three days ago i moved most of my belongings out of “the Kibbutz’, my New York home for the last four years….certainly one of THE buildings in NYC among the photography crowd and a few other crowds as well….more than a few iconic photographers live there , along with some internationally known artists of all types..jazz musicians, sculptors, painters, the like…the Kibbutz is an ugly building…..but it has high ceilings and lots of light and a rooftop to die for…nobody doesn’t like the view from my rooftop…the East River takes a hard left northern turn going up right at the point where the Kibbutz sits near the Williamsburg Bridge…so this small piece of geography is a unique vantage point in New York where you can look all the way down to Wall Street and all the way up to Harlem…yup, the whole island up and down, all in one glance…
the view from my loft is a view that normally only millionaires have in New York…yet i pay little, for the Kibbutz is an unimproved artists loft… there are many writers here on BURN who well know that i live a spartan existence…it is too late in my professional life now for me to make “big money”…for whatever reasons (divorce did not help), i have done everything in my power to avoid ever having too much cash…yet, i have never been out of work…but, i have consistently rejected some commercial work in favor of “doing my own thing”…and, i have not regretted this lifetime decision for one second….i would rather have the pictures than the money…as simple as that…time spent in producing books does not reap financial rewards, nor does all of the personal shooting i do…whatever magazine assignments i have done (40 stories for Natgeo alone), and even the best ad jobs, have all pretty much been tailored in the long run to whatever personal project i was doing at the time…simply put, i worked for the magazines, the magazines worked for me…
well, you may be asking, if this Kibbutz is so damn cool and you love it, why in hell would you move out??? answer: as many of you know, i found an old historic beach cottage down on the Carolina shore that is just, well, just just ME…i had sold my small apartment in Washington which i had owned for 20 yrs….sold it before the financial crises and bought the little beach cottage after the crises…so i was lucky, not smart…so now i own, by luck, my dream house…with the smells and feel of where i grew up and started making my first photographs…the sea, the sea, and the sea…so so sustaining for me my whole life… this house will always need repair….and the old kitchen will probably stay the old kitchen…but the fireplace draws well in winter and the wrap around porch lets you sit outside anytime, and away from wind, because there is always a leeward side…most importantly, this house is very near my two sons, a fathers dream… it fronts a 40,000 acre state park…nobody can ever build in front of me or in back of me…water to left, water to the right, dunes straight ahead…nobody can see me standing on my front porch, even though a tourist area is not far away in reality..yup, t-shirt shops etc are somewhere out there over the dune line…but, never mind, i am in my own little world…as usual…
creating “my own world” has been my lifelong pursuit…as a kid i played in the dunes not far from here and made prints in my humble darkroom and dreamed of using my camera as a tool for exploration and expression…i refused to let anything interfere with that original dream…it was too powerful a dream to deny….
so, here i am right back where i started…with the same damn dream…it will not go away even if i wanted it to…so yes yes a lot of hard work blah blah blah, but i sure feel just plain old lucky…so lucky that i feel compelled to share with others what i think are the ways to get lucky….to make photography a life, not just a means of technical recording…hence BURN….as i sit in my mostly broken down beach cottage right now, it totally amazes me that i am right this second communicating with so many of you…you are “out there” somewhere just over the dune line…you are not just in my imagination, you are very real…
communicating online was never a dream per se..how could it have been??…that just happened…and after all it is just a part of what i do anyway…BURN is some kind of reflection of my personal life, so it is actually a personal project of sorts, only with your work instead of mine, but it is somehow my work too…so, we are in this together…BURN is just simply what goes on in my loft at the Kibbutz all the time…official workshops yes, but general hang spot for photographers more often than not…as i said, one of THE photo spots in New York…many of you have experienced this first hand at various photo projections and events …and more than a few of you have even slept on my floor (ode to Koudelka)…
ok, back to the point…all my stuff is now out of the Kibbutz…i simply cannot afford to stay there any longer because my primary expense is now the beach house (by the way, the beach place will soon become a place for you to visit…a bit of a trip, but worth it…and i plan to have some limited photo events here as well). anyway, i have just enough money to keep the Kibbutz loft through May…it now sits largely empty…and as i was pulling away from the Kibbutz three days ago, i thought “damn i just cannot let this place go…it is just too too perfect for a NYC space…”
so, the van was packed and it just hit me just as Mike and Tony Skater and i turned on to the highway….my thoughts raced to the obvious…so obvious…..
i thought: why not turn the Kibbutz loft into a BURN gallery for the photographers here??…sell your prints from selected work….
figure out some fair percentage for both of us (galleries usually have a 50/50 split) so that when Tom Hyde sells his tumbleweed photograph for $1000. he keeps half, and BURN keeps half (or whatever we work out)…to pay for the gallery, the office, and Anton, therefore financing BURN and YOU with an infrastructure we already have in place…sell your self published books too…BURN would not be an agency, but BURN could be your agent…there is a difference…and nobody has anything to lose that i can imagine…IF you sell a print, you help yourself, you help Burn…maybe help me to finance shooting some more families for my long term Off For a Family Drive…i mean, i wanna play too!!
i am soon to be looking for major subsidies for BURN…not advertising…i am talking major support to be able to finance photographers work…the EPF is only the beginning…taking large amounts of funding with minimal strings attached is of course the goal…impossible?? not really…we do it at Magnum with some regularity…
as of last week , i have been charged with helping to develop an online “channel system” for Magnum…Magnet….BURN will become a Magnum channel via Magnet…other Magnum photographers may or may not have their own channel…Magnet can develop its own funding as a larger “brand” and/or BURN can secure its own funding or both… or, perhaps we become a “column” or “channel” on other major sites as well…we are in uncharted waters…this will keep us viable here and help to keep you growing and producing out there just over the dune line…
i will be announcing soonest the new Advisory Board for BURN…an “A” listing of folks respected in our business and who will draw sponsorship and/or donations….i will be announcing soonest the entire list of staff from our audience here…up until last week, i had Anton Kusters and yours truly doing everything…Bob Black has volunteered, at my request, to be Editor at Large (seeking new talent, writing special essays, and well, just being Bob Black)…Kerry Payne has worked hours and hours on a viable business plan (she does that professionally), and Chris Bradley, Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather has volunteered his services outside of his agency, to study the whole “branding” bit…i am talking with several others of you who have expressed interest in helping us with BURN…you know who you are…
all of this sounds a bit daunting, but all of this will allow us to do exactly what we are doing only about 10 times better…right now we are “one dimensional”…i can see much more “depth” with each photographer whose work is presented on BURN….
i will not go into details of what we will do now, but believe me the possibilities are revolutionary…let’s face it, it is time for a revolution…throughout history whenever there has been confusion and floundering (which certainly describes our business/craft now) is exactly when something comes along and changes the “face” of everything…
the large publishing companies, with debilitating overheads, cannot move with stealth in this new economic environment…they have now to fire half their staffs…they have big buildings with big monthly expenses…at BURN we have my humble loft ….and we are in close touch with all of the same photographers that many magazines and agencies now cannot afford to hire…and they have to “over please” their readers so that they can attract a circulation which attracts advertising revenue….hmmmmm.…we could build, at a fraction of the cost, a better mousetrap…we have low overhead and a circulation that produces itself…
the audience is the action…
to point, we have YOU….the new breed…the new generation…the next bunch to rip it up…and WE are already gathered…we are not making stuff up here, i am telling you all of this already exists….hmmmmm, so put two and two together…timing, timing, and timing…and Chris Bradley’s concept of “co-opetition” is so true in the online community…we are not competing in the old fashioned sense of it….we will not take one dollar away from the established media companies…..we actually will help them…they will help us…funding is going to be shared by many….we just have to be in the game…
these are ideas anyone can have….so, why would it work for us?? because we already have totally in place a whole combination of things that nobody else has…but even if it does not work, what the hell?? nothing lost at all…forget one possible fear right off…my close attachment to all of you is germane to this whole issue….i ain’t going anywhere…and you know damn well i cannot get rich, because it would blow my whole image…survival sounds attractive however…
ok, well sorry, this was a way too long winded comment…but,i am in full thinking mode, so forgive please…and besides, the whole point of this is that i need your thoughts…but just on the ONE ISSUE, the gallery issue, for the moment…a BURN based gallery to sell your prints (curated shows…say, monthly events to do so)…i can hang 30-40 prints at a time…we can have print storage shelves etc etc…you provide the print or work out a deal with Mike to print for you (Mike has very long list of known photographers for whom he has been their primary gallery printer before he came to work with me)…
as with everything with BURN , we are a community with arbiter…just as in the submissions here for publication on BURN, the EPF (recipient to be announced at Look3) , etc etc. not everyone can participate in everything, but everyone sure as hell has a chance…do exemplary work , and you are “on it”…
again, just one more way to turn our online experience into a reality…
your thoughts???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1N_JDqHOZ8&feature=PlayList&p=221D3304F3746762&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25
“…Sometimes I feel
Like I dont have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angels
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
I drive on her streets
cause shes my companion
I walk through her hills
cause she knows who I am
She sees my good deeds
And she kisses me windy
I never worry
Now that is a lie
I dont ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Its hard to believe
That theres nobody out there
Its hard to believe
That Im all alone
At least I have her love
The city she loves me
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
I dont ever want to feel
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love
Take me all the way
Under the bridge downtown
Is where I drew some blood
Under the bridge downtown
I could not get enough
Under the bridge downtown
Forgot about my love
Under the bridge downtown
I gave my life away….”
Panos…
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
:)
Oime PANOS,
So what songs do you listen when you are happy and you want to celebrate??
@Panos – congrats! Wish I could be there, but expecting full panos-style coverage.
@DAH – very wise words to Panos, indeed. all of us can take that kind of advice to heart, as not just a career lesson but a life lesson. Also, I have a few ideas related to your next-burn-steps vision…should I email them to you?
good light, all
a.
Civilian,
no worries, I will work on the mill! This work will always be there for me. It brings me back to my roots, back to nature and keeps me on the ground plus it is a good way to burn some extra calories.
At the same time I enjoy burn which stimulates my mind and brings new ideas and new visions to me.
So far I benefited so much from this community, so I like to give something back, make my contribution to this great idea. Yes, I am miles away from NY, but I know one thing for sure: this will only work with the help of many people. So let me contribute my share, let me be part of it.
David,
yes, it would be a great pleasure and honour for me to meet you. It is no problem for me to come to London – piece of cake. Flights are cheap and I have some friends in London which I haven’t seen for a while. Tuscany is doable, but more difficult in terms of logistics: flights etc. However there is nothing like real Italian ice-cream, pasta, panini and a nice glas of Italian red wine.
I will send you an email later today.
Oh, yes, I have to say this: Berlin would be even more ideal. It is a great place in summer! But please, no worries – whatever works best.
Let’s keep rolling!
Reimar
BODO…:)))))))
thank you… You have a big heart indeed….
ANDREW B…:)))))))))))
i might let Haik’s blackberry do the “live coverage”…
CIVI….:)))))))))))
this one for all my greeks out there:
DAH, wise words to Panos, a real life long lesson.
Panos, well done, keep your cool.
I love your fresh air that you bring Reimar !!
Flights are cheap, no fear of flying, piece of cake…
“Let’s keep rolling” !!!
VIVA to ALL
Thanks IAN…:)))))))
i will try to stay on that “horse”…
Panos,
right on man!
A great accomplishment!
I wish we had these Star Trek beamers (do you say that in English?) so I could get quickly from A to B and come to the opening and see your images on the wall. But I will think of you and I will be there with you in my mind. Plus I count on Haik’s blackberry!
Received your blurb book some days ago. It looks pretty cool! The only thing that is missing is your signature. We have to fix this one day ;-)
Best
Reimar
Hey Panos! Congratulations on the exhibition: the first of many I-hope. As DAH says, a milestone; well-deserved. Enjoy it my friend.
Best wishes,
Mike.
Panos…
Congrats… really happy for you.
A couple of thoughts for the brain trust :) …
About the idea for online sales mentioned above:
Maybe you could do something like Photoeye’s Photographer’s Showcase.
About the idea for “Burn Portfolios”:
The best implementation—without actually binding the prints into a book—that I’ve seen so far is the one Brooks Jensen has come up with—he is the editor and publisher of Lenswork.
Reimar,
u gave me lots of support since the first day.. and now the book ( trust me i know how expensive the post office is )..humbled..:)
big hug
MikeR,
thank you for your numerous attempts to bail me out everytime i was messing things up..
i wont forget..:)))))))
Thodoris,
thanks man…
you have my fathers name and some great photography to show…
i hope BURN will be your new home…
stay… you are valuable here….:))))
La Chureca!!! Damn, burning hot now.
DAVID: I know i don’t need to donate, but I would like to donate. At least in this case 100% profit would go to burn in the event of a sale. I have been hanging around here for coming on two years now and you have always supported my work and provided good advise, as have many others here. The Road Trips/Burn community has always been a great resource and fun place to be. It’s a good opportunity to give back. This is really all I am able do right now, so am very happy to do so. Later down the line hope there will be the opportunity to show more than one piece as the space evolves, so maybe there will be the opportunity to make some money back in the future.
Yes, what prints?… In the past I haven’t really exhibited or sold images from my essays. More “nice travel pics” collected along the way. As you say not all prints are suited for the living room wall. But in this case things are a little different. Obviously those visiting the space will have a keen interest in photography and may be be more accommodating to “harder” images as opposed the the general public.
I do wonder about presentation. You do mention guidelines being an issue and complicated things. I’m pretty straight down the line myself when it comes to this stuff. Always black frame, white matt, same size etc. etc. Obviously things will be very different with this space due to the huge amount of styles represented and the cost and logistics of presenting/framing/mounting individual pieces. Mike has the patience of a saint, but this i’m sure would tip him over the edge! Anyway, maybe i’m getting ahead of things… first things first (just excited). Joe laid things out very nicely in his earlier post in terms of early brainstorming.
As for Colorado. We are living in the art/warehouse district just north of downtown Denver and have a pretty big space. There is an art crawl here every 1st friday, where all of the artists that have warehouse studio’s open up for visitors… This could be one possibility if the idea is expanded to other locations.
Will think on about all of this. Man Utd are about to give the dirty Arsenal a whooping in the Campions League so have to shoot to the bar!
didn’t DAH mention painting magnetic walls?
ALL:
this will be quick, as im smokin’ the oil behind the scenes with emails to keep the new work coming (DAH/Anton, lots of responses today, some surprises in the next couple of week :))) )…so, for a moment;
CAPTAIN HARVEY :)))))))…dima’s like “he’s coming, really, sure?” ;))…great to talk, will write u tonight about plans…see you ‘soonest’ :))
PANOS: :))))))))))))…well, i’m glad you let the cat out of the bag, cause i was choppin’ at the bit to write about it here! :)))…we are all so so so proud of you and will be there with you in spirit…and NO, i havent forgotten your book…family ways, family ways, but it’s on the ‘to do list’ on the fridge….soon my friend, but live large and enjoy….and remember what we have spoken about: you deserve it, you need not apologize for that, but you owe those dark kids and yourself exactly what they is necessary: to live well and and ride tall in the saddle :))
Reinmar :))))…i WILL hold you up to the promise…when we get to Deutschland…:))))..waiting for that trip…
Joe: u r hired!…ok, i guess david already said that ;)))…..
herve: thanks for the great link/idea (joe gave the link) to the J-burg work,,…makes for an interesting study in contrasts..:)))
i’m so behind in photo/writing work…gotta run…
running
b
David,
You are a true inspiration to many photographers throughout the world. Just when one sees an uncertain future for photography as we knew it, up you pop with a truly innovative and downright exciting idea that will give many a young and even old photographer new hope. How can we thank you for it ?
Personally I’ll give whatever help I can even though I live in the UK. If you want help in the Loft I’ll even hop on a plane… You name it and I’ll do my best to help out.
One day when I’m ready, I might even submit some work to BURN.
Good luck in your new Dream Home by the Ocean.
Son House was God long before Clapton. I reckon you’d make a good St David though…
I love the fact that this is all emanating from a little shack tucked behind the sand dunes and all around the world people are getting schyced.
I feel like James, that I would be more than happy to donate a print ( for all the reasons he has expressed) if only for an initial fund raiser in order to build the funds needed to get the ball rolling.
As I guess the biggest need for funds will be in the setup stage.
Another idea for raising profile and revenue could be the traveling Burn projection night. Many film festivals use this technique to expand the audience. Numerous projection nights around the world followed by small scale print /portfolio sales could be a good way to create a revenue stream for the Gallery and be a great way for those of us that live out here on the edge to help out and showcase great work in our communities.
Life down here in Tasmania has been rolling along well this year. I have returned from a project in Nigeria and, have finally started to get images I am happy with from where I live. I will have some for you very soon.
All good things,
Matt
Nice to hear from you Matt. Glad things are going well for you.
OIME,
We are really ROLLING !!!
GOOD ENERGY , The Universe , WE ARE ALL CIVILIANS OF THE WORLD !!!
I am sorry if I repeat myself all this time BUT
BURNIANS , CIVILIANS CAN YOU FEEL ITTTTTTTTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VIVA TANZANIA, VIVA GREECE, VIVA UK, VIVA GERMANY, VIVA AFGHANISTAN, VIVA MEXICO, VIVA CHILE
VIVA INDIA….VIVA USA …
VIVA BURN…
AND VIVA TASMANIA !!!!
G’day James, Mate, it sounds like all is going well for you as well. I was planning to track you down in London recently only to find you where now in Denver. I reckon you have made a could choice !
Bob..:)))
Thank u for helping the gallery writers with the
Venice “press release”..
I owe you..
Sorry, It’s early. That should have been “Good Choice”
Mathew said…
“Another idea for raising profile and revenue could be the traveling Burn projection night. Many film festivals use this technique to expand the audience. Numerous projection nights around the world followed by small scale print /portfolio sales could be a good way to create a revenue stream for the Gallery and be a great way for those of us that live out here on the edge to help out and showcase great work in our communities.”
Great idea, I think someone mentioned something similar earlier, along the lines of a SLPS….
I’d be willing to try and coordinate a traveling Burn Night here. Do several, generate some initial cash for immediate expenses (rent!) and also get the buzz going to the non-burn folks….
best,
a.
VIVA CANADA…
OK, I know …someone stop me…
When is a new photo or essay going to be placed on the home page?
From the responses posted here and I’m sure a ton more sent to David by email, I’d guess our first Burn gallery show could be a fundraiser to get us with some $$$ in the kitty. I add my name to those who would be honored to donate a framed print to the cause.
Are we on a roll or what???
Patricia
ANDREWB ,
EVERYONE here knows that YOU ALL OF YOU have already a house in Greece…
YOUR keys are almost done…!!! and the magnetic wall is done…the ouzo is done…
the mousaka is done…the prints not done…good energy is done !!!
LOVE YOU ALLL
See ya soon…Keep it ROLLINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Civilian..
i´m just breezing by in-between work tasks, saw this post and smiled..you are an ambassador of good will..miss you, love you sweets!
katie
JIM….
new photo coming soonest..sorry, crazy busy…..you will REALLY hate the one coming!!!!
cheers, david
working working, planning and working..
lots of positive thoughts for this and more – will chip in soon as i have caught up.
yups
david
MATT NEWTON…
great to hear from you Slasher!!! our BKK crowd is still intact…..yes, i totally believe in the “event” approach…and print sales tied to a good slide show and seminar etc is always good…do you think we could have a traveling road show and run an exhibition out of a circus tent???? hmmmmm, i always wanted to join the circus anyway….
cheers, david
…. i know im late.. but the hell is that MAGNETIC WALL????????????
ERICA….
painting magnetic walls is one of the things i do best….how do you think Magnum’s new internet MAGNET channel system got it’s name????
funny you were the only person who did mention MAGNET…i do not think it sunk in on most that BURN will be a part of the Magnum channel system, therefore making all work published on Burn a part of the Magnum site…
where is your slide show???
cheers, david
DAH,
Brilliant idea! As long as the print sales can cover the rent and give coverage for emerging photographers it’s all good. There’s a lot of galleries/websites online for emerging photographers, but there clearly is a lack of physical galleries for emerging photographers and without them it’s very hard to step into the world of print sales and exhibitions. A starting point is needed and that’s what you might create for some.
Cheers
As, someone who tends to work in isolation I find the whole idea a challenge. Why would I want to put my lot into a a organisation full of quirky and off beat egos? Well probably because I ignore most of the mainstream channels and do work that I want to do. Is audience important,sometimes and always for some, but most of the time it is the process that takes precedence and I guess that this is the important part of burn at this stage…………..a process of ideas that is just happening to rear it’s head up asking, doing…………
IMANTS….
funny thing…i think most of us think we work in isolation….you made me laugh out loud with ” Why would I want to put my lot into an organization full of quirky and off beat egos? ” … every photographer i have ever known could pretty much be described as having a “quirky off beat ego”…certainly the best ones anyway….welcome to the club….hey, here on BURN the inmates are in charge of the asylum!!! go figure…
cheers, david
DAH
Having thought of the whole idea quite a bit, I decided I’d love to participate in the BURN gallery. Even thought not quite confident about my work, there’s not much to loose (is it?). So how will that work? Are you sending out details in the future?
PANOS
congratulations!
@DAH
Not only are the inmates in charge of the asylum, we’re building it as we go along! :)
cheers,
a.
DAH
If you apologize again for not doing more than you’re already doing, we’re gonna have to have a chat. :)
Yai David, Mick was passing my ward today clutching a camera hell bent on taking photos of the flowers in the garden, go figure, with all the punters here one would think that portraiture may be the go…………… thanks and greetings from ward 017
Join the circus? I thought my life was just that anyway….
DAVID :)))))))))))))))
we’ll be hearing from Imants (as will the BURN audience) ;)))))))))))))))….i’ve brought him to the asylum…he’s the REAL deal…
u’ll see, soon :)))
promise ;)))
IMANTS: :)))
to paraphrase that mad-hatter Goethe: “genius and talent are grown in isolation but character is feed by the stream of community” :))))…check ur email, i sent u an invitation this morning…
running (writing)
b
This is the most amazing, touching, real, surreal, essay I have ever seen. I wathched in awe and the images are still etched in my brain- five hours later. This is something I will come back to and sparks a deep viseral response in me. I admire this piece beyond belief.
Will tell as many as I can to view this essay. Thanks for sharing and for your vision.
David,
can you explain more about Magnet? What do you mean by channels? But shit, of course its an awesome thing to have our work associated with Magnum. It was so by association with you, not it will be even more so. Still, Im not sure what is meant by channels.
IMANTS…
please contact me http://www.david@burnmagazine.org i would love to speak with you about your work….
deep…..
cheers, david
DAH ;)))))
he’s ;))))))))…check ur email ;))))
he’s one of the Mad-Hatters that your equally mad editor-at-large is bringing on board :))))))))))
hugs
b
I meant i’ve already been talking with that mad-man about Burn essay for…long time…d ;)))))….wrote him today (i;ve known that mad gecko hunter, and he’s promised me something)…
.but LET’S SURPRISE BURN ;))))))))))
you’re ruining all my surprises ;))))))))))))
hugs
b