Brooke Holm on Searching:
I’m still searching for the answers, observing and documentingvia Brooke Holm · Salt and Sky by Lisa Marie Corso.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query searching. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query searching. Sort by date Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2016
Searching - Brooke Holm (Thu 16 Jun 2016)
Friday, February 22, 2013
On Success and Searching - Bruce Wrighton (1988)
Bruce Wrighton (*) makes the following observation On Success (*):
Success is, of course, as an internal factor – a connection that we, or I, have made with whatever I am searching for.which leads onto a rather interesting observation about the relationship between Success (*) and Searching (*):
Sometimes it can be elusive.
Sometimes it can be immediately self-evident.
The expression. The pose. The posturing. There can be windows that open up that are surprises.
But it’s that connection.
It’s the connection between having a sense of what you are working for, but not really having it defined well enough, so you always have to search, you always have to dig a little bit, it’s always a little bit unknown what you are looking for.
If you know what you are looking for I’m not sure what the value of finding it is.via INTERVIEW: “An Interview with Bruce Wrighton” (1988) (*) by Sean Phelan.
That is to say, I’m not sure what’s the value of doing the search. At that point that part of you has been ‘played out’ so to speak.
If I find myself making the same images over and over again,
I begin to suspect that I have to dig a little harder or deeper to find what the next level of mystery is in a particular subject matter or go on to a different one.
As always, Bruce is talking about his experiences with photography, but these simple observations can be applied to all aspects of our lives.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Searching - Jennifer Percy (Sat 01 Oct 2016)
We often think of searching as a kind of movement, a forward motion through time, but maybe it can also be the opposite, a suspension of time and memoryvia The Searchers by Jennifer Percy.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Photographer: Murray Fredericks
Murray Fredericks is an Australian Photographer. I was aware of him and his works from my foray into large format photography. I had bought a 4x5 inch large format camera in Shanghai in November 2004 (that's another story) and I needed to learn how to use it. Murray was offering a weekend workshop at a rural location in western NSW, near Oberon, and I had considered attending. With assistance of my friend Leigh Perry, I was able to work it all out and did not need to take Murray's workshop in the end. Some scans of my initial transparencies, by an Epson 4990 scanner, are here
I follow news regarding photography and photography exhibitions in Sydney - typically article written by Robert McFarlane who writes occasionally for the Sydney Morning Herald (just found he has a blog at ozphotoreview.blogspot.com). I have known of Murray since the time his work was exhibited at the Point Light Gallery in 2003. His initial SALT work was also reviewed by Robert McFarlane
When flying to Prague, on the flight to Prague from Helsinki on FinnAir, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to read an English Newspaper (The Financial Times) that had a review of Murray's exhibition in London at the Hamiltons Gallery in Mayfair. I pulled out the page inflight and put it away with a mental note to make sure I would find the Gallery and view the Salt Exhibition when in London a few weeks later. Was very impressed to read that his photos were being compared to Turner paintings and that the largest and most expensive photo was being sold for 30,000 Pounds - pretty impressive for a humble landscape photographer who started his career as an Economist from Sydney University.
Blue Sky Thinking - Murray Fredericks - SALT II - A Newspaper Article found inflight between Helsinki and Prague - Sat 22 Aug 2009 - (picasa)
The day before the Great River Race, I had organised our seats on boats and I had time to do some sight seeing in London. I found the Gallery using Google Maps and made my way there on the Tube. I found the Gallery easily and chatted with the Gallery guy, who gave my a DVD of the SALT Documentary of his trip to Lake Eyre. Managed to sneak in a few photos before I left for the Photographers Gallery (yet another story), which was walking distance away (well maybe at least a couple hours rambling through the back streets of London).
Murray Fredericks: Salt Exhibition - Hamiltons Gallery / London - Fri 04 Sep 2009 (picasa)
Murray Fredericks: Salt Exhibition - Hamiltons Gallery / London - Fri 04 Sep 2009 (picasa)
Murray Fredericks: Salt Exhibition - Hamiltons Gallery / London - Fri 04 Sep 2009 (picasa)
SALT37 by Murray Fredericks - Sep 2009 (www.gosee.de)
Self Portrait in Lake Eyre - Hamiltons Gallery / London - Fri 04 Sep 2009 (picasa)
The ABC are showing his SALT Documentary tonight. There was a review in yesterdays Sydney Morning Herald titled - Searching for infinite space in extreme locations. An extract follows:
Murray Fredericks - Sydney Morning Herald 22 Mar 2010 - Searching for infinite space in extreme locations - Tue 23 Mar 2010 (picasa)
Having been "the guy with a camera" at high school who took pictures of sports teams, Fredericks was a serious photographer with commercial and artistic ambitions in his mid-twenties. He shot what he calls traditional coffee table-style photos until he realised he wanted more from his work.
"I reached the point where I went through everything and went 'there's nothing new here'. All I'm doing is finding new angles and new locations but the message itself - and the way the message is delivered - isn't changing'," he says.
"So I went through everything again and I thought 'which images affect me differently?' and they were the images that conveyed a sense of space."
That discovery has taken Fredericks 14 times to Lake Eyre in outback South Australia in the past six years. His aim was to photograph the flat salt plain with its low horizon and lack of distinctive features.
Hauling his gear to the location by bicycle, he spent up to five weeks by himself trying to capture the nothingness. And when things changed, he wanted to capture that too.
"Everything happens on the cusp, on the change,'' he says. ''It's the transition periods that are interesting because that's when the stuff you can't imagine or you can't expect happens."
Fredericks's shots of land and sky have proven so popular there are three galleries - in Sydney, Melbourne and London - waiting for his new work.
SALT 8 by Murray Fredericks
Found a nice review by Rebecca Wolkenstein who writes:
.. it wasn’t until I viewed his film SALT, that I decided my roster couldn’t live without him. The film and the work had a spiritual element I had never really understood before then. It sounds rather dramatic to be speaking this way, doesn’t it? When the film comes out [..], I highly recommend that you immerse yourself in the landscape. It’s full of surprises.
SALT 5 by Murray Fredericks
My friend Leigh Perry shoots very similar photos, but typically from the shore of Sydney's coastline - see his portfolios: Invariance and Peripheral Vision. Beautiful photos ..
Invariance #116011 - Reef by Leigh Perry
Invariance #332 - Lake. by Leigh Perry
I follow news regarding photography and photography exhibitions in Sydney - typically article written by Robert McFarlane who writes occasionally for the Sydney Morning Herald (just found he has a blog at ozphotoreview.blogspot.com). I have known of Murray since the time his work was exhibited at the Point Light Gallery in 2003. His initial SALT work was also reviewed by Robert McFarlane
When flying to Prague, on the flight to Prague from Helsinki on FinnAir, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to read an English Newspaper (The Financial Times) that had a review of Murray's exhibition in London at the Hamiltons Gallery in Mayfair. I pulled out the page inflight and put it away with a mental note to make sure I would find the Gallery and view the Salt Exhibition when in London a few weeks later. Was very impressed to read that his photos were being compared to Turner paintings and that the largest and most expensive photo was being sold for 30,000 Pounds - pretty impressive for a humble landscape photographer who started his career as an Economist from Sydney University.
The day before the Great River Race, I had organised our seats on boats and I had time to do some sight seeing in London. I found the Gallery using Google Maps and made my way there on the Tube. I found the Gallery easily and chatted with the Gallery guy, who gave my a DVD of the SALT Documentary of his trip to Lake Eyre. Managed to sneak in a few photos before I left for the Photographers Gallery (yet another story), which was walking distance away (well maybe at least a couple hours rambling through the back streets of London).
The ABC are showing his SALT Documentary tonight. There was a review in yesterdays Sydney Morning Herald titled - Searching for infinite space in extreme locations. An extract follows:
Having been "the guy with a camera" at high school who took pictures of sports teams, Fredericks was a serious photographer with commercial and artistic ambitions in his mid-twenties. He shot what he calls traditional coffee table-style photos until he realised he wanted more from his work.
"I reached the point where I went through everything and went 'there's nothing new here'. All I'm doing is finding new angles and new locations but the message itself - and the way the message is delivered - isn't changing'," he says.
"So I went through everything again and I thought 'which images affect me differently?' and they were the images that conveyed a sense of space."
That discovery has taken Fredericks 14 times to Lake Eyre in outback South Australia in the past six years. His aim was to photograph the flat salt plain with its low horizon and lack of distinctive features.
Hauling his gear to the location by bicycle, he spent up to five weeks by himself trying to capture the nothingness. And when things changed, he wanted to capture that too.
"Everything happens on the cusp, on the change,'' he says. ''It's the transition periods that are interesting because that's when the stuff you can't imagine or you can't expect happens."
Fredericks's shots of land and sky have proven so popular there are three galleries - in Sydney, Melbourne and London - waiting for his new work.
Found a nice review by Rebecca Wolkenstein who writes:
.. it wasn’t until I viewed his film SALT, that I decided my roster couldn’t live without him. The film and the work had a spiritual element I had never really understood before then. It sounds rather dramatic to be speaking this way, doesn’t it? When the film comes out [..], I highly recommend that you immerse yourself in the landscape. It’s full of surprises.
My friend Leigh Perry shoots very similar photos, but typically from the shore of Sydney's coastline - see his portfolios: Invariance and Peripheral Vision. Beautiful photos ..
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
My Brother Tim
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out
Pray tomorrow - gets me higher
Pressure on people - people on streets
Under Pressure (*) - David Bowie and Queen
Recently posted a video of Annie Lennox and David Bowie singing Under Pressure at the 1992 The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In the post I included the lyrics as I often can't quite make out what is being sung (which is Okay). On listening to the song, the meaning of the above lines were instantly clear to me.
Today is the 7th of March and this is the day we take as the passing of my younger brother Tim on Mon 7th March 2005.
Sadly, Tim found himself in a position (Under Pressure I guess) where he considered the best option was to take his own life in a lonely spot by the side of Lake Burley Griffin, less than a couple of km's from the centre of Canberra's Parlimentary Circle (and where we will shortly participate for our State and Club at the 2011 AusDBF National Dragon Boat Championships). A remarkably powerful statement to make about how he felt about life.
His sudden death and it's nature had a hugh impact on his Family and his close Friends.
There will be always the question Why?, but that is not really important now. We should look to remembering the time we had with Tim and as well as the relationship we had with him. Remember the good times.
It is important also to acknowledge his silent suffering and the nature of his death (part of the reason for writing this post). Anger and Regrets are futile emotions. For me, the most important thing is understanding and forgiveness, something I asked all to embrace from the very first moments. This is far more productive, particularly when combined with a sense of persistence, determination, courage to live our lives to the full, no matter the circumstances.
How we respond to life's twists and turns shapes who we become. Choose to live life to the full, learn (don't be afraid to make mistakes - lots of them actually - you will learn more that way), and become stronger, wiser and more resilent.
Was planning to write more, but finding it a little difficult to express myself clearly. So what I do in these circumstances, is hand it over to the photos and the memories they contain. Don't have too many actually (he avoided camera's for some reason), but here they are ..
Cheers - Jo, Tim, Geoff, Jenny, David, Jenny - Darook Park / Cronulla (Sun 30 Apr 2000) 
Tim and Grace - Coffs Harbour (25 Dec 2000) 
Geoff, Jenny, Tim and Jo - Alexandria (18 Nov 2001) 
Tim, Thomas and Geoff - Bronte (23 Dec 2001) 
Geoff, Mum and Tim - Wagga Wagga (19 Jan 2002) 
Tim, Grandpa and Geoff - Malua Bay (07 Dec 2003) 
Tim and Aunty Erica (*) - Batehaven Book Exchange / Batehaven - (07 Dec 2003) 
Mum, Tim (London Bound) and Lynn - You must be somewhere in London - Sydney International Airport (01 Jul 2004) 
Mum, Tim (London Bound) and Geoff - You must be somewhere in London - Sydney International Airport (01 Jul 2004) 
Photo Poster 1 for Tim's Get Together - Griffith / Canberra (Sat 12 Mar 2005) 
Photo Poster 2 for Tim's Get Together - Griffith / Canberra (Sat 12 Mar 2005) 
Photo Poster 3 for Tim's Get Together - Griffith / Canberra (Sat 12 Mar 2005) 
"Despair" - Canberra (Sat 12 Mar 2005) )
Together Again
One year later I would place the Ashes of Tim and my Father at Canberra's Norwood Crematorium. I had my Father's Ashes moved from Wagga Wagga (another story in itself). Jenny, Jo, Lynn and Erica were there also. Tim travelled a lot and my Aunt always said that he was searching for his Father. After all his searching I could now say to her that they were together again.
Tim and Tom - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006) 
Jenny, Geoff, Jo and Lynn - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006) 
Jenny, Geoff and Joanne - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006) 
Tim and Tom - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006) -->
A tree overlooking them .. - Norwood Park / Canberra (Fri 10 Mar 2006)
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming let me out
Pray tomorrow - gets me higher
Pressure on people - people on streets
Under Pressure (*) - David Bowie and Queen
Recently posted a video of Annie Lennox and David Bowie singing Under Pressure at the 1992 The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In the post I included the lyrics as I often can't quite make out what is being sung (which is Okay). On listening to the song, the meaning of the above lines were instantly clear to me.
Today is the 7th of March and this is the day we take as the passing of my younger brother Tim on Mon 7th March 2005.
Sadly, Tim found himself in a position (Under Pressure I guess) where he considered the best option was to take his own life in a lonely spot by the side of Lake Burley Griffin, less than a couple of km's from the centre of Canberra's Parlimentary Circle (and where we will shortly participate for our State and Club at the 2011 AusDBF National Dragon Boat Championships). A remarkably powerful statement to make about how he felt about life.
His sudden death and it's nature had a hugh impact on his Family and his close Friends.
There will be always the question Why?, but that is not really important now. We should look to remembering the time we had with Tim and as well as the relationship we had with him. Remember the good times.
It is important also to acknowledge his silent suffering and the nature of his death (part of the reason for writing this post). Anger and Regrets are futile emotions. For me, the most important thing is understanding and forgiveness, something I asked all to embrace from the very first moments. This is far more productive, particularly when combined with a sense of persistence, determination, courage to live our lives to the full, no matter the circumstances.
How we respond to life's twists and turns shapes who we become. Choose to live life to the full, learn (don't be afraid to make mistakes - lots of them actually - you will learn more that way), and become stronger, wiser and more resilent.
Was planning to write more, but finding it a little difficult to express myself clearly. So what I do in these circumstances, is hand it over to the photos and the memories they contain. Don't have too many actually (he avoided camera's for some reason), but here they are ..
Together Again
One year later I would place the Ashes of Tim and my Father at Canberra's Norwood Crematorium. I had my Father's Ashes moved from Wagga Wagga (another story in itself). Jenny, Jo, Lynn and Erica were there also. Tim travelled a lot and my Aunt always said that he was searching for his Father. After all his searching I could now say to her that they were together again.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Going out on a Limb - Tree of Life Review - Paul Byrne (Sat 02 Jul 2011)
This is my Life - just completely blown away by this Movie.
The imagery of Water and Trees. The silent suffering and subsequent loss of a son and brother, a Brother's searching and wandering, the amazing Jessica Chastain - her inner and outer beauty as Mrs O'Brien - her tragic loss, the one a Mother should never have to bear.
Not for everyone and I would not recommend it, unless you have some kind of empathy towards it's themes, until after reading Paul Byrnes review above (it helped me see it in a different way, compared to if I had not read the review).
Audiences will be polarised. During my screening yesterday afternoon, one person stormed out loudly within the first 30 minutes, while most appaulded at the end (the only time I have witnessed this, based on my experience of watching many movies at the Dendy since Jenny left us two years ago). The audience was definitely an older one compared to the usual Dendy audience and I was probably the youngest one there.
Will definitely go again as I fell asleep in a couple of parts (exceptional tired from all the training and early hours commuting), besides I just want to take it all in again.
[Postscript: My 500th Post.]
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Panama - Eddie Van Halen / Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band - David Letterman - 1984 (youtube)
Random Recollection - Back in my Eiffel days, I suggested the name Panama, for an Eiffel-like derivative scripting language, based on the fact that Gustave Eiffel had been involved (controversially) in the creation of the Panama Canal. The suggestion was well received, however a little bit searching found that the name had already taken by Oracle (more here). The language would be ultimately named Amber.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Inspiration - Joanna McClure - A Photo Editor (Thu 04 Apr 2013)
Joanna McClure (*) provides some insight On Inspiration (*) in her photography (*):
I find my inspiration (*) by looking for it. Anywhere.via Art Producers Speak: Joanna McClure (*) by A Photo Editor (*).
I read constantly and this helps me develop images in my head. I constantly look at art (I am not married only to photography). I watch almost every movie that comes out. I am always searching for something to highten my sense of what is possible.
The other way I find inspiration (*) is through my work. Work begets work-an idea may come through experimenting with something and this diverges into something totally different.
Often my work starts out as an interest in texture, or how two materials work together.
I guess what finds it way here (*) is my inspiration (*), so, thanks Joanna for being part of that (*).
Also, for me maybe it is about Colour (*) and an apparent obsession with the colour Red (*).
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Spiderman - Hero Forever - 02 May 2002 (youtube)
Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words:
"With great power comes great responsibility."This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm [..]
Peter Parker (Spiderman - 02 May 2002)
2:15am Fri 01 July 2011 - I found myself thinking about this closing Cemetery scene from Spiderman as I lay in bed reflecting on my day - the 2nd Anniversary of Jenny's passing.
The day had a few twists and turns I was not expecting - but that is the beauty of life.
Peter Parker's words seemed to resonate with me the first time I heard them many years ago with Jenny at my side at the Kogarah Mecca. Today they resonate just as much, if not more.
Postscript: I put the above video and words on my Facebook Profile in the early hours of Friday morning. For some reason this scene came into my head. I am not sure why, but I guess there must have been a reason. Maybe I would think of this scene once or twice a year and I always go searching for the above quote (now it is here I don't have to search too far to find it).
There are not too many scenes from movies I can remember as well as this one (another movie that is indelibly stamped in my memory is Fearless - a story for another day). Most movies I see, I am lucky to remember what the movie was about by the time I have watched the credits and walked out. A good movie might stay in my mind for a day or two. So for this scene to remain in my memory for 9 years, probably indicates some kind of association (for me, associative memory is my best form of recall).
Plenty of metaphors in the words and the cemetery scene clip - no need to worry, I don't think I have great powers, but maybe I feel a sense of responsibility to ensure that Jenny's is remembered and that her life is honoured.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What is a workout? Rob Rowland-Smith - Jeremey Rolleston (Feb 2011)
In his book A Life that Counts, Jeremy Rolleston introduces us to trainer Rob Rowland-Smith. A bit of searching on the Internet and you will find Rob as the SandhillWarrior on Twitter. He certainly impressed Jeremy (as well as me - see here) with his inspirational words and quotes. On pages 136 and 137 of his book, Jeremy quotes Rob's long version of What is a Workout (the short version appeared here a few days ago) as follows:
Here’s a quote by inspirational trainer Rob Rowland-Smith. He wrote it in the context of a workout, but for me, it epitomises the journey, process and outcomes of a committed and disciplined life. I placed it on the front page of my Olympic training folder so I’d read it often, and most times, I read it before I worked out so I’d be better able to discipline myself and work hard enough to achieve what I wanted to achieve during that training session:
When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows. - Jenny and Deb Cooper stroking with George sweeping - DBNSW 2008 Development Squad - Blackwattle Bay / Sydney (Sun 26 Oct 2008)
When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better ... you feel better about yourself." - DBNSW 2008 Development Squad - Blackwattle Bay / Sydney (Sun 26 Oct 2008)
Here’s a quote by inspirational trainer Rob Rowland-Smith. He wrote it in the context of a workout, but for me, it epitomises the journey, process and outcomes of a committed and disciplined life. I placed it on the front page of my Olympic training folder so I’d read it often, and most times, I read it before I worked out so I’d be better able to discipline myself and work hard enough to achieve what I wanted to achieve during that training session:
"What is a workout?Rob completes this with the following words:
A workout is 25% perspiration and 75% determination.
Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline.
Doing it is easy once you get started.
A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday.
It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind and toughens the spirit.
When you workout regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows.
A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination.
It is the badge of a winner – the mark of an organised, goal-oriented person who has taken charge of his or her destiny.
A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence.
It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary.
A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success.
Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force.
Physical and mental fitness are triggers that can release it.
A workout is a form of rebirth.
When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better ... you feel better about yourself."
To follow your dreams takes commitment ... and this means discipline.Some great words here and they will certainly help me focus on what is needed when working towards a Dream.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Photos: Venice Graffiti (Sep 2009)
Recently noted that I was surprised by the amount of Graffiti in Venice. Did a little searching and found this post - Strange Geographies: Venetian Graffiti (30 May 2010) - by Ransom Riggs where he writes:
One thing that surprised me about Venice was that graffiti was everywhere. There’s almost as much art on the streets as there was in churches and museums [..] once I stopped being offended I started being fascinated. While the oil-and-canvas masterworks hanging in the city’s galleries may reflect of Venice the Renaissance era, it’s what’s painted on the outside of the museum wall that reflects what Venetians — at least the ones wielding cans of spray-paint — are thinking now.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Favourite Photos - How much beauty in decay! - Hyde Park/Sydney - Dec 2001
A photo I took after work during the Christmas New Year period of 2001. Fires were burning all round Sydney and the sky was covered in smoke which resulted in a strange orange colour which can be seen in this photo. At the time I was reading much about photography and various photographers. This particular photo was inspired by Eliot Porter.
Eliot Porter was a photographer I found early on in my photography journey and self-education. It was easy to appreciate his work (google). He was a pioneer of colour photography (more here) and his life work was bequested to the Amon Carter Museum in 1990 shortly before he died (NYT Orbituary).
Not sure how I found him, but his name seems to appear whenever landscape photographers start talking about Colour Landscape Photography when compared to Black and White Landscape Photography, particularly that of Ansel Adams (looking at the size of the wikipedia entries, it is easy to see who was more popular both as a photographer and selection of photographic technique).
Found some interesting information about him searching the web (google). Also, found some of his books (along with those of Australia's own Peter Dombrovskis) in the National Library of Australia and would often take a look at them in NLA's reading rooms when in Canberra. Many of his photos resonated with my own vision and definitely influenced me when taking landscape (even streetscape and travel) photos, particularly in the Snow Mountains.
At the UNSW I found the book Eliot Porter: photographs and text (a great article) by Eliot Porter. Learnt a lot from the text and photos selected for the book. The following is a quote (see my photo.net page) from the book, which helped form my photographic vision ..
"It is the beauty of nature that I try to represent by photography. What this expression means to most people, I am quite sure, is such features as flowers of spring, autumn foliage, mountain landscapes, and many other similar aspects about aesthetic qualities of which no one would care to offer contradiction. That they are beautiful is indisputable, but they are not all that is beautiful about nature; in fact they are only the obvious and superficial aspects of nature - which anyone may observe with half and eye. They are the peaks and summits of nature's greatest displays. There is no doubt about their importance; they could not be dispensed with. Underlying and supporting these brillant displays are slow, quiet processes that pass almost unnoticed from season to season, unnoticed by those that think that beauty in natures is all its gaudy displays.A fairly long quote, but for me was definitely something worth remembering.
Much is missed if we have eyes only for the bright colors. Nature should be viewed without distinction. All her processes and evolutions are beautiful or ugly to the unbiased and indiscriminating observer. She makes no choice herself; everything that happens has equal significance. Nothing can dispensed with. This is a common mistake that many people make; they think that half of nature can be destroyed - the uncomfortable half - while still retaining the acceptable and the pleasing side; their idea is a paradise where nature stands still. Withering flowers blooming, death follows growth, decay follows death, and life follows decay - in a wonderful, complicated, endless web the beauties of which are manifest to a point of view attached to vulgar restricting concepts of what constitutes beauty in nature. Thoreau, who observerd all aspects of nature throughout his life, repeatedly remarked on the beauty of the unaccepted. 'How much beauty in decay!' he exclaimed on examining a worm-eaten leaf. To him the sere, brown leaves of winter were as beautiful as the fresh green of spring. This was a principle that has remained important for me throughout my career."
This link provides a great summary of the life and works of Eliot Porter. I like the ending quote ..
The final paragraphs on the art of photography touch on his views to color, composition and emotional content of his images:
"Sensitivity cannot be faked by trickor devise; it has no substitute, and any attempt to replace it with mechancial contrivances is certain to be apparent to the more discerning critics. Not all photographs have to be inspired to be worth making, but the best, rare photographs are the result of a a force at least very close to inspiration. Formulized work becomes impersonal, an all the individuality of authorship tends to disappear. It unquestionably has its uses, but it is not art."The book itself echoes Porter's ability to redact nature's chaos into a single harmonious image, and is a well-deserved tribute to this pioneer of color nature photography.
The following was one of my favourite Eliot Porter photos:
I recently thought of Eliot Porter and the above photo, when I took the following photo during the 2010 Ord River Marathon:
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage - Letterman (Tue 08 Nov 2011) / New York Times (Sun 30 Oct 2011)
We spent Thu 01 Sep 2011 (*) at Niagara Falls (*). When we were planning the trip back in early June 2011, I was not that keen on spending a day at the Falls. However, when Jo showed me the photos (*) of her trip there with Jenny back in 1987, I felt we had to go. I guess another kind of Pilgrimage (*).
After a little searching on wikitravel (*), we decided that we could catch a bus out from and back to Toronto (*) and not do the guided tour thing with a travel company, which included a stop at a winery. Figured by doing a local bus trip, we could do our own thing at our own pace.
On our arrival at the Falls we were mesmerised by the flowing water and spent a good hour there, just looking at the water roll over the edge. These photos and its details (exposed by cropping) capture a little of what we looked at for so long.
Watched Letterman last night and saw Annie Leibovitiz (*) being interviewed. Much of the interview touched on her new book Pilgrimage (*) which I knew was in the works (*). Was pleasantly surprised to see the Niagara Falls featured in the book as well as being the cover photo (see below).
Finally, from the New York Times (Sun 30 Oct 2011), Dominique Browning writes (*)..
So Ms. Leibovitz planned a trip to Niagara Falls. Nothing went right. They were late getting on the road; their hotel room was given away; when they finally found a place to sleep, their room had a view of a cement wall. Ms. Leibovitz, fielding calls from lawyers as she approached the falls, couldn’t take them in. “I didn’t quite get it.” But she noticed that her girls were mesmerized. She went to where they were standing, and grew still. “I was stunned by the beauty of the water (*),” she says. The picture she took that morning became the cover of the book.Further on she talks about the creative process, about how to sustain it..
"Talent is something anyone can have. It can go away. It needs to be nurtured, taken care of. The best thing about getting older is that you kind of know what you are doing — if you stick with something. It doesn’t get easier. But you get stronger. Pilgrimage (*) is an exercise in taking care of what I do. My books are my way of being able to express myself completely."
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