Blog #57 Under the Influence

I have a lot to be thankful for.  My mother went to RISD was and still is a fine artist. She’s an abstract painter.  My father, when he was alive, went to Parsons School of Design for mechanical drawing, then worked mostly in advertising and publishing, and could draw and illustrate with great craft and skill.  In our home, there was art all around and the daily cartoons on my brown bag lunches through primary school gave me great joy and provides fond memories.  

In high school, I took drawing and a black and white film photography course with my father’s Nikon F that started me on the path that I now continue to travel.  A few years ago, after completing the Professional Course in Photography with the New York Institute of Photography, I continued my education through multiple means.  

I have been to countless art and photography shows.  In fact, the first thing I look for in any city that I visit is usually an art or photography show at the local museum.  For some reason, I have developed an unquenchable thirst for viewing art and photographs.  

Although I do enjoy a modest collection of film cameras, for the most part, I have switched from buying gear to buying photography books at every chance that I get.  Here’s a partial list of the photographers whose books I own: Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, Robert Frank, Saul Leiter, Daido Moriyama, Josef Koudelka, William Eggleston, Gary Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz, Alex Webb, Irving Penn, Bill Brandt, Takayuki Ogawa, Ralph Ellison, Alexey Titarenko, Nan Goldin, and Sam Abell.  I read, and re-read these from time to time and cherish them like a hunter who mounts great busts upon the wall.

It’s a great time to be alive and to be a photographer.  Online sources abound.  From Ted Forbes’ The Art of Photography channel on YouTube to  Digital Photography School , there are so many excellent sources of information that provide inspiration, technical knowledge, and amazing stories all about this medium that I love so much.  Kai W keeps me equally as informed as much as entertained, while Eric Kim shares his invaluable philosophy, image making techniques, and fresh views on using social media rather than allowing social media use you. 

Bellamy Hunt temps with his gorgeous vintage selection of the very best cameras and lenses on his Japan Camera Hunter site while Vishal Sonji provides a never ending cornucopia of film along side magical fountains of developer on Camera Film Photo.  Accessible sites like Casual Photophile  provide a steady stream of gear reviews, along with tips and techniques for beginners, hobbyist, and pros alike.  

When I’m ready to print and frame, Jack and Jun at Photato are the guys to see. I just love their company name and they do some the best quality framing in town.  

Anything and everything that I have accomplished or will accomplish as a photographer I owe to all of my influences past, present, and future.  Indeed, I am reminded of the humble modesty of Sir Isaac Newton who stood on the shoulders of giants.

The trick is to never stop learning, never give up, and keep working to improve the craft.  

One of my favourite quotes is:

“Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work” - Chuck Close. 

The light is always right. 

jhg

Blog #56 Zeitgeist: The Sign of the Times

One of my most favorite words is zeitgeist. It means spirit of the times from the German “zeit” meaning time and “geist” meaning spirit.  It’s used to describe a feeling or mood in a given time period such as the rebellious and revolutionary times of the 1960’s in the US, Europe, and Japan.  

This decade of 2010-2020 has its own zeitgeist and it is not premature to mention that here and how that relates to photography.  Here, I will describe three books that can be tied to the zeitgeist of this decade and I will attempt to describe what I think that is.

Around a week ago at the time of this writing (24 April 2017), Robert M. Pirsig passed away.  He was the author of the famous Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, An inquiry into values.  Published originally in 1974, this was a significant book about a road trip that he took with his eleven year old son across the mid-west of the United States that also discussed philosophy, the definition of quality, values, and the pure joy and satisfaction that can be felt when working with your hands (particularly on one’s motorcycle). Mr. Pirsig’s passing was a great loss.  

A second book that came out more recently in 2010 by Matthew B. Crawford titled Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work was an interesting read about a corporate think-tank executive who walked away from it all in favour of starting a motorcycle repair shop all by himself.  Crawford argues for the value of fixing things, and rebels against the disposable lifestyle that has perpetuated the popular culture since around the 1980’s.  Everybody on this planet, our only planet, needs to get back to appreciating physical things like machines, and working with our hands.  One might expect that Crawford was influenced, as many have been, by Pirsig’s seminal book.  Indeed, there are many others like Crawford who are jumping off of their corporate band wagons in favour of pursuing their dreams in creative fields or adventurous endeavours. More power to them! I am reminded by one of my favourite fantasy novelist’s words…

“The creative adult is the child who has survived”

Ursula K. Le Guin

Last year in 2016, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter continued on this trajectory of finding value in the things of old.  All this flies in the face of the digital revolution where snapgramtwitface is the common denominator throughout the cultures of the world.  These days, digital natives clash with digital immigrants in the work place as it gets reshaped by the new guard.  The millennials are taking over, and it’s our purpose to make sure that they don’t wreck the place.  

In this book, David Sax summarises the trends where paper, film, board games, and analog ideas as well have seen a massive resurgence in the last decade. He tells the stories from the mouths of those involved at the factory and retail levels.  FILM Ferrania, for example, has dusted off and cranked up their coating machines and will produce this glorious film in Italy once again (I ordered some P30 already).  Sax walks us through the revival of these things and also the revival of analog ideas. It’s a terrific read and I think that it illustrates the zeitgeist of this decade.  

Sustainability is a hot topic these days across the globe as well as STEM (Science Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) in schools.  So too are MakerSpaces popping up at the primary school level and shop classes that seemed to all but disappear lately, have come charging back.  Once again, adults are showing boys and girls that math, wood working, electrical engineering, and hands-on activities are valuable, worthwhile, and necessary to learn before leaving school.  This is a wonderful thing to watch and an even more rewarding experience to be a part of. 

My contribution to the war effort, so to speak, is through the THS Photo Club.  So I guess that the zeitgeist of this decade is one of back to basics, rediscovery, appreciation for real things, analog things, and working with one’s hands.  Of course digital is here to stay, and coding is right up there with the three Rs in grade school by now.  All in all it is reassuring to this Generation Xer that analog (film especially) will keep it’s place alongside, but not behind the digital revolution, at least for the next 100 years so long as FILM Ferrania has something to say about it. 

The light is always right.

jhg

Blog #55 Back to Basics: Extreme [Extremity] Photography Part 3

The last two blog entries are titled, Extreme [Extremity] Photography Part 1 & Part 2.  The intention there was to illustrate how to make portraits of people or otherwise interesting images that included only their hands or feet [shoes].  As a photographer you are involved in an active process or decision to include or omit part of your subject.  Your decision to omit most of the subject will result in an incomplete story that leaves the viewer with the task of filling in the gaps.  

Making images involves many decisions.  There are decisions about cameras, film, lenses, exposure, aperture, where to put your feet, when to press the shutter release button, and what to include as well as exclude in the frame.

Without realising it when I set out to write Part 1 and Part 2 blog entries, I has already gathered quite a few images of people showing only their backs.  These are also challenging images and they don’t always work.  In this last of a three-part series, I offer some examples of portraits and some candid street images that include only the back of a person with little else.

Do you think that they work? Feel free to leave comments above. 

Thanks for reading and remember, the light is always right.

jhg