I am now in Sydney on the craziest schedule of all time. Literally going from one event to another and a workshop on top of it. Last night we projected the student slide show at the Bondi Beach Pavillion with a preamble warm up power show by Stephen DuPont. Thank you Stephen. During this past week I had Kerry Payne, Imants Krumins, David M. Smith, Andrew Quilty, Sam Harris, and Andrew Johnstone all come to make presentations to those I am mentoring here. All added to the mix and match of seeking styles and authorship by the class. Some of the student work will show up here on Burn.

Rolled into all of this was my (based on a true story) opening and book launch. Of course the most popular show in town is the Burn in Print show with many of you exhibited along with Monteleone, Werning, Frazier, Schiffer, and Nachtwey. So it can be safely said I think that Burn had a presence at the HeadOn fest in Sydney. So much so that last nights party after the student show has left me a bit bleary as I go off now to Australian Centre for Photography and an exhibit walk and then rushed to Semi-Permanent designers conference for a showing of the new book.

Woa, I overbooked for sure. Worse , I have not recovered fully from my one week on the road with Antoine D’Agata in North Dakota (above) which segued right into Sydney which rolls me right into Look3 in Charlottesville. I am taking the summer off.

All of this takes energy. Yet all of it gives energy as well. My recommendation for young photographers is to be sure to pay forward to the next generation. This is not a revelation. We all know this, and most do contribute for sure. For those of us working on Burn, we are seeing more possibilities than we can handle. A nice dilemma I guess, but one must always be careful not to get too many things going at once. I know this intellectually, but have a hard time saying “no” in reality.

Thank you for your patience here on Burn for my absence the last couple of weeks. After all, I do not want to neglect this most loyal audience on the net. All of you have built Burn, and I think all of you know you can be a part of it. My  original concept of bringing the audience into real play has happened. You should see the Burn show at Bondi right now. Or visit my classroom and see bloggers on Burn helping to teach my students. All pretty damned heartwarming. Ok gotta run. Back soonest.

 

60 thoughts on “dakota days….”

  4. eva

    Bill:

    “Good to see you back.”

    I know what you mean to say with this.. and it SEEMS David has been away.. but he has not. Away maybe from posting a comment here, yes, but not away from Burn.

    And how could he? We would not let him.. the week prior to arriving to Sydney he was yes with d’Agata, but also with Panos.. whom he met over Road trips/Burn, and who has become a friend.. these past 10 days in Sydney he was/is with Roberta, who met him over Burn.. and Candy, whom he met because of Roberta.. and we all know how important both have become and are, as friends and as collaborators and as an integral part of (based on a true story).

    And Sam Harris too, leaving behind the bush and venturing into Burnland.. same for Ross Nolly, flying in from NZ and just helping out without even being asked to do so.. both met over Burn, both living far away, but connected through this blog.

    I have a hard time to call this a blog. This is so much much more, so different.. and so real.

    Burn, this audience, is always there.. from morning coffee throughout the day into the night.. what happened in Sydney with the Burn in Print show could not have happened without this audience, with people taking their passion for photography to Burn.. by submitting work, be it for the EPF, be it for essays online here.. and other people making it possible to have the funds for the EPF.. bringing the essays to paper in the books.. and up to the wall in the Burn shows.

    It is a lot of work. And it is a lot of fun. And a lot of satisfaction. And pride. To see the gallery full of people, looking at those prints, leafing through Burn02, overhearing conversations.. from people not from Burn, but maybe becoming part of it. People interested in photography. It lives. Definitely.

    David not commenting here does not mean he’s not here. It just means he’s here even more, thinking up the next step.. where to push Burn next.. ’cause if there is one truth, it is that tomorrow will be different from today, always moving forward, always exploring and expanding the boundaries and the limits.. with quality over quantity being the invariable in this equation.

    That is my feeling, that is what I have learnt over the past days and weeks and months, lending a little hand.. lending a hand to myself in the end, as I’ve learnt and grown so much doing this Burn thing..

    The leading force and catalyst to all this is of course David. Who needs to learn to say NO, and who needs a rest. And of course neither of this will happen. So there’s only one thing we all can do if we want Burn to keep going and not take it for granted: help and collaborate… :)

  5. a civilian-mass audience

    MR.DAVID ALAN HARVEY…WE LOVE YOU !

    P.S…EVA, are you possessed by AKAKY’S or BOBBY’S spirit…hiihiii? thank you for reporting

  7. emcd

    “I am taking the summer off.” Can we hold you to that? Get some rest and recharge those batteries. Congrats on everything, wish I coud be at Bondi – I have heard such wonderful things about the exhibit.

    Just added the video of the demo of (based on a true story) to DEVELOP Tube – the book looks so good David.

  10. Frostfrog

    Eva – oh yes, I know and it is all very true. He can’t say “no” just yet, though… been struggling over something and it is just about ready to come his way…

    And… Thank you! You know for what… I’ll write to you soon.

    Hurricane Harvey… sweeping up cats…

  12. david alan harvey

    PAUL

    totally ready for that….pacing is always difficult particularly when looking at many qualified choices…i have a hard time saying no to interesting things….gets me in a whole lot of trouble…also makes for an outrageously interesting life…but rest has to come in there somewhere…as a kid when it would get dark and my mom was calling me home, i just hated to leave whatever it was that i was doing….going to bed meant the day was over…i always wanted more…

  13. panos skoulidas

    Ah DAVID.. I need to save your last comment…
    Hope many will read it and I hope there’ll be them few that will do it, action , and not just words..
    You proved it / signed it your life / books …!!!
    You don’t just talk you also do the walk..
    Thank you

  16. Imants

    Thanks Panos Craig Maylon in oz from MLC the here had a heap of input. It will be a great show put a heap of other exhibitions to shame especially in terms of conceptual strength and photographic resolution

  19. tanguy

    WOW! …and i thought i was working hard right now ;))

    DAH, Good to know you’re out there, alive, doing and kicking it!

  24. Jim Powers

    Paul, thanks for that John Vink link. Bought the app, and have been lost in the photos and stories since. Some great stuff.

  25. John Vink

    Jim: thanks. You are one of the first. Hopefully you’ll find your way soon. True there is a LOT of material (over 700 photographs), but we tried to keep the user interface as straightforward as possible. If you find the time I’d love to read your review in iTunes.

    Paul: thanks as well… You beat me on this one. I am scrambling on all the social networks to spread the word that ‘Quest for Land’ is available on iTunes since yesterday (sooner than expected). ‘Burn’ was on the list…

    To all, here is a Youtube teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OCOHkQLWLs

  27. david alan harvey

    JOHN VINK

    this is your life’s work….come to life…i was in and out of Kampuchea and you have stayed, made a family, done your finest work…i will send you a private email with a suggestion of how we can bring this to further ramification on Burn…either here or the next edition in print…as they says here in Sydney, good on you…

    cheers, david

  28. david alan harvey

    JOHN VINK

    this is your life’s work….come to life…i was in and out of Kampuchea and you have stayed, made a family, done your finest work…i will send you a private email with a suggestion of how we can bring this to further ramification on Burn…either here or the next edition in print…as they say here in Sydney, good on you…

    cheers, david

  30. david alan harvey

    PANOS

    this is the second Magnum project you have done…probably many readers here have no idea of how much effort you put into things…from the “wild man” of Road Trips days to dependable and efficient field producer you have become….and dealing with Antoine and me was for sure a full time job…big thanks…and stay married!! Kim is your soul mate and guiding light….

    cheers, david

  32. John Vink

    DAH

    Life’s work? Just a chapter, just a chapter… There is more about Cambodia up my sleeve… :-)

    MARK

    Thanks. I hope you’ll get your money’s worth. Same for you: if you have time to drop a review of the app in Itunes I’d love to read that.

  33. mtomalty

    John,
    I’ve already gotten my money’s worth
    I sort of suffer from photo A.D.D. and jump all over map
    Your body of work illustrates,perfectly,what an ongoing commitment to one general theme can produce.

  34. Jim Powers

    John, the navigation is good with the app. I started out with the photos from the first “chapter,” but quickly become interested in the story, so went back and read the story before going back to the photos. So, I decided I wanted to read the story, then check out the photos in each chapter. The depth of the work you’ve done there works well translated into this app. You could have never presented this depth of reporting in a book anyone but a weight lifter could have carried around! :)

    You mentioned ViaPanAm in the interview. I picked up that app at the beginning of the journey, and struggled along with it despite the learning process they were going through making it work. Long, sometimes unsuccessful updates and, to me, somewhat confusing navigation. It was worth the effort, though, and I’ve gone back through it several times now.

    None of that in our app, though. Very nice.

  35. Jim Powers

    “None of that in our app, though. Very nice.”

    Should you have been “your app.” Hate blogs where you can’t edit posts. :) Especially when I’m posting at 4 a.m. before my first cup of coffee.

  36. eva

    PANOS!!!!!

    you got your email address wrong in the credits, that should be a DOT and not a COMMA between first and surname!!

    SHEEESH!!

    Thanks for posting this.. love to see the making of and behind the scenes of stuff!

  37. panos skoulidas

    Eva thank you very much..
    Actually im working on 2 (two) more long “short film” versions of the North Dakota , Williston experience…about 10 minutes each..one with music and stills and the other one only video, no stills and also work on two different endings…a formal one and THE FUN ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    stay tuned…coming up soonest on a utube and Vimeo near you;)

  38. panos skoulidas

    this is the second Magnum project you have done…
    ————————————————-
    thank you for trust and believing in me…!

    .and dealing with Antoine and me was for sure a full time job…
    ————————————————-
    ha ha yes it was…Having assisted and worked side by side with many of the so called the
    DREAM TEAM = Magnum’s finest
    :(Nikos Economopoulos in Istanbul, Alec Soth, Susan Meiselas, M. Subotzky, Paolo Pellegrin ,Jim Goldberg for the Postcards from America project few months ago and now working on the project :
    “Looking for America 2012” with DAVID ALAN HARVEY and Antoine D’AGATA , i can definitely say that you too guys are the most fun and most difficult to work with at the same time…Also big thanks to Antoine for including me as cameraman in his new upcoming movie – we already shot a scene in a dark alley 2am -etc…
    but but biggest thanks to YOU , David…for all the INSPIRATION and MOTIVATION…

    I WILL NEVER FORGET TWO THINGS FROM YOUR philosophy/TEACHINGS (that will always resonate to the max ) so far and i want to keep repeating them to all and everybody…:
    1) few years ago when i was disappointed, not believing in my own work enough, literally lost, hoping for random awards etc , you told me : YOU ARE HERE FOR THE LONG RUN..NO QUICK VICTORIES
    2) YOU INSISTED ON PASSING THE TORCH to next generations…you were very serious, very very serious about PASSING THE “TORCH”..serve the Tower of “song/art/photography” and keep our craft alive!!! pass the torch after u have it, pass it..dont hold secrets, teach!!! SERVE!!!!!!!

    DAH thank you, deep bow
    panos

  46. panos skoulidas

    Carlo thanks bro!!!
    Got a lot material and as u can see I throw them into the mix and make a little noodle soup..
    If u see my “video editing” equipment/software you’ll be laughing even harder..lol
    Ask Haik…lol.. but Carlo I might start bothering you to help me in tech stuff etc soonest!
    One love bro!
    Go Miami Go!!!!!

  55. a civilian-mass audience

    Wow……..the three Musketeers!!!

    Ok,you do deliver PANOS…you Greco devil…
    Ouzo on me!

    And yeah,BOUBOUTIN rocks…!

    WHAT NOT TO LOVE!

  56. a civilian-mass audience

    And please…credit to the civilians who are behind the photophilosophers

    KIM …you are amazing …!!! And THANK YOU!

  58. Jason_Houge

    Thanks for sharing that Paul – It’s beautiful. Bruce Davidson’s work is beautiful…

    I wanted to share my project with the Burn community; I always feel that the timing is wrong. But, as they say, there’s no time like the present. It’s called “Poverty Now” I am photographing the changing face of Poverty in the U.S. I’m travelling across the nation to do this – I’ll let you read the rest from the following page. I need help to do the travelling and continue the work I’ve begun.

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jasonhouge/poverty-now

  59. panos skoulidas

    JASON..:)
    Very courageous of you!! Good luck with your project, sounds very important!
    Congrats and I hope kick starter will help enough!
    Keep us updated!

  60. Jason_Houge

    Thank you Panos! I sure hope I can raise the money – I’m doing what I can – applying for grants and such in case kickstarter doesn’t pan out in my favor. nothing more heartbreaking than knowing, wanting and needing to make work about something that so personally important and not having the funds to do the extent that’s needed… So far I’m off to a fairly good start. Need to raise more… for those not aware of how it works – unlike charities collecting change with some goal in mind, on Kickstarter if 100% of the goal is not reached by the deadline, no funds are collected… Eh what am I doing… I’m preaching to the choir. THANK YOU PANOS!

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