Just came back from an amazing evening at Aperture.
Taryn Simon was in conversation with Kate Fowle about her overall process, current exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, and her continuing work.

My gut dictates so many of the images I lean towards, and create, which is a more visceral, immediate feeling. This artist brings such a depth and complexity, to her work, that you could dive into her various tomes for a long time, and still find the richness, that has drawn me in for years. And I still get happily lost in her work.
Yet the images are very approachable and easily to imbibe on the surface. Even a few levels under. This is a brilliant person, and you should explore her world.
And one thing that was a total mindblower tonight.
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Canon Announces New Flagship DSLR, The 1DX, Mark II, coming in April

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There is an iconography of Robert Frank’s work, that is undeniable.
His book, The Americans, was shot in the 1950’s by way of a Guggenheim grant, and showed us a side of America that existed, but was not the mainstream imagery. The book changed the look of photography, forever.
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We live in a 72 dpi world.
It’s all on the screen in our hands, or on the desk.
How do you enhance your living environment, once you raise your eyes?

William Wegman with a hanging Doodles Man

Your walls not only reflect your tastes, but should evoke a response from you on an almost daily basis.
The height you hang your images from: eye level? higher?
Where are you sitting when you are looking at them?
Someone taught me long ago a way to hang the art in your home.
When you walk in the door, what do you see? It’s a statement of you. Pleasant, provocative, nebulous, whatever, it’s the first greeting for you, and your guests.

The where does the eye go?

Scan your home and see what catches you first. Hallway? A peek into another room? Does an image in another room grab you to enter that room and see what else may be there?

Then of course, what happens when you are settled in a main living area. What does your eye get to scan and enjoy? Hopefully your choice of images, either let you continually see new things, or delivers a gentle emotion to put you in a certain frame of mind.

Too deep? It is way more subtle than I’m bringing out here. Of course, I’ve found that the special images must remain out of any direct light so fading is not an issue. Some of those gems stay in the hallway, only to be glimpsed going in or out of a room. You have to make a point to stop and enjoy, but it almost ensures you never tire of it.

There is one image that now hangs in my bathroom, directly opposite my shower. the door is awesome open so there is never any steam or fog.
This image greets me every day, as I step out of the shower.

By Jacob Aue Sobol, this image was purchased in the last Magnum yearly square image sale. not expensive, but signed original. $100.
Still has layers I am trying to decipher. And enjoy it every day.
Price isn’t the point.
Enjoying the beauty and complexity of photography, is.

There are a few black easels in my place, from Aaron Bros, that have clean lines, and allow me to change out images at will, without the wholesale revise of the wall arrangements.

I encourage you to curate your walls. And then change them every year.
Screens are cool, books are nice, but a print on the wall is pure enjoyment.

This is not an ad for any gallery, but an encouragement to get your images off of a screen, and into the light where it belongs.

Sure, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot in Film.

So was Hateful 8. And people are buying turntables again. And vinyl has been on the rise for awhile.
What is going on?
A return to analog is creeping back into our digital lives.
But why?
Has there been enough pixels and cloud stored images? Is there a desire to experience the warmth and imperfections of the analog mediums? Everyday I read about photographers retiring to, or supplementing their shooting with film cameras.

On the flip side of 360º video and VR markets, comes the old yellow stalwart Kodak, with a return to the past glory of a Super 8 Film Camera:

“You Press the Button, and We Do the Rest” was the selling point of Kodak Brownie in 1889.

And the came the home movies, with the same promise of ease.

The new Super 8 model has an LCD screen, and will take an SD to record your audio.
You pay for a cartridge, send it to Kodak and get back the processed film and a digital scan of the footage.
What you donut get, for everyone used to video cameras, is the audio tied to the visual.
That’s right, you have to sync the audio in post.
I you are a hobbyist, that is part o the charm.
If you are a student, that is part of your learning process.
If you are a general user, you will have to sync your audio files, which may be more than a lot of folks want to do.

The whole idea here has a throwback feel, and a kitsch factor that will appeal to many. The wait time to see your results?
Hmmmm… we’ll see if buyers are truly ready for that.

Does shooting analog make you a better image maker, slow you down to be more thoughtful, or have a look that no algorithm can reproduce?