more river than rock in it. So right now, they don't really portray anything like "hey, this rock is climbed a lot," but, like I said, things are still in the conception stage.

On an unrelated topic, I keep a few mini blogs that I update a bit more regularly than this one, so if you check here and don't see any new updates, you can check these out:

Pownce
Jaiku

These mini blogs are actually pretty fun. They let me post things that I don't really want to include here, but do want to blog about. If you like em, sign up. Pownce is still in Beta, and you need an invite. If you want one, I still have six left, so email me or leave a comment and I'll get one out to you.

I got another batch of negatives developed today. I'm really excited about these ones. A few weeks ago I mentioned I went photographing for the first time in a while, and said I got a really good photograph that I was excited about. That negative was one that got developed today, and it looks really good. I can't wait to see it in positive..."form." There were a few others that I shot quite recently that look really good as well. I just wish I was able to get at least a low-res scan or something just to post here, but it'll have to wait a little bit longer. I think after just one more round I should be all caught up with all the negatives that need to be developed, and then I can get a bunch of the shipped out to Jon, who has graciously offered to scan them for me. (I just realized he'll be the first to see them as positives....oh well. I'll live)

Just figured I'd make a quick update.
No, I didn't get around to "Round 2" of processing negatives Sunday. It was roasting hot, and the bathroom was even hotter. So it should resume tomorrow. I'm still reading Why People Photograph, but I haven't come across any good quotable quotes lately.
I'm in the middle of learning CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to redesign my website. I think I mentioned I signed up for MyArtSpace.com, and I have only one complaint: I don't have a simple URL to send people to, such as "www.myartspace.com/andyduncan" or something like that (don't try copying and pasting that URL into your browser, because it won't work). This is the real URL to my profile page there:  
      http://www.myartspace.com/artistInfo.do?populatinglist=home&subscriberid=k5ydptfxv9tc98c1
Not exactly something I can print on a business card or something. Or tell someone "hey go here."
For now it remains my main some-what "professional" web presence until I can get my website up.

I just finished developing the first batch of negatives. So far I've done 22 or so. I don't even remember where one or two were made. At least right off hand. Maybe once I see them in the "positive" form, my memory will be jogged, but I'll just have to wait and see. I'm pretty pleased with the over all results. I've learned that a few of my 5x7 film holders have some pretty bad light leaks, which is unfortunate, because seeing that format again has gotten me all fired up to get some more 5x7 film and start using that camera again.
It got really hot in my tiny bathroom...I'm literally dripping sweat right now. Well, I was when i got out. I'm slowly drying off and cooling down now, thank goodness.

Part 2 continues tomorrow.

I just went out and got all the stuff I need to make my bathroom light tight to start developing all the negatives I've shot for the last while. There's a window in the bathroom that needed covering, and I had to get some particle board to put over my tub to make something for the trays to sit on to be able to process everything. My bathroom is little more than a closet with plumbing. Oh well.
While I was out, I stopped by Pictureline to look at Nikon's D80. I got to talking with the guy who helped me, and my plans for grad school, and he gave me some ideas about portfolio stuff, and getting my foot in the door at USU. It got me really excited to start getting my application stuff together.

My developer just got done mixing, so I'm off to go have a film developing marathon. Jon, if you're reading, you better go get that scanner warmed up.

I just got back home fro m my reunion at Bear Lake. As usual, it was a lot of fun. The weather was much more stormy than it usually is, but that was alright. All the clouds made some good photographs. I borrowed my brother's digital camera, and went out and made a lot of photographs (I made a lot more that can be seen here under the photos section on the right). Here are some favorites:

I think I spent just as much time photographing or correcting the photographs as I did out swimming and playing on the lake. It felt really good to spend so much time looking through a lens, or in this case, looking at an LCD screen. I'm getting my "photographic confidence" back, and starting to look at the world and think photographically again. Not that I ever really stopped, but it's much more conscientious and deliberate now. I drove up through Logan, and drove past the art building, and got real excited and kept thinking: "I'll be there in a year!" I'm getting real excited about going to grad school. I don't know if I regret or appreciate me having taken so much time off between undergrad and grad school. So far, all the reasons for appreciating spending so much time out of academia outweigh any regrets.

Anyways, about the reunion itself: it was really fun to see old relatives whom I haven't seen in a year or more. And, probably most of all, it was awesome to hang out with my immediate family and reminisce about our childhood, and other past reunions.
I was almost sprayed by a skunk the first night. I went down to the beach that evening to do some yoga, and saw something on the sand that looked like a lantern. The beach was empty besides myself, so I went to pick it up, but as I got closer, it started hissing and jumping back, and I realized it was a skunk, and I slowly backed away. After that, I went and found a spot to lay out my mat, and do my session, but it was pretty unrelaxing, worrying about the skunk the whole time.
The mosquitoes were much worse this year than I ever remember them being. We were all eaten alive, especially the little ones.

About two weeks ago, I stumbled upon a website called My Art Space. It is a site somewhat similar to Photo Eye, though no where near as prestigious. I joined, and have just uploaded a gallery of the images from Bear Lake. You can see it here.

The title today, was taken from an essay in Robert Adams' book, "Why People Photograph," which, in the book, bears the title of "Writing."

Some quotes:

"The main reason that artists don't willingly describe or explain what they produce is, however, that the minute they do so they've admitted failure. Words are proof that the vision they had is not, in the opinion of some at least, fully there in the picture. Characterizing in words what they thought they'd shown is an acknowledgment that the photograph is unclear--that it is not art."

"Probably the best way to know what photographers think about their work, beyond consulting the internal evidence in that work, is to read or listen to what they say about pictures made by colleagues or precursors whom they admire."

I'm really getting a lot out of this reading of the book. It's done well (and I'm only 40 pages or so into it) to re-motivate me, and get the passion back alive.

I called my old friend and former photography teacher Brian Atkinson today (trying to get in touch with Darren), and he asked if I was ever going to get to grad school, and I told him yes, and that I'd dropped the ball the last 2 years. I'd thought of doing several different things, like getting a landscape architecture degree, or a outdoor recreation degree, but this past week to two weeks, the thought and goal and dream of going to grad school has been burning in my mind. It's been my dream for almost seven years, and I have to pursue it.

Tomorrow I will be going to a family reunion at Bear Lake, so there won't be any posts until Sunday, unless I can find some Wi-fi. Maybe by then I might have a better idea how to put into words: "Why I Photograph."

To start off, I would just like to add a few quotes I read today from Robert Adam's book "Why People Photograph":

"At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are. We Never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect--a sense of inclusion. Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known."

"When photographers get beyond copying the achievements of others, or just repeating their own accidental first successes, they learn that they do not know where in the world they will find pictures."

"In order to make pictures that no one has made before, [photographers] have to be attentive and imaginative, qualities partly assigned and partly chosen, but in any case ones that leave them vulnerable."

It seems that ever 7-10 months I read this book, and each time I do I get something more out of it. I just began reading it again today, and those are some statements that really caught my eye, and started provoking photographic thoughts again.
I've been pretty photographically slothful the last year, which is one contribution to last night's initial discouragement, and seeming unproductivity (sp?). I hit some rut brought about by laziness, and indolence, (and to some degree, the lack of "photo buddies) and never went specifically to photograph, except for one or two occasions. The past two weeks or so, I've been a little artistically/photographically restless, and last night I chose to do something about it.

So when I pulled "Why People Photograph" off the shelf and began reading on my lunch break, the question came into my mind: "Why do I photograph?"

A few answers/follow-up-questions came to mind:

Is it merely for building a new portfolio for graduate school applications? And if so What would happen during, and after grad school? or Is it because it was something I was passionate about for 5 years, neglected it, and now the passion is returning?

I quickly shunned the former questions, and embraced the latter. Photography is something I love. Perhaps more than all the outdoor activities I participate in. Being away from it for so long created a void that I tried to fill with endless hours in front of the TV playing video games, which is something weird for a person like myself to do; I should have at least spent the time out hiking and such. About two and a half months ago, all the video games finally got boring. Boring enough for me to turn the TV off, and begin again to do yoga and spend time on my training board, and go for some short hikes and go up Little Cottonwood Canyon, and go bouldering, and, as mentioned before, I finally went out photographing yesterday evening.

And now, on to the other things I have in mind:

I mentioned Jerry Burchfield's involvement in a project documenting the conversion of a military air strip into a public park. This evening I typed his name into my browsers search field, and found his website, which has a page about that project you can view here. He also has a link to the projects website that can be found here. As far as I can tell, there hasn't been any work done yet (I'll have to spend some more time really reading more about the progress of the construction and the project; I'm short on time this evening), but the concepts and plans they have in store sound pretty interesting.

I just got back from photographing in Memorial Grove Park (yes, I'm still working on the Parks project; I have a few projects in mind that I haven't begun yet). I had passed by there a couple months ago, and it looked like it had some good potential. So, I decided to go there today, and was just a little disappointed.

Memoralgroveparkaerial

It has some interesting structures and monuments, but right now, I'm not really sure they're in harmony with what the project has been all about.
I started to wander into the park, and wasn't seeing any photographs. I kept thinking "well, the light's just bad." But it wasn't really that...I think I just didn't really have my eyes open and my photographic thinking cap on just right. I finally made a few that I'm fairly pleased with. I'll know for sure once I process the negatives. But then, the last photograph I made was of the pond, and it is the epitome of what I have been saying the project is about all along. I've said, vocally, and in my artist statement, that parks are a place where people can come to enjoy a bit of nature and not have to drive a long way to get to nature. Parks are bringing nature to the city. This photograph (and I think once I get it processed, scanned, and posted, you will agree) shows just that. People relaxing, walking their dogs, enjoying nature, etc...in the park, in downtown Salt Lake City. It shows the perfect context of nature in the city, with the sky scrapers in the background. This was pretty hard to do in most of the photographs I made while I was completing my B.F.A. project, as South East Idaho is lacking in the sky scraper area, and that thought didn't occur to me when I made the few photographs I included from Seattle. So I think now that the thought finally has hit (and it's only taken three years), that idea will become visually clear, not just something the viewer has to read in a statement.