Scooter_wed_copy_6

         

"commitment" is almost nobody’s favorite word….

"freedom", "fly", "space" seem to be more comfy life "key words"….easier for one thing…and whole supporting  philosophies to go along with them….but, as we all know, at some point anyway, only through commitments do we get anything done at all either personally or professionally…

last sunday on a Carolina beach ,above,  Amanda Pitts became Amanda Halladay…..she gave up her "freedom" to marry the ever elusive can’t pin me down vagabond of all vagabonds surfer boy Scott "Scooter" Halladay…you may read about Scooter in one of my chapters in Divided Soul and realize the extent of  my long relationship with Scoot since he was a young boy living at the other end of Pinetree Road… my son Bryan’s best friend in Richmond and now in the wind whipped surfer community of the Outer Banks….

Amanda and Scooter announced their beach wedding less than 24 hours before it happened, therefore extending their reputations for non-conformists right up until the final "i do" here on Hatteras Island, the water burial ground of almost 300 storm related shipwrecks, and where even the crews of German U-boats,  during WWII, used to sneak ashore and get a suntan right here on these long white beaches and just a few miles from where the Wright brothers launched the first powered airplane in 1903 and Blackbeard the pirate, in the early 1700’s, retired here to enjoy his loot from  hijacking ships of commerce…

lots of history for a rather "out of the way" thin strip of land likely to be erased in any hurricane, but as far as we are concerned, the Amanda/Scooter wedding is at the top of the list of "important events"…everyone down here figures that if those two can make a commitment, then all things are possible..

speaking of relationships, we have one right here….because i happen to be on vacation right now, i let the last post hang a bit too long and yet the comments are getting close to 700…crazy…..conversation…online friends…chit chat…serious thinking and references….assignments coming to fruition….work to be shared and displayed….an internet phenomenon by any reckoning….

so, now what do we do??  stay as we are?? make a commitment for more??  by the end of September we will have all assignments finished i think and i will be ready to announce new grantees from EPF….there are other "awards" besides the cash grants to come, but i will announce those later…now, i just want to get a feel for what we should do next….

frankly, i cannot do more than i am doing right now…my personal photography just cannot take a back seat to managing this forum…..and i well know that none of you expect that nor suggest otherwise…however, if some of YOU were to volunteer your help , i think we could get better without getting bigger or losing our "personal touch"…. i have shunned advertising for our forum here because, well, i just think we should take our "popularity" and instead of advertising, have corporations and individuals sponsor your projects i.e. EPF …

so far, this has been an easy "sell" for me because it is just flat out a "worthy cause" at a time of shrinking photo budgets on every front..my only problem is that i just do not have the time go really go "out there" and sell it in the way that could really make it "fly"….we will have a permanent slot as part of Look3 and next year’s show will be "killer"..and i foresee we will do many more shows/exhibitions from the work generated here in 2008…a printed annual is an obvious possibility, but this will take some major fund raising  which i , in theory could easily do, but if i did i am afraid i would lose momentum on my family project….

in the next few weeks my schedule will take me to Perpignan (Sept 3-9) where i will meet many of you..we should discuss this if you are around…also ,in September ,  i have two weeks of workshops in my New York loft….then i will be back on the road with my "families"… somewhere in there, i would like to meet as many of you in New York  as i can…yes, a meeting at my place…..maybe between the two workshops…..maybe after….

your ideas on what we should do or what we can do are important…tell me, tell me….of course, we do not have to do anything different from what we already do….but, i would feel so proud if we could generate enough funding to have many of you working and with a nice publication as an end result…

again, getting "bigger" is not on my mind…..representing a growing and talented legion of photographers and writers who have made their online environment the very message itself, is potentially very interesting…it is what already happens here, but perhaps more of a commitment from some  of us could push our collaborative efforts towards its own logical evolution…

Amanda and Scooter, i wish you love and  happiness forever……

 

642 thoughts on “commitment….”

  1. DAH… :))

    i have been here little. it is summer and i am out on the street with my kids, my street family, my ‘road dogs’ – heh.
    no time to be indoors.
    that will come soon enough.

    i have so many so many new photos. i am thinking to just shoot like mad now and edit this fall/winter.

    do you remember that assignment you gave me way back in the blog somewhere? i am set up to take one of my street sons, ghost, to see his dad for the first time in 6 years. (ghost is 22 and hasn’t seen his dad since he was 16). we’re leaving this weekend. his father has cancer now and the history of their relationship was built upon drug addiction and physical abuse. one part of ghost deeply loathes his father. but i’ve seen another side too. one that is open to some reconciliation. his dad is drug-free now and very sad for how he treated ghost.
    anyway, i’ll let you know how it goes.

    what’s yr email address?? i’ve lost it..
    mine is: iamkatia@gmail.com

    do i need to do anything specific to be considered for EPF?

    i sooooo very much want to come to NY!!!

    are you thinking you might come to seattle?
    that would be incredibly wonderful. :)))

    love ya!

    katia

  2. DAVID

    It’s really difficult for me, to keep in date with all the comments and ideas on the blog, I am too slow for this brilliant community. I have decided to join for my own commitment. the first in my e.life. I’ll try not to be so far….keep reading. Not easy !

    The fact is, since we have met I began my own brain storm to a new project. This essay is something very important to me and something i would love to show, and share.

    It’s about Maria do Carmo’s life and work. A dive into the domestic work scene around us. Here in Brazil, São Paulo specifically. I spent three weeks working, day and night, living, walking, and working by her side. This is the best selection (maybe my A edit) from this work. In fact i am a bit saturated, and I cannot figure out which of these images are good enough, strong or not. I love them all, and each one have your own story for me, but I need to go further. what do you say ?

    “Carmen’s Life”.
    http://www.galembeck.com.br/carmenslife

    I also placed this link on the Student work
    I hope to hear from you very soon.

    Congratulations to Amanda and Scott
    My best wishes

    All

    I would love to have some feedback about this work. In fact I need it !
    This is very important for me. Any idea, comments, text help, review… Fell free !

    Thanks a lot !

    Gui Galembeck

  3. many congratulations to you and yours david.. brilliant way to commit to each other and a fantastic sounding little gathering you have going on there.

    regarding here…
    whatever i can do.. just holla.
    would love to get over to NY.. unable to afford workshop type business although it’s going to be another 6 months editing for me in any case.

    commitment is only a word – the way the word is said makes the meaning quite different, no?
    i’m quite digging my commitments at the moment.. baby.. lecturing.. book editing.. planning.. it’s coming together nicely for next year and then it’ll be pitches to new publishers and agencies for me.

    the forum here is growing.. and it can be difficult to keep up.
    i have wondered if there could be the need for a more traditional forum.. with different threads which people can initial themselves.. who knows?

    EPF will become a regular funding resource through your hard work and it’s bound to grow into something with longevity.. a legacy to be proud of.

    it would be great to have more industry links through this place i guess.. the possibility of trial commissions.. toward that end if i could be considered for the next assignments that’d be great.
    i’d like to pitch something which i could tout around specific magazines and see if i could sell it..
    approaching new clients rather than working with the magazines under my belt.. pushing myself up a notch..
    not the music and cultural work i’ve been doing, although related to that.. i have ideas which i think could be of much wider interest and involve showing work, (and the subjects of it), to a larger audience.

    again – anything i can do with whatever is needed here, please let me know..

  4. DAVID…

    “by the end of September we will have all assignments finished i think”

    If you are referring to “self assigned” as well as those you have “officially” assigned, I hope you will put out a “last call” for submitting links.

    As far as where the blog should “go”…I’m thinking about that. Not sure that there need to be any big changes made around here but progress has a way of coming along whether it is wanted/needed or not…Keeping that in mind it’s fine to have a direction, a goal, although it sounds like Amanda and Scooter didn’t spend the last year working on their wedding plan (like many) and all went well for them. SOMETIMES people are so attached to their plans and goals for the future that there’s no room for the organic change that takes place by itself.

  5. hi gui

    good to meet you.. you have some really superb photographs in the collection so far.. i love the gentle atmosphere when her work must be so hard – understated.. love in a room with peeling paint.. great.

    i’ll not presume to direct you.. although the project does bring up questions for me..
    how long have you been photographing her? there is a closeness as well – how do you know each other?

    as a representation of a lifestyle which many are leading i think it goes a long way towards letting us into someones life.. an ordinary life which for ‘the few’ might look hard, and for the many it might look normal.

    unique and with a gentle ‘hook’.. i like it..

  6. David, like we had discussed before, if you have funding and someone who can project manage the cashflow, I’d be happy to lay out and art direct the magazine. I’ve even talked to Bob about contributing writing. I thing you’d have to assume the photo editor-in-chief position, though.

  7. Wow! A big congratulations to a beautiful couple. It wasn’t 2 weeks ago when I ran into Amanda at the coffee shop. For some reason, I asked her when they were finally getting married. Little did I realize, so soon. What a pleasant surprise to get the news, and heard it here first…

  8. DAVID… in other words…I’d hate to see the blog become defined in stone “THIS IS WHAT WE’RE ABOUT” that eliminates any other possibilities. Doubtful you are capable of that so no need for me to worry!! :)) What has happened here (I believe) has happened because of the OPENESS. So let’s please continue in openess.

  9. oh wow david tough question here… gonna have to think about this one.. but definitely, there is enough energy here to turn things into “real”.. we’ve witnessed sparks of things turning real here and there.. but a big one is definitely possible.. and we should direct our energy wisely…

    gotta run now, glad to hear you again.. will be back soon with some thoughts

    oh and by all means, you can count on me. actions over words, as they say.

    love

    anton

  10. I must admit, I too find attempting to read through 700 comments completely overwhelming. I mostly lurk, reading an odd comment here and there and clicking on interesting links. However, even thought this blog is a relatively tight knit community, as an “outsider” it seems a little daunting to “dive in”. Perhaps (at risk of blasphemy) a more structured “bulletin board” style of communication would help this? I would love to hear everyone’s opinion on this.

    David, I have some links and thoughts I would like to share with you, however, I realized that I didn’t ask for your email during the Santa Fe workshop. Mine is j25rober@ryerson.ca

    Jordan.

  11. I’ve noticed often that it often takes newcomers a while to get a response. I think the fastest portal to the “group” is to say something that ruffles Panos’ feathers—in a few days you’ll be his best friend.

  12. MARCIN….

    you are such a big part of this no matter what you do….a true ORIGINAL!!!

    just keep going with Hometown which i finally saw and love….

    KATIA…

    yes, of course i remember…i did wonder what had happened to you here lately, but never thought for a moment that you were not out there with your kids….

    you do not need to do anything special as far as being considered for EPF…just keep shooting and that little story within the story will be very interesting for us all to see…

    JORDAN…

    sorry you feel it overwhelming to “dive in”…now that you have done it, how bad does it seem?? i am not sure what you mean by the “bulletin board” style, but i am sure everyone else does…i do not get out much!!!

    one of our regular writers told me that she gets private e-mails from people who are afraid to comment and literally asking her permission or suggestions for how to comment!!

    that is the last thing i want…please feel free to say whatever you want to say whenever you want to say it…

    i cannot answer every question nor respond to every comment…but i give it a good try, with some days being better than others for me to respond…but, i do read everything and now usually only respond to questions that have not been answered by someone else..unless of course the question is directed at me personally, in which case i think i always answer…or try to anyway…

    welcome…

    cheers, david

  13. MIKE…

    pretty funny since you live just down the road from Scooter…i think a lot of his friends were a little upset that he did not put out a lot of information on this wedding..but, that is just Scoot!!!

    CATHY…

    of course we will stay open…and there is no need for us to change anything at all…only getting funding for photographers who have none would seem to be a worthy goal…

    cheers, david

  14. Hi David Bowen, nice to meet you too !
    I knew Carmen years ago. She worked a lot at Tatiana grandmother’s house. She is also working for my mother-in-law, and spent a long time with the family since our cousins were babies.
    We spent 3 weeks working. Night and day. Not such long time but, just the enough for a first moment.
    Yes, there is closeness for me, just by the work itself. Not for Carmen or her family, the are marvelous and I love to keep all the time I can with them !
    The fact is that I spent much time looking at these pictures, editing, thinking… and I love them all. I can’t go further by myself…. and stopped at this point that you saw… I don’t know if I finish, or not but I am very very glad that you like it !!
    Thanks a lot for expressing your opinion.

  15. DAVID: :)))

    HEY, for a second i thought it was like YOU who were getting married and just keepin’ it close to the chest ;))))…

    first, big ups to these 2 lovely wackos! :)))…THAT’S THE KIND OF MARRIAGE MARINA AND I CAN TOTALLY DIG! :)))…(we’ll tell u about our honeymoon when we’re in NY :))…great for those 2…and what a frickin’ wedding photog they got in the bargain ;)))

    secondly, yea, David McG spoke to me about an idea of expanding the blog :))…As I told David, im totally down to contribute anything y’all need: writing, photos whatever (David McG, dont forget im a photog too ;))) ), but yes, im willing to write something special for y’all from time to time (im thinking, at least for my time schedule, a Quarterly, more than that would fuck up my other writing and photo shit, but I am totally up for givin’ y’all anything that would help/inspire :))))….and dont forget Ms. Patricia: who is also a writer too ;))))…but beloved Akaky has gotta have editorial duties: same office with brother Panos! :))))

    3rd: will send you the Bones. Im thinking Michael could set me up a folder and I’d FTP it to you along with the essay (not the one you received 2 weeks ago). That way, it’ll be a surprise when you return from Perp. I’ll post some “tease” images (maybe 2) here when you’re in France :))

    Lastly, Marina and I will call you this weekend. Saturday night or Sunday: good for you??….gotta get the trip schedule nailed down, as well as the folk i wanna hook you up with at Perp…(by the way, 1 of those lads would be a good contact too, maybe, as it relates to the idea about this thread: expansion of what goes down here :))….

    call u this weekend

    hugs
    bob

  16. Not sure I understand the possible directions, David.

    Fund-raising, putting work towards getting the blog goal-specific? At the onset, sure enough, people will volunteer, but what will make it a serious, continuous effort on the part of these individuals?

    We are all nice guys wishing the best to the others, but people are people, there may be a problem in gallantly putting one’s time and energy, ie. commitment, in an enterprise that may end up promoting, funding other fellows/gals, than oneself?

    Again, I may have misunderstood what you wish from us, or some of us, to work towards (I am just the dunce in the class here. I can try better puns, jokes, but that’s about it ;-)…. Fund-lowering more my expertise than raising!!!).

  17. GUI :)))

    some lovely and beautiful and moving moments (love the small blue house, surrounded by the walls: in this picture i can hear the noise and the silence, the racing and the gone of poverty, having visited )…

    great for jumping in :)))…terrific essay…love many of the images, especially their play with light and color: “morning sounds,” “queen of the house”, “solitude” “vanity” “confession” “respect” “portrait of davi” “morning light” etc…what i like about the images is when i loose the idea that this is only a poor women who must clean house, but when i sense that this is the entire struggle of life itself, for all people…in fact, i wanted more pics: i wanted to see some of her grief/exhaustion as well…do you know the Portugese filmamker Pedro Costa??…his movies often deal with the poor and outcasts of Lisboa…and in his films lay the entirety of their lives: the joy and the suffering, the struggle…etc….i want more pics of her life: not only at home and cleaning, but her life alone, or in the street or with friends too…in other words, there was strong pictures and they made me hunger to learn more about her, her family, her life…

    the question: what can you show us about her life that we cannot understand or cannot see or know just by defining her as poor who struggles to survive…

    im very happy you shared…let me also feel her entirety :))…

    welcome aboard :))

    all the best
    bob

    p.s. yes, by the way, it goes without saying: please take with a grain a sand anything i say ;))))

  18. See, already a problem. Bob didn’t even consider me as a possible writer…

    And we have not even started!

    :-))))))))))))))))))))))

    PS: I say, let’s involve others than the usual supsects. Try, at least.

  19. DAVID

    Sounds exciting and however IT happens, I’m sure it will evolve in to something interesting.

    I’m also glad to hear that you WILL be making it to Perpignan. A few posts back you didn’t sounds so optimistic. Anyway, I hope we’ll get a chance to sit down at some point during the week. I’ll be there from Tuesday until Saturday.

    cheers,
    Charlie

  20. HERVE ;)))))))…

    ooooops….that is like totally totally MY BAD!…it goes without saying Herve: YOU ARE TOTALLY THE WRITER HERE! :)))…

    ok, totally agree: fair enough. I do feel so stupid now, you have no idea….

    i got a good idea: have some folk volunteer to be editors to invite/put together: that way it aint the “usual suspects” but a new, fresh bunch of folk :)))

    and Herve, really, with all of our “on again off again” relationships, you should know that I totally think of you as an essential, and critical part of this blog and one of the reasons that it has thrived: not only because you are a smart and challenging (tireless too, more than I) thinker but also a restless provacateur: in the good sense!!! :))…

    you, if not one else, need to contribute BOTH pictures and writing…

    sorry…

    running
    cheers
    bob

  21. “but, i would feel so proud if we could generate enough funding to have many of you working and with a nice publication as an end result…”

    If the above doesn’t openly state the obvious, let me..

    David, you are the embodiment of commitment in this context, and because of that, I am, and think I can speak for most here, we are, more inspired to be dedicated not only to this community but to our work.

    Your embrace here extends outward in ways you wouldn’t know; today, the person who came to help me shoot selflessly traveled for nearly two hours despite it being a day of fasting for her for spiritual reasons. That incredible commitment apparently came because of mine, which was nurtured and increased by your words and ideas and encouragement..

    I think that commitment as a concept is weighty, like that of sacrifice. But in my eyes, there is no sacrifice in sacrifice if it is done selflessly – rather it is a beautiful human response for us to give of ourselves when we are connected and invested to an ideal/thought/direction/person.. and similarly, with commitment. This place that you built is now our house as it is yours, and if there is a way for us to care for it that is in our reach, we will, I will..

    RE: bulletin board style, I believe that means similar to the structure used at LS.

  22. UNCLE DAVE – Congratulations Scooter and Amanda, What a Cool Wedding! U-Boats? , Pirates? , Blackbeard? – Sounds like my sort of place.Thanks for the interest in the aboriginal community work I’ve been doing – Definitely got me thinking.
    BOB – I’ve spent a long time digesting the Poem you sent me and , compadre , I reaaaallly want to sit down with a bottle or 2 one day , and thanks for putting me onto Giacomelli , caught up with sister Lisa while she was in town , we both agree that The family Black needs to come in out of the cold and warm those frostbitten toes down under.

  23. Bob – I think reminding me that you are also a photographer just got you a cover! :)))

    Seriously, instead of planning for a quarterly, it would be ambitious enough to develop an issue available by, say, next Look3? Subsequent issues could be developed after we see how the first goes.

  24. DAVID BOWEN….

    that is an interesting thought..your idea of industry connections….well, let’s think about that some more…for sure, and maybe you do not realize this, many many editors are already tuned in to what we do here…most likely American editors, but many others as well…

    connecting to what is left of the existing market is surely important…i mean, it is not gone yet after all!!! but, i think we all need to create a new vision for the future…but, for me anyway, all of this should be organic…

    well, let’s keep talking, thinking…by the way, did you receive your book? i think we sent it two weeks ago ….

    cheers, david

  25. DAVID MCG ;)))))))))))))))))))))))))

    i aint that sexy ;))))…i want to give it to Herve! :))))))))))))

    an issue by Look is do-able, with this frickin’ talent pool (and Im talking about all the people who LURK TOO; this place is totally not just about the big mouths like me…)…sounds good d:)))

    BROTHER GLENN! :)))

    thanks kindly…mrs. b and i would love to come down under and have plans too…the poem/essay was meant to be read when in the company of a fine red too :)))…your words mean alot to me, believe me :)))…we’ll see what the magazine does….

    OFF TO BED ;)))

    b

  26. by SEAN GALLAGHER……… :

    “Dear David,

    Well I took your advice and just booked some flights to Perpignan and it seems to have worked out. Gina Martin was incredibly helpful and helped me to find a place to stay with Helen Twomey from Nat Geo. It’s a piece of floor, but that’s all I need! I shall be there from the 1st to the 8th, so hope to see you and everyone from the blog there. I shall keep an eye out for any postings about meeting points, times etc. I don’t have a cell number for Perpignan yet. Picking one up in the UK where I am making a pit-stop from China before arriving in France. Shall post it once I have it. Very much look forward to seeing people from Look3 and new previously unmet fellow bloggers.

    By the way, if there is any way you feel I can help out on the blog, just let me know. I owe you David and I’d like to help.

    Looking forward to Perpignan,
    Sean”

  27. hmmm, since i am some what new to this community and not here from the beginning – i am not sure i have a strong opinion on this (yes, david, i do not always have an opinion). I think what you/we have here is special and unique and personally like the way it is flows.

    i will be in perpignan and i’m sure will be discussing with many of my fellow bloggers here…

    SEAN – so glad the room/floor worked out for you in perpignan – look forward to seeing you there!

    DAH – see you soon…

  28. DAH – oh yeah… nick’s birthday is the 4th (thursday) the night of the NG party! we will have to celebrate!! xo

  29. PATRICIA…

    Are you around? Thought of you this evening…Buffy Saint Marie gave a free concert on the Santa Fe plaza this evening. Indian Market is this weekend. Does she ROCK or what??? For those who aren’t familiar this woman is the Native American Tina Turner! AMAZING.
    I sat on the steps of the stage and photographed the show. I recall you sharing your photos earlier this summer.

  30. Apropos question for me at the moment, having spent yesterday with the lovely Erica McDonald. Erica can get little dogs to sit and pose for her, and she is the epitome of grace and patience while she does it…you can only imagine the wonders she works with her neighborhood characters. Erica’s friendship is one of a few that I’ve nurtured with this blog…she happens to be a wonderful person to spend a day with, but to do it with cameras in tow is particularly special.

    I am most frequently too overwhelmed by this blogosphere to comment and participate, I’ve never been most expressive with my words, and certainly not the impulsive ones that come flowing after the insightful questions posed here. But like so many i lurk and comment periodically, frequently wishing that I was more participatory, but knowing that “my way” is not usually to discuss my projects in progress, and perhaps blogging isn’t my best form of self-expression. That said, I do wish to keep up with the spirit of this venture!

    Still thinking of what and how, but I join the many others, I’d happily give back in any way I can…

    PS, to all of you going to Perpignan, I for one will be longing to join you, have fun!

  31. DAH

    Would LOVE to be involved in the conceptualization/design of the publication! Happy to contribute in any ways you see fit.

    ERICA

    NY. I’ll be there September 10th, 11th + daytime the 12th. Don’t finish your project before then! :) With my participation in the Loft Workshop, I was intending to kill two birds with one stone (minus the killing bit). In addition to seeking a swift kick in the rear from David, I’ve looked forward to assisting YOU!! (I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to!) So so sad to hear you are wrapping things up just days before I get there!! Drats!!

  32. Cathy;

    What a combination; music and photography!! I was fortunate to be able to shoot the 3 day WOMAD festival here in NZ during late summer. Managed to shoot two shows of Sharon Jones and one show of Mavis Staples!! Two soul divas esp Mavis Staples….

    I’ve always wanted my photos to be the visual equivalent of a Pete Townshend solo album….. Am still trying…. I’ve always felt there’s a link between music and photography…

    Cheers

  33. DAVID

    Now that I’m here, I guess the only way to go is inward(upward). As far as others being hesitant to post, I can relate. Pardon the metaphor, but it almost feels like walking into a full classroom for the first time. However, I have no doubts that this place is one of the best available, so I’m glad to be here.

    ERICA

    You are right. By “bulletin board” style, I was referring to a type of setup used by Lightstalkers for example. In my opinion, that format would allow for the discussion of various topics simultaneously, so that participant’s comments do not become lost among the masses.

  34. great – ALL LURKERS
    it’s not how long you have been doing something, it’s how much energy you put into it that defines your place

    so just jump in and take up the space you need.
    a well known musician told me that once, when i was on a job in italy.. new to working abroad and wondering how on earth i managed to get them… no apologies or permission needed and no one here who you need to check with first.

    DAH DMC BOB ALL

    magazine.. journal.. 1/4ly.. brilliant idea.
    i can offer my services to get all content ‘print ready’.. could also help as a fundraiser and act in a general liaison capacity if needed.
    brief cv.. well.. yes.. i helped to set up a magazine a few years ago which is now on issue 24 (produced 6 times a year) and a client list of publications i’ve worked with is here… (scroll down) http://www.bophoto.co.uk/about/about.htm
    in short – a magazine from EPF – perhaps a kind of new photographer catalogue, in a way – would be a commitment i would love to be involved with – as deeply as ya’ll will accept. i have excellent contacts to top writers from the magazine and newspaper worlds… get me, eh?

    DAH

    i’m tripping over myself running down the stairs most mornings to look in the postbox.. it’s not here as yet although i’m not worried.. it will come i am sure.. it’s like christmas eve every day.
    with industry links i guess what i mean to say is that working offf of the stories people are producing, it would be great when people present the concept of their work if they also had in mind a public outlet – not necessarily paper based – could be MM or exhibit.. that way there could be a ‘complete’ couching start to finish – from concept to print/web/ distribution.
    perhaps that is already the point and i missed something, arriving late to the party as i did..
    for me – i have never been able to afford any kind of photographic life without the consideration of selling and distributing the work.. it’s been the point of my work for much of the time..
    and so if i could carry out a start-to-finish project – treating it like an on spec piece to offer around newspaper supplements and the few paper based journals that may be interested – i think that would be of most help to me. hopefully help others see through the cloud of fear sometimes produced by the thought of showing editors work.

    my idea would be based around music and cultural events organized by the teens who have grown up on different sides of a war and use music as a backdrop to reconnect with each other..
    towards that end i’ve been photographing derry and belfast in northan ireland over the past 4 years (exhibited last month in derry http://bophoto-mumblings.blogspot.com/2008/07/festival-exhibition-in-derry-ireland.html ) and made a bunch of trips to serbia and croatia over the last 2 years.
    i think concerntrating on derry and belfast would work best.. i still have a couple of solid photo trips to make – to capture the ex-paramilitary doormen at the venues and to cover a couple of other angles.. perhaps if i also expanded upon the balkans work and maybe journied to palastine and isr it would make a piece with a broad interest which someone might pick up?
    i have a writer i have made many of the N.ireland trips with, who is both excellent and heavily published professionally.

    for me it would be an important story.. the problems left behind after a war are rarely covered by the media.. high unemployment.. high youth suicide.. a destroyed arts community.. occasional backwards looking violence.. however i think the way to really help these places is to look for the positive stories which will help bring about a change in peoples perception.
    these events are often organized at great risk to the promoters and they do astonishingly good work.
    eventually i would like to do a research MA along these lines.. for now though i’d like to see who in the media might be interested.. and so initial pitches would go to the guardian and observer in the uk as well as a bunch of music mags i already have solid ties with.
    any other sugestions, client or otherwise, would be appreciated..
    challange me, people.. tell me whats bad about the idea as well as whats good.
    *smiley*

    ONE MORE THING TO ALL>>
    i am teaching ‘photojournalism’.. i’d rather say photography to be frank.. to undergraduates and i’d like to use some of the projects sourced from here along the way.. i think the idea of only getting the kids to concentrate on magnum, 7 and others will be excellently supplemented by work from here.
    initially i’m thinking of patricia, david mc and now gui as well – a couple more from the ‘projectlinks’ page.. you guys okay with that?
    i think it will serve to inspire the kids to see work-in-progress rather than simply daunt them with the work of M & 7 snappers..
    ???

  35. DAH

    i have taken the liberty of posting this quote from you in my decade editing blog.. if you hate me for it i’ll take it down.. it’s on the right hand side

    my idea now is to approach a few more established photographers whos work i adore, and collect a few good words to throw infront of publishers when the time comes.
    the edit is at about 300 snaps now – down from 20 000 or so.. the rest is on neg now.. going back to 94.. police arrests.. a little violence and the free-party scene i began photoing are the missing additions.. then.. the edits.. loving it now.. after a difficult start.

    quote about Decade
    ”lots and lots of stunning imagery … your eye for the irony/humor of the pop culture/sex/dance scene is quite provocative…you honestly have some truly wonderful party scenes reminiscent of Larry Fink’s New York party world…some way better than his!!!”
    David Alan Harvey july 2008 (Magnum Photos & National Geographic photographer)

  36. DAH : gearing up to fly south to buenos aires on sept.10/08. taking a leica m3 and the collapsible 50mm summicron – along with a boatload of tri-x film. since the camera has no meter i will use my small sekonic incident meter. just curious should i keep to just 400 asa across the board or rate the film @ 320 asa when using my other camera with a meter ? i ask this as more often than not i use tmax 100 for my b/w work. the reason i chose tri-x is more latitude and apparently more resilient to adversities ie..weather, humidity, heat, travel etc..

    also can anyone (DAH) recommend a good color negative film ?

  37. Congrats to the newlyweds! I hope they stay un-conventional!

    I agree the comments system is cumbersome and hard to follow, but I like how things are unified rather than spread out like in a conventional forum. Its like having a conversation at a dinner table and still being able to hear what other people are talking about. Is there a way to RSS feed this? Or put “recent comments” in the sidebar to make it easy to jump right to the end. I’ve used google’s site specific search to pull out authors or keywords in the past, but its not ideal for keeping track.

    Busy boning up on my PJ books for Perpignan, any suggestions? I’m hunting W Eugene Smith in the library today.

    I look forward to hanging on for this wild ride with you folks.

    Always wanted to go to New York.. I like cities… just waiting for an excuse! ;-)

    Good luck and good hunting, Katia!

  38. Gui:

    Enjoyed the colours and the “feel” of life of Carmen, especially mixing it up with flash and ambient shooting. Really enjoyable. There seemed to be a bit of redundancy in the images, lots of side on (in my head it gets labelled as the “Beatles” image) walking pictures. The sequencing does’nt quite work for me, especially your opener. Its good to be immediately introduced to the main character and get a good look at them so I can relate the other pictures back to her. I like images like “Bus Stop” for this. Would it be trite to contrast where she cleans and where she lives? If you put the names of the people pictured into the introduction (especially the gentleman involved) we could get the relationships faster.

    I really like the “Work and Life” image! It has a life of its own!

  39. Neil: go to the magnum site and locate the photographer raymond depardon, besides his fifty images their is a window that displays all of his published books. the best part about this feature is that you can click on each book and see many images contained inside the books; thank you Magnum !! in my opinion his book Voyages is superb. also i like any books from both anders petersen and daido moriyama..

    cheers and happy reading..

    also here is a great resource for photo related books:

    http://www.5b4.blogspot.com/

  40. robert
    it depends upon what you want to get – re; film choices.
    like amp and speakers with music – it depends upon your bag as to whats going to work out well.

    as a rule i understand that fuji lean towards rich colours.. kodak towards cool.. although i will be happily corrected since i put all my money on fuji a long time ago and stuck there ever since. (nightclubs.. lightshows.. needed the reds and warmer end of the spectrum.)

    a trip to the local pro lab and a chat with the hand printing guy may be a good avenue of research before making a big outlay..

    i found it interesting that parr uses exclusively ‘amateur’ film, without post processing, since the colour saturation and other-worldlyness of the end product suits his work well.

    hearing from colleagues over the years the best advice once a colour film you like is found is to stick with it and learn it’s tolerances..

  41. @robert: c41 film choice depends on what you look for. The Kodak and Fuji portrait films have low saturation and massive range. Fuji Superia is more on the saturated contrasty side of things. I think I start to develop a palate for Agfa Vista that’s just plain, although out of production. You can get similar films in supermarkets, like Ferrania film rebranded. Asking what is a good film is like asking what is a good camera… just different tools…

  42. bowen: thanks for the advice//to many choices//difficult for someone like me as i have an indecisive nature//was hoping for an absolute like definitely buy kodak 400 nc or something like that..
    (DAH) Help ie. Suggestions ?

    as for the charles cushman link; thank you. although i will have to brew another pot of strong green tea as i’m feeling sleepy; alright off to boil me some water.

  43. Thankyou for the links Robert, David B!

    The Cushman archive is really interesting! Especially looking at places you know and how they were in the sixties.

  44. ROBERT,
    Reala is an amazing film. Superia 400 is also very good and cheap. Overexpose that one with about 1/3 stop. I haven’t shot Portra, but they are probably very good as well. However, I personally think I prefer digital for colour photography. When I do colour I often want to come close to the reality and I think digital does that better (if you use a good camera of course).

    Cheers

  45. i’m been using a box brownie with 35mm film.
    no word of a lie.

    it’s gone into my ‘suprise films’ pile – now at 30 rolls or so over the past 17 years.. which i’ll one day develop and say.. erm.. ‘what a suprise.. they are washed out and have lost all contrast..’
    some of the rolls were outdated 1980s kodachrome in the first place.

    i enjoy nonetheless.

  46. re; the cuchman archive

    i really buzz off of seeing people in old photos – thats the hook that stole so much time from me yesterday.. just brilliant food for imagination.. and the old cars.. the crumbling 19thC theater and crumbling early car behind it.. all is beautifully washed out colour..

    invigorating.. yes..

  47. joni: thank you – looks good. i like your blog alot very interesting. really appreciate how you make it so personable with your text and pictures.

    brink: great suggestions//do you really think that digi is more pleasing to the eye than film for color- ie.. realistic ? not sure on this one, however surely they both have there merits. not trying to incite a debate here – by the way i like your imagery on your site regardless of how they were created.. good work is good work.

  48. i think digital is a whole bunch easier to deal with working in colour.. switching asa.. colour balance.. it’s brilliant for that shizzle and it is possible with experimentation to get ‘truer’ colours without switching between tungsten / daylight films.. which can be a hassle.

    all depends what you wanna do as an end result and it’s a really personal thing i think..
    like.. no one can tell you to tote a g-string or pecker pouch over boxer-shorts..
    although i have always used boxers and have to say – conceiving a child was easy.

  49. DAVID B…JORDAN

    well,David, i think whatever work we publish of yours here and however we develop one of your ideas will indeed be seen by your favorite print editors….besides this, if we are able to secure enough funding because of the high readership of this site, then we do have the potential to become a venue ourselves…already some of the photographers here have shown their work quite literally to top prints editors at Look3..whether or not they actually get an assignment is totally up to the editor and the photographer, but at least some of you have already “scored” high marks with some editors…if we are able to actually print the work of photographers who have started and developed ideas here, then we in fact become publishers…i think this is the future of the net…sure, we should still develop relationships with the traditional media, but just look around and see what is happening in our business and you will see it is time to “invent” a new way for funding and for publishing…

    Jordan, i think Lightstalkers is an incredibly valuable tool for photographers…and i see what you mean now by the “bulletin board”…but, what i have tried to do here is to be more like “talk radio” where we get a topic going and then we all jump in…and , as i mentioned to David B., i have tried to develop a cadre of photographers here who polish their style and their craft and because of their very presence and presentation on this forum will receive funding to then go out and finish the projects of their interest and passion…

    Sean Gallagher, who received my one and only Emerging Photographer Fund grant back in january is now published all over the place..editors now notice Sean..sure, Sean is a resourceful man and he would no doubt be “out there” anyway, but his presence here certainly did not hurt and he did receive just enough funding to complete some of the work he had started….when i was just in Tuscany , there were two different Italian publishers who had already published Sean’s work online and were thinking of print stories for him..

    on this forum i am able to track at least 25 of you very closely and dozens more who have sent in links… make suggestions and have you eligible for whatever funding comes in this fall….with no more effort on my part, i can fund at least three of you as i did Sean right this minute…but, i want to wait and see what else may come in…

    those who stay “active” here and are constantly showing work to our audience are obviously in a good position for funding..there are at least 5 of you who i am mentoring for possible books…and anyone who really shows me talent and a great essay will certainly be someone “talked about” among the various print editors who are in my world, not to mention the photogs at Magnum , VII and Noor for example…

    pretty simple concept:….do good work…get it published here…get noticed by editors..develop a book…maybe have a chance for funding…

    in any case, i am all ears for your ideas either for this site or for the creation of your own stories…i am just one person with a camera and a laptop and cannot be “on” at all times…but, many of you have figured out how to stay in touch, develop projects and will reap the rewards i think…

    cheers, david

  50. ROBERT,
    Yeah, I think so. Color balance is more accurate and you remove the step of scanning.
    As I say, it depends on the digital camera and film and scanner. To me film ain’t very neutral when it comes to colour, there’s added saturation or contrast, for good or for bad. So I think digital really is easier and more accurate when it comes colour, but at times I love the colour and look from film, but I don’t know if I think it’s worth the hassle anymore.
    Will probably load my film camera mostly with C41 B&W film, because it has huge latitude, scans well and is a good starting point in the computer.

    Cheers

  51. i think it may be time for some kind of web-genius to take a look at the blog and see where it could go in terms of being a stand-alone entity.. a virtual artists studio comprising of an in-progress room and gallery rooms.. MM room.. print sales room..
    a magazine on top would be the strawberry, stuck in the cream, atop a spong and jam cake.

    thats way beyond my knowledge base although perhaps someone here has a handle on that kind of tech.. i’ve aided in the set up of serious community sites and would happily lend what i can?

    DAH – WTF? it’s the middle of the night where you are.. on holiday.. what are you doing here?

  52. here is an idea..

    this nottingham community site http://www.leftlion.co.uk was set up by friends.. i helped a little.. especially when we produced the magazine to accompany the website.

    it *could* be adapted to have articles about ongoing work.. the forum is there.. other special features could be tailored. and the codewriter is a good friend.. although as busy as the rest of us.

  53. MARTIN BRINK…

    you may know how i hate to go too far down the “tech road”, but i will lapse just a bit…

    for black & white, it seems film (at least med format and up) seems at the moment un-beatable when you are looking at prints..that is, if you want a certain “look”…i am using both Tri-X and Portra in the 220 size for most of my family work now…there is also something very very special about color neg in print..

    but i must say i cannot even tell the difference between my color digi and my old color transparencies in print..the gap between digi and color trannies is negligible, depending on how you are printing…i am talking now about inkjet prints…of course, my old Kodachromes printed as Cibachromes are to die for!!!

    cheers, david

  54. DAVID,
    Yeah, it’s just different to me. Shot some C41 B&W film and overexposed it by a stop. I don’t think I could have got the results from digital. The range is amazing, but digital has other advantages, especially for those who work with very high contrast and lots of blacks like Majoli and Pellegrin. Their B&W stuff looks great shot with digital.
    BTW. I love the colour from Living Proof and that’s digital, right?

    Cheers

  55. DAH –

    i like your analogy of “talk radio” style – that is exactly what this feels like.

    It’s “family” sharing, inspiring, encouraging, discussing, disagreeing, laughing, celebrating… from all over the world online… it’s brilliant!

  56. mornin’ all

    my apologies if my earlier comment was a bit too “anything” for your taste..I don’t have time now to write too much but if it didn’t sit right with you on some level know that I see why…it didn’t come out exactly as intended..not the part about DAH. I have some strong feelings about the concept of sacrifice, but not sure I expressed them at all as intended..

    ROBERT

    I see you have some film opinions, but here’s mine..for an all around 400 ASA color film that really holds up in all lighting conditions, including mixed natural and fluorescent/incandescent, I love NPH, or now it’s called Pro H. Not surprisingly, you pay a little extra for it..

    ANNA BARRY JESTER

    I too am so pleased that our virtual connect is becoming a physical friendship..I gave word of our day on the other thread..I am starting to think photographing dogs as a side job could be a good thing for me, it’s crazy hard on one level, but so perfectly joyful and fun on the other..thank you again for all you give, gave..I hope hope you can squeeze in one more day net week.

    BOB

    pls give a shout about your dates in NYC after you have talked with DAH..am flying to Ohio today for the weekend, so at least this jaunt won’t preclude our meeting. Just one more trip planned in September, am thinking of a couple of days for wandering / shooting / getting lost and found with another photographer or two or three. I realized on this past family trip how frustrated I was not to be able to pull over / stop to shoot at will. I personally don’t like driving unless it is small towns and off the beaten path so it’s harder for me to just rent a car and go by myself.

    ANNA B

    I am guessing you will be here for DAH sept 12-19 workshop..how amazing!! Life changing I would guess..I would love to have this experience, though I am someone who really needs my sleep..this is what keeps me from leaping.. I think that your dates before the workshop may overlap with my little photo trip, but lets please stay in touch and if I am here of course I’d so love to hang with you and there will be loads to do still on the project..not sure if you’d be interested but I will need to be gathering and editing audio around that point.

    and there will be a loft party at the end of each workshop, I hope??

    About wrapping up shooting for the project (which may take months more to get ‘finished’ in a MM piece) I feel it really will be time after next week (it will have been shot over a 2month period at that point)..I’ve been getting a bit down on myself as I very much want to contribute to something meaningful and I haven’t had the time / money to do that as I’d like. I just watched again the long term piece (commitment!!! years and years of dedication) by Kristen Ashburn.. BLOODLINE: AIDS and Family and I am so in awe of her all around..her artistic talent is just breathtaking, but her involvement and concern are even superior to her creativity, if that is possible..

    if you haven’t seen the work, it is at http://mediastorm.org/0012.htm

    In any case, my need to do something that is deeply from my heart is whispering to me everyday..I have ideas, but the question is how to make something timely, effective and poignant in the medium..

  57. GINA, DAH…
    stop taking my motherfucking CREDIT AWAY…
    i was the one talked about “TALK RADIO” first…
    i had the first show called the “WRAP UP SHOW”…
    come on people… show some respect “history-wise”…
    come’on…
    dont get me started… suing :)))))))))))))))
    peace

    ps:… im going back to sleep for an hour..
    and then VENICE…..
    Oh i got some “crazy disturbing ” photo links bringing from VENICE this monday night… i cant wait to share with YOU…all…
    Anna, Wrobert… no way for a party this weekend….
    diggin’ in Venice… still diggin’

  58. “…I think the fastest portal to the “group” is to say something that ruffles Panos’ feathers—in a few days you’ll be his best friend.

    Posted by: David McGowan | August 21, 2008 at 05:42 PM…”

    sad but true…. D, :)))) ,
    especially when it comes to my “radio show”…
    keep all the magazines in the world …
    BUT , when it comes to Radio.. please dont take it away from me…

    TWO THINGS I LOVE THE MOST…
    RADIO and SOAP OPERAS…. here i have the best of both worlds…

    so, people please listen to DMcG, and start ruffling my feathers…
    ….:))))))))))))))))

    ok… i will holla back from venice…..
    if anyone wants to ASSIST me the next 3 days in Venice…
    please do not hesitate…. im out of Rodinol, Tri-X, Oxycontins,
    Vicodins, Xanax, Benzodiapins or tylenol pm…
    i only have some expired aspirins… from overseas…
    Again, do not send me anything by the mail…
    please come meet me in person and i will share… with you..
    AGAIN… GONZO WORKSHOP THIS WEEKEND FROM PANOS…
    IN VENICE… forget Julia Dean…. she wont get you HIGH…

    peace and love everyone
    hopefully ill be back with some crazy work in 3 days…
    again , thank you ALL for the endless motivation…
    and once more.. people keep your magazine…
    but give me back my fucking RADIO SHOW…
    peace ( or war )
    ( now you all see why i turned digital

  59. Hey David,

    good to see you back..with some tantalizing words about the EPF….

    In my opinion, neutrality is the last thing Im looking for in color or b/w. Im working with digital for both, and in either case Im processing in a way to be as far from neutral as possible…in b/w I aim for high contrast, while in color I aim for muted or subdued tones. I think the RAW exposure is simply the first foundation, the processing is the building.

    That said I have recently really been working on two projects. HSH will now be more integrated with two other projects under an umbrella called Personal Stills ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/collections/72157604057061111/ ) Ive been sort of having a bit of a hard time recently here, trying to build on a foundation of HSH without repeating myself, which is why I have focused a lot on still life shooting in Domestic Stills http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157605444739051/

    The other project is called Marooned http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/collections/72157606643568147/ the title alluding to the fact that Im pretty much stuck on an “island” (SK is a defacto island, totally isolated from Asia via land links)

  60. …ok ill explain…
    i turned digital because i was wasting too much time
    CHASING LABS…
    i thought it was better dedicating my time,
    CHASING DRAGONS…
    plus you can use Photoshop to fill up ….,
    all this extra time you have waiting for your Drug Dealer to show up at
    your local Starbucks…!!!!!!???
    ;)))))))))))))))))
    see?

  61. DAVID,

    There are many things/ ideas coming to my head about your question. I will think about it as I’m sure we can “build” something great from all of this. In any case I volunteer for any help you may need on line or in Spain.

    I also have work to submitt to the EPF in september :-)

    Seems like many of us will be in Perpignan. That’s fabulous!! I’m in touch with some of you by mail but sure we all will end at Café la Poste (the Castillet one) having a great time! I will arrive to Perpignan on sept 03rd or 4th, as the official portfolios reviews seem to start on wednesday. Having the chance to meet you all there with DAH makes me very happy!!

    Abrazos!

    Ana

  62. David, I would be very happy to be able to bring you my help in France, I do not know high society if it is not Robert Ménard de RSF, Sylvie Hugues of the magazine Réponses photo and I have to meet in Perpignan, Xavier Zimbardo, president of the festival Photsoc… thank you for your commitment to us all…

    I love this forum! I am happy to meet a large number of you in Perpignan, in very soon, audrey

  63. SISTER ERICA :)))

    i will let you know…Marina and i will finalize the date on saturday and then i’ll call DAH and know from there…no worries, it isn’t going to be next weekend as originally planned (to many folk have plans, and Dima returns from Moscow)…but, all will be well…and i’ll write you Sunday…Marina sends hellos :))

    ALL :))

    Perpignan :))……have fun, enjoy, enjoy…y’all gotta do the RADIO PANOS for this one, not that the standard has been set…and i’m in the processing of Matchmaking/Introducing David to a friend of mine (great guy, but also very important guy in France)…part of the effort to expand the horizon of this community beyond just congratulating but to help and make it possible for the great work done here to be noticed…

    as david always reminds, i too am a big believer in giving back, helping others, metta (loving kindness in buddhism, our practice)…so, who knows, but soon others we be aware of this community and the work and dialogue being done that will continue David’s efforts to expand and to bring good things to people who care…so, that’s my tease for the day :)))

    hugs
    running away now for a few days y’all

    bob

  64. Hi ALL

    Tonite is the NYC Premiere of FLYING ON ONE ENGINE (documentary film)

    I took the photo for the poster..I’ll be out of state, but please go if you can and support both this lovely film and the charity..

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2396721382

    It’s part of rooftop films..

    Flying on One Engine
    Charming curmudgeonly doctor Sharadkumar Dicksheet lives half the year in a small, dingy apartment in Brooklyn, surviving on Social Security payments. The rest of his year is spent performing hundreds of operations a day in India, saving tens of thousands of lives a year. A portion of each ticket sold benefits his charity, The India Project.
    http://newyork.going.com/event-359193;Rooftop_Films_Flying_on_One_Engine

    GINA

    just sent you a note on facebook

  65. Some thoughts on what this blog/community might do in the future:

    It would be great if there were an easier mechanism for commenting on people’s photos. Critiquing photography is an art that requires practice, but it can be enormously helpful in one’s own shooting. Formulating opinions on other people’s photos and wrestling with their intentions and execution can offer insights into your own photography and challenge you to grow and expand. Not every photographer is meant to be a photography critic, but developing critical skills is important.

    We do some this now, but the conversation is spread out among a hundred posts in a given thread. There are lots of smart and insightful people here. It would be good to focus some of those energies on specific photos.

  66. … a brainstorming salon on the DAH roof is in order methinks … with draft requests for some of the “players” in new media … organic freewheeling crazy dreams … it would be a shame to let this continuing momentum plateau. Further David, further!!! You are THE fulcrum. I am sure there are plenty of amazingly talented people to pull the levers if it is to create something “new” and unique and build upon the foundation of community created here.

    A truly good idea will find the means …

    There has to be print, must be print but i think there must be more as well … the opportunities are like never before and yet no one has quite hit the mark just right yet, at least not in a coordinated multiplatform organized yet freewheeling inclusive kind of way …

    I understand not wanting to “get bigger,” at least in the sense of maintaining the family being built here everyday but can’t there be the possibility of THINKING BIGGER in terms of potential, presentation and possibility?

    Really, this community is going to continue to grow as long as you don’t do an Alec Soth on us (sorry Alec, we do understand) … continued growth is a reality … so it only makes sense to take all of this creative energy and start building a house or two … not too planned, no bloody subdivisions or ticky tacky houses, but, an organic hippie shack or two around the town square.

    Seems like lots of photogs like to moan about the state of the industry waiting for a white horse to ride in but like some of the best story ideas, the genesis of the “next big thing” may well, and should, come from the photographers, photo editors (who often want to run “better” work but can’t in the corporate environment), writers, artists and dreamers. The internet has leveled the playing field … let the creatives create and leave the corporate miasma to feed upon itself.

    All of that said … planning, organization, frameworks, mission statement (ugghh, did i really just say mission statement? … fuck me i’m getting old) and all the other boring upfront stuff is important as well. BUT BIG THINKING FIRST!

    Call it … The Left Bank of Brooklyn Salon … or Further Over Brooklyn … or …. ? ((((: THINK BIG!

    hmmm, got carried away … just a thought … sorry David Alan Harvey but you are stuck with us now, let’s do something special, something refreshing, or at least get a little drunk and solve all the publishing industry’s problems … i think you did say some months back that Guinness is on tap in this forum, right?

  67. DAVID

    I am still working on home town stories but not in kamienna gora but in wroclaw and soon I will work in walbrzych katowice czestochowa (polish cities) and many others places when I will find something what I could call Hometown. It will be story about poland I suppose, and then… I dont know what I will shot as my hometown… rome? NY? Delhi?
    hmmm I wish to shoot somewhere at the sea… Iceland or Greenland… yes I need sea…
    Right now I am just sketching with camera… thinking by images…. nothing serious… or serious?
    http://marcinluczkowski.com/news/

    peace

  68. does anyone know why kent klich left Magnum in 2002 after being a member for four years. his pictures are really touching – all top shelf..

  69. does anyone know why kent klich left Magnum in 2002 after being a member for four years. his pictures are really touching – all top shelf..

  70. okay had some time to think about it…

    …david PLEASE don’t change the organic nature of this wonderful thing we have… it’s like a big hippy house (yes that’s the analogy young tom!) with a lot of conversations going on at the same time… please… do NOT try to strucutre this or it will die, i promise you… no compartments for the conversations, the critiques, the writings, all HAS to be done mixed up and all at the same time like it is now .. this wondeful chaos is the catalyst of the energy we create and it’s sparking into real things all the time… it is sociology 101 that you do not try to structure this but that you nurture and feed it… mind you, it ONLY works here BECAUSE everyone who joins in is de facto like-minded and cares enough to voice an opinion… do not take this for granted, it is quite unique… there is, as far as i can think of, nobody who does NOT get heard here… sure, yes, sometimes you have to yank the chain a little (i need constructive criticism on my tiny “acrobats” story! here! here! look at me! :))) but that is like it is in real life: you have to speak up a little to get heard. we don’t need to install a system so that everybody gets heard automatically, it’s just the point that you learn to speak up and stand up for yourself… it’s so much easier here than in real life… if you can’t get people to hear you here, what on earth are you going to do in the real world?

    (oh by the way, i haven’t the faintest clue how to get “heard” in the real world, or get ‘the right’ people to look at work i do. i’ve tried dropping my trousers on festivals, jumping off bridges and streaking football games… all to pretty limited success i confess)

    i’m a web designer. been so for about 11 years now… ages in internet terms. i tell ya: PLEASE do not change a thing about the “formula” here… it is absolutely fine like it is now, a mirror of the lively chaos of the real world, like-minded people engaged in wonderful conversations, wonderful writing, wonderful images, wonderful advice, and then there’s PANOS.

    it takes effort to be a part of this here, it takes some commitment, even if that only means reading and keeping up with the conversations… i mean, just reading takes me about 45 mins every day, and that in turn makes me think not sleep and think more and learn, and even write sometimes too… i care about you all, and in my book that equals commitment.

    about commitment:
    i am by no means a rich person, but i saved up for a DAH workshop… if i get accepted……. i am willing to give up this workshop and give the $ here as a help towards the funding of the publication… and the time i save into making stronger images still… i know in one way i wil cut myself and bleed doing this… it is all i have… but in another way i might just help a little making something much more wonderful happen… way more important that our energy GETS REAL and i would be proud to have had a chance of maybe being meaningful to it…

    ——

    blogwise,

    the only thing i would change is help the people who are NOT an active “participating” part here, the people who are a part of the people we all want to reach to get published: they need to be able to see the work here fast and efficient; without delving through 700 comments. a section for everyone’s portfolio, just a list of names & links and a short description, a bit like you already did on the student’s work post, should do just fine. minimal effort, maximum effect.

    and for the participants: just add ONE simple tool that will give everyone a tremendous help in keeping up the conversations here. not threading, not bulletin-boarding, not “foruming”, but just add an RSS/ATOM feed for the comments! nothing more, nothing less, visually nothing changes on the blog, and apparently it’s dead easy to install this for typepad (anyone know how?), and in this way you empower every reader to organise the comments as they see fit on their own time… not having to reload/revisit everytime, and content gets “pushed” to your computer… okay maybe not if you’re in an internet cafe, but the blog is still there…

    am i making any sense?

    publication-wise there are some pretty cool ideas floating around… i like david b’s take on it all, no nonsense and straight to the point. i wish i had experience & contacts so i could offer the same as he does…

    i think a yearly print publication is definitely possible. with the tools of self-publishing it is very reachable. i mean you don’t need to use blurb, but there are other solutions out there that take hi res pdf files, so we can art direct ourselves completely. then put it up for sale, see how many buy the first issue and then use that case to step it up… in whatever direction that may be… no need to decide that now, as long as we keep the energy flowing, things will materialise… just look at sean gallagher… how great is he doing…

    DAVID WAIT another idea:

    what if, besides the EPF grants you would also grant AEPF grants (“assignmented” emerging photographer’s fund”) in another form: not money, but a presentation on a page of this site: name, short short bio and slideshow + text. i think this would be a great way for people who get an assignment from you to show their work to all, and editors, publishers and the like can follow the progress and literally “see” EP’s in the making…

    yes yes i think this might be a good idea

    peace
    anton

  71. Bob, :-))))

    playing your E string, the one that sears!…

    I am sure David will not be lacking with people wishing to contribute to a/the magazine (wow, Bob, how traditional, what happened to astral projections, and no print for godsake!!! :-) ).

    I understood he rather meant more managerial/networking type of hands-on activity to make things happening, though I am not sure how the conversation went into film vs dig again from there, haven’t read all.

    Actually, David, may I suggest something?

    You often tell us this blog generates interest beyond just photographers, yet, we still have to read one line from a professional (editor, publisher, gallery owner, even critiques, etc…) so far.

    How possible could it be to have someone from the “industry” submit to the interview exercice, as Allard and Nachtwey did?

  72. DAH
    Any help you might need from this part of the world I am totally on !
    I love this feeling of community work and I think I could be helpfull in some point. I am ready for suggestions.

    BOB

    I’ll try to answer your questions, but I am not able to give all the answers, at least not in images. First, I would like to say that I am extremely happy with your feeling about this work. It’s really good to see that, it hits some people with the power I think it had.

    Well observed, i don’t have party time for Carmen. In fact, Carmen did not have party time on the last years. Not just only one day party when we were walking side by side. I think just clean her house will not put away all the suffering for her life… nor the other 6.5 million in the same situation… you are right .
    The point here is that I saw her smile just when she is at home, with her family !
    She always prefers to be at home that go out for a party. She needs to be at home ! That’s what I could see all over these days.
    But this is really a good point, and it was at my schedule at the beggining, but I didn’t want to fake it since it doesn’t happen in front of my eyes.
    Maybe I’m too late for fun in her life, I should have been there 12 (or more) years before… So I do prefer to keep this point out in this moment. But what can I show to you that you could not understand ?
    well… I don’t think it’s even near to be normal when you have to struggle to survive at this way (wich of us did it the same way ? one time inserted in her life, I began to think we are all f*** luckers !) with 3 biological kids, and husband, to feed, clean, learn, pay the bills (cleaning houses and taking care of someone’s kids) anyway, a person that works 8 hours in someone house, plus 8 hours in your proper house, with a new born baby and just decide to adopt another boy without any kind of distinction, first because she wanted a boy second because she have pity…. god ! would you do that ?? I don’t see it everyday. That’s why i think she is a tough woman ! It was my decision to show the beauty in her life. People suffering we can see everyday here in this part of the world, this is such ordinary, but not the way I see her. And the way I see her is not the same way I see other people in the same situation.

    I do not know Pedro Costa, but i am running to learn more about him and his work.
    if you have any cool link, please send me !

    DAVID BOWEN

    I’ll be honored to be part of it ! Let me know more about your teaching !

    NEIL

    it’s pleasant to me receive your ideas, and thoughts about this work. I really appreciate !
    I’ll try to get better on my introduction, but the meaning of it may be more confused if I put the image you told me as the first one. I’ll break the life time between day, night, work if I do that. Don’t you think ? That “Bus Stop” picture for me is more like finishing the work and going home than awaking and going to work.
    For me it’s almost obvious where she lives and where she works. Where do you think she lives ? The good and “normal” house or the dirty chaotic house ? where can you see her smiling ? where can you saw her family ? It’s quite explained for me… but It would be helpfull if you tell me how it could be better ! That’s the point. Thanks a lot for your help !

    Good luck for all you going to Perpignan

  73. Talking about commitments… tomorrow I’ll be shooting my sister’s wedding. Commitment time for Gabi and Edu on the sugar cane part of the world. I am going home with the dogs !!

  74. BOB,
    So nice from you that you are putting David in contact with that friend in France. Hmm you should also come to Perpignan!! Why don’t you think of it? ;-)

    GINA,
    Just sent you an e-mail :-)

  75. Hey ANTON, that is a good idea! :

    “what if, besides the EPF grants you would also grant AEPF grants (“assignmented” emerging photographer’s fund”) in another form: not money, but a presentation on a page of this site: name, short short bio and slideshow + text. i think this would be a great way for people who get an assignment from you to show their work to all, and editors, publishers and the like can follow the progress and literally “see” EP’s in the making…”

  76. hey ana…

    and, if you get selected you *know* the editors/publishers/DAH posse and lots of others *will* be watching you… up the pressure… see the editing process happen live with david… deliver super images we all will love… that’s what it’s all about…

    …and for a developer it should be easy to set up a template so david has no extra work… just the hardest bit: selecting the EP’s :)))

    love

  77. HERVE

    I just have a moment, but as to your comment that industry pros aren’t here, I have to say you are mistaken..you may not be familiar with their names/professional roles.. but you are right, they are not exculsively or specifically writing about their expertise..I think it is a feasible idea to have an ‘ask the editor’ or such thread…but I do wonder about someone wanting to completely ‘out’ themselves if they plan to stick around the blog as a ‘commoner’ as well; the concern would be that the photographers would put too many demands on them in their ‘off’ time, when they just want to be here as humans…maybe there are non dah blog industry pros who would be willing to ‘submit’ to the interview process..am curious as to what DAH thinks

  78. HERVE: :))

    E-STRING in tune ;)))….im for ALL possibilities of photography: :)))…and yes, i still love prints (ibid, my comment about giacomelli) b/w, color, film, digi, transparencies, whatever…still love them (old and new), but they’re just no longer the end-all-to-be-all for me…in fact, less and less really…but prints still are lovely…and i still make ’em, just not the focus of my work anymore, now it’s more about using the pictures for something else: books, projections, conceptual representations, words, potential places for distribution…i love photography entirely, not just one aspect (prints) for example. this includes “traditional” format: magazines (love a good magazine, like PRIVATE or APERATURE or NG, etc), books, printsonwalls, but love (ache really) over other means: web, games, films, mm, ringu-via-web (something i suggested to David last year when the assignment idea first got kicked around), etc etc etc…i love the entirety of photography…i just dont get why so many photographers still cling to tradition, especially in a medium that, by definition, seeks innovation…

    Also: there are folk reading…doesnt mean that have to comment…..the blog takes alot of time and attention…i know myself i struggle (always seem to loose the battle) with this myself ;)))))…but Sister Erica is target-nose bullzzzzeyed! :))

    GUI: Pedro Costa: i met and drank with him last year here when he had a retrospective…find his films!, a link:

    http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2007fall/costa.html

    he’s a genius…and an interesting man…especially when you share a cigarette ;)))

    enjoy

    running
    b

  79. MAGIC HOUR IN VENICE..
    Right now..
    Right this minute..
    Guinness is flowing.. Band is playing..
    Ready to attack.. I wish YOU WERE
    HERE..
    I’m gonna go wild tonight…
    You guys raised the bar so high god damn it…
    I don’t wanna let YOU down..
    I don’t ..
    One promise for ALL..
    I ain’t going to jail tonight..
    I promise..

  80. I love this place but comment rarely and have not showed work yet due to the commitments of two young sons , a wife, a day job and the whole living in another culture thing. I need to shoot more that is clear as I want to play a more active role in this community (no excuses though just a bit lazy I`m afraid). I don`t know if I can be of any help but if if Roadtrips needs anything done in Japan I will try my best to do it or contact people that probably can do it better than me. Because, my personal photo difficulties aside, I find I am inspired daily by the people here and think David has done an amazingly generous thing in giving his time and a large part of his considerable energy to helping those that have talent by the bucket load but before this forum grew could not get any feet in the doors, anywhere.
    Of course he needs to concentrate on his own work more.
    David you once said that “we are a lot more like you than you imagine” when talking about the awe that ordinary photographers have for the like of Magnum, 7 and Noor people. That may be true as I know a lot of pro-shooters here in Tokyo and they are to a fault, generous, open, helpful and above all indulgent of my questioning and borderline worship but, without a doubt, you are one of a kind. I love the organic nature of this place, that there is no need to sign in, know some strange, private language and that your ideas, to a greater degree, still direct the conversation we have. I like that I can visit when I have time and find something interesting among the hundreds of comments and I hope that it doesn`t change too much. My only fear if it does grow it that it will get like Lightstalkers with cliques and angryness breaking out. The most amazing thing here is how friendly everyone (who isn`t anonymous anyway) is to each other be they regular, vocal contributors or occasional commentors like myself.
    Thank you
    Damon

  81. Again, HERVE

    sorry, I was writing too quickly, my tone sounds a bit rough / rude I think and that certainly was not my intent..I think I have been doing too much multitasking lately..and my grammar is poor in that note as well! apologies..

  82. ok… VENICE REPORT…
    You all remember SCOTTIE , THE KING OF ALL HOMELESS.
    or , the KING OF ALL VETERANS..
    Anyways.. Scottie,
    was missing from Venice for almost two weeks now…
    There was a rumor… A rumor that… That Scottie was dead..
    The King was Dead!!!!??? And where the hell was I ??!!!
    So, I was sad, upset, guilty.. sipping on a guinness .. and
    Then..!!! And then the phone rung!!!
    It was Sarah!!!!
    The King is Alive..!
    Scottie is in the VA hospital (veteran and sawtelle ave.),
    TIED DOWN IN HIS BED ( restrained, dry, tortured,
    dissed,squeezed… abused, disrespected .. humiliated..)
    The treatment of a HEROE..
    Someone that gave away his mental and physical
    health for your motherfucking freedom you assholes..
    Anyways.. Scottie is so necessary for my Venice bullshit..
    Scottie is so necessary for America,
    Scottie is a soldier,
    Scottie is all alone tied down like an animal to his
    filthy bed.. Scottie is me.. Is you..
    Scottie is America..
    Scottie is venice..

    I’m going to the VA hospital first thing tomorrow..
    I’m going to expose the Hypocritical “help”
    Provided by the state to our heroes..
    People.. Stop being ungrateful and stop treating
    your heroes.. Your ( ours) veterans with so
    much Hate and Neglect..
    For God’s sake..
    And BTW.. fuck GOD too
    ps: I’ve had it.. Ok: more news tomorrow..
    I’m bringing the camera into VA HOSPITAL
    first thing tomorrow .. Let ‘EM bitches kick
    me out.. So WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!

  83. MARCIN – I just love Wroclaw / unknown girl
    she reminds me of the Robert Frank photo of the girl in an elevator in the Americans. more to follow

  84. All,

    quick comment about this digi vs film stuff you chated about…

    I think that the film era will be over when Leica will produce m9 full frame camera and Nikon and Canon will made some full frame small simple body digital cameras like f3 or fm2. After that everybody will forget about films, because many photographers don’t want walking with big d3 or even d700 on the streets or travel.
    But thats all, after that film will be the past.
    Sad but truth…
    If I will have money for d700 I will buy manuall 35 f1.4 and probably I will forget about film also.
    Of course I prefer m9 :)

    ok enough about tech stuff must run to wedding :)

    peace

  85. Hi Erica, I did not pick up any thing rude coming from you. I was indeed talking about the professional input itself, not stating there is no one posting here with that expertise. This, I have no idea, unless they present themselves as such.

    It’s also because these people might find over-reaching to volunteer expertise themselves on a fellow professional’s blog, or some other reason, that I thought an interview might be a good format.

  86. herve erics

    i think if you want to talk with an editor in my experience they are quite open people and willing to connect with anyone approaching them with a folio presentation.
    in london – i used to just call them up, book a meeting and go see them.. newspapers, agencies..
    jenny ricketts, then editor of observer life and teh guardian, once told me that all *good* editors treat each folio pitch with the same weight, whether it be from a large agency or a single photographer starting out.

    it can only take one or two contacts independently with an editor to find the magical one or two editors who may filter work through to you on a regular basis.. and thats all thats needed at any one time – one or two or three good editors.

  87. marcin: i totally disagree about film being finished when the full frame digi cameras come out – leica (m9) etc.. believe it or not there are those of us out there that have no desire to use digital. for me i like the fact that film is a tactile medium and it’s tangible ie.. i can see it – digital is to elusive for me – i think i would have nightmares at night about all of my images being consumed by a giant vortex that is off limits too me. gone forever lots of water down the drain..

    when i read statements like that i instantly feel paranoid and insecure about what i love so much. my heart is in the history and traditions of the film generation. all of my favorite shooters are film boys and girls. would someone please reassure me that film has at least another twenty solid years ? if most of the film companies ie. kodak/fuji stop manufacturing most of their emulsions – won’t they at least produce a couple stocks like the basics tri-x or t-max etc..

    Viva la Film !!

  88. ALL

    can we;
    put the film down and move away from the subject..
    please.. can we just put in down to taste and stop talking in absolutes?

    ‘only the sith talk in absolutes’
    (obi-wan kinobi)

  89. Hello ALL!

    Been away for a bit as I have been spending some time with my family and friends on the annual UK visit. Even have the mother-in-law over this time! A very excitable American amongst the rather reserved English (yikes!) ;).

    Anyways to matters at hand…To date the wonderful thing about this blog has been the exchange of ideas, available critiques, meeting new people and some exposure amongst those who view the blog—all key in the development of careers in photography.

    One issue that has already been brought up is the format of the blog. In my opinion it isn’t as user friendly as it could be—especially perhaps to new guests or those that are unable (or don’t need to) view every day (like editors for example). The huge volume of posts, which is of course wonderful!!, is also rather daunting and difficult to get through if you miss a few days.

    There is often talk of editors viewing the site, and I am sure within their busy lives they must have trouble keeping up (700 posts over the last week!).

    This is one area where the links page has been successful. As you can view work easily. Drawback with this though is that you can only comment back on the blog and threads get fractured as new posts come in. I have been thinking more about the the format of the blog in relation to a bulletin style which has already been mentioned a few times. This would perhaps make more sense. To add to this, two or three specific areas could be made: General Forum (for questions and ideas etc, an area specifically for links (and comments on said links) and an area for general chit chat.

    David, you didn’t really touch on the logistics of the site so much in your post, more how the concept and community can develop, but as this is the foundation of the community I feel a redesign would a huge benefit as it would streamline things a great deal.

    I, as all of us, am astounded as to how David can offer so much time to this forum. I think that streamlining the design may also offer a him break in this respect. If things are to grow in the right direction and this becomes a real talent pool that editors consider for assignments, it needs to be easy for them to do so. This takes the work away from you David. I feel that currently if someone (and this happened a couple of months back, with Karen Mullarkey) is interested in using a photog here they will go through you —ie more work for you. Give the editors the freedom to browse through and see some of the wonderful talent we have here. Lightstalkers has already been mentioned a couple of times…. One great thing about the site is the ability to have a personal profile with a gallery that enables you to network more efficiently. It gives editors the ability to view individuals work and communicate easily with them.

    It would certainly be nice to keep advertising off the site, and especially generate sponsorship for individuals, but is there a real interest from companies or organizations to sponsor. I don’t know?… Great if so, but perhaps offering advertising to specific, sympathetic companies/orgainizations could offer some kind of constant revenue that could be used in the right way. I guess I just see this option as being more appealing to those looking to advertise.

    Outside of the web a core group of members could/should be established, to push this community further in terms of its development and fundraising etc. And take the pressure off David. I am happy to help in anyway that I can to push this to a new level and make it “fly” as David says. Count me in!

    So David, hope to catch you at Perpignan, and especially everybody else going!. We can talk about all this (and drink nice French beer!!). So far I know Audrey, Charlie, Gina, Sean will be there, but who else? Is there a time and place that we can meet (did I miss this conversation already!?)…

    Cheers all!

    James

  90. OK let’s change subject (anyway I use both digi and film and hope to keep going on like that, budget permitting).

    ANA GINA and all “the lucky that are going to Prepignan”
    I’m also a lucky one..going, as said in previous post, from 1 to 7 so I’ll write you an email. Or we’ll meet “somewhen” :) at Cafè de la Poste (yes the right one, Castillet)

    DAVID
    This Radio talk (pardon Panos) or Hippy House (sorry Anton or Young tom) or Happy space or whatever (BUT NOT BLOG :) ) it seems to me to be perfect (am I sith?), don’t need to became larger or brillant-webdesigned but only to improve in any of us, writer or dreamer, partecipant or lurker, new or old. And most of all I’m sure that you know or will know very well what is or will be the best.
    It doesn’t affect with the fact that from this new wonderful things will came to life.

    ALL
    I don’t use to ask feedback but I need to choose one between this three photo: http://picasaweb.google.it/lauranutella/ToEditONLYONE?authkey=N_bc_WDfJSY
    It’s for the portfolio composed by a small extract of 4 projects (“Gipsy camp”, “Landscape of Palestine”, “Far from home” and “Feticheur”) going on since years and having as a common essay “Restlessness”.
    I already share with you but if you need to choose the one the other are here:
    http://picasaweb.google.it/lauranutella/Portfolio4SmallView
    Answer also with private mail if you don’t want to write here.

    GUI
    Thank you for the good luck but ….aren’t we going to Perpignan to have a party ?:)))

  91. Laura:

    Number two for me. Although I do like the silhouetted hand in the first one, the woman on the right makes it for me in the second.

    James

  92. ALL,

    quick note … no time…

    Ready to help wherever turns out necessary! I have great contacts to a company that does all kind of web programming (whole portals, interfaces for print & press, uploads for all kind of multimedia, etcetcetc. Multiuser, Multilangual if necessary) They are in Germany, though. But ready to help – they just love it when it gets complex :)
    I talked to them yesterday and the first thing my friend came up with was an idea like Lightstalker, which would be kind of easy for them to do BUT is obviously not necessary. They are not into photography, so they do not know what there is already.

    In case the brainstorming creates new ideas that would make new web-applications & approaches necessary, they at least could help theoretically if not practically.

    JAMES, ALL

    I will be in Perpignan too. So will Diego Orlando. Gianluca Marucci wrote me an email yesterday – he will unfortunately not manage it. But Ana Yturralde will. Cannot check right now whom I missed …

    Apparently there is a meetingpoint at the Cafè de la Poste at Place de Castillet, but Diego said not to worry and just to follow the “stream” of people.

    Anyway, we are exchanging cellphones too, apart from the mask-thing. I’ll be writing you an eMail with my number. And you might want to check with Ana, Audrey et.all.

    Cheers,
    (today running too)

    Lassal

  93. RAFAL

    I really enjoy the domestic stills..especially the feel of the quietly specific ones..bathtub drain, haircut!, fan, ride me, shoes at the door, knife, food tray, food on the stove, off!, 57, also balls/baloons in a pile. A very good addition I think to the other way of showing the story.

    GUI

    This won’t be in depth as I am short on time, but there is a lot to talk about with this work..I know you have invested 3 solid weeks already..I think it could be important to spend even more, and you wrote that this could be possible as there is already a closeness…

    There are some images which really grab me and/or seem important parts of her story and/or are visually poetic: morning sounds, route, work 1, work and life, can’t stop, changes, solitude, act 2, vanity, portrait of davi, the world..but there is a part of the story here that I personally am missing, I think this strong story can be even stronger and I’d feel privledged to see that view..thank you so much for sharing this beautiful work..

    HERVE

    good! got it..I agree that an interview might be a good format..could be fun, insightful. I’ll stop apologising..

    LAURA

    As a stand alone image I an most engaged with the second..but with the others in the piece I think the first may be the most fluid..not sure though. Love the feel of the kids running.

  94. Thanks Lassal, got your email.

    If PERPIGNAN peeps want to send me their contacts.I am happy to try and arrange a meeting time/place for EVERYONE if this hasn’t been done already. I don’t know the city, but i’m sure we can figure something out… I’m happy to be the hub to accumulate all the contacts.

    james@jameschance.com

    James

  95. JAMES (ALL… PERPIGNAN)

    Yes, we are already a good bunch of people that will be hanging around in Perpignan (parties as Laura points, work -portfolios reviews- and a lot of photography!. Sean Gallaguer, Eric Spinosa, Lassal, Diego Orlando, Audrey Bardou, Davin, Laura Montari, Charlie Mahoney, Gina Martin, Neil… and DAH !!

    As Lassal said, the meetingpoint will be at Cafè la Poste at Place de Castillet after the projections, but we are exchanging cellphones by email so we all can get in touch easily. Stay in touch, and see you there!!

    LAURA,
    Write me an email and will give you my number. I’ll arrive at Perpignan on sept 03rd.

    Looking forward to meeting you all!!

    Ana

  96. ERICA

    Thanks a lot for you honest oppinion ! It’s very very important to me know how people feels about Carmen’s Life essay.
    Yes, I will keep this work on my desk and developing it as long as I can. My point now is try to know better what is missing here and how can I improve it as a photo essay.
    I agree I’ll need more time to develop this work, and I want to go decided of what I need. That’s why your oppinion is such important for me. So, what part do you feel missing ? Sometimes I feel like I am going crazy with this ! That’s really good ! I am glad you like it. That’s such a honor to share this work here.

    LAURA

    Isn’t good to travel with a “good luck” on your bag ? I do prefer !!! Even it’s for fun…. better if for fun !! :)

  97. great job GUI,
    MARCIN, RAFAL.

    Hey Gina :)))
    Hey Laura:)))
    Hey ALL ( waking up- ready to go to the
    Veterans Hospital)…
    Let me dive once more into this craziness,
    into this drama..
    Good morn and good light to y’all…
    Peace

  98. LAURA M

    I am a bit confused by your three pictures. No. 3 is a completely different picture than No. 1 or No.2…(?) I lke No. 3 a lot. It is a little more straightforward and simple as a composition and a more open and direct view than some of the others in your series, but I feel it has a direct human connection to the woman with her chicken, and the walls around her are beautiful. I don’t understand why you are choosing between this and Nos. 1 and 2 (?). 1 and 2 are more stylized and ‘trendy’… but I see how they work in your series… if I were to choose between those two, I would take No. 1 for the rim-lit faces on the right and the claw-like hand (looks like a chicken claw!). Sorry to disagree with Erica.

  99. Laura, I like #2; there’s an air of mystery and tragedy about it that I like, although I’m sure the reason I like the mystery and the tragedy is because I am not on the receiving end of the mystery and the tragedy. La Rouchfoucauld was right: we all bear the tragedies of others with great equaminity.

  100. EVERYBODY

    After all the trouble a number of forum contributors were having with Lightstalkers over the last two weeks, I can’t quite believe that a bunch of other forum members are seriously suggesting that this site be more like Lightstalkers! It crashes my system every time I try to look at somebody’s portfolio there.

    Since we’re floating trial balloons about ‘where the site should go from here’ I’ll add my 10 rupees. The forum itself? Absolutely nowhere! I thought everybody agreed this site was unique and wonderful! Its energy and stimulation and occasional profundity and general human good will all come from the cocktail party format. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

    But I understand two problems… one is David’s workload and responsibility. I don’t think that pertains to the site per se… it is about the work of the EPF- raising money, administering it, setting up the galleries on the other site, arranging slide shows, etc. That is all related to this forum but has actually been operating in parallel. That’s where David needs help and to delegate responsibility.

    The other problem… all you lean and hungry young photographers want to sell yourselves, get exposure, be seen, get feedback from editors and buyers… Once again, although related to this forum, I don’t see whay that can’t be done in a parallel universe. So if for example David McGowan, Tom Hyde, Bob Black, Herve, or whoever want to set up some kind of magazine, either online or hard copy, that draws on the work of forum members and has David’s blessing, why not? and if that becomes part of the conduit for funding, OK…

    But please leave the forum alone! Talk of ‘streamlining’ (whatever that means) or ‘Lightstalkers’ gives me the shudders.

  101. You know, I’m trying to remember the last time anyone ever referred to me as lean, hungry, or young, but memory, as it is wont to do beyond a certain point, fails me. Still, it’s nice to be thin, even if it’s only on the Web.

  102. Laura,
    beautiful work! I like very much 1 and 2, 1 more classic has my taste but 2 speaks to me more, I like very much your work on Rome…
    Gui,
    thank you for the sharing, you have a very beautiful intimacy with this family…
    Kind regards, audrey

  103. Erica,

    thank you. We all surround ourselves with things and those things speak a lot about us. For me still lifes are a way of filling in the spaces and showing something more complete. The specific ones are my favorite, because they are specific to me but also perhaps mysterious to others….it was a suggestion from David when editing for the Look 3 show to show photos that were in David’s words “esoteric” and its how Ive been trying to take the whole project.

    The one I really wish I had more time to really do is Family Ties because theres so much potential there….but time and distance dont allow me to spend enough time there to really dig in.

  104. LAURA,

    I just took a look to your three pictures. As the two first are very different from the third, I think it is important the “purpose” why you are editing just one. There are different emotions, feelings and sensations from the first two and the third! Without knowing the final destination of the picture you finally choose, I really like the first two. And from those, definitely I prefer the second one :-)

    AUDREY, GINA,

    I did not know that Lance and Pierre-Yves were going to Perpignan too. That’s great!!

  105. ERICA, JCHANCE, SIDNEY, AKAKY, AUDREY, ANA and All
    Thank you for your advise!
    It was really useful to me. In a certain sense it confirm my opinion … that I can’t choose :) joking… that for Portfolio the first run better with the other (also if the second … alone works maybe better).
    I know that the third one is different. I have a link with that one but…I can’t explain.. it’s a part of something else…a work on Gurunsi that it’s one of the few that I can’t stop editing mostly because… I still haven’t choose between B&W and color.
    The same old story. That work is in colour but I can’t do without the BW ones.

    GINA & Perpignan
    Just sended and email (I don’t have the Ana email but someone is doing a mailing list)

    GUI
    of course! “Good luck” are always welcome

  106. GUI….

    i did spend some time looking at your work with Carmen…i have many suggestions, but because of my family time right now, i just will have to wait and critique after next week…you will be the first critique i do when i “come back”..i hope you understand….

    LASSAL…

    i am planning to have your story, along with all of the others , published on this site…unfortunately i left new york and totally forgot to give our show to Mike to post here…i have no idea how to take the cd Diego made and post it on the web…so, i will have it all done by the time we all show up in Perpignan…

    LAURA M.

    yes, we will have a party..but, i would not go all the way to France for a party….i will be trying to set up a venue in Perpignan for next year for the best work from our forum…i am also suggesting that all of us meet at some point for a little planning session…anyway, we will definitely have fun!!!!

    JAMES…

    i have had many “feelers” from sponsors and advertisers….i have rejected advertising on this site straight away…however, both Livebooks and Digital Railroad have donated there parts to this forum….subtle advertising….anyway, if we meet in Perpignan i can fill you in on where we stand…i do not want to say things now that may in fact “fall through” at the last minute….anxious to hear about all of your adventures…

    ALL….

    i think i will arrive in Perpignan on wednesday sept 3…flying to Barcelona and driving up….booked into the Park Hotel if you want to leave me a message…Cafe le Poste is a good late night meeting point…

    cheers, david

  107. David McGowan

    I looked at your garage sale slideshow and the impression I got was that these sales are happening because of the economic situation in Michigan. Is that so? or is it a long running summer tradition that has not much to do with the economical situation of the country/state? I am asking this question because here, I live in the canadian province of Quebec, garage sales are a big tradition. As soon as the snow melts and the weather is warm enough to stand outside without a coat on, that means end of spring, May ish, people start to get their unwanted stuff out on the sidewalk to sell. In Montreal, where I live, anytime during warm days, you can see these sales in streets, in front of houses, apartment buildings, etc. It is really a long standing tradition that goes on no matter what the economical situation is. Instead of throwing away or giving it away, people try to get a few bucks for the furniture, the bicyles, the clothes, the shoes, the plates, etc, etc, etc that they don’t want anymore. It has a pratical purpose : letting other people, in exchange of a small symbolic amount of money, take away the stuff you don’t want anymore, instead of doing it yourself … It is also an occasion to talk with the neighbors, socialize, etc. much more than to make money… because usually prices are quite low. So, I was wondering if the purpose of these sales is different south of the border?
    Thanks.

  108. Yes, Sidney, pleaaase no lightstalker format… This is the most cumbersome site I have ever navigated thru (mostly staying ashore!), it’s got all of what I hate most in photography, er…In life! (namely laughable elitism), and I agree with you, David Bowen, nothing like good, intensive work, then a portfolio, and knock on doors.

    In any case, I do not think that is what David had in mind, the blog doubling as a placement agency, more like starting from his opinion that things have been achieved here, more will come, and therefore the need/wish to crystallize the achievements in a less volatile format than blog entries with 1000 (soon) posts a week.

    The bulletin board? not sure, IMO, not answering david’s idea, and I even think that would dilute energy, and change the spirit of the blog.

    Starting by making it become like 1000 other website forums. Let’s not corporize road trip!

  109. Martin

    I’ve really got to run soon, but I’ll try to give you the short answer. Yes there is a tradition of garage sales in Michigan, so much so that things like “Michigan’s Longest Garage Sale” are an annual event. However as indicated by several news reports, there’s a particular explosion of sales in Michigan, due in part to our economy.

    I don’t mean to (and don’t think I do) imply that all of our sales are the result of our economic woes. Many, many are of typical folks cleaning house. But I do take closer looks at some people whose lifestyle is disrupted by our economy, and have to give up things they would normally keep, as sales of items now become a regular part of their need and lifestyle. And also, sound bites about the economy are easy to pick up at these sales, so this study is as much about the atmosphere and buzz as it is about the sale itself.

    I’ll be happy to talk more about it, but gotta run!!!

  110. HERVE…ALL

    no, i do not see this forum becoming a “placement agency”…if some photographers here become “known” and get assignments because of it, then that is just fine…but, i do not want to start or become an agency…i already have an agency!!!

    first, i just like our discussions!! the camaraderie here is just “off the charts”….

    ..and that is what we have always done and always will do….last summer, during my family vacation then, i came up with the idea of funding some of you i.e. EPF

    if a print publication, or exhibits, or book came from the work being done here, then i think that would be rewarding for all of us…

    i have no interests for this forum other than the above…i mean, isn’t that enough?????

    oh yes, one other amazing spin-off has been all of the personal meetings so many of us have had….Perpignan is sounding like it could get out of hand!!! like Look3…

    heaven help us!!

    hugs, david

  111. Speaking of committment. . . . I’m working on a long-term project. It’s approx. 3-4 years. I’ve got about a little over a year when the opportunities to photograph will end.

    At this point, I’m not ready to explain it. I have no idea whether or not it’s worth committing to or whether the subject will be relevant later.

    In general, I’m at the point where there is a lot of unknown variables, the shots I can’t get to but need and want to get. I wonder about if I’ve bit off more than I can chew.

    I know this discussion is about the direction of this forum, but it’s difficult enough sometimes to decide to make a committment at the risk that the timing is wrong, or was just a bad idea in the first place.

    Lurk mode off.

  112. LAURA,

    I’m right now finishing the editing of my portfolio and that is one of my worst decissions! Color vs B&W. Some photos work better in b&W but some in color and I really wish I could make a mixture and present a series with both, but everybody says that a series has to be ALL in color or B&W. So for the portfolio I will mixt both and for the series I will have to decide… Tough work!

    About the mailing list, I don’t know if somebody is doing it. I have several emails (and cellphones), but not all. Here you have mine: anayphotoATgmail.com

    DAVID,

    I’m really excited about that little planning session in Perpignan! I’m going to Perpignan the same day as you by car and I will pass by Barcelona. if you want, I can pick you up and give you a free ride to Perpignan from there. Just let me know, ok? it will be a pleasure for me!

    “Perpignan is sounding like it could get out of hand!!! like Look3…
    heaven help us!!”

    You made me laugh! heaven help us!!! :D

    Hugs!
    Ana

  113. DAVID:

    will u in ~ 2 hrs…..

    ALL:

    this will be quick, just finished some writing and i have to run to a friends exhibition…it’s been interesting reading all the ideas for the transformation of the ON THE ROAD…hmmm…i guess i should share just a simple thing:

    i’ve been at the blog virtually since the beginning (since bruno stevens told me about david and his blog) and while i didnt comment on the blog for a few months (imagine? ;)), but i thought the blog was for David’s workshop students and Magnum friends), i’ve read the blog (all the parts) almost every day for almost 1 1/2 years. What i loved about the blog in the beginning (when there would only be like 5-25 comments, and all from David’s friends and workshop students) to the leviathan it has become is that this blog has always been really about 1 thing:

    CONVERSATION BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO BREATHE PHOTOGRAPHY….

    i never joined this community thinking it would “HELP” me or my photography. I never entered the “EPF” thinking anything: in fact, in the beginning it was supposed to be a communal idea (i suggested a form of Ringu) and look at how that, beautifully, surprised everyone: David was able to award Sean $5,000. I have continued to write here and show pics (as well as offer ideas, poems, essays as well as help to folk, including introducing David to an important person in france who might be able to help him, and maybe you all) because i like the spirit: like a large community….for good and ill…

    i worked on Bones and yes will entered it for this year’s EFP program (the last year i will do this) because i wanted to make something of my work directly inspired by my relationship with this community. I’ve never thought that being a part of this community would ever “help” my family photographically. In truth, i’ve never thought that I would get anything out of this or my relationship with David. What can he do to help me and Marina?…Our work is so so different from Magnum, so different from work that often gets funded, that I’ve never kidded myself about any of that. In the end, Marina and I struggle and work our buts off to survive as artists and photographers and writers and I am not here because i think it will amount to some largesse.

    What i did pledge to david here (publically and privately), that i would contribute in anyway i could because i love the readership, i love the people i met (last week, i spent 3 hrs on the phone with Lance), i met Mike Berube (before i knew he was connected to Harvey), etc….

    what this place affords is a real opportunity for people to meet, for people to help one another, to chat and encourage and yes, from time to time, make a difference in their photographic life….

    i’d be lying if i didn’t say that i wouldnt mind also winning something like what Sean won, but the truth is that this place is filled to the brim with brilliant folk doing inspiring and nurturing stuff and I am proud to just be a small part of that….

    that people still have expectations of what the blog will do, or what david will do, for us makes me laugh, also a bit sad….there as already been so much accomplished…in the end, what matters is that:

    the blog will not go on forever, just as david will not, but the hope is that the energy and desire and breathe that inhabits this place will continue to inspire y'[all to do what it was meant for y’all to do….

    as my wife said, after we’d decided we could not afford to go to look3, “david is just another person with a good heart. do not put on his shoulders expectations for which he hasnt offered or is unable to grant…”…

    then again, my wife is one of the wisest people i know ;)))

    running
    b

  114. ALL:

    I just talked to David! He just wanted me to remind everyone:

    NOT TO WORRY ABOUT HIS SILENCE :))))))…he’s with the family and has no time, but he’ll be back after this week…

    Also, I just want to say that it was just my joke about david getting married…just a joke :)))..he’s with family only…the married couple are the lovely ones in the pics…

    ok, gotta run…

    hugs y’all
    bob

  115. I agree with Bob!!!!!

    I started writing here because I just wanted say to great photographer that I like his amazing work, then I liked him personally, then I liked many others personally, then I has been frightened by crowd, then I liked this crowd…
    yes I am asking myself “what the hell you doing here?”
    I don’t need changes…
    just open room…

    good night and good luck

  116. marina

    bob praises you, and rightfully so..

    thanks for sharing her wisdom bob bro.. might want to mail you soon, what is your address?

    love
    anton

  117. I don’t know about you, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about a whole lot of things. There are only so many hours in a day and you can only think about so many things in those so many hours before you want to stop thinking and watch television. This seems to be true everywhere; even with the advent of our new postmodern information society, which allows more people to think about more things that most people couldn’t care less about one way or the other than ever before, most people will reach a point of data overload and will start tuning out. This is as true for me as for anybody else, so on the odd occasion when something on the information superhighway comes along and manages to pique my interest, I tend to spend more than the usual amount of time mulling the subject over than most people I know. The recent earthquake in California is a case in point. We all know that there are earthquakes in California; that is not the issue here. I am simply wondering just why it is that all these earthquakes must be San Andrea’s fault and not the fault of some other deserving saint.

    As far as I can tell, and I should mention here that I have done absolutely no research on this and so I am entirely ignorant about what I am talking about, the better to hold a strong opinion on the matter unsullied with mere information, San Andrea, the biblical Saint Andrew the Apostle, never, in all of his missionary travels preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the benighted lower classes of the heathenistic Hellenistic world, set foot in California, an equally heathenistic country chock full of benighted lower classes, although with better sanitation, and in all likelihood could not find California on a map of the United States, an ignorance of basic American geography that the blessed saint shares with millions of American schoolchildren. Even if he had known where California was, it would be extremely unlikely that he would ever have gone there, what with his driver’s license expiring early in the year XXI. It does not do for saints to be wandering up and down the Pacific Coast Highway with an expired license; while not a cause for scandal in the theological sense of that much abused word, it does tend to promote bad driving habits and a fundamental disrespect for both canon and traffic law. Driving without a license also jacks up your insurance premiums once the cops pull you over and discover that you can’t legally drive in the Golden State. All around, it is not a good thing to do.

    In any case, not much is known about Saint Andrew the Protocletos, which means the First-Called and is not, as I first imagined it to be, the scientific name for a small and not particularly bright species of dinosaur. According to the ancient sources, Andrew was the first called primarily because he was the first person in that area of the Galilee to get a cell phone and unlimited minutes for his calling circle, something that helped keep the Apostles in touch as they wandered around ancient Israel together healing the sick and raising the deadbeats and then calling; you just know when some guys have nothing but a pair of deuces in their hand and are just trying to bluff you out of the pot. This is, in fact, one of the few things we know for certain about Saint Andrew. Most of what we do know comes from the Gospels themselves—we know from the Gospels, for example, that Saint Andrew was the brother of Saint Peter—and from some newly translated documents pulled out of the remains of an old Coptic monastery at the Nag Mefurmoni archaeological site in Egypt. In 1976, a team of archaeologists from Harvard working on a two year project for finding new ways to loot the Harvard endowment discovered, quite by accident, a treasure trove of early Christian documents and Red Sox memorabilia at Nag Mefurmoni, a small desert outpost only a hundred or so miles from Cairo. The stunned archaeologists, who’d spent most of the dig working on their tans, literally stumbled across an ancient library under the spot they were going to park their Port-O-Potty, a library that included, amongst other things, a carbon copy of a hitherto unknown Gospel according to Andrew and Andrew’s Epistle to Saint Barney the Barman, along with Barney’s reply. Barney’s reply contains one of the first complete examples of a Christian catechism ever found, as well as a request that Saint Andrew settle his tab and, in the margins, some professional tips on how to make the perfect Harvey Wallbanger. This epistle never actually reached Saint Andrew, though, as Saint Barney neglected to put a stamp on the envelope and so the epistle never left the Nag Mefurmoni post office; apparently, the post office clerks just tossed the screed into the undeliverable file, along with all those letters kids wrote every year to Santa Zeus. But in all of those documents, however, there is not one mention of California, earthquakes, kids wearing pajamas to school, or why anyone Saint Andrew should hold responsible for these phenomena.

    Saint Andrew is not the only saint to have such uncanonizable faults attributed to him. Saint Vitus’ dance, for instance, is a disease in which the sufferer moves, jerks, and makes wild involuntary spastic movements reminiscent of the worst excesses of the acolytes of Isadora Duncan on speed, whereas Saint Vitus himself preferred the minuet and the occasional foxtrot to keep things interesting. Saint Elmo’s fire is not really a fire at all, a fact once explicated on by the American theologian Rob Lowe, and Saint Elmo had no more to do with the eponymous unfire than did Saint Kermit, Saint Oscar the Grouch, and Saint Demi Moore.

    So why Saint Andrew? No one knows, as far as I can tell. Theories abound, of course, as they always do, and some of them are more nonsensical than others, as they always are. This is the way of the world; in the wake of any great disaster, someone will have to say that it must be somebody’s, anybody’s, fault, although it actually helps if the someone you’re trying to pin this thing on is either a Jew, a Jesuit, or a Mason. If you can get someone from all three groups and the CIA involved as well, so much the better for your theory. This has actually been going on for quite some time now. For example, the Inquisition blamed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake on the malign influence of heretics and was all gung-ho to give a few of them the permanent hot foot just as soon as they found enough of them to barbeque. The king of Portugal was having none of that, however, and told the inquisitors that he had to feed the living and bury the dead, tasks that left little or no time for pressing people as to whether or not they believed in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. Mass executions of apostates, while an edifying and altogether wholesome spectacle for the entire family, would have to wait for another time. The inquisitors left the royal presence deeply annoyed; in every crowd, there’s always one killjoy who spoils the fun for everyone, which is something I’m pretty sure you’ve already noticed by now

  118. Before someone asks:

    Ingredients:
    3/4 oz vodka
    1 1/2 oz orange juice
    1/4 oz Galliano
    orange slice for garnish
    maraschino cherry for garnish

    Preparation:
    Pour the vodka and orange juice into a collins glass with ice cubes.
    Add the Galliano.
    Garnish with the orange slice and maraschino cherry.

    and there you have it, a Harvey wallbanger

  119. DAVID
    I have not had the time to look at the TPW-DVD.
    Perpignan should be ok, timewise… Or after that. If there is need for hurry I can have a look if there is a possibility to get it to Mike.
    You tell me.

    Oh… and I will send you an email this weekend … I was not sure … You will probably be innundated after these 2 weeks off… But you can read it any time … I just have to WRITE it now. :))

    ALL
    I posted the stuff with the webcompany I know because I understood brainstorming was going into that direction …
    Have not had the time to read all the comments BUT … I totally agree with some that we should be carefull not to destroy this wonderful … loose … free … community …
    Wonderful stuff here… Great to meet people from the blog … like Nacho in Tuscany … and have this big grin in our faces. A feeling of brotherhood … on a pure, simple, happy way.
    All across the world …

    David, Iztok said he will be coming to Perpignan and Franco just wrote, he will be there too (from the Tuscany workshop).

    Tony, Hunter and I will arrive on the first and leave on the seventh.

    Listening to Ludovico Einaudi “Divenire” – a music I got from Stefano from the Monastery in Tuscany. It is the Music he associates with the place … He wished me to take it home with me (postcard) … And I am right there now … flying over the hills … It really works!!!!

    … and doing my accounting!
    (What a killer…)

    Abraços,
    Lassal

  120. AKAKY

    Once again your demonstrated mastery of the genre first made popular by Erasmus (“The Praise of Folly”) leaves most of us groping feebly for a comeback. But I personally had always pictured David (who is probably mostly a beer drinker if the legend has any truth) as more of a Tequila or Mezcal than a Vodka man when it comes to hard liquor (??). Are you sure this isn’t your Slavophilia showing? We have real Poles among our most faithful (and attractive!!) members, and I’m sure they’ll speak up for the virtues of Polish vodka over the crude Russian rotgut, but my personal favorite is Kubanskaya… anybody out there ever tried it? My only recipe is get it as cold as possible, put it in a frosted shot glass, and sip it slowly like single malt whisky.

  121. sidney my man…

    recipe to get your wyborowa to ideal temperature: ‘decapitate’ a plastic bottle of water of 1.5 litres; fit the vodka bottle inside. top off the plastic bottle with water. put in freezer till water is a solid block of ice. when serving, you’ll see it’s quite “syrupy”… a different drink entirely….

    and soooo good :)))

  122. All

    I am very excited to share with you what’s going on with my first book that’s in the middle of printing process.
    The book will be published by Toseisha in Tokyo, Japan.
    It is one of the major 3 publishing companies for the photography books in Japan.
    The book will be out on October 25th, 2008 and the publishing company has invited me to the this coming Paris Photo Festival. (Nov. 13th- Nov. 16th, 2008 ) with my book.
    Wish me luck.

    The president of the publishing company from Japan has brought me the edited version of the book along with the cover design for the book on 21st Aug. k.
    The cover was done by a topologist from Netherlands. He did a beautiful job by writing on a piece of cloth and blowing it with air so that it could form waves like figure.
    We went over the book a photo by photo and discussed the last changes to be made. The publishing company has even made very special inks for my book.
    (Takahashi brand, it’s the president name of publishing company): a black ink is made of 3 different mixtures of inks and a gray that’s made of 5 different mixtures of inks.
    This September 16th will be the first day to print my first book.
    This all is very new and exciting for me.

    many many Thanks.

    .

  123. All,

    I won’t be able to go to Perpignan this year No time (€) :P

    Hope you take good decisions about the future and please count me in for whatever I can do to help.

    Hope to meet you all some day sooner.

  124. wow kyunghee

    congratulations! sounds like a great book in the making… will there ben a way to view or buy the book online?

  125. KYUNGHEE LEE

    경희씨,

    종말축하 합니다! 잘 하셨읍니다! 고생 많이 하셨을텐데요. 사진집 책의 출판 많이 기대 하겠어요.

    씨드니 앹킨스

  126. Sidney..
    Once again I have to agree with you!
    I’m completely covered with what you just
    wrote above..! You are right in my mind..
    ( we have the same chino-japanezo-Korean
    Microsoft Translator I see)..
    Although everyone insists that the “google”
    one(translator ) is far superior..
    ;)))))))..
    Ok , I hear you..
    Enough with all this TECH TALK..
    Peace and hugs

  127. PANOS

    I have never, ever used a Microsoft Translator or any other computerized or machine translation. You may think we are in agreement, but it is an illusion.

  128. Kynghee Lee,

    All my congratulations!! Paris Photo 2008 is a very great event in France!! It takes place from 13 till 16 November 2008 to the Carroussel du Louvre (http://www.parisphoto.fr/?lg=en ), November is also the month of the photo in France, I shall try to come… I am sure that you go to make very beautiful meetings…
    Kind regards, audrey

  129. MARCIN – I don’t know if you meant what you said quite the way you wrote it but you have hit the nail right on the head, this place is AN OPEN ROOM, A party in an open room comings and goings occasional bottlenecks in the doorway, a couple quietly ageing on the couch nodding sagely, someone holding court enthralling all around, then someone vomiting in the pot plant.

    There’s a chandelier in this room and some appreciate its beauty and form, some think it’s just a bloody light, some know how many facets are cut in the crystal centrepiece and which Bavarian craftsman built it, and then some just swing from it.

    There’s a bookcase as well, where arguments, knowledge and opinions fly off the shelves, some are hit, never to be seen again, some come back stronger, ready for more, some look for a long forgotten stash behind the classics.

    Some enter in a frenzy, engaging all and sundry in a mad circumnavigation, naming countries, tearing down cities, building empires –Then, Poof! They’re gone! Some are in the corner staring at the lava lamp.

    Some enter quietly, circling conversations, earwigging, finally finding a group that fits, and joining in! It’s self validation –shit, I don’t suck that much after all! Some are taking a Leatherman tool to the drinks cabinet.

    Some come in desperate that the special someone who will make dreams come true and happy ever after will be a reality if they can just bend the ear of the host, take him by the sleeve and take him off to the bathroom for a special one on one, Some are in the street staring up through the window ,dodging the occasional TV or other white good that is thrown ( photography is solo rock and Roll) , not coming up ,not knocking on the door walking away ,collars turned up ,hat pulled down. Some are drinking out of jam jars because someone just broke a tray of glasses.

    Someone’s creating a scene, diverting attention away from the matter at hand, Drama! This room is filling quickly, time to spill out onto the street, who’s turn is it to go down the off-licence? We’re running low.

    There’s someone smoking on the balcony.

    If there’s anything extracurricular that grows out of this, it’s working title has to be “The Open Room “.

  130. take him off to the bathroom for a special one on one
    ——————-

    Gee, no wonder David can’t always be present… Makes sense now.

    I had no idea!

    :-)))))))

  131. KYUNGHEE LEE

    Congratulations! I will buy your book if I find it in netshop.

    PANOS

    Yes it was good day ha ha ha
    Why you are not writing here as often as you do it before?

    ALL

    Yes for me it is open room.
    We are talking about photography art life vodka (with vodka :) about love hate sex drugs and music.
    I made a hundreds hours discussions like that in art high shool and in academy of art. I love it
    I think thats why I am here.
    And yes it good idea to publish here from time to time someone’s work and discuss about…
    this is what I think.

    peace must run made some patina on hippo

  132. GLENN…and all,

    Love it! :)))
    Wondering who among us are vomiting in the pot plant?

    Since my original posts on this thread were all about the openness that exists here and my concerns about jeopardizing that, I’m glad to read comments like yours.

    HOWEVER…a late night thought based on what Sidney said…

    It gets a little crazy sometimes with so many links to view here.
    Is there some way we can all post work together in the same place…NOT on this blog but something along the lines of our own little yahoo group…perhaps attached to the blog…a “workbook” so to speak?

    I admit I’m lazy (or crazy) for not having my own site but I wish there were an EASY way to post stuff for all to see as well as a way to EASILY see what others have posted in the way of images?

  133. GLENN

    that was brilliant. i’m definitely one of the monkeys swinging from the chandelier.

    MARCIN’S AUGUST 23 @ 4:18 PM COMMENT

    well said.

    DAVID B + DAVID MCG + ERICA

    i owe you all replies. enjoying the remaining days of summer away from this glowing screen [aqua pt yesterday, kundalini immersion last night, surf party today…]. looking forward to replying to you all tomorrow night.

    KYUNGHEE LEE

    it feels wonderful when i’ve gone to press with someone else’s book. i can only imagine what it feels like for the book to be YOURS. congratulations!

  134. KYUNGHEE,
    good, wonderful luck!!
    I was suppose to go to Paris for the Festival ( non only to have a party :))) ) for the agency but I don’t think I can manage it. I’ll have a try, so we can meet again.
    But in the meantime let us know if it’s possible to buy it on line.
    Is it about Island?

  135. david alan harvey

    GLENN…..

    perfect description!!…laughing….so so true…

    and that pretty much describes my loft and the gatherings there…so , i guess it only stands to reason that this is some sort of on-line manifestation of that “reality”….

    but, if this party does get out of hand, then we just shut the doors, give the place a good “clean up”, and then start all over again!!

    cheers, david

  136. glenn, david

    and also the fact that at some point more people are smoking on the balcony than folks inside :)))))

    great description glenn :)

    oh i wish i could come and meet up in perpignan too…

  137. MARCIN
    God, I just love the picture, Marcin, you painted of this blog! In my eyes you are absolutely right about the open room …
    … you are truly a poet …
    (I’ll go to Heildelberg to meet the editor right after Perpignan – how is your essay doing?!)

    GLEN
    … wonderful …!
    I think you found the words to describe what everyone here feels. If ever there is a book or something about this blog, I vote for your description to be the opener …

    As to the risks of change:
    I think all of us have had the experience of knowing a magical little off-place, a café or a little restaurant, that would not fit into the ordinary, often because lack of money called for some improvisation … The place would be full of loyal visitors every day. And then … the owner makes some money with the business and decides to renovate. PENG! Magic gone. People disappointed. Place empty. Owner wondering where everybody went.

    Well… things just change. Some things die eventually, new things come up. That does not have to be bad. That is just how it is.

    I do not think that it would ever be empty here… Too many people just hoping for “the special someone who will make dreams come true and happy ever after will be a reality if they can just bend the ear of the host” (Glen). I think there would be more of these people here, if things changed in a specific direction and less poetry, and this would be extremely sad. … The magic… the freedom of really moving around in this party that was so colorfully described by Glen, that is just soo much more! And there is something else too … I do not know what it is. Maybe because there actually IS a very serious note to this. It is not a simple blah-blah blog but it really has a passion and an aim. Everyone of us has it. Everyone of us comes together here because of that. It might look different from person to person but here you might find the little group of people that fit, be it a little tech talk because you have a problem to deal with, be it … anything. So you do have the serious fundament but at the same time … the party. People leaning out of the windows, maybe after one beer too much and being very open about their lifes and fears. It is just very …. human … here. Not one of this straightforward, cold, photo-blogs …

    One reason for that I think is because David manages with his open heart to love and embrace everyone. To give everyone a chance. Regardless of how the first impression of that person is, he gives them a chance and does not start by sorting out according to specific narrow criterias.

    So, if anything new should be tested, it might be reasonable to test it parallel. Like to add a module kind of thing that then is or is not accepted. If it is not accepted it can be taken away again or modified without causing damages to the main Party.

    … normally I love “change” but here I am a little afraid. I am not a blog person. This blog is the only one I visit regularly….

    I admit I was not even very happy when David said this here could become a book of some sort… Because I was afraid everyone would start writing differently … writing for a book. I had the impression this really happened for a short time but then, thankfully, the heart & soul of this community was stronger.

    CATHY
    you do not have a website? Why?

    KYUNGHEE LEE
    Congratulations! Wow, that sounds so very good!! I am so curious (like everybody else) to know which work of you is going to get published. And yes, please do tell us where or how to get your book!

    I was thinking about going to Paris in November, but I am still not sure about it timewise. But let us see … I would be happy if we could meet for a coffee there. Otherwise I assume you will be pretty busy. It should be a very good sign that you were invited to go there by the editors. And if the President himself came to see you for the last corrections?! … Welll … I guess that sais it all :))
    I am thrilled for you!
    Thank you for sharing!

  138. ALL
    Maybe we could add a section to this blog with links to specific publications about this blog, but also with publication of material that went through this blog before materializing? Like an own “bookshelf” with everything everybody here put some thoughts into. I personally would love to see that. Including links to where to buy the books etc. I have seen so many essays I would like to buy … and it would just make things a little easyer for everybody: the buyer and the seller. And maybe we could ad something special for the blog people? Signed, numbered copies??

    There were some friends here in the art-academy that all exchanged artwork amongst each other with the thought that at least one of them will probably succeed. Therefore everyone would then have some kind of “security” by owning a piece of work of this person. And it worked! 4 are doing really great and 1 became an absolut superstar (at least in Germany). it was a good strategy.

    And maybe we can put all the great recipies together too … make a picture of the drinks to go with it (obviously not “normal” pictures … but really good ones) have it published and finance our get-together in greece at Pano’s house by it?! :))))))))

    GLEN
    btw I only would take my Letherman out if you hide a Port Ellen in the bar …

    PANOS
    How is your friend doing?!
    Hope it is not soo bad.
    It was good to hear that you went to the hospital to see him.

    BOB
    I agree completely … I am sorry I just read your comment right now because I sometimes save it for last … :)
    “CONVERSATION BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO BREATHE PHOTOGRAPHY….”
    Yes, I think that was what I was trying to say above…

    You see, I was telling David over and over (I guess he ended up rolling his eyes) that I do not see me fitting in here because, as you put it, my work also is very different from Magnum … I am no photojournalist, I am more into concepts. But he kept telling me that this does not matter (this is not about Magnum here). And I believe him. He encouraged me so much in Tuscany, much more than I thought that would be good. He did embrace me with my concept work just as openly as he embraces Panos or Patricia with their essays. At least he gives me this impression. That is … David. I think that what matters for him is to see people doing their OWN PERSONAL work. Regardless of how it looks like. Concepts can be as personal as anything else. And David just showed me that he was not going to exclude me just because I had a different way of expressing myself. I really love him for that! And to be taken serious by someone like him, who has seen so much in his life, that is help! It is a different kind of help, but it is a huge help after all. I think. At the end every one of us will have to find his own way more or less alone. Of course he will not be able to give grants to everyone, or get all of us published. But what he does is to strenghen our confidence, to clear our sight, to give us all kind of tools so we can walk alone. That is more help than I would dare to ask anyone for.

    So much, that I am doing some crazy stuff right now.

    And by the way, Bob, everytime I was doubfully telling him, I did not see my place here or in his workshop, he would tell me to have a look at your and at Kyunghee Lee’s work to show, that I was not allone here with not being a magnum-type of photographer. (By the way, I have the impression they are changing quite a lot).

    Why I am saying this … ? Somehow you just sounded so sad, Bob. You are one of the most important links in here, and not just because of your magnificent writings that so often just hit the nail by at the same time being pure poetry. Something else is your apparent lack of cynism, which I fall for, because obviously your life is not a bed of roses, too, nonetheless you are always positive, encouraging everyone, helping, informing, curing. I think we all love you for that. You have helped me tremendously already with your sharp comments, that never come tooooo sharp. You seem always to know just how much a person can take in a specific moment. This is you.

    And I love your work!!! So much I do love it! And I am just waiting for you to bring this book out to jump on it. :))
    I was insecure about if I should say, because I was afraid if would sound wrong, but after I had a look at Giacomelli’s photos, I had the impression that a huge door opened to a deeper level of how to see your work. Other than my little landscape, your work does not accidentally look like Giacomelli’s, but it looks like Bob’s. Nonetheless it breathes similarly like Giacomelli’s. His advantage over you is that he is using a broather vocabulary… You have a very special look&feel to your work and unless I have not seen a huge part of it (which obviously is true), you seem to have narrowed yourself in a little. Just something I noticed. Does not have to be bad.

    Love,
    L

  139. @Kyunghee Lee: congratulations! I love the Japanese publishers!

    Back to the family and commitment issues. The Guardian today has an interview with Josef Koudelka. He has three children but no long term relationships. On the topic it reads:

    “When pressed, Koudelka talks with pride about his children, but one detects regret too. ‘Listen,’ he says, when we meet the following day over a beer, and I broach the subject of family and commitment, ‘I am not a family man and I can never be a family man. But I am very happy, I have children and I hope that they are happy that they exist. From the beginning I make certain rules with my children and one is that I can’t be with them all the time. I tell them that when I am with them, I am for them, and when I am not there, it is best they should try to forget that I exist.'”

    Rest here:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/aug/24/photography

  140. To ALL-

    I have been slow in catching up with the comments from all while on vacations. Whatever you decide David, you will find us all ready to commit to it… maybe strange to say but in a way, the destination does not really matter…what matters is to see this forum grow and somehow continue to be part of it and involved and have many more friendships develop… You have said this many times but it is funny to see how this community has become real as opposed to virtual…I am right now in the South of France with kids and family enjoying the sun, doing nothing at the beach…no plan to get married tomorrow like your friends…:):)just enjoying few days of pure “FARNIENTE”…but I have this little excitement underneath from going to Perpignan in a week or so and hopefully see again some friends like Sean, Lance but also meet new ones from Ana, Lassal; Gina Audrey etc…. I will be there the beginning of the week… Hopefully there will be some get together on Monday/Tuesday…. I just realized you are yourself only getting there by Wednesday so might tried to extend until Thursday if I can to wave at our blogmaster but will see… family is here and as a good multitasker, also needs to spend time with them all…

    Later today, I might be going to Arles to check out the expos…It is 30 minutes away from where the family lives…Audrey by the way, I recall you were going to present your work at Arles. Would love to see it…let me know where it is shown…

    My break for the blog is co,ing to an end today….like Bob, my ti,e is being monitored while on vacations with kids so will catch-up tonight….

    Cheers,

    Eric

    PS/ Gui, I just had time to check your link…nice work!

  141. You are all just lovely..camaraderie, indeed, in this open room. Some time ago I told David I felt like I was leaning against the open back door, watching people come on in..

    KYUNGHEE LEE

    how joyful!

    JAY

    Curious as to how long you have been on this piece as to date..and if the risk/reward thoughts are newly surfacing?

    DAH

    You mentioned something about a NYC gathering for ALL at some point..were you thinking about anything in particular?

    GUI

    about what may be missing..DAH has offered to share his thoughts about the Carmen story on his return, I think I will hold my tonque and await his comments.

    SIDNEY

    we actually agreed about Laura’s photo..my thoughts were about one as a stand alone and one in context of the story..

    PEACE to all

    My grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday yesterday..the written words on cards she received from people that seemingly only had a tangental or cursury connection to her were astounding..one usually never knows how a simple act of kindness or goodness can affect another..it seems though that if you live to 90 you may find out! Do good, be good..xoxo

  142. GUI
    meu coraçao enche de saudades quando vejo essas imagens … Acho que esse trabalho tem muita perspectiva! E feito os outros, penso que sería bom se você continuasse com esse tema. Eu sería a primeira a comprar um livro!!!
    Nunca na minha vida conversei sobre fotografia ou arte em Portugues, por isso o meu vocabulário é mais que mínimo … Espero um dia desses voltar para uma visita e aprender a falar sobre as coisas que me sao tao importantes hoje … Talvêz no ano que vem?! …
    Por favor mande todo o meu respeito para Carmen! Ela é uma mulher tao bela … nem precisaría de make-up!

    Por acaso você conhece Caio Reisewitz? Fotógrafo tambêm.

    I find you have an interesting story there, interesting not only because of the story itself but also because, as you mentioned, Carmen is just one out of so many women living these kind of lifes. Very often they are not even neart to home but live in Sao Paulo, Rio or elsewhere whereas their families are far, far away.

    What I personally, as I know a little about it, would find interesting (it might not be the path you want to travel) is to have more of the contrast in, in which Carmen lives. On one hand side her own home & family, very simple, very poor, own colors, light, feeling, and on the other hand side the home&family she whitnesses during the day: different light, colors etcetcetc. You could show the clash&contrast … food, shopping, parties, socializing, etc.etc. At the end Carmen is living in two worlds right now. I personally would dig more into this dualism and really let it clash! But please, this is just my own oppinion. You might want something completely different.

    Um abraço,
    Lassal

  143. LASSAL…

    Why do I not have a site?
    The only reason is MONEY.

    I would like to work with Neon Sky on a site but after just spending two years fixing up this house and now needing furniture and landscaping, it doesn’t seem like this is the time for additional monthly expenses.

    ANYONE KNOW OF A LESS EXPENSIVE BUT GOOD WAY FOR ME TO HAVE A WEBSITE? :))

  144. Eric, I have 4 photos in the gallery sfr, but the numeric editions are horrible, I did not stop making all the expos, I can maybe join you on Wednesday in Arles?
    Audrey

  145. Cathy
    you could adapt a blog like I did. I admit, I had it done by friends for lack of time, but … at the end the software does not cost money. It is all open source and you can plug-in galleries (I have various websites with different galleries depending on the specific needs, and always with WordPress)

    Sure some people here have really elaborated websites … Great stuff for photographers, so there might be better infos than mine.

    To have an own domainname would be wise. You usually rent them for a year, so you pay a yearly rent. Not much at all.

    Cheers,

  146. KYUNGHEE LEE-
    Please do let us all know what work is being published, and about it’s availability. So very exciting, a beautiful publisher, such an intriguing process. I love the imagery I get of swirling inks, shades of black blending themselves together, dancing in unison until they at last become one. Somehow fitting with your photographs…

    Congratulations!
    Anna

  147. CATHY,
    the only expence you need is the rent for the domain address. Yf you took one that is not .com it’ll cost you i.e. with Aruba about 10 euro for a year.
    Regarding the software, I’ve developped mine on my own with the help of a friend and a book, “Flash for dummies” (!!).
    Telling the true the problem for me is to find time to improve it (that’s why may be in the future I’ll find money to have something easier like Neon sky).
    If you want I can give you the software, (sending a cd or with FTP) no problem, not for me and not of copyright. But it’s basic and maybe it’s more difficult to modify an old one than to do a new one.

    GLENN, AKAKY and BOB,
    Finally this time I was lucky to find time to be a little in here so I had the pleasure to read your written

    Going back to work

  148. KYUNG-HEE :))))

    CONGRATULATIONS! :)))…I am so happy that you finally now have a date for publication and I can’t wait to get my hands on a company :))))…as one of the lucky ones who had a chance to see all the images in the preview, i cant wait to see it as a book with the Intro and with the design :)))

    have a great time in Paris also :)))…Paris Photo will be a blast for you :))

    hugs
    bob

  149. CATHY

    I am almost sure I can have more domains on my server, but right now I don’t know haw many place I have there. I will check it. But on my server not working more than one WordPress (I try do one more for my wife and it not worked)

    peace

  150. All

    The title of book is “island”
    Island is a metaphor.

    .
    .

    I am a island
    You are an island
    We are all islands

    .
    .
    The book is about relationship of people.

    Yes, it’ll be possible to buy on line after publishing. The price of the book has not been decided yet. It will be up to the publishing company to decide but I believe it will come out to be a reasonable price.

    Audrey, Laura, Lassal… ^^

    And I really really want to see you and have a coffee in Paris Phot Festival (2008 13rd – 16th Nov.)

    Rafal, Anton, Sidney, Panos, Marcin, Anna, Luis, Joni, Erica …..Thank you very much.

    .

  151. AKAKY-Protocletos :)))))

    you just taught me a new word :))))))))….not only are you, as Sidney correctly pointed out, the lazarus-like spring-chicken Erasamus but for sure, a bit of Juvenal (once the Harvey Wallbanger is tossed in!) :))))))

    you rock (meAmadeus!) Dad! :))

    hugs
    b

  152. BROTHER GLENN! :))))))))))))))

    im in th corner staring at the lava lamp, licking up what’s left of the HarveyWallbanger in my jam-jar, waiting for you to open those bloddy booze cabinents, hoping Harvey finally passes the cornpipe to us, while my mrs. is enrapturing others with her prescence as panos is shooting her everywhichwayand out and Patricia is doing wheelies on the balcony and all be damned the lavalamp is still as beautiful as i remember :)))

    see u there :))

    hugs
    b

  153. LASSAL :)))

    thank you so much for your loving and kind words…well, i dont know what to say except this:

    we have only our lives and the people stretched along the side of us, the small moments which open, like a cracked shell, to reveal a sea much larger then we had ever imagined…if i am not cynical, it is only because in a world that leaves much too quickly amid all things which we celebrate and mourn there is such little time to count as un-lived…for all, amid the squalor and the damp, we (for good and ill) are the fortunate and from that we must make things, like that small shell beneath which is a firmament of stars and space and sea, as rich as we can…

    at night i listen to my wife and son breathing, and i understand i am a man of riches…nothing else to need…nothing more to have than that…

    that is what or why i make the stupid, silly pictures i do :))))

    KYUNG-HEE :)))

    Marina sends her love…i cant wait to see your book, both of us will buy the moment its available for purchase! :)))

    running
    hugs y;all

    b

  154. KYUNGHEE LEE, Congratulations on such great news!

    SIDNEY/BOB, Erasmus? Isnt he the guy who said the moon was made of green cheese? Clearly I cannot, in any way, find myself associated with someone so obviously deficient in the basics of selenology. The moon is not made of green cheese, as any first grader from the most benighted school in this our Great Republic can tell you: it is made of dust left over from the creation of the solar system and bacon fat. All other explanations are clearly bogus, when they are not busy being balderdash, poppycock, and codswallop.

  155. david alan harvey

    KYUNGHEE….

    i will be working on your forward in the next two days….i am very excited for you….

    ERICA…

    how about sometime between my two workshops??? i have a week break between the two…

    cheers, david

  156. Kyunghee…

    You are a bit of the shooting star here. Maybe a comet actually, we have sightings of you, and then you go, and I guess it is only fitting that you may be then the one whose achievement shines the brightest in the road trip skies. At least for now.

    What is impressive is that the book itself will be part of the artistry along the one that went into your photography.

    LASSAL!!!!!!

    I am from Venus this morning: You just don’t understand… :-)))

    Yes, of course! Magnum as an agency is a showcase for its photographers, and a window for potential buyers of their services, that do include corporate work, and the sort. Did I imply otherwise?

    Now, if i may, look at the individual photographers galleries, and see how this ad work features in it (not to mention the books they put hard work into, anf finally their possible bio)….

    Then, let’s think if this type of work is done because it belongs to their artistic (or journalistic) vision, or because it is work that allows to go about a less remunerative artistic vision, send the kids to school, pay property taxes, ie. make a living…. Again, no put down in me saying this, quite the contrary actually.

  157. GLEN

    Your description is the best argument for not changing a thing here…

    KYUNGHEE LEE

    What wonderful news… congratulations!!!! I can’t wait to see your book!

    ALL

    What do you think about our own wiki?? So much wisdom gets washed away with the waves and waves of comments and posts…. trying to find that one link or comment from weeks ago is basically impossible. With a wiki, this knowledge would have its place, and we could refer back to it…. and also, the collaborative and free form nature of wiki might just suit everyone?

    I imagine articles on our favorite books or artists, or even particular photographs… pages for events like Perpignan and look3… each person here could have a page… anything! Also, this is low risk, as it doesn’t change the blog, but would be a parallel project… a very easy way to spin a web of knowledge and information.

    Its potential usefulness would be dependent on collective participation and contributions…

    ALL

    I finally got into the darkroom (or darkhallway in my case) and have posted some photos which answer the eternal question “What did I do on my summer vacation?” As good photographs ask more questions than they answer, the eternal questions I hope to pose are “why?” and “wtf?”

  158. HERVE

    I think I understand what you are saying, but to tell the truth I checked out about five or six of the ‘advertising portfolios’ by Magnum photographers including David’s (slow dial-up connection, no time to look at all of them) and what I saw were admittedly a few photos that were obviously taken for bucks and might not (probably wouldn’t) make it into the photographer’s personal portfolio… but most of the ‘advertising photos’ in each case were actually ones that are also in the personal portfolios of the photographers, and may have been shot without thought of specific commercial use at the time. So I think you may be enlarging, exaggerating, and polarizing a dichotomy that is really much more vague and ill-defined (in the minds of Magnum photographers at least). Every photo is potentially a commercial one, just as every photo is potentially pure art… do all photographers have that distinction in mind when shooting? Clearly some do, but my guess is that the best don’t think much in such terms. Of course if you’re specifically hired by someone and there’s an art director suggesting subjects, themes, moods, etc. that makes it more purely commercial… but never entirely so, I think.

  159. I’ve seen so many things here in this single conversation (if you can call it such) that remind me why I started Vewd. It was to foster this sort of thinking.

    It is my dream to be able to fund essays for the sake of essays and sharing the world we live in. We at Vewd haven’t made a single penny, but we still are paying out of our pockets the photographers we “publish”. We don’t want to be the big guys in town, we just want to help photographers be better photographers and get them work.

    I have heard adamant objections to change on the site, but 700 comments are a feat for anyone to read. I do not know how to technologically overcome that but I would be willing to invest time and effort into figuring it out.

    If this “hippy shack” would be interested in it, I am happy to offer a formal invitation to combine the technology of Vewd.org with the community found here.

    We have in place the same things you are looking for: an online publishing tool for photo essays, a written blog with a strong commenting software, systems to pay photographers, servers to handle thousands and thousands of visitors a day. It would provide this community with an IT staff ready to build anything they request and play with ideas to figure out what we are to become.

    I would love to play with this idea and see how Vewd can help – what are your ideas on this?

    Matt Blalock

  160. MIKE

    The idea of a wiki is nice, but it is also sometimes hard to follow. It is difficult to see what is new and what is old, where to read and such. It could be a nice thing to explore as a way for each of us to share ideas and projects, post photos and links and such.

    I’m gonna think on this a bit more.

    PS How are you Panos? Long time no see.

  161. all…

    after david’s workshop in june i went out and made a second part to the story of birgit.. put what i have learned there to good use.. trying to expand the focus but stay close close.. in this chapter i introduce her brother vincent and her sister hana

    kids playing
    making funny faces
    rolling over the floor
    little details
    split second portraits
    tiny, tiny
    but grand
    emotions

    http://antonkusters.com/birgit-vincent-hana

    what do you think?

    peace,
    anton

  162. Not sure what it’s all about, Sidney.

    It’s not how they feel about it or what they think of it (how the hell do I know?). It’s the fact that eventually, they will have done work to make a living that will, except for a few Ps, not register much. No opus number, if you will, to borrow a composer’s word.

    Actually, that was the only point I adrressed a few days ago, the difference between most “top of the cream” Ps and other top artists in other arts, whose commercial art and commands tend less to be overlooked by biographers and curators.

    This, I find intrinsec to being a PJ, if not any photographer: I believe that there is a journeyman quality to working as a photographer, where some of what they/we do is not meant to become other than the reason why they/we did it: earn a living.

    And if it is the life of many a famous-now photographers, it has to be something all photographers deal with (Those who want to make a living of it, have a full time career).

    It may be a vague difference for Magnum photographers, but IMO, not for aspiring and struggling, “not yet there” ones. the pitfalls and anxieties, difficult choices, are all too present at that stage.

  163. MARCIN, LASSAL, LAURA,

    A perfect example of how AMAZING this community is…
    I posted my “problem” with not having a website and you IMMEDIATELY were there to help. You’re WONDERFUL.
    I totally thank you and have only a second here but just wanted tp say a quick THANKS.

    I DO have my domain name CATHYSCHOLL.COM reserved thru network solutions I believe…paid for it a couple years back…paid for five years. I know my site is long overdue and now you are pushing me to do something about it. Okay! :)) I’ll be back soon…

  164. ANTON,

    I love this additional work. it’s lovely and intimate. your style seems to work so well with your subject. nice work – keep it up!!!

  165. DAH

    Yes, personally the week of Sept 20- 25 works to show you where I am at with the assignment, but i was actually alluding to something I think you wrote in the previous thread, about wanting to get a lot of people together at the loft to talk..am I making that up?

    ALL

    Am back in NYC..made it swiftly through the airport where I was stranded a couple of weeks back..it was a bizarre deja vu, knowing a place so intimately, and I saw my protectors the the ticket agents too..it was like old home week or something!

    PLEASE

    let me know if anyone wants to help out with shooting this last week, I could use help tues – friday..

  166. Anton,

    I love your work on Brigit!! But why passage in black and white? I liked very much your color treatment which brought some more of sweetness to the subject…. Kind regards, audrey

  167. Cathy

    I have to check how many place I have on my server but I am almost sure there is many place. If you will have webiste give me a note.
    I will check everything soon.

    peace

  168. Am writing with one eye on the closing ceremonies… So glad these Olympics are almost over — I have lost sooo much sleep over the last couple weeks watching into the wee hours of the night…

    ERICA

    Speaking of lack of sleep, I am losing sleep thinking about the sleep I will not get in NY. :) Isn’t this ridiculous? I should be sleeping now to stock up. Sleep deprivation is my biggest concern regarding the upcoming workshop! And yes, I will be there for the 12-19 DAH workshop. I feel the need to be whipped into shape before I further develop my AIDS orphan project. Please say a prayer for that, as my intention is for the funding to fully materialize in the coming months.

    Party on the 19th?? Absolutely! After the slideshow!!

    I fully understand your craving to work on a project you find über meaningful. At the same time, I do admire that you have manifested multiple projects within your community over the course of the year. EVERYONE who has worked with you has described the poignancy of your interaction with your neighbors. Please do not underestimate the extent to which you are touching these lives around you. If your subjects are touching your heart, it must be going both ways.

    I am familiar with Kristen Ashburn’s BLOODLINE: AIDS + was fortunate to see it with fresh eyes after your mentioning it. I also remember the work being published quite extensively (either in the NY or LA Times) immediately upon my return from Africa in 2006. I, too, am grappling with how to make the project ‘effective.’ I hope all the time that I am not kidding myself for thinking it will be.

    I am touched by Fazal Sheikh’s work as well. I became familiar with his work several years ago after meeting one of his dear friends who told me that I look like the girl version of Fazal. :) I would like to meet him, not only to see what I would look like if I were a guy, but to experience his heart, the catalyst producing such work.

    No apologies necessary regarding your ‘sacrifice’ post. In fact, it was both relevant + apropos, and right on the nose. Personally, it was one of those comments, sentiment-/writing-wise, that has inspired my jaw to drop to the floor. There was nothing to add or subtract, and I have to admit I was quite literally stopped in my tracks by your words — in the best way possible.

    If you are in the city in the days leading up to the workshop, I will definitely be interested in helping collect and edit audio. It’s a skill I’d love to learn and something I wish I’d considered before shooting last week, so absolutely. It’d be fun.

  169. Okay, another installment of this Americana thing I have going.

    The Moving Wall is a touring Vietnam memorial that made a stop in my home town this weekend. I photographed the ceremony. Everything was shot and recorded on Thursday.

    This is a long edit (about 12 minutes) but really I have the local community in mind, and those who didn’t get the see the memorial. So it is a lot longer than I would prefer, but at least stick with it through the scout portraits. I’m pretty happy with those as a group.

    http://www.humanfiles.com/slideshows/moving_wall/publish_to_web/moving_wall.htm

  170. AUDREY,

    Wednesday at Arles would be great. I should have time in the afternoon to get together and look at the expos. Let me know how to reach you or where we could meet. Best for me would be in the afternoon.

    Hope we meet there.

    Cheers,

    Eric

  171. david alan harvey

    ERICA…

    yes, that is what i was talking about…getting as many of us from the forum as possible in New York for a gathering sometime that week..

    MARCIN…

    you may be right about the disappearance of film once there are small cameras with “full frame” sensors…but what about the archiving??? all hard drives eventually fail…you have a lifetime spent constantly moving work over to new hard drives….it seems to me that if you are working in digi, you had better make prints of anything that really matters….which is exactly what anyone does with film, but for some reason,this is not the inclination for most digital photographers…i really have to force myself to remember to print my digital work…a hard drive sitting on my desk does not compel me to go in a take a look and see what needs to be done….so easy to just forget …. whereas a set of contact sheets beckons always…

  172. david alan harvey

    HERVE…

    this is the concept that i keep trying to get photographers to get a hold of…and by far the most difficult one…and the one that keeps most emerging photographers from living their dream…

    there is no time when you switch from being emerging and earning a living and then suddenly there is some “magic day” when you are “known” and then you change your way of working and thinking..

    you have to be whoever you are “going to be” right from the first day of being a committed photographer….

    when we are looking at photographers portfolios who come into Magnum , we carefully study to see who this photographer has been all along….their roots….

    sure , photographers at Magnum must earn a living somehow…but, believe me, that is secondary…our whole “business” is totally built on the work of photographers who are not trying to be in “business”…

    cheers, david

  173. DAVID,

    I recently read a long article about the archival problems with digital. The article was in swedish though.
    NASA and other big organisations have lost large amounts of important information due to failior with digital storage and not having the time to renew their old backups.
    As long as I myself is around I will probably have fresh backups and working harddrives, but after that? who’s going to do the backups? sure, if you have Magnum or another big agency they will probably keep it safe for you. But apart from that I see enormous amount of digital information just disappearing. What you are saying about prints is true and important to do if you work digitally and want your work to live on. But how long will the prints last? probably very very long if stored and framed properly. Yes, there will be fading, but the image will be there..

    Cheers

  174. david alan harvey

    MARTIN…

    silver prints are good for at least 100 yrs and the pigment based inkjet prints for 200 (according to the “experts”)…this is good enough for me and also for the serious print collectors….

    constantly moving a life’s work forward with new hard drives just does not seem viable as you suggest…many are now looking at tape as the best way to preserve images from digital files….i keep thinking that some new process will be invented…i sure hope so…in any case, i am looking at all the ways to move digital files to film and to make silver prints from digital files…or to make digital negatives on your printer and then make silver contact prints….

    cheers, david

  175. Eric,

    Génial!! je suis très heureuse que nous nous rencontrions! il me manque l’espace Van Gogh et les magasins SNCF à visiter, je ne sais pas si vous avez fait ces expositions, nous pourrions nous retrouver devant l’espace Van Gogh à 14h30? ou à un autre endroit? à très bientôt,
    audrey
    ps: mon tel +33 6 61 12 21 32

  176. david alan harvey

    YOUNG TOM…

    so sorry, i missed your comment on my first “read through”…you and i are of like mind on this…

    is there any way you can get to New York in september?? i would love to have you up to my loft for this meeting…and, of course, you would be one of the first people i would consider for a “real job”…not that you want a “job” of course, but you might have to take one anyway!!!

    cheers, david

  177. audrey, gina

    thanks for taking a look… and glad you like it too :-)

    truth is that i am very insecure about using color.. somehow i always end up converting it to b&w, and every time i do, a sigh of relief.. i don’t know why, it seems like i am more comfortable with it. i have no idea if it suits the story better though…

    you know what? shall i post this exact same chapter in color, and ask your opinion again? b&w or color?

    thanks for taking a look…

    david, martin

    yes it’s true that hard drives fail… but “backup” is not the same as “archive”… archives used to be on DLT tapes and stored in a fireproof safe, until secure online digital archiving came along. quite expensive, but chances of it failing are a million times smaller than, let’s say, your office burning down or getting flooded or broken into. but is it future proof? who knows…

    hmm archiving and backup strategies, interesting… have we dealt with this before here? it’s kinda tech-talk, i know, but just too important maybe…

    question: is there *really* (percentage-wise) more “image” loss when seriously archiving digitally vs. seriously archiving on paper? i have never heard of companies/people actually not being able to recover archived data when their hard drives failed, IF they implemented a secure backup and archiving solution.

  178. DAVID,

    Yes I agree with you and of course I am “film man”. Last time I print several of my photos for contest and I just love prints form the velvia films.
    However… When first time I took a pictures I was 16 years old and I was extremly poor. It was time in art high shool when I had to choose beetwen food and pencils, paper or paint. And even then I had films and few piece of paper to made my first pictures. Now even if I will buy chipest films, developers and paper it it still fortune!
    for me it is just evolution, one species die one species arise.
    I see digital everywhere and I unfortunately it is just begin i suppose.
    But i hope I am wrong…
    but how many “classic” photos you’ve seen last time and how many digital?

    I am definitely not “film man” or “leica man”, but if I work with velvia and m6 I fell completly freeeeeee!!!!

    viva la velvia

    ps; I just imagine a scene when Mel Gibson with blue face standing on the hill with leica in hand hold up and screming “FREEEDOMMMMM!!!” ha ha ha….. hmmmm… yes, I know….

    peace

  179. ANTON,
    Yeah, I really believe that there’s a lot more image loss with digital. Especially among ordinary people who don’t care about backups, prints and don’t transfer files to their new computer etc.
    And those images (from non photographers) are equally important for future generations..

    Cheers

  180. I’m with Anton on the backups! Secure digital data storage is an art for sure, but it can be done. Places like photoshelter offer a location to store your best work on two coasts of the US and at home. I’d say a live backup, which you can check, is a lot more secure than the Shroedinger’s cat of a tape you recorded once and shoved in a bank vault!

    Hard drive prices are constantly dropping and desktop storage is becoming more sophisticated and easier to implement all at the same time. Check out the “drobo” for an interesting example of this.

    The trick may well be future-proofing the files, with all these wierd and wonderful RAW formats, lets hope our camera-building friends keep them readable into the future.

    I agree that the print is much more tactile and heaps more fun, but now you can carry all of your “best work” in your shirt pocket. I’m not hauling decent quality prints around like that!

  181. Martin,

    How many of these “non-photographers” images survive from the past ages of film & print? How many are doomed to rot in drawers or attics, unfound and unloved?

    Sites on the internet preserve at least some of the tsunami of digital images, searchable and “live” not locked up anywhere! I’d never have seen Cushman’s pictures of Edinburgh in the sixties unless they were accessable online in digital form!

    “Put ’em up! Keep them right there…Where I can see ’em!”

  182. NEIL,

    I’m not against digital publishing at all. Question is if you had seen Cushman’s pictures of Edinburgh at all, if they were captured digitally? don’t know..
    Digital is very safe in short term, but don’t know about long term..

    Cheers

  183. martin / neil

    martin yes you’re right, but… that was exactly my point: IF you get your backup AND your archiving up to scratch, then you are future-proof… even the NASA case ultimately boiled down to human neglect, i.e. not having time to back up.

    of course, like you said, there is more data loss among people who don’t care about the transfer/backup… if we want to solve *that* problem, then indeed something new needs to be invented… because yes “regular” prints will last longer than a “regular” home computer without backup will… absolutely true. but is that the root of the problem?

    i believe the problem is not the hard drive, or even digital storage, it is in fact the people not caring… not backing up would be the “analog” equivalent of storing a bunch of 1 hour photo color prints in a card board shoe box on a windy moist attic… and then wondering why the colors fade after time.

    not caring digitally is the same as not caring “analogically”: it leads to “loss”
    (only the “loss” happens much “easier” or “faster” digitally – but i don’t know if one should try and solve this problem)

    BUT…

    caring digitally is NOT THE SAME as caring “analogically”: that’s the hard part

    as long as we know this, and we realise that we have to change our mindset and learn to “think” digitally in order to maximise our chances there, we will be fine. but it is a hard thing to do…

    online secured storage? maybe… good thing is you don’t need to keep track of the technology… but i think, additionaly, it’s a safe bet to make archival inkjet prints…

  184. Anton,

    You are right that digital neglect is….digital. Its fine or gone. I would’nt give up on an increasingly technology-savvy public yet! If people care, they’ll do it. My bet is that if someone cared enough to take care of their slides like Cushman did, they’ll do the same for their digital data.

    The density of digital data and the ease with which it can be copied is a considerable help! A friend of mine keeps a set of backup hard-drives in a cupboard for me. I’d have a hard time persuading him to let me fit in a physical archive of my images!

    There is, for sure, something to be said for the security of using both belt and braces… digital and print… not that many people do nowadays.

  185. David

    Thank you so so much for your time and your encourage!!

    I hope to hear from you soon.
    My publisher’s due date is upon me…

    Akaky, mike
    Thank you so much for encouraging.

    ^^

    Herve,
    I’ve admired your beautiful writings …like poet.
    I don’t deserve such high praise.
    Thank you very much. ^^

    Anton
    Thank you for sharing your lovely works on Brigit.
    I would like to see your works of colors, too.

    All

    I had chnces to take pictures with Bruno Barvey who is a member of Magnum.(20th- 24th Aug.)
    After his Seoul workshop, He and his wife came to Busan to take pictures of seaside.
    He loves harbors, beaches and fish markets of Busan.
    We met at 3P.M. everyday and took pictures.
    He is very thoughtful and hard workers. It was very precious experiences for me.

    .

  186. david alan harvey

    KYUNGHEE…

    this will be done today…..

    NEIL….

    of course “seeing” pictures is quite good on the net for information purposes…

    but, cannot possibly be compared with seeing a fine print….

    surely, for showing your portfolio then your laptop is just fine..and yes, it would be impractical to carry your finest prints around everywhere…

    however, every photographer should have a box of “best prints” somewhere…archival prints…..all the rest of it is just “process”…the final final result of what we all do is a PRINT…that is , at least for me…the net, magazines, even books can never quite do justice to what we do…yes yes pictures can INFORM even with poor quality magazine reproduction or on the net…but photographs are different than pictures…photographs in their “highest order” are OBJECTS in and of themselves…if you do not believe this, just go to a Sotheby’s photographic auction sometime …

    cheers, david

  187. ANTON :
    “i have never heard of companies/people actually not being able to recover archived data when their hard drives failed, IF they implemented a secure backup and archiving solution.”
    … I do two copy of everything in DVD (archieved in two different place) and one or two in HD. Of the original file and all the worked material (with captione etc..)
    BUT: I still have my first HD already gone with all the material inside. I couldn’t save the info also in the “white room” (is that the english name?). :(((
    I cared, so I had two back up. I’ve restored “quite all” with the DVD, that’s not all. Because it happens that you forgot to back up may be one pre-worked… a selection… And in the same days also the HD of the PC was broken.
    And recently I had to change in a hurry one of the back up HD, it was a Drobo, before it broke.
    With my contact sheet it never happens!
    Of course I was lucky there was no war, earthquake and I don’t live in a windy attic. :)))

    Apropos, if you know a good and not terribly expensive “Wgite room”…

    P.S. I agree to try color…for Brigit

  188. People keep prints, photo albums and negatives and for many it’s the most valuable things they have. And if they inherit from older generations I’d say that 95% don’t have the heart to throw it in the bin. It doesn’t need the maintaining that digital needs. It can sit in it’s box and you can take it out after 50 years and sure it won’t be as new, but it’ll be there and a bit faded.
    I don’t think that people that have old hard drives will continue backing up through their lives and I certainly don’t think the next generation will do it for them.
    So we need new and better solutions as you Anton. Just because we value our work doesn’t mean our kids or relatives care about it in the same way or have the same knowledge..

    Cheers

  189. KYUNGHEE LEE

    겅희씨는 행운이 좋으신군요. 저는 브루노 바루비의 사진착품을 너무 좋아하는데요. 마그넘사진가들중에도 가장 좋아하는분 한명이다. 저도 오래전에 (80 년대 전반) 부산항과 자갈치시장을 해매 다녀 사진 많이 찍으면서 맛이있는 신선한해물 많이 먹은 적 있어요. 얼마나 좋은지 상상할수 있겠어요.

    (Kyunghee, you are very lucky! I love Bruno Barbey’s work. He is one of my favorite Magnum photographers. Back in the early 1980s I also spent some time wandering around Busan Harbor and the Chagalch’i Fish Market, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed eating a lot of fresh seafood. I can imagine what a good time you had.)

  190. David,

    I don’t doubt the value of a top notch print! Walking through a Mangelsen gallery and seeing Cartier-Bresson’s Retrospective exhibition leaves no illusions there. However it would not be my choice as a primary medium of storage, I’m a digital kid and am happier working with information in digital form.

    Martin,

    We won’t know for awhile yet, but I’m hopeful the coming generations will treat their inherited digital data with the respect we treat the diaries, photographs and books of our predecessors. Although less tangible, it takes up less space and is more portable. Imagine that your spare room with your inherited physical archives doubled in size every year. Would’nt you be less inclined to clear it out?

  191. Sidney …

    how come you know all these languages?!

    Lembro que você falou Portugues comigo no começo und Du hast auch schon ein paar deutsche Sätze geschrieben und zwar PERFEKT.

    That is so impressing it is almost scary!!!

  192. LASSAL

    You are both too kind and also exaggerating! I only know one word of Portuguese: “Obrigado!” The only languages I am competent to actually write letters in besides English are Japanese, Korean, and maybe German, and it takes a long time. I have picked up a few phrases here and there in other languages over the years, from travelling solo and from living with people from many different countries when I was a graduate student in Japan. Most well-educated Europeans speak more languages than I do.

  193. ‘to some, it’s a way back to their childhood, to some, it’s an escape, to some, it’s a safe haven from the world below’…

    I just watched this touching story, Tangier Treehouse, about boys who have been living in the streets in Morocco and are considering risking their lives by clinging to the undersides of trucks that will travel by ferry to Europe, to seek employment and a to find brighter future. An architect has a vision of having the boys create a “boat” in the trees from where they can see the ocean and find solace and friendship..see it if you can! It’s one more affirmation that good can come to many from positive intention and effort.

    “When a group of Moroccan street children are invited to take part in a treehouse building workshop, they find themselves unexpectedly transformed. Facing difficult choices in their lives – whether to emigrate to nearby Europe or cope with limited prospects for the future in Tangier – the treehouse they construct, under the guidance of an American architect, takes on symbolic significance. An inspiring tale of childhoods lost and regained, this documentary offers a timely and intimate window into the world of Arab youth.”

    trailer is here http://web.mac.com/woowayprojects/tangiertreehouse/Trailer.html

    Also encouraging, a snippet about a yoga program in the mexican prison system.

    http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=9423972

    A similar program is held in India, and was the brainchild of the Inspector General of Indian prisons, Kiran Bedi, a powerhouse of a woman.

    There is a documentary about this as well, Doing Time, Doing Vipassana..

    trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pk6RlUKanA

    I initiated a class teaching yoga for men in jail in Maine..and it was an extremely gratifying experience for me, and it seemed to offer comfort and scope for growth to the men..
    but no trailer!

  194. hey kyunghee…

    ok i will try color tonight! thank you for looking…

    i am very curious about your book… i really liked the “island” pictures which you showed before.. i remember the grassy dune in the wind and the beach and shore and water… a lot of feeling in it…

    dear laura!

    oh no sounds like a disaster horror story!!! i don’t know exactly what happened, but maybe it’s good to discuss backup and archive strategies once here… i am sure there must be some specialists reading this who can help us out :)))

    one thing i learnt the hard way is never to do long-term archiving on DVD, as the media will deteriorate very quickly… i guess there are better DVD’s out there now, but i have some discs that are about 10 years old that have become transparent and unusable… the plastic is ok but not the data layer… all gone…

    ps. i don’t know what a “white room” is?

    Martin

    you’re right of course… hadn’t thought of that one: what about archiving for the future, and possibly for the ones who don’t care in the same way or have the necessary tech knowledge… good point…

    in that case, i would say printing archive inkjets (or silver prints in case of film) in acid-free cardboard boxes is our best bet…

    what i wanted to say, was merely that IF you choose digital you have to play by the rules of digital to “maximize your chances of survival”, and that these rules are very different from the “analog” ones

    cheers!

  195. Yes, David, Magnum “raison d’ etre” was to always keep business secondary and why it is held in such respect by many photographers, especially PJ wanna-be.

    The fact that you guys can go about both aspects without “selling out”, or compromising not so much your vision, but your whole artistic journey.

  196. David,

    I would be there if I could, would drop everything if i could, but have plans/tickets/reservs./anniv with my wife Sue set for Greece Sept. 18 to early Oct … damn, was looking forward to comparing all my misconceptions about virtual people here with the real deal and dreaming big …

    … And here i was thinking i embarrassed myself again with that previous far flung post ;)) Funny, Sue (Gemini) accuses me of being too linear, logical and Libra but somehow i can throw a wooly log on the fire here now and again …

    tom

  197. ANNA B

    seems you and would hit it off right away on many levels..I do hope we have the chance, but it may have to be at the slideshow party when you are sleep deprived but semi ecstatic..

    I will indeed say a prayer for your funding; I just read an article about a life coach who uses wish-list writing to help people visualize and manifest their desires, and she spoke about what i have known to be true for myself..when the desire is held/visualized/iterated while one is in a state of centered peace and a connection to one’s purest desire, the manifestation comes..and when the desire is communicated from a disjointed, frazzled mind, it does not. So i say this in offering you a reminder to peacefully, joyfully speak to the universe..

    RE: a project that is über meaningful..and I know you understand that I see the poignancy as you say in what I am doing now (or I wouldn’t be in it)..but I do believe that with time and money I could create from a fuller place something that I not only believe in and am committed to, but something that perhaps I am ‘meant’ to do, for myself as a creative being and for those involved. Soul’s destiny, and all that.. :)

    so you are a female version of F? That is very interesting! My sister in law, who is a beautiful photographer, went to school with him at Princeton, and my BW printer has worked with him; both speak very highly of the man.

    Am touched by what you say about ‘sacrifice’ post..I think it was in 8th grade English class that I gave a ‘personal viewpoint lecture’ to my classmates about my thoughts on sacrifice, which were the same, and suffice it to say it didn’t go over so well, so I am pleased you got it!

    be in touch, xo

    Time to go buy more film to finish up the project..I had bought the ‘allotted’ amount, and then allowed myself another 10 rolls of 12 frames after that. But seems I am allowing myself some more. The ‘problem’ is that there have been several people that I have been swept away by, mesmerized..so I don’t stop at the normal 2 or 3 frames for them. Funny thing is, it doesn’t change the outcome, the strongest shot is usually the first or the last. The in betweens are just me forgetting myself and being tantalized..

    DAH

    there will be a end workshop slideshow gathering on the 19th?

  198. AH! am going but…

    Just had a moment of reflection and realized that my comment above that “I do believe that with time and money I could create from a fuller place” is horse shit. As many brilliant artists have shown us, creation of a stunning body of work can be beyond the constraints of time and/or money. Not that both time and money aren’t incredibly helpful and of great value, but what is needed more than an abundance of either is an abundance of spirit and inner resource..

    This place is a bit like psychotherapy. You say something, then there is a little silence or an ‘mm-hmm’ and then you have another thought..thanks all.

  199. Oh man I wish I was going to Peripgnan (esp as I have a new book out). But for part of that time I’ll be sitting in a tent doing an isolation diet (dieta) under the auspices of an Amazonian trained shaman, where we are assigned a special healing plant and then do an ayahuasca ceremony every other night. Yet another leg on my healing journey… far from the world of photography.

    I think it’s important that photographers be able to migrate their particular vision when doing “business.” Unfortunately far too often we hear “Oh we love what you do. But we’d rather you do this and this..” And we go along because the phone hasn’t been ringing and the rent is due. And inevitably it’s a disaster because you are frustrated and the client is disappointed.

    I think what Magnum stands for is photographers that have a vision. Not a group vision per se (which it sounds like some members want to get away from having) but individual vision of strong intention. And hopefully savvy “creatives” can take some of that personal vision and translate it into paid work that doesn’t co-opt the photographers purpose.

    Personally I think our whole visual culture (and I mean American mostly) needs the bar raised. Possibly by Magnum caliber photographers working their style of seeing into the corporate culture it could only help the way people see photography in general and lead to overall higher visual literacy, and therefore have a positive impact on their doc or personal work besides just the paycheck they might receive for ‘selling out.”

    Kyunghee,

    Congrats on the book! There’s nothing else like it. Sounds like you are in good hands as well.

    Re backup: now that I’ve spent thousands on digital cameras I need to spend another thousand plus on backing up. Where does it end? It’s almost enough to make me want to only shoot film… (not really).

    Charles

  200. ok… Time to emerge out of the Venice DEN
    or pit…! ( once more )!!!
    Take a breath…
    Now I’m posting through the phone..
    I have couple of new STORIES to show YOU!
    Tonight when I reunite with my laptop I will
    Link you all..
    First..
    We will witness the strength and determination
    of the “VENICE WOMEN”.. Women changing the world
    In Venice Beach..

    Also in another link you will go back in the past,
    “sex and drugs and rock’n’roll”
    so we are going backstage on a rock concert..

  201. .. 1969, this is the year of the backstage
    Orgy we are taking a peek later on…
    But
    I really can’t wait to share though the
    Photos of the “WOMEN OF VENICE”..
    Be Advised..
    Both links .. “DO NOT OPEN IN FRONT OF CHILDREN”..
    Although most of you , know this already ;)))
    Both links at least PG-13..
    Anyways..

    In the meantime , I can’t wait to catch up
    with all the comments and links..
    I can’t wait to check on ANTON ‘s ,
    MARCIN’s stuff and the rest of the gang..
    because there is no “flash” on the phone..
    YOUNG TOM, have fun in Greece..
    MATT B.. Heyyyyyyyy!!!! How are you!

    DAH, I had a great email from Martin G..
    ( you know, the APPLE computers/”aperture” genius,)..
    Martin is a super cool guy. Met up in C/Ville..)
    He sent me a few cool photos from china and
    The OLYMPICS ceremony.. Anyways,
    I guess you guys going to meet in P/France..

    Hey, Charles , what’s up..
    Ok.. Peace and love..
    More, from the desert.. Tonight
    Later..

  202. following up on all the comments about storage, and what brings about “success” of a body work (thinking of both all the comments about Magnum, as well as the conversation between Erica (sacrifice, before and on this page) and Ana, and too the lovely language chat between lassal and Sidney (hey, i read the essay, and really enjoyed it alot, i hope rest of the blog read it too, thanks for the link!)..

    some words…at least words that have always rung true for me, at least when it comes to creative endeavors…though, have less application with business models ;)))

    “One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”–thus spake zarathustra, f.n.

  203. David / All

    I’ve been lightly discussing content/design ideas with David Bowen, if a publication for the group were to become a reality. One approach is to have a broad range of content (as typical magazines do) but that does create an ambitious workload for something that would start off as a yearly—that amount of content might not quite be necessary at this point.

    The other approach would be to have one to three articles (depending on how you divide information up) then let the bulk of the publication be a type of EPF/DAH blog portfolio. The focus of the articles could be on the culture of the blog, David’s family album project, EPF and assignments, and maybe something about workshops and festivals.

    But the majority of pages should be populated with strong essays or bodies of work from this group, accompanied by a small amount of text—or maybe a more poetic treatment with classic bits of text from the blog scattered throughout.

    Also, chicken or the egg question: do you design to fund a publication, or fund to design? It would be excellent to be able to pay contributors per image used, article written, page designed, etc.

  204. now there is a coincidence.. was just checking the forum DMC.

    i think the idea of a yearly ‘ book’ which you wrote of yesterday is excellent.. it could act as a very well intended folio piece, supplementing the actual funded photographers.. possibly helping two or three times as many snappers who receive the money.
    using the ‘look’ festival as a first point of distribution.. brilliant.

    i would say design on the assumption that there will be funding, at least for the book..

    if a snapper gaining page space in the book is perceived as a kind of grant in itself, i’m not sure how many snappers here would be worried about picking up a repro fee.. i for one would not consider it as an earner, as with other magazines.. but more of a point of recognition.. not dissimilar to the ‘world press photo’ award books.. in other words – some priceless press.. invaluble.

    perfect time to throw it open to the floor david mc..
    it is going to happen – no question.. and it’s an exciting development to the blog which could be the first building-block in a more permanent yearly routine which seems to be developing organically from these here pages.

  205. CHARLES PETERSON,

    I’m just amazed with that new stage of your healing journey… and I think it is absolutely NOT far from the world of photography!

    In fact I wish I could have an assigment about that ceremony, the Amazonian shaman, the healing plant… Sure it is absolutely amazing! :-)

  206. david mcg & david b…

    right on guys, this captures the intent and spirit for me.. wanna be a part, no question about that… but hey i’ve mentioned that already… no repeat necessary.. whichever way possible (used to design mags too) and if, photographically, i ever were to produce something good enough to be featured, i’d consider it a grant in itself… absolutely..

    you could have three different kinds: feature on the site, feature in the mag, and the actual EPF grant itself..

    ‘ts getting somewhere, that’s for sure.

  207. A book/journal is a great idea. But it does need to be thought the ENTIRE way through. The easy/fun part is choosing the participants, layout and seeing it off to the printer. The pain in the ass begins when you suddenly have boxes of 2000 of these on your (well, somebody’s!) doorstep.

    The best route would be to get somebody secured for distribution (such as powerHouse, Aperture, photo-eye, etc). That might also help secure funding for actual production. Funders want to make sure that it’s actually going to get out in the world and not just be boxes sitting in the corner of somebody’s loft. Individual book distribution is real time consuming, and best left to the pros.

    Books/journos aren’t cheap to produce. I would think it more a matter of honor/exposure vs repro fees. It’s one thing to do work pro bono for a magazine that says they “have no money” and yet are peppered with high end advertising and another to go pro bono for something like this.

    My 2 cents….

  208. David McG …

    I cannot hear Taps or Amazing Grace on the bagpipes without choking up for friends lost in the line of duty, for friends, family and strangers i have watched pass out of this life, and for vets i have worked with in the past to get through that awful kafkaesque nightmare of the VA. Too many, all stories different, and the same. I wrote you two draft emails and deleted them both … just let me say your series hit a deep note with both me and my wife Sue, who lost many close friends in that war and in the years after. Those Boy Scouts … probably not even really understanding why they are standing there, standing there to honor boys lost who were just a few years older than themselves, four decades ago, who really didn’t understand why they were standing over there either, waving a flag or a gun …

    How many of these young innocents in your pictures will become names on a wall, too? And for what?

  209. ANA,

    Thank you. I’ve taken a few photos but it’s difficult being both participant and viewer (this is in the Pacific NW btw, not the Amazon. Someday…). And the fact that the ceremonies take place in total darkness doesn’t make it easy! Impossible in fact.

    Just looking at your blog and website. I have a dream of going to Senegal, Mali, etc someday. I would like to photograph the music scene there. I envy you! Some great stuff. Though I would like to see it edited down, the very best images in one place. I think the blog format doesn’t do your work justice.

    Peace,

    Charles

  210. David & David

    Awesome idea. Is there any mileage in creating a demo/sampler issue to show what we’re about and use to obtain funding?

  211. Hi David,

    I would love to volunteer but can not. I switched jobs last spring and since then my time in front of the computer has taken a back seat. Not enough time in the day and so I skim the 700 comments once in a while and try to get a general feel of what is going on here but besides Photo Friday, my participation has fallen off.

    I still shoot pictures, however, the precious free time (outside of family) is alloted to my hobby.

  212. neil – i think a mock up would be a great first step in terms of gaining funding and as charles says – distribution.. which is a high percentage of the work for sure.

  213. Tom

    These types of memorials are so so important, especially for someone like me who knows very few with a military past. I still get choked up in parts, even after the repetition required to put a piece like this together. The opportunity to take one or two frames per scout as I moved with the parade couldn’t be passed, and I knew it would have an obvious impact.

    I think your last questions are spoken in the shot of scouts reflecting the wall.

  214. CHARLES,

    Thank you! I had the same dream and finally took one step to make it true. Started in Senegal (three times already) but hope to make it through many other places around. By the way, I had the chance to work and photograph musicians there ;-)
    And you’re right. I need to put the very best in just one place .My problem until now is that I don’t have a website (I just use the blog format. Easy and free…). I’ve been thinking of working on a good website but it takes time and needs knowledge (and I don’t have much of those). But yes, I expect to do an effort in the next couple of months and construct one. I even don’t have a site where to upload my latest essays! And I know I should find how to do it.
    Thanks so much for your nice comment on my work and for suggesting to get a good website. Will try to do it soon ;-)

  215. I have started working on comps, but my original concepts were different from the idea of this type of group portfolio. I’ll put some time into it this week or next, but I think a short version mockup or pdf sample is a good idea as a fund seeking tool.

  216. DAH
    Please, take your time !
    Your own work should be the most important thing in your head,
    I am totally with you.
    When you feel that is time to talk, I will hear with heart opened.

    LASSAL ( ! )

    Você me surpreendeu respondendo em português ! Eu sabia que você passara parte de sua vida no Brasil, porém não esperava uma resposta em português.
    Da mesma maneira que você, não é tão fácil para mim, conversar sobre fotografia em inglês, mas eu vou me virando e na medida do possível, aprendendo bastante, embora algumas palavras (normalmente girias) ainda me escapem ao conhecimento. Quando quiser visitar o Brasil, sinta-se em casa, e por favor entre em contato ! Você será muito bem vinda ! Em agosto do ano passado eu estive na Alemanha, porém ainda não te conhecia, o que é uma pena, pois tenho vários amigos ai e nos divertimos bastante em Berlin. Onde você mora atualmente ? Estou enviando suas congratulacões a Carmen ! Ela vai adorar saber sobre você.
    Eu não conheço o fotógrafo Caio Reisewitz mas vou procurar conhecê-lo ! Você tem alguma indicação sobre o trabalho dele para me passar ?

    well… as you mentioned, Carmen is just a small part of women in the same situation, but she is what I see as the strongest part. Someone that keep fighting and never surrender. Yes, a dreamer.
    She (they) are not so far away as you think (in Brazil), because they are inside our houses, our families, living for our life as close as you can imagine ! Yes, two worlds… one life. That’s what I am trying to show. But I am thinking if I should really open this vision into diferent ways that sometimes are not part of two different worlds and just piece of one exclusive world….. her life. The life she dedicated to the kids… she told me on her first interview (assumed for this project) that never went to a big mall. Party… she prefer to stay at home. Socializing…. she also prefer to receive people at home. Work is money, she is a professional that must attempt to relationship, may have a boss… but she never wanted to live their life !
    So this way become very difficult to slip the story in two different channels, because for her, there is just one way…. be the best for the kids is her life. So… yes I have shoot lots of relationship, I am confused if that’s the right point but, I just assumed that: her life are kids. if she eats mignon at the work and rice at home…. does not matter. How do you feel ?
    Difficult…. yes, but I hope to clean my mind, and that is the why your oppinion is very important to me. I’ll try to post a new link with a longer edit very soon.

    Thank you very much !! and remember…. you are welcome !

    AUDREY BARDOU

    Yes, high level intimacy. This is one point I like this work.
    Good to hear from you Audrey. I am glad you like it.

    BOB
    Thank you for the links !
    Good learning for me !

    PANOS
    Thank you !!

    ERIC ESPINOSA
    So how do you feel about ?
    Thanks for checking it !

    ERICA
    Ok, I will wait.

    KYUNGHEE LEE
    Very good news ! Congratulations !
    Show us some preview if you are allowed.
    Sorry if I missed something…I would love to see, is it possible ?
    I am not pressing you…. just curious.

    Cheers

    Gui Galembeck

  217. DIGITAL x FILM

    I choose both. because… It’s just different ! I don’t believe it will finish. I don’t believe the digital full frame will kill it… the discussion was almost the same when CD appears to kill Vinyl Long Play… and today we can see the CD going down for the mass because of the new formats like Mp3, and the Vinyl going up for collectors. Just to illustrate, the rock band I play, releases the second album just onto Vynil and Mp3. So do you really think film will finish ?? Well I believe Digital will change a lot, but it won’t kill film. I truly hope it never happens so I can keep with the chance to have more than just one choice. Thinking foward, we are the lucky ones if both keep alive.

  218. gui the peace maker :o)
    great..
    i think we probably all use both at some point, and meet in the middle.

    ALL..

    i’m going back to my roots.. yeah.
    teaching off of my old tibetan work and found some slides of half a dozen of the frames..
    my negatives are now only 6 weeks or so from delivery.. it’s been a nightmare being away from them.

    enjoy.
    http://www.bophoto.co.uk/blog/blog.htm

  219. Howdy y’all.

    Just checking in after a protracted absence. No way I can catch up on the 1000s of posts. I’m eager to see the EPF projects (yes yes, I know… be patient- I am).

    Now, back to work…

    Asher

  220. david b

    again, you amaze me with your stories and images.. you seem to have lived seven lives already.. great stuff… if this are your roots… man then i have got a song for you :)))

    going to bed now.. tired… have to start work again in 5hrs..

    peace bro

  221. Anton,

    I’m definitely diggin the color…the B&W was nice, but the color moves me more…

    good light to all,
    A.

  222. Panos, thank you, looking forward to Greece! :)))

    Just got some tips, contact, from someone who was raised in Athens … she could not wait to leave, i know it is much different to live there … Charles Peterson knows her, our mutual photo editor on occasion ;-)

    Have a little free time to myself upfront, can’t quite decide where to go before meeting my wife in the kyklades. Fascinated with Mount Athos peninsula, a millennia of autonomous rule, all monks all the time, the last remnants of the Byzantine empire, would seem to fit in with an upcoming project here to some degree but bureaucratic hassles, permits, time limits to go there … and then also remote Karpathos, a favorite of one of my favorites Nikos Econompoulos … and then western Crete.

    Must choose, can’t decide, wonderful dilemma.

  223. Gui makes the same point I was thinking the other day…digital music on the CD was supposed to “kill” vinyl…records were “fragile, easily scratched, and could lose their original fidelity” (sound familiar?).

    Now…audiophiles realize that the digital conversion is still that…a conversion…and even the best analog-to-digital conversion still must lose something…and all the records I hung on to are now coming back…for a while, youc ouldn’t even buy turntables on which to play them…

    Better? maybe, maybe not. Different? definitely.

    Oh, and I will look into some best practices for preservation of digital info, and post some ideas here tuned specifically for photo info…as an IT security guy in my “real” job, that’s kind kind of in my range of expertise…

    best,
    A.

  224. “Most well educated Europeans speak more languages than I do.”

    Okay, now I feel iggerant; most well-educated gnats speak more languages than I do.

  225. ANTON…

    i have to say – it think i like the images in color more. the color draws me in more… lovely work.

  226. andrew

    you do make sense.. the more i look at it…

    so tired now, really going to bed now… will sleep on it.. but i think you said it well..
    thanks for looking

    snoring

  227. “One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”–thus spake zarathustra, f.n.”

    Bob, has it occurred to you that old Friedrich was nuttier than a fruit cake? And that both Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut had better mustaches? Something to think about, ain’t it?

  228. AKAKY :)))))))

    yes…on all accounts…and i like fruit cake too, go figure ;)))…but, im totally down with Twain and Vonnegut as not only 2 of our greatest (and those dudes surely are biologically connected, gotta be), but also 2 of the greatest mustaches this side of the War in the Caucuses (the 19th century one ) ;)))

    “Of course, no man is entirely in his right mind at any time.”-Twain

    “Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.”–Kurt Vonnegut

  229. ANTON …

    hard to tell … I think I like about 1/3 better in color (like the first 3 photos) and 2/3 better in b/w… For me it has definitively to do with the kind and amount of color & combinations …

    Falling into bed now too, just passed by quickly to see what is going on here…

    GUI
    ;)))) thanks! Be warned, because I’ll get back to you on this!
    More tomorrow…

    BTW Caio was one of the artist on the 51st bienale of venezia that represented Brazil. Unfortunately I missed him there. Got to know him earlier, when he was still in Darstadt and struggeling for his photographic language… I think he had to return to Brazil to find it. If I remember correctly we went to school together as small kids in SP… But that was something like kindergarden or so. And he was some years older than me too.

    Gute Nacht everybody around this part of the world,
    Bom dia para o pessoal do Brasil! :))

    Lassal

  230. Oh Bob, I just read “A Man Without A Country”! There is a lot in there … but I don’t remember this one.
    Thanks! … still laughing …
    Good night!

  231. ANTON :)))

    I have looked at both the B/W version and the Color version…

    Amigo, listen: THERE IS NOT A BETTER VERSION BETWEEN THESE 2 SETS! :)))

    they are ENTIRELY DIFFERENT!…the same story, the same children and the emotion and the story is entirely different on whether you’ve done that work as color or b/w….no better. i love the b/w and i love the color…for 2 very different reasons…

    the b/w is more sad, more existential, more frightening and seems to suggest despair…the color is more about the energy and the joy, the “mystery” of the children’s encounter with this diabetes…of course i shoot only color and i am aware (and sometimes frustrated) by the weight of b/w…i dont mean “historical” weight (b/w is timeless bullshit, or that what all the classics were of), but the visual punch of using only 2 elements…color has magnificent weight and sadness too (look at david’s divided soul or Bravo’s work or Andersons’ work on the campaign trail or in russia or Jonas B’s use of color), but color also creates a different visceral response…it’s sensorial…and therefore, we “read” the story differently…

    for me, it seems you have to ask yourself: as a photographer, how did you experience these children….were you trying to tell a story about them, their struggle, their coming to terms with this or were you making Pictures using them…this is a question i struggle with all the time…especially when photographing children (as in bones)…i dont want to suggest for you an answer (there is not one), or my own opinion, but you should look at both b/w version and the color version and ask yourself this:

    which story has meaning for you as to what you’d wanted to convey to the viewer by photographing these children…

    i love the black and white photographs, for sure, but oddly now as i see the color, it is the color pics which make the most sense to me…

    and thats as a B/W talking ;)))

    but, both are strong and powerful and radiant…for different reasons…

    cheers
    bob

  232. anton.

    :o)
    one part screwed up family, one part lost parents and 3 parts teen madness..
    it’s fun to rush at that age, i think..
    cutting back at 35 has been a good idea.
    thanks for the song.

    as a viewer – i like looking at the colour photos, and the other ‘moments’ in colour as well.. it’s going to be quite a solid collection.. whatever you decide…great.

  233. just a thought on the disappearence/reappearence of film.
    I very much doubt that film will disappear, sorry to all you digi clones. I know you want to eat our brains, but film is just too popular. so there.
    Freestyle photosupply here in LA keeps having record sales in film and related supply. hell, you can get 35mm at the 99c stores if you have to.
    also I think the new owner at Ilford is a purist old school type who is loyal to film. its actually surprising to me how many films are actually on the market. its choice.

  234. ANTON:

    there was a typo in my comment,…as is obvious, it should be:

    “of course i shoot only B/W and i am aware (and sometimes frustrated) by the weight of b/w”…it’s why i choose to stay with B/W and B/W film…’cause it’s been the way i see, but also, i’m still struggling with all that b/w means…for me, often, restriction (2 grapic elements, 1 spectrum of tonality) yields incredible diversity and freedom….

    i love love color (i used to be a painter, right)…and i love color photos…but, i think lots of photogs think the question of b/w vs. color is just about “the look” of the picture…that would be a major mistake…and why i find so much b/w quite boring really…

    anyway, both are strong, both sets have their character…now you gotta ask: what is the character of the story and of you as a photographer…

    goodluck brother

    b

  235. YOUNG TOM

    I wish I could go to Mount Athos! You’re a luck-out that you CAN go after securing a permit, etc.! I’ve thought of going disguised as a guy… but when considering many of the monks are clairvoyant, my cover would be blown far too quickly.

    All my grandparents are from Symi, another remote Dodecanese Island. My Grandfather had a pet goat named Martha. :)

    Anna B

  236. D Mc,

    Great idea about publishing…I think theres a lot of material here to publish so that shouldnt be a problem…finding an audience may be. Perhaps set it up as an on-line publication first?

    Kyunghee,

    you are very lucky. I was able to talk with Bruno when he was here in Seoul a couple of times but would have loved to shoot with him for a day.

  237. Anna! Symi was on my short list too :)) Someday, someday. But I really should go to Athos, shouldn’t I?

    BTW, right now, Sue and I are watching Angels in the Dust, you know this film, yes?

    tom

  238. David McG, just looked at the “moving wall”. Really good job, very humane approach, IMO, totally american, I think you are on to something documenting this country’s growing pains. The Fusco analogy is a well deserved compliment.

    I can’t wait for your next “installment”.

  239. Anton,

    I am more sensitive to the color too,

    My taste for the color comes surely because I do not know how to photograph in color! I have a digital reflex but I have no same eye as with my 2 argentic case, I do not know why, it is maybe in my head, but I do not arrive there, then I continue to photograph in b/w…
    Kind regards, audrey

  240. YOUNG TOM

    Athos. Heck ya. I would consider it a privilege.

    Angels in the Dust. Have never heard of it… (and now) CAN’T WAIT to see it! Love it when that happens.

  241. Anton,

    IMHO (H for Herve, not… ;-)… Humble!), color, color, color… Your angles, crops, and timing invite a rythmic complexity in your frames that cries for multi-chromatic treatment. B&W just comes too normal (hence your “sigh of relief”?), and substractive.

    But I find your should put your own imprint into that chromatic treatment. the colors are so to speak, “natural”, ie. as you or the camera found them, and given how much idiosyncracy (or artistry) you elect on your shots, the colors, the light management should also be idiosyncratically charged. I think of others “daily moments” photographers, like Goldin for ex. Despite chance and accidents, they own everything in their frames.

    Of course, no relief in sight then.. ;-)

  242. Anna, decent documentary and your subject … tough …

    Athos … okay, Athos first, it’s settled … i do so hate standing in line though, and i’m sure there will be no humor if i start mooing like a cow being led to slaughter in the Greek ministry or U.S. Embassy, i have to go through two governments for a maximum 3-day stay, bloody paperwork … ;-)

    But yes, it is a privilege … it is unfortunate they have such byzantine male-only rules, amazingly in place for 1,000 years, even for animals apparently, except cats. I will be lost in translation in a big way, perhaps i should wear a nice summer dress as i step off the ferry … young tom in drag … maybe not. Like Bob, I just don’t have the legs for it :))

  243. AUDREY,

    Parfait…on se retrouve a 14h30 devant l’espace Van Gogh… A demain!

    ERICA,

    We are getting towards September and was excited to read that you are wrapping up your project. I am anxious to see what you have done. I was also intrigued by your comment:

    “I do believe that with time and money I could create from a fuller place something that I not only believe in and am committed to, but something that perhaps I am ‘meant’ to do, for myself as a creative being and for those involved…”

    Do you have a sense of what you would want to do if you had no constraints? What do you have in mind when refering to a fuller place? I myself used to think this way as well and often still do… If only I could go there and do this… Actually, the fuller place are just around us… I am just amazed to see how much fuller the places you photograph seem to me vs what I experience… I have been to New York once or twice and really did not bring any good pictures…you are out there bringing us such wonderful portraits…the place that seemed not so full to me at the time seems to be very full for you who lives there, understand the community… Anyway, I am just curious to know what you had in mind when making this comment….

    Separately, I am at home right now with father and mother. I said this before but my father is a passionate photographer himself and I was talking with him how magical this place has become and how many wonderful photographers we find out there. Took him to Erica’s site, Katharina’s work on Bangkok prostitutes (by the way several new wonderfuls picks in the essay), Mike’s work in Kenya, Lance cowboy work… We checked so many of your sites that I forget many….the point is that he was hugely impressed with this community…

    I have read the suggestions from David Mc on EPF magazine or year book. Surely, anything like this would be great although I remember what David once said that no one keeps magazine… I m dreaming here for one second but, I would love to see a more organic book get created, combination of the most wonderful photographs with the text, portraits from many who contribute… Somehow, this very informal creative community should create something organic contemporary as opposed to an old fashioned magazine… During Look3, I remember listening to Maggie Stebber a friend from David who had so many exciting ideas on what to do in terms of books, magazines…maybe David you should enroll her with us…

    Time to go to the beach (hrd life really)….Will be meeting Audrey tomorrow in Arles… Was just saying a few posts before on how real this place has become…

    Cheers,

    Eric

  244. david mcg

    thinking b&w… i get you… i have that too, “birgit” is the first time i actually contemplated the possibility of color (ditigal, eh – before that i only had Tri-X)… and i must say it’s quite unsettling, but in a good way. seems like i am learning to look at my own images all over again. makes sense?

    lassal

    yes the first thing i noticed was that i would make a different edit for the color than for the b&w… i think about 80% would stay the same, but the rest would be different… i feel that some don’t “work” well in b&w or in color. but because this has never occurred to me before, i would have to re-edit some of the work. glad that i am using digital this time :)

    bob bro

    damn you keep on saying it like it is, how do you do that :)) no really, thanks for the deep insight… i’ve been running around quite a while now, trying color here and there and always disappointed.. but now i know that this was a wrong approach in se… as a photographer i have always only “looked” in b&w, almost by default. it just made more sense (still does most of the time). but now that is getting uprooted… but at the same time gives more freedom… with birgit i totally “lose” myself while photographing, i’m barely aware of myself photographing, being so into the moments, so empty afterwards… this does worry me a little: will i, in other projects, always have to go as “deep” as this to yield results… will i literally be able to cope with that…

    also it’s the first time that color had made sense to me. she is beautiful, she is life, she is all about color… sure there are heartbreaking moments, but it doesn’t do her justice to show her story in b&w. in some way, after i look at the color again, i feel like i’m almost betraying the situation (and her) when i show the b&w… strange feeling indeed… no. color is the only choice here. even though i’m a b&w kinda person… well, at least, i thought so… having doubts about that as well now (a good thing i suppose? can only make me stronger)

    it will kill a bit inside of me to let go of the b&w here though… there are definitely some singles inside my mind…

    i did think of mixing the two together… in a serene kind of way… everyone always says choose b&w or color, but do you think, like e.g. in a book, you could mix? like several color spreads once in a while broken by b&w?

    david b

    thanks for the words.. a few days ago it was the first time i thought i could turn this into something.. don’t know what yet.. so much to document, to see, to share.. this is only scratching the surface… hmm… i’m starting to see possibilities here… but first get my images… then the rest… maybe need looking into some kind of support to carry this to a next level, like travel with her, go to her school, more, more..

    audrey

    i do not know how to photograph in color either… this are my first baby steps!!! you should try, it’s fun :))) thanks for looking…

    herve

    Hilarious! “In My Herve Opinion”… sounds so much better than humble :)))
    i do see what you mean by the rhythmic complexity… and definitely some of it gets lost when in b&w… sometimes for the better, but this time i think not…
    another question: i see this complexity when looking at the images afterwards, but… i do not see this when framing for the photograph, in that moment i just switch off my brain and “feel” for 100%… no thinking… but if i don’t “see” it while photographing, how can i ever learn or improve or control it???

    and yes you are right, the colors are straight off the camera… only minimal WB adjustments… i kinda like it this way for birgit, there is a kind of transparency in them, a transparency that is in her skin too. but it is not ‘outspoken’ enough to be a ‘signature’… i should really “own” my own color. but to be honest i have never explored the light management… (first time color, you know…) and now that you mention it, it seems like something very important to do.. will look into it… thanks for the insight…

  245. ANTON wrote: “i did think of mixing the two together… in a serene kind of way… everyone always says choose b&w or color, but do you think, like e.g. in a book, you could mix? like several color spreads once in a while broken by b&w?”

    And yes, that is what I think every single day, and specially now that I’m editing a work mostly in color but where some random photos work really good in b&w. And a friend of mine just showed me one of the books from Winogrand: WINOGRAND 1964 and a report about it. And, like if answering Anton thoughts (and mine) you can read:

    Black and white still dominated [at least four to one], but the color camera was often raised just seconds before or after a black and white shot was taken.
    If Winogrand’s color work does not have the narrative impact of his black and white work, it makes up for it in its spot-on graphic sense, using color and shape the way a jazz musician uses phrasing and tempo to shade a performance.

    In the book (mostly in b&w) he mixes some color photos that really fit in the symphony… And, why do we always get the straight way and what everybody says? an essay has always to be only in b&w or only in color) WHY??

    Garcia Rodero just had an incredible exhibition in Photo España. All photos (tremendous photos) in b&w but…. there was a small room with color pictures making the exhibition richer than it was. Just amazing….

    Maybe I should keep some b&w photos in my latest color essay….

    Peace

    Ana

  246. Hi David,
    just a little note about a book you’ll enjoy to see….”Campo Adentro” (Susan Bank) a b/w essay about this little “Guajiro Village” at Pinar del Rio, Cuba…beautiful photography…I guess you ‘ve been in Pinar del Rio….my mother war born there.

    un abrazo.
    Carlos Rubin

  247. Katharina ,
    ;))))),

    Cristina,
    I will meet you sooner or later in
    Venice.. Thank you for your comments,
    and your editing…

    Peace,
    beautiful, international ladies of this blog…
    :)

  248. Ana…
    I’m with you..:)
    There should be no rule about mixing
    B&W with color or not..
    YOU are the Artist… You decide,
    You make the call..
    You Tell us what to do…
    We just listen and Follow..
    That should be the ” DESTINY OF THE AUDIENCE”
    Peace…
    You are the bartender.. You get us drunk..
    And we (as audience ) ..
    we should thank you, adore you or reject you..

  249. HI ERIC,

    It’s funny you picked up on that sentence..a couple of minutes later I wrote another post, realizing that the first words are untrue to a point, that creating something meaningful need not be restricted by money or time. They can be real factors in the production of something, but it would be foolish for me to see these as the things which keep me from doing the work I long to do.

    The ‘fuller place’ that I was thinking of is an inner place, not a physical one. While I understand that it is easy to get deluded by thinking ..if only.. I do believe that some projects/subjects resonate more deeply than others, and I can feel that I haven’t allowed myself to delve into the subject matters that mean the most to me. When I do (because of intellectual/emotional reasons as well as having a degree of freedom to do so time and money wise), I suspect (and of course I could be mistaken) that the process of committing to something that I have a profound connection to will allow me to work from this emotional/spiritual/mental ‘fuller place’. My guess is like in anything, when you feel a sense of purpose that comes not just from a level of wanting to do good, but from knowing that this is work that you must do, as a unique being on a path, that aspects of self not previously accessed will reveal themselves..

    and yes, I have a sense of what that project might be, but is a topic best saved for an in person tete-a tete..

    right now, just struggling to deal with basic issues of light and a too small backdrop and feeling rushed and a bit confused about how this neighborhood piece is going to pan out. never before have i worked so openly, with expectation of an end result, with the support of others..all marvelous fodder, but pressures too. but I guess this is part of the DAH ASSIGNMENT EXPERIMENT..time frame, restricted budget, audience waiting to see if you can produce…

    xo all.

    wish I could be in Perp. but there is work to be done here!

  250. the other thing, quickly, is that I am only able to work from ‘where I am’..I may have a sense of wanting something else, but until I am ready, I won’t be able to go there..it’s like a flower blooming, there is a process..and this is work I had to do first. as I have said before, I am a really slow, but thorough learner..each experience is fundamental, but certainly leads to the next…

  251. Anton

    Thank you for your color images on Brigit.
    In my humble opinion, color is better for me… B&w is good but feels too sad…

    In my case, I work in B&W …when the objects are connected with lines which introduce some feeling and emotions …or with some masses which reveals some informations.

    The other side…I work in colors…color is the first factor rather than lines or masss. Color itself represent some feelings, emotion and meanings.

    David Mc. Charles, Gui
    Thank you so so much.
    I enjoy your works, too. ^^

    Sidney
    I always admire at your extensive knowledge and generosity.
    In the early 1980s… I was an unversity student… Then I walked along the Busan harbor everyday, too.

    I looove sea-smell and sea-wind very much…
    Someday if you visit Busan, Let’s try sasimi together.^^

    Thank you.

    .

  252. Yes Panos. We put the rythm for the symphony. But it certainly has to have a melody. Then, everything may work. One thing, the other or both together. Maybe it is difficult but not impossible.
    I’m going to sit down in front of my pictures and see them with my heart and not thinking in rules that say we should not mix color and b&w in the same essay. Maybe they thank me, love me or reject me, but I should try my own symphony. :-) Thanks!!

  253. YOUNG TOM,

    Trying to think of who our mutual Greek photo editor might be. Feel free to email me if you don’t feel free comfortable putting name on here. Just curious….

    I haven’t been to Greece since 1984 when that summer some buddies and I kitted out a used VW bus in Amsterdam and headed south. Drove down through Yugoslavia and made it all the way to Crete. Dropped acid hiking down the Samaria gorge! Great times. I’m sure Greece is different now, but so is everywhere. Had an gyros eating contest on our last day in Athens before heading by ferry to Rome. I won – five gyros and three beers (and a couple of cokes for good measure). Ahhh to be twenty again.

    Have fun. Wish I could join you!

  254. marcin

    got your prints in the mail today… gorgeous… thank you thank you

    i hope all is well with you these days

    anton

  255. Hi Everyone;

    I’m sorry I’ve come late to the conversation, but have had a bit of a disaster with the folding of a magazine that has regularly provided me with half my annual income. So have been scrambling, drumming up more work & have had little time for contributing to this conversation.

    But; as an aside, everyone, don’t fall into the same mistake I made in having too many eggs in one basket……

    Re this forum’s format: I LOVE it the way it is. It twists, turns and shoots off on unplanned routes into charted and uncharted territory. I feel that if it becomes too “organised” it’ll lose that spontaneity.

    Sometimes it may seem hard to keep up, but some posts you skim, others you read entirely, & at the bottom of the page you hit “next” for the following page….. Not too tricky really!!

    As for B&W versus colour: Some subjects scream B&W and others colour, I think it’s as simple as that! Horses for courses in other words…..

    Also; an update on the Timor project, I had planned to return for Xmas, but with the magazine hassles might have to put it off til Easter now…..

    Also have added and deleted a couple of images from the Timor page of the IDP camps in Dili. My site will FINALLY be up in about three weeks….

    Cheers everyone.

  256. KYUNGHEE….

    i just sent you a private e-mail detailing my delay with your forward..but , just in case you see this before you see your e-mail, i had to take my mother to the hospital yesterday…i spent the night with her last night and she is in stable condition…in any case, this obviously meant i did not get to your “preface” for your book…am i too late??? barring any negative turn in my mother’s health, i can do your forward tonight or in the morning unless the deadline is passed…let me know soonest here or by e-mail…

    cheers, david

  257. KYUNGHEE….

    i just sent you a private e-mail detailing my delay with your forward..but , just in case you see this before you see your e-mail, i had to take my mother to the hospital yesterday…i spent the night with her last night and she is in stable condition…in any case, this obviously meant i did not get to your “preface” for your book…am i too late??? barring any negative turn in my mother’s health, i can do your forward tonight or in the morning unless the deadline is passed…let me know soonest here or by e-mail…

    cheers, david

  258. DAVID:

    running to meditation, so this will be brief…

    Marina and i send you our thoughts and love and hope that all will be well with your mom…

    you’ll be in our prayers…

    hugs
    b

  259. David;

    Best wishes to you and your family regarding your mum’s illness. I’m sure I’m speaking for all of the community here.
    Take care…

    All the best;
    Ross

  260. Dear David

    I’m so sorry about your mother.

    I hope she gets better soon.

    I’ll pray for her here in Korea.

    About the letter, My publishing company gave me a few more days when I told them about my situation.

    I have the deadline untill 29th .

    However I still need to translate your writing in both Korean and Japanease by that date.

    So if you could please write the letter by the 27th (tommorrow).

    That would still be fine.

    I am sending you a copy of the letter from Japan also.

    David, thank you very much.

    sincerely yours,

    Kyunghee Lee

    p.s. I have sent an email , too.
    It’s the copy of that.

    .

  261. DAVID,

    I’m sure I speak for everybody writing, reading, or lurking here… all of us have our thoughts and hearts with you and your family. We all hope for the best. Courage, mon ami.

  262. DAVID,

    hope your mom is better by now and that soon she will be at home and with all the strength you always said she has. All my best wishes for her.

    Hugs,

    Ana

  263. DAH…

    Please keep us all posted re: your mother. My thoughts are with you my friend. xox

  264. ok… ALL…

    David , just called me.
    We talked about “this” and “that”…
    but,
    before all that….
    HIS MOM… IS THE MOST IMPORTANT “REALITY” IN HIS THOUGHTS…

    ok, restart….!
    Everybody knows that his mom got a little sick the last few days…
    David explained to me couple things but im not a doctor…
    neither that smart… i usually dont get , that much !!!
    … so… i left the conversation believing that everything is going
    to be SUPER POSITIVE… his mom ( i wont reveal the age of a lady), fighting some sort of infection…
    and everything SHOULD BE FINE WITHIN DAYS… or week(s)…

    IN THE MEANTIME… David, sleeps to small bed , IN THE HOSPITAL,… (support, love, anyway you wanna call it….)
    David made me think … damn… i have a mom,
    and i dont think i ever told her how much i loved her…
    because of “this” and “that” and whatever…
    so… anyway

    ALL… i know ,
    i’m a very private person,
    and i respect privacy as GOD… i would never put parts of my
    phone call conversation with DAH or anyone…online…
    or post on a blog…
    but,
    DAH, asked me to INFORM YOU ALL…
    ( whats up with Sean & DAH lately… instead of doing their own phone calls, they “collect call me”… shiiiiiit… ! )…:)))))))))

    Anyways… to get serious again…. David asked me to tell you ,
    that he will be with no laptop, or internet for as long as his mother is not feeling that well.
    but…. there will be “sunshine”… maybe 15 minutes tomorrow morning and who knows when ( i wish i knew myself )…
    i also have some news from DAH, for the “california-west coast bloggers”… but this is not that updated yet…

    so… peace from panos ( just following orders , btw )…
    peace…
    for more details dont hesitate to email me personally…

  265. David – just checking in here.. while Hillary talks in the background.. the first thing she said tonight was ‘I am a proud mother…”.. well your mother must also be very proud.. and deservedly so.. stay with her amigo.. my thoughts are with her and you.. i imagine her only as well and vibrant. talk soon, lance

  266. panos.. forgot to say. .thank you for passing this along… there is something here. . this community.. that through your message makes more tangible the fabric here.. gracias..

  267. Lance,
    thanks man… David was in a car when he called me…
    and you how “old fashioned he is…:)))))))))))”
    he has no “bluetooth” earpiece… and you know the law has recently changed… and the fines severe !!!
    laughing…. a real magnum photographer doesnt need bluetooth !!!???shiiiiiit…:))))))
    but yes, he in good spirits… but “focused” to his “responsibilities”
    and COMMITED… COMMITEMENT… !!!! ???????
    what a coincidence.. just like the TITLE of this thread!!!!!
    COMMITMENT !!!!
    peace

  268. david

    waking up this morning reading about your mom
    involuntarily i think of mine
    a year ago, after she’d been living in australia for a decade, she “came back home” and we bought a house together
    reunited, knowing what it means to miss
    still now i believe she will outlast us all
    her strength is amazing
    as must be yours

    burning a candle for your mom
    and for you

  269. DAVID

    some vodoo from my side to make your mum feel better soon …

    It probably is a lot of comfort for her to have you close on this difficult times. And hospital is always difficult and alarming.

    I remember the picture of both of you in front of your mom’s place …
    And the love in your faces.

    Courage, mon ami,
    Lassal

  270. David,

    I remember a photographic slideshow I saw on the internet some time ago. It was by a photographer from South America I believe, about his parents in their old age, with him narrating. Very moving. He said that after the slideshow everyone in the audience would go and call their parents. I’m going to go see mine now… I wish your mum a very speedy recovery.

    Simon

  271. Mr. David Alan Harvey

    i recieved your parcel from new york today..

    sending you email now.. it’s difficult to thank you enough.. however – i will try.

    i hope things are smooth for you and your family.. and that the next 72 hours turn positive.

    love, peace, respect
    david

  272. Morning ALL

    Last night I dreamed that Marie and I went to the video store to find a good flick for David to watch with us, to distract him a little while his mom is in recovery; we picked out Funny Face, the 1957 film with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. The photographer character in the movie was loosely based on Avedon, whose images were in the film. I’ve never actually seen the movie..but will try to track it down to watch it in the spirit of the dream.

    sending good thoughts..

  273. Hi David,

    My congratulation to Amanda and Scooter. I wish them joy and happiness and hope they find the balance needed for harmonious lives together. I am wondering why Amanda chose to give up her family’s name when she married – is this ‘the norm’ in the US? To me, it implies a form of ‘ownership’ – what do you think?

    I am committed to ‘ideals’ (because they remain unchanging) and to working ‘to the beat of my own drum’ but it would be good to cooperate with others who think in the same way – and if their drum beats at the same pace it would be wonderful!

    Have a great day!

    Jenny

  274. Jenny,
    “I am wondering why Amanda chose to give up her family’s name when she married – is this ‘the norm’ in the US? To me, it implies a form of ‘ownership'”

    I have a feeling you are opening a huge discussion there :)

    David,
    I wish your mothe rprompt recovery. Take care of you and of yoruself

    Arie

  275. DAVID M. et all –

    Instead of doing a magazine that I assume would be published regularly, how about a an annual, that comes out once a year, highlightng the strongest essays and assignments. It would cut down on production time and allow for the culmination of funds through out the year as well as allow a submission process. Publishing once a year may allow for a higher quality publication, with nice paper and binding etc.

  276. David,
    I meant

    I wish your mother prompt recovery. Take care of your mother and of yoruself..

    Sorry still early here…

    Arie

  277. Jenny,

    To come back to yoru question, there is my take on it: I fully understand how you feel…I am a man and I would have been very upset to “give” my name away…

    In Quebec (Canada, the child keeps the two parents’ names.

    Arie

  278. hmmm, hesitate to post anything else right now but …

    … found this wonderful unauthorized gonzo blog from photojournalists covering the DNC in Denver … it’s called fear and loathing, wonderful protest pictures, especially the old guy surrounded by the SWAT team, wow.

    http://drunkatdnc.blogspot.com/

  279. David (DAH)

    Your mom, you, and your family are in my thoughts and prayers…wishing good, healing light on you all.

    I hope that by the time you come back and read the outpouring of support and good will here, all will be well.

    A.

  280. did someone said GONZO???
    ;)))) .. ALL, please write…
    We are not mourning anything…
    I’m in the car.. I can’t write but yes.
    We.. Are still doing our job… here,
    writing…
    Just because we “allow” David some
    private time ( family – healing time)..
    Does not mean that “we” are frozen..
    Let’s all keep posting links to our work,
    Joking, teaching, learning, lurking,
    writing …
    I promise more David news as soon as
    I can..
    In the meantime keep working..
    Show must go on..
    Just a bump on the road..
    It will go away..
    I promise you..
    Peace, love and hugs…
    ps: Lassal thank you for your encouraging
    email..:)

  281. Panos
    yes keep us informed

    Anton
    I have a B/W vision. But… for you work personally I would prefer color with a little bit different edit.

    Ana
    as we say is an hard decision. It’s better to choose between BW and color in an essay for aestetich reason but it’s not a law written in the stone (and it’s already possible to break the stone, also water does ..: clichè?)
    i.e I see the last Panos work in color but… the last photo in BW works for me.

    Ana and Gina
    I’ve seen the email… will print it… better to bring it in paper :))

  282. YES, AGREED PANOS

    No mourning..and even the mourning dove who chose to lay her eggs on my fire escape, who has been my constant companion while I am at the computer, is rejoicing today, at the birth, hatching, of her little one..she and I are listening to Corelli, she’s nested among my herbs, I think she is quite well.

    Actually, in thinking about those moments when health isn’t at its best, I was musing over the things we (I) delay and then perhaps wish we hadn’t. I have delayed scanning the 4x5s from this assignment, couldn’t bring myself to confront them, new territory and all (first time using a 4×5) in the midst of an already consuming project..but today I couldn’t get an assistant and at the encouragement of a friend, I am here now, scanning the 4×5.

    All is not rosy, but there are a few flowers among the weeds, and it isn’t as bad as I expected..okay, back to it, write some good things, long day ahead still..

  283. panos thanks a lot for your words, i’m sure we will meet again somewhere.
    I don’t write a lot on this foum but I am always here with all of you, this beautifull community.
    kisses

  284. Cristina ,
    Of course you are “here” with us..
    And I ( we) all patiently waiting for your next
    Photo- link!!!!…
    Viva italia…

    Erica,
    Thank you..
    You are the most “reliable” around
    here lately.. ( David Bowen , is
    also working overtime – another great soldier)…
    Peace and love…
    ps: sorry Anton… YOU ARE THE MAN..
    and where the hell is my SISTER PAT,
    now that I need her the most…???
    Anna B…( also without Anna this blog is useless)…;))))
    Laura (wise Laura) thank you for helping
    Keeping this blog together…
    Akaky..
    Can we please have a long long long
    Post by the end of today???
    Herve… ;))))????
    Bob.. I’m sending you a thought later on
    tonight…
    Arie , heyyyy..
    Friends, lurkers, readers.. Now it’s time
    .. Give us new “push”…
    FULL SPEED AHEAD…

  285. Christina,
    I got your email and the gorgious (!) photo!
    Thank you so much … I was waiting for a nice time off, with a cup of tea in front of me to write you back, but it has been quite tourbulent in the last days.
    Now Perpignan next week … Then again turbulent because one week away always amasses things…
    But there are many things I would like to talk about with you … Like your project…

    Are you coming to Perpignan?

    Abraço,
    Lassal

  286. Lance, Ross, Sidney…
    ( I don’t know what’s wrong
    With me today.. I feel like I’m on X-tacy
    or something.. I love everybody !!!)
    .. and I forgot lots of names already..
    Like Marcin for example.. or Lisa..;))
    or..David McG… or…
    Anyways … Love you all…

  287. GUI,

    desculpa-me, más as coisas estao um pouco turbulentas no momento. Vou responder com calma (espero) depois de Perpigan…

    Espero que tudo esteja indo bem. Puxa … tenho tanta saudade do Brasil … Realmente dói de dentro.

    Um abraçao (sory, nao encontro as tildas no mac …:)
    Lassal

  288. I knew I shouldn’t mess with
    “names”.. I forgot Mike and Lee
    and Rosemary and mr.Hanson
    and my missed friend Michael
    Kircher.. and many more..
    Sorry …!!!

  289. marcin luczkowski

    hmmmmmm…. like always… I am going to sleep and Panos twist the party.
    Anyway keep going this chat.
    hughs

  290. PANOS, I have nothing fresh out of the oven, but here’s one from the archives. Enjoy!

    With the deepest possible apologies to Jane Austen, whose work I am about to shamelessly plagiarize and mutilate, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a small and altogether provincial American city in the first decade of the twenty-first century must be in want of an art museum. Not just any art museum, mind you, not a proper art museum where you can sit and admire portraits of Elvis Presley painted in Day-Glo orange on black velvet while enjoying a peanut butter and banana sandwich, the King’s favorite repast, or see a reproduction of El Greco’s The Burial of Count Orgaz crafted from week old cold cuts and dyed Lima beans, but a real live no two ways about it art museum chock full of art so modern no one in a twenty mile radius of the museum could explain what the hell the exhibits were all about if you held a gun to their televisions and threatened to shoot the sets just before kickoff time on Sunday afternoon.

    This sad fate has befallen our happy little burg. We are now the proud possessors of an art museum dedicated to modern American art of the last half of the twentieth century and the museum’s presence in our midst has turned our once hardscrabble (a favorite adjective for journalists describing us) little town into a magnet community. Yes, today we are drawing the struggling artists away from their natural stomping grounds in the great metropolis to the south of us and luring them into the offices of local realtors, where they finally eschew the joys of paying extortionate rents for studio and living space and become property owners in their own right. After lifetimes spent shocking the bourgeoisie, of offending the materialistic ethos of American civilization and damning the pitiful place of the artist in that civilization, the art world’s avant-garde are now paying off thirty-year fixed rate mortgages and complaining about school taxes, just like their parents did. I’ll bet they didn’t see that one coming down the pike, not by a long shot.

    The sudden cachet of local real estate and the opening of the art museum are now matters of some interest in the metropolis, now that the nation’s newspaper of record has taken an interest in what goes on here. After reports in the arts and real estate sections about our happy little burg, tourists now spend their weekends and their money here, visiting the museum and buying antiques on Main Street. You wouldn’t think that a small American city could base its economy on selling grandma’s old furniture and art no one understands, but you would be wrong. And herein lies the point of this screed, if something so diffuse can have a point at all. To paraphrase the Duke of Wellington, the railroad, and we are only two hours away from the metropolis by train; the Duke didn’t actually mention the part about being two hours away by train, but I’m sure you knew that already; will only serve to encourage the upper classes to move about needlessly. Most of these people are very nice, I suppose, but I do wish they weren’t such dolts.

    You can always spot the voyagers from the metropolis as they wander the highways and byways of our town. One sees them wandering up and down Main Street with their brochures clutched tightly in their hands, sometimes huddled in small groups as they concentrate on a map in order to divine the presence of an antiques store. The truly lost tourist sometimes waylays a hapless local to ask where that little antiques shop they saw in the paper is and usually gets the same answer: it’s on Main Street. We’ve only got one so if you didn’t see it you missed it, lady. In a purely personal aside here, please don’t ask me where to get something to eat. Look around you. Half of Main Street makes its living selling lunch to the other half. Food is easy to come by here.

    And someone at the county tourist board ought to include this little tidbit of information in the local tourist brochures: look both ways before crossing the street. This information might limit the number of near misses we are now experiencing. A motorist cannot drive from one end of Main Street to the other on the second Saturday of the month, the second Saturday being the local arts and antiques scene’s equivalent of a fire sale, without someone jamming on their brakes to avoid smearing some metropolitan dullard all over the street. At this rate very soon one of these people will be caught dead in a town they otherwise wouldn’t be caught dead in.

    These people would never act this way in the metropolis, a place where Charles Darwin wrote the rules governing the relationship between motorist and pedestrian. There, in the depths of the asphalt jungle, these pedestrians are wise and canny, made so by the remorseless evolutionary struggle that has thinned the herd of the weak, the ill, and the none too bright that couldn’t get civil service jobs. Here, however, they wander senselessly about like a duck hit over the head with a two by four.

    It’s the trees, I think. In the city, trees grow in parks, or in designated areas of the sidewalk where they can serve as easily accessible canine pissoirs. The parks department usually does not take kindly to such abuse and sometimes surrounds the helpless tree with chicken wire, forcing the desperate canine population to move on to the nearest fire hydrant. A denizen of the metropolis might say that this shows the municipal solons’ deep concern for arboreal culture. To which I say, without fear of contradiction, codswallop and balderdash. There isn’t a tree in the city that does not depend on some bureaucrat’s permission for its existence. Trees exist to provide shade and some sort of limited natural experience for the urbanized masses. City trees must, in short, justify themselves, they must have a purpose deemed worthy by some pasty-faced bureaucratic wretch, or face the chainsaw.

    Trees here are just trees. There are thousands of them in this vicinity; in fact, there are probably more trees than people within the city limits. We also have a mountain covered with trees, said mountain being a real mountain formed millions of years ago, unlike the highest mountain in the metropolis, which is a glorified, but very nicely landscaped, I should say, mound of garbage.

    Faced with the intense greenery, the wary urban pedestrian forgets the cunning that has kept him alive to this point; this, after all, is the much heralded country that they’ve heard about all of their lives, the home of bucolic Jeffersonian yeomen, the tillers of the broad American earth, the very backbone of American civilization, the bulwark of the Great Republic, and at this time and in this place, they can cross the street without looking both ways. After all, photosynthesis is going on everywhere you look. How could anything bad happen here? Hooey and more hooey. This is not a good idea, people, trust me on this one. These people are wandering into the public thoroughfares in a place where two people in a car counts as mass transit. We do everything in our cars here because everyplace we need to go is five miles away from where we are now. I suppose we could walk that distance, and most of us could certainly use the exercise, but except for Main Street and one or two other streets we don’t have any sidewalks to walk on. Since walking on the side of the highway is hazardous to our health, we’ll just skip it and take the car instead. We’ll keep an eye out for the tourists, though; we’ve already got enough road kill lining the streets here, and besides, we need their money.

  291. PANOS, well, if you don’t mind leftovers, there’s always this:

    The Associated Press reports today that it may prove impossible to weed out the ballots cast by dead people from those cast by the living in time for Election Day, and that as a result boards of election throughout the United States may have to count these ballots. While one can argue whether or not the dead should have their franchise revoked simply because they do not respond to negative campaign ads in a way that a candidate’s image handlers might approve, such voting does raise the issue of which political party do the dead favor and what must candidates do to appeal to the deceased voter? To paraphrase Freud, what do the dead want?

    In Chicago, for instance, it is a given of political life that the dead are solidly Democratic, and this preference cuts across all racial, ethnic, and income levels. No one knows for certain why the dead, even the Republican dead, show such a preference for the Democrats, although certain polls seem to show that with one’s demise there is no longer any need to keep up appearances and as a consequence one may vote as one pleases without fear of looking odd in front of the neighbors. But it would appear that the basis of this preference for Democrats among Chicago’s deceased voters is the unparalleled level of municipal services the city gives them. After an initial tax on their estates, Chicago’s dead are, by and large, free from further taxation on their incomes and property and are put up in small but serviceable residences where they may spend their free time doing whatever they please without the interference of their neighbors. This has raised the hackles of certain downstate Illinois voters and their legislators in Springfield, who say that the city of Chicago has no business running what constitutes a socialist state solely for the benefit of one voting bloc.

    Is the Chicago experiment in cultivating the deceased voter a one off, something only possible in the rarified political atmosphere of Cook County, or can the nation expect more jurisdictions to extend the franchise to the dead? One cannot say for certain at this time, but it would appear that the longstanding prejudice against extending the franchise to the dead will soon face a legal challenge in the courts. Unofficial sources claim that the American Civil Liberties Union has plans to file suit in the Southern District of New York to restore Alexander Hamilton’s voting rights, claiming that this denial of Hamilton’s right to vote constitutes a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ACLU has not denied that they are looking into the possibility of filing such a lawsuit, although a spokesman for the group did say that the rumor that they will only go forward with the case if Hamilton comes out in favor of gun control was not only false, but in poor taste as well.

    So who is the typical dead voter and how do the two parties, who have traditionally focused their message on the living, cultivate this large and steadily growing constituency? At this point it is hard to tell; like the soccer mom and the angry white man, the sudden appearance of the post-life voter has caught both parties by surprise, leaving them both perplexed at how to influence this new and increasingly powerful group. Pollsters for both parties say that the dead are in favor of long-term stability, which favors conservative Republican candidates, although the example of Chicago and its solidly Democratic nonliving vote are enough to frighten some Republican operatives.

    Finally, there is the problem of what issues will energize the deceased base and cause them to rise and get out to the polls on Election Day. While it is too early to say for certain, it appears likely that the Presidential candidates in 2008 will have to have politically acceptable opinions on the free coinage of silver, restricting Irish immigration, and the extension of slavery into the western territories, issues that will almost certainly anger living voters in both parties. Given that once the dead seem to express a party preference they stick with it for the long term, a factor that may derive from their habit of residing together in large groups, leaders in both parties must find a way of reconciling the living and the dead voter if the two party system is to survive as we currently know it. According to the US Census Bureau, the dead now constitute the largest single group of voters in American history, larger even than the baby boom generation. No other group has ever had the power to create its own long-term political party outside the traditional Republican / Democratic paradigm. Third parties in the United States are traditionally one- issue groups who, as the deceased historian Richard Hofstadter once wrote, sting once, like bees, and then die. The dead, however, now have the numbers available to them to overthrow this traditional wisdom and create a new and different look to American politics. Whether or not they will choose to do so remains one of the great mysteries of political life in the United States.

  292. PANOS… :D!! We loveU too!! Loving everybody is a good state of mind… and heart!

    As Marcin says, there is always somebody awake in one side of the planet to keep this place on the move. Always alive!!

    Peace…. and Love :-)

    and more best wishes for DAH and his mom.

    Ana

  293. Ana.. You nailed it…
    DAH provide us with THE FIREPLACE..
    Our job is to keep the fire ON!
    Where is Robert and his crazy YouTube
    links…???
    I’m not close to my laptop..
    and we desperately need some good music
    here.. That’s for sure…;))))

  294. For some who haven’t seen it (like me, who read it today, while doing remedial blog-reading during lunch), you might like to go back to an eloquent post by our gracious host, Mr. Harvey, on the subject of his mother…

    Scroll down towards the bottom, date is July 20, 2007…and there is a “snapshot” as well….

    http://davidalanharvey.typepad.com/familyfriends/

    Panos, been following instructions to continue learning…and now admitting my naivite…I’ve been reading and soaking in Sam Abell’s images (with which I’m a little familiar, at least) in “The Photographic Life”…and never realized his strong ties to my current hometown, Lexington….I think I will revisit Shakertown this weekend….camera in tow, of course…

    …and I’m wondering if the UK library will have a copy of the 1967 yearbook in which he did all of the photography …

    And Erica…I am beginning to automatically hear the words “get close….and engage” every time I raise the camera now….

    good light, all…
    A.

  295. ok, I’ve always wanted to go to a bar where they bungee-jump from the ceiling….guess I don’t get out much….

  296. LOL…Anton and I are on decidedly different wavelengths at the moment….fun…

    I’m in a techno-y mood, not sure why…one more, get out your glo-sticks….

    Burning, a million torches
    All that bare your name.
    So in their darkness,
    they bring you great light;
    And sonorous of black holes
    you steal their flame.

    So I’m learning protection,
    For my self contained light.
    In a plethora of burning suns,
    In the blackest of pure twilight.

    And although I wish
    to give endlessly,
    I will not relinquish my sight.
    Let us linger in our lustre together,
    Together in this Parisian
    garden of light.

    So in this perfect of hours,
    And in our silent of space…
    Pray the world grows perfectly still
    And surrender to our silence… yea.

  297. hey andrew!

    oh yes we are…
    different time-zone maybe? :)))

    i was going for the weird stuff, looking at video artist chris cunningham’s work again… you know, with aphex twin

    … off the scale, not for the faint at heart

    off to bed now before i get nightmares!

    peace

  298. Jonathan Hanson,

    That seems to be the direction it’s taking with talks among the core group planning this. More will transpire before the group in the coming weeks, but I think the annual will be something that will be sought after be editors, and spots in the book will be coveted by photographers. It’s going to be really exciting—stay tuned.

  299. PANOS,

    You checked out that “DRIVE” book yet? I’m gonna visit you some day in La La….

    ALL,

    Great community here. Keep it up.

    I heard my child’s heartbeat yesterday. Surreal that I will be a dad soon.

    I need to take a trip before January (my wife says that’s the cut off point – get your travel ya yas over by then). Problem is that setting a deadline like that I’m almost stunned into inactivity. Part of me wants to see all these new places I’ve never been but I feel that in some ways i would just be sleepwalking through them esp photographically. So I’m thinking about heading back to Vietnam for a short jaunt and continue with that project, for better or worse.

    Might make a good discussion – experiencing the new vs revisiting an established haunt. They both have their merits and their drawbacks.

  300. Charles…:)))
    Dad soon????
    Congratulations……!
    You bringing NEW LIFE here..
    Literally… definitely we meet.
    Still in the car..
    Wish I could chat more..
    Later..
    What a day today.. All about unity!!!

  301. david alan harvey

    HELLO ALL….

    i just want to thank all of you so much for your kind wishes regarding my mother….i am very humbled…at the same time, i know that all of you have conflicts and pain in your life every day that none of us know about…actually only because i was late with Kyunghee’s forward did this episode go “public”…

    so, i now send out a big general shout out and hug to all here who may have any kind of personal suffering today….simply as a thank you for your good vibes, prayers and well wishes….

    my mother was actually in critical condition with an intestinal infection, but i think the worst is over….if she recovers from this as seems to be happening, she will have no future complications…just like any infection..get it and it is gone…i will go stay with her again tonight at the hospital and think she may come home tomorrow…

    i will say this about my mother…if you met her, you would immediately know exactly where i am coming from overall …her voice is always right here on this forum….

    peace, love …david

  302. PANOS – thank you for the updates and your wonderful words. I truly wish we would have met at LOOK. Definitely next year.

    DAH – you know we are all here for you!

    PERPIGNAN CREW – so looking forward to seeing/meeting so many of you!

    ALL – I really am working on my Mexico edit. I am bringing a tight edit to Perpignan to show a few friends. Will finalize the edit, then post it here. i promise!

    I love this family/community! Why was I so intimidated to join earlier?? CRAZY!

  303. Gina, Cathy S. Kelly Lee…
    and many , many others… thank you again and sorry for not mentioning yet… still counting… im stoned though …
    so …IF I FORGET ANYONE ( which i know i do )… PLEASE COME UP !
    TIRED COUNTING… please help !

  304. DAH

    you’ve oft mentioned the strength of your mother. With your combined energy and drive, I’m sure you will have many more sunrises and sunsets ahead of you both. Wishing your mother the best,
    anna

  305. ANDREW ,
    thats DOPE…
    you are making me laugh like never before…
    damn it… this is crazy … shot with some kind of “power-zoom” lens or something…
    laughing like … crazy !!!
    peace !

  306. I really like the idea of publishing the content here, as I said before. Book would certainly be much better than a magazine. I simply think it has a much better feel than a magazine. I personally never keep any magazines, but books are a much different thing. And for sure we have the content to do a fantastic annual, under the EPF umbrella, which already has had exposure on a big stage (Look3). And a book would really allow us to show the meat of the stories. Perhaps an annual or a bi-annual thing with a nice design and quality printing.

  307. Rafal

    It’s a bit to early to split hairs between book / magazine, because our options from cost of quality printing to ease of distribution need to be weighed.

    When I think of this project as a magazine, I think of something that can easily become a carry-around for guests of Look3, and has less production costs than a book. I think of something that has the quality and design sensibility of Aperture or other high-end magazines. However where this is more like a book and less a magazine, will be in limiting content and really letting the focus be on selected essays and assignments associated with EPF—at David’s final say, of course.

    It will be something that showcases the natural evolution of this close knit family of photographers, and will be evidence of “emerging”. It gets really exciting because in under two years, such an extraordinary body of work has come as the result of David and this blog, that the idea of a printed group annual seems the ultimate validation.

    I think we’ll sent a fresh standard in authorship, but for now, it’s one step at a time.

  308. DMc,

    Its a good suggestion. A well done magazine can be a good option as well. And perhaps thr lower cost of publishing could make it possible to put out more issues (ideally 4 a year would keep the level of work inside high).

  309. Glad to read positive news about your mother, David. No matter the respective ages of parent and child, it’s tough to see someone you love in pain. If it’s your mother’s voice that comes through in this place, then please thank her for all of us.

    Joan

  310. David McG, you should be able to sign up under beta … they accepted me, so … ;-) It’s certainly intriguing. Same print tech as Blurb, which is surprisingly good.

    Hmmm, well this wouldn’t work for here but after seeing the protesters at Democratic National Convention in their cage, I really want to name something like a book, or hell maybe my fenced orchard, as “The Freedom Cage” … has such a current administration unintentionally oxymoronic ring to it … :)))) Wish I had a body of work to support the title ;-)

    Yep, going to paint a small sign for the orchard … The Freedom Cage … and shoot the crows when they try to eat my apples. (not really, i just throw rocks, pepper spray, baton in the beak … all humane non-lethal stuff).

    tom

  311. blurb..

    worth following this link concerning blurb;
    http://aphotoeditor.com/2008/08/25/joerg-investigates-self-published-books/
    self publishing is okay if needs be, i think we might be able to pull a better rabbit from the hat on this though..
    i’m still for an annual of kinds.. like world press photo awards book.. good quality paper.. soft cover.. lets call it a ‘magaook’ for fun.

    panos

    so funny.. watching you dig a deep grave over names and then climb out of it.. thanks for the props.. good man.. keep on.. i’m lecturing these days and so will be about less.. but i’ll be about nonetheless.. will do my best to keep up

    all..

    DAH sent me the divided soul book for my arse flashing self-portrait.. it’s an astonishing piece of work.. a very good read and a beautifully crafted object.. carried out with real love and dedication.. authentic over-time study.. some beautiful moments.. an inspiring narrative..
    it’s gone straight to number one in my fav books, and i have a few corkers already.
    recommended to buy.. most definitely.. and there are links to do just that through my blog here.
    http://bophoto-mumblings.blogspot.com/2008/07/dah-competition-win.html

    david alan harvey

    thanks for opening up on the forum.. we do all have our relative troubles.. lots of good feeling and wishes for you and yours there.. which also translates to lots of love and wishes for each of us on here, from each of us on here as well..
    it’s a good community of friends now and as my experience of photography goes, personal life always bleeds into working life.. the two are irreversibly linked i think, and feed each other along the way.. good lesson for us all.. never suffer without support.

    charles..

    first heartbeat :o)
    brilliant.
    before hearing the first heartbeat i was worried it would not be there.. then before the scan i was worried that fingers or toes may be missing.. now, (6 weeks away from becoming a pappa), i am worried about the birth and that all will be well..
    a very good friend told me that this level of worry will be the benchmark from now on.. soon it will be the first day of nursery to think about.. first day of school.. and then the girlfriends.. the heartache.. collage.. this base level of worry is apparently part of being a parent.. being in love with our offspring..
    so 6 weeks to go here.. photos will be posted.. everywhere :o)

  312. DAVID,

    I am so glad you had more positive news to share about your mother…I hope she does fully recover very fast….

    Where was I while Panos was “lighting up a fire” here….. Panos, you are the man! Well, I actually spent the afternoon in Arles and had the priviledge to spend a few hours with Audrey… Was great to meet her in person and see some of the expositions together. Audrey is without a doubt a very fine photographer and I enjoyed looking at some of her pictures on display at the festival. She thought the prints were horrible… I wished my prints looked nearly half as good as hers… Anyway, many of you will also meet her in Perpignan, a very nice person… just a little anxious to meet David like I guess we all until we finally meet him and then….5 minutes after the ice is broken starts the love relationship :):):)… He is the only person who has the power to put Panos in a state of Ecztasy without the actual pill :):) As far as Arles goes, some mixed feelings… A lot of fashion shots this year that did not do it for me but in the midst of it all, some magnificient expos like the one from Jane Atwood about her Haiti work…loved it…Reminded me of the work of Alex Webb at the start of his career in the same place… Jane is so close to what I love to photograph myself…. Different and even more remarkable was the expo of Paolo Pelligrin. This man is a genius of photography and was certainly the main highlight this year. I am sure most of you are familiar with his work but to see the very large prints all together was simply amazing.

    So Panos, I do hope I have a good excuse for not having joined the party yesterday. I promise this will NOT happen again :). Hope to see some of you next week. GINA, I tried to send you an e-mail at the address you sent me but got a return…. I do have LASSAL phone number so hopefully this will work out. I might be the official translator of Audrey while there. She pretends her english is very poor…. she also pretends her prints were very poor….so maybe after all she will be fluent and not need me :)!!!!!

    Cheers,

    Eric

  313. All,
    I was also very intimidated to join you here ( great work produces here and knowing you to you all…) and I met Joni, Eric and his dad, absolutely adorable persons and I am sure that you all are adorable persons…

    Eric, thank you for this beautiful a the afternoon in your company, my best regards to your dad, voici le numéro du labo atelier M numérique 04 61 27 87 05 http://www.atelier-m-numerique.com/ demander Francis, moi, j’aime le papier lustré, peut-être à vendredi ou lundi sur Montpellier…

    Best regards, audrey

  314. i wish i was goin next week.. hope you all have a ball and really hope to meet some of you some day.

    audrey

    it´s funny.. your work is some of the strongest here.. you´re a solid and needed participant.. thanks for expressing your intimidation.. perhaps more people still can join in..

    i bet that every writer here paused for a moment before joining in, for our own reasons.. i certainly did.

  315. Good morning everyone!
    So glad to hear David’s mom is better! :)))

    ERIC
    I was just wondering about your last comment,
    because Ana did all the effort to put a name list with the cell/email from everyone toghether and you are on it.
    But I checked and your eMail was misspelled, so that is why you did not get any of our mails.

    Just correcting it and you’ll get it in a minute.

    Looking forward to meeting you!!!
    Cheers,
    L

  316. actually…
    hmmm…

    Eric, my mistake, it seems to be the right email… ?!?
    Just sent you the contact list again …

    Cheers,
    Lassal

  317. David Bowen,
    In no way!! I so doubt if you knew!

    Lassal,
    I have to see certainly Eric on Friday or Monday and he has to call me to communicate myself e-mail address which he can consult, I shall communicate it with you as soon as I shall have him ! I did not think of it but I would have been able to communicate him all the coordinates yesterday….sorry

  318. Audrey,

    thank you… I was just wondering because he actually is on the mailing list, too.
    BUT, now that I think of it, he might just be posting from “on the road” while not having had the chance to check his emails.

    We can find it out. In worst case you’d be there to give him the list. That is good to know.

    :))))))

    Thanks!!!

    cheers,
    L

  319. DAVID,

    You’re the best, amigo! Thanks for thinking of us even when you are having a hard time. I’m so happy to know that your mom is doing well and that she will go home probably tomorrow. That’s fantastic! Give her a big kiss from me (even if she doesn’t know me)

    GINA,

    It’s great that you’re finishing your tight edit. I will love to see it in Perpignan (will you bring prints?). I already finished the series I will bring but i’m still fighting with myself for the edit. Making the right decission is driving me crazy!!

    LASSAL,

    Was Eric’s email wrong or not on the list? anyway, I have new details so I will send you a new update today.

    PERPIGNAN CREW,

    See you next week!!! I’m so happy to meet you all!!

    Love,

    Ana

  320. perpignan will be a blast.. next year.. next year..
    have fun all.

    anyone here know zingmagazine out of new york?
    just found a couple of copies and like the layout and design of it all.. a little fussy perhaps, but of the size and quality (paper) which a EPF catalogue magabook could be..

    audrey
    i did know, i did..
    took me a while to post.. and when i did it was a naked photo by way of introduction.. i’m glad now, but even when i first posted my music work i was expecting everyone to laugh me out of the ‘room’ and tell me i’d wasted 1/3 of my life.

    *smiley here*

  321. DAVID:

    as you know, you are with me and marina and our thoughts, as you heard in my gravely voice on your voice message, we’re keeping you in our thoughts…and so as your Mum recovers, i wanted to send you some poetry….from one of my favorite Poets, and Irishman, Seamus Heaney…a series of poems called CLEARANCES…all dedicated to his Mother….

    hugs
    bob
    ——————————————–

    CLEARANCES-3

    When all the others were away at Mass
    I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
    They broke the silence, let fall one by one
    Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
    Cold comforts set between us, things to share
    Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
    And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes
    From each other’s work would bring us to our senses.

    So while the parish priest at her bedside
    Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying
    And some were responding and some crying
    I remembered her head bent towards my head,
    Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives–
    Never closer the whole rest of our lives.

    CLEARANCES-5
    The cool that came off the sheets just off the line
    Made me think the damp must still be in them
    But when I took my corners of the linen
    And pulled against her, first straight down the hem
    And then diagonally, then flapped and shook
    The fabric like a sail in a cross-wind,
    They made a dried-out undulating thwack.
    So we’d stretch and fold and end up hand to hand
    For a split second as if nothing had happened
    For nothing had that had not always happened
    Beforehand, day by day, just touch and go,
    Coming close again by holding back
    In moves where I was x and she was o
    Inscribed in sheets she’d sewn from ripped-out flour sacks.

  322. DAH
    More good vibes for you and your mom ! it’s never too much !!

    Lassal
    Posso imaginar a saudade que povoa sua cabeça e coração. O Brasil é um lugar único, e cada vez que saio daqui, volto correndo morrendo de saudades e cheio de esperanças e pensamentos positivos. Faz parte de nossa cultura.
    Não se preocupe, tome o tempo necessário e me escreva quando puder. Ficarei muito feliz em conversar mais com você. Programar viajens sempre da trabalho e toma muito tempo é verdade, mas vale a pena ! Divirta-se em Perpignan ! Sobre as “tildas” (tio) no Mac… alt + n … deve funcionar !
    grande abraço

    Gui

  323. AGA !!! You’re coming!! that’s great! Send me an email and will send you all the info about the meeting in Perpignan ;-)

    anayphotoATgmail.com

    See you there!

    Ana

  324. AGA !!! You’re coming!! that’s great! Send me an email and will send you all the info about the meeting in Perpignan ;-)

    anayphotoATgmail.com

    See you there!

    Ana

  325. AGA !!! You’re coming!! that’s great! Send me an email and will send you all the info about the meeting in Perpignan ;-)

    anayphotoATgmail.com

    See you there!

    Ana

  326. Hi AGA,

    Just looking at your Istanbul work. Some nice stuff. I spent a week there in July (on honeymoon) and it is a truly amazing city. I didn’t even begin to scratch the surface and only made a couple of images to be proud of, but I wasn’t really trying that hard (it was my honeymoon after all!).

    You should check out Alex Webb’s book “Istanbul.” It really captures the city, especially the “huzun” or melancholy of it.

    ALL:

    The personal nature of this forum is very refreshing. Everyone wishing David’s mom well is so sweet and real. I’m glad she’s alright; life does take it’s twists and turns though. Like David says we all have our issues and tragedies in our everyday lives. It’s nice that we can actually air some of those in a virtual (well to me at least so far) community.

    RE a publication I think a quarterly sounds like a best bet – or maybe three a year (seasonly?). A book is too…..I don’t know. Doesn’t seem to fit with the nature of this blog. Check out the powerHouse magazine for a well done quarterly.

  327. All,

    Here are of new images of my parents
    http://web.me.com/audreybardou/BB/suite.html

    I did not classify them and I am not sure of my choices, I wait impatiently for your comments…

    Eric, évidement that I need your help!! You are my rescuer!! And I did not lie to you for my English, you are well to laugh at me, me promises you he!!

    Gina, maybe could meet us with Eric on Wednesdays? And all the persons present this day naturally!

    Aga, I am happy that you are of the party,
    In the pleasure to meet you all…

  328. ooops! ejem…. I don’t know why my comment is there three times… i guess it has something to do with my low internet conection. I’m in nowhere’s place!! but sometimes it feels so good to be far away from everything…

    hope this comment is just one :D

  329. ooops! ejem…. I don’t know why my comment is there three times… i guess it has something to do with my low internet conection. I’m in nowhere’s place!! but sometimes it feels so good to be far away from everything…

    hope this comment is just one :D

  330. Erica
    “Lord! “get close….and engage” ..it sounds as if I am advising you to prepare to kill..”

    Hmm, ok…scribed that wrong, perhaps it is “be engaged”!

    I don’t think anyone could ever envision you projecting negative energy….at least, I can’t…

  331. David, hoping all is fine with your Mom by now.

    Charles, I was in istanbul in July too. I found it to be one of these cities that does not deliver itself on the first time there. Talk about palimpsest!

    Definitely, the country is going thru a schizophrenic phase, while I was there a woman was sent to jail for indecent behaviour. Her crime? She was wearing gym leotards, while fishing amidst fishermen (who called the police on her) on that famous Galata bridge.

    Probably happened when I was shhoting the spectacular sunsets over the Istanbul hills on the other side of the bridge. Some PJ I am !

    ;-)

  332. Herve..!
    Jailtime..? Indecent behaviour???
    She is probably hanging from a tree by now ..
    Sad.. Being a woman in turkey of 2008!!!
    Imagine being “gay” over there..
    Poor woman…

  333. the freedom cage

    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Conventions/story?id=5668622&page=1

    Didn’t realize things were so tough in China … uhhmm, i mean Denver. The U.S. Constitution was a wonderful idea wasn’t it? Too bad a little piece of it is shredded everyday. I’m sure many here have had similar, if not so extreme, experiences … i know i have for just taking a photo. Where there is this kind of shit happening, there is real fear, real fear of revealing too much about how the political sausage is really made. It’s just unbelievable to me. My father, who was the consummate lifelong newspaperman, is spinning i’m sure. This just pisses me off to no end.

    thanks for letting me vent …

    young tom

  334. LASSAL/ ANA,

    Thanks for double checking if I was on the actual email list. I am indeed away from home and unable to check my regular mail. If someone has the list and could send it to my father email this week, this would be fantastic. His email is:

    espinosaal@orange.fr

    Thanks so much.

    Eric

  335. TOM HYDE

    Thanks for the link. You are well justified in venting. The police have always served the powerful more than the public, but over the last eight years the erosion of civil liberties and the increasing immunity and lawlessness of the people who are supposed to protect the law have become truly alarming and unfortunately probably irreversible. The Republicans may have been the worst offenders in this recent process, but it’s important for all of us to remember that no party has a monopoly on encouraging and taking advantage of these abuses. I’m afraid we’re all living, to some extent or other, in the ‘Freedom Cage’.

  336. David Bowen,

    Just caught the post that you will be a dad as well, and in only six weeks time! Congrats! Yes, it’s been nerve wracking. We lost one last summer. Though it was only eight weeks in it was still very difficult as we had been trying for a while. This time around everything looks really good, and today found out it’s a boy. Of course I would be fine with a girl, but I think dinosaurs and race cars might be a bit easier for me… ha!

    Have you picked out the ultimate stroller yet? Great blog here:

    http://www.daddytypes.com

    HERVE,

    Yes, I have some pics of that bridge, though no women in sport leotards either! Damn! Yes, its a bipolar city/country. One of it’s great appeals to an outsider, though maybe not if one has to live there. I’ll try and get some pics up on my website soon and post a link when I do. No theme – just wanderings.

  337. Perpignan Crew …

    hmmm… I have filled out that form in time and everything, but actually I have not heard from them up to today!?
    Apparently you get some info via normal mail.

    Everybody else got it?

    I think I have to call them tomorrow. We are departing on saturday… Long drive.

    Sorry, have not kept up to date with the posts. Too busy now. Hope all is well…

    Cheers,

  338. LASSAL,

    I was wondering the same right now. After filling up the form I got a non-reply email from Visa pour l’Image saying that they received my request and that will send by mail around august 25th the info where to get the accreditations and details. But until today I got no more knews from there. I was just wondering if I did something wrong but it seams like it is happening to everybody (relieve, uff). Maybe they are late and will do it before sunday….

    I can keep you informed if I get something

    See you!

    Ana

  339. Uff Ana, I am relieved now too …
    A friend of mine in Slovenia already got the info. He offered to mail it to me, because it is about all the meetingpoints, events etcetcet. Kinda nice to know.
    Were you aware of the fact that the price includes breakfast?! :)))

    As I always just fill out really what I absolutely HAVE to and leave everything else blanc (I am a little paranoid a to data in the net, even though it is all in there already anyway), I feared I had forgotten something important … Then again, a good form informs if something essential is missing. Question: was it a “good” form?! :)

    Well, I’ll call them tomorrow and see that I get the info from Iztok. I hope he is still there. If I get it, I’ll forward it to you.

    Cheers, dear Ana,
    L

  340. LASSAL,

    Yes, I knew the price includes breakfast :-) But I think I will miss it every morning as I probably will sleep far from Perpignan.

    The funny thing is that I was worried about the same things as you. I just filled the “obligatory” info (as name, email and so on) and left blanc the rest. But I got an email from them saying that it was ok and that they where going to send the rest of information around the 25th. And it was a “good form” as I checked filling one without one of the main things and a window opened saying that I missed to put it)

    Anyway, if you talk to them or get all the information from your friend…. yes, please, forward it to me!!

    Thanks!

    Ana

    Ana

  341. the freedom cage

    Yay Sidney, right on!

    And I am deeply concerned about civil rights and basic rights of the public to information in this country. Working in a small town I saw the trickle down effect of nationalistic policies following 9/11 slide all the way down to the most mundane little issues of local government. Suddenly everything was difficult …

    … I’m sorry we can’t share any aspect of the podunk little airport plan with the public, or the pilot’s lounge we’re building with homeland security funds because of national security … I’m sorry we no longer release the names of those arrested (settled within minutes of lawsuit being filed when they could not produce jail logs) … how dare you question our decisions, you’re being unpatriotic … we have redacted all detail in the legal billing records on this government litigation and $7 million lawsuit … all 10 officers of the department will be trained in the use of AR-15 assault rifles … we no longer release that information but you can file an open records request and we will consider it … all communications with the city must come through this office, all city staff have been informed not to speak to the press …

    bah … okay, i do believe the pendulum has swung back a little, there is hope and the word on so many lips is change, but you may be right about at least some loss of rights being irreversible, or very difficult to recapture.

    This particular incident is not, however, a loss of rights by law but rather by enforcement as you note. The immediate effect is little different either way. It’s the long-term effect that concerns me most. I sincerely hope ABC news aggressively pursues this legally, or the Denver police department takes proactive disciplinary action and “policy clarification,” as it is every bit as much the responsibility of the press to combat abuses to the first amendment of the constitution as it is to report the news. I hope it’s in their budget.

    The erosion of newspapers and all media is more than an economic or social issue … it’s an erosion of a fundamental check and balance in the u.s. system of governance … the fourth estate is crumbling and i am not at all sure a highly fractured disparate conglomeration of new media sources of information, many of which rely on old media for content, can wield any kind of power necessary to combat what has always been inexorable creep of centralist paternalism.

    This has been one of this countries darkest hours and through it all we also waged war on ourselves, on our neighbors, shredded the very ideals we espouse, while mindless paranoid vigilants scurried around with jack boots and the majority stroked themselves heedless wrapped in the warmth of the mystic shroud.

    This Friday night … Friday, Friday, Friday … ultimate fighters Hamilton and Jefferson battle on in the freedom cage …

    young tom

  342. the freedom cage

    Hey Panos, and you thought i was done ;-)

    yeah, most cops i know really hate photographers and the press in general … not all certainly, and i’ve known some good officers … but the general feeling is not good … sort of like he NYTimes photographer who was targeted in Denver, nobody bought the explanation that he happened to look like a certain protest organizer. Yeah, ya know all the protest organizers wear credentials and carry expensive cameras …

  343. HEY FOLKS

    Just popped in to say hi, been on the road in remote Central Australia well out of reach of any kind of communication…

    Deep meditation in the landscape and the hardest story I have ever shot… another stills pj Jamie Williams and I are calling it ‘Psyche Ward on Wheels’.

    We have travelled from Darwin to here at Uluru with the crew from ‘Beautiful Music’ on my website. I am shooting vid and stills and I can tell you a great deal about commitment now!!!!

    Hanging in here has been the toughest things I have every done… Think ‘One Flew Over The Cockatoo’s Nest’ and its attendant madness.

    Its been a good story that needs to be told and even though there’s no money, pretty shitty conditions and unbelievable amounts of drama, tension and sheer bullshit the upshot will be I hope a doco that is uplifting…

    I am just about to go out to Mutijulu and try and do something out there so I just wanted to drop by and say hi!

    Hope you are all well, will be back sometime next week…

  344. the freedom cage

    LISA!

    It’s good to hear from you and that things are okay. Been worried … just watched the film Rabbit-proof Fence and kept wondering how you were.

    young tom

  345. ALL

    Well, I needed the time away but coming back is pretty darn intimidating. A new thread with 455 comments when I arrived late this afternoon! I’ve made a quick run-through but couldn’t do justice to any of it. Does one EVER catch up after being away???

    I say I needed the time away because I’d become totally addicted to this blog. Has this happened to others? Anyway, I’d find myself spending hours every day checking in to see what new posts were there…and too often, responding. Once I saw what was happening, I knew I had to do something about it. So I went cold turkey. Let me tell you, it was HARD!!! As hard as it had been to give up caffeine, harder than it had been to give up alcohol, and almost as hard as it had been to give up cigarettes. I really had to take it one day at a time. But what happened long about Day 3 was that I realized I had SO MUCH more time available for taking photos, reading books, sitting on the porch, swimming and doing summer things, spending time with my sweetie, and simply be-ing. So, yes I’m back but not like before. Moderation in all things…

    DAVID

    May your mum continue to heal and soon be up and active as before. I’m sure it was a great comfort to her to have you there at her side, and an equal comfort to you to be where you needed and wanted to be.

    KYUNGHEE LEE

    I send you loving congratulations on the imminent publication of your book, “Islands.” It sounds like you are receiving very special treatment, and that is exactly what you and your work deserve. Wow! The Paris Photo Festival!!! I can’t wait to buy your book and hold it in my hands.

    ANTON

    I looked at both the b&w and color versions of Brigit and was deeply moved by both. I’m with Bob B and others regarding the value of each. Color shows such life and energy, while b&w digs deep into the soul. Each are power statements, but only you know what you want and need to say.

    GUI

    I’m so glad you’ve joined us. Your essay showing the home and work life of Carmen is sensitively and artistically portrayed. I anticipate seeing how it evolves. It is already a most significant body of work.

    EVERYONE ELSE

    It will take me time to catch up but know that I will do my best. Hope all those going to Perpignan have a grand and glorious time. Be sure to take pics & videos for us stay-at-homes!

    It’s really good to be back where I belong…

    love & peace
    Patricia

  346. martin b / all

    I know it was days ago that you asked about the economic connection to garage sales here, and I answered, but I’ve generated some interesting “unscientific” statistics.

    I find a lot of garage sales on craigslist, so I thought I’d draw comparisons between Montreal and Grand Rapids. Montreal roughly has a population of 3.6 million and as of Thursday the 28th, has 12 listings on craigslist:

    http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/gms/

    Grand Rapids roughly has a population of 200,000 and for the same date, the listings are pushing 100:

    http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/gms/

    Of course there are factors I can’t track down now—popularity of cragislist per market, etc. but it doesn’t take much of an imagination to see things here have desperately run amuck!! Job loss turns into need, need takes different directions—moving, selling, staying, trying to salvage a life, trying to lighten the load, etc. It’s bad here.

  347. david alan harvey

    JONATHAN…

    yes, i was thinking annual…no way could i get involved with anything more than a quality annual..

    by the way, anything more on your Baltimore work???

    cheers, david

  348. Marcin luczkowski

    David, how yours mom’s health? I hope you both are ok.

    Good vibration to your famili.
    hughs

  349. david alan harvey

    PATRICIA….

    nice to hear from you again!!! so you are a “binge blogger” and trying to get off the habit???…i totally understand….i would not recommend this forum/blog to anyone with a serious “blog habit”…however, you of all people prove that it ain’t just idle chat….just look at what YOU have DONE in the last few weeks…new work..new ideas….i am a “results on the table” sort of person…chat alone means nothing…but, if we can get you stirred up a bit, get you thinking and shooting and printing and editing, then all is well i think….

    i still have not seen the pictures we took at your home…..i had so so much film to develop after that cross country trip and then i just have not been in New York since all of those contact sheets came back from the lab…and i will not be in my studio to really have a good look until september 10….but i will tell Mike to send you your set of contacts soonest…he has been very very busy setting up my loft workshops for the coming month, so please please be patient….i have not forgotten..give my best to Ed please….

    cheers, david

  350. david alan harvey

    MARCIN….ALL

    my mother is back with us….weaker, but good…so, we have one more day of family vacation before we all split up again…such drama this holiday!!! thanks my friend for asking….

    PERPIGNAN CROWD…

    i have a flight booked…i have a room booked…but, i am right on the edge of making it or not…i should know by tomorrow if this trip is feasible …i have not had much sleep in the last few days and the only way to go to Perpignan is with plenty of energy….so, let’s see how i feel over the weekend…

    the cast of characters scheduled to come to this event is a bit mind boggling…think we can handle it????

    cheers, david

  351. David,

    “the cast of characters scheduled to come to this event is a bit mind boggling…think we can handle it????”

    My dog will keep everyone in line and behaving to their best :)))

    Soooo good to hear that your mom is back home …

    Best to all of you,
    L

  352. david alan harvey

    GUI….

    you have certainly put a lot of time and effort into your work with Carmen…and working with Tatiana on this must be very rewarding…you are a good team…this is an important issue in Brazil and your “caring” is felt in the way both of you describe the life of Carmen…

    i have looked very carefully at your photographs….i think you can make this a very strong essay, but first you must get away from the idea that you must shoot “a day in the life of Carmen”…

    you have her doing “everything” all day long….a process….a sequence of daily “events” in the job she does…if you are going to do a story of someone, you do not need to photograph everything they do…three strong photographs of some of the things she does is way better than ten photographs of “process”….

    “day in the life of” essays on one person are always tricky…difficult to do…the classic “Day in the Life of a Country Doctor” by W. Eugene Smith should be studied….Smith’s essay works because of the relationship between this doctor and his patients….we can see clearly in this essay the emotional context of his dedication …

    “Carmen” is a more difficult essay, because without your words, or rather Tatiana’s words, i am not sure we would comprehend exactly why we are seeing pictures of Carmen…with Smith’s country doctor , it is obvious and clear what is going on…without any captions whatsoever we would see a doctor with patients….his exhaustion…his caring…his environment…a truly classic “picture story”…

    with Carmen, we just do not really know what is going on in quite the same way…yes, good pictures…but it is hard to tell exactly what you are trying to tell us about Carmen except that she cleans…goes to work…comes home…i do not see any other emotional response from her to you or you to us….you will need more than this to make us “care” as much as you do….yes yes we can read about her situation, but it must come across visually as well…

    i do not want to curb your enthusiasm for this subject….but your energy and enthusiasm need to be well placed….as i have said many times here on this forum, not all things that are “important” make a strong essay…you have to pick and choose very wisely how you spend your time…in any case, do hang out some more with Carmen…see if you can find something else in her life that will make us take notice…some sort of “moment” between her and who she works for.(this is key).or a better vision of her relationships at home or with friends…. and then this interest will make the viewers of your work care about Carmen as do you and Tatiana…

    you must take this from photo “exercise” to essay…no small task…

    my best wishes always to both you and Tatiana…i hope we will meet again soon….

    cheers, david

  353. PATRICIA :)))))

    I totally know what you mean :))))…here’s what i’ve tried (i emphasize try) to do for last 4 months: only check into the blog 3 times a day (while at school) and now more than 15 minutes :)))…and only once/twice during weekend (marina would kill me)…i had to do that too, around May, too much shit to do with writing and pic making..so; TOTALLY UNDERSTAND :))))…cold turkey is always the best (and the most painful): russian proverb:

    sometimes the wolf must chew its leg off in order to save it’s life when trapped

    (though you’re the kindest “wolf” i know ;)))))))) )…

    we love u and ur’e a major energy source too…so dont disappear:

    as marina says: “keep david and that place inside your heart and head but dont make it your home” ;)))))

    love and hugs
    b

  354. david alan harvey

    JENNY….

    this a way off of my area of expertise, but yes many American women do take the family name of the husband after marriage….

    but, certainly not all…

    i have no idea what percentage do and what percentage don’t…and some just add the family name of the husband after their own family name…it is just totally personal choice…

    in the case of Amanda and Scooter, two very independent characters, i have no idea why Amanda chose to take Scooter’s family name…but, for sure, i do not think any form of “ownership” would be implied !!!…quite the contrary…Amanda is one very strong woman and not to be “owned” by Scooter!!!! maybe she just likes Halladay better than Pitts!!!

    cheers, david

  355. ALL:

    Last night i finally had a chance to look at and read Jonas Bendiksen’s remarkable and magisterial new book THE PLACES WE LIVE

    http://www.amazon.com/Places-We-Live-Philip-Gourevitch/dp/1597110671/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220011301&sr=8-1

    Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and profound books i’ve had the pleasure to spend time with in a long long time. It goes without saying that the photographs are stunning (and i’ve looked at many of them over and over and over over the last 4 years as Jonas has worked on this project and shown/published the pics)…but, the entirety and the design of the book are just remarkable (small, hand size, with fold out pages like an accordian, a long frieze-like format that offers a panoramic view of the inside of people’s homes, with remarkable text, the voices of the people Jonas has photographed)…

    this will be short. …god damned, is that a beautiful and profound book. Wow, so so beautiful and powerful. Of course, it goes without saying that i love the photographs also the design, so much love love the design with the fold out pages and the text of their voices….but, what i love about the work is in the end WHAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND WHAT THE DESIGN ACCOMPLISH…

    it’s difficult work, heart-breaking work, but it is entirely different that one would expect for a project on the world’s great slums…yes, it is pitiful (not the people, but what we have done as a species to one another) the conditions that these folk have to endure, but there isn’t pity in Jona’s work, in fact,, the opposite: celebration of their courage and humanity and endurance…

    and there is, remarkable enough, joy in the lives and in some of these photographs…a stunning and difficult complexity to see unfold…

    there is so much honor and respect and grace in these pictures and in the way the work is shown and designed and in the way Jonas photographs and chooses to tell us their stories…

    Since the book deals with the horrible and tragic squalor of their lives and the poverty, it would be so simple to “condescendingly” (even out of compassion) to depict these people and their lives with deep sorrow and nihilism. But, the book celebrates them for their courage and humanity and even the “joy” that is still contained in them. Don’t get me wrong, the pain of this book is tremendous and profound but it is painful and humbling because you do say “look at these poor pitiful creatures.” the pictures say: “look at these people, they are the same as you” it is an extraordinary and profound book…and i love everthing about it and hope it drops into has many people’s palms as possible…and i hope, for god’s sake, someday we can arrest the need for such work…

    it broke my heart…

    I am sure Milo and “his peers” will fee emmense pride and love for you and this small, in-the-hand size gift….

    i recommend each of you spend some time with this book…

    running away for the weekend
    b

  356. DAH

    so nice to hear from you again, and that mom is ‘back’..best of luck with your Perp decision, we need you strong..

    PATRICIA

    I almost emailed you to say ..where are you?.. but then I knew. I understand; do you know that studies have shown that our brains and body chemistry respond to ‘virtual’ friends as if they are real, meaning that a tv show like ‘Friends’, when watched regularly, can provide someone with a sense of being nurtured and part of something beyond one’s self. Sort of scary and touching at the same time..

    Here, many of us have moved beyond the virtual connections and have made in-person relationships as well. We share common interests, and have one heck of a guide helping us to grow as photographers. All good things..

    The balance must be there though, agreed. For me, if I am scanning and alone anyway for the day, this place is without question a life asset..and even when I am not scanning I am here at least some, usually over waking up, winding down.. but I wouldn’t want it to keep me from having an ‘outside’ life.

    Truth be told, it isn’t this place I am concerned with, it is photography in general. I often say I need more life in my life, simply because a majority of my experiences come from the fact that I am a photographer, and very little room is left for aspects beyond that if I am ‘head down’. Always being ‘on’, even though it is for something I love, makes me feel isolated in the long run.

    Yesterday, I felt this strongly, and went right to the park with the dogs..I was alone still, but found healing in some yoga on the grass among the trees. Then I spent the day picking up negatives, and then went to the spa for some rejuvenation. It’s been a bit frustrating having my last week of possible shooting dwindle away because I have not been able to secure help..but I should have 2 days that I can shoot before I end. And having scanned the 4×5 (preview scans), things are all a bit in a tumult of new information and thought. Just when I thought I’d be ‘power shooting’ for my last week, I am scanning, thinking..and yesterday I started to lose focus and direction, hence the self rescue mission.

    This photo life is all consuming at times, and as much as the Road Trip aspect must be ‘managed’ in moderation, I do think it is one of the places that in the larger picture will help balance the solitary component of being a photographer.

    That’s one long winded way of saying I am happiest in this context when I embrace the benefits of community here, and also take time to see the world through a non photographic lens.

  357. BOB

    I love Marina’s quote… “keep david and that place inside your heart and head but dont make it your home”

    ERICA

    yes, make sure you don’t always have you “head down”… we all need life in our life….

    PATRICIA

    i totally understand and can see how it happens…. i have not been here long, but know that YOU are one important voice and person in this family.

  358. david alan harvey

    BOB…

    yes, and the really interesting point is made by Jonas also that in the next 50 years there will be more people living in slums than otherwise….something like 75% of the world will live in slums….unreal…

  359. david alan harvey

    GINA…

    as you well know, i never had any intention, nor have any intention, of somehow taking up anyone’s time, particularly when they should be photographing instead of looking at a computer screen….computers, like cars, can be useful, can be destructive..

    by fate we have a very interesting family here….but, like any family , sometimes one member or the other takes a walk in the woods…perfect, fine, normal, desired….all you ever want to do is to provide an environment where a “family member” will want to come back, not out of obligation, but because that is just where they want to be….

    BUT, i will stand by the actual WORK done here on this forum…

    first of all, the forum itself is publishable..book to be…

    second, your assignments have been shown, will be shown more and a fine exhibit and/or publication will come out of these too…

    third, i am producing too…i could not do this, if i was not doing that…i am doing lots of photography right now…you are not seeing it, but you will…

    point is: we are all doing it!!!!

    cheers, david

  360. david alan harvey

    ERICA….

    the one thing i would love to discuss more and more and more is how all of us can in fact not have “personal life ” in one place and “professional life” in another…that is, after all, my primary mantra…roll it all together….

  361. DAVID,

    so great that your mom is back at home feeling better. A warm hug to you all!! Now, just enjoy, be happy, sleep, rest, live…. and get enough energy for Perpignan! we will handle it ;-)

    By the way, I will drive by car to Perpignan on wednesday and you said you will fly to Barcelona and drive from there on wednesday too. As I will pass by Barcelona, I can pick you up at the airport and give you a ride to Perpignan. Just confirm me if you need it. It will be a pleasure to drive you there! (you can rest/sleep in the car) :D

    Looking forward to seeying you all!

    Ana

  362. DAVID :))

    YES, that’s the frightening point…and I saw he thankED “DAVID ALAN HARVEY” :)))…like u were at the top of the list :)))…

    running y’all
    bob

  363. david alan harvey

    ANA…

    yes, i will need a ride….but, are you coordinated with Luis Montolio??? i think he his coming too from Valencia…more importantly, i would love a ride back to Barcelona if possible…i can always rent a car, but seems like wasted energy if we all end up driving to the same place….i cannot remember my return time/date right now, but will let you know soonest…

  364. DAVID/GINA/ALL:

    Just to make sure everyone knows (by what i meant and what Marina quote meant):

    David is in our hearts, a part of our life, as is this blog (for me), but it is important to make sure that this blog inspires you, feeds you, teaches you and helps you create real relationships, and as David writes, REAL WORK! :)))…

    im excited to share with you soon Bones (hell, i even dreamed about it last light, the dream: everything was shit!…and some were in color ;)) ), but first, im gonna send some of it to david after this weekend…

    so, i didnt mean to suggest that this Road Trip isn’t a “home”, it is, and a really helpful and loving and inspiring one…but just make sure that, like the best of families, it helps you enough to grow and to leave it, someday, in order to raise your own family :))))…

    it’s a rare rare place, rare…and part of that is how david has created it…

    that he and the blog have generated REAL WORK is the most important aspect…i’ve written a long poem/essay and submitted it to foto8 for publication that was written specificially for 2 people here: David and Rene…

    ok, now, gotta run for real…good weekend y’all

    b

  365. david – great news that things have improved..

    excellent… just that.

    not sure you will have seen the post or my email – ‘divided soul’ received.. it’s blown me away.. an excellent read.. i have my individual fav’s and some sectiosn which i ponder more.. love your words as well.. REAL<>

    muchas thanks mi amigo.. it’s very special of you to have run the comp.. superb stuff.

    charles..

    great blog..
    i’ve begun to look at prams more like cars, the relative merits of suspension.. air tyres.. we have a storming great one and i hardly want to wait for 6 weeks.. i want to stick a sack of potatoes into it and try the pram out NOW

    patricia..

    hello :o)
    hello..

  366. david, bob, all..

    it’s true – this place isn’t real.. and it also is..
    friendships are growing along with work.. blending inspiration with real care and some snappy work to boot.. a great place..

  367. GUI

    F*CKIN, TANKS MAN..
    always a pleasure when someone is driven to swear with joy from looking at my snaps.. thanks for the comment on ‘decade’ blog…

  368. DAVID

    It would be really helpful to hear from you (more and more and more) about this non-division of photo/personal lives (undivided soul?)..I would like to, NEED to, move to a place photographically where the project is so much a natural extension of myself that it then becomes what I was talking about earlier, the ‘important’ work, that is personally meaningful and satisfying in a way that as of now I am only approaching. When I am shooting, I am in it 100%, and it simply makes no sense to spend all of my life, my days, my money, my breath and energy on anything short of a life of unified purpose..perhaps you can speak to this in a thread soon?

  369. DAVID,

    Just talked with Luis. He will pick you up at the airport in Barcelona. I probably will go later in the day but it may be a chance I go with him, depends on work…. About the ride back, don’t worry because either Luis or me can drive you (depending on the day you need to go) so you won’t have to rent a car ;-)

    Hasta pronto!

    Ana

  370. AND

    another bit of the question/discussion..

    DAH, I’d love to hear you talk about the part of always being ‘head down’ (though that isn’t the best description, maybe locked on -like a beloved pit bull!- or eyes straight ahead or..), always being ‘on’ and always seeing the world ‘through a photographic lens’.

    For example, I found there was a time when I consciously forced myself to stop making eye contact with people on the street, and to start reading on the subway..otherwise, I was always searching people’s eyes, watching the way they move, I was energetically engaging, embracing, and embodying them the stranger with whom I never spoke, even when I was without the camera and not actively out to shoot. The thing I do when I am shooting, I was doing always, without rest, and that’s me, I love it, it’s part of how I learn and grow, but it was as if I were drugged and I never totally was just with people without a glimmer of me being the watcher, the photographer..and there is something in this that feels insincere, as if I have an agenda…

  371. BOB, DAVID, and ALL

    Jonas Bendiksen is by far my favorite of the younger Magnum photographers, and his book ‘The Places We Live’ is a really important contribution. I’ve mentioned this before here, but my previous ‘career’ (if you can cal it that) was as a geography-international-environmental studies researcher and teacher based in Japan, and my current ‘day job’ work includes a lot of translating and editing for an Asian urban studies institute based in Osaka that deals with exactly the kinds of problems so vividly shown in Jonas Bendiksen’s work. The facts and figures on urbanization and slums, especially in Asia, are nothing new to me, but the photographs tell the story with far more immediacy, far more humanity, and far more nuance than any stack of research reports or policy papers. Photography is a terrific tool, maybe the single most powerful tool, for communicating these kinds of realities of our world.

    The new planetary civilization that is emerging in these slums represents the mainstream future of our world. It’s important to understand their reality and their dynamics. They may appear to be places of heartbreak and abandonment from one point of view, but they are also places of hope, of opportunities, of tremendous energy and creativity. They evolve and change, often in surprising ways, if allowed to. Government policies for dealing with them are almost always antiquated, discriminatory, and counter-productive. I believe Jonas’ work is a tremendous addition to our knowledge and awareness and I hope it will be very widely seen and appreciated.

  372. DAVID, PATRICIA, AND ALL,

    I can totally relate to the all-consuming nature of this blog. I would LOVE to look at each link and reply to every comment that touches me but it would require giving up shooting, editing and/or other things that I am COMMITTED to. So good time to discuss this…while we’re on the subject of COMMITMENT. One must remember their priorities. If I sit around all day discussing everyone elses photography, I get nowhere with my own. My own photography MUST come first.

    I’ve been here from the start, I will continue to be an active member of this community… so know I’m with you even if you don’t see me around. :)) Keep shooting everyone!

  373. something like 75% of the world will live in slums
    —————-

    Not saying you do, David, but it is very important fo us “1st worlders” not to impose our own definitions and how things should not be or should be, and what a word (like slum) implies absolutely. Much of the failures that happened with development aid in the hard bitten regions of the world comes from thinking uni-dimensionally, with a manichean mentality on the part of the donors.

    This mentality, and that of seeing victims automatically, if our own standards are not met, is much more complex, and riddled with (as Bob sees in Jonas’s work), life-affirming daily moments from which we can also take example, if on a different level of having a steel and cement roof over our heads.

    Just a thought.

  374. Sorry, last paragraph is badly written. I meant “this mentality” fails to see things are always much more complex to comprehend…

  375. ERICA,

    My god, I’ve had those same thoughts. How to turn it off? How to stop looking and sometimes just be. I’m not even one of those people who carry a camera everywhere, but I’m constantly framing the world -“wouldn’t that be a great picture” – and sometimes feeling guilty I don’t have a camera with me but then also realizing I often don’t have the time to deal with the the photos I’ve already made let alone adding more to the mix. I’m one of those people who work best on assignment (even self imposed). Unfortunately the assignments sometimes don’t come as often as they should so I find myself looking and looking but not really doing, and am afraid that it may be affecting being more laser like in the the work I should really be doing.

    Great food for thought and will be interesting to hear DAH’s take on this.

    Peace,

    CP

  376. ERICA & CHARLES!

    I so so totally agree! At times I can’t turn off and it’s almost as if photography consumes me and I can’t stay focused on what I should do..
    In another thred I also talked about the “digital stress” always being to take images and always bringing the camera, but I think I’m learing to handle that better. Recently I’ve brought the film camera for snapshots or walks and used digital for more conceptual work..

    Cheers

  377. Happy Labor Weekend, ALL..
    Big celebration over here…
    Hopefully will post some cool stuff
    by Tuesday night..
    Many many things are waiting to
    happen in the next 72 hours…!!!
    Let’s see how are we gonna capture
    all that…!
    Good light y’all…

  378. david alan harvey

    HERVE….

    i was just quoting or paraphrasing from Jonas’ book…i have no idea what the definition of “slum” is….

    ERICA…

    i am also always “taking pictures” with my mind if not with my camera…i cannot even talk to someone comfortably if the composition is not to my liking….i will literally move over an inch or two if things do not “look right”…or move the flowers on the table…i seat myself in a restaurant where the light is the best…but, this is not disturbing to me…rather relaxing actually and i never thought of it as something i wanted to eliminate…i enjoy it and others around me are not aware that i am photographing them in my mind….this is actually a very small part of the “life flow” you want me to post..by always taking pictures in my mind, it does not seem suddenly cumbersome to have a camera in my hand …just all part of seeing…all part of the organic nature of seeing..with or without a camera…

    cheers, david

  379. FRIENDS

    I just lost a long comment that I’d spent the past 20 minutes writing. Ah well, the less said the better.

    I appreciate the discussion that my sharing about my blog “addiction” has engendered. It’s an important subject, not just regarding the blog, but as it has evolved into a discussion of our feelings about photography. Yes, I admit it: I am totally obsessed with photography. My worst nightmares are those in which something has happened to my camera. But that addiction is one that I accept. Living FULL OUT with nothing held back is the name of the game for me. Better a life of passion than one of apathy.

    Just a few quick words in answer to David’s question that introduced this thread. Sure let’s dream big and manifest those dreams in some sort of printed magazine or book, exhibition or funding source. BUT let’s please not try to fix something that is not broken, and I’m referring to this blog and its format. Unwieldy, yes. Fascinating, YES! Like a down-and-dirty talk among friends, we go wherever we need/want to go. Organic, not linear. The real thing. Please don’t f**ck with it ;=)

    Patricia

  380. DAH said above:

    …or move the flowers on the table…i seat myself in a restaurant where the light is the best…but, this is not disturbing to me…rather relaxing actually and i never thought of it as something i wanted to eliminate…i enjoy it and others around me are not aware that i am photographing them in my mind…

    YOU NAILED IT… I THOUGHT , this is my “neurosis”- thesis…
    but, im not alone…
    ( move the flowers on the table… !!!??? …i do kinda the same… but
    i do this with PEOPLE… and that doesnt make very “popular”…
    in fact….
    laughing..
    oh i give up… lets go back to photography…

  381. david alan harvey

    PATRICIA…

    do not worry about that at all..

    .truck ain’t broke…i do not have time to “fix it” anyway!!!

    what we DO with the blog and the way the blog IS are two different things….

    hugs, david

  382. ALL

    just in from shooting, an angel appeared and offered his assistance for the day..this after shooting an assignment in Haiti and returning just last night, and then shooting an assignment this morning..talk about a committed photographer; i stand in constant awe of him.

    The light only partially cooperated, with looming rain, YET I had the opportunity to reshoot someone who I would really love to include, but whose images were ruined due to the whole parallax issue.

    Am getting a little frustrated because I am at the point of finishing, just at the same time when I see many ways to improve things if I could change some of the set-up, meaning make new purchases, which I can’t/wont do..so i am shooting being aware of these issues, trying to move beyond them with my hands tied a bit.

    DAH

    very interesting..maybe you have a way that is more chill in this constant picture taking..my analogy of being like a (beloved) pit bull is actually a good description of how I feel, not so much relaxed by it as captivated to a point of obsession at all those things you mention and locked on to them, the framing, the light..I love it, photographers are so odd in a way! It gives me hope that you are at peace with this, maybe I’ll learn form you how to turn down my volume a little and see it if I can find the calm in this..I just don’t want to miss something someone is saying because I am feeling/thinking about the hypothetical shot, or to become interested in people because of their photo worthiness in my eyes..that’s it, actually, the concern that I am more drawn to, infatuated by some people because of the photos I want to take of them, in reality or in my mind..I want to have equal compassion and interest in and love for all of humanity..not just for some because of my own creative agenda.

  383. david alan harvey

    ERICA…

    yes, i do understand your dilemma….i am not sure i have always been “at peace” , so maybe that is something i have learned…one of the few things!!!

    and i definitely do not ever feel guilty about having “a creative agenda”…i work very very hard to make sure i am “giving back” one way or the other with the people who so allow me into their lives, if only for a few seconds…

    yes, of course, i do have a motive, but i think that might be different than an “agenda”….

    i know that i want something, but i do not always know what it is that i want, but i know it when i get it, and if i don’t get it, then i smile and wander on to the next “field of dreams”…

    cheers, david

  384. Erica and DAH,

    Inspiring. Lots to think about.

    ERICA,

    I’m curious as to why you decided to shoot your project with a view camera. Your Rollei work is so beautiful and seemingly very comfortable. Of course, maybe the answer is in the work yet to be seen. I’m more than guilty when it come to wanting to try new processes, new ways of seeing. Sometimes it opens me up and then other times it’s a frustrating waste of time and money and why didn’t I just stick to what was working @#$$%!

    Curious to see your new work. If I was in NY you would be more than welcome to borrow my Imacon for scanning. Alas I’m not….

    Okay, off to some badly needed yoga now..

    CP

  385. ” Organic, not linear. The real thing. Please don’t f**ck with it ;=) ”

    now one of my favorite quotes from this blog, and it applies to much, much more than this blog! Thanks Patricia :))

    tom

  386. CHARLES, MARTIN, PANOS, PATRICIA

    nice to know you are all freaks too :)

    PATRICIA

    once I read that DAH lost a few long posts in the making, I started highlighting and copying the text before I go to post if it is a long one, takes just a second and then you have it if it doesn’t go through…

    CHARLES

    Ah, sorry..the project is both with Rollei and the 4×5. Mostly the Rollei..the 4×5 is to add another dimension; but the complications aren’t about the 4×5 per se, the majority of my shots are viable, but I’m just learning what it can do and the challenge is to get a 4×5 that is stronger than the shot of the same person taken with Rollei..the challenges that I’d like to remove are with the studio set up itself and the need for more hands to do what I’d like to do.

    DAH

    bon point..maybe motive and aim are more accurate words..and perhaps I am being too sensitive here, but as many photographers know, there is a subtle art of getting what you want from the person you are photographing, and it is somewhere between collaboration and seduction/manipulation..I just want to keep it as pure as I can, but in honesty there I times when I feel like something of a snake charmer, and I’d rather work from a higher place than that.

  387. ERICA

    waking up out of a blur. have had a fever for days. think i need a sprinkle of that fairy dust you wrote about months ago.

    thank you for the prayer. your reminder to navigate (visualize) from a place of peace + joy is something i have been working on… your point is very well taken. doing the opposite puts me in pickle-mode and causes unnecessary fever. :))

    can’t wait to talk in person…

    YOUNG TOM

    the project can be sad. but not saying anything at all, knowing what i have seen, would be cowardice on my part. plus, the kids bring with them a tidal wave of love. the project is actually more heartwarming than not.

    back to athos. a friend traveled there years ago. in a nutshell, he felt as though he had been turned inside-out, insides fully exposed. due to the nature of the environment, he didn’t feel the least vulnerable. wish i could be a guy for 3 days (and only 3 days :))) to experience that.

    DAH

    albeit late, sending a warm hug to you + your mom.

  388. David:
    After a long time , I decided to leave my reader status and post something. Since my las post many month ago, this comunitie has grown quite a big. I feel totally surpased by, and with trouble triying to read every post. Its just to overwelming I guess, but on the other side something very powerfull is going on here, and i’m totally adicted.
    I’ve been working on a couple of projects and slowly uploading them on http://www.lightstalkers.org/jorge-prat

    Wright now Im photographing horse rides localy in my country. I’m documenting the world of riders, horses, gamblers and many more people that interact with horse rides. I have loaded some photos on lightstalkers and will continue doing that as long as the project keeps its progress. Comments are of course welcome. Keep in mind it’s a work in progress.

    Best wishes for all

    Jorge

  389. ALL:

    this will be the last comment i write for a week or two…so bare with me….

    this is for David….

    David:

    you began this post about the word and idea of COMMITMENT…and so i shall write about this….

    tonight, the rain scatters across the street in front of our small apartment and all the sounds of the living are good…i sit upon the porch and allow all the scents and rhythms of what that means surround and glisten upon me, the night as if a small corner of feathers, the skirt-tip of the 30 Lamptom bus which passes in front of our house, running from the park to the airport station, a white line of ghosts empty but the driver, a stub of a tree of a man passing by and my wife in the shower preparing for bed….in 2 days our son returns after having been gone for 4 weeks in russia, 3 weeks in florida, and the sound of the toronto night a small creek of life unattended….

    tonight, with wine and bleary eyes, i sat and watch the films of Robert Frank….and grew sad, sad for the brilliance and wide-broken heart that those films contain and sat, in awe and joy as i closed my body in the white sheet in the wind, the silent palm of lighting and shadow that is his film from 1961, The Sin of Jesus….

    I am stunned and yet not surprised…

    David, you spoke of commitment and i have waited for so long to speak of this, to write of this properly…and now, as i prepare to send you something, prepare to send you some small pieces of light and shadow and thoughts…is it unexpected that, without having planned, tonight I decide to watch the films of Robert Frank…

    beginning in 1959, Pull My Daisy, Robert Frank turned his back from those to whom had wished to speak of what his work meant, of who he was supposed to have been, oh, how little they knew or understand….after The Americans, Frank turned away from the still, turned away from what would have been granted to him, what he had earned, but it did not suffice, he decided to speak upon dreams….

    Though most of the world thinks of Frank as a “photographer”, i have always felt uneasy and frustrated by how easily others pin-tacked him, how his own sadness grew like welts, how most misunderstood his decision to turn from the camera and the stories that came so (for others) easily to him: his agility, his eye, his feverish sadness to speak beyond what was possible with lens and light and stillness…

    tonight, i began to watch his films, and i left stunned…that his name conjures that book about America, or the soot-stained faces of Wales, or the earth-crust of s.america…when for long, i’ve wondered about the Frank i’ve often spoken to in my head: the father who survived both his children’s death, the Frank who made films that noone seemed to know about or care, who regardless of what he achieved with movies, still reminded him of The Americans…

    tonight, i sat, in tears, as I watched The sin of Jesus, and understood how lonely, how in the end brave the reach of commitment is….

    his films are as profound, as sad as brave as brilliant as any filmmaker’s work that i have seen…to spend 35 minutes with his second film is to understand, much later, why all the later work makes sense…

    to commit to that which you believe, to commit to that which may cost you all, to commit to that which will defy and defile all that you had done before, for we have not reached ourselves, not once, until we are finished, and then we remain unfinished….

    Frank’s Storylines is one of the most important books of photography, of poetry, that i have ever sat with, so too these films that i have just spent the last 2 hours, over wine, swallowing…

    in the end, the obituaries will write about The Americans, just as the Tate show continued to do this, just as a photographers speak of Frank as a photographer…

    this is not his fault…it is our own….

    by this i wish to say, just this:

    to commit to what your life entails is the largest gesture and that will, in the end surely, mean the turningtheirback of others, for each time we reach out to that which we were meant to do becomes in the end the disappointment of all those expectations…but to commitment to the forgoing of others expectations in the end places all those pretty broken things….

    Frank is a broken hero that was not, for me, about the work in The Americans but because he did not stop with that, but broke wide and far away from it….

    to survive the publication of one of the greatest books of photography, to survive the death of both of his chidren, to survive the memory of others, to make films that others have forgotten or haven’t a clue about….

    the commitment to be that which life bequeathed him and to do this regardless and to stand, even in ill-fitting pants and buckle, when the world has no idea what you’ve done….

    see his films, break yourself wide…

    so, i give you the first picture that started bones….you’ve seen this before, from this, all comes like rain…

    you have seen this before, but his began bones….Frank: i wish you could all watch his films, and re-think what it is that you think of what others do….

    the photo that begin Bones, 6 months before i knew i would make the story…

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/73821181@N00/2126249588/sizes/o/

    love
    bob

  390. Jorge, You have good access or no problem getting close to people, in your horses/gambling essay, but the effect is still a bit of outside looking in, maybe that distance is to be bridged, so that world grips us in the present tense as we watch the photos, and we go beyond just having an idea of what’s going on.

    Easier said than done, but somehow, looking at what you have, I think you can go a step further, and adopt a stance more frontal or in your face. Keep your backgrounds happening too, there is a lot of minute stuff and emotions going on on a race track, I’d assume.

  391. “yes, of course, i do have a motive, but i think that might be different than an “agenda”….”

    I have no motive, This is sole f..ing problem of my photography….
    ehhh… but even without the motive I have to go out and shoot… what the f..k is wrong with me??????????

    ok, I am alone in home, no stupid job I have to do, so I am going to shoots some stupid frames to make by stupid mind stabilized….

    peace (for tibet)

  392. Dear ANA, dear Perpignan CREW …

    I am off to P …
    with some …. portfolio that looks like homemade cake from my grandma …
    Not sure if I will show it to anyone … :(

    Spent a fortune on 3 huge books on demand for this purpose that turned out horrible.
    All the black & white photos came in a striking magenta … and way too dark. Some pics looked as if pitchblack.
    Not sure if I will pay for this…

    So I sat throughout last night for some handcraft …
    But you know how this is :(((

    Well, see you soon, I hope.
    Travel save!

    A big hug,
    Lassal

  393. Hi LASSAL,

    So bad that your prints turned out like that! but you can also bring the photos in a laptop. I know it is not the same as paper, but you never know if you will need desperately ;-) to show your work to someone. So better have the good photos somewhere….
    I will start printing tomorrow in Madrid. Hope I’m happy with the result!

    Have a nice and safe drive and…. see you next week!!!

    Big hug,

    Ana

  394. For those of you who are celebrating a holiday weekend–It’s Labor Day in the U.S. and Canada (and elsewhere?)–may you enjoy every precious summer minute of it. For those who are traveling to Perpignan, may you journey safely and have a glorious time!

    As for myself I will be soaking up three more days and nights of free outdoor concerts on six stages in downtown Detroit. This annual Labor Day extravaganza is called the Detroit International Jazz Festival but there’s soul and Motown thrown in for good measure. Detroit does LOVE its music!!!

    http://www.pbase.com/image/102376909

    Patricia

  395. ALL

    in full disclosure of the photographic process I will say I feel like completely losing my shit..I asked the lab to push some film from the project, 7 rolls of it..and it is pushed too far, beyond beyond. It’s my fault for asking, my fault for not being a techie and for not handling my own film…am seriously wanting to spiral into negativity..but instead will try to be centered and go back out now with Mike and will do my best to recover from this error. At least the light is nice, pray for me that it doesn’t rain too soon..I just need a couple of hours and some grace..

  396. ERICA thought:

    …am seriously wanting to spiral into negativity..but instead will try to be centered…

    Erica, go, go ,go… ( and greetings to Mike )…
    good luck with NY sunshine…
    Self-discipline wise im not suppose to “post” anything until i come
    back with my photo-story of week , but,
    you got me there…
    same with Marcin…. so one thing i want to say to ALL…

    with all my LOVE…: “ALL, shut up… and go out there… and shoot…
    NOW….!!!!!
    ( i’m doing the same , otherwise my NEGATIVITY.. will hold me down..
    struggling already…. & Erica there is no such a thing as a mistake…
    Only lessons… thats all… only lessons…)
    so , peace everyone.. and who cares if you EVEN have a camera or not..
    go out and shoot as DAH said…
    hint: if YOU are OUT of FILM… !!!???
    no problem… shoot with your MIND…!

  397. BOB, ERICA, ALL

    The richness of the experiences one reads or guesses from reading so many entries on the blog.

    Some, diametrically opposed (meaning opposite behaviour), seemingly, happening almost at the same time, like your last posts, the 2 of you. Erica with her feet on the ground, forcedly, in “deep shit”, yet stoic I sense and Bob, in good form ever, soul bent out of shape, feet a few inches off the ground, crying…

  398. Herve: thanks! thats the kind of comments i’m looking for. You actually guessed my next move very well. I wan’t to get closer and still keep things going on the borders of the frame. Not easy task, but necesary.
    David: thanks for the link. Very interesting considering he is not my stile, and a quite remarkable documentation.

    Regards
    Jorge

  399. jorge

    jon began to photograph from the perspective of a gambling man.. it fed his work and i think that’s probably why he chose BnW.. as he became more commercial colour became needed..

    what is your interest in horse racing / perspective?

    erica

    good luck.. you’re having a nightmare of a shoot and great to see you dealing with it so well.. keep on :o)

    d

  400. Commitment–
    To family–to friends–to our work–to our beliefs, ideals, our “passions”–
    It takes energy, organization. love–maybe especially love.

    I have been so busy moving my mother from another state to be close to me that I have barely picked my camera up for the last two weeks. It has been such an emotional experience going through her stacks and stacks of letters and photos and books etc. and etc. I want to transfer this emotion into images–but I just feel exhausted! It will be so good to have her close by, but I will be spending much time caring for her. I hope that good strong energy from this will show in my life and my images–and that by deleting the unimportant things I will have time for what is good.
    I am sorry your mother has been ill, David, and hope her recovery is quick and complete. She obviously is much loved.

  401. ALL

    Mike and I managed a day..though it took longer than usual to get in the groove, and kind, dear Mike had to listen to me talk smack for a spell. It was with the thought that my relative challenge of losing or at least comprimising a few days of work is very small in the big picture of life, that my mood improved. Thanks all for the support..no real nightmare here, david b, just a disappointment really. Trying to keep perspective…

    As we were about done, I turned and realized a photographer friend had stopped by to see me and was chatting with Mike, I had introduced them at the slideluck recently, and then it hit me..wham..this is real, this community that is happening now and not in some book with stories about cafes and photographers who all knew eachother and worked around eachother, offering company and encouragement and friendship..this is here, now, we are part of this..

    ROSEMARY

    lots of warmth to you as you and your mom travel this new road

  402. David: good question. This is a self assingment actually, and to be honest it startet withouth any perspective. I was even reluctant to learn anything about horse racing before starting the project. I usually study my stories, but not in this case. While shooting I realised that I wanted to document an almost freak world that was revealed to me. You se mostly middle class people going for the show, every weekend, making barbecues, gambling, drinking till they get drunk, and on the other side, you see rich people, with suit and ties giving orders to jokeys, been atendend by garzons, and so on. So I guess thats actually my perspective for this project. That does’nt mean I’m getting it, but I’m focus.

    Jorge

  403. Hey David, hey everyone,

    Just tried to read all the comments since I’ve been away for a bit and was travelling in Brazil.
    But it’s just too overwhelming and I don’t have enough time to read up on it all.
    I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving for my roadtrip up to Perpignan in about an hour.
    I see a lot of you are going as well and hope to see you there.
    I sent an email to James and Gina and hope in that way to hear about a meetingpoint or anything like that.
    Happy travels and hope to see you soon.
    Wendy

  404. Perpignan Crew,

    Eric and I shall be present on Wednesday, September 3rd in Perpignan in the beginning of after noon,We could maybe eat all together in the evening? And to find us all in the café de la poste at about 7 pm? And for those who would wish it, we could make the exhibitions together?

    In the pleasure to meet itself all,

    Audrey and Eric

  405. AUDREY,

    I wish I could, but I think I will arrive too late on wednesday. But depending on the time I arrive, I’ll try! Otherwise, I hope to see you all on thursday in the Cafe la Poste ;-)

    WENDY,

    See you there too! Wow, his is going to be amazing!!

    Have a good and safe trip

    Ana

  406. jorge

    it’s certainly a decent subject for getting the full effect of gambling and the rough edged glamor that some take to the events. good luck.

  407. audrey

    further to my email reply…
    i love your work and the fact that you are being quite brave with your parents, who must be very understanding and supportive..

    the new work is very different – much more gentle and shows more of the love which you are surrounded with.
    i have favorite images, lots of them, although while you are still shooting the project i’m going to keep them to myself.. i guess you know what is working best and it is your own eyes you must please..

  408. Can’t do weds in Perpignan, but can do thursday.

    See y’all in Cafe La Poste

    about which the rough guide says “pricey drinks but ideal for people watching, especially when those people are all wearing DAH masks”

    I made part of that up…

    How warm is it down there at night?

  409. BOB….

    your photograph from “Bones” is like a cloud in the sky which keeps moving and changing shape and i see different things at different times….

    somebody is crying….

  410. Just looking at the work of Wayne F. Miller, Magnum photographer, and ordered a copy of his book Chicago’s South Side. I see he will have a new book out
    Wayne F. Miller: Photographs 1942-1958 in November released by powerHouse..wonderful for him..

    For those fathers-to-be and others, take a look at his work The World is Young
    http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/c.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.BookDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1LROGH

    DAH

    Any idea if Wayne is still living in Orinda California? I’d love to contact him..maybe see if he’d be willing to sign a book for me..I should study his photo, I think…

    Did you decide to go to Perp?

  411. ERICA….

    Wayne Miller grows trees in California…i do not know him well, since he rarely shows up for Magnum functions…like i said, he grows trees for a living…but, i am sure he will sign your book and i will contact info for you….he is just one very nice man all around…

    all of us would do well to back and look at his personal essay “Chicago’s South Side” and his curatorial collaborative with Edward Steichen “Family of Man”..this last effort may have “backfired” in the long run and perhaps signals the “end of photojournalism” in the art world, but that is another discussion..

    i will have to scramble to get to Perpignan…no time really….a little crazy at this point…but , doing totally crazy things when i really do not have time to do them, is one of the things i do!!!

    NICK YOON…

    thanks for the memories…i always forget who was where, when….sorry to hear i will not see you this year..i do look forward to seeing you somewhere down the line…

    cheers, david

  412. DAH

    travel safely, unscrambled and please have fun on behalf of us who can’t make it.. I ‘d love to come next year, esp. if you are are going to manage some kind of EPF thing, i wouldn’t want to miss that..

    Wayne just SEEMS like a he’s be a great guy, and thank you for the contact info, you have my email address..I wish I could find a copy of The world is young; but for now Chicago and perhaps I’ll advance order the new book.

    I’d love to hear thoughts sometime from you / have a discussion about the role today of old school social documentary/fine art images like Wayne’s as an influence on the way I (and other contemp photogs) see and work now..the effect on contemporary issues if they are treated in a traditional way..

  413. ERICA,

    DAVID B., those are great racetrack shots. I keep telling myself that I ought to go up to Saratoga during the season, but no one wants to be in the car with me since the last time I went up there.

    PANOS, shooting with your mind is all well and good, but how to get those shots developed, there’s the rub!

  414. I remember noticing once W. Miller was the only M photographer living near San Francisco, and since you guys bring him up, David, is he someone open to visitors or would that be inopportune, David?

    About Perpignan, safe trip to all, explain to me if the idea for emerging Ps is to go during the “professionals” week, or the one after (if i was going next year).

    And great you guys are going to meet there, but can someone tell us for example what is different from the look3 event (save the location) in terms of what you expect to do there and interact with? Thanks.

    Off to work (what else on a Labor Day week-end?)…

  415. AKAKY,
    this is something i havent resolved yet ( how to develop or print through the mind … )… but im working on it….:))))))…

    …. but all i was really trying to say is that,…
    sometimes ( not all the times ), masturbation could be as good,
    if not BETTER… than the actual sex act itself !!!
    ;))
    good morning y’all… just looking for a coffee !!!

  416. Running but…..

    Panos, you remember what W Allen said of masturbation?: “M. is having sex with someone who really loves me”.

    :-)

  417. panos magic..

    an incredible, now passed on, radio 1 dj i knew said;
    ‘better to have a wank than screw a groupie.’

    truesay and, perhaps, the sex you mean.

    coffee? internet is funny.. i’m just tucking into a beer.. been fishing all day.. now off to see ‘dark-knight’ in an hour…

  418. DAVID B, this is a long and involved story and no, there was nothing wrong with the car. Suffice it to say that my brother, who thought that having me as the designated driver was a good excuse for him to get loaded, was completely sober by the time we got back from Saratoga and will not get into any car that I am driving ever again.

    PANOS, hurdles can be terrible things.

  419. David – commercial as his site is???why the disclaimer? Any one who shoots …photographs horses regularly knows how easy it is to make even the most expensive quarter horse look like a candidate for the knackers yard.Great work Jon!
    AKAKY – We have a fish called a Saratoga here,,very good eating , not very bony and a teriffic fighter.

  420. DAVID….

    “i cannot even talk to someone comfortably if the composition is not to my liking….i will literally move over an inch or two if things do not “look right”…or move the flowers on the table…i seat myself in a restaurant where the light is the best…but, this is not disturbing to me…rather relaxing actually and i never thought of it as something i wanted to eliminate…”

    Thank you! THIS QUOTE FROM YOU MAKES ME FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT MYSELF :)) Can you imagine what it would be like to fix up a house composition-wise? NOW I can feel okay about making the electrician move a little wall heater in our powder room over because it was touching a cabinet and there needed to be space between them. The electrician thought it was “rediculous.” I thought it was essential. :)) Times that by several hundred…there are still things I can’t look too closely at because no one would listen to me…even though I was paying the bills! Thank goodness that’s all over. I do agree, composition is important in life as in art.

  421. I have mates who in their darkest moments confess that , they think I’m damn lucky to have something to be so passionate about and be able to make a living out of it… but the making a living thing doesent really come into it – I was taking pictures way before I knew you could make a living out of it , lucky to have an inner voice that pushes you on , lucky to have an original point of view in this conformist age.
    If you want to call yourself neurotic ,Panos, by all means ,but I don’t think that the impulse to live ,see and create in a certain way can be written off as simple neuroses – no one ever said it all had to be perfect , so No not perfectionists , Lucky!

  422. AKAKY

    nice, dated video, with a timeless message..

    HERVE

    not to answer for DAH, but in case you aren’t already in the know, Wayne Miller is about 90 now..I wonder if that would increase or decrease his desire for a photo visitor..

    I’ve not been to Perp, but I’d guess many would say that a big difference between LOOK and Perp is that the former is considered to be inclusive to all types of photography, and Perp more focused on photojournalism. Also, it seems to be considered to be par for the course to be showing editors what you have been working on at Perp, and when this happens at LOOK, it is more informal. But again, this is just my assessment without having been to Perp, but listening to others..

  423. GLENN….PANOS…

    lucky neurotics…

    ERICA…

    you have it right…except that Perpignan is not exactly all inclusive even on the photojournalism front…mostly focused on conflict photography which is but one aspect of photojournalism…well, i really do not like and have never liked the word “photojournalism”, even though my old professor invented it…i prefer either “documentary” or photography which “bears witness”….you should also check out Arles….very sophisticated…many styles included…low key….great town….

    cheers, david

  424. CATHY….

    whatever kind of person would stay up all night to get ONE print to come out right and freak out if the whitespace in a layout is ONE millimeter off, and at the same time let his desk become a total chaotic nightmare and have no idea what day of the week it is, is whatever kind of person i am…

    cheers, david

  425. David,

    Sorry, I’m late to this post and as much as I would love to read all 500+ posts, I’m “on assignment” in Bolivia and my time is limited. Just wanted to give a shout out in appreciation of what you have put together here and to say that I hope to “commit” more to this community in the future. I feel I have been somewhat absent in recent times, but I assure you it has been to good use.

    I have taken a major leap of faith (commitment) in terms of my photo life and spent the last 2.5 months traveling and shooting. It has eaten away all of my savings, but it needed to be done…I needed to get “out there” and it has been a trial by fire experience, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

    Hopefully I will return to New York in September with some good material to share and I will definitely be wiser for the experience. I have learned to let go to my pre-conceived ideas of what each project was “supposed” to be and adapt on the fly. In some cases, this has led to some great revelations, in others, a sack of shit.

    My question to you is: How do you adapt during a project? This is also a form of commitment and at your stage in your career, I would imagine the stakes much higher. Is there a point at which you can safely “bail out”? or, (like I’ve tried to do) roll with the punches and simply make something happen despite the odds.

    In any event, I’m looking forward to getting some new material edited and seeing the gang again when I get home.

    Cheers,

    Joel

  426. Yes, Erica, I did a bit of homework on my “neighbour” Wayne Miller. He has a vineyard, owns commercial woodlands (redwood and douglas fir) as David told us, I even found out his phone and address in Orinda (all googled in 5 minutes, no detective work frankly), a picture of him in 2007, and that he sent 200$ to the Ntl Rep. Committee in 2000!

  427. akaky

    dangerous driving.. is that possible on long, straight roads?
    :o)

    glen

    i mean to say – jons site has not been updated in a long while and most of the work therein is aimed towards gaining commercial work, and not aimed at illustrating his personal experience of ‘the races’..
    as good as the work on his site is – and i love it of course – his more personal work, hinted at in the B&W section is astonishing.. stories from individual courses, such as happy valley (where he photographed the last race before the handover of hong kong to the chinese), is one of my favorite stories to read.. he’s a natural and gifted photographer who like many of us must tailor his work to be commercially attractive in order to make a living…

  428. jenny lynn walker

    David,

    I can see why Amanda might prefer her new surname, hope your Mom is okay, and that Perpignan is less biased towards ‘negative news images’ this year.

    Have a great time!

    Jenny

  429. and… on being visually orientated.. as we all are..

    whether hanging pictures, (i have a compulsive addiction to straightening frames), moving furniture or finding a decent view to sit in front of – i’m sure we all have our own little expressions of state-of-mind..
    something that really interests me within myself is this.. is..
    why?
    there has always been the predisposition to skirt the outside of a situation looking in and an adoration for photography within me.
    for much of the music work, over the years, photography has been a way of both participating and also stepping back.. an enabler and also an act of non-committal behavior. while i have drifted very close to the subjects, and in doing so balanced on the edge of loosing my ‘self’, there has also always been an urge to remain distant and not loose sight of my goals, my perspective and the greater picture of the folio / story / life-book i was aiming to produce.

    the story of photography for me has been one of absolute commitment to the act of photography and a quietly expressed desire to keep enough distance to be able to learn from experience without becoming too fully a part of it.
    i know exactly where that comes from for me.. the troubles, good times, ups and downs which have produced a charecter with a compulsive urge to photograph and an equally strong desire to be disconnected from what i see… to remain clear to myself and not give myself utterly to the subjects i’m in front of.

    and so.. while we all seem to have the nuances of the visually orientated mind.. lucky neurotics.. do we all know why that is the case for each of us?
    it was certainly only when i understood why i photograph that i began to understand my photography and the direction it must take.. for me, themed long-term projects of many parts.

    the beautiful thing about photography is that the more you understand yourself and your unique perception, the more specific to yourself your photography becomes.. and so the more specific your experience becomes..

    an interesting thing with photography is that the more specific your experience and ‘sights’ become, the more individual you become.. and that lends itself perfectly to photography..

    i think this is how photography works.. the more of yourself you feed into it, the more it will feed back to you.. it’s a positive relationship evolved form the desire to be involved while also standing back a little.

  430. More than the composition, I found myself “obsessed” by light in daily life, the quality of it but also the quantity… flash photography has a great part in my portraiture work, nevertheless I am continuosly challenged/charmed by the variety of environmental or “available” light. Well, “available” is a tricky word, since such light is tipycally available in low quantity when you have to shoot ;)
    To make a long story short, when we moved the house I felt a “committment” in placing a lot of different lamps around…

  431. CATHY

    I was going to reply last night, but I was about to watch a very sweet movie, Im Juli (in July) check it out http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_july/ (it’s actually here in its entirety in German http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5938525304885000317 not sure what language these subtitles are, and am not awake enough to figure it out)

    In response to your question, a little story..first day of art school, the Chair of the dept. was demonstrating a technique, and her method seemed a bit sloppy to me. Trying to be polite yet find out how I could do the process to my standards, I asked what else one might do in a more perfectionistic approach..at which time she replied that a perfectionist would never say perfectionistic..and I wanted to go get a dictionary right then and show her I was not in error..but of course I stayed quiet. We had a tough 2 years together, each of us involved in our own “perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns”, but rarely finding any overlap between them..

    DAH

    I too prefer the word documentary..do you think there could be a place for EPF at Perp with its focus being so tight? Is Arles a possibility as well?

    ALL

    Last official day of shooting today! We had a very interesting day yesterday, hopefully that will show in the film..there is always that chance that the experience is greater than the record of it..

  432. I should have written instead there is always that chance that the fact that the experience is often greater than the record of it will visually translate onto the film..

    AUDREY

    I really love many of these new images, just too enveloped in my own stuff right now to give more feedback..

  433. David and ALL:

    I can’t keep track of all the postings, but I am wondering if you have decided on coming to Perpignan. Last I read you were up in the air.

    I’ll be there from Tuesday until Saturday, so I’d really like to take advantage of this week to put the faces to some of the names I repeatedly see here. Are there any plans to meet up? I know that Lance and James are coming, any others?

    Also, David if you’ll have the time, I’d love the opportunity to bend your ear a bit as I especially want to talk more about the conceptual vs. the tried and true photo reportage theme that came up ohhh so many weeks ago.

    Does it feel like time flies on this site?

    best,
    Charlie
    http://charliemahoney.net

  434. DAVID B., vis-à-vis the possibility of dangerous driving on long straight roads: you bet it’s possible. There’s nothing like heading south on the Taconic Parkway, which, for those of you who do not live in New York, has no street lighting on it whatsoever, and seeing someone driving north in the lane next to you. That was just the one thing; the other things make me look bad so I’m just going to skip over those parts.

    ERICA, I’m glad you liked it. It is a timeless message, one that we should all follow in these troubled times, and I hope it lifted your spirits. You should avoid the ever-downward spiral of negativity, leaving it to those of us (like me) who loathe both the video and the message it contains and for whom the absence of negativity would mean a complete lack any discernible personality whatsoever.

    TO THE NEW YORKERS HERE, to clarify a point, yes, I do mean the left hand lane immediately adjacent to the lane I was driving in and not some other lane not immediately adjacent to the lane I was driving in.

  435. David,
    I have made plans to come to New York in October but am not certain that I will be able to make it. Time is so strange–moments like photographs that are caught in my memory. It doesn’t seem like almost a year ago that I attended Expo.
    The experience of going through my mother’s things and packing them up is still with me. Mary Ellen Mark suggested that I photograph my mother. I will have to think about it–if it is the right thing. The intensity of who she is and our relationship–her struggles with losing my father and my sister as well as with her deafness and now losing her vision–her strength and independence–her love and sentimental side ( the perfume bottle given to her by my father that I found in her closet– still with the scent of violets–he died in 1964.)
    Hope Perpignan will be a wonderful experience for all. In 1968, I spent a few months visiting my sister in Barcelona and on the Costa Brava. I had quit my job to do this and was staying in pensions for a few dollars a day.
    Wishing you love and peace also. Rosemary

  436. DAVID.. so i am in new york before i fly out tomorrow morning.. if you’re around and have time to share a cold one, please give me a call 512-569-0432 (i tried leaving you a voicemail but don’t think it worked). of course i’m sure i’ll see you later in the week as well! i’d love to talk more about where all of THIS is headed.

    ERICA, same for you. :)

    cheers,
    lance

  437. so friday i crashed and burned.

    too much too handle, i’d been ‘tuned in’, switched on 24/7 since the workshop i took at look3 in june, and it got the better of me. cancelled all my appointments, switched off the computer. went away.

    funny thing that often things are felt at the same times here… you guys talking about being ‘turned on’ all the time…

    i just couldn’t stop… thinking of what i wanted, what i wanted to achieve, participating in this place, caring about eveyone involved, looking, thinking about photography…
    at the same time the 16hour days at work, deciding to hire someone because it’s all over our heads, the deadlines…
    and in my head the two projects and the body of work constantly playing, what angle do i want, wat visual language, looking for contacts and organising to meet people…

    then ANOTHER idea pops into my head and i really want to do this as well, and

    oh wait, intermezzo:
    then i read over at TIM GRUBER’s blog the psychological analysis of a creative person… very interesting stuff… and i had been tired for weeks on end, and for the life of me, i didn’t know why.. and the article did shed some light on that

    …and i start making contact with people in nepal and it all looks like there is a chance that other project might become reality. so now i have three projects going. this is too much.. is it too much? it just seems too intense to tackle these projects at the same time, each are worth several weeks of shooting, spread over a year (at least, that’s how envisioned it)… want to spread them… but they dictate me their tempo, i cannot put people “in the fridge” for while until i feel like picking it up again…

    at the same time i’m just starting out in photography… who am i talking, i’ve neveer done a big project in my life… and no clue what ‘my style’ is or where the road will take me… and while i’m writing this, i realise my final year at the academy of photography starts tomorrow…

    for god’s sake anton, you’re only a student, take it easy!

    but i don’t want to… i can’t…

    audrey!

    very touching images girl… like an extra perspective on the previous work, i like the interaction of your parents with the kids… most of the images seem very relevant to the story you want to tell, the ones in the middle spoke most to me… did you try joining them with your previous images? do you see these as a “new chapter” or as something to be “merged”?

    ERICA PANOS ALL neurotic/perfectionist/lucky/freaky…

    oh yes oh yes… sooo recognisable stories… great to see the kindred spirits emerge!!! :))))

    i always set the bar way higher than i can possibly achieve, and then i get very upset and depressed when i find out my work is not good enough, measured by those standards. then i break down for a few days. then i pick myself up, decide that i must’ve learned *something* along the way. and recharge my spirits to raise the bar to that same impossible level again. :)

    david david

    good luck in perpignan. only a 2hour flight from here but won’t be able to make it. maybe i shouldn’t care and come anyway. is it a good reason only to come over for a beer?

    we’ll see. might surprise.

    peace

  438. Hello from Perpignan …

    too tired to write much, it has been a long, long day running through the exhibitions. Sometimes we would have to alter because no dogs were allowed. One of us would then stay outside with the dog so the other one could have a look. Therefore it took us quite some time and not all is seen yet.

    The dog is absolutely finished. We almost had to carry him the last meters. Photography is hard work. Even for dogs!

    It is my first time here in P and all seems to be very intimate and small. We are renting a nice appartment about 2km from the center for about 45EUR/night and getting the bus to come in. Very easy in the mornings. But the last bus leaves downtown at about 20:00!!!
    BTW, most of the town is closed (holidays?)

    As I have seen almost all of the exhibitions today, I do have an oppinion … but I think it is too early to post it here. Some incredible good pictures here … But, well …

    See, there will be 2 days of conference here about a subject that is really present. The title of the symposium is:

    “A crisis for photojournalism, a crisis for journalism, or a crisis for news? Pictures and the way they are used. Do they still convey news? Can they convey knowledge?”

    Interesting, huh?
    And interesting is why they did come up with the subject. If anyone is interested, you can read about it here:
    http://www.visapourlimage.com/meetings/symposium.do

    As I said, the place is intimate. Everything is a couple of hundred meters apart from each other … so the best to do is to walk the narrow streets and appreciate it. You keep walking past the same people … no way to get lost.

    By the way, I remember someone asking about Chris Anderson. He is here with wife and baby (Atlas grew so much in these last 3 weeks – amazing!)
    Paul Fusco is also here, but I would not recognize him … Pellegrin is coming and I WILL recognize him (and hopefully get my book signed :)))

    And … there is just ONE Café de la Poste!
    This morning we came in with the bus hungry as all the bakeries around the place we are staying seemingly went on a joint vacation tour… So after getting off the bus on the nearest possible stop to the conference center, we walked over to a bigger kind of Café where you could still get something to eat (there are a little peculiar about eating hours here ..) sat down, had our coffee and croissant and then searched on the map where we could be … and searched for this place du Castillet for the Café de la Poste … We had a bad map with only few streets on, and so we searched … and searched … and searched … until – you might have guessed it already – I looked at the castle like building in which shadow we sat and then looked on the writing on the table that said … “Café de la Poste” … ! We had been there all along. Found it blindly so to say … Yes, and it is big enough for all of us :))))

    There is a huge timetable for screenings, and meetings, and book signings and Award presentations and … and … and … It is not possible to do everything. But the whole thing is quite informative. In every aspect. I am still not sure if I will show my portfolios, but I definitely know now how I will be doing them from now on. And so I MIGHT show it so someone here to get a confirmed reaction and then prepare the “right” ones either for a next time, or a different event (possibly) or … you really do get names here, which I find very convenient. A huge issue for me was to research names & functions. And here you get all the lists … just like that. Of course I will still have to do some research – and I am starting right here – but it is a huge help to have a point where to start from.
    So it will definitively not get boring here. Sorry that I missed Arles though … next time I’ll have to organize this better.

    Have a good night everybody … I will fall into bed now.

    Best from Perpignan,
    Lassal

  439. david alan harvey

    CHARLEY…

    i am scheduled to fly to Barcelona on wednesday morning and drive up with friends…i do have dinner plans for wednesday evening, but might be at Cafe le Poste later after the slide shows…maybe not , depending on jet lag etc…for sure will be around thursday night through saturday night…

    ERICA…

    well, the shows are mostly conflict photography or social issues, but not all…i have had 3 or 4 shows in Perpignan, so obviously there is sometimes other kinds of work….Jean Francois told me already to that we could have a presence next year…and , yes, Arles is a possibility as well….

    it all depends on the work!! if all of you really “crank it up” this year and early next, i am sure we can have a show….to this end i am working…that is, working to get you working!!!

    LASSAL…

    thanks for the Perpignan report..i was surprised you went so early, but actually that is not a bad idea..easier to see the shows earlier in the week…as you are about to find out, the population of Perpignan will double or triple in the next few days….hang on!!!

    cheers, david

  440. david alan harvey

    ANTON…

    yes, please join us for a cold beer!! you will regret it if you don’t….

    bring work to show….

    cheers, david


  441. I just saw I did not finish the sentence and was quite unclear…

    With the “list of people” I mean I will research who could be interested in my work and contact them directly with an individual portfolio made just for them.

    As to the portfolios I prepared for here…
    Well I told you that the books-on-demand had some major issues and I could not bring them. So I spent the night before driving here (my boyfriend thankfully did the driving), until the morning hours preparing something manually. But I only had little portfolio-folders at home … And not much photopaper, so my portfolio comes with “normal” picture sizes which is a pity for some of them.
    But the major point is that I – who am not a photojournalist – really went through my Kenya-NGO-Pictures and made essays out of it. Because in a strange and completely unplanned way I did in fact do at least one story. I named it “From Room to Room” and it starts in a room in the place I stood at in a remote village, documents the road trip to Nairobi and ends up in a fancy room in a hotel.
    The whole point of these pictures were mere frustration, as I had been in this wonderful village but did not get a chance to do pictures for myself, because of the chaperones that we got for “security reasons”. It might even have been for security reasons but it did have a much larger effect on me, as I more or less could not do what I had wanted. So getting out of the place we stood at, into the car and with it through the village to Nairobi was the only possibility I had to make pictures of that place! And I was doing that, hidden on the backseat. The driver was nervous as he wanted to be in Nairobi before it got dark … No one wants to be on the road after darkness creeps in … and he was going as fast as he could. Thankfully the roads were very bad and so he had to slow down here and there. But I did not have the chance for a second take, or to wait until someone looked into my direction, or .l.. I had to take what I could right there.

    When I get back home I will prepare it so I can show it to you – if you care to see it. I would very much appreciate your oppinion on it. Especially in the context in which the pictures were taken: does it justify the imperfection? Or is it just rubbish due to not having time to wait for the perfect moment?

    So I have this little essay, an essay about my work for the NGO in Mosocho … indirectly because I did not want to show the NGO-people and just the village people. Then I took one of the older Kursk-books (the edition before the one that David got, did not have so much explanatory text), and another book about the painted fassades of Kenya … It was always my excuse, if someone asked what I was taking pictures for, that I (an artist) was documenting their wonderful fassade paintings to show to my colleagues in Germany. And no kidding, these paintings were phantastic!!! So I really documented them as best as I could on this one car drive and … it endet up in a little book, which I have here now.

    But the point is, I do not think I am on the right track with whole documentations here… And I did not see how to edit them down without loosing the story. So the point is, I thing I should not have put the story in first place but the pictures. Thus I should have edited it down to whatever great pictures I have and just forget about the rest. Why? Because there is too much going on here. Not enough time. People will not be spending forever looking at some story, I think.
    I just got carried away because I do not know much about “photojournalism” and thought I had to come up with a story. I think a story could have been 5 gordious pictures to a topic. That is it. That is how I should have done it, I think. I might be wrong. But I think this here is about appetizers. If you want the whole menue you should get a separate appointment on a different time. A Menue would probably be step 2 if step 1 goes well.

    That is why I am carefull now and might remain an observer.

    Ok…
    Now definitively… BEDTIME :))))

    (this appartment has Internetaccess, ain’t that great?! :)))

    Peace,

  442. david alan harvey

    JOEL….

    almost everything i have ever done (that was any good at least) was against all odds..ironically, the “friends” who always seem to tell me that whatever i am about to do just “will not work” are the same ones who tell me later “gee David, you are just flat out lucky”…go figure…

    of course, there is commitment and there is destiny…two different things, but often in concert…

    BOB…

    are you coming to New York soon???

    cheers, david

  443. david…

    will look into flights… train is 7hrs, car is 11, can only leave at 5pm after an important meet on friday 5th… hope that’s not too late… one – two nights tops, have to be back sunday nite… plenty of time for beers, me says. if i can make it, will some stuff to show – not much, mind you, have had a hectic summer, all work, no play..

    all last minute, hope it’ll work out…

    i really hope

    cheers

  444. ANTON

    ryanair and air france fly so low over our appartment, that I could steal the cargo without them noticing it. Airport should therefore be right around the corner. You might want to check that … :))

    Looking forward to meeting you here!
    Cheers (and still awake)

  445. or … if you are so LAZY to click on any more links…
    because you are FED up… !!!
    i feel YOU… but…
    just click on my name below…

    and witness some more Venice Human Behavior…!
    peace

  446. DAVID

    First of all, your opinion is very important to me. Thank you very much for your time answering about Carmen’s work. I would never feel curbed by the things you said me. That’s almost quite opposite. Now, after a lot of thinking, I feel very strong to make my next move, something as you said, not easy task, to transform this strong exercise, onto an essay… or just to move to a new story, and leave it just as an exercise. I studied Elliot Smith’s Country Doctor and fell what you said. I am not very clear at my pictures, now I see… and I don’t exactly know if I really want to be very clear. So, trying to do something like “a day in the life…” is completely non sense, I changed my mind about this.
    Do you think a different edit should help to change this feeling ?

    The fact is that things are getting difficult for me with Carmen…. she left her last work, where I had contacts and freedom to keep working. We didn’t meet after this and I really don’t know how it may affect my work with her. I will try to make contact this week and see what happens. I am not sure I will be able to keep this working too long. I understand the needs of changes and more hard work over it, but I really don’t want it to be a waist of time, and I am really happy about the acceptance of this exercise the way it is. So let’s wait to see ! Today…I am very happy because I just knew that “Carmen’s Life” will be exhibited at Paraty em Foco 2008 on the New Talents projections at the same day i will join Alex Majoli’s “human condition” workshop (do you think I must show this work to him ?) and I am very very excited about this ! I made a slide show with “Cotidiano” song of Chico Buarque de Holanda and I think it just fit the essay. It could not be better song for Carmen.
    If you want to take a look…. it’s not a perfect slide I know…. did it in 5 minutes, but here it is:

    http://www.galembeck.com.br/webprovas/avidadecarmenclip.mov

    I also hope to meet you again soon !
    Abraços

    Gui

  447. Hey david,

    Its certainly tough keeping up with the threads here lately…..and I hadnt really had much time to follow the threads here as of late due to a busy schedule recently. I tried instead to devote myself to shooting.

    A bit of an update on what Ive been doing.

    1. Home Sweet Home is coming along, Ive beed adding to it slowly but deliberately, about a photo every week or two. Its certain;y more difficult to add as the body grows, just to avoid repetition. But Im still pulling out little gems that go into the story wich is now at about 60 photos for Home Sweet Home. Family Ties has stalled but only due to no opportunities to shoot it much. Domestic Stills is growing at about the same rate as HSH…all in all the whole project now stands at nearly 100 photos. Thats not bad.

    The project is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/collections/72157604057061111/

    2. Last time I was able to exchange thought s with you, the project I call “Marooned” was a bit of a distraction. Since then however I have taken it much more seriously, and the result is fast growth of all 3 projects under the umbrella but especially Riverside http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157606002172259/show/
    For this project I am planning to shoot through the winter and finish it at the end of Winter. I have planned one trip along the Han river in the next few weeks and one more sometime in Winter. So far Ive been shooting only in the city, and I feel I need to get into the countryside. ideally id like to follow the Han River to its source, which is lucky for me that its a short river. I will also add a diaristic dimension to this, perhaps documenting my family on the roadtrips. Overall Im planning for over 100 photos in this project. The other projects in this might either be a part of a larger project along with Riverside or be standalones. Im not sure.

    So thats it. Over the last few months I have pretty much committed myself to these projects and I dont shoot anything else. I would certainly love to have both Home Sweet Home and Riverside published in some capacity in the future, though Im not shooting with that in mind at all.

  448. PATRICIA

    Thanks a lot ! :)
    I am very glad to join this wonderful group !
    Although i am just a begginer… here, in the life… I would love to hear more from you, feel free.
    hugs
    gui

  449. I know several of you are preparing to go to Perpignan this week and are probably running around doing last-minute editing, printing and packing. I wish you safe travels and know it will be an amazing experience. All of us here can’t wait to hear all about it!

    Even though I’m a stay-at-home, sometimes life here in Detroit can be pretty exciting too. Today was an example. In addition to its being the fourth and final day of our glorious free Detroit International Jazz Festival. Senator Barack Obama came to town. And because I was disabled I ended up in the sixth row from the podium where he spoke at our Labor Day rally! As you can imagine I took a good number of photos and have posted one of them on my photo blog:

    http://www.pbase.com/image/102533468

    I am SO impressed with this man. He is the real thing.

    Patricia

  450. Thanks Erica and Anton…

    Erica, I am sorry for your negatives, I hopes to see very soon your work, I love your work!!

    Anton, I know in no way, but we could discuss au café de la poste!! je crois que vous parlez bien le Français?? I hope that you will join us…

    Lassal, in France, all the buses stop at 8 pm, if it is not maybe in Paris…

    Panos, I love the 6, 11, 13, 14!!!

    David, Lassal, Gina, Charlie, James, Pierre-Yves and all those whom I forget,

    On Wednesday, Eric and I shall be in Perpignan at the end of morning, David, I know that you will be tired by the jet lag but maybe could meet us ourselves au Café de la Poste at the beginning of the evening, Eric is not sure to return to Perpignan, on Thursdays, he has to return on Marseille and after the projections, we risk to bring in, we shall have of the road to be made, it is Eric who has to assure the return (thank you very much Eric for this route!)…

    In the pleasure to meet you all,
    audrey

  451. david alan harvey

    PANOS…

    great new work from Venice Beach!!! 3 or 4 really strong…

    damn my man, you are getting it, not giving up, even getting really “photographic”…don’t get “too good”…you will ruin the whole thing!!

    i will be in Venice Beach soon enough for the Julie Dean gig in november…

    time for us to edit…

    so between now and then , just “pedal to the metal”…just because we are friends does not mean i will cut you any slack..quite the contrary …so you have two months to really really show us….

    now pretend you have done nothing…zero…forget you have some good work..i mean forget it…start over…this is when it gets good…

    now is the time…your time…go , go go…

    well, i sound like a football coach or something….so forget the pep talk rah rah too…just do whatever you have to do to focus focus in a relaxed but purposeful way…get in the zone…no, not the end zone….THE ZONE

    PATRICIA…

    nice Obama photograph!! i agree…this man is the real thing…one last glimmer of hope for our fallen from grace country…but, can it really happen??? …can the American people actually rise to this occasion???

    AUDREY…

    well, i have a “must do” dinner at 7pm on wednesday…trying to set up something for the EPF for next year…so that some of you will have a “place at the table” at this festival…

    maybe i meet Eric and you at Le Poste at 5pm on wednesday?? is there no chance for you later that evening???

    cheers, david

  452. david alan harvey

    ALL…

    i have a new post in my head, but it is 2am…just back from a great shoot….or, should i say, a great experience….

    gotta sleep…long day tomorrow and all night flight..maybe coffee tomorrow will let me write what i have in my head now..

    peace, david

  453. david, lassal, audrey & perpignan crew…

    i might have found a flight (thanks lassal for the air france tip)… sat 6th till monday 8th… haven’t been following the conversations on the days that everyone will be there, so just checking: will anyone be there thos days? would be kinda silly otherwise :)

    i’m completely unprepared, no idea what’s happening over there at the festival, i’m just there for meeting you all.. i hope i can get some prints done, but time is not on my side on that one.

    audrey

    oui, la plupart c’est de la “français avec des cheveux aux dessus”, mais ça doit aller…. j’aimerais bien parler avec toi de tes belles images… à toute à l’heure (j’espère)…

    panos bro

    you animal i can’t keep up with you… i still have to look at your previous chapter… will do as soon as i can!

    gui

    i haven’t had much of a chance to chat yet, but: glad you joined too! :)

    love

  454. David,
    5 pm, it is perfect!! Thank you very much!!! I do not know, I think that we shall stay a little of time after the projections, it is Eric who drives and who will decide…

    Panos
    :)))))!!! I think that it is the language which I am going to use in Perpignan, seen my bad English!!

    Anton, génial!! j’ai hâte de vous voir et de parler avec vous de vos images !!

  455. Anton, le samedi, je travaille, je pense venir après si je ne suis pas trop fatiguée sinon je serai là sûr le dimanche et lundi pour vous rencontrer… à très bientôt!!

  456. CHARLEY MAHONEY,

    Yes, we all plan to meet in Perpignan. Some starting on wednesday and the rest on thursday. I definitely will make it for thursday evening/night at Cafe la Poste. Maybe on wednesday, but not sure as I will arrive from a long drive.

    LASSAL,

    so fantastic to know from you from Perpignan!!! Great that you got internet in that apartment so you can keep us informed, yeah!

    And your first thoughts are very interesting as I’m deciding right now the number of pictures I will take. I’m thinking of bringing A3 prints. Maybe a 15 pictures portfolio (with random pictures from several series) and get the finished series too but only show them if someone asks for it. It is so difficult to edit tight!!

    I’m still laughing about your search for Cafe le Poste. You should send us instructions of how to find it!! or at least the address ;-)

    I’ll arrive on wednesday, still don’t know the time. If I don’t see you then, I for sure will go to Cafe le Poste on thursday.

    Did you finally got the accreditation? is it worth it to have it? How does it work with the reviews? do you have to put ask for appointments?

    Enjoy, have fun and take advantage of everything!

    Hugs

    Ana

  457. Anna,

    in my opion, 1 and 2 repeat themseves. 5 and 6 sort of do also. Theres a stretch where you have a coiple of photos of legs that for me repeat themselves (girl in white skirt walking). Im also curious why you have omne photo in color when everything else is in b/w…

    P.S. the slideshow doesnt show every photo. I was happy to see that upon viewing manually there were more photos in the series.

  458. Rafal,

    I see you going to be very eshetic. Good for you. For me you are going to art part of photography. Keep going. Learn from the best.
    Fenced off looks very inviting.

    pozdrawiam

  459. Thanks for looking, Rafal. This was an exercise for me in shooting looser than I usually do. I am well aware that there are a BUNCH of repeats (1/2, 5/6, all the legs, the tattoo lady…) — that’s why I am asking for editing suggestions. :) In each repeat situation, I wasn’t sure which to choose, and included options intentionally.

    Regarding the color image, if it’s the only image standing at the end of the edit, I will keep it color. If it ends up with friends, I will convert it to b&w.

    Interesting to know that the slideshow isn’t showing every image on your end…

  460. PANOS

    you are definitely “inside”! ;)

    PS: spent some hours in Venice beach a couple of weeks ago, sort of hit-and-go in California. Crazy place! I looked around for your bandana, didn’t find it (sunset…was it too early? ;)). Maybe next time…

  461. PANOS,
    Great work! Some of the best I’ve seen so far from you. Love shot no. 6. A bit Nan Goldin’ish..
    You are really pushing it and getting yuorself access. Impressing!

    Cheers

  462. david alan harvey

    RAFAL…

    i have not seen your newest work…and i do not have time to see it this morning either…at least, i do not think so…i like to sit back relax and take a good look, so please be patient and i will peruse soonest…if i have an internet connect in France , then that will be a good time…

    ANTON…PERPIGNAN CROWD

    you will be missing a lot depending on what time you show up on saturday…the best evening shows are wednesday thru saturday…but, of course, all of the print shows are hanging all of this time…if you are just looking for a party, the big one (on top of all the other big ones!) is saturday night…i am around until monday, however by sunday i will have to go sit on the beach alone…

    i would really like to see you…yet, i would think twice about just coming for a party…you will miss the time to see all of the agencies and most of the slide shows…on the other hand, you will get some idea of what you need to do next year…tough call…

    ok, here is what i am thinking…if Anton makes this trip perhaps we could make it worth his time if somehow we could actually all meet at one time for an hour or so and discuss our forum a bit…the only time i can think that is practical is sunday at say noon…Cafe le Poste for coffee and breakfast etc??? that saturday night party is an “all nighter”, so that may be tough for some of you, but trying to get everyone together before that is not going to be easy…we will surely see each other all the time in small groups etc., but maybe this is the best time for a SERIOUS MEETING..any better ideas???

    by the way, there are many other nice restaurants and cafes besides Le Poste!!!…however, this does seem to be the best meeting point overall…

    AUDREY…ERIC

    can we please change our meeting time to 5:30pm on wednesday?? and i think it also better if we meet at my hotel (Park Hotel) coffee bar…if i try to go to Cafe le Poste at that hour, i am just automatically going to run into so many people and i will not really have time to actually chat with you…getting a one on one conversation going at Perpignan is not easy, so i think this is the best plan…my mobile is 202 413-1137 (U.S.) but i cannot receive messages..

    cheers, david

  463. Hi David, I’ve just found an hotel (next to the beach) as Perpignan was full… Would be nice to meet you and the crew on Sunday, I am looking forward for it…

  464. david

    great great idea… i would so like to be part of the blog discussion, i feel it’s oh so important (and a reason for coming too…) i’ll be arriving saturday around 7pm (ready for the all-nighter of course) and yes sunday the serious meeting would great… but please i don’t want to impose in any way… but i’d be honored of course :))

    yes i am making a tough call i know, but i feel (photography-wise) i am too feeble right now to go “full on” and seriously edit and bring my work and try to show… i would much rather regard this as “scouting” for next time… and of course shaking hands with “Mistah Cigartex” himself, telling him to get ready for me, i’m coming next year :))))

  465. Abele,
    You were in Venice?
    I wish you would have called!

    Martin B,
    Patricia,
    Marcin…. Thank you…
    ALL.. Goodmorning… 6 am in LA.. A
    Day after Labor Weekend…
    Everybody’s still intoxicated..

    I just woke up with Patricia’s OBAMA
    on my mind… ( nice photo Pat…:-) )
    You can DO it America!!!! ;-)

  466. Have just packed my bag, grabbing prints soon then travelling all of tomorrow and rocking up dead late wednesday night.

    I’d love to listen to a discussion on the future of this place, a sobering breakfast sounds like an interesting time to do it. Especially after all the wild ideas on the night before!

    Anton,

    Scouting expedition? Thats my plan too! Love the colours + DOF in Brigit.

    Panos,

    Up at 6am? Now thats a pedal on the metal! Interesting stuff in those last shots!

    Perpignan Crew,

    To help recognise fellow bloggers I’ve got a collection of a few mugshots here:

    http://www.iseepeople.co.uk/firemonkey/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=48010&

    If you want to send me an email with a mugshot, tonight is the last chance before I’m all out of internet.

    See y’all soon!

  467. PANOS bro

    i WILL call you when i see david, and when we are having a beer IN YOUR NAME bro (remember c’ville, remember paris)

    had a chance to look at you images… they look good my man, will comment more later (gotta run go check if i can still get a train ticket)

    Neil fellow scouter

    just got your contact details from audrey… will send message when i get there on saturday… will try to bring some more of Birgit along to show, if i can get it printed in time…

    peace

    anton

  468. PANOS

    I have been there just a few hours, in the middle of a two weeks unplanned vacation driving around California. Next time (? quite far from Italy, indeed ;) I’ll call for sure…

  469. Pour Mes Amis et Amies en Perpignan

    J’espère que vous aurez une fois formidable et très amiable. Il me tarde de vous-tout voir, mais c’est impossible cette fois, je regrete. Il faut que vous faites la bombe!

  470. PANOS

    some of the photos from that set had me smiling from ear to ear.. high as when chemically aided in past days..
    brilliant – really happy for that last set of photos..
    you must have been feeling you were getting good stuff clicked as it happened.. what a buzz..
    enjoy.. looking forward to seeing all.

  471. David B…
    THANK YOU for the precious feedback..
    and encouraging words..
    There are times I wanna give up,
    Times of doubt, repetition, non motivation,
    fear… but Everytime I post something
    In this forum… The feedback makes
    me gonna do more, bigger, better, stronger..
    Because you guys RAISED THE BAR SO HIGH…
    I value YOUR OPINION.. more than you think..
    Thank you DAVID…
    ( now it’s time to throw all my pictures away..
    and go get some new, new stuff …)

    Tom Hyde..
    Also thank you for your private words..
    Peace..
    ALL , let’s feed from each others motivation…!

  472. PANOS MY MAN

    I would love to see all this hot new work of yours that everybody is raving about, but I haven’t been able to see any of your work for months now. I realize I am living in the Stone Age with outdated software and hardware, but I manage to see almost everyone else’s work. You are using some kind of web program that comes out as an empty black page with a title in white but no images in Safari 1.2 or IE 6. Is there any way you can post images in a simpler and more straightforward way so us old codgers can see them?

  473. Sidney,
    Hmmmm… I see…
    Unfortunately you are not the only one..
    that has problem opening my links..!!???:-(((…
    Time to call Ryan ( my beloved friend and
    tech guru)… Maybe I should try posting through
    Photo Mechanic’s “banana” or something similar..
    Thank you for the feedback.. For letting me know..
    I will email you soonest as soon as I have a
    legit Tech answer …
    Thank you again..
    I’m starving for your opinion Sidney..
    For real..

  474. PANOS

    on giving up.. there are sometimes tough times, no?
    some tough come-downs.. reality verses the photographed world and paying rent, bills.. living rough.. eating crap.. but seeing some real treats..
    carrot and donkey.. thats how it was for me.. for every good shoot, where i thought i was finally getting what i wanted, there was a hardship to overcome.. the continuity of it all ran like this for me, with incredible highs followed by low, low, lows.. with the photographs as the best friends i made along the way.

    sound advice from DAH about giving up on the past photos.. you’re into the groove of it right now and to set yourself up on the work you have already shot could be prohibitive.. there is NO FORMULA to cling to.. just keep clicking at everything you are seeing because right now what you are seeing, over time, is a unique and precious thing..

    keep on panos.. i’m going to visit LA again one day.. i’ve a mate called barry who runs a scate shop.. loves ‘girls girls girls’ and steak and eggs for breakfast on venice beach.

  475. thanks David..
    :-)) someday.. We will definitely meet..
    Till that day we will keep paying our dues
    to the “TOWER OF SONG..”
    sorry ,
    I meant photo.. or SONG..
    Same thing…
    Peace..

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