So, been very active albeit not in a direct OCA course way. No problem with that; as have made clear before, my photography is about taking good images, mostly while away, so need to look after that side of my hobby. As part of the USA trip was family orientated (my nephew got married in Wisconsin) also being asked when my images will be ready to be viewed online, so feeling some pressure to get on with that.
What did I learn whilst away?
Perhaps most important is that my policy of using 25-105 lens as standalone workhorse, and other three lenses (10-24, 18-55, 70-200) to take out when have room, doe s not work. reason is that the 18-55, whilst light, does not have image stabilization. I m not blessed with a steady hand so am prone to camera shake with any image requiring lower than 125 shutter speed using the 18-55 lens. Must remember this in circumstances where low light. The images I got of Chicago skyline at night would have been better with a higher spec lens.
Secondly, used Derek's mantra of low and close several times, most notably lying on the sidewalk to take this image of John Hancock observatory, but also on several boat shots.
Thirdly, took time to visit The Museum of Contemporary Photography, adjacent to Columbia College. The general theme is Our Origins A key exhibit was this (copied from website http://www.mocp.org/exhibitions/2011/07/post_1.php):
Penelope Umbrico (American, b. 1957) examines a relationship between intuition and photography with 7,626,056 Suns From Flickr (Partial) 9/10/10. The work presents numerous pictures of the sun that Umbrico found on the image-sharing website Flickr, by keying in “sunset”—not surprisingly, one of Flickr’s most popular search terms.
By coincidence this very image is on p60 of BJP for August.
Apart from this, I understood quickly that the contemporary scene is very much about finding a theme; seemingly the wackier the better to be somewhat cynical. I had already noticed this in the long section in July's BJP on promising young photographers. Included in that issue, among others, were a Polish photographer who makes wierd and wonderful costumes; images of a mentally ill mother of an Indian photographer; and indoor shots of of a Singaporean family's strange poses.
And here were more examples under the general Origins theme. I set out four below, with the commentary per the website, and my thoughts following.
[Jennifer Ray (American, b. 1984)] visits parks where men meet to have anonymous sex and finds evidence of their encounters within a lush natural landscape. Plants often appear to be entwined with one another or at seed, suggesting that sexual reproduction is nearly universal among organic life forms, but love is not. The biological draw to copulate is a fundamental cornerstone of human existence, yet here we can see its complexity.
This was a series of about 10 images. I thought that the message was either too cryptic (eg Impression which is simply some flattened grass where Ray assumes men had sex) or too unsubtle (an image of leaves mixed with a used condom package). To a degree we have to believe Ray that this was a site for homosexual sex. Who is to say that the condom was not used by fornicating heterosexual teenagers? That said, the images were well taken (if not outstanding) and presented very well.
Rachel Sussman (American, b. 1975) travels the world in search of connections with the ancient past, but finds access points in living plants rather than fossilized remnants. Her photographs of organisms that have been alive for thousands of years catalog longevity on a scale that is awe-inspiring and nearly unbelievable.
This is a good example of where I believe photographers have lost the plot. To be frank, the quality of the images was not great - one, taken in Namibia included a flat grey sky clearly taken in the middle of the day. Now we all know the practical difficulty of taking images at the best times of day but one would have thought that Sussman had invested enough time to find this specimen that she could wait for some better light. My point is that if the images are not of outstanding quality (and I think none were) then this project is probably better suited to a biologist, who at least could explain the organisms better.
In a similar vein:
Mark Ruwedel (American, b. 1954) takes a more straightforward approach to depicting scenes of history. He records massive divots in the earth’s surface that were made by creatures who traversed the land millions of years ago, yet each picture has a mysterious connection to today that evokes the weight and movement of a living animal that has only just passed by.
This is one of Ruwedel's images. Poor sky but taken low and close and the tracks do give good sense of leading away into the distance.
Patricia Piccinini (Australian, b. Sierra Leone, 1965) further complicates biological impulses by considering our urges to mate and parent children. Science StoryPiccinini considers the ways our interests in lust, love, and family are often interrelated, while also addressing the increasingly common practice of engineering organic life to curb physical and psychological desires embedded within our nature, often with compromised results.
I found Piccinini;s work fascinating. Outstanding presentation and evocative images as explained above. Definitely very different and quite disturbing as I am sure Piccinini intends.
Overall then, an interesting experience. It is not what I want to do - I have no interest in off the wall series, but have now decided my theme: taking people from behind while they are viewing something. I am sure it is anything but new but hey, if it is what I want to do....
