Okay, I know this might be somewhat controversial for a number of you, but I really like Fred Picker’s work. And yes, I have actually seen his work in the flesh.  News flash … it’s quite beautiful! So there!!

One of his photographs may be one of the most visually arresting (to me) images I’ve ever seen.  I think about it quite often. It’s a picture of a several thousand year-old religious monument located in Scotland (I think).  A tall pale stone rising out of the ground.  Very slender and slightly curved towards the left, it points to the clouds above. It’s really quite perfect … to me. Behind and above the monument, the shapes of the clouds seem to mirror those of the contours of the land near the distant horizon. Sublime!

I own his monograph (as well as his technical books), as well as The Iceland Portfolio and enjoy them all. If you can’t deal with this because you’re a Picker hater, or there’s some other reason, take a pill and get over it. Most people consider Picker a salesman or perhaps a writer. He was a great salesman, a great businessman, a great designer of photographic equipment, a great writer, a great teacher, but he was also in my opinion a marvelous photographer.  In many ways he was an inspiration to me. So much so, that when I drove up to the funeral in Vermont to pay my respects to a man I had never met, I felt a strong connection … during the memorial service and afterwards when I looked at his jewel-like images and then had dinner with his friends (who I had also never met). Just like the stone monument picture, I will never forget that day.

Yes, Fred you’re one of my favorites … I never met you in person, but I’m sure it would have been entertaining!

Stay well,

Michael

The world has been waiting and I know things have become tense with the high level of anticipation.  But can the world truly be ready to know who is my Number 1 Favorite Black and White Analog Photographer? That’s right … it is happening … Numero Uno baby!

Yes, yes, it’s about time! So let the drums roll and dim the lights. Are you ready? My choice of my Favorite Black and White Analog Photographer is the one and only Paul Strand!!!

How could it be otherwise? For those of you that have followed my writings all of these years, you might have noticed more than a passing interest of mine in the genius of all things Paul Strand. I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that at some point in Strand’s career he decided he wanted to create his work with the idea that it would appear in books. And if I were to count, I probably have more of Strand’s books in my library then anyone else’s. Hmm, let me pause for a moment and take a count.  Okay, I’m back … so I have ten (I need to pick up a few more!). Two more than that of my number two favorite, Ansel Adams.

As great as all the photographers are that I have included in my top 10, Strands stands alone at the top of my photographic mountain. Why?  One reason is because of the universal greatness of all his work, across the range of photographic genres. But perhaps more than that, when I gaze at a Strand book … any Strand book … I am transported to a different time and place. It seems like I’m a visitor to some kind of alternative universe … a simpler and more pure one, free of all that ails us in this universe. Just pick up Tir a’ Mhurain, Un Paese, Time in New England, The Garden at Orgeval – I could go on!

I know the times are different.  The lifestyles were much simpler then, the work much harder, the manmade structures and landscapes more spare. It often makes me wonder which world and time is better – Strand’s or ours.

Because of Strand’s work I have had a long-time obsession to travel to the Outer Hebrides and Gaspe Peninsula to make my own photographs. Perhaps things will be so different that I will be disappointed. Maybe they won’t be the special places where Strand made his iconic images before I was born, or very young. I guess I’ll have to find out for myself some day. But even, if I were never to visit these mystical places, Strand has provided me with enough inspiration to continue my work for years (hopefully!) to come.

Two of the greatest exhibits I’ve ever been fortunate to see were of Strand’s work, at the National Museum of Art in Washington, DC, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Not everyone gets an opportunity like that. If you haven’t seen Strands work in the flesh or are simply not familiar with it, do yourself a big favor and pick up a few of his books. Trust me, you have a lot to look forward to! The ones I mentioned above are a good place to start, but all of them are simply marvelous!

Oh, and speaking of things simply marvelous, the day of this writing happens to be National Macaroni and Cheese Day. Think about it … what could be better … savoring some Mac and Cheese and Paul Strand!

Stay well,

Michael

The Monalog Collective is doing a yearlong project called “Visions of America”. Each member will capture images that evoke his or her personal vision of America during this pivotal and difficult time in which we all live.  The “official” start of the project was July 1^st, but we all had the opportunity to begin making pictures in January. The idea was to create new work.

I have been making photographs all year but I was particularly keen on getting out during the Fourth of July weekend to try my luck.  I had a lot of fun and hopefully made a few keepers.

I feel like I live in a country I don’t fully recognize anymore, yet I believe there still is plenty of good, humor and beauty to be found that will help form my vision of America.  How do you think? Do you have a vision of yourAmerica?  Surely you must! And guess what … you don’t need to travel for opportunities to find what you’re looking for. Street, landscape, portrait … you name it … it’s all around you … really … just see it!

How about doing your own year long “Vision of America” project?  Be creative … you just might create some very important and meaningful work!

Stay well,

Michael

Several weeks ago, tucked in the end of the nightly news just after all the feel bad stuff was a story about Michael Deering. It turns out he has made a photograph with his film camera every day for the past 26 years. That’s right! When he’s done, he drops of his roll of film at the drug store for processing, then comes back to pick up the pictures when they’re ready. Deering has made more 9,000 images of just about everything from the scenery around where he lives to major family events. His philosophy is to slow down and “notice the little things that life shows you every single day.”

Damn!

Ok this isn’t for everyone, but it should encourage all of us to use our cameras on a regular basis to slow down and “ notice the little things that life shows you every single day”.  And there are all sorts of benefits even if you don’t make a single photograph when you’re out there!

This could be a real a game changer if you haven’t been open to getting in tune with all that’s around you.  When I was instructing I’d take my students out for a walk around town. The idea was to help them focus on all the things they’d normally pass by without a thought and discover the many photographic opportunities and emotional connections being missed.  If they would open their hearts to the possibilities, their mind’s eye could follow, allowing them to make photographs they never thought about before.

Think about what Deering does, and what more we could do. There is so much in our daily lives and our surroundings that is photographically meaningful. Find it and capture it.

Stay well and happy Fourth of July,

Michael

It’s almost here!  That’s right! June 29^th is just around the corner and I know you have it marked on your calendar or in your iPhone or whatever you keep track of monumental events.

Yes, it’s National Waffle Day.  And yes, it’s also National Almond Butter Crunch Day.  Wow I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!  But wait, it’s so much more.

Drum roll please!

You’ve been counting the days with anticipation and just itching to use it. Yes, it’s also National Camera Day!!!!

No one seems to know for sure what the origin of this most important day is, but who cares! It exists to remind us to dust the cobwebs off our machines of choice and get out there and make photographs.

According to the NBC story, there are no official numbers of how many photos are made each day, but estimates are that more than 1 trillion are made yearly!  An average of 95 million photos are uploaded daily on Instagram and over 300 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day.  The vast majority is shot with digital cameras or mobile phones and it’s mostly useless rubbish.

Look we all know that it takes a much greater effort to first make sure you have film, then to make sure you remember to load it into your camera. Ok, I get that, so here is what I suggest … you still have a couple of days to make sure you have some film. If not go get some and load your camera. Then on National Camera Day go and find a moment during lunch or whenever and make a photograph or two.  Better yet, make some more and don’t wait to Wednesday. Could be pictures of family or friends, or anything that captures your imagination. And for gosh sakes don’t travel to do it!  There’s more than enough exciting material right where you live. Concentrate on that … it might create a whole new creative phase!

So there you have it. June 29^th is National Camera Day.  Be there, or be square!

Stay well,

Michael

What can be said about Ansel Adams’ greatness that has not been said before?  Like Cartier-Bresson, Adams has inspired and launched the careers and aspirations of thousands who would seek to emulate his greatness. The great master of the grand landscape as well as much, much more! He also happened to be a great American. Adams was a terrific writer and technical expert. He was instrumental in helping to establish photography as a recognized art form and was a key player in the foundation of the Museum of Modern Art’s photography department, the Friends of Photography and the F64 Group. Adams was also a member of the Sierra Club board of directors and on and on.

Like many, I own his series of books on the craft of photography, The Print, The Negative, and The Camera.  It was this trio that started me on my own quest to make high quality photographs. Then there are his many monographs, all of which are something to behold.  But nothing can really prepare you to seeing the real thing.  I have been fortunate to see many Adams exhibits, and as much as I favor small intimate photographs, the large Adams prints are unbelievable and almost mythic in nature.

Early in my career and much younger I would occasionally walk down to the Wilderness Society headquarters in downtown DC from my offices in the State Department and the New Executive Office Building, where open to the public were some of Adams greatest images (I believe they were the so called “museum set”) and just hang out. I would gaze upon the majestic landscapes and dream. They transported me to an America that no longer exists and maybe never really did. But all of his work is great and inspiring, from the quiet and sublime to the truly heroic.

For my 30^th birthday my wife sent me on a workshop with with John Sexton, where I had the opportunity to visit Adams’ home. And yes, I became one with the holy temple and stood on the hallowed ground that was his darkroom. And no, I didn’t kneel down and kiss the floor, but it was most certainly a profound and mind-altering experience I have never forgotten!!!!

I don’t own an Adams print, but some of my most prized possessions are several autographed books and a large signed and framed special addition poster of Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.

Ansel Adams, the man, the legend.

Stay well,

Michael

Would those that fought in WWII recognize what has become of our nation? They defended democracy and then two and half decades later they put a man on the moon. In 1962 John F. Kennedy said “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”.  It seems so long ago. Were we or our nation perfect? Not be a long shot!  No one is, and certainly no nation is.

But look at us today? What would the “greatest generation” think of America today? Rampant racism, hatred, tribalism, political division of epic proportions and mass shootings and other violence happening on daily basis.  Things seem to be spinning out of control, with many becoming almost numb to it all. In a couple of weeks we have witnessed several mass shootings, the latest at a school in Texas. Nineteen innocent children and two teachers murdered. I heard someone say that perhaps children will not be victims of senseless gun violence when gun owners finally choose to love them more than their guns.

Ok, time for me to take a breath …

Then on Memorial Day I got up early, did my normal walking, took Sparky for his walk and then finally walked to the parade to enjoy and photograph it. Same thing I do every other year (except during the height of COVID).

But something strange happened. It turns out where I live things are split pretty evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but on this beautiful sunny day all those lining the parade route were smiling and friendly with one and other … just happy to be out enjoying themselves and commemorating those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Even when a float for one of the political parties drove by no one skipped a beat, clapping, smiling and being nice.

I ran into a few friends and someone even stopped to asked me about my Leica and where he could get his old Minolta fixed so he could start using film again – I was really feeling it!

I felt like I was an American again, like I did before our national nightmare began.  When the parade ended I walked over to the cemetery and attended the annual memorial ceremony put on by the United Veterans of Doylestown. I listened to the closing benediction and made my last exposure; then I spoke to an older veteran and thanked him for his service.  A fitting end to an enjoyable and moving experience!

I knew that the next day I would hear of or read something that would snap me back into the current reality, but on that fine day there was hope in my heart for our country and for all of us.

Stay well,

Michael