THE VIEW FROM HERE
Two Weeks at the Maine Media Workshops
As I flew off to my annual sojourn to Maine, I was lost in thought with the challenges of keeping things moving forward in this difficult economy. However, a plane flight forces me into a different pace, reading for the pure pleasure of it, naps at will, the parade of America moving through my ever-present window seat view.
After a few hours, I was in quite another state of mind, excited about a new project I was detailing as we flew, much more in the immediate present of the landscape below, rising to the adventure of new people and unknown experiences that any trip brings.
This trip was no exception to likely interesting experiences. On being picked up at the Portland Maine Airport, I met an LA-based Argentinean filmmaker coming to study at the workshops for two weeks, Florencia Davidzon. It turns out that since a recent career switch, she has already made some moving short films, particularly moving was one made in Uganda and a new one on an LA Homeless Center's client dignity. We hung out a bit, at the end of my stay she needed a portrait for a film festival entry which I was glad to do for her. It's good for all of us in the arts to lend support where we can. |
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My classes also had a rich mixture of students, two Americans teaching high school abroad among them, one in Singapore and one in the United Arab Emirates. The photographs they brought deepened our look at the world and I think the work we did together strengthened their commitment to do even more. Another student was from Uruguay and came with a little GoCam video camera that produced some fun videos for the week, some with the camera mounted by suction cup on the van's roof as we drove through Acadia National Park. Some beautiful bird shots became part of the class due to a student from Florida who has found a wonderful site with alligators and birds in abundance.
We enjoyed a great field trip to Acadia National Park and once again went the see the visual wonderland of Andy Swift's Firefly fire engine restorations.
In the second week at the workshops, the class concentrated on printing. It was great to have the time to really work with people on some carefully crafted prints. We took a field trip to see the Paul Caponigro show (see right column) south in Rockland on the day I introduced digital black and white printing. Paul's black and white prints served as a great point of departure for our Black and White afternoon.
On the black and white conversion lecture that afternoon, I used a photograph made just the week before at Jordan Pond in Acadia. This proved useful to demonstrate the possibility of selective conversion of different colors in the original to custom black and white renditions.
The Workshops shot a video of me and my good friend and excellent teacher Bobbi Lane talking about our experiences during the week, which is now online.
The video was shot with 2 Canon 5D IIs with a wired and wireless mike and a separate digital audio recorder.
This Week at the Workshops: 6/19 - 6/25 from Maine Media Workshops + College on Vimeo.
This trip, like so many others, reminded me of what a privilege it is to teach, to try to make a difference for people's passions. And going to Maine every summer has become a wonderful part of my summers. Good people, working hard to do good work at the Maine Media workshops.
Walking around Rockland Maine after seeing a wonderful exhibit by one of my photographic heroes, Paul Caponigro, we encountered some young folks hanging out, reminding me of a classic Paul Strand photograph.
So I walked up to them and asked if I could make a photograph. They were not only fine with the photo, but it once again added to the experience of human interaction because of what we see. And a much better image than any attempt to be secretive about making the photograph..
Speaking of Paul Caponirgo, the current show at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland Maine is superb. Walking the exhibition, it was clear to me once again why Paul's work so inspired me so long ago. There is a grace and emotion in his work that I rarely see in art. He is truly a gifted and sensitive soul.
Many of Paul's more recent photographs are exquisite still-life's done with a wonderful sensitivity to form and texture. Seeing these photographs gave me a needed kick to again start exploring the many found objects collecting on my shelves. Many of these objects truly are treasures, and many deserve the attention of a passionate camera.
Photoshop Bodywork Discouraged By American Medical Association
On another note entirely, since the early days of digital imaging, I've maintained that photography's real value was in the truth a photograph could tell. Many people mourned the advent of digital imaging because of the ease of image manipulation. Of course, it is not the software or digital originals to blame for deception, it is photographers and retouchers with intent to deceive and monied interests with a motive to profit from the deception, to sell sex, political agendas or a variety of other products and services.
Now the American Medical Association has jumped in to publicly denounce the role image manipulation has taken in shaping our expectations of bodily appearance and health, particularly for young people.
Advertisers commonly alter photographs to enhance the appearance of models' bodies, and such alterations can contribute to unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image – especially among impressionable children and adolescents.
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