FrankS
Registered User
Be careful what you wish for.
furcafe
Veteran
Yes, there is a significant "BS" factor involved, or @ least it seems that way to me since I don't come from an arts background. I hate writing them as they remind me of the annoyingly earnest essays I had to include in my college & grad school applications.
In my (very limited) experience, different exhibits have highlighted different types of photography & subject matter, so the statement has been different each time. For the most recent group show which included some of my work, I used the following:
My philosophy of street and documentary photography resembles the old beat cop's credo, i.e., it is critical to know people, the things they do, and when they do them. I shot all of the photos here on 18th St. between Florida Ave. and Columbia Rd., an area of Adams-Morgan that often functions as DC's Bourbon St. and is best known for drunkenness, debauchery, and bad behavior: in other words, an ideal photographic environment. But Adams-Morgan is also a regular neighborhood where people live and work, not just a nightlife hub, and I have attempted to capture some moments of repose and solitude amidst the chaos.
In my (very limited) experience, different exhibits have highlighted different types of photography & subject matter, so the statement has been different each time. For the most recent group show which included some of my work, I used the following:
My philosophy of street and documentary photography resembles the old beat cop's credo, i.e., it is critical to know people, the things they do, and when they do them. I shot all of the photos here on 18th St. between Florida Ave. and Columbia Rd., an area of Adams-Morgan that often functions as DC's Bourbon St. and is best known for drunkenness, debauchery, and bad behavior: in other words, an ideal photographic environment. But Adams-Morgan is also a regular neighborhood where people live and work, not just a nightlife hub, and I have attempted to capture some moments of repose and solitude amidst the chaos.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
"Whatever it is about pictures, photographs, it's just about impossible to follow up with words. They don't have anything to do with each other...Art, or what we call that, you can love it and appreciate it, but you can't really talk about it. Doesn't make any sense." - William Eggleston.
... I like W.E
... I like W.E
SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
I've been near that area in DC... and never saw any of the things you describe. I'll be going there in a couple of weeks... but, alas, won't have time enough to meander there.
Great restaurant area, BTW. IIRC, there's a place called "Cashion's" that serves sublime fare. Pricy, yes, but it's worth it.
So, furcafe, you're an urban historian, right? Welcome to the club!
Great restaurant area, BTW. IIRC, there's a place called "Cashion's" that serves sublime fare. Pricy, yes, but it's worth it.
So, furcafe, you're an urban historian, right? Welcome to the club!
feenej
Well-known
"Not that social; just a good drinker". Ok I stole that from the Von Bondies. Jack White got in a fist fight with their base player over a woman. Was arrested.
furcafe
Veteran
You have to be on that stretch of 18th St. on weekend nights (nowadays that includes both Thursday & Friday nights), usually after 10pm, to see the more raucous behavior. Many people, even locals, have only been to Adams-Morgan during those time periods, & mostly when they were in their 20s.
Yes, Cashion's is very good, probably the fanciest restaurant in the neighborhood. It's on Columbia Rd., off the main party stretch. Ann Cashion has another fine restaurant, Johnny's Half Shell, in Capitol Hill.
As a photographer, I don't see myself as a historian, rather a supplier of primary source material . . .
Yes, Cashion's is very good, probably the fanciest restaurant in the neighborhood. It's on Columbia Rd., off the main party stretch. Ann Cashion has another fine restaurant, Johnny's Half Shell, in Capitol Hill.
As a photographer, I don't see myself as a historian, rather a supplier of primary source material . . .
I've been near that area in DC... and never saw any of the things you describe. I'll be going there in a couple of weeks... but, alas, won't have time enough to meander there.
Great restaurant area, BTW. IIRC, there's a place called "Cashion's" that serves sublime fare. Pricy, yes, but it's worth it.
So, furcafe, you're an urban historian, right? Welcome to the club!
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
On a couple of occasions I have had to do this. Hate it with a vengeance too.
One read simply "I take pictures so i don't have to write about what I see"
One read simply "I take pictures so i don't have to write about what I see"
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Writing an artist's statement is extremely challenging when the "artist" is you, and you are writing about you in the third person. It's like pretending to be a used car salesman pretending to sell the used car salesman pretending to be the car. I mean, after all, it is a car, and you can find out whether you like the car if you took it out for a drive, right?
So, as Gabriel finds artist statements like cars pretending to be car salesmen where the world revolves infinitely around them, he can just attest to his love of photography, as well as his subjects being, and presenting them for the viewer as they are. With the help of a car wash now and then to underline the often-overlooked details that make life.
Given that dealerships often deal with only one brand, or style with a target market in life to grab today's public's short attention span, Gabriel finds himself not with a "unified theme" in his portfolio: while photographers specialize in only B&W, or only film, or only landscapes, or mainly nudes, or even only digital photos of other cars, he embraces them all.
P.S. Gabriel is neither a car nor a car salesman. He's Gabriel.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Oh, and Gabriel doesn't know how to count.
That was beyond 50 words. :bang:
That was beyond 50 words. :bang:
Al Kaplan
Veteran
There is beauty in words also. Cadence, aliteration, rhyming, the juxtaposition of one word with another, putting in subtle hints of another less obvious meaning. There is a lot more to it than just writing facts, or just stretching the truth. Like photography, writing can be fun.
Last edited:
FrankS
Registered User
I agree Al. Like photography, writing can be done artistically/masterfully, it can be done with a high degree to technical competence and still be boring, and it can be junk.
notturtle
Well-known
I would get someone else to help you do it; someone who knows what you do, why you do it and what you don't want to hear about yourself. Its seriously tough. So much is fleeting, but that does not mean lacking in substance. Many incomplete ideas or reflections can result in an image or body of work making perfect sense at the time of shooting and forever after, but that does not mean it can be tied down to one definitive concept, perspective etc. It can be a collage of ideas that massage their way along.
As painful as it is, dont scoff at it. Think about, because doing so may well help you. I did and within a few days treading the fringe of madness (and confusing the person who helped me write it) I came away with a far better understanding of what drove my work, (particularly the themes consistent between my old and new work) and the way forwards for me. Very little of the process was converted into a 'statement' but what came out helped me out of all proportion to the few words left standing. It was the most constructive thing I have done for my work in years. My goals were:
It needs to be honest and accurate.
It must not be pretentious twaddle (see above)
It needs to sound right and press the right buttons for certain folk
I need to be proud of it.
Having left it alone for two months I need to go back and make some edits and then it should be done. Most difficult 100 words I have ever written. Having gone through this process I came out of it with far more ideas for future work than I thought possible. It acted as a binding agent for everything going forwards.
As painful as it is, dont scoff at it. Think about, because doing so may well help you. I did and within a few days treading the fringe of madness (and confusing the person who helped me write it) I came away with a far better understanding of what drove my work, (particularly the themes consistent between my old and new work) and the way forwards for me. Very little of the process was converted into a 'statement' but what came out helped me out of all proportion to the few words left standing. It was the most constructive thing I have done for my work in years. My goals were:
It needs to be honest and accurate.
It must not be pretentious twaddle (see above)
It needs to sound right and press the right buttons for certain folk
I need to be proud of it.
Having left it alone for two months I need to go back and make some edits and then it should be done. Most difficult 100 words I have ever written. Having gone through this process I came out of it with far more ideas for future work than I thought possible. It acted as a binding agent for everything going forwards.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I don't think I would do that at all ... I would have someone qualified who thought my work was worthwhile write an appraisal! If there was no such person it would indicate I didn't warrant the attention in the first place!
BillBingham2
Registered User
As I go through life I try to capturing things often overlooked with a love for people, humor, light and texture.
B2 (;->
B2 (;->
imajypsee
no expiration date
soo...
soo...
A: where's your entry Frank S?
B: wow, thanks, Bob Michaels, for that link and the photos; I looked at every one and enjoyed the tour.
C: here's mine
I photograph because I like the process. My way of photographing has no real sense of organization or plan or specific end in mind. Mostly, I photograph first and organize later. It's all good, photographically speaking.
[url=http://www.pbase.com/image/39089641]
Mary in SW Florida, USA
soo...
A: where's your entry Frank S?
B: wow, thanks, Bob Michaels, for that link and the photos; I looked at every one and enjoyed the tour.
C: here's mine
I photograph because I like the process. My way of photographing has no real sense of organization or plan or specific end in mind. Mostly, I photograph first and organize later. It's all good, photographically speaking.
[url=http://www.pbase.com/image/39089641]Mary in SW Florida, USA
S
st3ph3nm
Guest
antistatic
Well-known
"David has been photographing with renewed urgency once it was made a condition of his parole."
notturtle
Well-known
Unless you happen to know the person that will cost money and that yet another investment before getting a return which is the killer for anyone starting out. I don't agree with your second sentence. Everyone has to start somewhere and critical acclaim tends to come after work has been shown. Often People want to know about the photographer in order to show it. if you are at the exhibit people will want to talk to you. If you do well, journalist might want to talk to you. Being mute throughout might not be the best course of action.
There is nothing wrong with having no rhyme or reason to what you photograph; however, that approach might be a problem if one hopes to really get somewhere with it (outside of normal commercial photography channels; products, weddings, architecture etc). It does not have to be wrapped up in a neat bow, but I have a hunch that the photographers who really got somewhere tended to be able to do a lot of thinking and talking about photography (including their own) even if they despised putting their work in a neat little box and took exception to a lot of common percetptions, including those of the 'art world'. ... even if they sat thru interviews deflecting silly questions and avoiding the creative stereotypes.
My work has become infinitely more cohesive since I started thinking a more about what and why trying to understand (me) - people might edit and deal with work after it has been taken, but there were reasons the shots were taken in the first place! It took me years to understand the themes and I can thank my partner most of all. She could see the relationship between the work and the person far better than I could. To me, it was simply what I did. I am me and i do what I do. She could explain why.
It does not have to change what you then do (tho I suspect it might influence things) but it does shape the context. Its that that the gallery wants to know about. It makes the work a product of a human mind, not adrift. I know great work should be able to stand alone, but understanding the context can make more sense of it and add pleasure to the viewing experience. People like to 'get it.'
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Very interesting response to my post ... should I call you 'notturtle' ... will you ever be just 'turtle' again?
I'm in the fortunate position of having a good friend who is an arts curator and she's changed the way I think about my own directions in photography. She has the abilty to judge my work based on her own appraisal skills and without being emotionally connected to that work ... I never realised how important this was and I'm very lucky to have her input. But of course we can't all be lucky enough to have such a friend.
If I needed such I would definitely ask her for a written appraisal of what sort of photographer I was and what my directions were before I would attempt to do it myself for exactly the same reasons. I know she'd be emotionally detached from that task and would be totally honest and tell it as she saw it in her professional role.
As I said I am very fortunate to have this.
Last edited:
nbphoto
Member
I get the feeling we have been to the same business meetings! Good to see that you are 110% on board with the blue sky, out of the box thinking that defines our generation.