Book 'em Danno

Steve and Danno - Production still

Actor James MacArthur died yesterday.  He was best known for his role as Danny Williams on the original Hawaii 5-0.  I have two strong memories related to Mr. MacArthur.  The first is the divisiveness Hawaii 5-0 caused in my childhood home and the second is a family member's fracas with the late actor.

MacArthur's Danno never had the dark brooding sexiness of Jack Lord's Steve McGarret.  His character was McGarret's right hand man.  The original Danno (I will write about the newest iteration of the show another time) was quiet, reflective and tough as hell.  He did not flash emotions and seemed almost creepy at times.  While most women were infatuated with McGarret, my mom had the hots for Danno (along with Robert F. Kennedy and Leonard Bernstein, both of whom she met.)

My mom, brother and I watched the show religiously every week.  Being a psychiatric nurse, she would use her analytic mind and try to get into the science and logic of the show.  We would discuss motives, characters, and what was realistic and what was fake.  I enjoyed those evenings and still get excited when I hear the timpani drum roll that kicks off (arguably) the best tv theme song ever.  Even though this show was shared time with mom, it caused a lot of tension in our home.

Intro to Hawaii 5-0


It was not my mom's crush on Danno that bothered my dad.  He had his crushes as well and both knew that was normal.  My dad refuses to watch dramatic television, especially shows with violence.  He always has been that way.  He grew up a Quaker in eastern Pennsylvania and has a strong pacifist nature in him.  He hates seeing murder being used as entertainment.   At the time, Hawaii 5-0 showed more murders than any other television show.  It greatly bothered him that mom would encourage us to watch the show.  He believed these shows lead to more violence by teaching violence.

Neither my brother, nor I, have become murderers... yet.  We watched Steve, Danno, Chin Ho, and Kono kill off lots of baddies.  I think it was by discussing the show we were able to analyze the darkness and morality of the issues as well as acknowledge that it was fiction.   I don't know if my dad understands or appreciates the enlightened way we watched the show.  My mom taught us more about the dark side of human nature while keeping us safe than any other authoritative figure in our lives.  I thank my dad though for trying to keep us safe and our minds clear of this dangerous knowledge.  He was trying to raise us to be conscientious men.

Even though my mom, brother and I spent many hours with Steve and Danno, it is my dad, and his brother Carl, that makes us connected to the late Mr. MacArthur.  It all happened in the 1950's in a bar in western New Jersey.

My dad was home on break from college.  He and my uncle Carl, just graduated from high school, snuck out and went to a bar to meet a few friends.  The rest of the story varies a bit, depending if it is my dad or my uncle telling it and I will share only the common bits.

While drinking with the group, they noticed another group hanging out in the bar.  That group included James MacArthur.  According to both sources, certain members in both groups were trying to stir up some drama by telling Carl that MacArthur was insulting his (mom, girlfriend or car - depending who is telling the story).  MacArthur's friends were doing the same with him.

At one point, the two met up and all the friends formed a circle.  My dad had his brother's back if needed, but knew Carl could handle it on his own.  MacArthur and my uncle got in close and started talking in heated terms.  At one point, when tensions were getting really high and the first swing was imenant, one asked the other something like, "Is it true you said...?"  The other responded, "No, I didn't say that."  They both started asking more clarifying questions and soon discovered they had been set up to fight.  After the discovery, they both went to the bar and got drunk together.

So, I want to raise a glass and salute James MacArthur for being a rich part of my family's life in two very different ways.   I am glad my uncle didn't kick your ass.  I am thankful you went onto a successful acting career.  Your blue eyes will be missed, especially by mom.

Below are three parts to the episode string when officer Chin was killed.  You even get to see Steve cry.




Part 3 Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcm91wmFm4Q&feature=related

New version opening.

To air brush is human

Liberty Island - 100510

I can't remember when I first heard the term air brush as part of photography.   It may have been in reference to a movie poster or Playboy photo layout.   The term had both positive and negative aspects, but either way it means it is moving toward a lie or a fiction.


According to Wikipedia -

Airbrushing has long been used to alter photographs in the pre-digital era. In skilled hands it can be used to help hide signs that an image has been extensively retouched or "doctored".

As a result of Stalin's purges, and later destalinization, many photographs of officials from the periods show extensive airbrushing, often entire people have been removed. The term "airbrushed out" has come to mean rewriting history to pretend that something was never there. In contemporary academic discourse, the process of removing components from an image is formally known as object removal.

The term "airbrushed" or "airbrushed photo" has also been used to describe glamour photos in which a model's imperfections have been removed, or in which their attributes have been enhanced. The term has often been applied in a pejorative manner to describe images of unrealistic female perfection and has been particularly common in reference to pictures in Playboy, and later Maxim. [Emphasis mine]

 That last paragraph summarizes the yin\yang of this technique.  Are we enhancing a photo or creating a lie, or both?  It depends on the intent.

The term airbrushed has faded in recent years in favor of the terms photoshop or photoshopped.

The term originates from Adobe Photoshop, the image editor most commonly used by professionals for this purpose. 

... photoshop is widely used as a verb, both colloquially and academically, to refer to retouching, compositing (or splicing), and color balancing carried out in the course of graphic design, commercial publishing, and image editing. - Wikipedia

As with airbrushing, photoshopping has both positive and negative connotations.  I always hear references to it in class.  "Oh, you can photoshop that out."  "Did you photoshop that cloud?"  "Her skin is so smooth.  How much photoshopping did that take?"

I never learned the craft of air brushing.  I am a novice in Photoshop.  I am pretty proficient in Adobe Lightroom, which enables me to smooth skin, enhance clarity, and clone out imperfections.  As I learned this application I had to set my personal aesthetic for the tool.  Here are my rules.

1. I shall not remove or add objects.  (Telephone poles, people, tattoos, furniture, etc.)
2. I will lightly touch up physical appearances.  (Remove pimples, rashes and other temporary blemishes.   Lighten eyes.  If smoothing skin, very little correction, if at all)
3. I will play with saturation, color, contrast, etc as much as I want, but it will not be in a effort to cosmetically improve the subject.  It is more for mood and message.
4. I have the right to break these rules, if, and only if, my intent is to create a fiction and note it in the artist statement for the piece or series.  The further from the truth, the greater the need to acknowledge the alteration.

One models refused to work with me because I do not smooth skin.  I do not hide age.  I do not accentuate these things either, but if they are present, they will be in my photo.  If a model can not accept their own "imperfections" then they should cover them with clothing, wear make up, or move on to another photographer.  The only times I will do heavy skin modification is in relationship to rule number 4 OR if the model or a client is paying me to take these photos and need a certain look.  In that case, they get the look they want.

Why am I a stickler on keeping it natural?  I want the world to see the natural beauty of humans, buildings, nature, etc..  If we can't acknowledge our wrinkles, acne scars (I've got them), TB shot scars, and other "imperfections" then we have little right to criticize the mass advertising world for doing the same in fashion/glamor photos.  We are all vane and want to look our best.  If you want to look your best, either hire me and direct me or move on to a photographer who will give you the photoshop botox you feel you need.  If I am creating the image for me and my art, you need to be comfortable in your own skin.  You already live in it.

You can find more of my soap box rants on this subject here.

Here is a link to a recent post at  Hear Me Roar  about the use and abuse of statistics.  It mentions anal sex...   I thought that would get your attention.

"It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."

Movie still - The Godfather

It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business. - Michael Corleone to Sonny - The Godfather (see movie clip below)

When in doubt, take it personally - Ollie

Nobody really gives a fuck about you, it is up to you to make your art important.
Don't go against your intuition.
Two choices in life - doing it or becoming bullshit.
 - Duane Michals

I need to tip-toe around this topic since some of the parties involved may read this.  I recently heard of a photo project that some acquaintances completed. A few of the key people in it knew I had a strong history with very similar projects, especially with this subject, material and theme.  I know they've seen my work and it is as good as the stuff I've seen from the project.  For some reason though no one thought to tell me about it or ask me to join.

At first I was furious.  How dare they do something they know I have done in the past and have very strong work to contribute.  Are they running a good old boys/girls club on this?  Did I alienate myself from their group?  How could they forget me?

After stewing on this perceived slight, I went to the final meeting of my NYC travel group to choose the final photos for our book and exhibition/gallery showing.  We each put up our top two or three dozen images and had to narrow it down to six for the book and three for the exhibit (the book and exhibit could overlap).  I had four themes for my photos, Sex in the City, On the Sidewalks, In the Museums, and The Usual Suspects (The usual sights of the city.)  Our instructor, Ron, facilitated the redaction exercise.  We went as a group and chose the final six and three for each person.  The individual photographer had a major say concerning his/her own choices, but we had to look at it as a complete book of 16 photographers and how all the photos would work together.

We came to my images second and they were ruthless.  Ron and others were saying things like:
"This one doesn't interest me. "
"Cliche."
"No point to this photo"
"This doesn't say anything about NYC."

I got quiet and softly said, "Ouch."  Ron then said, "Look, we want the best book we can make.  The critique and selection process is hard, but that is how it is.  If you ever hear art and photo directors for magazines and books during their selection process, it is ruthless.  If you are looking at getting an MFA, you had better get used to this type of moment, because it will be 100 times tougher and happen all the time."

We got down to my final six images.  I was hurt that a few others were not selected, but see how these six work together and were actually some of my favorites from the beginning.  It hurt, but it worked.  From that moment on though, I chose to be ruthless in my opinions of the others' work if I felt it did not live up to what should be their six best.  It's strictly business getting the best book.  It isn't personal.

That is the rub though.  Art is personal.  When others critique and pull out my favorite photos, it feels like they are ripping a part of me out as well.  In my cold rational mind, I understand appreciate the role of redaction in selecting a body of work.  I wrote two long posts about it in July.

In that instant, I learned two things that lead to a tie-in to the original issue.

1. Redaction is crucial.  Only the best should be shown.
2. If I am going to go into this for a new career, I need to get a thicker skin and be able to defend my work better when presenting it.

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com 
After thinking about those two lessons, I looked at our group photo from the trip taken with the great photographer Duane Michals and I remembered his wise words.
 
Nobody really gives a fuck about you, it is up to you to make your art important.
This quote truly applies to the art world and business.  No one gives a fuck about me, my work, and how I feel about it.  We wanted the best book.  The images chosen from my group may not be all my best, but they work best for the book.

The same goes true for the acquaintance who did not bother to ask me to participate in her project.  In all likelihood, she forgot about me or if she had thought of me, I didn't have the cache, history, portfolio, and prior body of work to part of her project.   It probably was business on that decision, and personal friendships should not have any part of business.  She and her peers are not in business to do me a favor unless I can offer them something back of value as well.   In other words, they really don't give a fuck about me.

Now what I have to figure out is how I can be included in the next project and find out why I wasn't considered for this one.  From that I will learn and be ready for future opportunities.  It may not be with them, and it may be a better one.

Don't go against your intuition.
I had obviously chosen the final 6 photos as part of the larger group I presented.  Some part of me told me to include them and the rational part of me knew that any 6 could have been chosen.  The final 6 are good and I am proud of them.  My intuition was right.


My intuition about my work that is very similar, and probably in the same league or better than the stuff I've seen in the project I was not included in tells me they missed an opportunity for some great stuff of mine.  That is my fault for not putting myself out their more, not theirs.   In a way, it is their loss, but not really.   My work is probably meant to be somewhere else and they got what they wanted.

I know what is good of my work.  Nobody else gives a fuck about it or me, unless I get out there with it and force them to look at it.  Most will say no.  A few will say yes.  The important thing to remember is: It's not personal, [Karl]. It's strictly business.  That is how I will view your role with my work as well.  You are just business when it comes to my art.



Two choices in life - doing it or becoming bullshit.
That pretty much sums up the other two quotes.  I just have to do it.  Everything else is bullshit.

SPECIAL NOTE: Thanks to Ron and crew for the great trip, experiences and for the creative project.  We created some good stuff.  By the way, I do give a fuck about your stuff.

Who is right? Get your documentation in order.

Who took this??

I came across this little photo rights story and realized I need to go through all my model releases and get them in order.  With how many images I create I need to have them protected from wrongful use and also ensure I protect myself for how I choose to use them.

Here is a quick summary of the story. 

• The band Vampire Weekend bought the rights to use the photo above for $5000 from photographer Tod Brody for their CD cover.  The photo was taken in 1983.
• The model in the photo, Ann Kirsten Kennis, states the photo was taken by her mother (who may have sold the image), not Brody, and she had not signed any model releases for using the photo.  She is suing the band, record label, and photographer for using the photo without her permission for $2,000,000.
• Tod Brody claims he took the photo and has a model release for the image.

Please read the whole story to get more details.

Here is my non-legal-expertise-based thoughts.

1.  If the mother sold the photo she took, then Ms. Kennis may have little ground to stand on.   Technically, shouldn't the mother have had to gather model releases before she sold the photos? Who owns the rights to unclaimed/unattributed photos?  How responsible is a commercial user in determining this? 
2.  The photographer's credibility is in question.  His misspelling of the model's name is odd.  There are other awkward parts to his story.  Supposedly he has the model release forms and I assume he either showed them to the record label or has them available.  If that is true, then at least the record company should be released from liability.  It should not be up to them to have go and dig through the whole back story of the photo.  If the photographer did anything wrong (i.e., stole the photo, did not have a model's release, forged papers, etc.) then he is liable.  If his papers are legitimate and he is the photographer, he is free of liability. 
3.  If he bought the image and yet claims to be the original photographer, that seems dirty.  He should have known better than to claim it as his.  I am not sure if he is liable for selling it to record label, but may be for stating he took the image.
4.    I would expect any company that deals in the sales and distribution of artistic property (music) to have a smart legal staff to ensure artistic property rights are taken care of in agreements.  Sadly though, the record company is a larger target with deeper pockets than the photographer, so they will have to pay through legal fees and maybe fines.
5. In my humble opinion,  I don't consider this image damaging to the model's character.  The band and label did not intend to malign her by using it.
6.  This photo was taken with a Polaroid camera, the fastest image and printing system of the day.  With the speed and proliferation of digital cameras and the instant availability of the images, we (models and photographers) need to be very careful in how we use the photos.  If we intend to use them for any potential money-making purposes, we need to get everything down in writing.  Don't assume a handshake will protect you.  I took the photo below with my iPhone camera before I wrote the first sentence of this paragraph and uploaded to here before writing this sentence. 

Instant Me

Here is a Vampire Weekend video.   I'm not a big fan, but it is light and pleasant.

My Moonrise, My Citizen Kane?

Movie Still from Citizen Kane

Moonrise Over Hernandez, NM - Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams had Moonrise over Hernandez. Edward Weston had Pepper Number 30.  Richard Avedon had Dovima with Elephants. Orson Wells had Citizen Kane.   I have Yin and Yang.  I do not list these giant's iconic photos and movie and my work as being on par in quality and beauty, but to share what they may all have in common.  For most viewers they are the single piece of art everyone identifies with their creator.

I wrote a short post last night about which photos models choose to use from our work together.  At the top I put the photo Leila uses in her Model Mayhem portfolio, Yin and Yang.  My friend UL wrote a comment about the post and the image.

Yin and Yang

The one you posted here is one of my all-time favorites of yours. I like the yin-yang of it, and the beauty of the alabaster bodies against the black. Stunning and somehow pleasing to the psyche.

Others have written:

stunning b&w. love the emotions - Drusilla Killswitch @ Model Mayhem

This is one of the greatest shots I have seen on MM - Digiphotoarte @ Model Mayhem

 One even wrote a poem for the photo and posted it as part of their critique.

A snowflake
on midnight's window
spirals around my centre
stirs the vortex of my desire.

Wonderful entwining of human forms here - love how one body merges into the other in Geminesque balance. - Jac at Photosig.com

I appreciate all of the comments and compliments of this photo.  This is a special image for me and I am proud of it.  When Leila, Hana and I created it in 2004, I was standing on a ladder above them as they lay on a black rug.  As with almost all of my photos, I spent little time staging since I am not too particular with every detail meeting some predefined concept in my head.  This moment and the pose lasted one or two photos before the models moved a bit to a new pose.  The whole thing took maybe forty seconds.  I mention this because part of the success of the image was serendipity.

Dovima with Elephants - Richard Avedon

Yin and Yang has a rich aesthetic beauty for me.  As UL wrote, "Stunning and somehow pleasing to the psyche."  I agree and I like that description.  It is a relaxing piece to look at, but does it have much more than that?

I believe Yin and Yang lacks complex meaning.   I have many other photos I think are more important including some recent work from New York, Nevada, and Rome.  They make me stop and think.  I want to explore them and discern what they mean to me as the creator of them and also who I am.  I seek the deeper meaning with them as they get under my skin and make me think.  Yin and Yang does not do that for me as either a creator or a viewer of it.

Maybe I have to accept Yin and Yang, and how it reflects on me, in two different ways.  First, not all of my art has to be about something.  It doesn't have to carve deep into my psyche and share truths about existential issues.  Yin and Yang can exist to simply celebrate beauty and aesthetic.  Second, even with its success I have not pigeon-holed my art into making all my images like it.  I am not Anne Geddes.  While I have pride in that photo, I am free to make what I want and not be limited to cloning prior success.  I have to remember Walker Evans may be remembered for his Share Cropper photo series, but my favorite photos of his came from his late-in-life experiments with Polaroid cameras.

Walker Evans - Polaroid

Walker Evans - Polaroid

Walker Evans - Polaroid

Speaking in Another's Voice or Even My Own

LH - 040810 - C

Who gets to write or create other forms of art outside of their own demographic groups?  Can I write a story about a woman, or an Asian immigrant, or a any other person other than a white male?

A dozen years ago my wife and I read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb.  It is a first-person story of woman from childhood through mid-life.  My wife asked, "Why do male authors writing through a female character always focus so much on their period?"

I thought about it and offered up that men often process visual and physical information and the period is a physical female characteristic.  It is also something we have no first-hand knowledge about so it is a curiosity we want to explore through writing.  These authors often go into detail about the physical manifestations of female arousal as well by including descriptions of wetness and nipple hardness.  I am guessing it is again the physical things we see, but have not experienced.  Few male authors go into the feelings behind these physical items and events.

My wife responded that focusing on these events from a man's view lowers the credibility of the author's writing and character development.  I agreed.

Kathryn Stockett's book, The Help,  takes place in the South during the civil rights movement.  Many of the characters are black housemaids and domestic servants.  Most critics and readers praise the book, but some feel that a white woman can not and should not write in and for the voice of the black woman since she is not of that background and is at best waxing nostalgic and worst writing in a condescending or patronizing way about these issues.

LH - 040810 -DeSC

Dr. L wrote an interesting movie review of The Hurt Locker which is the Oscar winning story of a US ordinance disposal group in the Iraq.  In her review she wrote about how the female director's telling of the story made this movie unique:

"Bigelow handles this grim subject matter with a woman's sensitivity and attention to the smallest details. The story is told by the images - a fly on the eyelashes of a sniper, the defiant faces of people in the street, a peddler of pornographic DVDs set up in a marketplace next to a butcher displaying sides of meat, bright wires spread out like a spiderweb to a ring of deadly explosives. "

and

"I will argue that only a woman's eye could have given us this film"

I've read criticism of The Hurt Locker from ordinance disposal veterans and soldiers stating the themes were sensationalized, hokey, preachy, or off mark.  Some of these criticisms may stem from having to make an entertaining movie and some due to the political views and focus of the director and story.  Should a woman tell the story of men in war?  If yes, why is that acceptable?



So, with all of these opinions and criticisms, when is it acceptable to write or create art in a non-native voice?  Even if the quality of the product is lauded, some may feel it is not right since the creator can not correctly produce work since she/he is not part of that community. 

I find this challenge to acceptance very challenging in my art  due to being a white male.  When I tried to create something from a different voice, I received the criticism listed above.  When I created something from my own voice that has erotic or nude content, I've been challenged that my work exhibits the (white) male's gaze.  It is part of the dominant culture's work, so it is not new and  perpetuate white male dominance in culture or even repress the voices and objectify other groups.

LH - 040810 -BW

In a recent discussion/portfolio review, a female artist showed her work consisting of an erotic nature.  Some of her work was similar to mine and other male photographers work I've seen.    I showed some of my photos of Candace and received reviews and criticism.  I am open to how others view my work because art is a subjective personal experience.  I appreciated the interpretations.  I had to ask though, why is Victoria's photos of similar themes accepted differently than mine?  The answer was because I am a man and my motivation and message was different than hers due to my gender (which I do not argue against).  That is probably true, but why is my art criticized as being of less value?  No direct answer was given, but being part of the dominant cultural voice (white male), my work is not innovative for my background and hers is.

Can I create art that comes from my artistic voice even though that voice is of an unpopular majority member?  I was told if I continue with these streams of art during an MFA program, I would be challenged and have a difficult educational journey.  I could create art with environmental, economic, bends with little problem since they tend to be gender/race free.  I could try creating erotic art with a queer theme, but would be challenged since I am not gay.  My acceptable themes appear to be much narrower than other groups' since the history of white men have spoken enough about them.

So what?  Maybe it is time to create the "unacceptable."  Isn't that part of the purpose of art is to push what is acceptable or even break it?  If a woman wants to make a war movie, she should go for it and create the best she can.  If I want to create art that is either outside of who I am or deeply inside my identity, I can do it because that is the art I need to make.  It may not have an audience now, or never that appreciates it, but that is not my purpose for creating it.  Sometimes art is naive and needs to grow up to be relevant.  Sometimes it is the world that needs to grow up and stop limiting thoughts of old issues in order to appreciate the art.

Epiphany

Natures Graveyard

Sierra Foothills

Epiphany (feeling) - An epiphany (from the ancient Greek "ἐπιφάνεια", epiphaneia, “manifestation, striking appearance”) is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something...   ...for example, Albert Einstein was struck as a young child by being given a compass, and realising that some unseen force in space was making it move.               Wikipedia

As I've written in previous posts, I attended the Society for Photographic Educators conference last year in Oakhurst, California.  My mentor, coach, friend, and former instructor, Beth,  drove me along the the three hour drive home.  We stopped a few times to photograph the beautiful California foothills of the Sierras.

During these stops we would get out and spend some time taking photos of something, each going our own way.   Each stop was a moment to be with the area and find something special to capture.  After a sensed appropriate amount of time, we would return to the car by some artistic homing beacon that told us it was time to move on.

 Sierra Foothills

After the last stop we started to discuss where we wanted our art to go.  I was thinking of the big project I want to start in grad school exploring masculine roles and stereotypes.  A few minutes into the discussion I told her, "When I get some time, I want to do an art project for me.  I want to take a few weeks to photograph the area of Montana where the plains meet the Rocky Mountain front.  That area is very personal to me."

Beth was quiet for a second and then said, "Karl, all your art should be for you."

Most artists will think that is an elementary/cliche bit of artistic wisdom that is pretty obvious, but it was something I had never thought of before and needed to learn.  She gave me a gift of an artistic epiphany.  Thanks Beth.

 Sierra Foothills - Real Colors

Is it Jealousy, Envy, Betrayal, or a Feeling of Failure?

 Sunset on Mt. Diablo

Short post today.  I saw a few photos of a model I had worked with taken by another photographer.  I've seen other photographers' images of all the models I've been honored to work with.  Many are truly amazing works and I feel good putting my photos beside theirs'.  I like seeing how other photographers captured their beauty and art.  This time though it is not sitting well with me.

When I first saw these photos I felt a slap on the face of my artistic machismo cheek and another back on the artistic aesthetic cheek.   I was speechless at the sting of these images.  They were of the type I wanted to create deep down in my soul with her, but did not.  Why didn't I get these?

I can be envious, but rarely overly jealous.  This felt different.  I felt jealous of their output.  I felt betrayed by the model that she didn't share she was willing to experiment in this direction.  I felt they stole my idea and desire for creating these images and anger that their work turned out so damned good.  Finally, I hit a moment of realization at where the true problem stemmed from, me.

I felt a sense of failure and cowardice for not asking her if she would do this.  I know that models have different levels of comfort with different photographers and she may have not felt comfortable doing this type of work with me.  By my lack of not asking and sharing my vision and just communicating better, I will never know if I could have created that session instead of seeing some other photographer's painful creations.

Photo Fermata

Holding the Moment

Welcome
Mission of this new(ish) blog:
I strive to be the artist I am.  This blog is one of my outlets to share my thoughts, creations, fears, education and stories of making art.  It may be selfish, but this is my blog to help me become a better artist and I hope you will find something of value along the way.

The shift from the S7S.  
I think the old blog was getting a bit stale and had lost its focus.  I rambled about whatever and not as much about what was important to my art.  I wrote about my sexual longing and issues, art, work, my truck, politics and everything that popped into my head.  This blog may have some of that, but not as much.  It is time to move on and not dwell on so many things I can not change or am too lazy to try.

The Fermata Symbol

Photo Fermata
Deja vu, momentary lapse, tuning out, zoning out, in the zone.  We all feel life pause or hold onto the second we are in longer than usual.

When I played in symphonies and bands, the fermata would make us stop going on in the music and continue playing the note we were on.  When we saw the note with the fermata above it, we would look up to the director and watch him or her for the signal to stop that note and continue onto the next note in the original tempo.  We were told that the fermata's duration was at the discretion of the director as to shape the music.  We could not stop the fermata.  If the conductor keeled over, the note would go on.  That is the control of the conductor at that moment.

Many other groups of musicians play fermatas.  Have you ever watched a jazz or rock band hold a note until one of the musicians makes a movement and the either they go on or they end the song?  That is a fermata.

Every photo is a fermata.  For the duration of the shutter, every bit of information carried into the camera through light particles freezes into a solitary moment on the film or sensor.  Sometimes the subject is frozen in place and other times it appears as a motion blur.  The image though captures all that as if it was time put on hold.   Even though a fast moving subject may be frozen in time, the viewer knows that it was moving and continued moving after photo was taken, just like music.

 Blue Angel 5  600+mph

Photo by Karl

The earliest experience most of us have with the photo fermata is when the school portrait photographer said told us to look at the camera and say "cheeeeeeeeese."  Each of those photos is us holding that "eeeeeeee" sound for the length of time the photographer felt was needed to get the correct exposure.

Fire Dancer - Burning Man

As a photographer, and a begrudging subject/model, I've grown to know the roles in the art.  The model and subject fill the screen with what is needed.  All the roles are crucial to the success of the photo, but it is the photographer who decides how to take the photo.  *To paraphrase Richard Avedon when talking about the model/photographer/subject,  "You are very important and I could not do this with out you, but I am in control."

I think all art is about control - the encounter between control and the uncontrollable. - Richard Avedon 

 My photographic artistic purpose then is to make that held moment important enough to capture and share.  It may only be important to me, but that is important enough to take it.  This blog is dedicated to those captured visual holds or fermatas.

Special thanks to my blog world friends for your support during the remodel.  A special nod to Joe and his blog, Improvisations, for giving me the idea of connecting music to photography.

Empty Again in Wise Poverty - Sabbatical

 "Time, time, time, see what's become of me"
Hazy Shade of Winter - Paul Simon

 The Lucky Poor 

A beech tree in winter, white
Intricacies unconcealed
Against sky blue and billowed
Clouds, carries in his emptiness
Ripeness: sap ready to rise
On signal, buds alert to burst
To leaf. And then after a season
Of summer a lean ring to remember
The lush fulfilled promises.
Empty again in wise poverty
That let's the reaching branches stretch
A millimetre more towards heaven,
The bole expand ever so slightly
And push roots into the firm
Foundation, lucky to be leafless:
Deciduous reminder to let it go

- Eugene Peterson

It is time to do the spring cleaning in all parts of my world.  The backyard is a mess.  The dust bunnies have multiplied out of control under our bed.  The back porch needs to be painted.  My garage studio needs to come down.  My spirit needs to be purged of the cobwebs that catch useless things floating about in my existence.  It is time to reboot myself, not in a formal religious cleansing of grace, but a deep scrub of who I am and until it is raw and allowed to heal in the open air.  It is time to be Empty again in Wise Poverty.

A few posts ago I mentioned this blog needs a restart, reboot, renovation, or just a simple removal.  I am going to be on break for a bit.  It is time to revamp this old blog by painting the walls, hanging new art, and sprucing up the window treatments.  It is also time to take all the photos down as clickable links to enlarged images.  I need to protect my photos.  Thanks to Dr. L, Alex, and Stephen for that tip.

While I am away on sabbatical, check out the great blogs listed on the right side of this page.  You can also mine my old posts for a few juicy nuggets.  I may post an update or image every once in a while during the break, but I need to renovate and protect this blog and myself.

If I spent an average of thirty minutes for each of the 330 posts, then I've dedicated about 165 hours of writing and many more to getting images ready.  With all that work I put into this baby, I really need to take better care of it so that both you and I get what we need out of it.  For me, a chance to voice my thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions, experiences, and desires .  For you, hopefully you will find something interesting, humorous, arousing, inspiring, thought provoking, arousing (I really like that word), or just pretty to look at.

To all my blog readers out there, please share the title from one or some of your favorite posts from this blog via the comments section.  I will update this post with links to them.  For blog authors, please feel free to put a link to your site, blog, MM profile, or whatever you feel should be linked to via the comments section.  I will also update this post with those active links.

Greatest hits as requested by readers/bloggers
Proust Questionnaires
Rome
Men Take the Light
Galicia
Hasta luego mi amigos. 

Sing me out Simon and Garfunkel


Hazy Shade of Winter
Time, time, time, see what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around, leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the salvation army band
Down by the riverside, it's bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say, but if your hope should pass away
It's simply pretend
That you can build them again
Look around, the grass is high
The fields are ripe, it's the springtime of my life

Ahhh, seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time
Funny how my memory slips while looking over manuscripts
Of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime

I look around, leaves are brown now
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground...

Look around, leaves are brown
There's a patch of snow on the ground... 



One more thing... I am not taking a break from reading my favorite blogs.  I need to read those now more than ever.  They help guide me in ways that are hard to describe.

Part 1 - The Rights of the Model Part 2 - The Rights of Subjects?

 My Little Lady

Very interesting series of posts written by Dr. L and Alex over at What We Saw Today concerning the rights of the model and the acknowledgment they deserve.  While I think both parties need to be fairly acknowledged, will this push move beyond models?

Part 1 

Without the hard work and gifts of the models I've worked with, my photos would be nothing.  I greatly appreciate them and give them the credit I can.  Along with paying their modeling fees, I also send them a cd with the images I find good enough for their own promotional use.  If I ever make a great amount of money off of an image, I will share a fair portion with the model since we made the art

As I wrote in my comments to one of the posts, 

"While sharing the credit for the contributions of both the model and photographer to the final piece is crucial, it must also be decided upon before the art is created. Both sides need to stop making assumptions on where the credit of the creativity belongs. It is important to decide these issues in the planning discussions before the first click of the camera shutter."

Two of the models I've worked with have specified in writing in the model release they want to know where I will exhibit, post or publish any images of the images they appear in.  Neither stated they would limit the usage of the images, just wanted awareness of their placement.  I've always honored their requests because it was the right thing to do and was in the contract.  One thing I suggest to all models and photographers is to make these decisions before the shoot, not after.  To be honest, I would be upset if a model wanted to add restricting or additional rights sharing clauses after the photo shoot.  That is why I will from now on send future models I work with my model release before the session so we can negotiate language changes.

Alex made an interesting comment about painting versus photographing a model.

Let's go back to the world of photography. Most nude photographers regard themselves as artists, and indeed they are, but photography is a very different art form from painting or sculpting. It really relies heavily on the active participation of another person, the model - unless of course the photographer only shoots landscapes or objects or is a street photographer, shooting subjects rather than models.

The input of the model is much more significantly tangible in an art photograph than it is in a painting. The photographic model has every right to be acknowledged, i.e., named. And yes, s/he should be entitled to share the copyright of the image and have rights to its reproduction. All sorts of restrictions can be put in place, of course, so that the image is not further processed or manipulated by anyone else once it is finalised, but share of copyright simply means that the authorship is shared.

There is a part of this I agree with concerning the art model's role in creating the image.  To paraphrase my statement above, my photographs with models would be empty without them and have no meaning or purpose.  They added crucial and very necessary contributions to the shared creation of those pieces

I am not sure how I feel about some of the subtle subtext in this statement that I am reading into it. This statement makes me think that Alex has a different opinion on the artistic contribution, creativity and role of the photographer in creating an image compared to a painter or sculptor.  I could photograph a nude and make a beautiful print of it or I could create a painting from the image, yet it feels like I am judged more as an artist by picking up the brush, not loading the image into the enlarger.  Maybe I am being defensive, but I feel the battle for recognition of photographer as artist is still not over.  Is it because of the ultra-realism of photography? 

I have a question about the rights of models who work with painters and sculptors.  What if a painter created a piece that was nothing like the model posed for, but was a graphic sexually explicit crotch shot painting with the model's face clearly visible and identifiable.  Does the model have a right to recourse?  I think the painter broke the trust of the relationship, but since the artist created a visual moment that did not exist, what can the model do?


Part 2

"... It really relies heavily on the active participation of another person, the model - unless of course the photographer only shoots landscapes or objects or is a street photographer, shooting subjects rather than models."  Alex from What We Saw Today

With the recent technology enabling everybody to take photos, people are taking more snaps of everything, everywhere, at all times.  Will subjects (or the owners of) soon be demanding profits and rights for the images?

I found this page at the National Park Service website about photography permits for professional photographers.  I can understand wanting a permit system if the park will have to provide extra personnel and/or will need to clean up or fix things after a photo shoot.  I am troubled that I  need to get the permit even if I am not requiring any more park resources compared to amateur photographers.  What is interesting that painters do not need these permits.

The most disturbing line (to me) at the website is:

In addition, the National Park Service has been directed by Congress to collect a fee to provide a fair return to the United States for the use of park lands.

I may be getting paranoid and probably will need to move back to Montana and live in the middle of nowhere worrying about black helicopters, but I am starting to think everybody is going to want a cut on anything produced by anybody.  Will there be a time when I will either have to pay a fee to San Francisco for photographing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, or Coit Tower because I may make money with them?  Will I have to pay Yosemite National Park royalties on images of Half Dome that I sell?

At this point I have to ask, will painters, poets, sculptors, musicians, mixed media artists have to go through the same hoops?

A New(s) Cause

Photographer Unknown

America is in a shouting match and now there is a new screaming cheerleader. From the New York Times.

Sarah Palin to Contribute to Fox News.
Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has signed on as a contributor to the Fox News Channel.

This is not a post to rant about Ms. Palin or Fox News. This is a free country and as much as their views go against mine, they have a right to spew them. This post is about my supporting the news outlets I find of value.

The conservatives have Fox, Rush Limbaugh and many other broadcast or cable outlets. They also have numerous print and online offerings as well. Through these outlets, they are able to effectively get out their core message through simplistic sound bytes and yelling to their core audience and those sitting on the fence on many issues. By being the loudest and most entertaining, many viewers absorb and believe what they say. They come to believe that these are credible news outlets. As Ms. Palin said:

“I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News. It’s wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news,”

The progressives have the small radio group of Air America, which can be as vitriolic as Limbaugh and crowd. They like to do the shout down as well. I guess MSNBC also has a left lean and is an interesting sparring partner for FOX News. There are many left-leaning online and print outlets that are potential resources.

The problem though is that so many of these outlets take the issues the conservatives are raging on and fight back. That may be of value, but so much news is getting neglected by both sides.

Our country is getting too distracted by all the yelling and losing sight of the facts. The conservatives are the best at finding one little point and then blowing it out of proportion as a major speaking point. If someone disagrees, they are yelled down and labeled as "unpatriotic." I can also say the same things about the yelling liberal media as well, except the label is probably, "fascist." Why are we allowing ourselves to be distracted by the grain of sand issue at the cost of ignoring the whole damn beach?

Personally, I try to avoid these sources for that reason. I need more news, less viewpoints from pundits. Online, I like to read SLATE. It, and its sister sites, cover everything from news, culture, science, entertainment and politics. I also get a chance to read Doonesbury as well. They have a good news aggregator that collects the headlines to other news sources with links to the stories. My main source of news though is National Public Radio.

My local station is the San Francisco flagship KQED which provides both PBS (television) and NPR, radio. Through listening to NPR during my commute, I feel I am getting a liberally slanted news source that cares about the news. They do offer some analysis and opinions, but mainly news. I also appreciate how they also broadcast the BBC news so I can get a little bit more of a global view.

I am a pretty smart guy. I know I don't know everything, but I do know I need to learn more before forming my own opinions about things. Too many people listen to the pundits as news, not the news then the pundits, as their information resources. We need to learn the facts and sadly we aren't.

"..."

Many may feel that this ignorance of issues does not affect them. It does. While so many are happy to watch Simon Cowel anoint the next idol we must worship, things are getting done by those who follow the news and use our distraction against us. So much of the sick stuff in the Patriot Act is buried in the language. The same goes for 2257 and other forms of censorship. Look at other personal rights issues and you can see so much happened "under the radar", but hey, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga are singing next.

This is why I just became a financial supporter of KQED. If I don't support what I ... err... support, then my words are meaningless. I just read Dr. L's post about the need for print media and how Carrie Leigh's Nude magazine is succeeding. I plan to subscribe to that as well. Information is not always free, I am proud to support it through work or money where I can. I suggest you do the same. If you find content that feeds your needs for information, support it so it does not disappear under all the yelling from the mainstream.

Clear, Focused, and Energized

Candace 010710

What reinvigorates, cleans, brings clarity, focuses, de-clutters you? For some, practicing yoga, meditation and prayer do the trick. Others achieve this through exercise, talking or writing with others. What is your method?

For me, I feel this after sex, a good night's sleep, or a good day cross-country skiing. Each of these brings my thoughts under control and focuses my energy, creativity, and action. Each of these offers me different rewards.

Sex needs to be one of those things that can not be multi-tasked with other things. During that alone or shared time, all that matters is the pleasure that grows, flows, fills, and moves through those involved. I hope the one I am with is not thinking of work, taxes, or dinner plans. Through this intense, focused time with or without someone, we rid our minds of extraneous things and only that moment matters. After we (or if solo, I am) are satisfied, I have a clarity and purpose brought by the release of all the tensions and passions that had built up. I have mentioned before that sex is a type of baptism and cleansing. We are cleansing all these things for a brief time. Fortunately though, this is not a one-time baptism, but one that must be done again and again.

Don't
Joshua Tree National Park

I've written quite a bit about sleep as a time when we voluntarily lose control of our being and let the shadows of our psyche roam, careen, stampede, and crash about. Sometimes sleep is bad for me, but those times when I do not have nightmares and I can awaken slowly, I have a feeling of peace and clarity and usually a deep focus on one thing. That one thing is often something I needed to solve. The solution came somewhere during the sleep. I know that I must use this insight quickly or it will be lost to the distractions that create the ennui of daily life.

Every winter I go cross-country skiing as many times as possible. I've been doing this for over thirty years. The ideal day starts with the drive to the beautiful mountain location. I get my skis off my car and put on my boots. After putting my pack and skis on, I am ready to take off. The first mile is a semi-quick warm up as I focus on getting all my muscles used to this new method of self transport. The next five or six miles I get into my own rhythmic groove with minimal breaks for water or rest. The world is "shushing" by and all I hear is my breathing. I think about my life, desires, situation, and where I am. I usually stop to eat lunch with the friends or family on the trip.

Joshua Tree National Park - Hall of Horrors

By this time I am about two thirds done. My joints and muscles are getting tired from the exertion and sudden lunch stop. As I start off I feel my body's reluctance to get going, but as the food and water replenish me I get back to my natural stride. Many times at this point it begins to snow, or snow harder. I love to stop, listen to my breathing and take in the most peaceful bliss my heart can ever enjoy. I hear the snow actually landing on the ground, on me, all around me. There is a muffled silence that fills me with warmth as the only movement around me is my breathing. Sometimes you can hear the wind flowing between the trees causing them to shake and making the snow blow sideways. This is my most private and personal moment with nature. It is just me and her living and breathing together, her wind and my exhales making similar airy sounds.


Snowy and Windy Day on Top of Mt. San Jacinto

As dusk approaches, I am about a mile from the car and things grow darker. With the peaceful quiet of the falling snow and the white blanket on the ground easily visible, I find my car. I snap out of my binding, shake off the snow on my hat and coat, stow my gear, start up the car and drive home. During that drive and for the next few days I feel the exhaustion and fresh air still running through me. My mind is peacefully calm and not really focused or concerned about anything. This is more peaceful than any day at the spa for me.

We all have things that help bring us back. These are three of mine. I also feel this after reading a novel, a long drive in the country, and many other activities. What are yours and how do they make you feel?

How Do You Take Suggestions About Your Art?

Dali and Nirvana - 111909

Photo by Karl

One of the blessings and challenges of being in a photography class is the critique session. Every Wednesday, we put up our photo assignments on a big cork board under gallery lights. They are divided into the various assigned genres. We take a few minutes to get close and look at them and then sit down. We then begin the critique.

Last night, I presented photos of a veteran, painting with light, and experimental ideas. My photo that I was most excited was the experimental image of Candace Nirvana with a Salvador Dali painting projected onto her (see below). Due to reasons I can only guess about, that photo was the first chosen for critique.

Dali and Nirvana 1
Photo by Karl

My instructor pushes us to seriously critique photos. He discourages us from giving useless comments like, "I like it." or "It's fine." We need to discuss what works and doesn't work in the photo. He doesn't want the photographer to share any back story, we just judge the image by what is in front of us.

I've found three common areas of criticism, the quality of composition and exposure, the quality of the message and intent, the mixture of all of these for creating a finished or refined photo.

As you can imagine with a class of twenty-eight students, some are silent, some never shut up, and most are in between on sharing their impressions. You also get tons of praise and suggestions. One of my challenges is filtering the suggestions for my growth.

All of us have preferences on content, technique, and other elements. I appreciate hearing how others would have accentuated or minimized elements, cropped differently, and other changes. I also appreciate how others interpret my image, or tell me how it is doing nothing for them. Some have suggestions on tangent ideas based on my images. These are tough for me to absorb.

The words I cringe hearing are , "You know what you should do, you should... " Sometimes they have a really good suggestion. Most of the time, they are sharing their own photographic desires and visions that are neither areas that I want to do, or I even understand. One suggestion was "You should try projecting the same image onto nude men and women of various ages, shapes, and colors to celebrate their beauty. " I just nodded and listened. In my mind I thought about it and quickly realized, "That is not why I picked that image to project on this certain model. I wanted Candace in these photos because of her shape, skin color, poses, attitude, and many other intangible qualities.

When I hear these suggestions, I become offended because I wonder if they even appreciated what I created. It seems they instantly find ways to improve them. Did they even look at them beyond the first impression?

As I heard that suggestion and thought about it last night, I had a small realization. My photo may have been a spring board for them. I often see some photo and instantly have a big idea of where I want to go with that concept. The difference though is that I realize it is my inspiration, not necessarily a suggestion of where they should go with their art. My inspiration stemming from their art is a springboard into a new avenue of exploration.

Painting With Light - Mollee
Photo by Karl

After we critiqued all the work, I put my photos into the "turn-in" bin and gathered my stuff. The photographer who made the suggestion approached me and asked about the technique of using an LCD projector to do this type of photography. I told him about my experience and I hope he goes with his ideas. Maybe my photo may be a springboard for him to create some great art.

So, I guess I need to accept criticism and ideas for my art while recognizing when the shared information is more about their art. If my art is inspiration for somebody else, that is pretty good as well.

Two Tries, Same Message

Woven
Photo by Karl

Version 1
I know that you

don't want to accept, but you
obviously can't un-ring the bell
needlessly done
through my exposure

cautiously we
avoid the
reality of the
erotic nature of it all

it hurts to see things that make you
feel these are perpetuating unreal expectations

you feel excluded yet
only you can decide
ultimately whether to accept yourself

reality is that we
each think we
are much
deeper than the other

too bad though our
history makes you mistrust the
identity I try to push
through my shutter.



Version 2
I really feel that you
don't want to view, but I
care enough that it hurts you.

If all this is objectifying and perpetuating things
you despise, you may
read and see things that alienate.

This is your choice for yourself to accept or denounce, for I continue.


__________________

Thanks Arnie for the idea. You deserve more credit.
(Selfish writing day)

One of the few pieces of music that makes me cry.


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