Absolute Blogmusings from an absolutely blank mind Back from PhotoAlliance …
An exhausted photographer ... Exhausted. Drained. Brains scrambled My first portfolio review was an intense experience. Ten twenty-minute review sessions over the course of a weekend may not sound like much, but trust me it is. I’d compare it to a weekend full of job interviews. The PhotoAlliance review has a sort of hand-made feel to it. It’s well organized, but still manages to feel a little impromptu, as if everything is about to go off the rails, but somehow finds a way to hold it together. Everyone gets to their allotted place, volunteers ring their little Tibetan bells to signal the changeovers and everyone massages their schedules to make it all work. Food is volunteer-provided and often home-made. The San Fransisco Art Institute (SFAI) has a spectacular location in a residential area just a few blocks from the tourist Mecca of Fisherman’s Wharf, with panoramic views across the Bay to Alcatraz and beyond. The weather was spectacular too – with bright blue skies and several surprise sunburns on Sunday! The building itself is a fascinating labyrinth of studios, open courtyards and corridors – feeling like something between a mansion and a warehouse. The style is a strange mixture of mission and modern (though it contains a wonderful original 1931 Diego Rivera mural) and because the entire thing is concrete, it has a habit of constantly surprising. I did have a small camera with me, and although I found the SFAI full of inspiring surfaces and compositions, I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I could have. Perhaps the most enlightening aspect was seeing all the other photographers’ work – as varied a collection as you can imagine. I tried to glean what kind of things the reviewers were saying to them but most were (understandably) a little coy – or perhaps, like me, a little shell-shocked. Quite a few of us were there for our first portfolio review. It was also fascinating to see the mix of photographers themselves. For example, you could distinguish in a nanosecond, the art school educated types from those who came to photography from other backgrounds. I’ve decided art school must involve alien abduction and reprogramming. They seem to speak another language and some have extraordinary aspirations for what seems (to me) relatively unremarkable work. Some of the most inspiring and moving pictures I saw actually came from those who fell into photography almost by accident, driven by an esoteric obsession or unique access to an unusual subject. Ultimately, for me, it was a great experience and one I will gladly repeat (…although not quite immediately!). I came away encouraged that the next step is within my reach and with some very specific ideas about what I need to do next, both from a creative perspective, and in terms of how to package and present my work. A huge thanks to all the organizers, volunteers and participants for a wonderful weekend! _ 
Review with a View
Concerning Strange Devices …
(l to r) Bruce McKenzie and Kate Eastwood Norris star in the world premiere of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West at Berkeley Rep. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com “Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West” is a new play by Naomi Iizuka which is currently enjoying it’s world premier on the stage of Berkeley Repertory Theater. It merits a mention here, not because it is a wonderful play and an enjoyable evening (which it certainly is), but because the “strange device” of the title is, in fact, the camera. The name is taken from an ancient Japanese document which, for the first time, unlocked the secrets of photography and enabled the Japanese themselves to make use of this mysterious technology which was until then was used exclusively by westerners to create an image of Japan for their home countries that met expectations, rather than reflected reality. The action starts in 19th Century Japan, where a foreigner with a large wooden wet-plate camera is capturing interesting characters and scenes of local life to sell to western tourists. His subjects pose for money and play their parts as directed and we learn of the impact these images have on travelers who, perhaps, don’t find quite what they expect when they arrive. We are then transported to the present day, where a collector of these old photographs – together with a couple of forgers – play out another story. The forgeries take on an slightly ironic aspect, after the revelations of the previous act, and we are forced to think about what we might really be seeing when we look at a photograph. The introduction of the camera is presented as a pivot point between old isolationist Japan, and modern technological Japan. It is also a commentary on how photographs are used and what they do, and do not, represent. The show is a technical marvel with slick scene changes, clever lighting and projections of Meiji images and modern skylines. Berkeley Rep’s production of Strange Devices captures a hint of the awe that the Japanese must have experienced when the curious camera was introduced. It’s interesting to observe who dominates the world of the camera today… Selected! PhotoAlliance 2010
Just passing on some good news… I’m one of 50 photographers from around the country selected to take part in the PhotoAlliance “Our World” portfolio review in San Francisco next month. This three day weekend is a chance for photographers to get their work seen by top book and magazine publishers, editors, museum curators, gallery directors, as well as leading educators and professional photographers from all around the U.S. Of course I’m excited that my portfolio was one of those chosen, but it’s also a little nerve wracking to think I’m about to be critiqued by the good and the great. Now I have to get printing and preparing. Lots to do…! February already?Yikes! Photography has taken a back seat to job search this month (if you know anyone looking for a senior high-tech product marketer, let me know!), and the time has flown past. Last month I gave you a landscape, and this time I bring you another, but with a brown palette instead of blue. The winter here in the Bay Area is cool and wet and the Baylands turn brown with mud and a heavy mist from the marshes clings to the ground – even, as in this image, at the end of the day.  
Heading Home (Click here to see the image in the gallery) I don’t really know what this gentleman was doing riding out into the mud at 5pm, but as it was about to get dark very soon I’m pretty sure he was, indeed, heading home (even if indirectly!). As always I’d love to hear what you think. If you like my pictures please share them and encourage others to subscribe to the blog, or “fan” me on Facebook. New Year’s Day!What better way to start the year! A new Picture of the Month for January: 
New Year's Day (Click the thumbnail to see the image in the gallery) This was the scene as huge Pacific Ocean waves crashed into the Monterey coast of California to see in 2010, as witnessed by one brave soul who has clambered out onto the adjoining rocky outcrop from the one I’m taking this picture from. The waves were enormous and I have many spectacular pictures with towering mountains of sea and violent explosions of foam over rock, but the relative calm in his image seemed to convey the feeling of place and light best. (Although you can still see the water is turbulent – almost boiling!) It just would not be New Year for me without the sight and sound of the ocean. I hope 2010 will be a healthy and prosperous one for you. |
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