Life/Photos/Jonah

Biennial Madness

2009-11-18T23:27:00.001-08:00

Ode to Keiren

2009-11-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

A fellow photographer friend, Keiren, is working on a futuristic photo project about people and bikes merging. As I was riding my bike home on my short commute from work the other night, I realized that even if not literally merging with my bike, this year I've comfortably been using my bike as a main source of transportation. My bike has become a good, reliable friend. Thank you, Keiren, for helping me realize this bonding between my bike and myself.

Influenced by our environment

2009-11-10T23:57:00.000-08:00

Charles Johnstone

Little Red Car, 2006

Kunsthandel Jörg Maaß
Rankestr. 24
10789 Berlin
Germany

13 Nov - 22 Dec 2009

Johnstone intentionally leaves people out of his photographs. We are forced to form our own opinions of Havana from his series based on environmental factors. I am attracted to this photograph because of the very boxy, aquatic blue architectural building in the background with harsh shadows. It juxtaposes well with the petite, rounded, bright red car parked in front of it. Those composition choices nearly give the little red car a personality, one which I will probably continue to think about and dream about tonight in my sleep.

Silvia Noferi

Moments de la photographie contemporaine italienne II

Centre d'art Nei Liicht
Galeries Dudelange
25, rue Dominique Lang
3401 Dudelange
Luxembourg

31 Oct - 05 Dec 2009

Nofari's imagery was chosen for this contemporary Italian photographic exhibition because of her artistic and political thought in the midst of current Italian culture. This image provides such mystery and at the same time is so deep with understanding. Even though we may not be able to see the model's face, her posture in the chair provides an 'drunk with thought' body language. She gazes into the sunlight that floods in from the door in front of her. What beauty and somberness. The room that she sits in only enhances this drunken thoughtfulness. Mmm, mystery and narration.

Kader Attia

Rochers Carrés, 2009

8th Bamako Encounters, Biennial of African Photography- Borders

Maison Africaine de la Photographie
Direction des Rencontres africaines de la photographie de Bamako
Bibliothèque nationale, Zone ACI 2000
BP 4075 Bamako
Mali

November 7 through December 7, 2009

What a wonderful composition and choice of scenery. There is a contemplation and distance in the model's body language. Similar to Nofari's image, I enjoy how much the body plays the role in emotional capacity without relying on facial expressions. And plus, those sculptural elements he is sitting on do the composition and photo some justice.

World AIDS Day

2009-11-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Auraria Campus Library has a World AIDS Day art exhibition each year in their gallery space. HIV/AIDS awareness is something I strongly advocate and there is still a lot of work to be done in that realm. I will be submitting this triptych this week for that exhibition. I've recently loved playing with night photography and light writing (writing with a flashlight at night time with those long, fun exposure times) and I may look like a fool when I'm out there doing it but I've technically gotten pretty good at it. I thought that light writing in the dark of night would be a great way to get my message across. It's a bit on the blatant political side, especially concerning those living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Hopefully we can make some necessary changes.

A smattering

2009-11-03T23:53:00.001-08:00

LORNA SIMPSON

Please remind me of who I am, 2009

Courtesy Salon94, New York

International Center of Photography

1133 Avenue of the Americas
at 43rd Street
New York, NY 1003

October 2, 2009–January 17, 2010

What a sweet display about identity! Lorna Simpson acquired vintage photo booth images of African American subjects from the 1940s to '70s. There is a voyeuristic element, as the subjects were thought to be alone behind the photo booth curtain. In addition, I am quite intrigued by the placement and random looking nature of the placement of images. This would be quite the installation to see in person.

BALL-NOGUES STUDIO

FEATHERED EDGE: A NEW INSTALLATION

Photo by Brian Forrest

MOCA Pacific Design Center

152 N Central Ave

Glendale, CA 91203

July 26-November 15, 2009

This photo looks a bit like the rainbow is raining into the MOCA Design Center gallery space. I know, rainbows raining, right? On this blog, I haven't showed much other than photography but this installation was too good to pass up. It reminded me a bit of other textile and thread installations I've seen recently. It's amazing how it changes the spaces and becomes a factor in the environment, not to mention how aesthetically pleasing it is!

David Wojnarowics

Untitled, 1988

Synthetic polymer on two chromogenic prints

11 x 13 1/4 in. (27.9 x 33.7 cm)

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Madison Ave at 75th Street

New York, NY

September 25, 2009–January 3, 2010

It took me a while to find an image of this work that was larger than a thumbnail. Glad I found it finally because it is a dynamic image. I love how the contact sheets are integrated into the final work. Maybe that's a photo-geek thing. The digital image of this (like the other works from this week) doesn't do it justice. It would be wonderful to see the small bits of information to relate the contact sheet images to the larger kissing silhouettes. What a beautiful representation of bodies. Did someone say theory concerning the body?!

Taking it out with the trash

2009-11-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

It might have been that I was up way too early the day after Halloween but found a few things a bit interesting on my trip around the side of the house to the garbage can. I thought that they were worth the document.

Beer bottles everywhere. I'm glad folks enjoyed their Halloween but four beer bottles littering the corner around the outside of my house wasn't so enjoyable. At least the morning light in the snow of this photo was worthwhile.

I can't think of a better way for someone to fix a fence. Go team.

Poor. Piggy. He used to be be so shiny and new. Now he's just so empty and... blue. R.I.P., Piggy!

Someone missing: the still life

2009-10-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

This week's post is inspired by an old friend of mine, Corey Seeholzer. All three of the exhibitors' work remind me of Corey's photography. Check out his photo blog

He has an amazing, quirky style. Whether he includes models (by the way, wonnnnderful lighting skills!) or takes photos of environments void of people, his images provide a depth of storytelling and mystery. These artists provide the same feeling of wonderment with their still lives.

Trent Parke

Untitled

Stills Gallery

36 Gosbell Street . Paddington

NSW 2021 Sydney

Australia

28 Oct - 28 Nov 2009

This is such a simple still life and is so beautiful. The dark green/blue walls and the cords with the singular suitcase makes me giggle with enjoyment of the unknown. Questioning the intent and who may have previously been in the environment is such a beautiful mystery to try and decipher. This work reminds me a lot of Corey's environmental still lives, mentioned above. Kudos, everyone!

Laura Letinsky

Untitled #1, 2009

BRANCOLINI GRIMALDI
ARTE CONTEMPORANEA

Via dei Tre Orologi, 6A

00197 Rome, Italy

23 OCTOBER – 13 DECEMBER 2009

Here is a prime example of the still life after everyone has left the party. Letinsky is a Canadian artist who was commissioned to photograph tabletops in historic Roman Palazzi during one month this past spring. Each photograph in the series provides a different, interesting story and is wonderfully photographed. I love wanting to know more and I find myself continuing to look at these photographs to decipher the information that has been provided so that I can learn more of the mystery.

Chen Wei

Light on the Folding Bed, 2009

C-Print. 100cm x 130cm, Edition of 6.

m97 Gallery

RC. Shanghai

14 Nov - 15 Jan 2010

Beaaautiful! This still life's mirrors bring amazing visual interest to an otherwise empty room, notwithstanding the cot. The reflections of light on the wall remind me of snow falling. Well, maybe snow, maybe glitter. Either way, there is a dreamlike quality to the image-sans people.

Somethin' missing...

2009-10-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

I've become a huge fan of night photography. In all of the following photographs, I'm physically in them, for at least a little bit of time but because they're about 30 second exposure times, I'm not in them the whole time. Even in the last one, check out the transparent nature of my legs.

'Cuz trees are terrrrrific

2009-10-20T23:59:00.003-07:00

Sure, so maybe I thought that 'trees are terrrrrific' was a fun blast from the past. It was also ironic that there are three of them. Thankfully the title wasn't "t(h)rees are terrific." Heaven knows I enjoy using excess punctuation. Anyway, I like trees; okay, I love trees. A regular ol' tree-hugger, even. This week, I'd love if we were all able to take a little bit of time to reflect on our friends, the trees and at least a few of their visual and symbolic referents.

Joel Sternfeld

Central Park, north of the Obelisk, behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 1993

C-Print, AP 3/3, Ed. 7

On this Site

Buchmann Galerie

Charlottenstr. 13/75
10969 Berlin
Germany
18 Sep - 07 Nov 2009

This is such a beautiful, encompassing tree and the warm (probably sunset) lighting does wonders for it. The encompassing tree is juxtaposed by the reasoning of this photo locale. "In this sobering collection, Joel Sternfeld looks at places where violence has stained the American Landscape. Arriving long after news photographers have gone, he presents us with the landscape that is left behind, the ordinary site that remains after the tragedy." "I went to Central Park to find the place behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Jennifer Levin had been killed. It was bewildering to find a scene so beautiful... to see the same sunlight pour down indifferently on the earth." I know, quite the juxtaposition, right? The mixed feelings of the beauty integrated with the knowledge of the slain individuals are apparent in each of Sternfeld's photographs.

Eve Sonneman

PINS PARASOL A CANNES, 2007

Digitally printed color photograph on Japanese paper, Ed. of 10
20 x 30 in. 50.8 x 76.2 cm.

Nohra Haime Gallery
41 East 57th Street
NY 10022 New York
USA

07 Oct - 07 Nov 2009

Sonneman's diptychs are a bit on the lighter side, presenting sequence shots of leisure time. She "explores the notion of the landscape as witness to the passage of time." The silhouetted trees do a great job providing for the visual landscape and that relaxed leisure quality.

Michael Kenna

Flatiron Building, Study 2, New York City, USA, 2003

New York + New Works

Galerie Camera Obscura

268, boulevard Raspail
75014 Paris
France

14 Oct - 28 Nov 2009

Seeing as though I'm concurrently taking a History of Photography class, I smiled when I realized that this photograph didn't belong to Stieglitz or Steichen, but rather to Michael Kenna who is paying homage to some of the masters of photography. Although they may sometimes be overlooked, the use of the tree(s) (branches) adds so much depth and character to the photograph. It also provides an interesting juxtaposition with the concrete nature of the (city) building. Trees really are terrific, aren't they?!

Falling for fall

2009-10-20T23:59:00.001-07:00

I'm not saying that I enjoy the cold (because I don't!) but all of those leaves that are sacrificing their lives as they fall off the trees in the cold make for pretty natural design. Thanks, leaves. Here are a few shots from my deck on a blasted overcast day (can we say muted tones?).

More of our 'other' kids

2009-10-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

Our furry friends (and I don't just mean the bears) deserve their time in front of the camera. Here are a few examples of current exhibitions somewhere in the world that include our non-human family and friends.

Michel Comte

Beauty and the Best l'Uomo Vogue 1996

Retrospective

Galerie ACTE 2

41 rue d'Artois

75008 Paris

France

07 Sep - 30 Oct 2009

This looks a bit more like a fashion photograph to me but I love it. The expressions of the models are wonderful in relation to the setting. And the print quality looks extremely well done. I was trying to find more information about what kind of print this is. I would be extremely impressed if it was silver gelatin and not a digital print.

Charlotte Dumas

Untitled (Mask), 2009

Paradis

Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam

Keizersgracht 609
1017 DS Amsterdam
Netherlands

04 Sep - 22 Nov 2009

Dumas has a special talent with her portraits of animals. Just look at the attention and personality that she was able to catch in that photo. The lighting of the dog compared to the rich blue background creates a wonderful contrast of color. Kudos!

Jill Greenberg

Portraits

Galerie ACTE 2
41 rue d'Artois
75008 Paris
France

Okay, so maybe this isn't someone's household friend but maybe it is. Either way, what a beautiful, vibrantly colored photograph and headshot. And look at those eyes!

Puppy Love

2009-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, more love this week... this time I dedicate it to our 'other' family members, our pets. Just yesterday I was sitting on the couch and the morning light hit my Lola so well that I had to snap a few pictures of her. I'm starting to think after six years that she doesn't love her daddy pointing a random black box in her face. Imagine: my little girl not loving the camera?! Even if she doesn't love me waving the camera near her, the girl takes a good picture. Exhibits (a), (b) and (c):

Speaking of laughter

2009-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

I went to the MCA Denver last weekend with a friend to check out their current exhibitions. As we walked down a hallway, I'm sure we had a confused, perplexed look as we entered a gallery with strange noises coming from it. Jim Green's installation made us laugh and laugh. It was something to be experienced. If you are here in Denver (or find yourself in Denver), check it out before the exhibition closes at the end of October. It was a hearty reminder to me as to how difficult humor can be in art. Sometimes we have a tendency to take ourselves a bit serious as artists. I appreciate those that can pull off some humor in art. The following photographs put a smile on my face.

Teresa Hubbard & Alexander Birchler

Grand Paris Texas, 2008

Aargauer Kunsthaus
Aargauerplatz
5001 Aarau
Switzerland

05 Sep - 08 Nov 2009

I can't decide if it is the sculpture, the photograph or both that make me giggle a little bit. Talk about a great juxtaposition. This sculpture is in Paris, Texas. This photo is actually a still from a video piece about the intertwining of the folks in that little Texas town. That red cowboy hat atop the pseudo Eiffel Tower is a winner.

Tim Roda

The Centaur, 2009

Galerie Michael Janssen
Rudi-Dutschke-Str. 26
10969 Berlin
Germany

18 Sep - 31 Oct 2009

What a beautiful photograph! There is a playfulness in Roda's photographs and this very dreamlike image incites memories and contains a bit of enjoyable humor. Oh, and of course the tonal range in the print is wonderful!

Rudi Weissenstein

Fisherman at the street, Tel Aviv, 1952

PHOTO 4 et Galerie Lucie Weill & Seligmann
4 & 6 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
France

01 Oct - 07 Nov 2009

Humor, you ask? I know, I know, it may not seem that this photograph contains that much humor unless you were me. The first time I saw it, I totally thought that the man was wearing wings, like angel wings. Look at it again... doesn't it look like those are angel wings?! It might have just been me but I laughed pretty hard when I realized that was a big fish on his back and not angel wings. It takes special people, okay?!

The best medicine

2009-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

I love photographing people mid-laugh. There is something so genuine, comfortable and real about capturing people in the middle of a funny story or good times. Here are a few I've captured this past summer.

Double-double-take

2009-09-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

Now on for some other photographer's photos that made me make a double take. Oh, get ready!

Sascha Weidner

Grounded II, 2007.

C-Print, Diasec mount. 90 x 90 cm. Edition of 5

28 Aug - 31 Oct 2009

Galerie Zur Stockeregg
Stockerstr. 33
8022 Zürich
Switzerland

Woah, buddy. This photograph is intense. It makes me feel calm and uncomfortable because of the familiar, the eerie and the dissociation all at the same time. The reverse horizon line, the ambiguity of the models and the relaxed nature of their hands makes me stare. True art, if you ask me.

Sarah Pickering
Abduction, 2007.

C-Print, 120 x 96 cm, Courtesy the artist and Meessen De Clercq, Brussels

25 Sep - 17 Jan 2010

Manipulating Reality

Centro di Cultura Contemporanea Strozzina - CCCS
Piazza Strozzi
50123 Firenze
Italy

Within a show of 23 international artists, Pickering's work draws my attention and makes me want to dissect each element included in the photo. The show's title, Manipulating Reality, draws me in even more as I wonder how little or how much the photograph has been manipulated. That fire is extremely well captured in addition to the situation.

YANG YI

"Uprooted #12: Old Town of Kaixian, The Ring Road" (2007)

C-Print. 100cm x 70cm, Edition of 12; 150cm x 105cm - Edition of 6. © YANG Yi. Courtesy of m97 Gallery.

5 Sep - 31 Oct 2009

m97 Gallery
97 Moganshan road, 2nd floor.
200060 Shanghai
China

Speaking of having a lot of information to deal with, this photo by Yi takes the cake. His photographs are based on dreams that he had about his hometown and the residents living under water before it was flooded. The light/water gleaming through is beautiful and the situation is so calming yet full in it's impending destruction.

Double-take

2009-09-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

I love photographs that make me take a double-take. If I need to scan over a photograph a couple of times to try to soak up all of the information, all the better. Here are a few photographs that made me do just that.

Let's call this one 'home improvement project gone bad.' The expression on her face, the theatre-looking lighting, oh, and the ceiling fan cradled in her arms... I just can't argue with all of that.

Flying? Riding a hydrofoil bull? Gimmie-gimmie some of that stop-action! Talent and beauty in his sport make me happy.

Between the dark of night, the fire and the folks watching it, this photograph is rich with information. I love the brightness, the darkness and the long exposure. It does my eyes good to soak it all in!

A Different Kind of Love

2009-09-22T23:59:00.001-07:00

By a different kind of love, I mean not in the 'food is love' sense from the last post that contained my images. There is a certain relationship that photographers have with those they are photographing and a different relationship that those being pictured have with each other (when there is more than one person in the photograph). I kept those relationships in mind as I chose the following exhibition photographs. Feel free to enjoy this dynamical relationship with me...

Sally Mann

Candy Cigarette

1989, gelatin silver print, 66 x 76 cm; courtesy Gagosian Gallery

The Family and The Land

The Hague Museum of Photography

26 September 2009 - 10 January 2010

Stadhouderslaan 43

2517 HV Den Haag
Netherlands

Yes, you caught me. I'm so much of a Sally Mann junkie that I'm using her exhibitions two weeks in a row. But keep in mind that these are two different Mann exhibitions in two different parts of the world... not to mention my different intentions. Who knows, maybe I'll find yet another Sally Mann exhibition in a few weeks. Quick story: a coworker at my new job asked me a get-to-know-you question, wondering if I could hang out with anyone at all, who would it be. He looked at me all sorts of oddly when I replied 'Sally Mann' and explained who she is. I know, I know. And of course I had a little battle in my head as to whether I should have said Sally Mann or John Dugdale. In actuality, it's a big toss up because I *heart* John Dugdale and his work. If you don't know of him, I dare you to check out his website, his work and read his biography. He is worth the time, I promise! Woah, anyway, Sally Mann became very well known largely because of photographs of her children. Her kids are beautiful and always seem to have extremely visually striking expressions. This photograph, Candy Cigarette, is well known in her portfolio and is quite wonderful. The relationship between Sally as the photographer, her daughter facing the camera and her other daughter facing away from the camera is so rich in content!

Lydia Panas

Private Spaces

Yours Gallery

ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 33
00-071 Warszawa

Uhhh... awkward? I love the tension in this photograph as well as the softness in the color. Panas photographed mostly family and friends in this series about the complex process of growing up and maturing. Mmmm, nothing like being able to cut the air with a knife. The relationship of these four individuals is interesting through their body language and facial expressions in addition to their relation with the photographer. It almost looks like they have that expression of "if you dare point that camera at me one more time..." I love (spectating) awkward tension. Brilliant!

Fazal Sheikh

Fehan Noor Ahmed and her daughter Rhesh, Somali refugee camp, Mandera, Kenya

5 Sep - 29 Nov 2009

Huis Marseille
Museum for Photography
Keizersgracht 401
1016 EK Amsterdam
Netherlands

Sheikh has a body of work that includes many portraits of refugees from African and Asian countries. This mother and child photographed also provide tension within themselves as well as with the photographer. In addition to some perceived somberness, I also feel a bit of hope within the generations and new life. And of course I can't ignore how delicious those shades of gray are.

Real Love

2009-09-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, I found myself out with some friends. We may have been imbibing. Enter: two sisters who lived with one another. A foodie conversation gone wrong led to one sister's emotions welling. It was quite the reminder to all of us that while one sister just thought of food only as the taste of food, food really means love. From those that take the time and energy to prepare the nourishment for us to being able to meet with friends to enjoy a meal, food clearly means love. I just got back from a friend's house a bit ago. The girl knows that she prepares a mean, tasty meal. Beyond the food itself, I clearly understand that she invites me over for meals because she loves me. Maybe it's true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If not just through my stomach, another way to my heart is through photography. I find myself click-click-clicking away, even as the camera rests on the table during lunch with friends. Here's a little bit of that food-time love to share with y'all...

It's All About Exposure, Baby!

2009-09-15T23:58:00.001-07:00

First off, forgive me. I realized after my last post that I'm getting a little bit carried away with the exclamation points. Yes, I am that excited about long exposures and fun, delicious alternative photography. Absolutely delicious. Speaking of, this week's first exhibitor is one of my three favorite-favorite-favorite photographers.

SALLY MANN

The Quality of the Affection, 2006

Gelatin silver print
15 x 13 1/2 inches (38.1 x 34.3 cm)
Ed. of 5

Gagosian Gallery

Proud Flesh

September 15 - October 31, 2009

980 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10075

Oh Sally, Sally, Sally. She is an absolute inspiration to me. The woman has MAD SKILLS through her photographic processes. This current series is of her husband Larry. Gagosian Gallery describes it as "a series of candid nude studies of a mature male body that neither objectifies nor celebrates the focus of its gaze. Rather it suggests a profoundly trusting relationship between woman and man, artist and model that has produced a full range of impressions – erotic, brutally frank, disarmingly tender, and more." Talk about a great way to say "I love you" as an artist. Sally Mann is a master of the wet-plate collodion (glass plate) negative process. The work exhibited in Proud Flesh was made by way of wet-plate collodion negatives that were contact printed. I love the imperfection and beauty in the process... and just look at how delicate that lighting is across the arch of Larry's back (and look at me referring to 'Larry' as if he's a buddy of mine). Mann has such an evolved perspective of life and the earth around her. Check out What Remains for more Sally Mann goodness. I would love to just hop on a plane and check out this current series at Gagosian. Wouldn't that be great!

I finally got some glitches worked out and here's the rest of this week's post:

Franz Hanfstaengl

Portrait of Eugenie von Klenze, 1854

Salted paper print from wet-plate collodion on glass negative, Mounted on paper

Münchner Stadtmuseum - Sammlung Fotografie
St.-Jakobs-Platz 1
80331 München
Germany

Phone: 089 . 23322370
Fax: 089 . 23325033

I had a post in here of some really sweet work where the artist turned her New York loft into a pinhole camera and had beautiful large negative prints. It was only after I wrote about and posted it that I realized that the exhibition was already over. Oops. To make sure you'll be able to go see work (still) being exhibited (if you find yourself jet-setting in the next couple weeks or so), I chose another piece of work that relates to Sally Mann's photograph we first looked at in this post. Hanfstaengl was also a master of wet-plate collodion negatives, just... 150 years(ish) before Mann. This photograph by Hanfstaengl is being shown in an exhibition called 150 Years of Nude Photography (roughly translated). After studying the wet-plate process and understanding how difficult it can be to do it correctly (a couple of fellow photographers and I are planning on finally trying it one of these days), I have so much respect for the art/process of it. And that salt print is so rich with information and tonal range! I love the drapes and drapes and drapes all over the scene that frame in the innocence of the sleeping girl. Good work, Hanfstaengl!

Abelardo Morell

Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum and Village

Lacock, nr Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 2LG
Telephone: 01249 730459

It is officially time to photo-geek out! I am tickled that Morell decided to help us all out by turning a room of the Fox Talbot Museum into a camera obscura. How wonderful that is! When I was out boating a couple weeks ago, somehow we started talking about pinhole cameras and I was trying to explain the concept of the camera obscura. I could tell it wasn't making nearly enough sense so as we were sitting inside the camper, I got up and explained that if we blacked out all of the windows and made one little hole on one side of the camper to the outside, we could turn it into a camera obscura and big ol' pinhole camera. Oh, wouldn't that be great to have a camper as a huge, portable pinhole camera? If anyone has an extra camper hanging around that they'd like to donate for art's sake, I have a truck with a hitch waiting to haul it away for you! Anyway, just like if we were to have turned the camper at the lake into a camera obscura and had the image of the lake projecting itself upside down on the opposing wall, Morell did the same thing by projecting Lacock Abbey into the museum. Oh baby, that's good art! Has anyone come across that extra camper yet?

Back to Our Roots!

2009-09-15T23:57:00.000-07:00

This week I've decided to go 'back to our roots' in photography. I found some really excellent 'alternative' process work from other photographers that will be posted above; it made me a wee bit nostalgic. Of course, I haven't had the time I would like to dedicate to any alternative photography in very recent past but I have been playing with night photography. As I sit outside with my tripod and click away to wait for a 20 to 30 second exposure, I can't help but think of those fun, calming, long exposures from pinhole cameras. Oh, I love my pinhole cameras! I sometimes have to lock up my favorite pinhole camera because I get a little too excited and obsessive with my pinhole shots. *Sigh* Feel free to ask if you'd like more resources in that realm. Anyway, a few (digital) long exposures I've been playing with recently...

I'm not sure if I should thank my dog or the moon for helping me get started in my recent obsession with night photography. As my dog and I were on one of our nightly walks of the 'hood, I probably walked into a couple of things because I couldn't stop watching the moon that looked so great as those clouds were passing by. I ran back outside with my camera and went to town.

I ended up at the business of a buddy's at nighttime. Of course I misplaced my tripod so I was walking around his seemingly desolate neighborhood with my camera and a very bulky wooden outdoor chair to set the camera on. Do what ya gotta, right? Mmm, look at the color in that sky.

There is something that looks so different in these long exposure night shots. I can't put my finger on what they remind me so much of. Regardless, this photo was taken out around the campfire after I was out boating a week or two ago with some friends. Thank heavens for those long exposures so I had plenty of time to make s'mores. These folks mean business when they start making s'mores, trust me. I love the ambiguity in their faces created by the blur of that long exposure.

Three Matchy-Matchy Works Currently Being Exhibited

2009-09-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

The reason that these are 'matchy-matchy works' is because they all match the fun of the outdoors that my three photos provided. Plus, seeing as though we just celebrated Labor Day, I'm in a bit of mourning about the summer coming to an end. Let us pay homage to the beautiful sunshine and warmth we were able to enjoy (well I don't know about y'all but I sure enjoyed it)!

Benno Graziani
Gianni Agnelli and Heidi von Salvisberg, 1967

Memories of Summer

Hamiltons Gallery
13 Carlos Place

London

W1K 2EU, U.K.

25 Jun - 11 Sep 2009

Talk about starting out with some beautiful black and white photography. The gaze into the camera is... delicious. It is confrontational and sexy, not to mention that it embodies summertime. The outdoor, direct sunlight works well for this work. You may say they're squinting in the sunlight, I say they are confrontational and sexy. Potato, Potatoe. Graziani spent a lot of time in the French-Italian Riviera with some of the rich and famous during the '50s, '60s and '70s with kats like Jackie-O and folks like these. Somewhere between photojournalism and high-art document, he might have had it made...

Knut Wolfgang Maron
Early "Bilder über Landschaften" 1979 - 1984

Galerie zone E
Kahrstr. 54
45128 Essen
Germany

Date: 02 Apr - 19 Sep 2009

Sure, I understand that Maron was more concerned with the landscape and all but what a great study of vintage folk out relaxing in the summer sun. This time we've moved to the river rather than the lake. Thankfully we still have a body of water to enjoy the summer with. Zone E states that these works by Maron are examples "by the German pioneer of contemporary color photography." Take note: Maron would be an interesting person to do some more research on color photography pioneerism. Yes, I enjoy making up word add-on things like packing on the 'ism' to 'pioneer.' It's complicated, alright? Anyway, summertime outdoor lighting: great for photography and that woman's tan.

Robin Cracknell

Blue Lake Revisited

C-type print from mixed media, 20 x 16 inches

Starting with a Photograph

An exhibition of Saatchi Online Artists at Michael Hoppen Contemporary

3 Jubilee Place
SW3 3TD London
Great Britain
10th September – 12th October 2009

Cracknell's image is a great way to end my little visual ode to summertime, if you ask me. Not only is Blue Lake Revisited a beautiful, gritty image, it also evokes a somber loneliness as we look back and remember the past. Cracknell’s photographs are described as "deteriorating documents of childhood disappointments and adult regret." Way to leave it on a happy note, right? Just think, at least Cracknell utilized that bright summertime sunshine in the initial image taken. Goodbye summertime and that warm lighting you have provided us. You will be missed!

2009-09-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Three of my Photos

I went boating over the holiday weekend and thought that I'd share a few photos that I took up at the lake (Windsor Shores).

There is more than just dirt in this picture, I promise. The lighting was pretty direct sunlight but my little friend blended in with his surroundings quite well. How cute he was. I thought about bringing him back to the trailer but realized how sooooo twenty years ago that would have been. Plus, he would have probably ended up as a doggie snack. No bueno.

I have this thing for taking pictures of reflections. The rear-view mirror on Bill and Crystal's boat is especially fun to shoot pictures of. Natural sunshine lighting, of course in this one.

This may have been one of my very favorite images from Sunday. The back-lighting from the sky was oh-so-beautiful at sunset. I love how it silhouetted the old-school, rusted wind gauge.

Three works currently being exhibited

2009-09-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Gianmaria Gava

Little Austria: Group 2, Plot 14

Océ print, 60 x 80, 135 x 180 cm. Edition: 10 + I, 3 + I

Anzenberger Gallery

6 May - 31 Dec 2009

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10-18

Zeinlhofergasse 7

1050 Wien

Austria

Phone: 01 . 5878251

Fax: 01 . 5879007

I love this photo and it's quirky, bright nature. It reminds me of American Gothic, mostly by the very posed, straightforward boxy nature of the pictured couple. Despite it reminding me of American Gothic, ironically the couple is in a little town that was once the base for the Austro-Hungarian army ("Little Austria"). It is an interesting look at urbanization and global pop-culture/culture.

Ralph Borland

Suited for Subversion Prototype. 2002

Nylon-reinforced PVC, padding, speaker, and pulse reader, 47 1/4 x 31 1/2 x 23 5/8" (120 x 80 x 60 cm).

Photograph by Pieter Hugo

The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Rough Cut: Design Takes a Sharp Edge

November 26, 2008-October 12, 2009

The Philip Johnson Architecture and Design Galleries, third floor

Fund for the Twenty-First Century.

11 West 53 Street New York, NY

(212) 708-9400

I'm in love with this photo. Sure, I realize that it's more about the design and function of the prototype the guy is wearing but the entire setup is pretty spectacular. I'm a sucker for good design. That fire-engine red is strikingly oh-so-intended. Way back when I worked as a 'sample kid,' handing out all sorts of product food samples in grocery stores. I found myself relating (speaking of memory) to a Twinkie the Kid costume I had to wear one weekend while handing out Hostess Twinkies. I was so popular (right?!). Ironic, I know, for a 17 year-old gay kid. And then a couple of times I was dressed as a loaf of Wonder Bread (thankfully my face couldn't be seen in either of the genuine costumes. I'm the only one with the actual pictures-with the head masks off and my big 'ol grin-and I think it needs to stay that way). I think I'll be alright if I never see another mini-loaf of Wonder bread. Anyway. Anyway. Anyway. I have this thing for red-brick wall backdrops (real red-brick walls, of course); I love them. The cheekiness of the design (and titling) of the work makes me a bit weak in the knees. I wouldn't have ever thought about the need for protection of large-scale street protests in addition to a built-in speaker to help get your point across. And admittedly, the model is... aesthetically pleasing. Look at those legs. Humor me. This photo makes me laugh a little on the inside every time I see it.

Fredericks Murray

Salt 37

47 x 58 in., Pigment print - Edition of 7

Hamiltons Gallery
13 Carlos Place

London

W1K 2EU, U.K.

25 Jun - 11 Sep 2009

What a beautiful photograph. I love the amazingly strong, bold color yet apparent softness (how's that for sounding contradictory?). The concept of memory, time and of things past are abundant to me through the ominous coloration and how it that horizon line feeds into the light. It is so simple yet complicated. Well, rather than simple, it is made to look effortless and simple. The photo is so visually striking, not to mention a beautiful large beast of a print (at nearly 4' x 5'). Yes, please!

Three of my photos

2009-09-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

I chose this photo because it (also) reminded me of American Gothic. Alright, so maybe I staged it. Maybe. Let's just say that my models, Bruce and Connor, were being very good sports while I was doing an unrelated photo shoot of them working in their yard. There is something stark yet playful about obviously staged/posed photographs.

I am a sucker for design and simplicity. So maybe it really just made me smile...

Lastly, I was trying to find a photo of mine that I thought correlated with the concept of memory. I enjoy the shadow looming over the tree rather than the tree's shadow looming over the person.

Life/Photos/Jonah

Biennial Madness

Ode to Keiren

Influenced by our environment

World AIDS Day

A smattering

Taking it out with the trash

Someone missing: the still life

Somethin' missing...

'Cuz trees are terrrrrific

Falling for fall

More of our 'other' kids

Puppy Love

Speaking of laughter

The best medicine

Double-double-take

Double-take

A Different Kind of Love

Real Love

It's All About Exposure, Baby!

Back to Our Roots!

Three Matchy-Matchy Works Currently Being Exhibited

Knut Wolfgang MaronEarly "Bilder über Landschaften" 1979 - 1984

Three works currently being exhibited

Three of my photos

Knut Wolfgang Maron
Early "Bilder über Landschaften" 1979 - 1984