civilized ku # 1066 ~ summer friends

Hugo and Matthew ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenHugo made a new friend at the Jersey Shore. Matthew is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and he is from the wife's "cousins" side of the family. At all of family gatherings (several everyday), Hugo and Matthew were nearly inseparable during the week.

civilized ku # 1030 ~ waiting for the wedding couple

A man and his car ~ Au Sable Forks, NY = in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenThe car is a 1914 Ford Depot - made for picking up passengers at a train depot. I don't know the man's name even though the first time I met him he gave me, the wife, and Hugo a ride in the car.

At this meeting, he was waiting outside a church to drive a family friend (my family) and his new wife around the town and to their wedding reception.

civilized ku # 860 ~ waiting

Saranac Lake mini mites ~ Lake Placid, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenThe Saranac Lake Mini-Mites waiting around on the 1932 Olympic Arena ice for the official team picture.

civilized ku # 845 ~ the somewhat sorry state-of-the-art

Hall window ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggenYesterday evening's Protect your prints workshop was certainly worth attending. Although I knew much of what was presented, I did come away with a decidedly better understanding of what is possible, re: the # 1 issues with inkjet prints - surface protection and no inherent UV protection.

As many already know, inkjet prints made with pigmented inks on archival substrates are, by far, the most light-fast / long-lasting color prints available. This is true under under any conditions you might choose to mention - every situation from unprotected prints to long term color-safe storage, pigmented ink color prints have up to 2-5x the light-fast permanence of any other readily available color print process.

As an example, in the case of color print safe storage, the traditional C print, which requires cold (refrigerated) storage, will last up to 100 years without any noticeable degradation. A pigmented ink color print, which does not require cold storage, will last up to 200 years without any noticeable degradation.

Under typical display conditions - museum / gallery / home - where prints are framed behind UV glazing (glass, plexi, etc) and sealed on the back of the frame (paper), a C print will last approximately 19 (Kodak Endura prints) - 40 (Fuji Crystal Archive prints) years without any noticeable degradation. A pigmented ink color print, displayed under the same conditions will last approximately 115 years without any noticeable degradation.

While those number may not be important to you and I, it is very important to collectors and museum curators / conservators. That group is extremely interested in protecting / preserving their normally substantial investment in color prints.

In any event, the primary reason I attended this workshop was to learn more about protecting the surface of an inkjet print. That's because I prefer to display my prints without any glazing - fyi, "glazing" is the word conservators use to refer to glass and plexiglass or any like material that is used to protect a piece of art. IMO, glazing interferes with the surface texture / characteristics of a print and, again IMO, many picture makers choose a paper taking into consideration (amongst other considerations) the look imparted by a particular paper surface / finish.

As an example, if you print on a fiber-based fine art matte surface paper because you like the look of the paper finish - an absolutely flat matte finish, displaying the print under glazing really does conspire to dramatically alter the visual (and emotional) perception of the paper and the image itself. To a very significant extent, the visual effect that comes from using a matte paper is strongly negated.

My preferred paper surface is a smooth semi-matte surface. A surface that mimics what I consider to be the best photo paper surface ever - an air-dried (non-ferrotype) smooth glossy paper. That surface is has a satin / luster look and feel that, to my eye and sensibilities, is very luxurious and rich with just a touch of surface reflectivity.

However, as mentioned, such a print, when displayed under glazing, loses much of its surface appeal. Not only is there a visual barrier between the print and the viewer which alters the visual perception of the surface, but there is also a physical barrier as well - a barrier that negates the surface "feel" of the print surface. Not that you are suppose to actually touch the surface of a displayed print but I do like the sensation of wanting to touch it simply because it looks so luxurious / sensuous.

All of that said, what I came away from the workshop with was, if you want to display pigmented ink color prints without glazing, you are basically up shit creek without a paddle.

All of the available non-glazing surface/UV protection techniques have at least some visual surface altering effects. Add to that the fact that most of these techniques are both: 1) very difficult (if not, in some applications, impossible) and labor intensive to apply, and, 2) expensive to have done by an "expert", if you can even find an "expert" at this stage of the print protection state-of-the-art.

In fact, the cost of most of the available techniques - which at this point are effectually limited to, minimal visual effect wise, sprayed on applications - is equal to the cost of good framing with glazing, so there is no cost reason to choose one technique over the other.

After all is said and done, my solution to the un-glazed display of pigmented ink prints is really quite simple - I will continue to display my pictures without any surface protection any any kind. IMO, that's how they look the best.

As for the sale of my pictures, I'll leave the protection / conservation / display / framing issues up to purchaser and/or their framers and/or conservators. Any steps I may take to protect / preserve a print may actually interfere with what a purchaser / framer / conservator might wish to undertake to accomplish the same ends.

BTW, all of the issues concerning digital media print protection / preservation give testament to the BIG Lie which proclaims that the digital domain has made everything from picture making to print making so much easier and accessible than that of the analog domain.

BULLSHIT - everything is much more complex, every step of the way, from making good pictures to making (and displaying) good prints.

Update on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 12:49PM by gravitas et nugalis

PS I'm still in NYC and am off to Chelsea to see some pictures. reGeneration2: tomorrow's photographers today looks like a good bet. In any event, I'll let you know if I see anything worth seeing.

civilized ku # 841-44 ~ light wet snow

Wet snowfall ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Wet snowfall # 2 ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Wet snowfall # 3 ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Wet snowfall # 4 ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenAround 1:00am this morning on my way to bed, I glanced out of the front window and noticed that a light wet snow was falling. The snow was sticking to everything. I couldn't resist going out and making a few pictures.

It was so otherworldly quiet and peaceful that I was tempted to get out one of the winter sleeping bags and sleep on the porch.

single women ~ photographer's block / on seeing

Single women • click to embiggenYesterday, the subject of "photographer's block" was raised by DON. While Don did not elaborate on what he considers photographer's block to be, I assume that he meant the inability to conjure up the motivation to make pictures. That definition may also include the lack of desire to make pictures. It is also worth noting that photographer's block could be caused by issues entirely unrelated to the act of picture making - life events that have emotional, mental, or physical impact that just flat out gets in the way of making pictures.

In any event, the net result is no picture making, at worst, or aimless going-through-the-motions picture making, at best. In the case of the latter, the resultant pictures will most likely seem not to be worth the effort and time it took to make them.

I must admit that I have never suffered from photographer's block. In my commercial work, I either made pictures or I didn't eat. In my personal work, I have yet to run out of ideas and/or referents to picture. So, I'm not exactly the person to be asking for advice on this issue, but ...

Recently, as I was roaming through my picture archives (via Bridge), looking for a few specific pictures, I noticed a few pictures that I had never before thought of as "related". What I noticed most was that, IMO, they were strong attention-getting pictures and, after opening them together on my screen, they were even stronger as a group than they were individually.

Now, even though 4 pictures do not a body of work make, before I knew it - I would say less than 1/200th of a second, lots of ideas came flooding into my head about making a series of such pictures that would, in fact, constitute a body of work. Ideas and notions that began to scratch a nagging itch that had been going unattended for quite a while.

In fact, it might not be stretching the point to label that lack of attending to the itch as a form of photographer's block. The itch in question was a low-level but constant drumbeat, picture making wise, to make pictures involving people - no, make that featuring people (or, a person). However, the problem was that I simply did not know where to start.

Think about it. It doesn't get much more vague than wanting to make pictures featuring people. The possibilities are nearly endless - portraiture (formal or casual), street photography, staged tableaux, candids, women / men / children (or any combination thereof), clothed/naked, young/old, and on and on.

The possibilities seemed rather overwhelming and as a result, a sort of stasis set in and I was left hanging, seemingly waiting around for some sort of spark. As I mentioned, truly a sort of photographer's block. Although, truth be told, I was making lots and lots of other pictures (in general), many of which were/are for other ongoing bodies of work. Consequently, I wasn't in an overall picture making funk.

All of that said, here's the point - it is often stated that, to make good/great pictures, one must pursue a personal picture making passion. That is, making pictures of something one is passionate / cares about. Whatever that is, stick with it and picture it to death. From that commitment there is a good chance that a good/great body of work will emerge. And, IMO, there is nothing more satisfying, picture making wise, than creating a body of work.

But, what if you just can't muster up the energy to get out and make pictures? Even though I had a somewhat passionate desire to make pictures featuring people, I just couldn't seem to get it in gear. I was rather clueless until the recent run in with some of my past picture making endeavors.

However, what really interests me is the fact that the answer was there along, and I do mean all along. In fact, decades long ...

In addition to the fact that I am a natural born looker (of anything and everything), I am also a male of the species which is to say (amongst many other male traits and characteristics) that I like to look at women. I believe that that looking was what led/helped me to become, in my commercial picture making world, a much sought after picture maker, fashion and beauty wise.

However, even with that experience, it never really occurred to me to just do what comes naturally - look at women and, DUH, make pictures of what I am looking at. DUH!!!

Fortunately for me, I have done just that on a few occasions - as witnessed by the above pictures. And again, fortunately for me, I "discovered" these pictures which have provided the impetus for me to break through my "block".

In any event, if you can't work up the enthusiasm to get out and make pictures in an effort to find a passion and break through your own photographer's block, maybe a look back at pictures you've already made - pictures you made because, hopefully, something interested you - and identify a referent that would hold your interest long enough to create a body of work. Or, at the very least, fan your picture making fires enough to get you out making pictures again.

Now all I have to do is convince the wife that hanging out looking for "single" women - a woman by herself, not an unmarried woman - really is a picture making endeavor.

civilized ku # 715 ~ Autumn color # 30

The wife being a bear ~ Blue Mountain Lake, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenJust when you think you know someone, they can turn around and surprise you, not to mention popping a gasket.

FYI, the ducks were neither scared nor impressed. I, on the other hand ......

civilized ku # 654-57 ~ Labor Day parade

Picture making back at me ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
Labor Day parade ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen