ku # 482 ~ sort of an open ended question

Rail, rocks and cliff with mist • click to embiggenA few entries back, Robert wrote, "... Not sure (I never am) what your aim was here ..."

One of the 'aims' of my picturing is to make pictures that are ambiguous - pictures that (as stated in an essay about Walker Evans polaroids) don't explain themselves, don't narrate clearly, but are discursive in a more surreptitious way.

My manner of picturing, serendipitous and spontaneous, (again about Evans) 'demands an element of abandon that denies the possibility of intention, perfect shot, or definitive statement about the subjects ... [T]he images are without sentimentality, are uncompromising in their plain statement ...' My concern is 'for something besides style or "good" pictures', something more literal and simple.

If one takes the time to view my more complete body of work, I believe (for most) I have questioned what is assumed to characterize the idea of "good" photography. The pictures appear to be accidentally produced, confused and confusing, and do not appear to be motivated by any clear vision - which is exactly my intent. I am definitely driven by obsessive scrutiny and a disregard for photographic tradition.

I do not wish to link the experience of observing my pictures to the culturally conditioned oeuvre of "good" photography. I want to confront the viewer with a different experience - one that poses questions, not only about what constitutes "good" photography but also about the culturally conditioned way one scrutinizes the world around him/her self.

ku # 481 ~ a french lesson

Autumn is on the way • click to embiggenAs many of you know, I live in a place called Au Sable Forks which is at the confluence of the East and the West Branch of the Au Sable rivers where they form the Au Sable river which continues on - through Au Sable Chasm - to Lake Champlain.

That's a lot of Au Sables and, in fact, there is a lot of 'sable' (Fr. sand) here about. Many of the early settlers 'round here were French Canadians who were drawn to the area by the logging industry. Many stayed and the village is filled with many families with French surnames, although, truth be told, none bear any resemblance whatsoever to the modern day so called cheese-eating, wine- swilling, surrender monkeys that you hear so much about (let's hear it for freedom fries).

In any event, our area comes by the name Au Sable (fr. with sand) honestly.

ku # 480 ~ incredible

Monolith in the woods • click to embiggenYesterday afternoon, while attempting to gain a vantage point for a picture I wanted to make (but didn't), I came upon a steep jumbled boulder field in the woods. The boulders are at the foot of a 400-500 ft stone cliff.

The size of the field was impressive as were the boulders themselves - the one featured here is about 12 ft tall. What was equally amazing was the fact that the boulders and forest floor are covered with a 3-4 inch thick mossy carpet. The smell, the feel, the sensations were incredible. It is an altogether amazing little place in the woods. I will be back.

ku # 479 ~ getting out of town

A large shattered erratic on the Bog River • click to embiggenIt's hard to believe but an entire summer has kind of sneaked by under the radar. It seems as though I was not able to get into any kind of summer flow - way too many 'matters' to tend to (house renovations, college preparations, a few unexpected work projects and spending most of August well under the weather).

One casualty of all this is that the wife and I have not been out in the canoes together even once this summer. Now that the nest is empty, our first priority is a 3 day / 2 night canoe trip this weekend, although, the tent will house our part-time nester, Hugo.

Hugo's mom and dad (the Cinemascapist) are out of town for a wedding in Pittsburgh and then a swing over to NYC to finalize a few details for his upcoming exhibition. Aaron and his pictures are being featured in e-zine articles all over the world. It seems that nary a day goes by that doesn't include a request for an interview.

If you aren't keeping up with his work, you should be - Aaron Hobson ~ Cinemascapes. He has also posted a new picture here in the Guest Photographer Forum.

PS - The Landscapist's Stand Apart From The Crowd Award of Recognition goes to Tim, who distinguished himself over the past 2 days by being the lone first-time visitor (out of over 1,800) to leave a comment. Thank you, Tim (and, yes, our college princess has an especially spacious dorm room since her roomate was a no-show. A replacement is not likely and in 2 weeks she can call maintenance and have the extra bed and wardrobe removed which we will replace with a couch, coffe table and floor lamp.)

ku # 478 ~ moon over dunes and the Atlantic

Moon over dune and the Atlantic • click to embiggenMy body and brain is back to something approaching a human state - as opposed to the slimely, protoplasmic, primordial amoeba state of the past 4 days. I am still a few days away from "normalcy" but the end appears to be insight.

Re: night photography - I have been following Joe Reifer's blog, Ramblings about photography, for quite awhile. It seems to me that Joe's real passion is night photography and there is a discussion going on there right now about creating a 'night photography lexicon'.

I am following it with interest because I am interested in night photography but there is a lot about the sub-genres I don't understand. 2 sub-genres in particular that give me a spot of trouble are; 1. those that turn night into 'day' (shouldn't it look more like night???), and, 2. those with photographer introduced colored light (the point/purpose of not light, but colored light being?).

Once the noggin/noodle is fully functioning, I plan to chime in on this subject a bit more, and...

FYI, a Night Photography Forum is on the way, so, get out there and start picturing the night away.

PS an interesting collection of night photography in many different styles can be seen at The Nocturnes

ku # 477 ~ dog days

Dogs in the high peaks • click to embiggenBefore I went to the county fair this past Sunday, I did a little hiking with a friend and his dogs. He wanted a portrait of them for his wife's birthday.

The picture is a 7 frame stitch. I just dropped off a 60 inch print for their viewing pleasure. They were very pleased.

ku # 482 ~ do or die, or, sometimes I act like a hamster

On our little island on 6th Lake • click to embiggenYesterday's discussion was fun and informative. Good stuff and I hope it can continue.

Special thanks goes to Mary Dennis (who, fyi & imo, has a great gift for seeing) for bringing our attention to this passage from The Art of Seeing Things-Essays by John Burroughs;

"I do not purport to attempt to tell my reader how to see things, but only to talk about the art of seeing things, as one might talk of any other art. One might discourse about the art of poetry, or of painting, or of oratory, without any hope of making one's readers or hearers poets or painters ot orators.

The science of anything may be taught or acquired by study; the art of it comes by practice or inspiration. The art of seeing things is not something that may be conveyed in rules or precepts; it is a matter vital in the eye and ear, yea, in the mind and soul of which these are the organs. I have as little hope of being able to tell the reader how to see things as I would have in trying to tell him how to fall in love or to enjoy his dinner. Either he does or he does not, and that is about all there is of it. Some people are born with eyes in there heads, and others with buttons or painted marbles, and no amount of science can make one equal to the other in the art of seeing things. The great mass of mankind are, in this respect, like the rank and file of an army: They fire vaguely in the direction of the ememy, and if they hit, it is more a matter of chance than of accurate aim. But here and there is the keen-eyed observer; he is the sharpshooter; his eye selects and discriminates, his purpose goes to the mark."

This statement flys directly in the face of this rather ridiculous (IMO) notion, which, in a nut shell suggests that artists are not different/special in any way. The art that they create is merely the result of hard work and dedication.

IMO, this idea serves well those who work hard and are dedicated to creating a lot of stuff, most of which is decorative, little of which is Art. Most of those I know who are creating Art, do so more as the result of an obsession rather than of dedication. They could no more stop the creative process than they could stop breathing.

Does a caged hamster spend countless hours running on its wheel because it's 'dedicated'? I think not. Rather, it's acting out a preternatural impluse/drive to do its running thing - it's acting 'intuitively/instinctively'. In a very real sense, if it doesn't run, it dies.

I would also contest the idea that creating Art is 'hard work'. In the words of the modern philosopher George Carlin - "Hard work is a misleading term. Physical effort and long hours do not constitute hard work. Hard work is when someone pays you to do something you'd rather not be doing."

Most Artists I know, dispite the sometimes exhausting physical and mental/emotional effort and long hours they 'endure', would call what they do more a labor of love rather than hard work.

ku # 481 ~ the big 6 - 0

Rain swollen West Branch • click to embiggenStarting tomorrow, I, and most of those who are nearest and dearest to me, will be leaving for a week long sojourn on a small island on 6th Lake in the central Adirondacks where we will celebrate my birthday (which is actually today).

6th Lake is part of the Fulton Chain of Lakes (1st Lake - 8th Lake). Lakes 1st thru 4th are very developed with summer cottages. 5th thru 8th are primarily wilderness in character so things should be quiet and peaceful.

This week is especially meaningful to me because just a very short canoe paddle down
The Arrowhead • click to embiggenthe chain to 4th Lake and the tiny village of Inlet takes me to the place where my life-long Adirondack love affair began. It was here that I, my 2 brothers and my parents spent considerable time every summer at the now long-gone Arrowhead Hotel on the shore of 4th Lake.

So that explains why I won't be posting for the next week. I will be doing a lot of picturing and expect to return with pictures of a part of the Adirondacks that you haven't seen before.

In the interim, is there anyone out there who would like to quest-host The Landscapist for a week? I'm serious about this - anyone want the keys to the kingdom and an opportunity to speak your piece to the world?

I need to know asap so I can set it up.