excerpt from Night Walk #3

Rejected (AKA: one down, many to go)

I am trying to change the way I view rejections. I’ve promised myself that I’ll flip the disappointment and start displaying them with pride (and humor). I should really feel the same way about them as I do my less-interesting photos: they need to happen in order for me to make the great ones. They’re just part of the equation. The more rejections I get and places I submit work, the closer I will get to something working out. That might sound odd, but I believe in it. If I’m not submitting work or getting rejected at all, then I have NO chance of success, right?

I don’t ever expect to win anything. I don’t think that’s the point of submissions and contests. I’ve started weighing them like this: “Am I willing and able to spend $XX for curator/gallerist/editor XX to see my work?”.

So here’s my first communication back from a submission since Caleb and I started the First to Fifty competition. Hooray?!

AS220 Photo Lottery

I’ve gone out on a limb and purchased a ticket to AS220’s Photo Lottery. Even though I can’t make it to the physical event (bummer!), I can’t pass up the chance to win a Mona Kuhn or Henry Horenstein, or some of the other awesome works I saw in the slideshow they have up on their site.  And all proceeds directly support the Paul Krot Community Darkroom at AS220, which is an awesome thing.  Check it out— the event is this weekend!

Night Walk #2

From last night:

Advice to straight-identified photographers who are considering shooting same-sex marriages

When I started to read articles and conversations online about the topic of shooting same-sex weddings, I tried very hard to not write about it here. This is mainly because as a queer-identified person who has lived in Massachusetts through the marriage equality victory here, I have spent an exorbitant amount of my time consumed by it and hearing about it. And honestly, as much as I firmly believe that if anyone is able to take advantage of this institution, then everyone should be able to, I’m personally not all that excited by the idea of marriage in general. I tend to be more motivated by other issues like violence, discrimination in jobs and housing, bullying of LGBTQ youth, etc. But that’s me, and mostly an internal discussion to have within my community, which is not what I plan to get into here.

Yet this conversation seems to be all the rage lately on photography blogs and now in publications, with most of the discussion focused around whether wedding photographers (straight folks, assumedly) should shoot same-sex marriages, questioning if it’s good or bad for business, and how those who want to can “break into” this market. I actually avoided reading the article in the last issue of PDN for a while, because I just didn’t want to hear it any more, until I decided I can’t help but to write about my feelings on this. As a queer person, an activist, and a photographer, I have a lot to say.

So I’m going offering my opinions in the form of advice to straight-identified photographers who are considering shooting same-sex weddings. This is not directed at LGBTQ photographers, or our real true allies who have been through thick and thin with us for years, and who generally know who they are (and so do we).

1. If you have reservations about shooting same-sex weddings, then you probably shouldn’t bother. Not because it’s bad for your business, but because you’ll be bad at it, and because we don’t need you. There are many LGBTQ and ally photographers for the community to choose from, in most of the country. If you feel an ounce uncomfortable around us, or are worried what your possibly-homophobic clients will think, we will notice and we will not want you there. It’s really that simple.

However…

2. If you are afraid of getting hate mail and boycotted by homophobic clients from publicizing that you work with us, then perhaps you should actually try it just for the experience. Because then maybe you will gain a tiny bit of understanding of what it might be like to be a LGBTQ person. We are not impressed by anyone who does not stand up for us, no matter what part of the country you live in (realize that we are also from ALL parts of the country. We have learned to deal with where we live, and so should you, and not use location or proximity to religious fanatics as an excuse). I’ve read that some consider it a viable option to work with LGBTQ folks and then hide that fact from other clients, such as by excluding photos from same-sex weddings from one’s website or portfolio. Doing this isn’t a good idea OR good business practice if you want to continue shooting with our communities. Why not just admit up front “I will take your money, but I don’t have the guts to admit I worked with you”?

3. We are people, not markets. Being your client is not one of our priorities. Living our lives is. So stop referring to us as if we only exist as potential clients and a hot new market to break into and demystify. It’s alienating. And if you can’t for the life of you figure out why you’re advertising to gays and not booking any of our weddings, it’s probably because you’re only seeing dollar signs or some new way to appear “edgy”, and we can see right through that. It’s offensive, dehumanizing, and really annoying.

4. Don’t confuse social justice with business. The gay liberation movement started decades ago. Where were you? Social justice is a set of principles that guides individuals and groups to do what is right, because it’s what’s right. Justice is about correcting something that is due or owed, because someone has been unfairly wronged. It’s not a business. If you want to work with us out of the goodness of your heart and a sense of duty, then fight with us. Come to our marches and our events and make sure we are welcome in your communities, workplaces, religious institutions, and supported by local laws. Donate money. Call your legislators. Learn our history. Read our books and watch our films and look at our art, and do it with your kids. Business transactions are never social justice work, even if being a photographer really is your true love in life.

5. Nobody is jumping at the chance to give you an award for wanting us as clients. You’re not going to get clients by going in a magazine or on a blog and saying you want to broaden your business and include us (finally). Legal same-sex marriage is new to some states, and maybe you are now catching on because of this. But for decades there have been weddings and civil unions and commitment ceremonies in our communities, with hired photographers! Ceremonies are not new to us, only the legal benefits of marriage are. So when you finally catch on because what should have been legal all along, now is, you won’t find us jumping all over the place to hire you. Although you may be awarded some street cred from your hetero-urban-liberal-hipster clients, but keep in mind that in those cases you’re actually using us to market to them, and that’s not cool at all.

Basically, if you aren’t part of marriage equality (or any other struggle for LGBTQ rights) in your state, then you don’t really deserve to reap the benefits of it after the fact. Seriously. Do your homework and support the work we’re doing on all issues that affect us. We are the ones who decide who our own allies are, not you. Just saying you are doesn’t make you one, especially it it’s for the benefit of additional clients. Your actions will speak much louder than words.

Thanks for reading. If you want more info on how you can get involved with LGBTQ rights or issues, please contact me and I will be more than happy to point you in some directions.

Something new

Exposure: The 14th Annual PRC Juried Exhibition

Exposure: The 14th Annual PRC Juried Exhibition opening reception was last night and it was packed!  The work is fantastic and if you weren’t there for the opening, you need to make it over before the show ends June 28th.

Some photos I took last night are up on the PRC Flickr Photostream (click photo below).

Also, a photo I took while walking home:

Film vs. Digital

I sometimes get seduced by the idea that film is always better— I hear it from all sorts of photographers and read it in blogs, and while I definitely admit that film is beautiful, really beautiful,  that doesn’t mean it is always the right tool for the job.  A few lines in a recent Timothy Archibald post completely nail it:

Anytime I’m shooting film the results are feeling …nostalgic and friendly. The digital work is colder, more analytical, more about dis-passionate observation. Is this real or just some large collective lie I’m imagining? I dunno…but I feel like the dis-passionate clinical recording quality might be best for this project.

There’s obviously the visual/tonal difference that he mentions in the actual print, but then there’s the difference in how I feel holding and working with a different camera and a different medium, and the way that affects the tone of my images.  I just feel different shooting film, feel something that’s buzzing with history and a kind of magic, and those feelings show up in what I create.  Other People’s Clothes would look very different shot with film, but would the project be more successful?  Would I like it more?  I have no idea.  I’d like to think that the choice I made to shoot this project digitally was the right one, was what the project called for and needed.  It’s been working for me so far.

Developing Wedding Film!

Tonight Steph and I finally got around to developing the B/W film from the wedding, the 12 rolls of Rollei film from the one-time-use cameras I bought.  To entertain myself, I took some pictures for the blog!

Steph gets things started…

…by checking the water temp.

Steph shows us she knows how to double fist it.

Waiting for the film to dry.

Bored and still waiting for the film to dry.

Steph develops some of her own work… as we wait for the wedding film to dry.

Steph ponders our amazing work.

Group shot! Steph looks hot and my arm is blending in with the lightbox.

First to Fifty update

Caleb and I plan to update you every few weeks about our submission contest progress. Surprisingly (or not-surprisingly), it can be very difficult to submit your work all over the place. Tonight marks the 2 week point.

Here are a few of the places at least one of us has submitted so far, in case you’re wondering: The Center for Fine Art Photography, Hey! Hot Shot!, The Eddie Adams Workshop, Flak Photo, Foam Magazine, En Foco, and the Danforth Biennial.

I want to encourage others to do something like this too. Cooperation isn’t something we learn much about in photo school. While we both need to think about our own work and what’s best for it, and navigate a pretty competitive field, it’s definitely priceless to have a friend around who’s encouraging and passes along opportunities to you, and to do the same for them. Everyone says it’s lonely to be an artist. But it shouldn’t be, and we shouldn’t resign ourselves to that, as much as humanly possible. Thanks Caleb!

Scary Santa

L and I set out to do some shooting this evening and while working on setting up a shot, L noticed a strange shirtless old man hanging out the window of a nearby apartment building, watching us.  He was decidedly creepy (and of course I wanted to photograph him!).  He disappeared for a bit, then came back with a bite of food.  This amused us greatly.  He disappeared again, and came back with more food.  Then he decided that he might need to be at the window for a while, because we were fascinating enough to warrant staying put and having a snack.  He watched us even as we were packing up and walking away… he looked like a scary scary Santa.

Then, of course, my favorite thing from the whole night is a (modified) test shot and not something I set out to shoot at all.  Figures.

more found writing

Steph found this for me. It really grabs me and I keep rereading it.  I should figure out what to do with all of these things I am collecting.

[click to enlarge]

How to do everything wrong when approaching a gallery

I actually received this email while at work today:

——– Original Message ——–

Date:	Thu, 14 May 2009 12:43:09 -0700 (PDT)
From:	xxxxxxxxxxx
To:	Not BCC, very visible list of every gallery xxxx was attempting to contact

To Whom It May Concern,

I am looking for gallery representation with photographs that have been altered in Photoshop and printed on 100% Rag Paper.

I would be glad to mail or share samples of them if you are in the Yew York City area.

Thank-you for your considertation.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I kind of wish this were a joke, but I don’t think it is.