ku # 453 - thinking in multiples
Friday, January 26, 2007 at 09:08AM 
Sky # 1 • click on photo to embiggen it
Sky # 2 • click on photo to embiggen it I am an inveterate peruser of the www, primarily looking for interesting photography. One of my first stops when I'm out cruising is Tim Atherton's blog, Muse-ings (there's been a link on my Links of Interest page since the site was launched). He does a very good job of bringing attention to what I would label "recognized", although somewhat lesser kown, artists (photography division) - photograpers who have books, big-institution/gallery exhibits, etc.
My interest, though, lies in finding the unknowns. Photographers who are not working in (or probably even aware of) art/academic-world defined genres. Guys and girls just blunking around, albeit with evident passon, with their cameras creating interesting, and here's my topic, bodies of work. I suspect that most of them wouldn't even call them "bodies of work". For many, they're probably just taking pictures.
I find most of this photography refreshingly free of artistic affection.
The place that I frequent the most is flickr. It is one gigantic pile of photography. There's lots and lots of chaff but also a surprising amount of wheat. All the photos are taggged, most with multiple tags, so if you are looking for something specific, it's easy to narrow the search to, say, 1,000,000 photos (as opposed to 1,000,000,000,000.... photos). I usually start with a link to flickr that I have come across (somewhere) and go from there.
One link that I came across recently, I found right here on The Landscapist. David Bellinger was kind enough to leave a Site Feedback comment (and he also filled in a web address in the comment box), so I checked out his flickr space. I found his The Ground Glass Locomotive stuff pretty interesting, especially in the wake of yesterday's Holga post. David has a very inventive mind.
I also liked his The Heros of Motorized Light, about which he states - "Motorized light has nothing to do with it."
But, on the topic of bodies of work, David obviously understands the concept. He has many distinct "sets" (the flickr word for "body") of photography. Using The Heros of Motorized Light as an example, it's not difficult (for me) to identify a few "greatest hits" in the set - photographs that can stand apart from the set and command a good deal of interest and staying power. If he were to do a book, one of these might make for a good cover choice.
That said, though, I would be much more interested in the book as a whole than any one photograph it might contain. There really is strength in numbers. For me, the criteria of a strong and cohesive body of work is becoming the single most important factor I use in determining what I do and don't like photography-wise. I want my attention to be seduced by an extended serenade, not a single sharp stick in the eye.
My mother inlaw has labeled Bob Dylan, Johnny-One-Note (her opinion, not mine). I have to say that Johnny-One-Notes just don't hold my attention any more.
And, oh yeh, did I mention that I think David is having way too much fun.
Reader Comments (3)
I find that by working on a project, it makes me focus more on the subject matter than the technicals. It is also fun to start a project or "body of work", and see where goes in the essence of the original project. I am still currently working on my project. It has taken a different path here and there, but I still feel it has adhered to the original theme. The title has evolved and has been defined by the path the project has taken.
thank you so much for the mentions, and you are right that GGL is so much fun it's scary.
i search flickr for gems too, and my latest find is j zorn. his holga b/w's out in the thickets are so strong and consistant that they might be right up your alley.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68845799@N00/350997802/
bringing attention to what I would label "recognized", although somewhat lesser kown, artists (photography division) - photograpers who have books, big-institution/gallery exhibits, etc.
My blog might do that (hopefully - among other things), but I think I fall in the "unknowns" category... :-)