Sunday, February 28, 2010

Scanned Gelatin Silver Fiber Print

Fuji Neopan 400

7'' x 7''

This semester i’m in a class called Photo Techniques and it’s taught by Stephen Tourlentes. I’m not kidding when i say i’m exited about this class. It’s a sampler pack of pushing my black & white work in every way possible. We’ll be trying new papers, developers and films. As well as influenced to try new cameras and just become better at shooting and printing in general. It’s been nice to photograph whatever i want. I’v just been shooting medium format and pushing to get better with my hand held light meter. I want to master making those perfect exposures. I made these photos of Olivia in the work room. For this assignment we had to bracket, include a grey card, and shoot in two types of light. I thought it would be nice to capture life in the workroom. I ended up printing a couple of the bracketed images and it turned out to be more work than i planned...

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Scanned RC Color Prints

Kodak Portra VC 120 ISO400

7'' x 7''

I made these photographs of luke about a week ago. I thought they came out well, but my professor, Yoav Horesh thought i could have moved around more. I guess couldn’t agree more once looking at the contacts. During crit we all thought that the bottom print was most successful; a moment where luke was sidetracked from the camera and innocent to the temperature of the room in his warehouse...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Scanned Negatives

Kodak Portra VC 120 ISO400

During break i spent a lot of time on the mountain with Nate. It was nice to get out, but for some reason i wasn’t crazy about skiing this year. Usually i’m obsessed with anything remotely close to it. I’m pretty sure it had to do with wanting to get back in the studio. It’s disappointing in one regard, yet it’s also an exciting new chapter of art making. To pass the time, i brought my camera with me to the mountain...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Scanned Negatives

Kodak Portra VC 120 ISO400

I love shooting with my Holga. It’s all worry free. Most of the time i don’t even use the viewfinder. It’s like i would rather have a shitty/cool looking photograph next to anything perfect. For some reason it’s a breath of fresh air looking at these two images. It seems like everything i see is either high definition this or large format that. I never see anything fucked up anymore. I love this photograph of Nate. The bandaid on his forehead makes it one of a kind. I wish it was framed up better, but i guess thats more of a 4x5 issue...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Scanned Negative

Kodak Portra VC 120 ISO400

Making this photograph instantly reminded me of my father and his christmas card photographs. It sucks posing for him. It usually turns into a full day event consequently with everyone in a pissy mood. This is something we have done for the past 20 years of my life. I recall standing on a homemade ski scene made out of scaffolding one year. What sucks the most is that the photograph never comes out well. I guess this image i made during break makes up for the torture a little bit. I pulled my dad aside while he was shoveling the driveway. When it snows a lot, he always puts on his ridiculous ski suite. I just had to capture it....

Monday, January 18, 2010

Acrylic on Canvas

40" x 60"

It’s so gratifying to know when a painting is complete. Seldom do i feel that way about much of them, yet when it happens, it feels good! I have been working on this one painting for about a week now and i recently hung it up in my kitchenette. Painting is still very new to me. I feel i’m beginning to walk away from experimental mark making and moving towards a new trend. I find myself studying the early works of Jackson Pollock. His Troubled Queen is a huge inspiration and i can see it whenever i want at the MFA Boston. His mindset, shapes, layering of material, marks, and color all factor into how i think when i stare into a blank surface. I plan to begin more pieces soon. I want to stretch my first massive canvas larger than this one here. Yet i also plan to make smaller stuff simultaneously. I want to know what it’s like to make more than one piece at the same time. When i paint, i almost achieve the same feeling i get when i workout or run. It affects my overall well being and i’m addicted...

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Scanned Gelatin Silver Fiber Print

Kodak Tri-X 4x5 ISO320

8'' x 10''

After listening to Emmet Gowin’s amazing lecture at Mass. Art, i was so inspired to shoot something very personal for my final open project. I was able to use going home for thanksgiving as an opportunity to make the images that i have been replaying over and over again in my head. Austin and i woke up on two gorgeous mornings to head out and make photographs that revolved around fishing, being outdoors, and that bond that the two of us have between the lens. There’s always good chemistry between Austin and i. Where brothers and he knows what i want when i’m making photographs. However, making images of him with the 4x5 was knew to the both of us and proved to be a test of patience. It felt good to be out on a frigid morning, watching Austin cast through my ground glass, and waiting for the light to hit his line just right. I had a pair of waders on. I was chest deep in the Little Brook. My tripod was almost fully submerged within’ the water. He was hunting for his prize and i as well. A photo shoot worth remembering...