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This blog is intended to showcase my pictures or those of other photographers who have moved beyond the pretty picture and for whom photography is more than entertainment - photography that aims at being true, not at being beautiful because what is true is most often beautiful..

>>>> Comments, commentary and lively discussions, re: my writings or any topic germane to the medium and its apparatus, are vigorously encouraged.

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BODIES OF WORK ~ PICTURE GALLERIES

  • my new GALLERIES WEBSITE
    ADK PLACES TO SIT / LIFE WITHOUT THE APA / RAIN / THE FORKS / EARLY WORK / TANGLES

BODIES OF WORK ~ BOOK LINKS

In Situ ~ la, la, how the life goes onLife without the APADoorsKitchen SinkRain2014 • Year in ReviewPlace To SitART ~ conveys / transports / reflectsDecay & DisgustSingle WomenPicture WindowsTangles ~ fields of visual energy (10 picture preview) • The Light + BW mini-galleryKitchen Life (gallery) • The Forks ~ there's no place like home (gallery)


Entries from March 1, 2015 - March 31, 2015

Tuesday
Mar312015

now for something completely different (or not)

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covers • click to embiggen
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quotes / statement • click to embiggen
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spread 1 • click to embiggen
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spread 2 • click to embiggen
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spread 3 • click to embiggen
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spread 4 • click to embiggen
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spread 5 • click to embiggen
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spread 6 • click to embiggen
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spread 7 • click to embiggen
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spread 8 • click to embiggen
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spread 9 • click to embiggen
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spread 10 • click to embiggen
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spread 11 • click to embiggen

I believe this collection is the last of the found / scattered bodies of work.

While assembling this body of work, I started thinking about the entire collection of bodies of work and have arrived a decision which I will air out in tomorrow's entry. That decision is tentative and needs some fine tuning and, who knows, it may also come to nothing. Stay tuned.

Monday
Mar232015

the advantages to rummaging in your archives

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rich email image • click to embiggen

As you should already know, over the past month or so I have been rummaging around in my picture archive. In part, I have been doing so in order to make sense of what I have been doing, picture making wise, over the past 15 years. That is, even though I know what I have been doing, I had a desire to see (literally) how it all fit together.

I believe I discovered an answer to that desire and it's reflected in the umbrella logo - life squared, as seen in above email image - I have developed for all of my work. This logo does not replace the names for my different bodies of work. It is simply the title under which they all reside.

That result aside, the other reason for rooting around in the archive was to find pictures for various of my known bodies of work, pictures which were scattered about (chronologically) throughout the archive. The result of that exercise is that I now have separate folders for each of my bodies of work into which will go all future additions to those various bodies of work.

The unexpected result of the search and compile endeavor was that a couple of unknown bodies of work emerged from the archive. Case in point is the places to sit work. While I was well aware of having made a fair number of pictures which included chairs / place to sit, I really hadn't consider that there was a cohesive body of work just waiting to emerge.

But here's the really good part - the first selects of pictures for that collection included chairs / place to sit from a wide variety of geographic locations. And that collection remains intact and will be added to over time. That written, in the process of finding / selecting pictures for that collection, I realized that another subset collection emerged comprised of Adirondack-only chairs and places to sit.

After assembling that collection, I came to the conclusion that that body of work would be of interest to regional galleries, art institutions, and publications. Consequently, I created a rich email (as seen above) and sent it out to the directors of regional galleries, art institutions and publications. As expected, there was interest and last week I received notice that, at their quarterly meeting this week, the Gallery Committee from the Lake Placid Center for the Arts wished to view the work for a possible solo exhibition in their Fine Arts Gallery.

Hence, really good part ~ PT.II. The committee prefers to view work and related information (artist statement, resume / bio, etc.) from online sources projected on a big screen. My choice was to created an entry on my blog like the linked places to sit entry above or to do something I have been wanting to do for a couple years but been putting off for one reason or another.

I chose the latter option which resulted in this.

The site meets my immediate need but I will be adding additional galleries of all of my various bodies of work. There will also be a Recent Work Gallery which might be of interest to those who don't like reading my various bloviations.

All of that written, I am please beyond measure that I undertook the archive rummaging endeavor. The advantages and rewards of doing it have been many. I would highly recommend this endeavor to any "serious" picture maker. You never know what the results might be and you don't even need to buy postage stamps to send out an email to places which might be interested in exhibiting your pictures - seriously, don't sell yourself short, let others be the judge of the possibilities of your work.

FYI, once you get the hang of the SquareSpace proprietary software, making and maintaining a site is really quite easy. And, the only cost is a relatively paltry $8.00USD/month. IMO, it's a good value and it is well worth the effort to organize and present your work.
Wednesday
Mar182015

diptych # 127 (kitchen sink) ~ one thing leads to another

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side by side ~ in the sink • click to embiggen

Intending to make just one picture of the kitchen sink - the lipton tea bags and other garbage - I noticed the highlight on the stainless steel in the adjoining sink and couldn't pass it up, picture making wise.

Tuesday
Mar172015

diptych # 126 / civilized ku # 2872-79~ 2 fer 1 • an entry in 2 parts

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so close yet so far apart ~ waterpark • golf course views - Jay Peak Resort / Jay, VT. • click to embiggen
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tournament champion / player of the game medallions • click to embiggen
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ice rink / iPhone picture ~ Jay Peak Resort, Jay, VT. • click to embiggen

Spent Friday- Sunday past at Jay Peak resort in Vermont. I wasn't there to ski, I was there for hockey.

During a day long snowfall, the view from our cottage was just right for quiet relaxation and contemplation. The view from the waterpark bar/balcony was anything but. I leave it up to you to deduce where, outside of the hockey arena, I spent most of my time.

FYI, the iPhone pano picture is of Hugo and his team waiting for the tournament championship game - their last game of the season and the last time they will all be together as a team. In more ways than one, it was very fitting that Hugo scored the first and last goal of the game and, consequently, of the season.

Now on to picture making business ....

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window art / 4 squares in a row ~ Lake Placid, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
When making pictures, I most often do not "work" a scene. That is, most often it is one and done, click-of-the-shutter wise. On those occasions when I work it, the variations I make are usually very minor changes in framing. All of which means that my normal M.O. is to go with my first impression and move on.

That written, last week I pictured the above window art as seen in a vacant store. My first impression (and picture) thereof is the tightly framed window and door as seen in the 3rd-from-the-left-picture. However, in this case, I continued to work the scene and made 2 additional wider view pictures.

After processing all 3 of the pictures, I had them grouped together on my screen in order to choose the "winner". It was at that point I experience a very unexpected result. Not only could I not pick a "winner", I arrived at a point where I could not visually separate one picture from another because, in a way I can not adequately explain, when grouped together in a straight line with a 4th framing variation, they seem to be visually all-of-a-piece. My eye can not find a place to land in the grouping. It keeps dancing back and forth, hither and yon across the collective field of view.

The only conclusion that I can arrive at for that reaction is to think that the combination of a relatively monochromatic referent surround together with the vibrant color of the referent(s) themselves creates a kind of eye-brain recognition puzzle that my senses can not stop trying to figure out.

And, surprise, surprise, I like the sense-ation very much. I like it enough to go forth and find more monochromatic / vibrant color, competing wise, scenes in order to see if I can replicate the same result. If successful, I will be off to the races, eye-brain recognition puzzle picture making wise.

Anyone else experiencing the same field of visual energy which I see in the grouping?
Wednesday
Mar112015

Vegetation and Detritus - early Adirondack work • book / gallery

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covers • click to embiggen
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quotes / statement • click to embiggen
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spread 1 • click to embiggen
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spread 2 • click to embiggen
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spread 3 • click to embiggen
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spread 4 • click to embiggen
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spread 5 • click to embiggen
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spread 6 • click to embiggen
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spread 7 • click to embiggen
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spread 8 • click to embiggen
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spread 9 • click to embiggen
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spread 10 • click to embiggen
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spread 11 • click to embiggen

Once again, perusing my archive has yielded forth yet another body of work. Although, in this case, the work was not spread out over many years. In fact, it was all made during the first-second years after my first foray into the digital picture making domain, circa 2004.

At that time I was not ready to make the jump to a high-end dslr, such as they were at that time. It was obvious to me that it was going to take a while for things to stabilize, camera specs wise. For one thing, the megapixel race was kicking into high gear and changes seemed to be coming every 30 days. Consequently, I settled into a prosumer Canon Powershoot G series camera until I felt the time was right to move into the dslr arena.

In any event, these pictures were all made with a G series camera. And, yes, they were all made to be part of a specific body of work. So culling them out of the archive was not labor intensive inasmuch as my archive is arranged chronologically and these pictures were grouped in a relatively tight cluster.
Tuesday
Mar102015

civilized ku # 2871 ~ just looking and seeing

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hotel hallway and lobby ~ Clifton Park, NY • click to embiggen

Monday
Mar092015

diptych # 125 / civilized ku # 2870 ~ not so subtle hidden agenda

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Union College arena ~ Schenectady , NY • click to embiggen
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Shatter Point Hockey Tournament ~ Schenectady , NY • click to embiggen

Hugo's scheduled hockey season is over. However, the team is now engaged in post season tournament play.

This weekend past, they played in a tournament in Schenectady, NY - a NYS Capital District city. 2 of the games, semi-final and championship, were held at the Union College* hockey arena. Hugo's team played in both games.

The team went undefeated in the round-robin play (3-0) earning them participation in the championship game. Their opponent was the tournament host team, the Schenectady Chargers, a high level very well coached hockey team**. A team which they defeated 2-1 - in an intense and closely contested game - in the round robin play and a game in which Hugo scored 1 goal and was, as they say, making stuff happen (play making, puck moving, shots on net, etc.).

Unfortunately 2 things conspired against Hugo's team in the championship game.

#1 - As mentioned, the opponent team was very well coached and they knew, after experiencing Hugo's play firsthand, what they had to do to win the championship game. Namely, get all over #88. A tactic which they executed to perfection with 2 and, at times, 3 players (see action picture in diptych) stuck to Hugo like glue throughout the game.

What the opposing coaches didn't know was the fact that, if Hugo doesn't score, his team doesn't win - a fact which has held true without exception over the course of the entire season. The fact that Hugo's team record is 35-10-2 is testament to how many pucks Hugo has put in the net - 60 at last count.

#2 - While shutting down Hugo obviously helped the other team win, perhaps the biggest factor was the round robin schedule which pitted the 2 teams most likely to met the host team in the championship game - Hugo's team and a team from Massachusetts - against each other in an very early 7:10AM game which ended only 4 hours before the championship game began. That game was vigorously contested inasmuch as both teams were playing for a berth in the championship game. Needless to write, the host team, having played their last round robin game the day before, was well rested. Anyone who thinks that that situation was a scheduling coincidence should contact me so I can sell them a bridge in Brooklyn.

After a scoreless 1st period (in the championship game), Hugo's team started to "lose their legs" midway through the 2nd period and it was only a matter of time before their opponent scored a couple goals. And with Hugo shut down, that was effectively that.

In any event, there's always the next time - which arrives this Friday-Sunday in a tournament in the far reaches of northern Vermont.

FYI, the other picture in the diptych depicts why many hockey dads have sore backs - they're bent over tying skate laces before very game.

*Union College is a small - enrollment is approx. 2100-2200 students - college founded in 1795. Despite it's diminutive student body and the fact that it offers no athletic scholarships, the Union College men's hockey team, the Dutchmen, won the NCAA Division 1 (highest level of collegiate athletics) national Championship last season, besting Minnesota Gophers (enrollment 28,600 and plenty of hockey scholarships).

**The Schenectady hockey program is designated as one of only 17 USA Hockey Model Associations nation wide
Friday
Mar062015

kitchen life # 68 ~ white celery detritus at near midnight 

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lime, white celery and other veggie detritus ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen

After viewing this picture and my recent onion skins at midnight picture, one might think I that I or the wife have taken to sleep walking and sleep chopping veggies in the night. However, that, of course, is not the case.

The case is that I have finally trained the wife to not cleanup after herself when making breakfast / lunch / dinner (on those days when I am not doing it), at least not until I have pictured or deemed un-picture worthy those "messes" which just might appeal to my eye and sensibilities. Fortunately (for me), she has come to realize that any thing in the kitchen is potential fodder for picture making.

On the other hand, there may be a method to her trained madness - guess who eventually gets to clean up the "messes"?

In any event, I did make these pictures at midnight or there about. I wasn't sleep walking. In both cases I was in the kitchen looking for a late night snack.