Sustaining Testimony
…I will be traveling extensively tomorrow (Thursday) and I hope to make the Photographers Exchange in Irvine, so this is my entry for then. Oh, and I have yet to make the four prints from the series Bad Trip – Sad Trip to discuss. This is the venue that I have to get constructive feedback on my series, which is great.
This image, Sustaining Testimony, was captured during my transition of “what Doug saw” to “what Doug is trying to understand and suggesting” (or something to that effect). I think that it has a lot to say, but I find myself wishing that I had the funds to return to Hawaii and reshoot this memorial. So in a way, I am working with what I have, I just don’t have the overview type photograph of the area that I seem to prefer to work with now. To place this in a broader context.
After making these photographs, a couple stopped their truck next to where I was disassembling my photographic gear and were friends of Jaiom Berger, the Alumnium Man, as he was known on the island. Apparently Jaiom was riding back to his house on his moped and was run-over by a DUI driver and killed in 1998. And the DUI driver already had his license revoked becasue of the two previous DUI events, and is now in prison for man-slaughter. I just find this to be very troubling, but from this event his friends have gone on to created the Aluminum Man events on Maui.
Best regards, Doug
Tragedy
…I am currently reading the book Photo Projects by Chris Dickie in which he writes about a number of photographers who have had the “determination to succeed” with completing their projects. It sure does seem that I am following in many of their footsteps and that is not neccessarily a “good” thing. My take away is that photographic (artistic) projects are not unlike what I encounter within industry in general, they are messy; I have moved foreward and realized that I were not lined up right, I have to rephotograph a subject, changed my mind on which image from a site that better conveys what I am trying to achieve and all of the image & filling changes that result. And now I realize that my naming of the images needs to be reexamined, and so I am making these changes, too.
I am a little frustrated because there are some other projects that I want to work on as well, but I need to bring this (Bad Trip – Sad Trip) to some closure. And I am learning a lot more about myself with each step back (yes, and sometimes going foreward..) and realize that is part of the process.
As to this image, Tragedy, it was made in Maui, Hawaii last year. I became aware of a sad statistic, that 50% of the fatilities with roadside accidents are realted to drunk driving and it is a big concern on the island. I don’t know if that was an issue with this accident, but there are the empty beer cans among the rest of the items left for this memorial. In fact my initial photographic choice for this memorial was a close up image of the memorial itself, with the Hawaiian flowers and other local artifacts.
I now realize that initial image choice was not working with what I want to convey, to suggest, so I chose another image that I made from across the road that provides a greater context. Now I have also brought into the image the scarred hillside that probably occured as a result of the accident. In this toned black & white image, the hillside damage is not as apparent, much more subtle and it may not even been noticed or associated with the memorial. But I find that you start to recognize the damage the longer you take to study the image and gradually understand this tragedy a little more.
Best regards, Doug
Gore Creek, Winter
…over the weekend I was told that the four photographs that I had framed for the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) had been hung. Except these are on long term loan to the Director of Development for her office, which is not in the Museum gallery, but the administrative building next door. Close! She choose four pivital images from my landscape series;
Arizona Monsoon which is was taken in 35mm black & white in 1975 which gave me the inspiration to purchase a medium format camera to further explore the landscape. It was an Aha! moment for me.
Gore Creek, Winter (above image) which marked my transition from painting back to photography in 2000, athough the compositon is peaceful and medative for me, it is probably more of what Doug saw. From my recent painting experiences and returning to photography, I was seeing images more in terms of shapes, values, scale and textures that would eventully lead the way to trying to understand and express flow.
Placerita Canyon Cascade, in which I started to really try to understand what constitued a landscape image. I began to see in the image the possible metaphors and to further work on the concept of flow.
Cloud Burst the first digital (and panoramic) image that marked my transition to a consider and eventually implement a fully digital workflow. I still have my arnsel of film cameras, multiple 35mm and 120mm SLRs, but they sit idle for the most part.
While at the OCMA to drop off my framed images, there were a variety of photographs with the current exhibit. I had received a book on Catherine Opie that had been published by OCMA and I can say I was not her biggest fan. But she had an image on display (don’t remember the name of the image) that took my by surprise with regard to a whimsical perspective of a house on stilts in LA. Also a huge print, which means that it was a contempary photograph. They also had an Edward Weston contact 8×10″ print on display of a not often seen and not well known photograph, not that impressive. Also on display was a 16×20″ Dorthy Lange Migrant Mother print on loan from her husband. I thought I had read that she did not print any photographs of this image as a result of it being a public works project photograph from the 1930’s. This was a great print to stand there and see.
Best regards, Doug
Deterioration
…it was the right intent, but just the wrong implementation for the naming of the earlier image from the post about Santa Rosa Plateau I made a couple of days ago. This morning I realized that using a German word for the title was as bad as the original title, as it was too obsecure (my apologies to my German friends) for my use here in the U.S. After thinking how the barrier in the created a strong impact to me, that this physical barrier in the image was a symbol for a state of separation, thus I have since titled this image Separation.
Likewise the image above was initially titled Alex for the name that was on the memorial. That was my right brain literal label for this roadside memorial. But what I had noticed about this place that I photographed outside of San Antinio was the condition of the wreath, that it was in a state of deterioration, probably much like the memories of Alex, slowing fading from our grip. The effects of time on all of us.
Best regards, Doug
…I have still been thinking about the difference between a photography which “shows” something versus which “suggestions” something. I know that my series Bad Trip – Sad Trip started with me wanting to show something. Thus the images were more documenatry or journalist; here is what I saw. So were the titles.
Over the last year, the series has become much more interputative and I am now trying to suggestion something. Okay, maybe this last part is not always clear to me as to what I am suggesting, but in titling them, describing my emotional reaction to them and why I choose one image over another, I am learning. The series image titles have been an odd collection and inconsistent: show, suggest, describe, suggest, etc. So now I am re-examing my title choices to complement the image, not work against it.
As an example, the image of Brian & Nate made a couple of days ago is going to be renamed Schlechte Reise, which is Deutsch (German) for “Bad Trip”. As I have studied my photographs for this roadside memorial, I am struck by the unique use of the Deutsch iron cross. I realize that there may be many reasons for these symbols, but one of those who were died here has a very German name. So I am going to work with that connection.
These change in naming may work, may not, but at the moment, I think that it is an improvement.
Best regards, Doug
….when you leave you house at O-dark early to create some photographs on the way to a client’s and it’s really foggy at your house, but it’s clear as a bell when you get to where you want to photograph….but further down the road you can see the coastal fog slidding over the costal mountain range and down into the valley…..and you really don’t have time to explore where there is some fog because of appointments….
….when it’s so early and you’re still tired from a round of golf the day before, that you don’t even sit-up your tripod for the photographs you do make….and even resort to taking photographs from inside the car because you don’t even feel like getting out of the car…
…and your Vente latte falls out of your hand while getting out of the car at the client’s and you hope that the new coffee stains on your pants are not too noticeable….and you did not drink very much of the latte before spilling it becasue it had been too hot….and the coffee at the client’s you already know is not the best in town even though you know they are trying…
Yes, you know it is Monday….
Best regards, Doug
Worm Holes #2
…Here in the U.S., we celebrate Fathers Day this Sunday. Yes, a good reason to honor dad. So I will be taking my son-in-law out for a round of golf, maybe he will give me some strokes. Then back to his house for the BBQ and fun with the grandkids. Should be a fun day. And I wish you other Fathers, Papa’s, Pops, Pepe’s, Padre’s, Dads and Daddy-O’s a great day as well.
Posting an image from the another foggy morning made this last week.
Best regads, Doug
Separation
…Last week was an interesting series of events when I became aware of two new road side memorials. I posted about one yesterday, and I found my self working on the new stuff again, so I am able to discuss this image. Yesterday, I started a dialog about how I choose one image over another. I find that with digital, I am shooting more alternatives for a given image.
I had stated earlier in the week that I had made a few “snaps” for this image, but in fact, I had 36 exposures from various viewpoints and visual effects. My take away from the day’s shoot was that I would probably have to go back because I knew that this darn roadside barrier was between me and the memorial. Then I wrote yesterdays post and reflecting on the barrier present in that image, perhaps having a barrier included had it’s own connetations. So I went through my images for the Santa Rosa Plateau memorial with fresh eyes and a little more open attitude about possiblities.
This image Separation is a very compeling image and provides the suggestion that I want to draw out. The strong diangle of the barrier through the image really divides the image as well as suggesting the physical seperation of us from the memorials, thus the victums. And the barrier is very solid, while the memorial is very transit, especially with the recently added flowers. Last, I have found two memorials in as many days that have these physical barriers, where there has been none to date before this. The two recent images complement each other, so I have paired them up on my web-studio site as well.
On another note, I still have some internal strife about the naming of my images, but I feel that this issue will eventually come to pass eventually as well, but I just know that I do not feel consistent. The name of the person in the accident associated with the Santa Suzanna location is Candice, so why name one image with the victum and another image with a location??? I think I need to think some more about the differences between discribe and suggest and apply that to my titles….probably some more re-editing again :- )
Best regards, Doug
2nd Update: The original name for this imag was “Brian & Nate“, then changed to Schlechte Reise and I have since renamed Separation it to make it more consistent with what I want the image to suggest. Schlechte Reise is the Deutsch wording for “Bad Trip” and I feel too obsecure for the use in the U.S.
1st Update: just to be accurate, Colin (blog: Photosteam) was discussing the difference between “show something” vs. “suggest something”. To “discribe something” is my paraphrase, but perhaps I am getting to like Colin’s use of the term ”show” a little more.
Santa Suzanna
…always a tough decision, work on the new stuff that is fresh and exciting, or get the back-up, web-hosting and filing completed for the earlier images. Okay, so this time the winner is the images that I made a couple of days ago on the Santa Suzanna Pass Road of the recent roadside memorial that I just found out about.
In the process of selecting the image that had the feeling I was trying to bring out, I had my selection narrowed down to two different views. The one posted here and an image that I had composed from the other side of the new retaining wall, where I was positioned under the tree you can see opposite in this photograph. The decision became easier as I recalled a recent post by Colin regarding making images that are suggestions versus discribing something. For him it was his choice about digital color vs black & white.
For me, the one image that I had composed opposite was more of a documentary description of this past event, one that probably would have made a good journalist image. It had in the foreground the new barrier on one side leading to the two crosses, and slightly to the left was the torn up pavement, shattered post and twisted old barrier. Also evident even further on the left side of the image was the steep canyon dropping off out of the image. That would have been a good image to describe what was probably the last terrifying moments before her pumpting to the bottom of the canyon a good 100 ft down. But it is not my goal to discribe this accident in my image in that manner.
In this image, the two crosses for the woman who died in the accident are up close and you can see the details of what was placed in the location. In the other image the crosses were hardly visible. Someone had loved this woman and cared a lot about her. In the other image you could not see the stuffed bear that is there to watch over her memorial. The other image placed too much emphsis on the damage and the terror, as if that was the subject. I felt you lost the focus on the connection, that there was a real person who’s life accidently ended on this road.
Perhaps the “grand” landscape image in the background of the image I chose is a symbol for the afterlife, a better place, that goes out to eternity. And the barrier in this image is a representation of the seperation, between us and from her. Perhaps literally, she has gone on to the other side.
Best regards, Doug
Meditation Annex
….While preparing my othe blog entry about ArtBiz101, I realize it would be good to have a “relevent” image. I also realized that my relevent image would be best from my stelth project number Three. So I guess it was time to come out of hiding with what will probably be the next series that I will be trying to complete, which has the working title of: Insomnia: Hotel Noir.
In terms of landscape, this will be the personal landscape, and for me a very personal landscape including self-images. I have been working on this for some time. Until recently, I was not sure that I would even publish this or have it see the light of day. Okay, I’m writing a blog about my thoughts, but like a lot of us, you don’t tell everything. I feel that what I have shared with the development of Bad Trip – Sad Trip and my related personal thoughts are enabling me to move forward with this series. So I just updated my studio web site with this working title and I still need to finalize the artistic statment.
But I do need to get the Bad Trip – Sad Trip up to date and finding other new material is not helpig much :- )
Best regards, Doug
