Pond Scum at Project Basho

Image #46 from the Pond Scum series will be on display at Project Basho in Philadelphia, PA beginning January 10th. The print is a part of the "Onward '08" competition, "A Journey for Emerging Photographers". The competition was juried by the photographer and Guggenheim Fellow, Andrea Modica. 1,162 images from across the United States and as far as Europe and Asia were entered, 59 were chosen for the exhibition. There will be an opening reception on Saturday - January 12th from 2 to 5pm. I plan on attending the opening so if you are in the area and would like to get together to look at prints please let me know. You can read more about the event at Project Basho's news blog or by visiting their website.

Bigger Scum Scans

I recently modified my website to allow for somewhat bigger images to be displayed. As of this writing all the Project Pond Scum photographs that have been posted reflect the new, larger size. I will also be increasing the size of pictures in the other galleries but it will be done over the next few months. You can go directly to the new images by clicking HERE. I will be doing some printing over the weekend so be sure to check back next week to see the new work.

December Rain

It's been some time since I came to the realization that good photographs can be made in almost any lighting conditions. As long as you're not object oriented you will find it's always the right light to photograph something. Well, I have been somewhat object oriented lately but now that I'm through with the shooting end of my pond scum series I've been longing to just go wandering with the camera again, looking for something without knowing just what...

It's now early December in western Pennsylvania and if that means anything it means clouds and rain. The clouds didn't scare me off but the cold rain sure did. It did until I began to think about some of the incredible photographs that I've seen which were made in the rain. While my bellows don't like to get wet any more than I do there is no reason for them to get soaked. I decided to venture out before work and during lunch breaks (bean burritos travel well) to find some dry places to photograph from during the showers.

My first stop was at a local park and I hurried to the large covered decks of the Buhl Casino. It took me almost no time to find a photograph and just like that the showers were no longer a hindrance. In fact, they forced me into new places which allowed me to work in quietly beautiful conditions when I might otherwise have just stayed inside. No big surprise, a rainy day has a certain mood and charm all it's own. What did surprise me was the fact that I am not alone in my new found appreciation for precipitation. There were by no means many people at the park with me yesterday but it certainly wasn't deserted. People were walking with umbrellas, driving slowly in their cars and some were huddled on benches gazing out into the damp air and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Those brave, foolish or smart enough to be out in the weather tended not to regard me with the typical "what the hell are you doing with that strange camera" look that I usually encounter. Instead I got smiles, nods and passing hellos that seemed filled with understanding and a mutual admiration.

The same held true again this morning when I made my way out to the old Erie canal area of the Shenango River Lake. Not many people but all friendly and enjoying the moody environment which we shared. I had no doubt I would find something to photograph on such days but I never expected to discover a group of people, albeit small, with a similar sensibility. If it's taught me anything it's not only to keep an open mind about my photography but to simply keep an open mind.

Project Update

I've reached the end of the shooting phase of Project Pond Scum and have begun making prints from the remainder of my negatives. I've got maybe 15 or 20 left to go so I'm hoping to pull another 5 promising prints from those and then begin to narrow it down to 25 or 30 final photographs for the series and a show. As tough as that may be, choosing 10 for the portfolio will only be that much more difficult!

My fingernails will be going black again as I've found that using dirty old Amidol makes it possible to change the contrast of Kentona on some prints to a degree I can't reach with my Ansco 130 developer. I can't complain though, it's well worth the extra mess for those images that require it.

I've been considering adding subtitles to some of the prints and also need to finish an essay to accompany the body of work. Add that and the printing to my list along with scanning, mounting, framing, entering contests and looking for places to hang it and suddenly finishing the shooting no longer seems so much like the end.

Neither Snow nor Rain nor Gloom of Night...

With the shooting for Project Pond Scum wrapped up and no graded paper to finish the printing until UPS brings my next box of Kentona, I was looking for something to do. I bought a huge light table a few years back and had been toying with the idea of shooting back lit leaves. The weather hasn't been pleasant the last couple weekends, be it wind or rain or simply lack of sunlight. It finally convinced me to take the work inside and I collected a couple handfuls of interesting leaves from all over the farm. I decided to light the front of the leaves as well and simply used my desk light with it's positionable arms. I have to really stretch my camera out to focus as closely as I like which causes the exposures to total about 20 seconds despite shooting directly into a light source. It's a bit more difficult than I thought to get everything into focus and composed as I want but the results so far have been well worth the effort. A little more time collecting specimens and I'll have enough subject matter to keep me busy all season, regardless of the conditions.