dreams, fantasies, and idealizations….all ethereal in nature….and hardly anything one can grasp or hold onto…yet, this is what i live for and form the basic building blocks for anything i have ever done….the starting point….and what always keep me going…my crazy ideas are usually just that…gone with the wind…however, sometimes and only sometimes , does something come out of it….
Burn Magazine is one year old today….i have no idea if Burn will ever be two! but, i take things one day at a time, one idea at a time, and with a combo of fate and hard work will do all i can to keep this audience driven magazine alive and well…
2009 has been a year of surprises (like the Lucie Award) and born from a “crazy idea” that popped into my head for no apparent reason right from the table where i now write here in Durango, Colorado…yes, Road Trips conceived right here, and Burn first published right here on this date last year….from the very room where my father Alan died peacefully on a snowy Christmas morning with family gathered, and in the house where my mother Maryanna now lives…a room with memories and conversations that speak of the future…of optimism and fulfillment and warmth…in our family, possibility is always the order of the day…
the dummy cover above is such a possibility….well, a bit more than a possibility, and much more of a reality….hard copy….to be published as an on-demand collectors’ print magazine within the next few weeks….Anton Kusters and i are both working to make this happen….again, the above cover is dummy copy…the final edition could be a bit different than what appears above, but this gives you an idea…..yes sure, there will be hurdles as usual…but, while the major print publications are scaling down hard copy production and moving to the net, we have already our presence on the net and will move now towards some hard copy production in both magazine and book formats….
any of you who have followed me from Road Trips days knows that i always start with a dream/idea and do my best to make it come true…some ideas fall by the wayside, but some move forward to reality….you can go back and read right through everything that was being talked about and all that has happened…
for our Burn birthday today, i now announce a $15,000. stipend for the Emerging Photographer Fund grant for 2010 to be awarded to a worthy young photographer….details and deadlines to be announced by early January 2010…Sean Gallagher and Alejandro Chaskielberg have both been recipients in 2008 and 2009…if you track their work and their efforts you will quickly see the grant has been well placed…a jury of peers from our craft will be chosen to pick the EPF recipient 2010 from a selection of 10-20 finalists…
since this time of year is for taking stock and thanking those who have helped, i want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who have made financial contributions to either Burn or to the EPF in 2009…each of you will receive a personal letter from me if you have not already…our new contribution button will now include the option for subscription, but of course all is totally voluntary and we will work just as hard for those of you who enjoy Burn as a free option as for those of you who are in a position to kindly contribute….we appreciate you all just being here…Anton and i alone cannot do any more than we are already doing with Burn and your contributions have at helped us to survive if not thrive…
we have two grant writers now working to see if we can receive significant support to not only maintain Burn but allow for payment to photographers…this has been our biggest hurdle and going for this funding is a full time job in and of itself……for us to do this is not so much a problem of sponsorship or grants which may come our way, but a requirement for a full time general manager…
the main thing is this…neither Anton nor i want to drop our life as photographers…we both have major projects going…for Burn to move forward in a significant way with regard to sponsorships and photographer commissions will require a full time full on person to manage these funds and the work flow….we both realized that if even a part of what we are asking for actually came in the door, then our lives as photographers would be over…for Burn to be more than what it is would take full on concentration from a management standpoint, not from a creative one…
the editing and curating and designing of Burn both online and in print can be managed by Anton and me with no interference to our photographic lives, but the one step forward now of managing significant funding is a full time job for someone…i am interviewing for that “someone” now….that someone is a manager, not a photographer…that someone is a biz person, not an artist…
this is of course exactly how we structure the biz side of Magnum…..and that model is a model that works….a model that most likely will include Burn as a part of the upcoming new online presence for Magnum…while Burn obviously features non-Magnum photographers from this audience , Magnum’s overall interest in the development of new talent, education, and the endorsement of a wide variety of authored photography, and the rights of photographers , falls well within the arbiter role that Magnum has played in general for 62 years…my push is for Magnum to be larger than Magnum….our place in history dictates a magnanimous role …
in one year, Burn has made its place on the net…we think we have earned it and we humbly pledge to keep it that way…we are a boutique shop and we will stay a boutique shop….we have zero desire to become something we are not…we simply know we can be better…..the Lucie Award was significant only in that it was an endorsement for an audience driven online publication in a world of print and, more importantly, a bit of merit for our educational imperative….my other awards are packed in cardboard boxes in the attic…unimportant to me….the only one sitting on my mantle is this one…and it does not have my name on it…it is your award….a Burn award…..so, Happy Birthday to you!!
-david alan harvey
VICKY SLATER…
well, many thanks for your comment..but alas, we also have our dark dark side…you have no idea the evil that lurks!!! by some miracle my ex’s have not come in here blasting and told the whole truth…heaven forbid that should happen…smiling…well, none of us are perfect….i can say this with certainty, and even my ex’s would agree, neither Anton nor i are greedy….one of my favorite short stories is A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway….that’s all we want for Burn…
i think i sent you a note on your pinhole work..yes??..i hope we can publish it sometime soon….many thanks for being here…..
MATHEW NEWTON…
so sorry i did not get down to Oz after i was in Thailand…my schedule changed and i ended up with no extra time…still hoping we do have a chance to meet again….it is interesting how our BKK crew has managed to stay in touch…so many of you are still in contact….that was a special time…deserving of more…let’s figure out a way..
cheers, david
DAVID,
Hope you are enjoying this time off with your mother and your family… this is exactly what I am doing here with my father, mother and soon brother and kids who are all gathering for the first time in Belgium into our new home where we have been stuck for the last 2 days under significant snow…. you have the regards from my dear father who I spending time with looking over the best essays shown on BURN…. I am trying to tell him that it is about time that he also sends you something but, if it is difficult to get my son to listen to me, it is even harder to get my father to do it :):):):) (failed to mention that it is even more difficut with the wife :):):)…
I am looking forward to the year ahead….always exciting to see what you have in mind… I am here to testify…everything that you dream off eventually happens…. this print version of BURN was already thought of since the very beginning and I had been wondering if you had given up on that one but NO….what the man says eventually happens….. It has been a priviledge to come along for this BURN ride when I can….
Family is off now for a drive in the snow….
Take care.
Eric
FROSTFROG…
i can assure you there is no money to manage…we need a work flow manager…maybe i did not make it clear enough…the funding we are seeking is to pay you…the photographers here…to create a model for the net so that photographers can be commissioned for assignments and paid for publication…
How’s the cold white stuff David …………98.6ºF here today will hit the ton tomorrow
http://www.etrouko.com.au/imiimages.htm
ALL
You’re going to be my only outside contacts here for awhile so I want to stay on your good side ;=)
Took a bad fall last night and had to sleep – or TRY to sleep, I might say – sitting up in a chair. Hurts too much to try to get in and out of bed. Not a serious injury, just painful. Did this same thing – hit my shoulder, side & ribs in a fall four and a half years ago in San Francisco. I can expect to be away from exercising at the gym and swimming for at least two weeks and maybe more. But it will heal, especially if you folks send good healing energy my way!
Aren’t I glad I did my mile swim while I still could!!!
hugs (virtual is all I can handle right now)
Patricia
Want to add how dear my husband Ed is about all this. Talk about being there for me. Just brought me a warm buttered blueberry muffin and orange juice, so if you see crumbs on your screen you’ll know where they came from ;=))
P
LOVE hard copy! Can’t WAIT for the magazine!!!
aw, sending get well wishes to you, patricia.
david, the dark side’s often more fun :)
and yes, thank you! you suprised me about the pinholes, i’m getting busy working on them.
Patricia –
Ouch :( Silver lining? Do you have a good few books you have been waiting to spend time with? How about more publishing research? It’s a Wonderful Life is on I’m sure. What else is on your catch up list? Sending you an air kiss, and a light hug.
Congratulations to James Whitlow Delano for being featured on today’s NY Times Lens blog! James Estrin wrote an excellent article on James’ photo project on the global water crisis. It is called “A Thirsting World.” The URL is
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/showcase-96/?hp
Remember that James’s project on the effects of the cyclone that hit Burma was published her on Burn. That URL is
http://www.burnmagazine.org/?s=james+whitlow+delano
you have, by now heard about Masaaki. He always spoke very highly of you, was proud of your friendship, but mostly proud of you. Difficulty locating kin, but hope that is resolved soon.
Took a bad fall last night and had to sleep – or TRY to sleep
—————————————————————-
ouchhhhh….
sending u good energy…
:)
ERIC…
you my friend are ALWAYS a pleasure….please enjoy your family and give my most warm regards to your biggest competitor in photography, your father….is he still shooting a lot?
PATRICIA…
oh my dear dear Patricia…so sorry about your fall…the last time you fell (that i know of) you took a great picture of it..remember?? not to make lite of course, but that C’Ville fall became famous..now sounds like you actually ok but just cannot get around…well, i will do my best to keep you entertained….many tell me that is my responsibility anyway….i know you will be of good cheer..
IMANTS…
lots and lots of snow here in Durango…you know it is a very dry cold here and not windy, so always pleasant and not irritating like the new york cold which is humid and goes right through you if windy…still i like the heat of summer…it can never get too hot for me….heading for summer myself in about a week…crossing the equator to Rio…it will be hot hot hot in every way imaginable i think…
MICHAL DANIEL…
i am very much planning to have your work in the hard copy edition…we will contact you soonest…
cheers, david
DEAN..
so sorry i just missed your comment here, but yes i did hear about Masaaki yesterday morning….i had just seen him about two months ago and he gave me another one of his paintings…i now have two on my walls…i plan to do a post or story about Masaaki right here in the next couple of days…he was a major influence on my life…i know his family his from Hamamatsu , and i was with him there once many years ago, but have no idea how to find his family…his older brother was named Riohe if pronounced as i spelled, but that is not much to go on….Masaaki was always so so private and now his privacy is backfiring….he did tell me during our last visit that he had seen Rioje recently , i think in new york…wish i had more to offer for family info….naturally i want to be part of whatever memorial takes place…hope we meet in Richmond on my next visit…
cheers, david
Oh ourPATRICIA …one fall for you is nothing…
ED is gonna be there …hmmm…yeap …civilians are always next to you, don’t we…???
Well, you know me…I LOVE YOU …and as my grandma used to say…:
“dust yourself and keep rolling …”
THANK YOU PAT…we dreaming BIG…wish you happy recovery …the water is waiting :)))
DAVID amigo
yes i know…. and i have known all along you were mentoring me continuously, subconsciously, in little bits… and i feel you will never let me jeopardize any chance that i might have to build a career, publish a book or whatever comes out of it….
it will happen when it will happen, and then it will happen.
on the other hand that responsibility we feel when whe get a BURN donation instantly makes me forget all that…. … i simply cannot care about something less than 100% at a time, i guess…. laughing hysterically… you know, the skype way :-)
we are in the process of structuring BURN the best it can be AND keeping our photographic lives… no-one will ever blame us for that and everyone, looking at the past year, knows that we will NOT shy away from any responsibilities towards BURN… i mean we both love BURN to bits don’t we…
—
and otherwise we take Puerto Escondido… god damn that’s a great way to spend time with friends
…what would one have if not for one’s friendship with others… the intertwining of lives… the richness that comes forth… oh yeah my life has changed bigtime this last year.
and i’m lovin’ it.
as far as i’m concerned, even if the ONLY thing that BURN would have brought would have been our friendship, then by all means, we have succeeded massively.
anton
P.S. oh and the “real” mentoring part for Yakuza… i would be lying if i wasn’t looking forward to that one like a little boy getting to ride the steam train for the first time… :-)
PATRICIA my dear
hope you’re ok… mucho energy on it’s way to you now… you know, the dancing together kind…
we do dance well together, don’t we?
xxx
a
Patricia
Big whacks of love and positive energy going out to you m’dear, and bless your sweet husband. You are an inspiration, I’ve been thinking about you.
Gordon L
Thanks, dear friends. I’m feeling better already…
Yes, DAH, you’re right. My last big fall did become famous in its own strange way. Lucky for me, that one caused no real pain. And I AM counting on you to keep me entertained ;=)))
Erica, I indeed do have a lot of sit-down work to do, as well as a goodly number of wonderful photo books to peruse. Vicky and Panos, I feel your good energy seeping into my bruised body. Thanks for that. Dear Civi, your grandmother’s right. I promise to get rolling again just as soon as humanly possible. And Anton, oh yes indeed, we DO dance well together! Remember the bluegrass good ole boys out in front of the bar that last night in C’ville? FUN!!!
Thanks everybody. You’re the BEST.
Didn’t see your message until now, dear Gordon. Thanks so much!
xxoo
Patricia
PAT,
Hope you feel better very soon….
DAVID,
yes, my father is sill shooting a lot…. he had actually 3 or 4 exhibits over the past year including one for VISA Off in Perpignan and few of his images were also published in couple of French photography magazines so he is keeping himself busy… However, I think he needs to have a proper project on which he actually spends REAL time to dig deeper and take his work to the next level (he will hate me now :):):)… he just moves on too quickly from one topic to another… as we are ALL learning at some point, nothing replaces patience and focus on ONE project for at least a significant length of time…. who knows, maybe he will give it a shot this year…. it is never too late to be emerging :):): I keep telling him about our dear PAT…. As an aside, the photomontage I used on the Burnians site was made by him… Photoshop is my ennemy so I called the father for rescue :):):)… Occassionaly, but very RARELY, I have to admit that he knows more than me :):):)
TO ALL-
just had a very very quick Skype with Lassal to congratulate her. She was absolutely dead by now after days of sleepless nights (must be the same for dear HAIK) and described herself right this minute as a “deflated baloon”… again, thanks so much to both her and Haik for what was an incredible birthday surprise for BURN….
Cheers,
Eric
Poor Patricia :(
Loved your “Burn in Detroit” photo.
Have a better night tonight.
Patricia,
uhhhhh! I really hope it is not hurting too bad. So glad you did your 72 laps swimming. Take this injury with your good spirit. A short break – it is winter anyway and cold and all that. Hope you are compfortable so you can read burn and Ed can pamper you! Looking forward to skype with you again. I wish you a quick recovery and I will think of you! Sending good energy!
Arrived back home safely from Frankfurt. It was such a joy to get to know Lassal, Thomas and Dominik and of course Tony and Hunter! Wonderful folks! I enjoyed the time with these guys so much!
Lassal is a class act! Thank you so much!
Mrs Harvey,
it is so nice to read your words here on burn! A great honour! Hope I will get the chance to meet David some time in the near future.
Now I have to digest all these new impressions and our conversations. Plus I have to look at all the images at burnians.com
Good night – I need some sleep as well!
Reimar
DAH -
On re-reading, you made it clear enough. I shouldn’t write comments at 3:20 AM when I am stressed and exhausted. I hope you figure that model out. Burn gives me hope for my own ambitions – so I want you to succeed both for the sake of your emerging photographers and the solace and encouragement of my soul.
REIMAR…
somehow we never have much of a chance to chat…i have seen your work ,but we have never talked about it….let’s try to set aside some time in the next few weeks to do just that….i will be really in heavy shooting mode from dec 30 – january 15..maybe a break then…if so, that would be a good time…shooting all of feb…. it will be probably early march before i can really sit down and take a serious look….you are always quiet and never ask me for anything…thanks for that, but i will take the time….
cheers, david
Patricia…
Sorry to hear about your accident :(
Wish you a speedy recovery.
ANTON,
I have no business cards either… or a physical portfolio or business plan. So don’t feel so bad!
ERIK,
I still need that print from you! The new studio will be done in about a months time so no rush but it will be an inspiration.
PATRICIA,
Get well, please!
Congrats to BURN and everyone ever involved!
CP
CHARLES,
Good to see you back here…. yes, we need to do this print exchange. Now that I am settled here, I can get this done. Just remind me which one you were keen to get and the details (address etc) and I will try to come back to you when possible. You can send me a private e-mail at espinosa.e@pg.com.
Cheers,
Eric
TO ALL-
As I was doing my last day of Christmas shopping and buying a few books, I came across today the new book from Carl de Keyzer called CONGO. This is a very large, really stunning book of images he has taken in this country of Africa. I am sharing the link to some of the images on the Magnum site but I actually do not think that these images on the site do justice to the book itself that looks somehow much much better…. Anyway, for those still looking for a present to get, go for it….
http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.StoryDetail_VPage&pid=2TYRYD0J55ZZ
Eric
David,
yes, it would be nice to get the chance to talk with you! No rush please. I will be on burn and enjoy reading your thoughtful comments. Burn is simply a wonderful place and a positive influence on my vision!
Currently I have a project going and some others in my mind. Patricia, Lassal and Thomas have already given me some good, critical feedback so I can keep shooting. Plenty of work ahead.
January would be great, but March is good as well. There are already some images that I like to show you, but there are more coming – work in progress.
Besides I am seriously thinking about applying for one of your workshops this year.
I feel there is an exciting year ahead!
Best
Reimar
Eric, thanks for that link to the Congo book.. not really needing a present.. and wondering if one can own TOO MANY books.. there’ll be also an exhibition of the work in Antwerp, if anyone is interested and close enough..
Hi David,
An emotional,simple,straight,bold approach of expressing words, David. Burn is such type of magazine completely different from the other online magazine. It is full of artworks,full of ideas & feelings. It gives a new look,new vision in the world of photography. It helps the transition,transformation,fusion and everything of photography. Frankly speaking sometimes I really cannot get the feeling of the artist who delivers some new works. But it certainly gives me the inspiration to think differently,do something new.
It is a mammoth work to continue it for years but I know you have the potential & capabilities to serve the world with a vision in photography.
Happy Birthday BURN.
My hearty congratulations to you and Anton.
Long live BURN.
Partha Pal, India
Eric,
I recently took a workshop with Carl (Magnum Workshop Barcelona) and after it was over I went to visit him to his house/studio in Gent (which is btw what photographer’s paradise must look like). I spent a few hours there and got to see many of the images in the book and some of the large prints for the exhibition….and the quality of the work is absolutely amazing!! A really really nice one to have.
PARTHA PAL…
many thanks for your words….i do not think anything that is really fine lasts forever…we will keep Burn going as long as it makes people feel as do you…
didn’t i publish one of your pictures on Road Trips?? kid jumping into water? i do not remember the context..
cheers, david
Hi David,
I know He is the BIG man, Nobel man, genius who can remember the small thinks………Big thinks are easy to remember but such a tiny events you can recall signifies you are really a great man (also a great artist that knows the whole world). I really feel honored you remember my photograph published in burn.
I am doing a personal project regarding the faces of the labors in Brick field industries near my residence. I hope I can give the photo essay to Burn in a month or two.
Regards.
Partha Pal
Sitting here in a post-family martini buzz (the only way to survive the holidays), reading through the posts here. If I could be involved with working on a Burn magazine, it would make my day. It would be nice to do prepress on a magazine that isn’t making a millionaire’s kitchen in his summer home look perfect.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas David! And that all your dreams, or the most precious, are translated into reality in 2010. And wishing a very Happy First Birthday to Burn Magazine – it will be great to see it in print as well as on line!
Thank you for all the encouragement, support and love you have given to others – especially to emerging photographers – throughout 2009.
Hugs,
Jenny