Month: May 2004

When I took this I was thinking about bitterlawngnome. I’m trying to fill in some missing photo days and refining my new presentation. I don’t want the images to look liks snapshots as such so, I’ve reduced the borders which I think changes the scale of the images and moves them away from the snapshot look. I also changed the dimensions so that they don’t conform to the 4×6 in. format.

Using 35mm film we’re taught to compose with the viewfinder, yet making a print there is always a section that gets cropped off if we keep true to the 10×8 in. format of photo paper. 2¼ x 2¼ film used in my twin lens camera is the same thing with composition done using the viewfinder and then much of the square film format cropped. The main medium format camera I use is 6×7 cm. which is exactly 8×10 in. I use a ground glass focusing screen and crop only the edges, if needed, with printmaking. That’s the best way. The digital camera creates an image that can be as large as 2560 x 1704 px. or, 640 x 480 px. when reduced. Therefore I wanted to keep to my viewfinder composition and not unnecessarily crop the image. Any thoughts or opinions…?

On a lighter note, there’s a public swimming pool near me and I finally went swimming today. I’m sore! I’m thinking about swimming lessons because ever since I can remember I get cramps in the soles my feet while swimming and I would like to know how to swim so that doesn’t happen. After letting my left foot rest a while I went back to using mostly my arms and letting my legs (and feet) totally relax. It felt much better on my feet and I didn’t feel like I was flailing in the water. While I was resting poolside somebody really was swimming with every stroke a huge splash of water from both hands and feet. The seems such a waste of energy. Some skinny kid of about 12 yrs. was swimming like a pro doing different strokes and going back and forth with ease. I’d like to get closer to that. I need lessons…

Today I went to a state park looking for photo opportunities, I found none of the kind I was seeking. I did find the entrance to Port Everglades which opens into Broward Co. (Ft. Lauderdale). It was my first time ever being there. I walked out on the jetty were a few people were fishing. As we were talking two tugboats came out to the ocean to meet a cargo ship of some kind. That ended up being my photo op for today. The weather was hot but, I was looking for mangrove areas to photograph. I saw lots of mangroves but not enough tree cover and not far enough from the roadways. I’ll find something else closeby.

In the mid-80s I lived on a boat. Not anchored but, moored out in Biscayne Bay off Coconut Grove, that part of Miami where city hall is located. I lived there three years and had a great experience. I cooked there on my boat, had a TV and radio, and a small amount of my stuff. I wasn’t making art, I was bicycle racing (kept in the trunk of my car). It was a wild time in my life. I had a bi lover who was wild. I would think twice if I knew how my life would be at this point in time but, I loved him and the next (bi) guy after him. Both are now deceased.

Anyway, here is a picture of the area where my boat was moored. Behind that row of Aussie pines is Coconut Grove Sailing Club and the city. This is a new format I’m testing for blog image presentation (since everybody’s trying to make things look better, myself included).

Yes, still working in the darkroom today. Yesterday I gave it a break though. I decided to look through ALL my negatives and pulled out some images from 1966, 1967, early 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2002-03. I even found negatives I *stole* from my father probably from 1952-53 of my brother and myself. Since my sister isn’t in those negs, it probably means she wasn’t born yet. I also have pics from being in Disneyland in the late 50s that I took. I also have pics of my sister and mom taken in 1959-60. I didn’t have any real interest in photography as something I wanted to do in my life at that time. I was more interested in science, oceanography (after moving to Calif.) and, geology. But, not having any schools that took little black boys serious about such interests it was just a personal thing. I have been interested in writing and the written word since the mid-50s because of my mother and grandmother.

Anyway, all of the images are nature oriented with most of them having been taken outdoors. Some were studio setups where all the plants were dried using macro lens. There are also some animals included again, all studio setups and deceased, and macro lens. One of the most interesting is a baby pigeon that was pushed into the wall of a nest that fell out of a tree. I carefully pulled the skeleton out and photographed it before it eventually fell apart.

What’s really interesting for me is seeing this as a body of work over 30+ years gathered under a thematic umbrella. I printed 3 images of each negative totaling over 100 (8x10in) prints to be mounted in a random order into a large grid onto the museum wall. When viewed from the main floor it should become a large abstract mosaic until viewed up close. This museum has ceiling easily 20 ft. high.

I did some running around yesterday but, got back into the darkroom for another session. I made about 30 prints. I still have another 30 or so to make on Friday. I went searching thru some old, seriously old, negs and found a couple worth printing. They are from 1966-67. I used to go out the SoCal desert north of Palm Springs on a regular basis. The pics are from one of those trips. They are also unusual because they’re 35mm negs and I don’t even remember what 35mm camera I had back then. Once I bought my 6×7 – 6×9, I never went back to 35mm except for making slides. Although I’ve had some of my major pieces done with my 35mm camera I always have to have internegs made (copy negs in 4×5 in.) so that a large-scale print can be produced from a small film source. I wanted to find some really nasty, scratched, dirty, negs from back then to make prints to see what they might look like. No time so far. I have some with water damage and scratches.

Memphis’ basketball team showed off its new logo today. I think it looks great. I love the colors, too.

This is one of the images I’m using for the exhibition I’m in next month. I’ve never made prints until now from this series. Here’s where all this started:

Polk Museum catalogue

Just when I thought I was getting into the flow of a LJ routine, I get busy with other things and haven’t been able to continue it. I thought I was finished taking photos for my friend’s (Edouard’s) show at UCLA Fowler Museum, he’s got two more works to shoot. We had planned it for today but, his son had something going on and he’s going to be with his family instead. The photo shoot is for tomorrow evening now.

I can’t get back into the darkroom before Wed. next week. It doesn’t look like I’ll be able to have any pinhole images for an upcoming show [that my friend (Edouard) has curated titled, “Nepotism”]. That’s why I using existing negs although, they’ve never been printed, for the most part.

They are a combination of b&w positive and negative images taken over the past 11 years. They were put into slide mounts because my original intention was for a slide presentation with a audio sound track and monologue (written by myself). I’ve used it sparingly over the years, just recently as my presentation at the recent panel discussion at Miami Art Museum. The upcoming show is at Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale in June, 2004.

I finally went to see a doctor. I feel fine but, I haven’t seen a doctor in years. That’s what happens when one doesn’t have insurance. Anyway, they took some blood and said they’d let me know what the results were on Wednesday. I called but, wasn’t able to talk to the doctor or nurse. The nurse called back after I left for the Univ. to work in the darkroom and said everything was fine. I called back to ask in person this morning. The nurse repeated that every test they did came back saying I was in very good health and all the numbers were within the correct ranges. I’m happy but, I still need more exercise. I sit in front of the computer too much! If I had more space I could exercise here in this space. As it is, everytime I want to do anything (just about), I have to move this and that and the other. *sigh* It is such a frustration. I hope I can last until fall and then I can find a better place to live and work. I pray I get back on fulltime. Being an adjunct is so tenuous.