my imaginary title for this two picture essay is “Closing Time”….taken in Austin, Texas last week…both without me getting out of my seat….some of you probably imagine me running all over the place, but when i am shooting i usually do not move much…i do a lot of photography while sitting down…used the car window frame for a tripod on the car/train shot and i only got up to get the waitress’ name, Amanda, so i could send her a picture….and i invented a story in my head to connect the two pictures….i started thinking American Graffitti, Paris Texas, Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces..well, sometimes i get carried away…
point is i am always playing….particularly when i am supposed to be working…those who know me will tell you i do a pretty good job of combining work and play..oftentimes confusing the two….sometimes to my detriment, but often at the heart of it…and no doubt one of the reasons i have enjoyed every minute of being a photographer…i think i have taken pictures almost every day of my life since i was 12 or so…with gusto…one of these days i had better get that archive really organized…hmmm
however, the real photographers last week were my students…i do not show much student work here on Burn for fear of being accused of playing favorites with those i mentor…but, when i saw the last student show at the Austin Museum of Art after we had worked so hard on it, i realized that getting in on an essay from the ground up so to speak, definitely has its advantages…not to direct the photographer, but merely to stimulate the photographer…so i plan now to get in earlier with many young photographers and work with them the way most print magazines do with their work and in the same fashion as i do with my students……involvement early on….not as a necessary prerequisite…some essays come in done done…but, for those who would most benefit from an early “have you ever thought about it this way?” nudge……
while i will continue and encourage essays that are totally finished, i will now encourage also relevant ideas….literal or conceptual….ideas that can be developed…i will set up soonest a mechanism for idea submission along with our standard submission guidelines….one of the advantages of this is that out of this i think will develop a strong cadre of photographers who have chosen to publish original work on Burn…at the same time , i will be looking for sponsors to finance this work…
as most of you know we broke ground by getting the Nachtwey TB essay on Burn sponsored by BD..Jim was paid well and Burn was paid for production…i am now doing a new budget with BD to see if we can also get funding for some of you…so study what BD does…send me some ideas with a link to your work…and i think all of you know in general that if Burn in any way receives sponsorship, the first thing that will happen with the funds is to pay for your photography published…all photographers whose work will appear in the upcoming print edition of Burn will receive royalties based on sales…this will be an on demand collector edition of Burn…
with the IPad coming we should position ourselves to be ready…yes, we need to go to an HTML platform and yes this is all new territory, but fate has put us in an interesting position….i am sure you can see it…sponsors might too….in addition, as president of Magnet, the new Magnum company designed to help reinvent content presentation on the net, i am working closely with Gilles Peress our online guru visionary, and Alex Webb, president of Magnum…while Burn is my baby, Magnum is my patron..and the two are not mutually exclusive..keep an eye on us….
in the meantime, i am going to sit down….reflect a bit….enjoy the evening…watch prints come off the printer …..it is not closing time around here just yet…
-dah-
love that fucking beautiful right side x-crossing light and the sun-burst skin’d-kiss of reflected light on the train’s body too……:))
ok, so, this will be quick, as in a skype down about ideas….:))
i think here, and elsewhere, honestly that this IS the critical shit about mentoriship and support and making things make sense…oriented toward real beautiful strange photography: to encourage and support and foster ideas…because some photographers graft stories upon their pictures…and some photographers graft pictures upon their stories/ideas…and damn, what a better way to convince….
that Austin was both a revelation and a support, i aint surprised :)))…there some class cats there :)))….and that is the way to go…to elevate the idea about community of idea, more than picture, to get the juices flowing to hone and hunt whatever idea someone wants to pursue and to support it, for in the end, we are that:
speakers of things, in word or picture or occupation, just hunters of things, of inspired ideas…
and damn right…
and is that rosenfield and steel’s camaro in front?? ;)))
ok, back to skype with west coast :))
hugs
bob
BOB…
Lance’s car?? no way…Lance drives an inauspicious Subaru Outback grey in color and not a cop target and the car in which i was riding shotgun and took this picture because there was nothing else to do…
DAVID
“Lance drives an inauspicious Subaru Outback…” ??
Are you sure you don’t mean “inconspicuous”?
The last car I owned and drove before I gave up personal car ownership ten years ago was a Subaru Outback, and there was nothing ‘inauspicious’ about it… a great car, pleasure to drive, never had any trouble with it, and for a shorty like me, the fold-down back seat made a bed just long enough to sleep in… (undoubtedly too short for Lance, however).
And while I’m remembering that, there’s something mighty familiar about that cafe, too… I guess it could be any of a hundred cafes just like that in central Texas or thousands in the West and South, but yeah, it feels like Austin, not so much the contemporary Austin, as the Austin I remember from when I lived there for a little under a year back in the early 70s when it was only beginning to become a music capital. So where exactly is that cafe, David?
DAVID AGAIN,
That was a only a digressive prelude to what I really wanted to offer as a response to the thrust of what I think you’re saying… which is that you want to immerse yourself even further and in new ways in the nurturing and mentoring process of young photographers using BURN as your vehicle..
Maybe by now, having watched the outpourings of your energy and enthusiasm over the last few years I shouldn’t be surprised, but in all honesty I continue to be amazed by your ability to ‘reframe’ the picture and reinvent yourself and your projects, always opting for deeper involvement rather than stepping back or detaching yourself. So, if you can keep it up that way, I know it must be fun. And all I can say is, Rock On, Compadre…
SIDNEY…
ok, yea you are right..let’s go with inconspicuous ..that was Artz’s Rib House and i have no idea where it is….but, even though i had never been to Austin before, i could tell this place was the old Austin…you just gotta love red and white cotton checkered table cloths, great ribs,live country music,cold beer and waitresses named Amanda….
energy begets energy for me Sidney…taking things very seriously and having fun doing it….printing tonight American Family…actually the first time i have really seen these pictures…they have been contact sheets for two years…makes we want to get right back on the American trail soonest..yet, i have Rio to finish…and you guys to worry about….oh well, staying busy does seem to be keeping me out of trouble..sort of
cheers, david
DAVID,
Being able to sit down instead of running around for the “best shot” and decide that the best photograph to take will be right where you are has been one of the very best insights I got from you…Somehow, something always happen if you carefully choose the spot and be patient… I also applaud the suggestion of submitting ideas that can be developed over time… I think this is how it all started back in the days of Road Trips when you asked us all to send you some “ideas” of what would be our ideal assignment, something we could do right where we live…and it produced Venice from Panos, Patricia’s essay, the The Dark Light of this Nothing of Erica, the cowboys of Lance, Bones…my own “Lords of the Ring” and some others that I am forgetting… Obviously, with the frequency of publications on BURN, you cannot rely on just these longer efforts that start from scratch but there is nothing more satisfying than to see an idea develop under your inspiration and push… so it is great to see you commited to this idea… when do we start? :):):)
Separately, I wish I had known Lance back then but I used to go to Austin frequently when I studied in the US in the early 90s…I was “lost” for 3 years doing research in chemical engineering in Champaign Urbana (Illinois) in the middle of the corn fields while a very good French pal of mine was doing the same in Austin…. even though I was meant to study in the mid-west, it felt as if I have spent more time in Austin… working in Austin is THE challenge..all these bars, the music, the fun, the lovely waitresses… I used to ride horses there and go for the week-end in the green fields near the city…talk about “cliche” but the young French guy I was back then wanted to live the American dream…. Good memories!!!!
Cheers,
Eric
i once had the idea for a book of ´photos from a seated position´ ..
take it easy
:ø)
ATTN:
IT IS NOT CLOSING TIME…not yet…oime I spilled my ouzo …my heart is weak …oime…
A BIG HUG to NACHTWEY and to BD…
ouzo for G.PERESS and WEBB…
wine for the SPONSORS
AND LOVE FOR ALL OF YOU…
P.S POMARA …the BBQ…!!!
The restaurant scene reminds me of Cowgirls in Santa Fe. Remember that restaurant DAH?
ohhh.Lee.. u are here? in this new virtual room?
then this movie inspired from you:
the sea does feel like a tigress. Strong, protective, nourishing.
——————————————————————-
THE SEA
THE SEA
THE Pelagos…The Ionion Pelagos…
2 days ago a relative died..The whole family had to go towards the cemetery up in the mountain towards the east…
i went west towards the Sea…The Ionion Pelagos that connects Italy with Greece…I had to talk with the sea..
“…the sea does feel like a tigress. Strong, protective, nourishing…”
That is what i saw..
plz click below , watch my new little “Movie”..:
movie
movie click here…
best seat in the house..
ALL..Enjoy my NEW movie…hot from the oven..
American family is worth the wait!
I saw a bit of it in Bangkok , I took a deep breath when I saw it, so damn simple, so damn hard… Uncle.. shame you can’t come round and shoot our clan.
Subaru OutBack??? – sorry guys a good mate of mine from Alice Springs was in tears recently after his wife made him trade in his Landcruiser Ute for a more family friendly Subaru Outback…I had to pull him back from the edge, not so succesfully as it turned out ‘cos he joined the army (reserve) not long after.
But there are no flies on the Subaru Outback .. please , It’s a perfect photographers car, roomy boot , a nice tight turning circle and capable of rapid acceleration … a wise choice!
Hers a photo I took while sitting down.
http://glenncampbellspictures.com/blog/highways/mutika-10/
Hey David, I really like the waitress photo. It seems that the little ways in which it strikes me as not quite right somehow elevate it aesthetically. The softness. The abstraction in the peripheral diners. The way the waitress is centered. Funny thing is, if that were to become some kind of iconic photo, it would probably remind me of Salgado every time I see it. That’s just wrong, eh?
Half joking aside, it’s also a great example of what you and Gladdy are always talking about concerning the superiority of prints. This jpeg does not do it justice. Though that said, I think it would benefit by a different kind of processing for the screen. A little more contrast. A little less yellow. Perhaps slightly deeper blacks. Of course the composition would carry it no matter the processing. You’ve captured something we normally see as banal and showed it to be art. Was she really giving you the finger? Was it just an accident? Or could it be an unconscious communication of how she really feels about her job and possibly life in that place?
Of course by “peripheral designers” I meant peripheral diners. Do you think that was really just a typo or perhaps an unconscious communication about how I think photos are really made? Typo, I’m pretty sure.
It’s a perfect photographers car….… a wise choice!
—————————————
yes the little car ..it is a wise choice..
being A photographer isnt as wise …. :)
David B’s “photos from a seated position” could be the title of a retrospective of my life’s work! Shooting from my scooter seat certainly gives me a unique perspective. Generally looking UP towards my subject. Everybody looks heroic to me!
Yes, Eric, I too thought of Road Trips circa Spring 2008 when I read this post. “Assignments” we called them back then and that idea of DAH’s sure led to some fine work by fired-up emerging photogs like you and Bob and Erica and Lance and others whom I am temporarily forgetting. I know David’s encouragement and mentoring meant the difference between my self portraits being a short-term fling and a long-term commitment. So I’m delighted to hear that he’s offering to follow emerging (not always “young”, David!) photogs here on Burn from their first hint of an idea to their completed project. David’s generous spirit cannot be matched. I look forward to see what flames are ignited…
Patricia
MICHAEL…
laughing..well, i do not think the waitress (Amanda) was giving me the finger, but i do like the symbolism implied therein in this accidental gesture…
ERIC…PATRICIA…
yes, you guys remember when i did give out about 10 assignments…i did get a bit discouraged when about 70% of those assigned just never came through…like remember Jonathan Hanson and the Baltimore cops?? really started strong, i spent a lot of time talking/editing with Jonathan, and then he just disappeared…and the guy who was working on racism in Pittsburgh i think..a French photographer…lost him…anyway, i am going to give it another try…you guys came through, as did Erica and Panos, so it was all worth it in the long run…
LEE…
yes, this place in Austin is the same type of place as Cowgirls in Santa Fe where you shot that essay….well, the Austin place is more about the ribs, whereas Cowgirls was more about the beer…but, same look and light
GLENN..
i had only seen Amer Family in either contact sheets or as a slide show…seeing big prints changed even my view of the whole project…made it real….the med format film really shows in the larger prints….so, i am now anxious to get back on the road with that project…..and yes yes, i would love to do something similar in Australia….i know i owe you an email…flying home this morning and will get back to you soonest…
cheers, david
Of course! I forgot to mention Panos and his Venice Beach assignment. Man, did THAT one ever fly!!! But, yes, there were the ones that never made it past the starting gate. Seems to me, though, you had a pretty good percentage who followed through, David. Good memories…
Patricia
PATRICIA…
yes, the essayists that came through really came through….yes, good memories…and now time for some new ones as well….the difference now is that i will try to match good ideas with potential funding..no small task and the percentages will be low…but , in this current biz climate i think worth the effort…
cheers, david
i think that is the right link for my little “movie”
IONION PELAGOS (MOVIE EPISODE 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqD4uxV_os
(good morning americaaa..Episode2 coming soon..in the oven as we speak)
DAH, with submitting ideas do you mean written ideas or a half started picture essay.. or?
MICHAEL…
fixed your typo….by the way, i shot both pictures with the GF1 and at higher iso 800 than is really good for that camera..on the other had i could not have or would not have made the waitress picture with anything other than a point and shoot…it happened so so fast..literally a point and shoot picture…yes, we will tweak the color a bit in the final print…
EVA…
basically a written idea..but , if some work has been done, then all relevant pictures are important as well…a link to related work should be included…we will set up the mechanism to make this easy….i will look at your Palio work this weekend…ok, running..late for flight…
cheers, david
Ah yes, funding. Something I wasn’t even thinking of back then. And now? It has become a very big deal! It’s great to complete a project, even to make a book dummy of it, but getting it published in today’s economic environment? Harder than pulling teeth with tweezers.
Patricia
Love the idea, David!
I had a wild idea a while ago, about a possible win-win partner for the European branch of BURN. It COULD generate more than one payed assignment for people here. I actually do not see why it should not work, but you know how it is with these things: very political. So better not to spill the beans here yet.
But some people here know that I can be quite stubborn … so let’s pray that it works out.
What I also want to say with that is, that I think we all here should not just lean back and wait until David comes up with something for us. But it might be the other way: someone has an idea, does some reseach as to who could be interested in sponsoring this idea (win-win) and then do a pitch.
After talking to some people on skype I have the impression, that most do not know how to approach this step: doing an professional pitch to a company. So considering the importance of this, it might be helpful to get some general assistance for this – maybe even via the BURN organization. Know-how transfer.
I think it would be much more fun for David too, if people came with a concept AND a sponsor … :) At least once in a while. At the end of the day, it is our own responsibility anyway, to find a way to do the things we want to do.
Just a thought.
And yessss … I was one of the people you were mentoring, David. The postcard project – part1. I decided that that one was done a while back. And I started with the concept of part 2, which uses a different approach (for the postcards). So it was either to close part 1 or not to be able to use it at all. I decided to close it. And I do now have some requests to publish it. One of the requests comes from China. Quite interesting. I think I menitoned it to you on Skype.
I hope to be able to show you new work for the postcard project part 2. very soon. And I hope – as you liked the project – that you feel inclined to mentor that one too? :)
I hope we meet again soon. Somewhere.
DAH, thanks, whenever, no worries.. was asking ’cause usually I don’t have a clear idea of what I want, I get that only DURING the shooting, not before.. and even then it might change.. safe flight.. (I wish the ‘Amanda’ pic was a bit less soft, a bit more defined.. her face and/or hand more like the shoulder area.. not sure if that’s clear..)
Patricia, getting published.. and the distribuited, that’ll be another tooth in line there..
(sorry for the incorrect spelling in my last post) – I am on the road. Difficult.)
ALL
do you know “The Independent Photo Book” from Jörg Colberg and Mrs Deane (Beierle + Keijser)?
“The Independent Photo Book announces independently published and/or produced photography books or zines, which are not available via Amazon or other standard outlets.”
http://theindependentphotobook.blogspot.com
It seems to be quite well known already, so it might be helpful to get the message out. Even it if it is not a distributer by itself.
ahh yes, the roadtrips’ assignments – i remember mine well.
for me, you offered up the idea of shooting one of the street kids going home for a visit and reuniting with family.
i chose ghost, who was planning such a trip to see his dad after having no contact for 4-5 years.
i drove him to tacoma, we went to his dad’s house, and they proceeded to sit and drink, on lawn chairs outside, for approx. 8 hours. yea, i took a bunch of photos but.. it was a bust, really. nothing to speak of, photographically. they just sat and drank and sat and drank until it got dark out and we left.
couldn’t squeeze an essay out of it.
Katia…:)
Are u still with the Kids?
DAH –
you say look study what BD does – is that the idea, to submit ideas in line with their mission?
and thanks for all the chatty chat chat – very helpful – we should make it a year in the texts of, and run it.
never too late…to start or continue..
I personally think i need to go back and re-start two projects again..
first my unfinished story (of my life) of the DARK KIDS…( i know they are older now)..
and second..
to re-start Venice Beach again…but with a different “eye”..different perspective ..
different approach…coz im different now…i detached my self from my initial “point of view”..
Panos, that is so interesting…about your needing/wanting to go back to your two older projects with fresh eyes. And yes, you HAVE changed. This journey back to your roots has strengthened and grounded you in ways that your life in Southern California could never have done. I would LOVE to see how your vision has changed once you return to the States. Yours is certainly a fascinating life to follow…
hugs
Patricia
Patricia i hear u..
i cant even imagine my life without Burn…
that open window for expression…
an opportunity not only to grow/share/develop…
but mainly to let it out…
a unique chance to come closer to ourselves..through others…
turn the lens inside..inner…mirror…
the motivation to continue…
learn about the world through ourselves…
sing our song..setting ourselves free..
getting out of our little tiny closets..
exorcise our demons even…
ahhh, arent we lucky?
Speaking of changing our point of view, I just stumbled on a most helpful way of seeing my work with fresh eyes.
As I’ve said before, I’ve been obsessing over my multimedia edit of the gay married couple. Just couldn’t get it right. So I had an “AHA” moment two days ago that, instead of color, it should be in b&w. A more classical approach. Converted lots of the pics to b&w using my trusty Alien Skin software and started playing with the edit. I found I could see things with new eyes, almost as if going back to the fundamentals of form, shadow/light and structure helped me see more clearly. I was no longer seduced by color. After some playing around with these building blocks, I found an edit that sat well with me. And then I had another “AHA” moment: something had been lost in b&w, a burst of life and energy that I wanted was missing. So I went back to color using the same edit I’d made with the b&w images and it was like returning home and knowing it for the first time (to mangle TS Eliot’s quote). There it was. Just what I wanted.
Has anyone else had this kind of experience? It’s a first for me.
Patricia
go back to your two older projects with fresh eyes.
———————————————-
yes..reuniting with myself (in the name of the projects )…yes
Oh yes, dear Panos. We are VERY lucky indeed!!!
And now I’m off to enjoy this beautiful spring day here in Detroit. The earliest spring I’ve ever seen in my 45 years of living in this part of the world. I know it’s got to be global warming but it’s hard not to love purple crocii in bloom, birds singing as they build their nests, tender green shoots on bushes and everyone outside with smiles on their faces.
May everyone enjoy their day/night wherever they are…
Patricia
DAVID/SIDNEY :))…
NO FRICKIN’ WAY….inauspicious is way way more appropriate than inconspicuous :))))….cause an OUTBACK AINT INCONSPICUOUS IN TEXAS…it’d stick out like a shoutgun in an outhouse there, cause real inconspicuousness would be covered by a pickup truck (they’re everywhere there)…
Lance, by the way, has totally stepped it up in the world, ’cause here is his former mode of transportation:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=109673897965
DAVID (part 2)
ok, funding for ideas….i’ll propose one…to complete my project on memory/faces/….part 3 of the work is what i’ll be sending to Burn :)))))…
ok, gotta fly
ghugs
b
Patricia…
dont convert in b&w that particular photo that Nikos E. liked…please..
big hug
oh, forgot the vid:
bob…perfect… CLOSING TIME
ok ALL..
im proud to present the movie (ionion pelagos EPISODE 2)
or
THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL…
As i said earlier a (relatively distant) relative died couple days ago..
So i took with me the Philosopher Dimitri and headed the opposite way..
Everyone went up in the mountain (east) for the funeral except us two..
we decided to go west..visit the Lighthouse…and mourn through philosophy
and study of nature..
here is the little Movie: The Day of the Funeral or (Ionion Pelagos EPISODE 2)
enjoy:
ERICA…
i think the challenge for the future is going to be matching sponsors with specific ideas and projects….i think it reasonable to assume that BD would most likely sponsor a project that was at least loosely related to what they do…something medical related , which includes a plethora of possibilities…
PATRICIA…
i did the layout for Div Soul with b&w prints….but, of course, i already knew they worked in color, but wanted to make sure the picture itself was “there”..divorced of the color component…
Good morning all. Interesting talk and nice to watch videos of friends. When talking of funding in these really tight economic times and having sponsors I wonder about the agendas attached to sponsored work. I may be out of the loop somewhat as the time difference between here and most of the rest of BURN is long. The original concept of BURN to get sponsors to support emerging photographers is still very sound. How do we expand the sponsorship so that there is money to expand the reach of support to photographers? DAH I know you are always full of ideas of how to get more work out there; at some point you will run totally out of time, I would think. If each of us reached into our pockets that would help. A board of directors usually would require the directors to be not just a volunteer on the board but also donate cash to really show their dedication to the project. And then looked around our neighborhood to see who is out there that feels strongly about getting photo work in the public eye that raises awareness. If all put in a little there would be a lot. We all may plead poverty but support begins at home.
i think the challenge for the future is going to be matching sponsors with specific ideas and projects….i think it reasonable to assume that BD would most likely sponsor a project that was at least loosely related to what they do…something medical related , which includes a plethora of possibilities…
PATRICIA…
i did the layout for Div Soul with b&w prints….but, of course, i already knew they worked in color, but wanted to make sure the picture itself was “there”..also spent a lot of time looking at them upside down, a la Henri….
maybe this should be even more of an inspiration then funding
DAH: out for the weekend now, last minutes edits…will call u after the piece gets published….
for y;all
Argh, Bob, saw this just the other day (read the book years ago).. makes my heart ache.. have a brother up there in the middle of the boonies in BC, doing just that..
Panos, those daisies with the sound of the wind…
eva :))
yea…read the book when it was first published…broke me too….the film is terrific too…and well…what can we do, but to live, burn back holes in dark memories and find our direction magnetically…
wishing u brother big rivers and above all that’s he sharing it with someone…
running
b
panos!!!
that daisy part….and the wind….and the bee….
the wind….the only thing one can do, but to get risen by the wind….
loved ur film!!!
and the taping on the metal (philosopher emptying his pipe?) at the end…..let me know when next installment comes…
ok, gotta fly, behind behind…
hugsb
he he bob..u got that right..the metal sound…emptying the pipe…