Blog #17 Photography Blog Statement of Purpose and Update

March 09, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

Blog #17 Photography Blog Statement of Purpose and Update

Greetings friends of photography. The last blog Post #16 was a special edition related to the final completion of my Project 365. That was exactly two months ago. Boy, does time fly!  I have taken a much-needed rest from the Project 365 and blogosphere, but I didn't take a rest from photography. In fact, I've been super busy with many projects. A lot has happened since the completion of Project 365. In the two months that have elapsed since the last blog, I have pondered the purpose of my blog. The purpose of the continuation of my blog, wait for it..., is to share my journey down the rabbit hole of photography.  Since I re-entered the field of photography in the last few years, I feel that my learning curve has been quite steep and it has become a very important part of my life. Reading , formal study, and of course experimentation have all contributed to this steep learning curve.  I think that it's fair to say that photography has developed into a passion and probably could be defined as an addiction, at times. Yes, carrying a camera every day and everywhere can probably be defined as an addiction. The only other thing I did everyday for the last year was eat.  This blog will function to share this addiction with you, the reader.  Through sharing my experiences, it will help me to reflect on my work and I expect that this reflection process will help to inform the direction that my photography will go into and grow into as well as document the journey for personal historical reasons. So there it is. Every successful blog needs a purpose, and now I have mine. On with it, then. So, as I mentioned above, I have been quite busy where photography has ben concerned. I have planned a show, become a mentor, shot a lot of film, bought two new cameras (more on that later), printed some books, joined a few contests, and I have been very fortunate to have some of my work published (more on that later, too). 

First, friend, fellow 365er, and Brother of the Light, Kirill and I are having a show to display a small section of our pieces from the Project 365 photos.  Another friend, Mike may join the show as well. We are printing about 10 photos each 11" x 17" and using a 1" white matt border in a 12" x 18" frame. The show will be at Social Room, in Central Hong Kong 16 & 18 March from about 6:00PM. If you reading this and you're in Hong Kong, please drop by for a drink and a look. Printing photos is one of my goals for this year. 

Second, through the international school that I work at, one of our middle-school students has been identified as having an interest or passion for photography. Another teacher (who happens to have a BFA in Photography from SCAD Hong Kong) and I have begun to mentor this student.  This has been a challenging but welcoming activity. Through teaching, we learn, whatever the subject.  The same international school is building a darkroom that will be operational very soon and I will be co-teaching a film photography course next term. In preparation for this course, I have been shooting B&W film with my old Nikon FM2. Photography is fun again! This has lead to the third point that I wanted to share. 

My GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome, See Blog #4 http://jeremyhgreenberg.zenfolio.com/blog/2015/7/blog-4) got the better of me and I e-Bayed two (2) new (actually very old) Nikon 35mm film cameras. I bought the best condition cameras that I could find for the money; a Nikon F3 and Nikon F100. The F100 is a recently developed film camera with electronic controls such as autofocus, metering, auto film advance and digital displays. It looks like a modern DSLR but 35mm film goes into the back. The newer, considered by some to be the best film camera ever made, Nikon F6, is next on my list if the newly acquired models do not satiate my GAS well enough.  Nikon is a nostalgic brand for me since that's were my photography journey started. It's hard to give up your roots.  "Don't know your past, don't know your future", Bob Marley sang. I will likely blog on these little treasures in more detail later. 

Fourth, I printed a Project 365 book and another version of Urban Angles - Geometry of a City through the Apple Photos services, the later all in black and white. It's a different experience to feel the photos in your hands compared to viewing them on a screen. I would highly encourage all photographers, novice, hobbyist, amateur, or otherwise, to print from time to time. All of the professional photographers know this and print regularly to get the full appreciation of their work and share it with others. 

Lastly, in an effort to challenge myself further, I took the liberty of joining a few online photography contests. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to have a photo selected by National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com for a "Built to Walk" themed contest as one of 30 photos selected from thousands of submissions. The photo below is the Nat Geo selected photo. Lens culture.com also published one of my images for a portfolio contest and a local English newspaper, Hong Kong Free Press published two articles showing about 20 images in each. This has all happened in the last two months. Sure, it's cool, but It's a bit surreal and a touch unnerving to be frank. The links to these online publications can be found on my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/jeremyhgreenbergphotography or the About page on this website http://jeremyhgreenberg.zenfolio.com/about.html .

Being published is exciting and sharing work that I am proud of is definitely a new but humbling experience. 

More blogs to come in 2016. 

May the light be with you, always. 

jhg

Crossing Central - Nat Geo Choice for "Built to Walk" SeriesCrossing Central - Nat Geo Choice for "Built to Walk" Series


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