meetings are not really my thing….a career in photography has afforded me a natural escape from meetings…looking at graphs, flow charts, cost projections, etc etc. is generally better than a sleeping pill for me…if i start snoring, just roll me over!!
however, i have called a meeting..what is my world coming to when i am the one who actually organizes a meeting?? this meeting is a meeting of the minds…at my apartment this thursday…things have been brewing behind the scenes for awhile regarding our new site forthcoming …the amount of input recently by Anton Kusters, Tom Hyde, David McGowan, Kerry Payne, Marie Arago, and Pete Marovich and wife Jenny Jones, humbles me beyond belief…these forum members and friends have gone way way beyond the "call of duty" to help design a new looking, interactive "magazine" of which i believe we are all going to be most proud…
if any of you will be in New York on thursday and want to participate, please let me know…and even without actually being here , i will be expecting thoughts from you…i think it is too early to actually launch a full blown regularly updated online magazine with all of its ramifications, but what we will soon have will at least be the first stage…it will certainly "look like" an online magazine…whether or not we actually go on to a serious active online magazine remains to be seen…there are so many factors to consider, not the least of which is the time and manpower it takes to produce one…not only from the "editing team" which would be required, but from all of you as potential photo essayists…
Kerry Payne (a very astute lurker) must have spent days creating a brilliant potential business plan and our Anton Kusters (above and below design/ graphics) has gone beyond the beyond as our web design guru..David McGowan is on the case designing a print version….Marie Arago is working non-stop creating a special web page for our workshop student essays…. and the advice from Pete Marovich and Jenny, who both previously created an online magazine, American Journal, is so well taken…Tom Hyde, whose career is in publishing, has researched every online magazine out there and if he sends me one more link i will go crazy!!! you guys are just the best!! many many thanks…..by the way, both Tom and Anton will be sleeping on my floor (air mattresses) , both flying thousands of miles just for this meeting…
we have assembled here on our forum quite a team of photographers and writers…and unlike some other online magazines, i would envision some truly creative text essays to be just as important as the photographic essays….in theory, people are not supposed to enjoy reading on line…i would have been an antagonist myself…but,let's see if that is true…in any case, i want to give it a try….
right now, i need everyone's help on just one thing….a title….what do we call our online magazine??
David McGowan came up with Emerge…this is the best title we have so far..can anyone better that one?
All of you who produce fine photographic essays are going to have one really nice place to show your work, IF that work is of the highest standards…this will NOT be a site where anyone can randomly post any picture or essay…there are already a plethora of such sites and they are terrific for what they are……..but right here, we will have a carefully curated/edited photographic and literary forum…quality content will reign supreme…
kindly give us your best title thoughts….and please stay tuned….
I guess I’ll summarize my thoughts about “burn” and shut up:
Burn creates the image of a destructive force to me. It also refers to a post-processing technique.
Our photography is’nt about artful or extensive post processing and I really hope it is’nt a destructive force. I’d be worried that we wind up being labelled even slightly with those things.
SOMEGUY…
i could not agree more…all that you say seems to be right on as far as i can figure…although, as i have said many times, i surely need help from all of you to make sure i figure out what i do not instinctively figure out…
just to address one of your points, i see photographs as one language , text as another, and when they are in concert we have “symphony”….
i do not see text as a vehicle to “explain” pictures..now i think it is true that some stories are more text driven and some are more picture driven…but the power of each is independent from the other..
SOMEGUY, your keyboard must be hot and your mind is on fire…..see!!! BURN BURN BURN
cheers, david
Qibbus
:a gathering together
(kibbutz is derived from qibbus)
Loft
an upper story converted or adapted to any of various uses, as quarters for living, studios for artists or exhibition galleries / To propel something in a high arc.
EO
(Latin) to go, advance, proceed, travel, move along, progress.
“See”
IMAGinE…. Quite a contrast from Burn… But I was thinking of IMAGE, and then imagine… Just an idea… burn baby burn…. xo wendy
hello David,,,,
this is an excellent idea , and EMERGE is a great title , no doubt
ciao
Luca
please keep me posted , i have to work on thursday but i would love to be part of that ……
so we have the name
BURN!!!!!!
:)
NEIL…
BURN…. well yes, burn means fire…sure sometimes destructive..dangerous..but also life giving..warmth…
when man learned how to create/control fire that was the key to his development ..burn means light…burn means heat…the sun..think “burning bright” “burning desire”
BURN is HOT….the trouble in my mind with all of the more predictable “explanation” titles is exactly that…predictable…what is wrong with mysterious??…
remember what Kerry Payne told us, and she is an expert on branding, about the brands that stay with us…PEPSI,IBM, MAC,MAGNUM,CHEVY…not a “description” among them!!! they just “feel good”..iconic…you would not know what any of those products are by the brand name…
anyway, i will probably change my mind a few times, and we have some time before we need to lock this down..i will have all title selections to present at our meeting…then, like all of my decisions, i just go for it..and do not look back…
FYI…i would imagine that Road Trips would still be our blog inside the magazine..and Emerge as the part where photographers develop new stories..and Essay could be the title of main feature story, etc etc etc..
cheers, david
DR KARANKA:
Congratulations!
Ciao
Michaqel
NEIL…ERICA
i do like SEE….i do like LOFT
still thinking…more coffee..hmmmmmm
cheers, david
DAVID…
I like your thought process about Burn and how to incorporate Road Trips, Emerge and Essay into the magazine.
I think you are on the right track.
Like I said, the more I think about Burn, the more I like it.
DAVID:
Can there be space (still thinking print) for serialized projects?
You once said that you like many types of photography. That said, would work like that of Friedlander’s social landscapes or Meyerowitz’ Cape Light fit into the new emag, named Burn?
OOPS-I hate it when I can’t even spell my own name correctly, as in my last post.
Michael
I’ll say it again….. BURN is great!
I immediately picked up on the ambiguity of it. It’s more about alchemy than anything else. Yes, one can take burning negatively, but it’s also a positive force for change. In order to create one must burn. Everything burns!
And it has an edge and a vitality to it, unlike a lot of the other titles, which were just a bit too earnest and touchy feely (for me at least). I was looking at the amazing photos on Eric Espinosa’s website when this title suggestion came up and it fit so well. Of course not everyone’s work is strong colors and “whites of their eyes” such as Eric’s, but the concept and spirit fit. It doesn’t have to be conflict photography at all. Just good bold photography, and no matter the subject matter, quiet or loud, good photography is about being bold.
Hushhush would be nice :)
I don’t like emerge, painful to pronounce, not nice to hear…
David It was a pleasure to meet you in Venice, really.
Burn looks good to! Most of the names being thrown around in here are great. The only ones I don’t like are the typical camera related lame names. Why be like everyone else? The magazine is focusing on essays and stories, not camera reviews ( at least that’s my impression )
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire!
- Karim Sharif
MICHAEL…
sure, why not?? those kinds of essays would be welcomed in BURN..and many other types as well..just start imagining logos….lightbulb, lit match, sun, campfire, etc etc…hey, CAMPFIRE!!!
CHARLES…KARIM
yes, yes…..
cheers, david
DAVID
I just sent you my slideshow CD next-day FedEX. It should arrive at the Magnum office by noon on Wednesday. Sure would be cool if your Trolley friend could see it while he’s still in town. Or, if not the FotoMagico slideshow, hope you’ll find an opportunity to show him my essay on Lightstalkers. Again, that link is
http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/slideshow/13233
If anyone can make it happen, you’re the one! Thanks for EVERYTHING…
hugs
Patricia
BURN > Fire also equals renewal and new life, as in a phoenix from the ashes or forest fires.
DAH,
yes, campfire! That’s one of the first images that came to my mind.
Not sure if you are familiar with Joe Strummers bio (he’s one of my heroes – you should see the Future is Unwritten doc asap if you haven’t already). Post Clash he really got into camping and going to festivals and making big campfires where everyone would gather around and make music and talk about life, love, and art. Very much like the concept here.
Charles
burn is it. its great and I’m going to have to go back to read how kelly suggested it, as I missed that and picked it up later on down the comments…I do however remember something similar from somewhere…not necessarily burn but the idea of “burn this” or “destroy this” as a attention grabber for a magazine, record label, album cover…not sure where this is coming from as my memory sucks but I have a vague image in my head of it…
my vote:
1. Burn
2. Emerge or Road Trips
3. Essay
cheers -
Chris H
“Burn”…I can see it now…right on the newsstand next to “High Times”…Poor stoner opens up his cool new mag to find it’s full of…photography??
I like it…
:)
Moving Still
i forgot the s…moving stills
So many fantastic options.
I like BURN and LOFT.
Although after the last few days I have had I think a good name could be
SHUT UP AND STAND STILL !
GLENN
Good to hear you are busy fella. When I get a spare moment I want to have a yak about a north south project.
DAVID
In a few off on a ten day wilderness river trip to document the adventures of a friend with an acquired brain injury. In the past he has been one of the worlds leading climbers. I think it will be a very challenging trip with a lot of uncertainty. I hope to produce a series of sensitive images that capture the inner journey he has sort for himself as well as the awesome landscape through which we will travel.
I will let you know how I go.
Good luck on thursday. I’m very excited to see the results and thanks everyone that is able to help.
BURN is strong – stronger than emerge.
it grew on me overnight. emerge did not. still thinking …
DAVID,
you might be able to “return” purchased domains. Registrars usually have a grace period for new domains where you can get a full refund less some government fees ( zilch ). give them a call. it may just work.
BURN BURN BURN!!!!!!!
Burn is better than emerge…next to “burn”, “emerge” sounds a little too self-conscious and earnest. Burn is more hip for sure.
But, my first impression of a magazine called “Burn” is that it’s some trendy youth culture mag or something. To me it seems almost a little “too” hip, too cool. Like an underground music mag that sits next to rags like “Paste” or “Fader”…
“Loft” is interesting, considering so much of the genesis of this whole thing was sparked and nurtured in David’s loft…
A rose is a rose is a rose; in the end the strength of the mag itself will determine its longevity and impact, but it seems to me there have been innumerable mags with cool names that have come and gone…and a lot of them have been photography magazines. As was discussed earlier, most photo mags that have stood the test of time have photo-oriented names–aperture, focus, view camera, etc…It’s the same in the world of surf mags, travel mags, sports mags. Not to say that there’s some kind of rule about it, but I think a better-focused title helps to focus the mission of the magazine…
There is a small magazine called “Wend” that I really enjoy, it’s all about people making journeys by foot, bike, sail–”unpowered” travel…The title is elegant and cool, but it also has a real relevance to the subject matter.
I’m not sure “Burn” has quite that connection…sure, campfires, light, okay, but that’s stretching the metaphors a little far if you ask me. I mean, this is a community and all, but when did we ever all hang out together around a campfire? It’s kind of a twice-removed metaphor…
Even in photographic terminology, burning is a darkroom process that implies image manipulation, and would be more suitable to a magazine about darkroom-oriented photography, or at best digital darkroom wizardry.
Maybe there are questions about the mag that need to be settled before a name is settled on, like what is the mission of the magazine, what is the intended audience, what are the loftiest ambitions in a best-case scenario, etc…is the print version going to be available at newsstands, or just sent to select subscribers and industry people…etc. I’m sure that you fellas working behind the scenes have discussed this stuff. But I think it factors in to choosing a name.
Just thinking.
I vote for Emerge… BURN is a name of a drink like Red Bull… Burn is a drink of the Coca Cola Company.. is the right competitor of Red Bull…
Bye..
Loft sounds too much like Dwell. Makes me think of chrome and leather furniture.
I think any name David and his band of cohorts come up with shouldn’t be taken so literally. At all! Burn is not about actually sitting around a campfire – it’s about the concept of coming together. And it’s not about darkroom technology or digital processing. It’s about an eternal process that’s gotten us to where we are today and will take us where we are headed tomorrow. It’s said that there’s actually a part of the big bang in all of us.
One of the lessons DAH teaches in his workshops (and I got this secondhand so correct me if I’m wrong David) is to stop thinking/talking so much and just go out and DO! To me that’s what burn refers to. That process of alchemy whereby one picks up this machine and then magically converts vision. You can’t just talk or theorize a photograph into existence, you have to actually go out and create it. And sometimes you get gold and other times it just remains lead.
DAH also talks about looseness a lot on here, and to me burn speaks of that looseness that we all need to bring more and more to our photography (I know it’s an ongoing process/battle for me). To me Burn speaks of that looseness. It’s the opposite of “freeze” (and we all know what kind of photos come out of that phrase being spoken to the subject).
Okay, I guess I’ve voted and made my point!
All the best,
Charles
from a MOTEL 6…
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=apTwaiAyyPI
DAVID ET AL,
Bit late to the naming conundrum but…
What about
“EVOLVER”
?
I like “EMERGE” and “BURN” but I don’t know, when I name anything I gotta go back to the source and I think most of us are evolving because of the mastery, graciousness and generosity of DAVID ALAN HARVEY so therefore he is the “EVOLVER” if you get what I mean…
Probably a bit obscure, but then it sounds a bit like ‘Revolver’and then you have the whole ‘Magnum’ thing kind of reference…
Besides I just think its sounds good on the tongue…
CHARLES….
i just got informed that your book is arrived, waiting for me…
THANK YOU…
i sent you an address that IS NOT my home…
like everyone already knows in this forum… this is my 5th month
being homeless… i do not have a home…
i literally live in motel6′s & friends couches…
$2.99 for internet access…
but tomorrow i will drive to the desert to pick it up from a friends
house…
thank you again..
now i’m about to drive 1300 miles to san antonio texas…
a very good friend will give me a room for a week,
then back to cali for the COURT ordeal…
…still working on sequencing the Venice book under the supervision of my best friend KARIM SHARIF… ( what would i do without him ???? i dont know… )
soon i will share photos from my current life road trip… but Venice comes first …
… scary part is that the motel6′s all look the same, all look like ..like home…
sad…
love y’all
peace
I’ve been sitting with BURN all day, hoping it might set off a spark of passion in my head and heart. But it hasn’t. Can’t tell you why exactly but it just doesn’t speak to me.
Maybe I’m too literal but I’d hope the name of our mag would offer a symbolic recognition of what we are about, both as individual photographers and as a community. When I see the word BURN, I see fires blazing out of control (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/12/09/us/1209-CRASH_6.html). To me it says more about destruction than transformation.
The names that work for me are:
EMERGE
STILL
RAZOR’S EDGE
AUTHORSHIP
ROAD TRIP
Patricia
Love you too, Panos. Be safe, dear one. Your home is here with us. Wish it could be a bit more REAL, as in a bed, kitchen, shower & broadband internet…
Patricia
The link I posted didn’t work. Try this
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/12/09/us/1209-CRASH_index.html
Patricia
BURN!! = Passion, like in DAH and a lot of the people in this forum,,.my 2 cents, peace… better.. Passion..Luis
DAVID… yeah man i’m glad you can treat the Trolley folks to a great time in NYC.. New Orleans seemed more business.. a bit of an oxymoron for that place really. don’t get me wrong, I had a GREAT time in New Orleans.. but just didn’t see Gigi and Hannah around that much outside of the reviews.
Anyway… BURN.. i’m thinking on it.. it did not work for me at all when i read it at first.. it’s growing on me a little… i like the references to Burning passion of course.. that’s why we’re all here.. it’s poignant.. AND, it suits you amigo. BURN.
EMERGE is still working for me but is feeling a bit too literal.
more brainstorming words for the photo magazine:
SURFACE
SURFACING
LOFT (this is Erica’s idea i think and it keeps coming back to me)
LOFTING (probably not a real word, so all the better)
SAY
INCITE
SEDUCE
ROAD TRIPS
or just.. TRIPS
hmm, i like TRIPS and how it sounds when i say it out loud.. and i like how it relates to this forum.. there’s a connection so people can relate the two..
LEAP
BOUND (as in leaping forward)
BOUNDING
EXCURSIONS
DRIVE (again, a correlation to the forum ROAD TRIPS)
DRIVEN
UNBOUND (“No Limits”)
NO LIMITS
SURGE
okay.. that’s it for now.. anything there grab you?
LOOM brought a smile to my face… it’s a perfect word really, but
PANOS.. call me if you want a place to crash in Austin.. it’s not far from San Antonio… 512-569-0432
oops.. i meant to put all of that on the current post.
David et al.
I’ll be there tomorrow to add my two cents. Sorry I missed the Trolley party. Have we got a time set? Looking forward to seeing everyone.
Best, Andrew
Buenas Noches!!! it’s been sometime since I’ve visited…………..
going back to Chihuahua to continue my project that has taken over my life; got a couple assignments from this body of work to illustrate and write which I’d love to share. while I’m here have any of you been contacted by VISION magazine in China ?
http://www.youthvision.cn/
they found me here through the EMERGING photographers link from last year.which was great. but I have questions and I’m not sure where to ask about this. they have some really beautiful/graphic layouts and design that are photo driven but a rather low budget for what they want to use or so it seems to me-40 TO 50 pages and text-we’re negotiating…and I’m not sure what is a Chinese editorial budget to an American budget…they sell 228,000 issues per month. If anyone has input/suggestions I’m game to hear-or please drop me an email…or point me to the right fourm I’d really appreciate it…
raech@raechelrunning.com
BUT the main reason was to throw down some names for the mag.
4EYES
Connect
The EYE
SEE (eye candy -HA)
MIRA (look in spanish)
LOOK4 vs. LOOK3 : )
FLOW -as in photoflo,stream of conscious,workflow,
CAPTURE
also check out the BIGREAD through the NEA. seems people aren’t reading and it’s a HUGE tragedy; so maybe there can be support for this as photo/writing is such a wonderful synthesis-it could be eligible for grants and public support of “visual literacy”. As I was ‘critiquing” the next graduating photo students from our local university it IS truly stunning how many of them DO NOT, nor are they encouraged to read and write about their photography or develop their interests through books-scary….
so I think this MAGAZINE will be a great way to inspire people.
check out these links for a window into why we need to foster more readers and libraries for a little INSIGHT…could be a good mag title too but it’s domain is already taken.
http://www.neabigread.org/
http://www.nea.gov/research/ToRead_ExecSum.pdf
I drive 12 hours manana to make it south of the border just in time for Guadalupe day; FULL mOON ! so make a wish and we’ll catch up soon! all the best from the wild west! as always I’m inspired by the visit and hope to add to the pool.
nice to SEE and HEAR everyone’s input.
Group HUG! Peace out-
What about,
KIBBUTZ?
TINY FILM FEATURED ON GUARDIAN’S WEBSITE
My little film, only one minute long, has just been featured on the Guardian’s website.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/canonfreecording/canonfreecordingfilms-new-blue-shoes
If you like it, please vote it up.
It’s part of my BOYHOOD work.
Many thanks folks.
Paulyman.
‘Burn’ has an edge, it’s alive…. and has many connections to all styles of photography, actions and attitudes…
….just my gray matter squelching from the subcontinent….
A
On catch up reading I noticed Erica has already mentioned kibbutz as a title contender.
Bob, hoping to see your BONES in print one day. Fingers crossed.
Magazine sounds like a great idea.
Anything I can do to help from down Texas way?
Dave.
Among other things, I’d love to offer up my slide show and some written text to go along with it if this is the kind of thing you’re thinking of publishing.
Dave.