Originally uploaded by georgeaye.
See the photos here.
The last few months has been a real awakening for me photographically, professionally and personally. I’ve taking a photography class, taught by my new photography mentor, Lewis Kostiner. He’s single-handedly saved my photographic career from staying in an amateur limbo of limpness, into a new world where I’m finally work that I care about and most importantly, work that I can talk about.
I’ve learnt that it’s not about any one single picture. It’s really all about the concept. And how I choose to express this concept photographically is the challenge. All this ‘Photo of the Day’ or ‘Photo of the Year’ really contributes to the myth of a single photo of unattainable levels being out of the reach of mere mortals. The pressure of it all is really too much. It’s really about how does this photograph contribute to the whole body of work that expresses this one idea. What this simple realisation means is that I don’t have to care what camera I use, which lens I have to carry, which flash system to read up about or which technique I have to master. As long as I have a concept that works, I could explore and develop it with a Holga (or an iPhone for that matter).
The project I’m now working on is a culmination of an idea popping into my head one day running, then weeks of indecision, then weeks of practice on lots of friends, then finally a month so far of actual production.
How the photos were made: All the photos were shot inside of the New Wave Coffee shop in Logan Square. The two owners, Susan and Zach have been so incredibly supportive of me and probably have no idea how critical their patronage is to the success of this work. Kudos to them for supporting photography on a very local level. The other angel of kindness that has come my way, is my friend and photographer, Andre Walker. He’s been a part of this project from day one and his assistance in the photos have been invaluable.
The setup is dead simple. I carry everything I need in two bags and several armfuls of stuff, but essentially, all the work is done in a makeshift, portable studio that we carve out from a nook in the coffee shop. The camera is on top a rock solid, Induro tripod base and mounted to a Manfrotto geared head that has zero wobble. The lighting is all done with one SB-900 shooting through a white, translucent umbrella on a stand. I have the subjects stand about three feet from the backdrop (a four foot wide roll of black or white paper) and I shoot with the Nikkor 85mm f1.8, at around f4. I fired the flash with Pocket Wizards.
The idea is simple. Create a catalogue of as many people as I can over several weeks and months then apply a few rules for sorting and filtering later when selecting and presenting them. When the project comes to a logical end, I’ll be sure to let everyone know ‘the reveal’, but until then, please enjoy this growing collection of photos.
It’s not about HOW anymore. It’s about WHY.
This is the new normal.
And I like it.
Good for you George! I look forward to seeing the completed project. ; )
Comment by Jeanne — April 23, 2009 @ 11:55 am
George - These are amazingly beautiful. Stunning. I need to get over there one of the days you’re snapping away so you can take my picture!
Comment by anne — April 23, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
thank you for your kind comments! The project is coming along and in all reality could be going for the next couple of months. but if anything happens to the show, i’ll be sure to let people know.
Comment by est1976 — April 23, 2009 @ 10:48 pm
Cool project, George!
might take a while to get a big enough bank to sort from though!!
send me an email if you get a chance.
Comment by Chuck — June 6, 2009 @ 12:27 am
I would suggest that you exercise a measure of care in your new enlightenment. Visual art has long had the ability to stand on its own or in context. Photography as a visual art a classic example. There are numerous photographic examples of where a photograph tells the story. Dorthea Lange is a very common example of documentary photography that told a story in a single image. Also if you look at visual communication vs. verbal the graphic image has stood test of crossing the language barriers better than anything else. So the idea does have merit, but the image does inspire ideas.
In terms of the “HOW” you should also consider that this really represents a means to an end. The significance of the “HOW” is that as one becomes more competent in the tools of photography they have more at their disposal to accomplish their desired goal. This is similar to cooking. You can prepare a lot of food items using nothing but a microwave oven, but if you master a few other tools of the kitchen you’ll find that your dishes take on even more flavor.
Comment by mbm62 — July 30, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
George, I met you about a year ago at a usability conf. - I wonder, did you participate in the recent Milwaukee Ave. Arts Festival? I didn’t see your work, but I might just have missed it. If you’re interested in participating (in the subsequent festival) let me know, my neighbor in Logan Square is one of the organizers and they love local.
Nice photo in the respect that I can feel something in that smile, that look - it conveys quite a bit.
Tara
Comment by Tara Schnaible — August 10, 2009 @ 2:59 pm