Chris Rainier - Where Masks Still Dance
I had the chance to meet Chris Rainier at one of his slide presentations in Santa Fe four years ago. He was seated next to us, in the audience, waiting for his turn at the podium. Without the benefit of seeing a photographer’s work, I tend to be rather bad at recognizing their name in isolation, and so it was that in the few minutes of intermission, we struck-up a brief conversation regarding his time in Papua New Guinea. Continue reading
Deyrolle Lion After Fire by Laurent Bochet
Laurent Bochet makes dying twice, and once by fire, a sadly beautiful event to behold. In 2008 he photographed the remains of Paris taxidermy shop (a cabinet of curiosities)– Deyrolle– after it burned. Continue reading
Poem "Castaways" by David Jibson
Yesterday I got a kind note from David Jibson, author of Looking for Wisdom Blog (http://lookingforwisdom.tumblr.com). He thanked me for an image that helped him get inspiration for finishing a poem. It’s rare for somebody to take the time to let you know they re-posted some of your work, but David’s poem struck me because of its reference to the Aral Sea. Indeed, this is on the radar for 2011, as soon as I finish my work in Chernobyl.
When asked whose work inspired me or influenced me, I am frequently at a loss for an answer. My first couple of years in photography were mostly in Miami, surrounded by wannabe fashion photographers and models. There are of course excellent professionals there, but I was inclined more toward conceptual photography and Miami simply didn’t have much of what I was looking for. My search for my own style and work was mostly an autistic experience, with input limited by a very tight group of non-photographer friends. Continue reading
