Relations? And a List or Two... Yes, Two Lists.

I have been really struggling with trying to figure out why I am making these images.  I think the more I look at them that it becomes a little bit about a relationship/association/connection/link with the natural world.  Almost all of the work I have done is about this idea.  But it is more than just that; it isn't that easy.... thus the struggle..... OK so lets try a list here;

List of ideas;

• 
  
  Light
• 
  
  Man made
• 
  
  Natural
• 
  
  Living
• 
  
  Inert
• 
  
  Land
• 
  
  Clay
• 
  
  Dirt
• 
  
  Grass
• 
  
  Ugly Vs. Appealing {or, is ugly actually an appealing quality?}
• 
  
  Dead
• 
  
  Growth
• 
  
  Consumption- man and/or nature as consumer
• 
  
  Objects
• 
  
  Abandoned or Tossed out
• 
  
  Neglect
• 
  
  Waste

More later I think.... need to digest.

Reading List;

Finished-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis
A frightening story of what would happen if the fascists took over in America in the 1930's.  The scariest part about it is that it was written in 1935 before all of the Nazi atrocities were realized.

Reading-
Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

I'm Looking in Different Places Too.

I realized over the last few days that I have not been looking at the bigger picture. 

Different places = different directions = new ideas = more interesting images = new outlook/perspective

Holga Image

From the first roll I put through... flash ... night .... tree.

There is Always More.... You Just Have to Know Where to Find it...

I am taking a little vacation from work this week so I am going to make this short and sweet.  This blog is a tool for editing material and talking a little bit about the work I am doing.  There are always more images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tbemister  .  If you would like to see more work, please visit.  In the near future there will be a website that will have each of the projects in their final state.

Thank you for looking... please check back on a regular basis. 

The Marathon

A couple of new images.  Stay tuned for more soon.

Taking a look at the bigger picture is very important.  That being said, I will try to consolidate my thoughts on the body of work thus far into a few sentences/ideas/concepts for those of you who need it or care to read it;

Conditions.... and the tolerance of them.  Where we live..... the real places.  Who we are...... still working on that one.  Things, places, people, time, ..... , and anything else we might be taking for granted. 

I have to keep looking because there is more to it.

Reading list;

Reading now-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

Reason to be Happy #5

Old School Cartoons

Reading List Update

Finished-
Montcalm and Wolfe- The French and Indian Wars - Francis Parkman

Reading-
It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

Reason to be Happy #4

Childhood memories and a Sox winner in Detroit today.
{HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD, HAROLD}

4 New Images

Lots of things bouncing around in my head right now.  Sometimes there is a lot of noise and it is nice to sit and concentrate on a couple of photos for a while.  I lose the time and before you know it .....

Reading list;

Reading-

Almost done with Montcalm and Wolfe; can't wait to sit down to some fiction for a while.

Up next-

Either,

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

or

It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

New For You..... It Can Be a Slow Process

Feedback is a premium. . . .  Changes. . . . . process gets slower. . . .  critique your work. . . . .  difficult to progress. . . . be objective b e objective. . . . . being objective. . .  . own work. . .  .  more dificult artist.....

Process

I Bought a Holga- No, Really, I Did...

Not really quite sure why I felt compelled to buy a Holga.  I have a Dacora camera which is pretty much the same thing and I almost never use it.  Anyway, I did it and here are some images. 

Play.

Reason to be Happy #3

Midwestern Sunsets

Reason to be Happy #2

Buddy

The difficult part......

....is to be unique.  Too much anti-inspiration. 
[yeah, I made that word up; so what?]

Wasteland

'Wasteland' .  Desolation . discarded objects .  strange familliar landscape. 

See the film- Fantastic Planet by Rene Laloux.   perspective .  .  .  .

Reading List;

Reading now-

Montcalm and Wolfe- Francis Parkman

Next up-

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad

It Can't Happen Here- Sinclair Lewis

How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis

Reason to be Happy #1

Dad and Me

I Was Thinking...

... about how we can take things for granted.  We exist in a pretty sheltered and secure environment.  We have few immediate dangers, most of us are well fed and sheltered.  Why is it that we still find ways to be unhappy? 
Every time I find myself being unhappy or negative I am going to post something that makes me happy.  I will give no explanation as to why it makes me happy.  I'll just tell you that it makes me happy.  Starting now.

More Work to Show

I am really into this new project right now.... I think I can call it a project...... Still working on the premise of land usage, maybe abuses to the land/environment. I like the idea of nature taking over what is left behind by people. It is sad to see what we do to our environment. More on that later.

I am looking at how the images are taken. I am thinking I need to work a bit more with the DOF... maybe explore my subject a little more with the viewfinder before I make an image- different angles, etc. I am still in the shoot and run mentality; I need to slow down a bit. I am also happy with the effect of the bug view-point images. I think they are a little bit more dramatic (if that is the right word) definitely more interesting.

Reading List is the same. I am looking for new books. I think the next one will be How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis. He was one of my favorite photographers from photo history class in college and I haven't read any of his work yet.

Couple of New Images

I really have nothing to say today..... it is late and it has been a long day- a lot of those lately. I just finished scanning and thought that these needed to be seen. The bottom one was from the last roll I processed; the other two from the new roll. More to come soon.

Reading list-

Reading now-

Montcalm and Wolfe

Looking for new books.

Going to bed.

Direction....

Here are a few more images. As I am editing these I am more attracted to the images that are close-ups but look like landscape vistas. These images were created in construction areas; I am thinking about going out into the farmland and making images in a similar style there too. I am wary of making images in one place, or type of place. These images are............ not really sure what to say about them now. I have been tossing around the term 'constructed landscape' in my mind; in the sense that they look like landscapes but, they are man made and will not last forever. I am not sure if there is something there or not. I think if I am getting good results in the farmland it might go in another direction. I am thinking I need to play a little with depth of field and see what comes of that. Anyway, I am rambling now so.....

Reading list-

Finished- The Secret Agent- Joseph Conrad

Reading Now- Montcalm and Wolfe- The French and Indian Wars- Francis Parkman

(It's a long book so it will take me a while to get through)

I know what I need to do; I am pretty sure how I need to go about doing it; and I know where I want to be in the end. Give me time to work because it is a work in progress.

It is not a race my friend.... it is a marathon.

Man, It Feels Good To Be Working Again!!

It has been a while since I have felt this good about making photographs; or, about the photographs I have made. I have three rolls of film in the editing stage right now. These images are a couple that feel successful and I couldn't wait to share them. There will definitely be more to come.

If you have read my previous posts you will understand that I am focusing on the aspect of land; it's usage; it's form and shape, the details within it, etc. etc. Clearly through these images and the previous and following images there is a sense of neglect and misuse. It seems as if I am drawn towards that aspect. I feel that we are not conscientious enough of the immediate impact we have on our environment and I hope to show our collective carelessness through the images that I present.

All comments and constructive criticism welcome.

Reading List-

Same as last time.

A New Focus

Over the last six months I have found it very difficult to be behind the lens. I have had no inspiration and when I did something it didn't seem to work. I have spent most of that time drawing, reading and working... mostly reading and working. It has been a very trying time. The other day; Sunday to be exact, I had a little glimmer of inspiration. There is a new development of townhouses going in down the street from my house. On my way home from work I decided to go and see what would happen. I loaded up a roll of film and ran through it. Instead of doing what I normally do I decided to look from a different perspective. My focus in previous projects has been on development and land usage. I have recently thought that the 'land' part of my work has not gotten enough attention so, here I am focusing more on the land itself. It is a beginning and I am able to see some potential in it which is important. I think it is time to get back to work. More images to follow.

Reading List-

Finished-

The Jungle Books- Rudyard Kipling

King Solomon's Mines- H. Rider Haggard

Reading Now-

The Secret Agent- Joseph Conrad

Up and Coming-

Montcalm and Wolfe- The French and Indian Wars- Francis Parkman

Still looking for the art teacher job. I am ready to teach high school students how to be artists if there is a high school ready for me.

Older Drawing - New for You

chalk pastel, conte crayon and guache on cardboard

I did this drawing two summers ago at the Oswego High School Art Summer Camp. It has been rubbed down a little so it has lost some detail and will have to be reworked a bit.

I only show this now because I am still working through a slow period in the creative areas of my brain... it will come along.... it has to.

Reading list update;

Finished-

The Rough Riders- Theodore Roosevelt

Reading-

The Jungle Books- Rudyard Kipling

Next up-

King Solomons Mines- H. Rider Haggard

Picked up today-

Montcalm and Wolfe- The French and Indian War- Francis Parkman

The Secret Agent- Joseph Conrad

Reading List Update

Finished-
The Prairie- James Fenimore Cooper
This book completed the Leatherstocking Tales by Cooper, a five book series chronicling the adventures of Natty Bumppo. In this series; The Deerslayer; The Last of the Mohicans; The Pathfinder; The Pioneers and The Prairie. A solid adventure series set in the early part of American history beginning at the outset of the French and Indian Wars through the beginning of the settling of the west. If you are looking for some good old fashioned American adventure then this series is a must.

Reading-
The Rough Riders- Theodore Roosevelt
A true story account of the war between Spain and the United States in Cuba told from the perspective of Teddy Roosevelt.

On deck-
The Jungle Books- Rudyard Kipling
King Solomons Mines- H. Rider Haggard

Artistic Frustration

If you are artistically inclined in any way I am sure you know exactly what I am talking about. It is the dreaded creative blockade; you don't know what to do or where to go next. You loose concentration and direction in your work and nothing seems to go smoothly (as if they ever did). I understand that the only way to get through it is to keep on working and just struggle to keep up the good fight. Easier said than done. These images represent a struggle to keep it going. I do not feel inspired by much right now and I certainly don't feel inspired by these but here they are none the less. If I have to suffer, so do you. These are from the ongoing project documenting construction or the lack of it.... more to come.

Reading list;

Reading now-

The Prairie- James Fenimore Cooper

Coming up-

The Rough Riders- Theodore Roosevelt

King Solomon's Mines- H. Rider Haggard

The Jungle Books- Rudyard Kipling

Finished-
The Four Feathers- A.E.W. Mason

Old Ideas Rehashed... Lets See if it Works

In college I worked on two projects about development. At the time there were about a million subdivisions popping up all over the Chicago land area. The first project was dubbed 'The Edge of Development'; it dealt with new housing developments that were overtaking farmland and expanding the ever growing suburbs of Chicago. These images were created with a 4x5 view camera and offered a 360 degree view of the landscape. The other project was titled 'Replaced'; it was concerned with the redevelopment of the existing suburbs. Homes that were built in the aftermath of WWII were being torn down and replaced with new homes of intense magnitude and opulence. 'Replaced' questioned the aspects of our society that are wasteful and over the top using the symbol of the emerging modern American home.

Now things have changed. We are five years removed from those times but it might as well have been ten or fifteen. Because of the current economy which has been ravaged by two wars and the bust of the housing market and all that went with it; the production of new homes has all but ground to a halt. Sites of future development five years ago have now become symbols of failure and over extension. What once promised to be the next new neighborhood now stand all but vacant.

Reading List;

Finished-
The Pioneers- James Fennimore Cooper
The Pathfinder- James Fennimore Cooper

Waiting for-
The Prairie- James Fennimore Cooper

Picked up-
The Old Farmers Almanac 2010
Great American Short Stories- From Hawthorne to Hemmingway


More to come.

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