Recently I was contacted by Jarrod Markman, Executive Director of the Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia.  The DVAA-Da Vinci Art Alliance mission is to “build community through art” with public exhibitions, programming, and interdisciplinary partnerships.  DVAA is a non-profit art space based in South Philly that provides resources, exhibition space, and community for its artist members and the surrounding neighborhoods.The organization was founded by 9 Italian immigrant artists in 1931 and has continuously served its members, the South Philly area and surrounding neighborhoods.  The name was selected a name to honor Leonardo of Vinci!

As you might imagine, this all sounded intriguing to me, so I sent Jarrod an email asking if we could speak by phone to discuss their operation. We had a nice chat so I asked if I could make a socially distanced visit to see their gallery. Jarrod offered to meet me during off hours on a Sunday morning. Thanks Jarrod! I had a wonderful visit, and listening to Jarrod’s interest in growing the artist community in and around Philadelphia while focusing on the individual needs of members was truly inspirational.

Needless to say, I decided on the spot to become a member of Da Vinci and several of my photographs are now featured on my member profile at https://davinciartalliance.org/michael-marks.

I have not run into anything like Da Vinci before and it was a nice surprise to during the Covid-19 doldrums to be offered this wonderful opportunity.  I look forward to showing my work at Da Vinci and more importantly to developing new relationships with this exciting community!

Stay safe,

Michael

Have you wondered whether you need to be a dedicated professional or working photographer to make pictures that are great and really matter?  Let’s face it; most of us are not so-called professionals or working photographers that make a living from their output. Most of us make photographs because we love to … and need to. I for one have been making photographs uninterrupted since I was a kid and have had a career that has absolutely nothing to do with photography. I simply love photography and everything about it!

While I don’t earn a living from photography, my photographic life has long been as important to me as my professional one and I often view my professional life as an enabler of what I love and need so much. So when people ask me what I do I tell them about my business and also say that I am a photographer.

I know that there are many “amateur” photographers out there whose work is as good or rivals that of the name brands. Vivian Maier is one example, but by no means the only one.  Her work is incredible and deserves to be ranked with the best of the street photographers. And I have met and come to know many photographers whose work is truly outstanding. They photograph for the love of it and because they have something to say. That’s what drives them!

If you have a passion for your photography and a rage to create meaningful work that stands for itself, then you are a PHOTOGRAPHER!  Maybe you don’t care about exhibiting or selling your work, or what’s considered by the gallery owners to be in right now. It doesn’t matter at all.  In the end what really matters is that you believe in yourself and your vision, otherwise you no longer have the passion, but merely a hobby.

There really isn’t anything wrong with having a photographic hobby and many are satisfied with that, but if you dedicated and make great and important work don’t let anyone tell you you’re not a PHOTOGRAPHER … because they’re wrong!

Stay safe,

Michael

Now we’re beginning to get to where the rubber meets the road! In my opinion this step may be the most important ones besides finding and making your exposure in the field and making the final print!  As previously discussed, if you’ve made a Proper Proof sheet it will tell you a lot about your negatives in terms of exposure, contrast, your chosen film speed and composition.

Here’s what I do. I sit down with my proof sheet in good light and look at it carefully. If I see pictures that look like they may be candidates to be printed I then examine them carefully using a high quality loupe.

Now for a dose of reality … sometimes when I look at a proof sheet I decide there isn’t anything on I want to print.   It’s all right; it happens and it will happen to you too if you really care about only printing pictures that meet a high standard. Be ruthless in your editing. It may seem frustrating, but it will make you a better photographer!

For years I have used two adjustable focus loupes made by Mamiya  that are designed for 35mm and 120 negative sizes and the images they yield on proof sheets.  If I find a picture I like I take a red marking pen (I like Sharpies) and draw a line around it.  I then look at it carefully with the loupe.  Next, I do something very important. I decide whether I will print it full frame or whether I’ll crop it. That’s right – as I’ve discussed before, I crop my photographs when necessary to improve the print I will be making.  Can’t deal with that, I’m sorry. You’ll live … I have and I am here to write about it.

I use a couple of pieces of mat board as cropping tools and decide what to delete, then I use the same pen to mark off what I want crop on the picture. I have now accomplished two things.  One, I have decided if there is anything on the my proof sheet worth printing; and two, if necessary, I have made the essential cropping decisions to make the picture(s) better.  Now when I am ready to make a print I know exactly what to do!

Believe me, this is a much better approach than simply grabbing a proof sheet, looking at it quickly and willy nilly making a print. Sure, you might get lucky, but you are more likely to waste a lot of time and be doomed to a lot of frustration along the way.

Trust me on this and stay safe,

Michael

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Fourth of July weekend and celebrated it in a responsible manner. I spent most of it in my darkroom, which is a great Covid-free environment! Given the holiday and what we are facing as a nation I also tried to think about what is good about America rather than what divides us. The weekend was the culmination of a stretch of days spent jamming darkroom time in between work and other activities to complete printing of a project that has become very important to me. Two hours here, three hours there and most of two Saturdays and a Sunday. I usually don’t work this way but it was time to get things done. Now of course I have to tone the prints, then mount and mat them. Then up and onto this website.

Many of the photographs are different than what I normally make but I hope they will tell a story that means something to me. Look, sometimes we have to change it up and do something different. In my case Covid has kept me from making the types of candid pictures I enjoy making, but that’s all right. For many a change can be all that’s necessary to keep the interest up when it flags. It can also challenge us and helps us grow as photographers.  I recommend it!

Here’s another thing. For all the pictures I made I only used one camera and lens. That right, and it was intentional! Simple, and it forces you to concentrate as much as possible on the task at hand without other distractions that can be caused by having options. This worked for me and I recommend trying it sometime. You might be surprised with the results!

During this difficult period I have been very active in terms of my photography and it has been a truly wonderful time, if only for that.  I’m not sure where all this will take me, but I’m grateful for the time I’ve have used wisely and for what I’ve done.

Stay safe,

Michael

Look I’m not a computer jockey so this has to be simple or I’m not doing it! And that’s the reason I am using a Microsoft Word table instead of creating a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that would accomplish the same thing but is beyond my simple skillset.  Of course you are probably not limited to using these programs, but many people have them on their computers.

You have made your proof sheets and have filed them into notebooks using the same numbers as their corresponding archival negative sleeve pages. Great … now here’s an added, and for some an optional step to help you locate that elusive negative because you’re making so many of them lately!  Think of this as an accessory to turbocharge your filing system, which is pretty damn good to begin with!

Here is all you have to do – for each negative size (e.g., 35mm, 120, 4×5, etc.) that you have books for (that’s the way I do it) create a simple table consisting of three columns – (1) Roll/sheet page number; Proof Sheet Title; and Year Made. You can decide how you wish to sort the columns – by year, alphabetically, etc. It’s up to you!  Then you add the information taken from your numbered and titled proof sheet pages.  Ok it’s a little bit of typing but once finished you will have a completely searchable database (using the “find” function) and you will always be able to locate that one negative you can’t seem to find!