Art time with a little longer blink.

  Trying to proof all my negatives so that I can die feeling complete.  Knocked off a box today of sleeved, numbered and logged negatives that had never been proofed.  It was from about 1978-80.  4X5 view camera work downtown mostly with a Sinar F.

iphone copies of the proofs.  Always fun to see these old images for the first time in 30 years since I saw them on the ground glass of the camera.  I still have the camera.

Working on still life.

Has to move or be in in transition in some way, can't just be a collection of objects.  I think of them as momentary still lifes.  Using the 8X10 Deardorff, one soft box, silver card reflector and light dams to control the lighting. Remembering a few tricks I forgot or haven't used in a decade.  Just getting going it seems.  Freezing things takes overnight or longer and looks like most of them are going to take several "takes" so it's several days at the least.  In art time that's just a blink.

  Here's the process on one I am working on.  It's harder on the props than you might think- I'm destroying/breaking things all the time or I'm working with something that won't last.  Broke the cup, my wishbone and had a dice get away for a while.

First day try.

Close, but no cigar.

Couple days later:

Roughed out and shedding items.

This is about the end.  Now I have to do it again.

New idea for still life.

Amazing how new ideas just pop up in your mind.  Not quite ready for the details but I'm interested in still life photographs.....but the still lifes have to be alive, moving, melting, burning, spinning, flowing, et.  Photographing an assemblage of things and calling it art...well, isn't the assemblage art and the photo just a copy?  I like a still life that photography has unique capabilities to capture.  So I've been thinking.  Came up with a new idea.  Working out the details and have already learned several things.  A lot of photography is just handling the details.

Natalie White at the ROX Gallery.

Friend of Peter Beard, who has had a great life.

Camino

  Bill Bennet, and Aussie filmmaker and photographer is walking a 500 mile pilgrimage in Spain and blogging.  Many photographs and an interesting experience.  He's got a nice eye and a commentary to go with it.  Worth the visit.