Griffin Museum Virtual Gallery

Looks like my feature in the Griffin Museum Virtual Gallery went live already… older images, but it’s exciting to see them on the Griffin’s site!

Pictures without words

I recently acquired some books from one of the photographers I work for who was narrowing down her collection. One that struck me a lot is Landscapes and Voices by Frans Masereel. This small book is illustrated by 60 black and white woodcut prints, and doesn’t use any words to tell it’s story of European urban and rural life in the early 1900s. Masereel was a Belgian who spent part of the anti-war movement during World War I in Geneva, and lived in various cities afterwards (Paris, Berlin, and more). He contributed woodcut illustrations to pamphlets and posters, making him a popular and well-known artist, who was always sympathetic to working people’s struggles.

The experience of “reading” it reminded me of Eric Drooker’s books, Flood and Blood Song, both of which beautifully convey emotions and narrate stories entirely through his graphic illustrations, not relying on text at all. He is one of my favorite illustrators, for this reason.

These books started me thinking a lot about the sole use of pictures to tell stories, and whether photographs (or illustrations) alone are still valued for their storytelling abilities. The addition of multimedia to photography allows us to add audio as well as text, creating narration or a soundtrack that will complement and help tell the story. But if the images already tell the story well, is that overload? Are audio and text needed only when the images don’t do their job? Or are they just additional useful tools that can make a story more accessible, explain background info that is important to the story, or make the images seem more “real”?

I think there are many answers to my questions and they will most likely always depend on the audience, venue/presentation, and the actual story as well. There are differences between being told a story by photographs on a wall in a gallery, by a picture book without text, and by a multimedia piece on a newspaper’s website. There are also differences between landscapes, portraits, and images that are very clearly documentary.

What still matters to me the most is that my photographs tell as much of the story as possible, without relying on other effects. It’s important that viewers get what I want them to understand first from the images, which is based on a belief in the power of photography in the first place. Text, audio, video, etc. are secondary to me by far. I will sometimes use them and sometimes not.

I’ll always love books and other forms of media that rely solely on images. They’re exercises in seeing that are sometimes surprising and very powerful. And after all, aren’t they representative of the whole point of photography?

If you have other examples of books without text, or comments to share about the challenge of totally visual storytelling, please let me know! I’m a big fan.

Words and pictures

I’ve been on a bit of writing hiatus for the last week, while working hard and spending some time up north in New Hampshire to do so. This summer has been rough, I’ll admit, with so much of my time devoted to finding work (photographic and not) and without taking full advantage of the fantastic community that I have. This fall I promise to myself that I’ll be more social and spend more time with photographer friends and mentors – seeing work, sharing mine, etc. Also much more time in the darkroom (I’ve been shooting about 10 times more than printing lately). Those are a couple of things that always energize me even when I don’t have much time to spare. Being isolated and in my own world is a tough way to get anything done. One more lesson learned.

Something I like about sharing a blog, is that when Caleb posts often it forces me to do the same. Generally I have so many ideas floating around in my head and often can’t be bothered to write them down unless I feel like I have some real true free time. I knew when we created Existing Light, his commitment to it would encourage mine as well. I think it was a great choice.

So here’s to a week of action and a whole lot of words. And pictures too, of course.

There’s no excuse for not being prepared

I’ve been working and shooting like a crazed fool lately and it feels really good to be so productive. I’m getting work as well as shooting for myself, and it feels like the more work I do the more that it spawns other opportunities and leads to more and more work. There’s a point to this, so just follow me here.

I’ve been getting job/opportunity leads from friends and friends of friends and acquaintances of acquaintances, but also from strangers, including this guy who I remember seeing on the B-line singing enthusiastically to himself, and who I saw later at my doctor’s office and who had seen me around with my camera (maybe shooting his trash, perhaps?). He struck up a conversation with me and it turns out he’s a musician who is putting out his fourth record. He told me about being on the phone with Bette Midler recently and how she loves one of his songs. He hasn’t selected a photographer to shoot the album art yet and wanted my card—- this is where the subject line fits in. I didn’t have one on me. Earlier in the day someone else asked for my card and I had the same problem. I was so embarrassed. There’s no excuse for not being prepared and having cards ready for when opportunity strikes. Part of making things happen for yourself is working hard and putting yourself out there and being involved, but part of it is being ready to respond when those good things start to come your way. This includes always having business cards, having portfolios ready, having a camera around when an amazing shooting opportunity comes up, etc.

NOTE TO SELF: GET ON THE BALL.

Planning for Open Studios

On the weekend of September 27-28, I’ll be participating in Jamaica Plain Open Studios. There are a number of these neighborhood or artist community-based events in Boston (and other cities), where artists either open up their studios or join group sites in order to show and sell their work directly to the public. I’m excited because I’ve been attending Open Studios in my neighborhood for a few years and have looked forward to one day participating myself, but it’s also very time-consuming and a little overwhelming for me to plan right now. Being on a tight budget doesn’t help either.

I’m going to have a booth in the largest of the group sites. A couple of my friends will also be showing there for the first time, and we’ve been helping each other out with display and marketing ideas, checklists, etc. There are a lot of decisions to make, from pricing and editions, to the physical items I need to set up the outdoor booth. Since this is my first time, I have no previous experiences to base my decisions off of.

The event produces a crowd that varies from serious collectors to neighborhood folks just wandering through. Some of the artists I’ve talked to have mentioned that people generally buy smaller prints than larger ones, and many prefer unframed and unmatted prints, so they can spend less. So with this in mind I’m trying to have more prints on hand that may have a better chance of selling, while staying true to my original editions and print sizes, and still showing my best work. I’m also trying to keep my logistics costs down, by borrowing a tent and table, for example, making my own means to display my work, and marketing on the cheap.

It’s easy to get all wrapped up in the details and guessing game, and some days I wonder if I’ll be ready in time, but I have to remember that this first Open Studios is a trial run for me. If I sell nothing, it’s still practice for next time, and a chance to build my mailing list, talk about my work, and show it to (hopefully) lots of people. I’ll definitely have a notebook with me, writing down anything I should do differently the next time.

If you live in the area, visit jpopenstudios.com for info or to download a map booklet. I’ll be at the Brewery Complex Courtyard (site #27). Please stop by!