264 thoughts on “madrid..”

  2. Cary

    Nice. I know the emphasis at Burn is photo essays but I love these single frames just as much (especially if they’re yours).

  6. a civilian-mass audience

    Familiar faces…I feel like I am there…

    The Circle of Life…the loop…what a composition !

    Viva !!!

  9. dq

    pure harvey, no?

    thanks for the upload — you really oughta make more of an effort to post your own work here more often :-)

  16. Jason_Houge

    DAH – Please email me asap – Jason@jasonhouge.com Need to know if you will have time to meet in January or February to talk about my project and making a book for it – and when will you be free

    Thank you! Sorry I haven’t been on here much lately, too much being neglected, many wonderful new works being posted – I’ve been busy shooting and studying.

  17. david alan harvey

    DQ…

    i have wondered if that was a good idea, but will post more work ….as long as i am mostly publishing the work of others, i guess my own occasionally is ok…the irony of all of this is that now i see , even for me, Burn being THE place to show work…funny how life works out…

    CARSTEN…

    yes, the GF1 with the 20 is my camera of choice these days…

    JASON…

    will email you soonest….

  18. a civilian-mass audience

    MR.HARVEY,

    Don’t hesitate to call for help…we might be miles away…But I will call all the civilians
    In the area to assist.
    Please, listen to your inner soul…you know better…

    May the spirits of strength and health…be with you…!

  19. emcd

    ***DAH***

    Hope you get some zzzz’s and feel better soon.

    I held off yesterday, as there wasn’t an appropriate opening. I think he has expanded his reach though, and it is a good thought.

    Sending virtual soup :)

  21. JLW

    Classic Harvey! Perfect timing, brilliantly framed, romantic and provocative!

    I am sorry to hear you are so sick. I hope you are not alone David, and are drinking a lot of water.

  22. Jason_Houge

    Oh David! I didn’t realize you weren’t feeling well – I hope you get the rest you need and are up on your feet in no time!

    I’ll talk to you again soon, Get well.

  29. david bowen

    it is.. i love the simple way his story is laid bare..
    a recent time which could not be more different from the shape of things today.. while also similar.

    got my copy of BURN01 today..
    thanks to all involved..
    did not expect a name credit for the thumbnail photo..
    broke the spin of it almost instantly upon tucking in..
    just as is needs to be :ø)

    cheers

  31. david alan harvey

    DAVID BOWEN

    yea, people do tend to over complicate light..strobe is a mystery to many…including the biggest names in the biz…i have taught several who probably would appreciate that i not kiss and tell…at least not here…but buy me a beer and i will tell all… :)

    good that you have Burn 01…no more copies left in the U.S. ..except the small stash in my house…anyway, none for sale …i think Diego has a few copies in Europe which will go to Paris Photo where he will probably give them away to attractive women he sees walking down the street…Diego bad boy..

    needless to say we had phenomenal sales with just basically one online outlet…here…and a bookstore in Milan..too bad they are gone actually because we have now been invited to make presentations all over the place and now we have nothing to present…well better to run out than to have a bunch of books in a warehouse or in my attic…so it is rare already…one gallery in the U.S. wants a copy signed by all, but that might be hard to pull off…we will try for a limited edition of 5 signed copies…we are very pleased we resisted the temptation to go the Blurb route although that would have been a whole lot easier….took a chance investment wise and it worked…to my surprise….Thodoris among others pushed us this way…

    ok running..hope we can skype this week

    cheers, david

  33. a civilian-mass audience

    Don’t look for BURN 01 …I have all the copies…
    The MASS AUDIENCE…

    Thank you to All the photophilosophers, to All the Civilians, the silent readers,
    Thank you to the Donors…and the silents …
    Thank you…because you know that your credit card was the limit, your paycheck was returned,
    Your wife your husband didn’t have any vacation break…for quite some time,
    Your kids didn’t go to the theatre…your pets had only leftovers
    But all of you …you know that you had to support BURN…

    Out in the woods…BURNING my footprint…
    Dammnit…what not to love!

  34. a civilian-mass audience

    Was over the limit…oime…

    Why I cannot read proof…why my Academians?
    Why MR.HARVEY almost Burned his footprint too?
    Why some of you have problem with the editing but not with the lighting…?

    Don’t BURN your brains…some questions are better left unanswered…
    Back into the woods…

    Love you all

  35. Jason_Houge

    David – I’m glad the smoke detector saved you. I often wondered how effective they would be with me.. I occasionally sleep through multiple alarms, and other times the sound of a cat puking in the room is enough to wake me with a jump. Odd thing the mind is.

  38. david bowen

    have just frayed the spin of BURN01 a little more and there is a great deal going on, besides photos.. the photographer bios.. word from bobus n akaky.. definitely layers.. surprises.
    on exclusivity, i’ll keep an eye on ebay for the first copies to show.. mine will be tattered and unsaleable.. yet one of only a handful in northern europe.. arrived via mother-friend in the N-gland.
    anyway.. burn01 makes me want to shoot more film.. 2 years of the other is numbing me.

    flash was a mystery after shooting daylight exclusively for 6 or 7 years.. clunking around with a stoopid metz 45 till i woke up… then photographing in virtual pitch black for more than a decade i seem to have a handle on things.. yet still.. it is just simple things..

    simplify the world and the world becomes simpler and all that. it’s just light after all..

    i had a student last year spent a fortune on blitz.. and i think.. can you have more expensive light and cheaper light?
    well.. no..

    for me it goes..
    pre_focus..
    get a “bubble” of focus around the subject, rather than wait for auto or try to quickly manual focus.. underrate the flash slightly to soften..
    handhold to bring depth..
    then forget the view-finder, (if it’s very dark and you know your lens well), wedge the beer in a pocket (cargo pants or baggy shorts work), and do a two handed dance around where you find yourself..

    it would be great to buy you a beer harvey..
    i mean to say, i’ve kipped in yer pad, smoked with the panos and MW there..
    interrupted yer studio pal pete, (at a possibly inopportune moment), and hugged you twice, each on different continents..
    yet a simple beer in an anonymous location..?
    paris 2011 at the chocolate confectionery AGM..? i doubt :o)

    anyway..
    i’m excited about work at the moment, yet am not going to show any new work from norway until i have shown work from the last life.. shooting daily now.. in the right place and situation to blend real life and metaphor..
    3 years in norway has given me a handle, and i have an angle.. another one or two years and it may be done.
    :o)
    skype would be good anytime.

  41. Carsten

    à propos photojournalism vs documentary photography, just finished reading a good book, “Witness in our time – working lives of documentary photographers” (http://www.amazon.com/Witness-Our-Time-Documentary-Photographers/dp/1560989483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289972104&sr=8-1)

    good read with lots of little snippets of wisdom. from the product description:
    “Illustrated with a compelling image from each photographer, Witness in Our Time traces the recent history of social documentary photography in the words of twenty-two of the genre’s best photographers, editors, and curators, showing that the profession remains vital, innovative, and committed to social change. Featuring interviews with Hansel Mieth, Walter Rosenblum, Michelle Vignes, Wayne Miller, Peter Magubane, Matt Herron, Jill Freedman, Mary Ellen Mark, Earl Dotter, Eugene Richards, Susan Meiselas, Sebastião Salgado, Graciela Iturbide, Antonin Kratochvil, Donna Ferrato, Joseph Rodriguez, Dayanita Singh, Fazal Sheikh, Gifford Hampshire, Peter Howe, Colin Jacobson, and Ann Wilkes Tucker”

  43. Mike R

    David (Bowen), thanks for the link, I’ll look soonest but will say thanks now, before things move on here. The Vimeo link looks good too. David Burnett, a founder member of Contact Press is a judge in next year’s World Press Photo. Hope he can handle the blood. He and his wife, Iris, have a delightful blog

    http://werejustsayin.blogspot.com/

    which, sometimes photography, sometimes family, sometimes rant, gently draws you in.

    Carsten, thanks for the book info. That’s a Sebastiao Salgado photograph on the cover.

    Mike.

  44. Carsten

    Mike R – yes, he’s one of the photographers being interviewed in the book. I actually found the last part of the book particularly interesting – various editors & curators sharing their thoughts. Good stuff.

  45. John Langmore

    David,

    Great seeing you in Oaxaca. Helluva deal hearing my name called 5 minutes after arriving and turning around to see you sitting there with Marie, Michael, AJ, etc. Small damn world even though I wouldn’t want to paint it. As always, I enjoyed the chance to hang out and also get to know some of your students. I also really enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labor.

    I hope the current travels are going well. I’m now back in Austin and scrambling to keep pace with the treadmill of life – a tough transition after a week in Oaxaca with nothing but a couple of cameras. It was good while it lasted.

    I ordered Burn 01 as soon as I got back from the Magnum website. I hope I placed the order before they all disappeared. I really loved the magazine and would be bummed if I didn’t have one for the collection. As you said, I guess I better start paying attention.

    Travel well in the meantime and I hope our next encounter comes soon.

    Your amigo,
    John

  46. david alan harvey

    JOHN LANGMORE…

    it was totally a terrific surprise running into you in Oaxaca…remember it was Mexico where we met 3-4 years ago and well some good times had by all..at some point when you have time , i would love to see what you shot down there…and of course waiting for the Austin hood book….please join me at the beach or back in new york when you are in town…always good repartee and laughter abound…i think you are paying attention….safe travels…

    cheers, david

  47. david bowen

    carsten – just orderd it..
    currently on the last few pages of celine, journey to the end of the night.. kaboom. good timing..

    mike r.. cheers .. been subscribing to it for a while yet never quite got into it.. will look again :ø)

  49. david alan harvey

    MIKE R…

    thanks for putting me on to David Burnett’s blog…he and his wife Iris have been friends for many years, yet i did not know he was doing a blog…Burnett is a fine and way under rated photographer, but where he really shines is as a stand up comedian…i mean the boy is funny….

  50. david alan harvey

    EMCD..

    yea, i would have felt so stupid dying that way…i had a friend who managed to kill himself on a simple camping trip by putting his coleman lantern inside the tent when it got a bit cold…while i grieved over the death of my friend, i also could not help but being a bit mad at him for doing such a silly thing….you guys woulda felt the same!!

    a fireman friend of mine who does repair work on my house told me however that it is a painless way to go…when they find victims of smoke inhalation, they find no signs of a struggle…victims just go to sleep and stay asleep…by the way, the smoke was so thick when i woke up that i could not see two feet and right before that i was having pleasant dreams…coulda just kept going and going, gone….only the slight annoyance (smoke alarm) in my subconscious broke the dream and suddenly i was up and in a panic…remember now this fire had been out for 5 hours…put out with water and the logs spread apart..i mean it seemed OUT…anyway, i will never close the damper again unless 24 hrs have passed..

  52. emcd

    DAH

    thank you! I was in a fire as a child – profound cinematic stuff especially in the hypnopompic state so I know what you are saying – and the rest of the furry brood is okay?

  53. david alan harvey

    EMCD

    only one cat inside during this nightmare, and she was going crazy as well…actually my first thought when i got downstairs and opened the door and the cat went shooting out, was “damn, i almost killed my cat”

  55. david alan harvey

    PANOS…

    pretty cool to have our Burn in the Magnum store right next to all those classic books…i had not even seen this page until you linked….Magnum has the last Burn books (Erica a few??)…basically we are not going to sell any more past whatever we sell now at Paris Photo… we will keep a small stash for ourselves..already looking towards Burn 02 with guest designer, radical format, totally different in approach

  56. Mike R

    David AH, glad you survived the damper! Yes David Burnett is a master storyteller, as is his wife, Iris.

    Gorden, I’ve seen that Photo of David Burnett with Afro. It may be on his blog (or blob as he and Iris call it) – on a motorcycle in Iran with his good friend Oliver Rebbot, who was killed in El Salvador.

  58. emcd

    That’s really neat about the Magnum store – and yes – have a few to sell as well.

    poor cat. at least she was low to the ground…

  59. Ross Nolly

    David; Have you seen Bill Allard’s new book? I pre-ordered when it was announced on Amazon at the start of the year (for a Nov release). This of course blew my end of year book budget! It arrived last week and is amazing!

  60. panos skoulidas

    Yup, we are in MAGNUM bookstore:)))
    I mean YOU are magnum but you gave us huge honor this time by letting us getting published next to the immortals..
    Us? Burnians? In the Magnum bookstore???
    Life time achievements!!!
    What else can you ask??????
    As far as I’m concerned… I can die tomorrow , peacefully.. Job done!

  61. John Langmore

    David,

    I’ll definitely let you know when the Oaxaca work’s presentable. Just today I got back the last of my proof prints as well as the 8 rolls of Kodachrome I shot while there (why did they stop making that film???!!!). There’s nothing like reliving a great trip through a set of contact sheets and slides.

    I’ll also let you know about the hood “book”. Maybe when we hook-up on the beach or in NYC you can give me your five cents on it. It seems only appropriate given that you’re the one that sicked me on that project.

    Yep, things came full circle with us hooking-up in Mexico. Both times were ones for the history book. I’ll talk to you soon.

    Best,
    J

  62. a civilian-mass audience

    PANOS…
    You can ask…for a moussaka and a pita giro…with a glass of agioritiko wine…:)))

    EMCD…
    You are my best example…BURNAIAN ladys are …priceless!

    MIKER,GORDON…
    Thanks for the inside…
    I love MR.BURNETT’S blog…but the glasses,oime,the glasses…
    I Envy…

  64. Akaky

    “why did they stop making that film?”

    Because of digital. Even Allard stopped using Kodachrome in 2005. Why wait for a yellow box when you can see the photo you just took right now?

  67. Sean Gallagher

    Dear David AH/All,

    Have a quick question that I hope some of you may be able to help out with. Am selling some prints soon to raise funds for an NGO involved in environmental education here in China. I want to sign the prints but am wondering what the best way to go about this is. A quick search online brings up a million and one different ways and I can’t quite recall from my time interning at Magnum, what the standard practise was.

    Any ideas/experience? David, any advice?

    Thanks,
    Sean

  68. Akaky

    Deferred gratification? Impulse control? Good things come to those who wait?

    Remember, Michael, in America instant gratification takes too long ;-)

  69. Lee Guthrie

    Sean, I have a friend who absolutely believes in black ink on a dark area of the front of the photo. DAH signed on the back. I find it very difficult to even see a signature signed dark ink on a dark portion of the photo and on the back gets covered up when framed. I like when the signature is around the border of the print that can be left showing when framed. Your signature and number of print if limited, looks great with dark pencil or ink in a corner at the bottom. Left or right corner no preference. On a painting I like it directly on the painting in a corner. But the important thing to me is that when framed it is very evident who the artist is and whether it is a numbered print.

  70. Sean Gallagher

    Lee…Thanks very much for your thoughts. Your friend actually signs the image (photograph) itself? That’s a new one for me. Front of back is the question really, as well as whether to use pencil or pen. Am veering towards the back with a pen.

    Sean

  72. panos skoulidas

    Classified: “Irrelevant”
    For American iPhone Photographers only:

    If you’re banking with “Chase Bank”, now u can deposit your check just by photographing it..
    Make a picture and automatically deposits in your account..
    (drawback: the check has to be less than $1000… But (lol), I never met a photog so far that got a check for more than $1K.. So we are good to go;)

    Can u believe this? Chase bank has a new feature for iPhones : you can photograph a check and automatically deposit the check in your account without going to ATM !!?? Amazing… So nobody knows where u deposited the check from!

  73. david alan harvey

    SEAN ..

    serious collector’s generally (well, always in my experience) prefer signature en verso..signed on the back with either pencil or light archival signing ink…some may also want the signature on the front as Lee suggests for display purposes but frankly i do not think the very best artists do this, nor do the more up market collectors want this, nor do museum collectors want a signature on the front..only a signature en verso smack in the middle of the print gives it authenticity…a signature on the front could be trimmed off and another author could fake it and sign…this is the alleged rationale anyway….

    right now from where i sit i am looking at a Davidson from East 100th St , a Nachtwey from Inferno, an Erwitt from his retro, a Hurn from his archive,a Korda of Che, and a Halsman of Georgia O’Keefe….only the Alberto Korda picture of Che is signed on the front and personalized to me….3 of the 6 are from editions…if you are making serious editions, just sign en verso..then if someone buys your print and for whatever reason wants it signed on the front then you can surely do it…

    a signature on the front is a bit like doing a book with your author picture on the jacket…ouch..you lose points….don’t do it!!

    cheers, david

  75. Sean Gallagher

    David AH…That’s perfect. Just what I needed. These won’t be serious editions (hopefully plan my first of these in the new year) but wanted to put a signature on the back at least. I know where to put it now! Much appreciated, Sean.

  78. david alan harvey

    PANOS..

    there are always exceptions…for you , i suggest signing on the front in blood…yours preferably, but could be the sangre of whomever is in the picture…this should create an automatic “limited special edition”….this will of course drive serious collectors away in droves, but should increase the “street value” tenfold…and for your book jacket, put your own face on the cover….you know how it is particularly in L.A. …what was uncool becomes super cool and anything done badly enough becomes a “rage”..

    i will be out soon to help you manage all of this….i feel a slight headache coming on… :)

    cheers, david

  81. Lee Guthrie

    Interesting answer to signing. I will remember it. But I still like the name and number on the front. And I guess someone could cut it off but that would be STEALING!

  82. Justin Partyka

    SEAN,

    I always sign on the back not – not the front. I sign and put the number of the edition, ie. 1/10. You often read a print is “signed on verso in pencil”, but I’ve found that depends on the paper. The fuji crystal archive I use for my prints has a surface on the back that a pencil will not write on very well. I use the professional version of the paper without the Fuji logo printed on the back. I sign with a water soluble pen – Staedtler non-permanent Lumocolor in black.

    Now, because prints are often mounted and framed after collectors have purchased, I always provide a certificate of authenticity, which includes the number of the print from my archive, the title of the image if it has one (mine is usually a very brief descriptive name, ie. carrots and cat, in parenthesis), and the location and year the image was taken.

    The certificate also includes the print type and size, and the month and year printed.

    I then have in type the edition number. Then below that I sign the certificate and number it in pen as per the reverse of the print.

    I encourage collectors to have this certificate attached to the rear of the frame or mounted print. That way the information is always with the print to authenticate it.

    When I produce these certificates, I always include in the Word .doc file name the name of the collector to help keep track of who has bought what. So far, I only have 22 collectors prints out in the world (including two given away to people I have photographed), but already I am thinking I need to create some kind of data base or system to keep track and easily find the information.

    I have an exhibition in London opening in a week’s time, and any day now the gallery will need a list of the edition numbers sold from the prints they are showing, so they know how many they have available to sell. And this changes every time as the selection of prints exhibited is different for each exhibition, and the available edition numbers obviously change with each print sale.

    I’m thinking that when I have time, I need to try and put all of this info into Excel to help me keep track of it all.

    I hope this helps – a bit!

    Cheers,

    Justin

  83. paultreacy.com

    A very informative discussion on print signing.

    My concern about ink on the back, smack bang in the middle, is the possible impression coming through and being visible on the front. I guess if a print is mounted and framed, then it wouldn’t show through too much.

    DAH, when you talk of an archival signing ink, does this involve a special pen? Can one use a narrow nip Sharpie, for example?

    Also, can we broaden out the discussion on open versus editioned prints?

    With PhotoShelter, and digital technology generally, it’s easy to think of editioned prints as an exploitative marketing endeavour as there is no real issue of degradation as was the case previously. However, I appreciate editioned prints from the point of view of exclusivity and as an encouragement for a photographer to continue to strive of excellence.

    I’ve just started promoting open edition prints from my PS archive but would love to seriously involve myself in producing and selling editioned prints. The whole business baffles me, quite frankly. On the one hand I want to make my work as available as possible to people who, on taking a liking to an image, purchase an inexpensive print and hang it. On the other hand I’d like to appeal to the serious collector and all that involves.

    Can one do both?

    I’m a calligrapher as well as a photographer, though I’ve kept this skill to myself as a hobbie but I would like to make editioned prints of the utmost quality and produce a handmade certificate of provenance on vellum for each item. If I were to do this, should I stop producing open edition prints altogether?

    And does a photographer need a serious reputation in oder to have any credibility to sell editioned prints? And if not, how does a confused photographer begin to price the work?

    One brilliant street photographer whose work I admire enormously here in the UK sell 8 1/2 x 11 prints in editions at just £35 apiece. That seems low to me.

    What to do?

    In bafflement,
    Paul Treacy
    PaulTreacy.com

  84. david alan harvey

    LEE…

    yes, that would be stealing…not an unknown concept in the art world….most up market prints will be signed and edition numbers on the back…

    PAUL…

    there are special signing pens obtained at any art store….there are also archival stickers than can be signed and affixed to the back of the print in some cases …i always sign verso over a dark area of the print..do not dry mount a print you want to sell seriously….mounting on plexiglass or aluminum is another whole story, but the normal dry mounting process kills your collector sale…

    i have no idea if your calligraphy would add value to the print…i doubt it…the certificate of authenticity does not need this at all…this is just a legal document..

    the discussion of whether to edition or not to edition is a never ending discussion that has no end….HCB did not believe in editions (hence his relatively low prices) and yet many “unknowns” are fanatical about it and have very high print prices…….the art world is a commercial market…so, how you market you and your work has many different twists….there have been totally “unknown” photographers who focused on the art market and created persona just by skillful marketing and selective showings…yes, you may have limited editions or open editions or both…this depends both on the market and on your philosophy about who deserves to have your print on the wall…wealthy collectors or the more average citizen who may also appreciate very fine photography….again, a discussion with no end

    i do both….yet, only recently have i become interested in the collector print sales market…most of my career it was always just something that either happened or did not happen and i did not pay much attention one way or the other…now however, i see that i could drop absolutely every other single source of income and do only print sales or limited edition book sales..it will be unlikely that i will wholly follow this path simply because i love getting up in the morning and going out to shoot…but a wise wise marketing person would tell me to stop shooting and start printing….”dah has taken his last picture”..”he will now print by hand from his darkroom only 50 prints per year and selling only 10″…i am exaggerating of course, but you get the idea…

    yes, street photographers in general do not have particularly high print prices…..

    all of this of course depends on whether you make photographs that someone can live with on their wall over time..this eliminates many great photographs….but surely selling prints is the most rewarding of all commercial sales…it means somebody just likes the picture you took….yes, of course , some collectors just buy what their gallerist tells them to buy, but most will actually like the picture for its own sake..

    cheers, david

  85. Justin Partyka

    PAUL,

    I always sign the print on the back so that it is in the location of a dark area of the print.

    I never use a Sharpie, it would probably be ok, but water soluable is less likely to contain chemicals that could damage the print over time. The pen I mentioned I buy from London Graphic centre.

    The archival logistics of prints is a whole other but important discussion.

    It is amazing what damage poor mounting and framing can do to prints. I was just on the phone to a art conservator who also does framing work for me sometimes, and he mentioned some b&w prints he recently encountered that have faded after just five years due to poor quality framing materials.

    To avoid all of these potential problems, I never sell framed prints. I suggest to buyers where they can get the work framed, but the decision is left to them. The print certificates I mentioned also contain a note at the bottom recommending that the print is framed using acid free materials, under uv filtered glazing to archival standards and not displayed in direct sunlight.

    I totally understand being baffled by all of this. I’ve talked to numerous people about the ins and outs of selling prints, and looked at what many other photographers and galleries are doing and it seems that everyone has a slightly different approach to it.

    On your questions about making prints accessible but also appealing to collectors, I’m not sure of the best way to do both, if at all. I get the impression that if you are planning to try and eventually have your work represented by one of the established galleries / dealers then keeping it exclusive from the beginning is important. This is probably even more important for “emerging” photographers who do not have the serious reputation that you mention. You need collectors to take the work seriously, and I feel that them knowing that there are only a limited number of prints available helps to give them confidence.

    There was a very interesting and useful article in the weekend FT magazine (oct 23 – 24) about photography’s place in the art market. It focuses on Annie Leibovitz and how her haphazard approach to print sales and not considering it important, has left her work being not very appealing to collectors.

    £35 is very low. My prints start at £350 for 20 x 16 inch print in an edition of 10.

    Once a photographer makes the decision to sell editioned collectors’ prints then essentially you are trying to produce a desirable object which has appeal – and with that comes the philosophy of the art world. You may not agree with it, but as the FT article points out, if you want to play the game, you have to follow the rules.

    Justin

  86. paultreacy.com

    Gentlemen, thank you. Much to consider.

    I would very much like to roll up my sleeves and get very serious about producing editions. As I get older, I appreciate craftsmanship more and more. Not just making the exposures.

    As regards the calligraphy, I understand that it would not add at all to the value but it would be part of the process for me. The certificate would be a beautiful item in itself. It would be a way for me to maintain a level of quality throughout the process.

    I will shut down the open editions and set up a print sales gallery on my site.

    A very small part just recently in a group show has caused this re-evaluation of what I’m doing.

    It’s going to be a busy weekend.

    Justin, please give us the details of your upcoming show here in London. I’m going to investigate on your site now. Thanks.

    Best,
    Paul Treacy

  88. a civilian-mass audience

    BURNIANS in the Universe…
    Don’t forget to attend…JUSTIN PARTYKA,
    MR.JOHN VINK…openings
    Who else ?…come on help me out…I need some links

    Just a question…are the drinks on the house…???

    P.S regarding the sign issue…
    I will do it…wherever it feels right…middle maybe,
    But I am a civilian…I don’t sign…:)))

  89. Jason_Houge

    Question:
    finishing a paper on Robert Adams – “…was inspired by the elder (Ansel Adams) photographer’s work early on.” On critic wrote in a book about both Ansel and Robert Adams’s work that Robert could not have made his “Fort Collins, Colorado” photograph (a solitary tree at the dark end of a parking lot with the moon overhead) without prior knowledge of Ansel’s Moonrise image… Well if that’s the case, who inspired Ansel to shoot his Moonrise?

    It confounds me to no end – Who, when, and why are some photographers considered iconic, important, or pioneers whereas others are over looked? Perhaps its this day and age with so much technology and publicity for even the most unlikely person that I’m at a loss to understand this…

    some say it’s content, some say it’s technical skill, some say it’s the right combination of both…

  91. Ross Nolly

    Just a thought; Is there any “perceived” extra value in a special edition print made from film compared with digital? Also between archival darkroom or printer prints?

    Cheers :-)

  92. michael kircher

    Jason,

    I don’t know… If you’re an artist of any kind you probably have considered the moon. Considered rendering it in some fashion. Van Gogh’s Starry Night came well before Ansel Adam’s Moonrise. There is nothing new. Some fairly amazing things actually happen concurrently. Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp both “discovered” a comet in 1995… independent of each other! Pretty cool, eh?

    Robert may have been influenced by Ansel… but maybe not. Maybe he just thought it’d be groovy to shoot the moon over that tree. Was DAH thinking of Ansel Adams when he shot that ruin in some Central American country with the moon above it? I don’t know, but I doubt it.

    Then again, maybe that question was rhetorical! Hahah.

  93. Sean Gallagher

    Justin…Thank you very much for your long reply. It’s interesting to see how you have approached this. I think every photographer seems to have a slightly different approach but it’s good to hear what has worked and what hasn’t for some. After I posted my question about signing, I then started to think more about editions and many more questions popped into my head. This discussion has answered a lot though. Glad I started it! Thanks again for your thoughts and good luck with your exhibition.

    Here’s a link to mine starting on Monday… http://bit.ly/czjvJe

    Best,
    Sean

  94. david alan harvey

    JASON…

    you asked two questions i believe…one about influences , and the other about who or how decisions are made if someone becomes iconic or not..is this correct?

    well, influences are simply personal…if Robert Adams says he was influenced by Ansel Adams moonrise photograph, then he was…for him to say that he could not have made the moonrise parking lot shot had Ansel not taken the Moonrise Over Hernandez photograph simply has him bowing to historical reference i would imagine…

    icons are made in the first place by the arbiters of photography and art…museum curators, gallery owners, magazine editors, and authors of photographic history…consensus prevails among all of these usually based on historical reference when viewing the work as well as its immediate visual power…for example, if you came up with a great b&w street picture that looked something like Koudelka’s dog shot, any arbiter, curator, editor, would immediately reference the Koudelka black dog in snow photo and yours would be dismissed as “well Koudelka has already done that ..better”..your photo, no matter how cool it might look to you and your friends is now in the artistic trash bin…but, if you do not know the Koudelka dog shot, you might forever be scratching your head…

    i am exaggerating obviously to make a point…your dog photo can still win in the local contest , your dog photo will still be a popular stock sale, your dog photo might get you plenty of pats on the back, but any work you do now will be held up against what has gone before in terms of making you or your dog photo iconic……one of the problems for many young photographers now is that because they come into photography so many different ways, many miss the classical referencing of which Robert Adams speaks…they do not understand where their work “fits” into the overall scheme of things, therefore becoming cynical when their work is rejected or not revered as they think it should be because “well, this looks like a really nice photograph to me and so and so said it was a nice picture”…

    many photographers i hate to say it live in this land of “why isn’t my work loved”…this self pity is a killer and as they flail wildly in criticism of others, only one person dies…them! …i have seen so many wannabe photographers get caught in this trap…avoid this Jason at all costs….

    now, just to play devils advocate here and to run a little test, where do you think the essay you did in new york on the Hasidic life fits in with photo history?? how would a curator or a magazine editor view it?? who would THEY reference?

    for you to go from Jason Houge to JASON HOUGE you will have to do something unique for Jason and unique to a whole bunch of arbiters…no small task…..YET they are all waiting for JASON HOUGE…as Michael Kircher states above , everything has been done before..well, yes of course …but well, no, not exactly …bits and pieces of what others have done will always permeate a body of work, but some specialness can and will set some apart…human nature never allows for the mean level not to be broken…somehow….a few will figure it out, most will not…as i wrote above, this inequality will force many to become bitter and disenchanted and we see so much of that now particularly on the net…

    yet, how can artistic achievement be somehow democratic?

    some will rise above and provide a light for those who seriously seek the highest levels, as Ansel did for Robert..

    cheers, david

  95. david alan harvey

    JUSTIN…

    you are working carefully and deliberately as per usual..you have stayed locked and loyal to this work and it is paying off for you….i also like the new commissioned work you showed and i hope to do something with it here…i wish i could be in London to see the reception for East Anglia…now i just want to get you to a Tahiti festival or something…smiling

    sincere congratulations…

    cheers, david

  96. david alan harvey

    ROSS…

    for some yes, for others no…again, a market decision….personally i am gambling that my hand made silver prints from negatives and in my own darkroom will be worth more than my digital open edition archival inkjet prints yet i am sure i will sell way more inkjets….by the way, the conversation here seems to suggest that limited edition is the best way to go…not necessarily imo..it is just one way to go…an open edition photograph that is beautifully printed and archival and signed by the photographer is indeed an object of great value….even open editions signed have their limits…still rare if signed…….

    reading the Allard book now…i think you should love this book…i have some specific reservations, but this will not take away from your appreciation of it

  97. Imants

    beautifully printed and archival and signed by the photographer is indeed an object of great value ……… a fleeting image on the net is of another great value.
    The last print I sold (2008) I probably didn’t sign

  98. a civilian-mass audience

         
    “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.”
     Pablo Picasso (Spanish Artist and Painter. 1881-1973)

    Please,don’t forget the damper…:)))

     

  102. Justin Partyka

    DAVID:

    Thank you very much. Would be good to share the show with you. Perhaps next time. I’ll let you know how it all goes.

    I plan to get the new work into submissions this week coming – hopefully. I’ll include login and password details for Anton.

    A Tahiti festival – not sure I could handle that (laughing), but would like to give it a go one day.

    Interesting thoughts you have on Jason H’s question.

    SEAN:

    Good luck for your show too. When it comes to collectors prints, like all these things there is no one way of doing things. Yours are going towards a valuable cause and I’m sure it will all go well. I’ll check your blog to find out.

    PANOS:

    Cheers. Too bad you are not still in Europe so you could make a quick visit to London.

  103. david bowen

    ages since i have made any kind of print sale.. only ever sold one-off exhibition prints folowing show or at auction.. or donated prints to private collctions on the back of sponsorship, such as with kodak eastman.
    i had a rubber stamp made and signed & dated on reverse next to that.

    when commissioned to do artwork for a hotel – all rooms / foyer etc – i designed and had built custom glass frameless frames.. 5 inch sandblasted surround with print sandwiched between the 2 sheets of glass and mounted 1 inch from wall on spacers.. no white border,just a 1cm clear glass surround to the image area..
    for ¨signing¨ the client wanted it on the front so i signed a sheet of acetate which i placed over the print for a short part of the enlargement exposure, leaving a small and very subtle mark on the front within the picture area.. bottom right.. very small.. an embedded signature ¨held back¨ while printing.
    i did the same signing process for restaurant commissioned work..
    in retrospect it was alot of work for a result which, although happy with, i would nver use for personal work.. clients budget allowed for experimentation..

    yes.
    thanks for brining it up sean.. reminds me that we all could be working up exhibition prints of select few all the time.. highest selling prints seem to be made close to the time of shooting by the author themselves..
    d

  104. Imants

    Imants and I will supply the damper, no worries! I used to make it over a campfire when hunting wild pigs waaaaay out beyond the black stump………. Kiwi tourist ……. we made small loaves of rye based yeast risen bread peppered with walnuts covered with fresh baked murray cod and lemon myrtle butter and washed down with a warm can of KB* and still had time to saddle up the pigs for the afternoon race meeting at Bullamakenka

    * http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/index.php?topic=9001.msg0;topicseen

  105. Mike R

    ” everything has been done before..well, yes of course …but well, no, not exactly …”

    Everything changes; yesterday has gone and will never return; so everything is again new and open to personal interpretation. The personal interpretation is the specialness that will set the work apart.

    The work of established “iconic” photographers merely sets the bar.

  106. Jim Powers

    Editioned prints are a waste of time and effort. Unless you are “Famous Photographer,” you’re never going to sell more than three prints, anyway (and that’s if you have kind family members).

  107. david alan harvey

    MIKE R..

    yes, exactly

    JIM POWERS

    smiling…you are probably right for most photographers…setting up editions premature to ones career is a bit of a waste of time…to set editions one must be fairly well established in the art market OR have a gallerist who fancies your work and is going to set you up in the art market….there are exceptions of course…Taryn Simon came right out of Yale editioning her prints…it worked….for it to work you have to make it your full time job…..as in anything..

    DAVID BOWEN

    i can imagine commercial clients like restaurants and hotels perhaps wanting a signature on the front…

    IMANTS..

    your forte will be selling limited edition books more than prints i would imagine

  108. a civilian-mass audience

    And yes…we All can imagine…
    Our forte is Vision,Passion and compassion…
    And as JIMMY said…
    Don’t worry…
    You have a kind family…with many,many family members …all over the Universe!
    The BURN family…

    Dammnit…I can help it …But I love you All!!!

  109. Akaky

    “Unless you are “Famous Photographer,” you’re never going to sell more than three prints, anyway (and that’s if you have kind family members).”

    Or unless you have pictures of your Congressman wearing lingerie and indulging his fondness for sheep. Then prints (preferably in color and with closeups of the Congressman and his paramour)are the gift that keep on giving.

  110. bob black

    i’ve sold more than 3 prints….as has marina…and neither of us are by any stretch of the word, famous….and not a single family member (much to my chagrin) has ever bought one of our pics…..

  111. Jason_Houge

    Hi DAH, All I’m sorry for posting and running, my only Internet access is currently at school or an occasional hotspot. I’m at work now so I can’t be on long. I just wanted to appologize and thank you all and especially David for his kindness and wisdom. I’ll be on later tonight to read up on all that has been posted in reply to my latest question. Have a great day everyone!

  112. david alan harvey

    BOB…

    yes, family members expect prints gratis…of course if that family member is a lawyer or doctor, i doubt they are volunteering their services for free, but alas the nature of photography…seems like a hobby or fun or both (and it is!)…i even have a very distant family member on my ex-wife’s side who actually is a serious collector….still expects my prints gratis…all in the family…

    all joking aside, i too sold prints long before anyone had any idea of my career track….most people buy a picture they like…few buy for investment purposes….having a picture that will last on the wall is the game…i love this game…i love making and selling prints..absolutely the most enjoyable part of the business part of our business…no story no theme, just a great photograph…how can one beat that concept?

  113. Mike R

    I don’t think that my print sales are going to sustain me in old age, and here’s why.

    During my portrait period I took a photograph of my brother and he asked for a print. It was a transparency and I’d already half-gassed myself making Cibachrome prints in an unventilated room so I vacillated for a while then put the task onto my “to do” list. Eventually digital imaging came around and I bought a scanner and scanned said photograph, then waited a few more years and finally bought a digital printer and made him a print. He thanked me, and put the print on the fireplace shelf. A few days later he told me that there was a small gap between the fireplace and the wall; and that the photograph had fallen into the gap. A few weeks later I made him another print. I looked at the original transparency and noticed the month and year of processing as printed on the mount. It was 25 years old.

  115. Gordon L

    “….but surely selling prints is the most rewarding of all commercial sales…it means somebody just likes the picture you took….yes, of course , some collectors just buy what their gallerist tells them to buy, but most will actually like the picture for its own sake..
    many photographers i hate to say it live in this land of “why isn’t my work loved”…

    Other than portrait photogrpahers, I suspect that there are very few people who actually make a living selling prints. I’ve never personally met one.

    I am constantly approached by people who are trying to find a way to make a living with photography. They show me their pictures of sunsets, scenics, flower innards etc and want to know how to sell them. There is even a store-front gallery in my small town in which a retired guy is pursuing his dream of selling his “art” photography (more sunsets, nature abstracts, wildlife and beach scenes). This is really wall decor, rather than art, which is OK, but you can go to the poster shop in your local mall for that. I’m sure he will close as soon unless he has a big bank account.

    The gallery/fine-art scene seems to be a pretty exclusive club, and although the buyers of such work I suppose appreciate the work for it’s own merit, it seems to be more about money than about art. It NEEDS to be exclusive. Why else would an open edition be worth less than a limited edition or a one off.

  117. a civilian-mass audience

    BURNIANS,

    Do the men sell better …than the women…in your profession…???
    Are there …any statistics…?
    Hmmm…cause when I see a picture…I have no clue…and I don’t really care who shot it…
    As long as I love the picture and it works for me…I will buy the print…
    But I am just curious…

    Just a question
    from civi

  122. a civilian-mass audience

    Yes,IMANTS…
    You are damn right…
    …and i can’t even see the essays…
    And up here in the mountains of Grecolandia…
    I do look good …holding the iPad…
    Hmmm…
    Is that why this wild goat …doesn’t leave me alone…:)))

  123. david alan harvey

    GORDON L…

    well, i think everything we talk about here on Burn, or at least the direction i try to send young photographers, is in fact a pretty exclusive club as you have phrased it…i try to send photographers to the best publishers, magazines, agencies, galleries, etc etc…excellence IS a very exclusive club…the photographers who come to me for guidance are looking to belong to that upper echelon of photographic excellence…where else should i send them??

    open editions by the way CAN and often DO make more money for the photographer per picture than limited editions..take a picture and sell it ten times for $10,000. OR take the same picture, open the edition , and sell it one hundred times for $1,000. equals the same money and sell that same open edition picture 101 times or 201 times and you can see that open editions can and do make more for each picture printed…this is why the discussion never ends…it is both a business decision and for some an ethical decision….

    Gordon i must say that many photographers i know make money selling prints..as matter of fact almost all of them..some perhaps more successfully than others…quite a few here on Burn report selling prints…Burn has sold prints for folks here….we have three full time staff people at our (Magnum) NY office who do nothing but sell collector prints…and this does not count all of the galleries who represent the photographers…the business fluctuates with the economy of course, but the upper end sector seems to always be viable…rich folks do not suffer as much during a recession as others, and as a matter of fact can thrive making investments in prints at the lower prices that can come with a down economy….

    you are right of course that folks trying to sell their sunsets and flowers in the mall may go broke…of course…and my experience is as yours, there are so many who come to me asking how they can make a living as a photographer…as i have said many times before here on Burn, photography is NOT one of the professions, as is law and medicine and computer programing..study hard and you too can become a doctor or a lawyer…not so with photography as we refer to the craft here…however, many can find a special place and create their own worlds within this craft and happiness where what you do is only defined in your own terms…you Gordon have certainly found this balance…..but for the young with stars in their eyes, i would encourage positive thinking and show them that it is possible to live their dream…they should at least try…at least know HOW to try…

    i am sure that every kid who plays ice hockey imagines that they could one day play for the NHL…most will not of course…but at least every youngster who desires this should be able to give it a shot…and certainly should never be told by anyone that “you do not have a chance”….i try to be realistic when i look at a young person’s portfolio…most can certainly improve at least…there are some people who absolutely cannot see in pictures (every teacher knows this) and they must be told so..the worst thing you can do is give out false hope…but most can grow and some will grow beyond your wildest imagination..this is exciting stuff..and it is for this moment, for those of us who view lots and lots of work , we live to see..

    cheers, david

  124. Gordon L

    David

    I hear you.

    I’m not surprised that Magnum sells a lot of prints for it’s members, although you have to admit that you are a pretty select group.
    We all need to find our special place and create our own worlds as indeed you have done also. I have to admit that too often I concentrate on pointing out pitfalls and practical concerns rather than offering inspiration and encouragement.

    The digital revolution has created a huge upswell of interest in photography. As I’ve written before, photography has been re-invented. Photographers need to re-invent themselves as well. Burn is certainly an exciting part of that process.

  126. david alan harvey

    GORDON..

    yes, M is a select group..but i grew up a middle class kid like millions of others and i was allowed into this select group just by old fashioned passion and hard work ..my dream did come true..so, it is my obligation to at least let others know that it is possible…Gordon, you are always a positive thinker in my mind…many thanks for always being here with your perspectives…much appreciated…

    IMANTS…

    i definitely agree, but do you not also believe in the power of multi-media? you sure are good at it..

  127. Jason_Houge

    Hi David – Some great points… I read your response and I’ve been thinking all day about what you asked of me… I need to research some more – but at the moment – my only inspirations for that essay was pressure, and a swift kick in the pants by you! (metaphorically speaking of course.)

    I’d have to look at others work deeper and try to figure it out.

    On my more recent work – The B&Ws you saw and the colors that killed them… The B&W’s, for me, feel inspired by works of Callahan, HCB, Robert Adams, and maybe a bit of Robert Capa… all men who I’ve been researching heavily recently. I really do prefer B&W to color myself – I feel more flow and freedom with it. I prefer film to digital for the same reasons…
    What will make me go from Jason Houge to JASON HOUGE? Well… I hope, with my continued effort, and through an environment like the one you’ve made here on burn, that Maybe someone will notice my work – whether I’m famous in my life it really doesn’t matter, I’m not really doing it for the fame.. I want to have a voice and to share my voice. Thats my main concern. In the times of Capa, HCB, CHIM and others, they lived through the most terrible times of Europe and I think they wanted to give those people who suffered the atrocities, and the people who fought for their lives against it a voice, because these guys had the means.
    Maybe out of the bunch, Capa wanted the fame, his biography sure seems to show he lavished in it, at least for a time. I really do appreciate your help David – I hope, for your sake (and maybe a lot of mine) I do “grow beyond your wildest imagination.”

    I must leave again for the Night and get ready to hang a small show tomorrow!

  128. Ross Nolly

    I suppoose it all comes down to finding a way of working that suits each individual photographer. Probably a mixture of a whole heap of stuff, prints, books, magazines, workshops etc.

    However; I do feel tht giving up the weekly grind of “run of the mill” magazine work has helped me produce better work. It has allowed me time to stand back and think about where my work needs to go, and ways to get it there.

    It reminded me of a radio interview I heard with Bob Jones; an NZ millionaire. He spent a period of time in hospital (about 6 months I think) when about 20 years old. He said it was the best thing that ever happenned to him. He said it gave him time out to think about where he wanted to go (in life), and how to achieve it, without the daily grind of work etc clouding his mind.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Jones_(New_Zealand)

    Cheers :-)

  129. Imants

    Sure David but when taking stills that’s what you do take stills otherwise you end up with something else. I saw the production from British theatre company 1927…… “Animals and Children Took to the Streets” combining animation, cabaret, music hall type song, comedy in one show yet each profession stayed true to itself and it didn’t end up as a multi media piece

  132. david bowen

    well, now i can use finalcut pro just fine.. write HTML and build a website.. shoot capable video if a client requests.. in addition to printing B&W and color, developing, building exhibition frames, dry mounting, window mounting..

    the new skills, much like the old skills, are at my discretion by the looks of it.. so far..

    having said that i remember when it became possible to email images rather than deliver slides and prints.. i was capable and ready to do so long before my magazine clients had teh facilities to recieve emailed images, and so..

    now wondering who actually needs to change more.. the photographers or the clients?
    i remember in the summer in virginia talking about this in our discussion group.. photographers are suppliers of a product which the magazine / client uses in it’s own context.. so long as we are capable of producing the output needed it’s then a case of the client knowing the content they ned.. and some don’t seem to know..

    good to sell something to someone which they did not know they needed in the first place.. really though – panic over i think. passionate image makers have learn’t the skills and are able and set.. evolved..

    magazines, corperations and institutions are much more sluggish beasts than freelancers.. speedboats turn on a pinhead compared to oil rigs.. release the preasure.. be ready for the clients to change.. prod them into accepting their first metaphorical emailed photographs :ø)

  133. david bowen

    and today i am sourcing an archived photo for a publishing house.. print use.. only critirea is for portrait orientation.. a music festival overview from croatia for full page bleed.

    last week – horizontal format request for magazine clients double page spread..

    week before – 1/4 page for scottish newspaper..
    still a photographer.

    one thing i noticed at look3 is that many of the projections were created by MM specialists and not the photographers.. dima G.. brian frank..
    i still think a photographers greatest skill is in finding an interesting specialization, researching contemporary context of the subject, getting themselves infront of the subject, framing it in such a way as to make it interesting enough for people to look at, pressing the shutter at the right moment and delivering ON TIME..

  134. david bowen

    ¨Be a ‘warrior’ in all you do. How you are perceived in the photo world, and in the wider world, is important. Get your work seen – show it to groups, use it to inform on a local level and expand from there. Photographers have changed things with photography because they took it out of the photo world, into the real world, and made it ameliorate the lives of the subjects and inform a wider audience. ¨

    http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/interviews/world_press_photo_masterclass.do

  135. david bowen

    and..

    ¨In photography it is necessary to develop a similar process that will exceed the mere copying or repetition of successful methodologies that have already been used in the art market or with publishers; it is necessary to risk in the search of our own grammar, a grammar that should be consistent with our inner world and/or our own culture; to extend the lifetime of a photograph by adding multiple layers of meanings into the image, going beyond the mere anecdote, eliminating tautologies and introducing visual signs that will make the spectator reflect on the interpretation of the image. ¨

    from alejandro castellote..

  136. david bowen

    for some the digital advances abound today will be central to their output while to others it will be superficial compared to the central work they are doing.. both approaches are equally valid and also non-exclusive.. whether PJ or artist.

    just depends upon who you are, your goals and knowing what you need to achieve them.. i think the trick is figuring out what you need first and foremost..
    it’s amazing how much falls into place when focused..

  138. Imants

    The last image is set just doing the last touches to the seven book series. I really treasured doing them and it is a shame that the series is coming to completion as it has been a roller coaster ride. Some periods of euphoria punctuated with despairing depression, had some real adrenalin rides as well. ………….. it sure has put a god damn smile on my face.

  139. Jim Powers

    “well, now i can use finalcut pro just fine.. write HTML and build a website.. shoot capable video if a client requests.. in addition to printing B&W and color, developing, building exhibition frames, dry mounting, window mounting..”

    I learned to do the video and editing, too. But I think the problem is that many photographers, still photographers of longstanding, have been forced into becoming competent with video but do not like to shoot and edit video. I can do it. I own the tools to do it. But I don’t like to do it. And, fortunately, don’t have to do it often.

    Don’t you think that at some point trying to become all things to all clients, as many pros are forced to do these days, just isn’t worth it? I’m not sure I could do photography simply to survive. While I’ve done photography for money all my working life, had it ever become something I did not enjoy doing, I would have changed careers.

  140. david alan harvey

    ROSS…

    Imants’ books are one of a kind masterpieces…..his work as a stone mason is evident in his books…he BUILDS books….i hope one day we may distribute them here through Burn…

    remind me at some point to give you my review of the Allard retro….either here or by skype

    JIM POWERS..

    we do not always agree, but on this point we surely do…looking at what is required of some photographers these days in terms of mixing video skills with still photography, i too would have chosen another profession if this is all i saw…not that i do not like the results…i love great films and video and i often appreciate the mixture..i just have no interest (or ability) in dealing with the editing tools etc….what made me fall in love with photography in the first place was so so simple…you saw something you wanted to remember or something which had an aesthetic appeal and you wanted to “save it”, “make it live” or however you wanted to think of it…then negative in the enlarger and up shows a print…done

    fortunately i have not had to make this choice, and i too have been blessed with enjoying every minute of being in this business….for now and the future i will always figure out a way to have others more skillful than i at video do this part…i have on my last commercial assignments been required to do video as well as stills…one i did myself and lucked out all around..somehow made it..the other, i had pro videographers do it..

    for the television version of Rio (i think being broadcast NatGeo Channel now) my son Bryan did the film…clients do not really care how you do it as long as you do it…if i take on more the role of director than photographer this only enhances your value to most clients anyway…

    DAVID BOWEN…

    agree totally with your last comment….

    cheers, david

  142. JLW

    AN APOLOGY

    Dear Burnians, I have made a mistake. I am so sorry. I re-logged on around a week ago and left a message but when I tried to log in again yesterday, I could not. It was 100% operator error. And I would like to explain how it happened. This will not make good reading, far from it, so apologies for this intervention within your existing conversation. It is a matter of respect.

    I want to admit, here and now, that I sometimes don’t feel comfortable speaking on Dialogue as it feels too much ‘in the spotlight’ which is long way from my usual domain. This is not to say that I do not have a VISION I’d like to share, a passion and desire to see change in our world in our lifetimes. It could be that is lack of feeling entirely comfortable is partially at the root of a ‘going too fast’.

    Going too fast sometimes causes what some regard as ‘selective listening’ or ‘selective reading’ and I know this has most definitely been the case on my part here in the past. On the other hand, I do tend to focus on what I am interested in within a missive or statement – the part that resonates most closely with my vision or what I think would be good to work with or expand on. Selective listening is also sometimes useful – so long as you focus on the positive and not the negative that is said. Focusing on the negative – a wrong word or a wrong thought can drag us into the wrong place and it is so easy to rush off a comment that in hindsight was not exactly what we meant because we were caught up in the heat of the moment or a discussion. I do that too much already.

    I do try to avoid getting into the negative that people say and focus on the positive or, try to remember what they said yesterday, the day before, or the good vibes they shared in the past. Not always, but normally. But I must apologize to any and all Burnians who I misunderstood by either ‘selectively reading’ a comment which they wrote or not focusing on the positive. That was my error and may have caused a bad feeling or even a major furore once or twice. Apologies to ALL. My sensitivity to people, vibes and sounds and ‘going too fast’ is not always a blessing.

    I actually wanted to give you this: : ) And the quote that goes with it:

    “There are hundreds of languages in the world, but a smile speaks them all.” ~ Anon
    Baring the teeth in the right way is a very useful way to make friends and transport you wherever you may want to go! I am doing it right now but you can’t see it as this is the virtual world.

    Jenny

    PS The logging in mistake… I was copying and pasting the new password – an unintelligible sequence of letters and exclamation marks (as I don’t know how to change it) when my hand and mouse missed catching the first ‘!’. It was the loss of that ‘!’ that caused me to believe I had been blocked as the system refused to recognize the *ikgihknui without the ‘!’. And at that moment, my heart sank to the deepest of depths for a while until I tried again.

    In conclusion:
    SORRY for any and all bad feelings or negative comments I have made to any Burnian due to not seeing the truth of how perfect every one of us is in the core of our hearts. There, beyond ALL fears: we are nothing but LOVE AND LIGHT

  143. JLW

    David

    This apology is to you in particular. Sending you a million smiles and thanking you for your patience. I will try to restrict my comments as I was posting much too much on here and it was not always appreciated. I hope all is good in your world!

  144. eva

    Prints and making money? An idea seems to be making limited edition books.. have bought a little nice one by Trent Parke (Bedknobs and Broomsticks) this past June, for $ 18, I see it now sells for $ 144.. and any others of his books go way way up, guess I’ll have to live without them :(

  145. david alan harvey

    EVA…

    yes, this is the trend..and limited edition books are still way less expensive than prints…this certainly to be the way of our Imants for example..and well we do have a collector who is ready to pay premium for a copy of our own limited Burn 01 signed by everyone…a near impossible task, but at least value is being placed already…we will see in the coming months

    ok off to shoot…the shooting mentality is way different than the selling mentality..selling seems far far away to me now

    cheers, david

  147. Justin Partyka

    DAVID BOWEN:

    I admire that you have such a range of skills at your disposal. One of the old farmers I know always reminds me that the best way is “to paddle your own canoe.”

    At the same time though, I’m still trying to master the craft of still photography. There is enough going on that takes me away from time spent photographing, if it was anymore it would be a problem both in terms of the things I am working towards with my work, and my own well being. I need to photograph, not sit at a computer.

    But I also have two film projects, both just about ready to begin editing. But with everything else going on, the thought of going through all the hours of video, learning how to use Final Cut, etc is a pretty daunting prospect. I’ve decided that I either need to find somebody to do this for me, or just put the material away in a box. My ideas are racing ahead of me, I already see these films being released as a limited edition DVDs, each coming in the back of a book of related photographs.

    As DAH always says – “the hard part is finishing something”. Perhaps the best approach is one project at a time.

    ALL:

    My print sales are far from a regular thing at the moment, but when they do happen it is very rewarding, and over time the sales are gradually increasing. I have already had potential buyers concerned about the potential for photographs to be reproduced endlessly, and it reassures them that I offer the prints as limited editions only. I made that decision from the beginning and I feel it was the right one. I do have people who say they would like a print but they are too expensive – for them an open edition would be more suitable. But the risk would then be that the person interested in buying a 40 x 30 print from an edition of 5, does not want a potentially endless number of the same photograph in a different size being in circulation.

    My experience (so far for what it’s worth), is that it is important to make the decision about how one will issue prints and at what price, and stick with it. It does not look good if there is no consistency in editions, prices etc. It is also important to build a relationship with collectors. They certainly value that, and for me it has been equally rewarding. A couple of collectors of my work I have become good friends with. Right now I am in the kitchen of one of these couples and one of my prints is hanging on the wall. It is always a good feeling every time I see it when I visit them.

    DAH:

    Have received my three sample books from ubyu. To answer your email question, yes, they use the same HP Indigo press as Blurb. The print quality is very good on most images. The paper is 160gsm. Not sure what Blurb use now, but some of the earlier books I saw the paper felt a bit too light.

    One big mistake I made was that I designed the book to include double page spreads. They do not work well with the binding used because the books do not open flat enough.

    I think I’m right to say that Burn .01 was printed on an HP press, yes? If so it is the first book I’ve seem printed this way at that size, which is produced in sections to allow for a stitched lay flat binding.

    Can anybody confirm if Blurb now can print in sections and bind the books so they open flat?

    Last year I was told that the HP Indigo can only take up to a certain size paper, so does not allow the printing of larger books in sections (by large I mean close to A4 / letter size), but perhaps that is changing.

    Making this book was all a bit last minute and the introduction text was written in a mad rush two hours before the upload submission deadline. Last night a friend pointed out two typos in the text (missed words), which is very frustrating. But it does not surprise me. I thought I proof read it properly, but it goes to show what happens when you work under pressure.

    I’m thinking about having the book at my exhibition next week, just to see what the reaction is. Still undecided if I should just have it on display, but I’ll have it at the private view so if any of you come along and would like to see it, please ask me.

    EVA:

    I bought Trent Parke’s new little book too. Very nice. Good to hear it has already increased in price. Did you see the next book available in LBM’s series? Very different kind of work, but also looks good.

    Cheers,

    Justin P

  148. david bowen

    jim.

    what we enjoy and don´t enjoy within photography is relative, obviously..
    i actually enjoyed building the frames for my first exhibition and saved a fortune through sponsorship for materials and workshop space.. still have them in the garage, waiting to be sanded down and prepped for the next shebang.

    justin n jim..
    you know.. the mother of invention and all that.. i only learn´t some thing because i have no money to employ others to do it.. other things i am interested in, as knowing it helps with control..

    the absolute and utterly difficult thing in photography is accounts and paperwork, for me.. anything even remotely related to the distribution or planning of my photography is a pleasure by comparison :ø)

    justin..
    final cut is not so difficult i think – one of those things that clicks into place.. get to know film formats, compression.. that stuff and the actual editing is a doddle.. drag n drop.. smooth here.. render there.
    a solid 2 days work will get you quite far ..
    d

  149. david bowen

    also – is it me or are photo essays appearing a bit randomly and out of order?
    andrea has moved, just seen davin and aga.. now another piece by jiwan kim..
    ?

  150. panos skoulidas

    DB;)
    U see now why DAH needs the help of Anton, Anna , Diego.. and few more?
    He is trying to do everything himself.. Too much..
    imho… Computer glitches plus trying to do too much can create this type confusion..
    Hope those glitches to be fixed soon..
    I guess DAH will explain when he comes back..
    Obviously he needs some real tech help here..
    Anyway.. Not big of a mistake though..
    More photos for us to see and enjoy..
    More food is not bad.. Less food is bad..
    And here in Burn one thing fo sho..
    We are not “starving” anymore ;)

  155. Justin Partyka

    PANOS:

    I think “confusion” is too polite a word for describing the impact of computer glitches and trying to do too much. I’m in it right now, but confused I’m not! :-)

    DAVID B:

    I hear what you are saying. Cost is a big problem with this. Any half decent Final Cut skilled editor is going to want money. I asked a young guy just starting out a couple of weeks ago and the first thing he wanted to know was if I have funding. Of course I understand that he needs to make some money. It’s just a shame I don’t have any to pay him.

    I see that me trying to work on video editing while I have too much going on already would be a recipe for disaster and computer glitches galore!

  159. david bowen

    justin
    i would certainly recommend a couple of solid days in pajamas and a perhaps a bottle to get to grips with it..+

    i´ve never had money for anything i´ve done, so it´s been an easy choice..

  160. Akaky

    While we are speaking of computers and their foibles, can anyone recommend a 500mb external hard drive? I’m in the market for one right now.

  163. Imants

    Initials……… stuff up under your real name, apologise by using initials then free to revert back to business as usual ………… pretty sad stuff

  165. Lee Guthrie

    My friend gave me RA’s book Portraits printed in 2002; it has a great design. Opens up from the left and right, printed on one continuous paper that is like a light cardboard, folded to form pages instead of cut apart. And it has a box it slides into. The portraits remind me of Diane Arbor. Two of my favorites are of the two drifters. Really nice gift to receive. Who else here has this book?

  166. Lee Guthrie

    Akaky, not sure about the capacity (mb?) you posted you needed but my favorite back up system so far is the GSafe. It has duplicate drives. If you lose one you have it on the other and you replace the bad one and you are set to go. It is pricy. $400+ but so far has been my most faithful. I like its flexibility with just replacing drives when they are full.

  168. Ross Nolly

    “Blink and delete most of the stuff on our drives is useless drivel”

    Ain’t that the truth… The more memory you have; the more crap you keep…

  170. Ross Nolly

    Pretty down about it all. News reports on the hour, every hour. The poisonous (& explosive) gas levels are still too high to send in rescuers; but the Army are spark proofing a robot to send in.

    They are also boring a 6-inch shaft down to roughly where they think the explosion occurred so they can lower down cameras and gas sensors.

    29 miners are trapped, but no one knows whether they are alive or not. Pretty sobering stuff…

  172. Ross Nolly

    Yesterday they said that they thought there had been a “secondary incident” but didn’t elaborate. One 17 year old miner was on his first ever shift.

  177. david alan harvey

    ALL…

    the confusion on story pub date has a simple explanation…date “published” on any story is actually the date when the story was created for our system…so i could make it “sticky” to the home page today, but the word “published” refers to its creation date..in order for me to sequence the stories the way if felt they should be sequenced (not the pictures in the story , but the stories themselves) i had to trick out the dates so that some would be on top and others would be towards the bottom even though the dates “published” do not match…in other words, i cannot just “drag and drop” stories…most recent time date wise is always going to be on top unless i trick the date and make it go to the bottom…get it?? smiling…

    we are going to do something different from now on..stories which i feel are more works in progress will now be in that category and will replace “selected photographs” as soon as Anton can rewrite the program….for now they are in “selected photographs” which has been kind of a dead section….so works in progress will include essays that i do not feel belong on the top but are worthy of critique by this audience and of course singles as well…

    stories which are labeled “essays” will only get in this spot IF they have not been published elsewhere…so if you see a story on top, you will know it is exclusive to Burn unless labeled otherwise…so , i think we will now double the payment for exclusive stories and ask for stories gratis which are works in progress….

    in other words, we will now pay $1000. for stories which appear in Burn before publication elsewhere….

    we will ask for a 5 day exclusive after which the story may be picked up in other media…we realize many sites will just steal the story…but as time goes on and cooperation between serious entities increases , we feel the honor system will prevail as it does today in the top print houses…

    this is yet another gutsy move on our part ….we keep waiting for the big publishers to follow our example..so far they have not…shame shame on them is all i can say….actually they cannot afford it…really….too much overhead tied up in things other than production….they will catch up of course…but it is always the little guys who must prod the big guys….anyway, this is our role for the moment…

    the above does not serve as an official announcement, but is a statement of intent…i will announce officially in my next Dialogue post coming soonest..

    cheers,david

  178. Justin Smith

    DAH,

    Fantastic announcement! “we keep waiting for the big publishers to follow our example..so far they have not…shame shame on them is all i can say….actually they cannot afford it…really….too much overhead tied up in things other than production”

    (In my best Civilian Mass Audience voice) BURNIANS produce!

  179. Justin Smith

    Panos,

    Thank you for the Magnum link for Burn01. Personal funds tied up a bit as of late, but was able to place an order tonight and am definitely looking forward to receiving my copy :-)

  182. Jason_Houge

    Outstanding News David – Looking forward to all details in new post – I like the works in progress idea as well.

    Justin, Panos – I think a while back David said all copies of Burn 01 were sold out in the US and a few copies still existed in Europe… Not sure how this applies to ordering a copy though?

  183. a civilian-mass audience

    Back from the mountains…and for one more time…

    BURN is making history …MR.HARVEY is making the future…and BURNIANS are making the difference…!!!

    P.S JUSTIN…I love your voice,mate…oime,I have a strong voice…:)))

  184. eva

    Akaky, just bought one couple days ago, iomega prestige is the brand name, guess as good as any else… run out of space ’cause of scanning prints, huge .tif files…

    DAH, nice thinking both the exclusive and the work in progress bits…

  187. a civilian-mass audience

    Oups…
    BURN is making history…
    MR.HARVEY is making the difference…
    …and BURNIANS are making the future…!!!

    EVA,VIVA…how is the baby BURNIAN…?

    And yes GORDON…cold outside…warm inside…!!!

    AKAKIE…you might need to ask IRL AKAKY…he has some brilliant ideas… :)))

    Love you ALLLLLLLLLLL

  192. david alan harvey

    GORDON..

    your first snow of winter essay looks like something from a movie set….your friends have violins and accordions at a long dinner table with nice wine glasses and i am sure fine wine in them…come to my house and you will see pizza boxes and beer cans and somebody out on the porch with a beat up guitar…

  193. a civilian-mass audience

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE ROSENFIELD…!!!

    And EVA…engoy the wee thingy…

    And IMANTS…what not to Webenfreude…!!!

  194. Justin Smith

    Jason,

    Panos posted a link a few days ago to the Magnum Store where (apparently) a few issues were still available. Keeping my fingers crossed – I have received an e-mailed order confirmation, but no shipping confirmation, yet.

  195. John Langmore

    David,

    Just read your post about how you’re treating “essays” and particularly that you’re paying photographers for their work – shaming larger more monied publications into perhaps someday doing the same instead of simply having photographers feel lucky for the exposure. I think the difference is that burn is led by a photographer and the other publications are led by publishers. You appreciate the current state of the industry from a different vantage point than does someone simply trying to sell ads to fill their pages.

    As I’ve said before, the time and effort you invest in burn is greatly appreciated. It is indeed making a difference.

    And what a great set of essays published on burn. I hope good things have come of it for the photographers you’ve chosen.

    Best,
    J

  196. Gordon Lafleur

    David

    Like a movie, it’s all an illusion. There are folding plastic Costco tables under those white tablecloths, homemade apple cider in those pottery class goblets, and those are fiddles, not violins, bashing out Celtic tunes. That is however a grand piano which takes up the bulk of Dave’s living room. I’ve only ever heard him play it once. Mostly he plays that Chinese off brand accordian which he got at a garage sale for $20.
    I’m looking forward to eating pizza, drinking a few beers, and playing a few tunes on your porch one of these days.
    I made those photos Saturday night. I was just having fun, trying to loosen up and taking advantage of digitals ability to explore the dark. It is looking like a winter wonderland movie set around here. Mostly it rains all winter. But a couple of times a year it looks like this. This is my backyard last night by moonlight.

    http://www.pbase.com/glafleur/image/130546868

  199. JLW

    David – What an incentive! And it makes perfect sense to organize the essays like that…

    Gordon – your last image made me gasp!

    Civi – Thanks a million for sharing so much love…

  202. JLW

    Gordon! Haha! Of course! In a very good way! The snow, the lights, the whole atmosphere is simply magical! And the trees are taking on a powerful ‘presence’ akin to people…

  203. Imants

    You do realize that “webenfreude” roughly translates as “the pleasure of weaving”? Translation from what? Are you presuming it is german, that’s a bit of a narrow viewpoint? It actually means pleasure derived from the weaving misfortunes on the net.

  206. a civilian-mass audience

    WE…BE…Freude…

    Something like… we be…frieudes
    Perfect English…oime
    With my heavy Greek accent…:)))

  207. a civilian-mass audience

    All I hear is …we …being…friends…
    But that’s me …:)))

    Congrats to MATT…thanks MICHAELK!
    And GORDON …as JLW said…magical…!

    And to ALL BURNIANS…

    I hope you are out there…shooting…
    Inspire yourselves…cause nobody else…will do it for you…
    You have been warned…my friends!

  215. panos skoulidas

    Believe me I’m not trying to open a conversation about politics..
    But I want to send a shout out to our president …
    VIVA OBAMA…
    keep going…
    Even if we go two steps forward one step back.. I’m proud to live in his America ..
    Although he inherited the biggest mess possible…
    He still resists… Even if California is bankrupt the man is trying to help..
    Any possible way…
    Support to the big O…
    Health care.. Affordable health care..
    And enough with all those bankers games…

    “when bankers meet they talk about Art,
    When artists meet they talk about money”
    Oscar Wilde

  216. panos skoulidas

    “…I wanted to eat of the fruit of all the trees in the garden of the world… And so, indeed, I went out, and so I lived. My only mistake was that I confined myself so exclusively to the trees of what seemed to me the sun-lit side of the garden, and shunned the other side for its shadow and its gloom”

    Oscar Wilde

  217. a civilian-mass audience

         
    “Society often forgives the criminal; it never forgives the dreamer.”
     Oscar Wilde…
    PANOS, you have been warned…:)))

    Yiouppiiiii…we are all moving to GORDON’S house…if you are late…
    You go to DAH’S place…It’s always your choice…:))))))))))))

  218. david alan harvey

    a note from my youngest son…i think you will enjoy this film actually…he did not write this note for Burn…he does not even know i am putting it here..this email was just for our immediate friends..only because Panos mentioned Obama did i think of it….

    Hello friends and family,

    Last year, I was the cinematographer for a documentary that put me behind-the-scenes in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and racing around in a few motorcades with President Obama. It’s a National Geographic Special about the role of the President’s photographer that was filmed off and on from September 2009 to May 2010. While the most fun as a cinematographer was the time spent following the current photographer, Pete Souza, in and around the White House with the President, the film also includes interviews we did with all of the living former photographers as well as Bush 41 and Bush 43. So don’t shy away from it because of any political leanings – it’s not that kind of show.

    You can watch a short trailer here…
    http://www.pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/

    It will be airing on PBS, which makes it a little trickier than usual to suggest a time to watch. You really need to check your own cable listings as each PBS station makes their own choice with programming, and sometimes cable providers use PBS stations from different locales.

    The President’s Photographer: 50 Years Inside the Oval Office
    PBS (Important! NOT on the National Geographic Channel!)
    premieres Wednesday, November 24 (in most locations – check local listings for times and dates for your cable provider)

    Take care,
    Erin

  220. Mike R

    The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, came under criticism for employing a personal photographer and paying for him out of the public purse: so much so that changes were made so that the photographer will now be paid from Conservative Party funds. Given that the public purse is almost empty I suppose criticism is to be expected but I’m sure that it could have been deflected to a considerable extent if the work of American Presidential photographers had been shown as an example of what was hoped to be achieved. I’m thinking, particularly, of a photograph of President Ford after he had just made the call to end the Vietnam War. I’d like to see something similar from Cameron and Obama.

  221. Sean Gallagher

    David AH/Imants/Mike R/All,

    Interesting to see this come up. I spent 2 days photographing David Cameron on his recent visit to Beijing. I’m not particularly into politics but it was rather interesting way to spend a couple of days. Got very good access and spent time in the motorcades, behind the scenes etc. Even got to photograph some quieter moments and his meetings with the Chinese leaders. The BBC did a nice little interview if you’d like to read about my experiences… http://bbc.in/cSXFOS

    Sean

  223. Sean Gallagher

    Imants,

    No problem. I think some have already seen the images from before but your ‘Walt Disney’s Fantasy World’ rang a bell. The whole experience was slightly surreal.

    Cheers,
    Sean

  224. Imants

    The wwwdot world has sure upped the ante on performing for the media aren’t there more spin doctors pulling the strings for the seats of power than ever before.

  225. david alan harvey

    SEAN…

    good work… a couple of very nice images…..you ever see Peter Marlowe long essay on Tony Blair?? months on the case…and the very best was Yiochi Okamoto work with U.S. prez Lyndon Johnson…great access…unbelievable great access….also pretty good was David Hume Kennerly with Gerald Ford as per the Mike R comment above…Kennerly and Ford became very good friends even to the point where Kennerly became a Vietnam war advisor…after all he had been on the ground covering the war and knew more than anyone in the official cabinet on a certain level

    IMANTS…

    if you see the film you will see it is a long tradition to document the prez..these pictures generally do not go out to the press…mostly they just shoot for the archives….and any U.S. citizen has access to these public archives…but , yes i suppose anything connected to the Oval Office could look as you suggest..not the same in OZ?? well if you really want to see Disneyland just wait two years when Sarah Palin gets in….the spin doctors of the spin doctors at work!!

  226. eva

    No politics in this corner of the world (well, except for everyone waiting for Dec. 14th, seems there’ll be the big bang.. not believing it, as they are attached to their seats with glue and scotch tape..), just family stuff: the thingy and his dad…

  227. JLW

    Very inspirational, both – Erin’s trailer for ‘The President’s Photographer: 50 Years Inside the Oval Office’ and Sean’s interview with the BBC! One of the wonderful things about digital and being able to file work so quickly is that people remote from the action get to feel so closely involved virtually ‘real time’ as we did with Sean. He was sharing the work as he was producing it which was pretty impressive as he’d not done it before. Fabulous camera work in the trailer and so perfectly produced! I really loved some of the moments in there – I hope we’ll get to see the documentary in the UK. I have no doubt that people would love to see it here.

    Sean – Wow to your responses in the interview! Every single point is so very concise and spot on! I like that image on the red carpet best of all, knowing the context. Thanks for sharing it all! Truly, once in a lifetime in Beijing. You did it so well! Amazing given how much preparation must have been involved and it was your first time!

    Mike R – Personally, I don’t think it would have any difference what the UK public was shown re. the work of photographers documenting US Presidents. The furore was centered on where the funds were coming from in the light of the fact that Cameron’s whole raison d’etre is based around the economy and reducing public spending, so the fact that he had hired a ‘vanity photographer; (even the word irks people here) out of public funds drove people mad given the cuts and changes he is making across the board including national health, welfare and education…

  231. Mike R

    Sean, yes, good interview and good work. Increasingly politicians try to manage events via press statements and “grip-and-grin” photographs so it is refreshing to see you getting at least some access.

    JLW, I’m from England so I understand what you say and yes, the term Vanity Photographer did not help. It is a pity that the post has been made during a period of austerity as I believe that the work will become an important historical record and more valuable as time passes. The views of politicians are much more interesting after they have left office, as attested by political diaries and interviews of former Prime Ministers and government Ministers etc. They tend to tell more of the truth for a start.

  232. Justin Smith

    WooHoo! Just received UPS tracking info from Magnum – Burn01 was still in stock there & ships today.

    Yes!

  235. Imants

    David nowhere near the same in OZ most get a portrait but the display of that is erratic ……….. the prime ministers live a lot more privately sure there are some official photos but most are taken when they do something really dumb stupidity is a norm so that is not newsworthy.

  237. a civilian-mass audience

         “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on and individual level. It’s got to happen inside first. You can take away a man’s political freedom and you won’t hurt him- unless you take away his freedom to feel. That can destroy him. That kind of freedom can’t be granted. Nobody can win it for you.”
     Jim Morrison

    I will be back…

  239. a civilian-mass audience

    BURNIANS…in Korea …and Cambodia …

    Sending best energy…may the spirits of strength and compassion be with all of Us…
    And especially with those in need…

  240. a civilian-mass audience

    VIVEK…
    Hmmm…is because of my heavy accent…?:)))
    Thanks for reporting back in the BURNING area…

  241. mike peters

    Gordon, wonderful images of the party and snowfall… i like that you so faithfully document those people and places closest to you. It seems you do a great job balancing the task of documenting- and participating.. and i sense you do so lovingly; in particular your photos of Martha.

  242. Sean Gallagher

    David AH…Yes, I know of Peter’s work on Tony Blair. I assisted Peter on a shoot during my time at Magnum London and remember asking him about his experiences photographing the PM. I believe he photographed him just before he became PM. Great access though and great work. It was in the back of my mind when I was photographing Cameron. Never thought 5 years later, I’d be doing a similar thing. Will try and find the work of the other photographers you mentioned.

    JLW…Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, turning the images around quickly was not how I normally work but it was interesting for the short time I did it. I always kept ‘the feature’ in mind, so have been spending more time with those images which are much more natural, rather than some of the more formal pictures I had to capture for the client. An experience to remember, for sure.

    Mike R…Yes, it was a special opportunity. Just tried to make the most out of the limited time I had. I was happy with the work, in the end. I had no agenda and was happy to have the freedom try to find a few unique moments.

  247. Imants

    Yea Ross the second explosion sorta confirms it all, with these mines requiring ventilation that gas cocktail sure must have built up. The guys probably died of carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep. Sad stuff

  249. panos skoulidas

    Life is simple here.. You love ths “Spurs” and “hate” the Lakers..
    But, not me., I hate noone and I love the Lakers,.
    And the Lakers humiliated Michigan tonight ..
    Viva Kobe..
    But that’s not the reason I’m in trouble.,
    Reason is that Melissa is with me..
    Melissa the Astonishing decided to “follow” the Lakers guy…
    Cowboys not fond of that…
    But that’s how it always worked..
    My loss your gain and Vice Versa…
    Sex is always the Excuse.
    Usually it’s “deeper” than that..
    It’s more like “save me”… “take me away” kinda thing!
    I love the south..
    Girls are so much more straightforward ..
    Da Real Thing

  252. a civilian-mass audience

         
    “Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”
     William Saroyan

    Thank you all for reporting , hijacking, updating,expressing…
    Circle of life
    Circle of friends
    Universe is BURNing
    There is a quest…
    Pick up your camera…forget the lens…
    Capture the mess…
    You are on a mission
    …don’t think any less…
    Circle of life
    Circle of friends…

  253. a civilian-mass audience

    Mama SOCRATES…Must be very proud of ERIN,the cinematographer…
    We can only imagine…

    What not to love !!!

  255. JLW

    “From a moral point of view, you have to invent your own life, against fear and ignorance, and through the action.” ~ Antoine d’Agata

    How very true. And what a mind-blowing interview! I love that first single image in the sequence – it hits the spot of the journey he’s on – pleasure and pain in action – Bacon mixed with Chagall.

    Thank God I have so far been nomadic in blocks of time, not ALL of the time… where otherwise is the time to process what is going on? I need that. I seem to have hit a space of ‘choiceless awareness’ or is it simply just a fear of going forward – against fear and ignorance – after a little too much ‘pain in action’? I agree with that moral point of view of d’Agata’s so I guess it is just a matter of time but I, for one, feel the need to get into a different phase of experimentation…

  256. JLW

    David – thanks for your twitter posts – they have a really good ‘feel good’ factor and make me smile!

    Mike R – agree with what you say.

    Panos – sending you a : ) and praying you’re on horizontal mode because I like the way you ‘film’!

    Eva – thanks for sharing that article. It was a wonderful start to the day.

    Civi – what not to love?

    soft sunshine today… missed this kind of light for several years… must wrap up warm… praying, praying, praying for the miners in New Zealand…

  257. paultreacy.com

    Civilian Mass Audience, POLLYMAN is fine. Just don’t let it happen again! I jest, of course.

    All, after so much editing, sequencing, second guessing, sleeplessness, coffee and the like, The Photohumourist – Mixed Messages is finally published. And it’s just been Staff Picked and will feature at Format Festival here in the UK in March.

    It’s a delicious wee book. Very detailed and loaded with cultural anthropological wit. Printed on 96 pages of heavy premium lustre stock. I hope you’ll take a look. Plenty of new work in there too.

    Now I’m going to take a break for a few days.

    All you Americans, I hope you have a delightful and restful Thanks Giving. Be safe. Be well. Back soon.

    Paulyman. (aka Pollyman)

  258. a civilian-mass audience

    BURNIANS…

    Another book for our selection…from our PAUL TREACY!!!
    Amazing…I love the picture…the one with Love,Love…
    Whatever else…I am a civilian :)))
    Bravo…PAUL…and I promise it won’t happen again…but you have to promise me…
    I will be in U.K in few months…you better sign it for me…

    JLW…new phase of experimentation…go JLW,GO JLW…

    And regarding the miners down in NZ…so weird…but there was no coverage in Grecolandia…
    …maybe they know…that I tune in BURN for live coverage…

    Circle of life…etcetera…VIVEK…I will be back… :)))

  262. Ross Nolly

    Imants; Yea; it seems like the toxic gases probably did their work before yesterday’s second explosion.

    A pretty sober morning here. Twenty-nine dead is even more profound in a small town like Greymouth (about 9,000 pop.) For me, one of the most poingnant stories was of the young 17-year old who was killed on his first shift in the mine.

    He had straightened his life out (after getting into a bit of mischief) by getting a job in the coal mine. He was so keen to start that he begged to begin two days early (which he did). After his morning shift he asked if he could stay for the afternoon. And in doing so was caught up in the disaster.

  263. Akaky

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and here is one from the archives…

    Thanksgiving is almost upon us again, the date on which we look back on the year and give thanks to the Lord for His many blessings to us and our country. I suppose I should be thankful, simply as a matter of courtesy; after all, everyone else is thanking Him and I suppose I should, too; but to tell the truth, Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays. When I was a kid, Mom and Pop would pile all of us kids into the car and we’d go to some relative’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. These trips were, almost invariably, marked by parental discord, followed by my father blaming us kids for the quarrel and warning us that we’d better be quiet or we’d get the strap laid across our backsides. Then when we got to wherever we were going, we had to be polite and not run or jump or scream or knock over this particular relative’s collection of fine 18th century fine Dresden china, thereby breaking every single piece of it into pieces so small that they defied repair. But let’s not go there; there was plenty of blame to go around on that particular misadventure (no, it wasn’t my fault, really, I don’t care what my brother says, and yes, my aunt had all of that stuff insured).

    The worst aspect of those Thanksgivings was not having anything to eat while waiting for the turkey to cook for fear we would ruin our appetites, and second, our parents not letting us play outside because they didn’t want us to dirty our clothes. So there we were, five growing and very hungry boys, stuck in a house full of the smells of Thanksgiving dinner, with sideboards groaning under the weight of cookies and cakes and pies of every description and we couldn’t have any of it. We hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, so there’d be plenty of space for dinner, and so at around three o’clock we were going out of our minds with hunger. Meanwhile, the grown-ups sat at the dining room table stuffing their faces with fruit and cookies as they yammered away about politics, family gossip, and who died that year and how they knew last Thanksgiving that the deceased wasn’t going to survive till this Thanksgiving. After all that, of course, we fell on our dinners with the avidity of a flock of vultures dining on an elephant carcass, only to listen to Mom and Pop complain all the way home that we hadn’t behaved ourselves after hours of the most appalling psychogastronomical torture imaginable. Frankly, as a kid, the one thing I gave thanks for on Thanksgiving was that Thanksgiving only came once a year.

    And then there was biliary colic. Biliary colic is a condition I’d never even heard of until one Thanksgiving a few years ago. Biliary colic occurs when a gallstone lodges in the gall bladder’s bile duct, causing a major back up in the gland. This usually happens when the victim consumes large amounts of fat on an empty stomach, as when my brother and me consumed a two-pound bag of salted pistachios (we love salted pistachios, but you probably guessed that already) just before Thanksgiving dinner. I will spare the squeamish reader the gruesome details of how biliary colic manifests itself, but I will say that Thanksgiving dinner is rarely as good coming up as it was going down and that this time was no exception to that rule. I still think that the trip to the emergency room was unnecessary; but my mother thought I was having a heart attack and she demanded that I go. I spent Thanksgiving night having tests done and sharing a cubicle with a corrections officer who’d nearly lost an ear in an altercation, as he put it, with a shank-wielding inmate. The man bore his wounds with a good deal of equanimity, and I must admit that my male ego, a delicate flower like all male egos, took a truly massive hit having to admit to this guy that I was the victim of a pistachio (though it was a very tough pistachio, for the record; really, it was).

    Last Thanksgiving wasn’t so bad, all in all. I went to my brother’s house for dinner and a good time was had by all and sundry. The food was excellent and afterwards we all gathered in his living room to watch football. About an hour later the tryptophan started to kick in. Tryptophan, for those of you who’ve never heard of it, is an amino acid that occurs in most living things, but is especially prevalent in Thanksgiving turkeys. It is the bird’s revenge for being dinner. Tryptophan causes extreme sleepiness in most people and we were no exceptions. Two brothers fell asleep on the couch and another went into the bedroom and sprawled out amongst the gathered coats, hats, and gloves like a beached whale and promptly went into a coma.

    This, apparently, is a common reaction to tryptophan, an effect well known to the public and public health authorities alike, and one must wonder why the government does not better regulate turkeys. Public service announcements ceaselessly bombard tobacco and alcohol users with the dangers of smoking and drinking, state attorneys general cannot wait to sue tobacco and liquor companies for every dime they can get out of them, and yet no one does anything about the menace of tryptophan. I have searched the Internet and medical databases alike looking for a study on the effects of this powerful narcotic on drivers’ reflexes, and all to no avail. Millions of drivers will take to the road this holiday with several pounds of turkey in their digestive tracts, and they will be eating turkey for the rest of the week as well, thousands of accidents will occur from one end of the country to the other, and yet no public health official in this country can say for certain if the mass ingestion of turkey played any role in these tragic events. This ignorance of tryptophan’s role seems to me to be the very height of folly. Given its well-known side effects, how can anyone say that eating turkey and driving is an intelligent thing for any person to do?

    And yet there are no angry parents demanding that the government do its job and order this obviously unsafe product out of the nation’s supermarkets. The sale of tryptophan-laden turkeys goes on and on and no one seems to care one way or the other. That a young child can buy a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise in any deli in the United States without a doctor’s prescription or a parent’s consent is nothing short of criminal, a burning mark of shame on the brow of any nation that calls itself civilized.

    The trade in tryptophan is simply unacceptable by any rational standard and the government must do something to either control or ban such traffic outright. This may cause the traffic to go underground, and there is always the possibility of organized crime penetrating the cold cuts industry or organizing illegal delis in the same way they’ve organized crack houses, but the risk is worth it if we can prevent widespread addiction to tryptophan.

    The most important step the government could take is to systematically educate the public away from its association of turkeys with Thanksgiving and to substitute some other foodstuff with the holiday. A family can just as easily thank the Lord for his blessings with a glazed ham or with a take-out pizza as with a turkey. Parents must take the lead in this matter; your children and a grateful nation will thank you for your brave choice someday. In the meantime, I’ll have the Sicilian slice with the extra cheese and Italian sausage.

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