He calls them rants, or musings, or a personal perspective.
We just dig the voice.

Just Hangin
w/ Daniel Milnor

So I volunteered today, most of the day, over at the somewhat local darkroom. I planned on printing a little, just playing around with split toning, which I THINK I have an idea how to do. There was only one other person there, someone printing paper negatives, which is a very cool process.

photo above (and below) is an Polaroid SX-70 format and we didn’t crop it.

But, an amigo came down from LA and we just sat around talking for most of the day. It was like a vacation in some ways. It was actually really nice to not do anything other than talk. We mostly talked about photography. What a surprise. About the business, about marketing, but also about something that I have been thinking a lot about lately.

Do you have to BE a photographer to BE a photographer. I think we were both in agreement that you don’t have to be a photographer to be a photographer. In fact, we both know people are who making great work who don’t work as photographers, and in some ways, these folks are making better work, and more work, than those we know who are working as photographers. In fact, I met someone last year, who works as a chef, who in the past year has made three new bodies of work, one from overseas, and has even made all his own prints, both color and black and white. I wish I could say that, even for ONE body of work.

You see when you “become” a photographer, a real one, there are many things that accompany this transition, and many of them do nothing but lead you away from actually taking pictures. Marketing, advertising, billing, setting up your business, permitting, follow up, packaging, etc, etc. Before long, the most successful you get, the less time you spend in the field making pictures. Or, the other options is to start hiring people to do much of this, which is a valid option. But what I see happen, most of the time, is suddenly not only is the business farmed out, but so is the edit, the design of the work, etc, and then you become a production line of predictable work. Now for some people, those who come to photography from the marketing or advertising world, and who are totally happy just shooting commercial work, then this is great. But for me, there are too many different kinds of work I want to do.

It is very difficult to find a balance. But, the only thing that remains is the work, and if you don’t lose track of that, then you can succeed.

We are both Leica geeks, so I wanted to post this photo of what two Leica users, or really what most photographers do who happen to both have gear with them, which is yak about it. My friend has had this same camera for 29 years. LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN PEOPLE. MY FRIEND HAS HAD THIS CAMERA FOR 29 YEARS. AND STILL USES IT. In a day of 18 month life spans for cameras, this is a remarkable thing, even for Leica users.

Oddly enough, both of us have shot many different systems over the years, but both believe our best work was done with these cameras.

However, and this leads me back to my first point about being a photographer. I think the best documentary work I have ever done came during a time when I had a full time job. I was still working in the photography field, but not working as a photographer. In fact, I couldn’t work as a photographer, it was written in to my contract. And, the only cameras I owned during this time was Leica rangefinder.

So, when I went out to make pictures, it was the only equipment I had, AND, when I went out to shoot, I only shot my work, my projects, in my style. Four and a half years of this.

Just so you know, many of us photographers shoot one kind of work as our commercial work, with the goal of using the income to finance another style of work. This has been a very common method of photographer survival since the beginning of the medium. In fact, most of the legends in photography did this at one time or another.

But, I think, this is happening, successfully, less and less. As the industry changes so does the reality of working this way.

Now, most of the “good” photographers I know are either doing NOTHING but their work, or are working outside the industry, but yet still doing their projects on the side.

I think this is true because it is harder now to be a photographer. I think the job requires far more marketing, advertising, and the computer takes so much of our daily life. There are exceptions to this rule, but most exceptions come with exceptions.

But, even in the midst of frustration there are moments of clarity and happiness that extend far beyond the norms, such as when the guy stocking the vending machine comes over with two broken bars of chocolate and says, “Hey, these are broken, so I can’t put them in the machine, but they are for you.”

And, if you aren’t a total pig……….my friend……..you can save half the bar and pass it along to the woman working at the reception desk, prolonging the joy created by free chocolate.

That’s all for today.

used with permission from SmogRanch, and we really appreciate it.

Oh, and when you visit his site, take a look at the Blurb books he made. Excellent idea for leave-behinds, right?

And we’re talking about some rich color. Tri-Color, Pigment Printing. Known as Carbro prints, these vivid images were made popular by a very few photogs.
The expense for each print was a prohibitive $150. per. Of course, that was in the 1920’s.
In my college days, studying the various print processes was part of the curriculum, and the carbro was that holy grail of color. That which all others are measured against.
Lofty, unattainable, folklore-ish, definitely not within a students grasp.

At the Getty Museum currently, there is an exhibition of one of the most famous practitioners of the Carbro print, Paul Outerbridge. ( we almost heard the choir singing in the background )

But included in the show is a very special room.
One that explains the Carbro print process like I’ve never seen, complete with the “one-shot”, 3 neg camera, used to make the necessary images. A room dedicated to one photographer.
Richard C. Miller was a photographer in the late 30’s, early 40’s who was a heavy user of this process. On display, is an image from start to finish, with all negs, color tissues, bromide prints, and final carbro print. Plus some perfect examples of an era of color photography.

© 2009 Miller Family Trust A. All Rights Reserved.

Sure, what the heck am I talking about, you may say. Tissues, bromide prints, carbros.
This week we have an excellent book of Richard C. Miller’s work, including one of the best written and visual descriptions of the process, we’ve seen.
And this book will make it all clear. Plus some incredible examples of Mr. Millers work from the 40’s.
We know a lot of you won’t be making it to the Getty for this show, but they had this book, which we figured you would dig. Only available from the publishers, the Getty, or Richard C. Miller’s website.
Or right here. For free. Just for one of our subscribers to the NEWSLETTER. Details will be in the Weds. 9:00 AM PST edition.
We bought one for ourselves, too.

He also photographed Marilyn Monroe when she was still Norma Jean.

© 2009 Miller Family Trust A. All Rights Reserved.

His friendship with the Weston family of photographers is also the subject of a limited edition portfolio of prints.

© 2009 Miller Family Trust A. All Rights Reserved.

Have a look around his site and discover a photographer that gave a lot to his craft and art. At 95, it seems he still cares, too.
At the exhibits opening, he flew out from NY and signed books.
May we all be able to do that.

(Please be advised, this book has nudes. On the cover and some in the interior. Just letting you know.)
Yes, with this the 3rd mention of this exhibit, you can tell we like it.
Moving on, now.

At the last major gathering of photographic manufacturers in Vegas, we checked in with the folks at Crumpler, to see how they may have improved on the cool factor of their well made camera bags.
They did it with a couple swift moves.
First of all, they have a sweet velcro “silencer” that has now been incorporated into all of their bags.
Basically if you think the loud RRRRRIIIIIPPPPPP!!!!!!, of the velcro on your camera bag may distract your subject, or your reveal your hidey-hole, or make the clergy at the wedding ask one more time for people to hold their peace, or come out with that objection, you know why this is important.

Watch the video for a clear, simple explanation.

Also in this video is one of the often overlooked camera accessories, the strap.
Yes, we may want to let everyone know what the brand of camera we’re using, but quite honestly, after a full day of cameras and lenses on your shoulder, a little relief is welcome. The design and structure of their Industry Disgrace strap works like crazy.
At the last SXSW festival in Austin, we had some heat and some solid long days cruising around to venues, and that strap, saved our necks. Seriously, we’re getting more.

The newly revised Crumpler site is also a welcome change, because as cool as the last one was, this is easier to use. When you want to look at a product and buy it, you gotta make it clear.

We hope you enjoy the Crumpler host on this video, Lindsay Cousley. He’s pretty funny actually in a dry sort of way.

Actually , you should be doing that with every part of your life, but today lets just talk about the slightly sedate experience of visiting a museum.
Oh, sure, you walk around, maybe get a “gut hit” from a few pieces, or recognize work from advertising that promoted the show. A little snack, a visit to the museum shop for a catalog, or other related items, and off you go.

However for a very small fee, and sometimes for free, you can enhance the experience by taking the audio tour, usually offered up at the front of the museum.
And if you time it right, you may even get a tour by the curator of the exhibit.
This past week, we spent lunchtime at the Getty Museum, and had a tour by the man who spent 2 1/2 years of his life putting together the current Paul Outerbridge show.
Hmmm, do you think he had some insights? Maybe? Just a couple?

Paul Martineau, Assistant Curator, Dept. of Photographs, of the J. Paul Getty Musuem, (pictured at the right), gave a very manageable size group, a walk around an exhibit, we had seen just a week before, on our own.

This was way different.

In about 90 mins., he shared insights about the specific images, and the man who made them. With a more personal weaving of the storyline, we watched a mans career unfold, blossom and then begin to fade.
Mr. Martineau had discovered images never seen before, of the last works of Outerbridge. His move from the extremely precise, illustrated, tableaus to an attempt to capture life as it was happening belied a wondering artistic search. And a search for ways to make a living.
But it was this curators insight, and his intimacy with the work that brought the full story to life. He had traveled all over, looking at collections of Outerbridges work, to put together the best of the work, to tell that story.

And remember, NO FLASH in these places. Permission is usually needed to take ANY photos

Having him lead a group of us around the exhibit, explaining nuances as we went, was gold.
That is just one way, to enhance the experience.
And by the way, the Getty published a new volume just for this exhibit, Paul Outerbridge: Command Performance, with photographs from the show and an essay by Mr. Martineau. Highly recommended.

But you can also do it in a much simpler way.

The audio tour.
Every museum offers this up; some for free, Like MOMA, and some for a nominal charge.
They are multi lingual units, that may look like TV remotes, or a cell phone, like at the Tate in London

Now these folks at the Tate, take this experience seriously.

“Tate Modern’s Bafta-award winning Multimedia Guide is a unique way for visitors to find out more about the art on display. Holding a small computer as you walk through the galleries, you can see videos and still images that provide additional context for the art, take part in interactive games, listen to commentaries, and play art-related music. Tate was the first museum in the UK to trial such a system, back in 2002, and now becomes the first to introduce it as a fully-fledged tour.

Highlights of the Multimedia Guide:

•Interviews with artists such as Joseph Beuys, Richard Hamilton, Louise Bourgeois and Fiona Rae.
•Video footage of artists at work.
•Interactive games, such as ‘Exquisite Bodies’, which was invented by the Surrealists, and a quiz on Andy Warhol’s famous aphorisms.
•A tour that’s been specially designed for children.
The Guide covers all floors of the Collection displays and includes content on more than 50 artworks on display.
The Multimedia Tour is aimed at visitors who are looking for an accessible introduction to modern and contemporary art, and presumes no prior knowledge of art history. When the concept was first developed, we had visitors between the ages of 16 and 25 in mind, as confident users of new technology. However, since then, all kinds of people have tried out the tour, from families with younger children, to school groups, and individual adult visitors of all ages, and they have rated the content highly.”

Museums all over the world, and we’ve checked, offer up this service. And why not? The people that put together these exhibits spent a bucket load of time, placing each image where it should be on the wall, time-lined an artists’ life and work for a reason, learned bits of information in their research, that you may never find.
Mr. Martineau, told us that the descriptor panels on the wall, giving you an insight into the separate images, took at least a day apiece to write. He knows his audience and wants to make sure they have as much, easy to follow, info.
Get the most out of your visits. Rent the audio tour.
And if you can actually time it right to get the curators tour, well, that’s some darn fine icing on the cake.

Sorry Kermit, but we have to disagree with your famous lament about how hard it is to be green.
There are too many ways to be aware and do our part for the planet.
And if you’re reading this, chances are you are already doing it, by choosing photography as your medium of choice.
With digital photography, you are taking reuseable materials (media cards), powering your cameras with rechargeable batteries, and for the most part putting your images into cyber space with online galleries.
Pretty small carbon footprint, I’d say.
Yes, when we print we use inks and papers. Yes, if we process film we use toxic chemistry, that should be properly disposed of.
If we could make our older digital cameras upgradeable, that would be a great trick.
Overall, we seem to be in a good place, Green Planet wise.

We heard about a pretty cool project that is asking photogs around the world, no matter if it is a DSLR 24 Megapixel camera or a 1.3 megapixel camera to mark their place in the world on a full colour picture-mosaic map of Earth, made entirely of images capturing special and ordinary moments, around the world, in just one day.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing on Earth Day – 22 April 2009, they are asking everyone to take photographs of the world around them and select their best one (or more – but ONLY the best) for submission to this project.

They are trying to record a day in the life of our planet, in pictures, then use them in a tile pattern that would, we imagine, create a familiar shape.
Here are some bits to check out.
Website: http://earthmosaic.org/
Twitter: @earthmosaic
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthmosaic/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86820266419&ref=mf

They even have the rights figured out on this, as in “not for commercial purposes”.

So log on and participate. C’mon, you were going to take some photos today, anyway.

We’ll check back in with them to see how it went. And sure, we’ll submit an image or two ourselves.

So lets all try to follow this one “Take only pictures, leave only footprints”