I had it on my calendar to take this past week off to photograph.  So I planned out a number of places I wanted to go. I’ve had a few of them on my to do list for several years or so.

It’s funny how there are places you want to go and for some reason or another you just never get to them, even if they’re not very far away.  Just like other things you want to get around to doing but never seem to make happen. Well this time I was pretty determined!  It sounded good when I talked about it and it looked good on paper in my notebook.

Then as usual, as the week was approaching a few things started to come up that had to be scheduled. A zoom meeting, then a conference call. Then three different couples we know wanted to get together for dinner this week.  Ok, no problem.

I decided I wasn’t going to get wrapped around the axel over it and realized my list was probably a little bit too ambitious under the best of circumstances.  So what did I do? I took my own advice as described in last week’s entry … I modified my plans a bit and went about my way to photograph all the things that get in front of my camera. I also decided to keep doing things on my schedule that are good for me and I enjoy. So I got in my daily early morning ten-kilometer walks and yes, went out to dinner three nights in a row with friends (Ok, a little much and not my normal I can assure you!).

The other thing I did was not to get into a funk if things weren’t going well when I was out there … be it a planned outing or going freestyle.  For example when my plans had to be ditched one day I hijacked a friend who knows many of Bucks County’s secrets and he showed me a few.  Thanks Dave! I also decided to head in uncharted directions where I had a hunch things might be interesting, especially when dark clouds started to roll in and the light got bad. Now what? Drive in a different direction!  I can’t tell you how many times I changed directions as I tried to stay ahead of the changing light. But you know what?  I ended up finding some new things I never knew about not far from where I live and made some pictures of other things I’ve passed by a million times that upon closer inspection turned out to be more interesting than I thought!

The most fun was when I went on a few day trips and just kept going off route when something interesting caught my eye or I sensed there might be something if I went rogue.  So I showed up to my destinations or got home an hour or two later than planned.  Who cares?

So in the end, a great week was had, and not the one I had planned on by a long shot! I had a wonderful time, without the stress, made a lot of photographs, found some unexpected surprises and maybe snagged a few keepers.

Now on to all of the things I didn’t get to plus all the other things I want to do! I’ll need a lot more than a week though!

Stay well,

Michael

I recently saw a quote by Lee Friedlander that really struck me … “I tend to photograph the things that get in front of my camera.”  How simple!  At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but having pondered it for a while I’ve concluded it is more than a simple statement … it is one that’s deceptively simple … and profound! And as it turns out, it’s something I do … read on!

Think about it. Do we over plan and over think our outings, so that when we get to where we want to be we’re so narrowly focused on the task at hand that we become blind to the myriad of photographic opportunities passing us by?  And what about when we are going from one place to another? Are we oblivious to what we’re missing because we’re not looking?

I own some of Friedlander’s books but I can’t say that I’m an expert on his work. That having been said I really like the concept and while I do some planning myself, especially related to projects, I try to be open to all the opportunities I see … and photograph the things that get in front of my camera.  Now does that mean that I’m firing away willy-nilly at everything that seems to be interesting? Not at all! What it does mean is that I’m open to whatever I see and if I think it has potential I do my best to properly evaluate, carefully compose and make the photograph.

But you could also take what Friedlander said and ask isn’t that what digital shooters do?  Well, I suppose, but firing away at anything that gets in front of their cameras, hoping to get some keepers amongst the hundreds or more pictures made during a couple of hours walking around does not yield good results on my opinion. And it’s confirmed when I look at the mostly mundane digital street photography populating the Internet.

If you ask my wife and kids they will tell you how I would always be taking pictures and holding up things when we travelled, or that when driving I would demand to stop the car, or worse yet to turn the car around and drive back ten miles to make a picture of something that caught my eye and wouldn’t let go. I know it was annoying, but I made some memorable pictures along the way.

So what’s the bottom line?  It’s ok to plan and be focused, but don’t worry about it  too much. Really. Worry too much and you might not make many photographs. Here’s an idea … just get out there and photograph the things that get in front of your camera!

That’s what I intend to do this week. I’m taking off some time just to photograph, and while I have specific plans for each day, I will be looking to photograph all the things that get in front of my camera.

Stay well,

Michael

A couple of weeks ago I drove up to Westwood New Jersey for a book signing and meet and greet with the great photographer George Tice. I had spoken with Gallery 270 Director Tom Gramegna who was raving about the astounding quality of the book – and yes, the shear weight of the thing – nine pounds!  He also mentioned that Tice had been working on it for twelve years! So a great double banger – I get to meet George Tice and get a signed copy of his new book called Lifework. It turned out to be a triple-header as I made the acquaintance of a very fine large format documentary photographer who was present at the event for the same reason as me. Turns out we got together this past week over coffee and Monalog will probably have a terrific new member!

That’s one of the things I like most about photography – the wonderfully unexpected and unintended occurrences, often having nothing to do with making a photograph, that often happen when you least expect them.

Okay, back to the main event.  Monalog had a very nice show at the 270 last September and will be having another one in June 2023. It’s just across the river from New York City, but while I was driving up on Interstate 287 I noticed the Paterson exit.  For those that know Tice’s work this was very fitting and it turned out be a great icebreaker that got a chuckle when I finally sat down next to George.

We had a very nice chat for about ten minutes when I looked at my watch and then at those waiting patiently for their turn and decided it was time to wrap things up. I spent much more time talking with him than I expected so I am grateful for that. George has had a remarkable career and life and I told him a little about mine. Nothing to deep but it was very nice and a lot of fun.

All and all a great evening and the book is a real beauty. I also made a wonderful connection with another great photographer who will become part of my photographic circle.

The unexpected and the unintended … it’s nice when things don’t go necessary as planned!

Stay well,

Michael

Yes another entry but not quite the same. Not another of my “favorite top black and white analog photographers” but just my favorite photographer. And whom you ask might that person be?  Shocker alert … it’s me! That’s right! And why not? I really like my own work and if I didn’t why would I make it? I love making my photographs and I get tremendous pleasure when I look at them. And if I didn’t there would certainly be a problem, wouldn’t there?

Think about it. I work hard to think about making my photographs that interest me of subjects I find interesting and/or entertaining. Then I put myself into position to make them.  And of course I then take the time to decide which photos to print.  Then I print them to the best of my ability. Lastly, I determine which of the prints will survive my editing process.

Am I comparing myself to Adams, Strand, Weston or Cartier-Bresson? Of course not – those and all the others I love so much inspire me to keep working at it! Nevertheless, does all of this make me someone with an oversized hubris problem, or worse, an egomaniac nutcase? I don’t think so.  Because for everything I do to get to the finish line with a print that has survived the final editing process and is now framed and on my wall or in a nice clamshell box mounted and matted to pull out and look at … I get tremendous satisfaction and a true sense of reward.

And guess what … another shocker alert … you should feel the same way about your own work if you care enough about it … if you put the time and effort in to make it the very best it can be.

Stay well,

Michael

Okay, I know this might be somewhat controversial for a number of you, but I really like Fred Picker’s work. And yes, I have actually seen his work in the flesh.  News flash … it’s quite beautiful! So there!!

One of his photographs may be one of the most visually arresting (to me) images I’ve ever seen.  I think about it quite often. It’s a picture of a several thousand year-old religious monument located in Scotland (I think).  A tall pale stone rising out of the ground.  Very slender and slightly curved towards the left, it points to the clouds above. It’s really quite perfect … to me. Behind and above the monument, the shapes of the clouds seem to mirror those of the contours of the land near the distant horizon. Sublime!

I own his monograph (as well as his technical books), as well as The Iceland Portfolio and enjoy them all. If you can’t deal with this because you’re a Picker hater, or there’s some other reason, take a pill and get over it. Most people consider Picker a salesman or perhaps a writer. He was a great salesman, a great businessman, a great designer of photographic equipment, a great writer, a great teacher, but he was also in my opinion a marvelous photographer.  In many ways he was an inspiration to me. So much so, that when I drove up to the funeral in Vermont to pay my respects to a man I had never met, I felt a strong connection … during the memorial service and afterwards when I looked at his jewel-like images and then had dinner with his friends (who I had also never met). Just like the stone monument picture, I will never forget that day.

Yes, Fred you’re one of my favorites … I never met you in person, but I’m sure it would have been entertaining!

Stay well,

Michael

The world has been waiting and I know things have become tense with the high level of anticipation.  But can the world truly be ready to know who is my Number 1 Favorite Black and White Analog Photographer? That’s right … it is happening … Numero Uno baby!

Yes, yes, it’s about time! So let the drums roll and dim the lights. Are you ready? My choice of my Favorite Black and White Analog Photographer is the one and only Paul Strand!!!

How could it be otherwise? For those of you that have followed my writings all of these years, you might have noticed more than a passing interest of mine in the genius of all things Paul Strand. I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that at some point in Strand’s career he decided he wanted to create his work with the idea that it would appear in books. And if I were to count, I probably have more of Strand’s books in my library then anyone else’s. Hmm, let me pause for a moment and take a count.  Okay, I’m back … so I have ten (I need to pick up a few more!). Two more than that of my number two favorite, Ansel Adams.

As great as all the photographers are that I have included in my top 10, Strands stands alone at the top of my photographic mountain. Why?  One reason is because of the universal greatness of all his work, across the range of photographic genres. But perhaps more than that, when I gaze at a Strand book … any Strand book … I am transported to a different time and place. It seems like I’m a visitor to some kind of alternative universe … a simpler and more pure one, free of all that ails us in this universe. Just pick up Tir a’ Mhurain, Un Paese, Time in New England, The Garden at Orgeval – I could go on!

I know the times are different.  The lifestyles were much simpler then, the work much harder, the manmade structures and landscapes more spare. It often makes me wonder which world and time is better – Strand’s or ours.

Because of Strand’s work I have had a long-time obsession to travel to the Outer Hebrides and Gaspe Peninsula to make my own photographs. Perhaps things will be so different that I will be disappointed. Maybe they won’t be the special places where Strand made his iconic images before I was born, or very young. I guess I’ll have to find out for myself some day. But even, if I were never to visit these mystical places, Strand has provided me with enough inspiration to continue my work for years (hopefully!) to come.

Two of the greatest exhibits I’ve ever been fortunate to see were of Strand’s work, at the National Museum of Art in Washington, DC, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Not everyone gets an opportunity like that. If you haven’t seen Strands work in the flesh or are simply not familiar with it, do yourself a big favor and pick up a few of his books. Trust me, you have a lot to look forward to! The ones I mentioned above are a good place to start, but all of them are simply marvelous!

Oh, and speaking of things simply marvelous, the day of this writing happens to be National Macaroni and Cheese Day. Think about it … what could be better … savoring some Mac and Cheese and Paul Strand!

Stay well,

Michael

The Monalog Collective is doing a yearlong project called “Visions of America”. Each member will capture images that evoke his or her personal vision of America during this pivotal and difficult time in which we all live.  The “official” start of the project was July 1^st, but we all had the opportunity to begin making pictures in January. The idea was to create new work.

I have been making photographs all year but I was particularly keen on getting out during the Fourth of July weekend to try my luck.  I had a lot of fun and hopefully made a few keepers.

I feel like I live in a country I don’t fully recognize anymore, yet I believe there still is plenty of good, humor and beauty to be found that will help form my vision of America.  How do you think? Do you have a vision of yourAmerica?  Surely you must! And guess what … you don’t need to travel for opportunities to find what you’re looking for. Street, landscape, portrait … you name it … it’s all around you … really … just see it!

How about doing your own year long “Vision of America” project?  Be creative … you just might create some very important and meaningful work!

Stay well,

Michael

Several weeks ago, tucked in the end of the nightly news just after all the feel bad stuff was a story about Michael Deering. It turns out he has made a photograph with his film camera every day for the past 26 years. That’s right! When he’s done, he drops of his roll of film at the drug store for processing, then comes back to pick up the pictures when they’re ready. Deering has made more 9,000 images of just about everything from the scenery around where he lives to major family events. His philosophy is to slow down and “notice the little things that life shows you every single day.”

Damn!

Ok this isn’t for everyone, but it should encourage all of us to use our cameras on a regular basis to slow down and “ notice the little things that life shows you every single day”.  And there are all sorts of benefits even if you don’t make a single photograph when you’re out there!

This could be a real a game changer if you haven’t been open to getting in tune with all that’s around you.  When I was instructing I’d take my students out for a walk around town. The idea was to help them focus on all the things they’d normally pass by without a thought and discover the many photographic opportunities and emotional connections being missed.  If they would open their hearts to the possibilities, their mind’s eye could follow, allowing them to make photographs they never thought about before.

Think about what Deering does, and what more we could do. There is so much in our daily lives and our surroundings that is photographically meaningful. Find it and capture it.

Stay well and happy Fourth of July,

Michael