Editing, etc.

I've been home now for about two weeks. If you are just checking in, I've been traveling the country and working on a new project for the last eleven months. I have not looked at a single sheet of film from the project since being on the road. I'm very excited to do so, but right now I am a bit overwhelmed.

In regards to the struggles of undertaking and completing a project, Sarah Sudhoff hits it right on the nose:

"First you have to think of an idea. Second you have to figure when and where to produce this idea or image in my case. Third you have to find the resources to take action and quite possibly get time off from work or other responsibilities. Fourth the work must be successfully shot followed by precise editing. Fifth, if you're still counting, is printing the work or uploading it to a website. Sixth getting the courage to share the new work which by this time seems old to you and has already taken up so much or your time, exhausted your funds and so forth. It seems at times the road leads no where with no end in sight."

Words cannot express my feelings about this project. I worked my ass of for a solid year to make it happen, and then I left everything behind, shut everyone out of my life, and focused on only myself and my work for roughly 300 days. Sounds wonderful, and it was, sort of. But the fact is I lost a lot this last year. I also gained a lot. Only time will tell...

I am going to try and dive into editing as early as tomorrow. I have decided to submit to the Blurb Competition (deadline in two weeks): I've talked to a few other photographers, and carefully read the comments on my previous post, and I do agree that the opportunity has the potential to outweigh the fine-print.

As of late, I have been struggling with discussing the editing process and showing Boonville work on the blog. Recently I've been reading Robert Adams' Beauty in Photography.

"To begin with, we ought to decide whether any public discussion of a particular work is appropriate. There are legitimate reasons for being hesitant to speak. Silence is after all the context for the deepest appreciation of art; the only important evaluations are finally personal, interior ones."

The blog does allow an outlet for me that I am comfortable with, to a certain point. But I've never really been one to show work online, or talk about a specific piece (with a few exceptions). Less is more? I believe there are eight images floating around the net from the project. In my opinion, that is too many. But with some time, it is possible that more will surface. Stay tuned for editing details, and other news.