Regarding the Pain of Others

"For a long time some people believed that if the horror could be made vivid enough, most people would finally take in the outrageousness , the insanity of war." - Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others


ALL IMAGES, © Zoriah Miller, www.Zoriah.com
All rights reserved

"Zoriah Miller, the photographer who took images of marines killed in a June 26 suicide attack and posted them on his Web site, was subsequently forbidden to work in Marine Corps-controlled areas of the country. Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the Marine commander in Iraq, is now seeking to have Mr. Miller barred from all United States military facilities throughout the world. Mr. Miller has since left Iraq." -NY Times, article Here.

"After a total of not more than five or ten minutes with my camera out, my chance to take photos was gone. Whatever I was able to capture in that chaos will be the only photographic documentation of this event." - Zoriah Miller in regards to the suicide Bombing in Anbar on June 26, 2008. Read more on Zoriah's blog.

"While the Bush administration faced criticism for overt political manipulation in not permitting photos of flag-draped coffins, the issue is more emotional on the battlefield: local military commanders worry about security in publishing images of the American dead as well as an affront to the dignity of fallen comrades. Most newspapers refuse to publish such pictures as a matter of policy.

But opponents of the war, civil liberties advocates and journalists argue that the public portrayal of the war is being sanitized and that Americans who choose to do so have the right to see — in whatever medium — the human cost of a war that polls consistently show is unpopular with Americans." - NY Times

"The important events and issues I cover aren't always the subjects that sell to corporate media. These human stories need your support and funding to be told. The cost of travel, food, accommodations, and equipment is substantial. Please donate what you can to help me tell these stories to the world."

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On Editing

Robert Adams (b. 1937), Untitled from What We Bought: The New World (Scenes from the Denver Metropolitan Area)
1970-1974, gelatin silver print, Yale University Art Gallery

"... After that came the editing of 5,000 pictures disposed on these sheets, a process that, remarkably, [Robert] Adams has estimated required at least two or three times as many hours as he had spent in the field making the photos. Using L-shaped pieces of file folders to isolate one, and then the next, small picture, he worked slowly, only gradually distilling the body of this work to a kind of still point, where the photographs that survived the process remained strong and clear every time he returned to consider them." -Tod Papageorge, What We Bought, (an essay on Robert Adams & his work What We Bought: The New World)

I estimated, poorly, that it would take me roughly three months to go through and edit my recent project. It has already been about 40 days, and I have barely scratched the surface. To save money, I had planned on scanning the work and outputting digital test prints. But it seems that whenever I touch a scanner or printer it turns to the consistency of dog shit, and then I get mad, and toss it as far across the room as I can, which is not far, which pisses me off even more.

I am planning to hit the darkroom within the next week or so. I'm looking forward to getting dirty and to really explore all the work. I almost lost track of things and began to rush this process.

More on Adams' What We Bought and the full essay by Papageoroge over at Eric Ethridge's blog.

Jeff Wall, Passerby, 1996

© Jeff Wall, Passerby, 1996

It wasn't that long ago that I remember Jeff Wall's "Passerby" striking a cord in me that would change how I look at photographs forever. Like a good album, a great photo can make you groan in pain from the site of it, only to open up your mind in awe days, months, or in my case, years later.

Now more then ever I am interested in the way we look at images, and why.

A selection of artists, photographers, bloggers, etc. that I have met over the last 18 months...

The internet definitely has the potential to destroy my social life, but in this case it has spawned many exciting relationships.

Networking with your peers is one of the most important things an emerging artist can do. I've met many people over the last few years thanks to the internet. I've had amazing conversations, I've been inspired, gained knowledge, but best of all, I've created some satisfying and long-lasting relationships with many of the people I've encountered.

While traveling this last year I was fortunate enough to meet (or revisit) fourteen of the thirty people below. I stayed (or camped) with eleven of them: a few for one night, a few for a week or so, and one couple for about twenty or so days, off and on. The below images are a mixture of portraits (or snapshots) taken by me, or works by the artists themselves.

I took a class four years back with an artist named Sharon Louden. The thing I remember most was that she said to create and insure lasting relationships with other artists. The discourse, inspiration and connections can be priceless.


Thomas Allen & I, Coloma, MI, 2007


Garth Risk Hallberg, Brklyn, 2007


Jason Lazarus, -- bright (one of 3 qualities missing from the contemporary african american presidential candidate, except Barack Obama, according to Joseph Biden, February 2007)


Amy Elkins, Brklyn, 2008


Justin James Read, Twelfth Street, 2006


Shawn Gust, Saphire


Jon Feinstein, New York, 2007


Geoff Ellis & Sarah Lacy, San Francisco, 2008


Eric William Carroll, from Sunburn


Amy Stein, from Stranded


Kay Westhues


Kevin & Tiffany Sisemore, Kansas City, 2008


Amani Olu, Brklyn, 2007


Stephen Schuster


Will Steacy, Marfa, TX, 2008


Sarah Sudhoff, Fallopian tube, 2005


Kevin Faulkner, Brklyn, '08, (photo: Amy Elkins)


Shawn Records, Portland, 2008


Brian Ulrich, from Backrooms


Alison Malone, from Daughters of Job


Cara Phillips, Untitled Beauty Still


Peter Haakon Thompson, Minneapolis, 2008


Tema Stauffer, Couples embrace, Chicago, 2000


Andy Adams (Flak Photo), Madison, WI, 2008


Liz Kuball, S.

David Wright & Ethan Jones (pause, to begin)
Point Reyes Nation Seashore (or close to it), CA, 2008

Greg Wasserstrom, from Doldrums

Damn you, 20x200!

Damn! I have no money. And I normally dislike "20x200" and "Hey Hot Shot! " Or as I used to call it, "Hey, F$$k You, Hot Shot!" (that is until Ms. Bekman started to give out $500 to each of the competition winners).


No. 13. 3/11/2006 (plane lifted by men). ©William Lamson

So, what is my point? Well. How do you not buy the above print by W. Lamson for only $20! I couldn't help it. This guy is one of my favorite artists working today.

I don't know Jen. And I doubt she even knows who I am. But I have just always gotten a weird vibe from her whole thing: HHS, her store-front gallery, 20x200. It just seems like she keeps trying to make herself or her next endeavor the center of attention and not the artist. Someone once said it perfect, "who has become a star from being apart of Jen Bekman's thing? Jen Bekman, and only Jen Bekman." I mean, she puts a diary entry about herself on the bi-weekly 20x200 newsletter. And both the 20x200 and HHS sites both advertise "A Jen Bekman Project."

But I can't talk shit anymore. I almost entered the HHS competition this time around for the prize money. And many of my close friends support her, have sold work through 20x200, have had shows with her, and are friends with her. So, I take it all back. I now "heart" Jen Bekman. Ok, maybe not. But I did just send her $20 that I don't have. Thanks Credit Cards!

But seriously, how much does she make off of 20x200? With a 50% commission (did I hear that right? Does she take a full 50% for online sales?) I am guessing she makes anywhere from $125,000 to $200,000 annually? And that is completely separate income from her self-titled gallery and HHS!

An estimated 200 prints a week at $20, multiplied by 52 weeks, equals $208,000. Of course she has to pay her printer, and packaging, blogger, assistants, etc. But still. It's f$$king amazing!

So you're still asking what is my point? I am not sure. I guess I have to say now that there is prize money involved in HHS and that 50% (or more?) of the 20x200 sales do directly support the art, it's a good thing. And that is cool by me. Me, who has no say in the matter at all. Just another shitty blogger trying to say something worthwhile, and still promote theirs and others work.

I am still very, very much in debt from my recent project. Jen? Want to sell a print?

I do remember why I care for you!

© Walker Evans

Laura and I were driving through East New York the other night. As we were stopped at a light, a shiny black Escalade pulled up full of passengers. I looked over at the guy in the back seat, and a stiff-faced, I'm-a-bad-ass starring contest ensued; Neither of us twitched. All the while, this gentleman was smoking what I will call a "rolled cigarette." After what felt like three or four minutes (more like 15 seconds), I gave a smile and motioned for him to pass me some of the love. His face immediately broke into a smile and he began rolling with laughter as the car pulled away. We never caught up with them.

This morning, while on the "4" train to the Upper East Side during rush hour, Laura and I were crammed into the train like sardines. It had been a full year since I have felt that sensation. In that moment I mentioned to Laura about how so many of the people I met on my trip would find it beyond crazy to willingly rub up against sweaty strangers for 10-30 minutes, while being stuck inside a tin can in a tunnel ten feet underground. I then mentioned how I loved the subway during rush hour for those exact reasons, and that actually, "I get off on it!!"(I was joking of course). At the next stop, when most of the masses got off the train, Laura said that she saw the woman that had been forced to rub up against my backside for 10 minutes give a nice little smile in response to my bad humor.

Those moments make me happy. And they make this huge city and world seem just a little bit smaller. I love it. And I love being back. It took a few unlikely encounters to make me remember how much I love this city (it can be easy to forget). And I sit here wondering, did that moment mean something to them in some small way? Either way, I got a smile out of them. And that feels pretty good.

Highlighted

Robert Adams, 'Colorado Springs, Colorado', 1979, © Robert Adams

During my editing battles of Do I Like This, Do I Hate This, Will They Like This or Understand This... I found this:

'All people in this world are made to give evidence or to signify something. [...]' In that spirit we ought as critics to remember that no subject matter is unimportant and no human response to it is unworthy of our attention.
The word of encouragement I would like to give to photographers is in the form of a statement by Matisse about painting, a statement we can apply by analogy to photography: 'A painter has no real enemy but his own bad paintings.' It is possible that, were I to look at your work, I would misunderstand or misjudge it, but my mistake would be of limited significance, assuming that your work is substantial and that you who made it see it clearly. A good picture powerfully vindicates itself in time; it is far stronger than a mistaken critic. -Taken from Civilizing Criticism, from Beauty in Photography, Robert Adams, 1981

I've been looking over my journal, letters to Laura, and old emails to friends to recapture some of my feelings and thoughts while I was on the road. The edit is going well. I've finally crossed the first of many obstacles.

I think the Photography.Book.Now competition is out of the question. Unfortunately I won't have time to do an accurate edit. I'm bummed. But it motivated me to really start moving on this process, and that is reward enough.

What's the deal with Blurb!? UPDATE

This was my concern (taken from the competition guidelines):

By entering a Submission through the web entry form at www.photographybooknow.com, Contestant agrees that the Submission entered may be showcased in Blurb's online bookstore, making previews available to the public and making the book available for purchase, as subject to Sponsor's Terms of Use, to which Contestant agrees.

So I found a contact over at Blurb, this was their response:

So we’re using the books only to showcase the best and brightest for the events around Photography.Book.Now. There’s no reason why you can’t change back to private [meaning it won't be available for sale to the public] after the event is over, but we’ll be showcasing these in our bookstore, and if your intent is to not have them purchased, simply set your price ridiculously high.

They also mentioned that the artist does get 100% of any online sales, minus the artist's cost to print the book. So if you don't want to sell the book, price it $1000. And if it does sell, well, then you just made $950. Sounds good to me.

Right now, there are thousands of photographers pacing back and forth; cigarette, coffee, scotch, edit... repeat.

Next Monday is the deadline for the now infamous Photography.Book.Now competition. I'm guessing 3,345 photographers will enter. Even if it is half that, those judges are gonna be pretty tired. I'm curious how the judging process goes down? Over how many days? How many weeks? How many... Nevermind, I have too many other things to deal with, I don't want to know.

DEADLINES!

Aperture deadline: Friday, July 11 ($2,500 prize)
Photo.Book.Now: Monday, July 14 ($25,000 prize)
Eugene Smith: Tuesday, July 15 ($30,000)

Valérie Belin & CocoRosie

© Valérie Belin

Valérie Belin recently photographed the talented and fabulous Sierra & Bianca Casady -- the sisters behind the band CocoRosie -- for this Sunday's NY Times Magazine.

Valérie Belin is an amazing photographer and inspiration. Her powerful studies of mannequins, Michael Jackson impersonators, body builders and simple objects such as bags of potato chips, masks, and engines, never cease to amaze. They are simple, thoughtful, and stunning. Examples below.


All image © Valérie Belin.



Laura and I had the opportunity to see CocoRosie in 2005, and we (or I) LOVED them! I've fallen out of the music scene lately, but I hear their new album is insane. Check out a video from the album below.



Bianca is a talented visual artist herself, recently having a show at Deitch Projects. After the CocoRosie show that night in 2005, I stuck around to buy a shirt. I was lucky enough to have Bianca personalize the back of it for me. I told her I really wanted a shirt with the tour dates on it. So she told me to put it on. The next thing I know, she is drawing on my back. It has since faded, but she wrote, adding a few extra squiggles here and there, "CocoRosie, 1993 World Tour." It was nice while it lasted.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,


From American Moments, ©Ellen Kok

When was the last time you had the Declaration of Independence read to you? Have a great Holiday!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92108861

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.

Sarah Sudhoff & WIP

Uterus, 2006, © Sarah Sudhoff

My friend Sarah Sudhoff is the featured artist over at Woman In Photography this month. What a beautiful body of work. Check it out HERE.

Following my surgery in 2004 for cervical cancer, I began to photograph and perform in hospitals, morgues, medical museums and my doctors’ offices. My photographs and videos focus attention on the physical and emotional traces cancer and surgery can leave on the body while challenging the prescribed treatment for recovery and role of the patient.

View a great video interview with Sarah, HERE. You have to click on a few extra links to find it.

Read an essay written for The Intrepid Art Collector, HERE.

Also, Sarah has a limited-edition print for sale through Humble Arts, HERE.