White Space

Early In The Shoot, 8 ft Kino Flos
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We did this massive photo shoot, but I think we were all so busy once the subjects showed up we don't have images of the masses we had to photograph...we only have shots of ourselves in the big open whiteness of Left Space Studios in SF.
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Truth be told I had no idea how I was going to execute this massive photo shoot involving 45 people, but the photo editor seemed to trust me to come up with a plan.

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So what was my plan? I think it was to essentially hire all the people that I always do who are so good at what they do and let them do their thing. Amos, Sz, Sjoen,Wong, and master of light, the new secret weapon Shaun Fenn.

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Rocky start of the day, when our assumptions on how to make this image were not really working out. It just wasn't looking good. The masses are coming...they are in the hall....we just don't have it nailed down yet....a kind of panic seeps in. But I have this crew...they know how to do things. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, let them do their thing, and I'll go socialize with the subjects and try to get them comfortable with me. Will that work? It did.

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With these large complex shoots, it does make me wonder: is it really just about hiring the people who know how to do the work? Is it that easy? You are the photographer, you do something as insignificant as push the button on an electronic device, as everyone else is doing complex and elaborate technical and social engineering to pull off the shot! Can I really take credit for this image? It really took everyone.

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End of Shoot, The Large Whiteness of Left Space

Note The Boom Microphone

AAU Crew, 12/2/09

Let's see. I thought I had a "crew". Here in my 2 car garage office we have 3 cameramen, a sound guy, a director and photographer Jason Langer. And outside in the driveway we got the Academy of Art University van complete with a 1 800 phone number in case you gotta call urgently for an art education or something? 1 800 544 ARTS?

But of course these guys were super to work with. Got to talk about the trying to get the Sex Machines book deal and got to show Echolilia prints. J.L. did the asking and I did the anwering. Also got to view Jason's current project which was great to see as well. Good dialogue with an interesting artist and the sun was shining and then there were bagels...I think it was a good day.

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The AAU Crew Van
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Jason Langer 12/2/09

Wed/Thurs

What is going on?
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Fun few days ahead: Wednesday artist and educator Jason Langer coming to visit and create an educational video on the making of Sex Machines: Photographs and Interviews for The Academy of Art University.
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What will he think of my home? My kids running around screaming?
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And then we are producing a very ambitious...um....group photograph...that we got the dream team and then some on...and we are shooting that on Thursday at Left Space Studio...above.

Peter Frykman

Oh...we had so much fun photographing Peter Frykman of Driptech for Business Week magazine last month with a backdrop created with the Driptech materials by Shannon Amos.

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Family Portrait

My son Eli turns 8 this week. He is the kid that Echolilia is all about.
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My sister hired him to shoot the family portrait this year using the digital camera's auto timer function...he chose the backround, set up the shot, ran around and jumped into the shot before the timer went off. As we've said before...there really is nothing like taking direction from a child to kinda make everyone look good. Of course he's got a blog. See it HERE.

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Hayden's Ferry Review #45

D. Bryon Darby, arts editor of ASU's Hayden's Ferry Review approached me a few months back about featuring Echolilia in their Fall/Winter edition. Amidst the process I asked him why he was interested in the project and he brought up the concept of "Memory" that was a theme of the edition. He writes:

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I was particularly struck by the way you described Emmet Gowin's family photographs in the 100 eyes interview. You said, "It just had this sense of hauntedness that made it seem like a childhood memory." I feel this is the same way I respond to your Echolilia project, and in particular to the four images I've selected. There is something so strange yet so incredibly familiar about them - like my own distant and fleeting memory hiding in my subconscious.

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Of course when an editor says something that kind and perceptive, you will then do anything he says, right? Pretty much...m
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The issue arrived yesterday with a fascinating piece by Hong Hao stretching over the front and back cover titled "My Things No. 1, 2001- 2002" and other great collections by Beth Dow and Mark Klett. The favorite spread from my chunk of the book is above.

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Buy/Subscribe to HFR HERE.

Hayden Ferry Review #45, cover detail from "My Things #1" by Hong Hao

Artists In Residence / 1911.

How do I apply for the TA Artist In Residency program?
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Well just stop by...um...better call first...I have kids and stuff and you never know when they may be freaking out.
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And then come over over and hang out and help solve the issues of contemporary photography. It is as simple as that. Above and below it's Ken Graves and Eva Lipman, busting out the 16 x 20 fiber prints from their current project.



And Justin Wilson and Brian Holliday stop by to do some heavy lifting of a SEAL 200 and also put a little time into solving the issues of contemporary photography.