37 posts from October 2008

My prof, now a friend and neighbor, in fact she used to be a waitress where I cooked and also supervised some of my student teaching, wrote this critique:

Even if you weren't trying to make a punk photograph there are elements in your self portrait that seem to point to that. Overall it has a fairly cold feeling to it, part of that comes from the way you have changed the landscape and part comes, for me, in the lack of detail in your face and the way that your pose is very formalized. There isn't anything that you are doing with gesture that that sets you apart from any other motorcycle rider so, I read you more of a "type" than an individual. The other elements that also give a new aesthetic feeling to the photo are the gritty high contrast look and the out of focus/registration quality. These seem to indicate a disregard for polished technique that is somewhat new wave or punk. Anyway your technique is fine with me. I think the lack of tonal range and lack of perfect depth of field work well with your subject matter. I do wish though that there was some detail in the white band at the top of the photo because that band seems to sit right on your head instead of receding back into space- almost like a cartoon balloon. I also wish that you could have somehow revealed more of yourself in the self portrait. Part of this problem seems to stem from the lack of detail in your face and body and that formalized pose. Not that a person can really learn something meaningful about another person through those kind of details but something seems necessary to turn this photograph from snapshot into a portrait or self portrait. Don't get me wrong however, I like many things about this photograph. I do like the disregard for perfect technique, I like the extraordinary quality to the landscape and I like the way you approach the problems given in this class. Grade: B

I was working at a photo lab at the time and doing slide reproduction with freaky Kodalith Ortho film. No tonal range period. It's like the PhotoShop filter for posterizing in your camera. I loved this film and abused it for many course projects. I love the "disregard for perfect technique" quote. Ha! - Ain't that the truth. Four hours a day with my hands in the photo wet lab and "polishing" was not in my repertoire!

That bike is a Suzuki GT550 that I rode for a while. Thing was So LOUD, 2 stroke clatter with custom Marzocchi race pipes. Handled like a turd tho. The front suspension was dangerously flabby and no fancy tires, paint or stickers allowed you to ride faster than a glorified moped. Took the shot in a (still vacant) lot on East Washington Avenue. No timer etc. I was not moving as you can see by the spokes on the bike.

More later...

Make your own

On tap: new Kanye, LCD Soundsystem, Andrea Parker remixes, maybe some Kaosillator Halloween vibe and pre-election night horror.