Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Predictable And Hackneyed To...
















The Old Testament of the industry, Communication Arts Magazine, did an easy breezy interview for no apparent reason a month back that got released to the masses this week online. Here are some of what we spoke about:

Aside from your camera and lighting, what item could you not work without?
My toothbrush is a deal breaker. I carry extras in my glove compartment and my camera bag. I really can’t focus on a photo shoot without having my mouth clean and minty. Brushing your teeth before a shoot is like brushing your brain—it clears everything out.

From where do your best ideas originate?
The good stuff comes when you’re not trying really…when your brain is occupied with something else. That is when the raw idea bubbles to the surface. But then, it all gets polished and solidified when you bounce it off your peers. The collaborative moment is when something goes from predictable and hackneyed to utterly inspired.

How do you overcome a creative block?
Drinking coffee and taking pseudoephedrine. Collaborating on projects with my kids always seems to allow me to see things anew.

What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career?
This whole idea of a career in the arts is fascinating, and really only works, because it doesn’t have a map available to guide you. The idea of wandering with a flashlight, in the dark, to find your path is terrifying, but it leads to these things feeling so special when they work out. So of course, I like to say I wish I had a map to guide me in the beginning, but honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

So it's pretty clear I love to talk. About myself. Duh.

Read the interview in all its splendor HERE.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Special Holiday Issues


The holiday is here.

It arrives like a brick thrown through my office window. Sometimes I duck. Sometimes it hits me in the head.

So much going on in the months ahead that I'm excited about: working on an audio spoken word piece for Daylight Books for the forthcoming book "The Photographs Not Taken", curated by Will Steacy. Then there is a photography/design neutron bomb being cooked up by Kate Osba at This Is The What. Of course we don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but we want to get you all curious.

Yes, print lives....at times. And sometimes better than ever.

Then still building the Stereoscopy Project, curious name and all, on my elegant new Tumblr space. Please join and follow it at http://timothyarchibald.tumblr.com/ or HERE.

Things may be quiet around the holidays...but ya never know...


Monday, December 19, 2011

Guy Walking In Nature With Technology












Guy Walking In Nature With Technology was essentially what we needed to create for this think-piece in Forbes last month. The wetlands off 101 in Palo Alto really could not have been kinder to us, as was Michael Woelk, CEO of Picarro.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Turn Your Dial To Tumblr










It is dark so early these days. I needed something to get me through the winter.

I wanted a place to collect images I am playing with and I wanted to see them with size and splendor.

When ECHO became this viral entity that was shared among the visually hungry high school / young adult tumblr crowd, it led me to their visually savvy world. The kids are using tumblr as an art gallery, a mood board, a way to toss things out and see them and think about them. Kind of like push pinning your photographs to your wall so you can think about them and keep them or kill them. This is what I need.

Now it's called .Stereoscopy Photographs.

It is located at http://timothyarchibald.tumblr.com/

Why did you call it that?

Follow it and find out. See it grow and evolve HERE.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Royalty Time Machine

Got a strange thrill the other day when I got word from Process that there were royalties headed my way from my book Sex Machines : Photographs and Interviews. In this day when artists are paying greatly to have their monographs published, this simple note and check from an esoteric book seemed like something from another era.

I had long written off that project as something that did many things to define me and alter the shape of my career, but never really was a publishing success story. I cherished the collaboration with the publisher Process / Daniel 13, and did feel bad that they didn't have the home run on their hands that we all had hoped for. But together, we did makes something we all thought was special.

See the book/buy the book Sex Machines : Photographs and Interviews HERE.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

ERFINDER : Zeit Magazine 12/2011

Ever since shooting The Nerd Convention a million years ago, these inventor stories always seem to find their way to me. I almost always welcome them.

Spent a totally enjoyable few days meeting inventors at TechShop in SF and Menlo Park last month. Everybody wants to know, of course, about Team Phoenicia. Here are some pages from the photo essay in Zeit Magazine, Germany.



Friday, December 9, 2011

Wilson Archibald : born 12/11/2004

The boy with the spirit of adventure deep within him.
The one who teaches us all how to chase and catch a cat.
Happy Birthday Wilson Archibald, age 7!



Tuesday, December 6, 2011

One Last Letter To The Editor.

And then this came in on Thanksgiving, of all days:

Hello Mr. Archibald,

My name is Jacqueline, I'm 17. Just like your son, I am autistic. I was diagnosed as moderate to severe when I was around three years old. I just wanted to say that I am touched by the National Geographic photograph of your child in the living room, it was truly astonishing. And the curtains was a nice touch.


You have truly crossed a threshold that people have been trying to cross for many years now. This is exactly how we see the world. All of us are caught behind this bubble with white and grey fog. Please, if you can, I would like to speak to you more about it. But I understand if you can't, you are quite a busy man.
Sincerely:
Jacqueline


Read other Letters To The Editor HERE.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Frank Gehry 11/2011

Q: Have you ever shot Frank before? Do you know what it's like?
A: No, I haven't. What can you tell me?
Q: Well, he'll just walk in and you'll push the button...it can't really be more complex than that.
A: I think we can handle that.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Elijah Archibald : born 12/3/2001

You never know who will teach you the big lessons, do you?
You never know who is going to be on your path with you either.
Happy Birthday to Eli!
Ten years old tomorrow.