Strengthening up the intellect by making up one’s mind about nothing.

Anne Carson

(iPhoneography)

Magazine Recommendations for the week:

* Photo (French)  Mensuel No. 471 – L’histoire de la Russie en photo.

*GUP (Netherlands) – A very interesting magazine devoted to street photography. Where the streets meet art.

The models are Raven,  Kumi and Kelsey.

POW & BANG the cats. POW is a Siamese cat. BANG is a huge white cat.

They were named after  Batman comics.

WAG  is a Springer Spaniel.

Just got Lightmeter Pro and Lo-Mob  for iPhone. Looks like fun.

More information on iPhoneography:

http://www.iphoneography.com/

The second half of this year has managed to keep me busy and preoccupied  with all sorts of issues big and small. I wish I had more time to dedicate to photography but that has not been the case and it is unlikely to improve as time moves on. Oh’ well, c’est la vie! :(

On the other hand, I have nothing to complain about. If I were to take stock I would have to say that so far it has been a great year.

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BOOKS & MAGAZINES

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It has been a while since I have made any recommendations. In spite of everything I have kept my voracious desire for visual knowledge well fed. Here are some recommendations and some pertinent links:

1. reGeneration 2 – A collection of tomorrow’s photographers today. This is an edition of “Aperture Foundation”. These are young photographers. It costs $39.95 in the US and is worth every penny of it. Here are some links to a few of my faves on this collection:

http://www.kristofferaxen.com/

http://www.featureshoot.com/2010/03/song-shimin-beijing/

http://www.milonewman.com/

2. Furthermore – It is a collection of stunning images published by the Fraenkel Gallery. “Of keenest interest are photographs that describe their subjects in unfamiliar or paradoxical ways.”

3. Julian Schnabel Polaroids – Simply a fabulous view of amazing Polaroids. This one published by Prestel.

4. Eyemazing Magazine Issue 02-2010 – It is worth it’s weight in gold and this edition includes new work by one of my all time favorite photographers, Joel-Peter Witkin. Here are a few links that will tantalize your interest:

http://www.robertflynt.com/contents.html

http://www.syk-jp.com/

http://www.daoustnathalie.com/

5. Photo Technique Magazine of Sept./Oct. 2010 – A very affordable mag with an interview with julienne Kost.  Something tells me that Jude may like this one:

http://www.jkost.net/

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IMPRESSIONS  OF MICHAEL  KENNA’S EXHIBIT

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A while back I saw a Michael Kenna exhibit the Koch Gallery in San Francisco. His images are simply amazing as evidenced by the huge following that Mr. Kenna has around the world.  Here are links to his work:

http://www.michaelkenna.net/

http://www.michaelkenna.net/interviews/hokkaido_j.html

After seeing his images live a few things became clear. Mr. Kenna prints were 11×14 inches  (my fave size) and the gelatin silver prints of his work were masterfully done.The framing was also done to perfection. Matted to match the toning and bottom weighted upwards with an additional 1/4 of an inch as a professional would.

The toning proved to be the most edifying part of this exhibit for me. I had read sometime ago a variety of questions on APUG  about what type of toner he was using since in digital many of his images had a pinkish like hue. The speculation at the time was copper. After seeing his images I believe he used selenium and I can categorically say that they did not look pinkish at all to me.

There were images representing the many works of Mr. Kenna throughout the years in exhibit. They managed to impress; a few images taken in Italy, I thought looked slightly messier than I remember in digital.

This left me wondering about the many photographers that seldom print their work and the many photography contests that rely solely on digital files as a method of soliciting and selecting participation. I imagine that a certain level of disappointment comes with the territory.

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OTHER EXHIBITS WORTH MENTIONING

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Julie Anand & Damon Sauer

Their work was exhibited at Rayko in SF on early June 2010. Coincidentally on June 4, 2010 both of these photographers and Michael Kenna were guests of the Photo Alliance Lecture Series that took place at the San Francisco Art Institute Lecture Hall.

The photographic work of Julie Anand and Damon Sauer is incredibly original. It involves making large (massive really) chromogenic prints and shredding them, just to reassemble them using some sort of polyurethane that holds the shreds together. Some have these long shreds also interlaced.

Here is an example of interlacing:

Here are 2 other examples of their amazing images:

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Gear

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It is no secret that I have a scorching case of gear fetishism and that no matter how much I try to avoid it, it tends to rear its head sooner or later . Recently this affliction has taken the best of me.  Without further ado here is the Thornton Pickard Junior special ruby reflex camera. This beauty sports a Taylor Hobson T-P Cooke, anastigmat 5 inch F4.5 lens. The wood plate holder is 4.5 X 3 inches, an unusual film size for our time.

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Prints

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These from my personal collection.

Chris Smith, “Tbilisi”, Georgia

Inez Joewono, “Untitled”

Steven Hight, “K2″ and “Fog Alley”

Mary Celojko, “Lumen Study 2″

Although they are 11×14 (presently my fave size for images) the shipping of 11 prints  poses some logistic difficulties. I was ecstatic to find just the right box for that size and bulk.

I am satisfied with the gelatin silver prints final look. They are five images from the series ” 1/2 Past Paradise”. They were printed using split filters/dodging/burning and bleached where appropriate.  They were also toned, spotted and matted (choice of matte to match the toning coloration- no eye clashing contrasts). Having shot these images with an Hasselblad XPan II in panorama (2×35mm frames) gave me plenty of coverage to reinterpret them in the darkroom.

When they were finished I showed them to my girlfriend who studied them with an inquisitive look somewhere in the vicinity of curiosity and disquiet and finally uttered “it’s all bondage”  in a uncharacteristic high pitch tone . I laughed. It was really funny!

Well then, it is official, I am aiming at becoming “L’Enfant Terrible”.

The shots of the prints were taken with a wide angle (hence the distortion). They don’t do justice to the original, but they will give you an idea.

It is kind of unusual to exhibit images without being framed and encased in glass. I imagine that the non-discriminating viewer will be tempted to do to them what most uncouth computer users do to their screens – point and touch.  At the moment of  puzzlement, indecision, or excitement the viewing experience becomes tactile.

This idea informed by previous experiences made me limit the glossy chromogenic prints to merely two glossy images to be sent. The chromogenics were enlarged by me in lab. Color printing requires a whole different set of knowledge and way more patience and practice than when printing in b&w, to get it right.

The remainder of them were enlarged in matte paper (a little more difficult to leave fingerprints on them). I must however confess that I was also tempted to finger my own images (giggle…), that is before the hordes of the visual Illuminati molest them.

I resisted that temptation, but gave in drawing with a black pen into one of them. Two subtle symbols, black on black, which made an already abstract image even more puzzling.

Photography as a final product for me means quality craftsmanship, which is near impossible to obtain by using a digital lab and leaving the crucial process of printing to a 3rd party.

Here are two samples of the color images to be sent:

Now I am left wondering if any of the other LIF Members exhibiting in this festival will be going to France?