The "Little Things" Portfolio

While I'm just starting to make my final set of prints from Project Pond Scum on Michael Smith & Paula Chamlee's new silver chloride paper I'm also beginning a new series. I was fortunate enough to buy 1500 little sheets (2.5inches square) of vintage Kodak Azo silver chloride paper at a great price. I've fallen in love with having my new to me 6x6cm camera (tiny compared to my 8x10) on me most of the time and being ready to capture those little visual miracles we encounter so often if we're open to them. I've also fallen in the love with the way small contact prints draw the viewer in and the intimate nature of that experience. This particular photograph was exposed in the parking lot where I work... Unfortunately the tree shedding all the leaves was cut down a few days ago so this was the last such display I'll find when I park my car for the day.

This image is really a prime example of what I have in mind moving forward. I've decided to use the paper to create a portfolio called "Little Things", a reference to both the size of the prints as well as the subject matter. I'm more excited about my photography than ever and can't wait to see what else I discover on this journey. I'll be sure to post my ongoing results here as I did with my last series. I hope you enjoy viewing them, I sure love making them.

Little Squares

WARNING: there is a little equipment speak in this post... I promise it won't happen again!

If you're reading this you probably know I've been neglecting my blog for several months. My job has changed since February and I've gone from full time to consistent overtime. It's enjoyable but cuts into my free hours none the less. I make sure time for photography is at the top of my priority list so my writing fell victim... Tonight I'm setting a new precedent and giving up a little sleep instead as I feel this outlet is important enough to merit it.

I've also made another move to free up a little more time. I have been trading my 35mm equipment from the 70s (which has been made more valuable by it's compatibilty with current digital cameras) in on medium format equipment (which has been made less valuable by those same digital cameras). While I used the 35mm primarily at night, the larger size of the medium format negatives offers me the ability to make prints during the daylight that meet the high standards I've developed over the last 4 and half years of making 8x10 inch negs and contact prints. While I still prefer and use the big cameras I can now work in situations and time frames that I may otherwise have not...

I decided to go with a square format camera as both a means of expanding my compositional horizons and , quite simply, as a change of pace. Shape and size are not the only differences, I've also been exploring a look using subtle selective focus and softer, warmer tones. I've never been more excited about my work and look forward to using this new tool to caputure those fleeting moments that so often times escape me when armed only with my "Green Monster".

These accompanying images were exposed with the new camera last weekend at a gathering of artists near Cuyahoga Valley National Park (hosted by the ever so generous John Powers and his wife Dolly. THANK YOU!) It's a beautiful place I've managed to overlook for some time and can't recommend it enough if you live nearby.

New Special Edition Print: Mill Street Bridge

My newest Special Edition Print offering was made on Memorial Day in downtown New Castle, PA. I spent the morning with a friend photographing along Slippery Rock Creek and ended up near the town square on the way home. While waiting for Scott to make an exposure I began wandering around the back alleys and found my way to a parking area next to the river. I'd never really noticed the odd relationship between the Old Mill Street Bridge and the buildings on the far shore before. The river runs underneath the bridge at an angle allowing the old department store to sit just behind the iron framework and creating a rather unusual perspective. I made two negatives, one from farther back incorporating a windblown tree into the composition but I ultimately preferred this closer interpretation... Especially the position of the 'black' and 'BINGO' windows and they way the T in brother is replaced by a giant 'T' created by the ironwork. Prints will be available for a short time at the reduced price of $50. If you've ever wanted to see or own an 8x10 contact print, this is one of my finer examples from a technical standpoint and one of my favorite compositions of the moment. You can find out more information by visiting my website.

Pond Scum at The Butler

Three photographs from Project Pond Scum, #46, #56 and #64 have been juried into the 72nd National Midyear Exhibition at the Butler Museum of American Art in Yountstown, OH. This year's juror is New York based realist painter Don Eddy. The exhibition begins with a reception Sundy July 13, 2008 from 1 to 3pm and runs through Aug 24.

Night in Day

A friend and I traveled to Connecticut last weekend to visit a group of fellow photographers and, of course, make some images. On Saturday during a lighting workshop in an abandoned opera house (artificial lighting and portraits in general aren't my thing...) I spent time wandering around some long empty offices downstairs. There was an incredible sense of time and a haunting light about the place which would have kept me busy for hours had I not walked into one room in particular. The office in question was empty save for a solitary broom and a smattering of paint chips which had peeled off the wall and were strewn about the floor. The floor itself was some sort of hardwood that had been scratched and stained by god knows what over the years. Somehow this combination of elements came together in a way that transcended the objects themselves and, upon closer inspection, resembled images of deep space which have captivated me since I was a boy. Exploring on the ground glass I discovered everything from giant nebulae to the chaotic mess of our own Milky Way.

Now that the negatives are developed and printed I can clearly see a progression from the more celestial photographs in my Pond Scum series and can't help but feel I've made not only a connection with that work but taken a step forward. Five years ago I never would have have traveled 12 hours only to photograph a dirty floor and now I couldn't be more thankful that I did just that. I'm also quite thankful that whoever leaned the broom against the wall never finished the job.