Takeaways from the Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley Exhibit

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So last week my wife and I had a pleasant visit to the Michener Art Museum to see a very interesting show, Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley, made all the more interesting because pretty much we had the entire museum to ourselves!  Another artifact of the pandemic I guess. The Michener had been closed for some time, but just recently opened for by appointment only visits. We both felt grateful to be able to actually get out and see something of real interest instead of the grocery store or post office. So it was nice to meander slowly through the exhibit.  And since it was just the two of us, it enabled me to wax poetically about whatever photograph struck me in a particular way without embarrassing myself in front of others (I’m always looking for little silver linings during this terrible time!).

The show focused on 70 years of work by photographers that lived in the Delaware Valley and included approximately 100 images drawn from the Michener’s collection. The great photographers featured in the show I was familiar with included Paula Chamlee, Michael Smith, Edmond Eckstein, Larry Fink, Emmett Gowin, Ray Metzker, Stephen Perloff and Charles Sheeler.  It was especially wonderful to see photographs made by Monalog Collective member Edmund Eckstein, as well as those by Paula Chamlee, Michael Smith and Stephen Perloff, who I’ve had the good fortune to come to know.  Through the Lens had it all, from street photography to classic landscapes, in black and white and color.

If you happen to go, some of my favorites were Paula Chamlee’s 8 x10 Azo contact prints From the Series High Plains Farm, Adrian Texas, 1995 and Kjalkjordur, Iceland; Michael Smith’s 8 x20 Azo contact print Bucks County; Edmund Eckstein’s See You Tomorrow Mom, From Doylestown Hospital Series, Basic Training, Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, and Hyde Park, London, UK; Stephen Guion’s Dwelling House, Bedroom Window; Andrea Baldeck’s Hunger in the Stomach; Emmett Gowin’s Edith and Isaac, Newtown; Claus Mroczynski’s White House, Canyon de Chelly, NM AZ; Stephen Perloff’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge; Jack Rosen’s Slabs for Homes, Levittown, PA; and Ray Metzker’s Pictus Interruptis: Philadelphia, Spring Tingle. 1980.

The Michener is a true gem and I’m only two minutes away by car, or twenty minutes by leisurely walk. You might say I’m lucky. Really lucky because I stumbled onto Doylestown by accident and then found the museum. The deal was struck after driving up from Virginia to see a gorgeous Edward Weston exhibit with my son about ten years ago.  We sold our house shortly thereafter, made the move, and I‘ve never looked back.

We need to be grateful for places like the Michener, and for local galleries and other organizations that support art. Covid-19 driven isolation has helped to make that clear to me. I’m lucky to be an active member of several outstanding organizations here in Bucks County and Philadelphia. Now more than ever we need to be connected with photography in whatever ways we can. Being out there and making pictures is best, but seeing great photographs made by great photographers, as well as great art in general is so important. If we can’t see the work in person, viewing online exhibits is the next best thing. Do it and be a part of it!

The Michener show was a real treat. I urge you to see it if you’re nearby and feel it’s safe to do so. Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley runs through August 15th.

Stay safe,

Michael

Being Part of a Community

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The other day I was on the Phillips Mill Photo website and noticed they had put up a short video talking about the organization and last year’s exhibition. I have previously written about my inclusion in the show. Interviews were conducted and there’s a short segment in which I say a few nice words. You might enjoy watching it at https://www.phillipsmillphoto.com/pmpe2020-exhibition.

I bring this up because it got me thinking about the importance of being a part of a photographic community – whatever that community may be. This has been especially important during the virus.

I joined Phillips Mill last year around the beginning of Covid. Everything went to hell for in person events but they kept at it and put together a wonderful online show. Phillips Mill is a great organization with a long and prestigious history here in Bucks County. They have been around since 1929 and I’m certainly glad to be a member and part of a long tradition. A couple of months later I joined the DaVinci Art Alliance in South Philly. DVAA’s mission is to “build community through art” with public exhibitions, programming, and interdisciplinary partnerships.  It’s a non-profit art space that provides resources, exhibition space, and community for its artist members and the surrounding neighborhoods. Just a little younger then Phillips Mill, DVAA was established in 1931. I am really enjoying DaVinci and have already participated in several shows and virtual events during Covid. You can check DVAA out at DVAA-Da Vinci Art Alliance. Finally, I founded the Monalog Photographer’s Collective at the beginning of 2020. We started out with 6 members. We planned on a couple of great in person events, but you know the story. Nevertheless, with everything that has happened during the pandemic our collective has grown to fourteen members and I am very excited about the future of the group! Check us out at https://monalogcollective.com.

Why is this so important to me?  Of course making photographs really matters, but to me the whole photography experience is much more than that.  When I am out and about the experience of looking, discovering, and perhaps most important, interacting with those I come in contact with matters just as much. And I have found that being part of a community(s) can be equally important. Why? With DaVinci and Phillips Mill I am part of continuum of photographers that goes back nearly a century. With Monalog I am working with others to build something I think is special and will hopefully endure. But more than that … it’s because of the friendships made and the long-term relationships developed.

Friendships have always been an essential part of my life, so it was only natural that I would like to develop ones involving something I love so deeply. Friends that have the same passion I do, that want to share ideas, that care about each other and help one and other with no questions asked. What can be better than that? Besides family, not much! If Monalog were to fold tomorrow, it would have all been worth it, just for the friendships I’ve made.

So get involved in a photographic community … especially during these difficult times. There are many opportunities out there, like the ones I’m involved with or others from online forums to local camera clubs and artist groups, and coops. You can even start one like I did!

Take a chance. It will be worth it!

Stay safe,

Michael

My Photographic Process – Step 13 – Selenium Tone the Print and Step 14 – Wash and Dry Your Prints on Print Drying Screens

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Ta, da!

Ok, you’ve made your best print(s). Now you want to provide the finishing touch. Selenium toning provides a nice shift in tone away from the olive appearance characteristic of most papers.  It also supports archival permanence and can help set the blacks.  Some people will develop their prints and go all the way through toning in one session. I generally do not do that and prefer to accumulate enough prints that need to be toned and do them at one time.  After my prints have been developed, washed and dried as previously described, I store them in an archival box that has a sticker on it that reads, “To Be Toned”.

My toning process is as follows:

  1. Soak prints in water for 10 minutes.
  2. Fix prints in plain Hypo solution for 3 minutes
  3. Tone prints in Selenium Toner. I use a ratio of 1 part toner to 20 parts water. This ensures that the tonal shift will happen more gradually, giving you a greater amount of control.With Foma Variant III toning times tend to be four to seven minutes, but each paper is different and some do not tone at all. Pay close attention so you don’t go to far!  Also, make sure your room is well ventilated. Breathing in Selenium is not good for you!  I always have my fan running and the door wide open!
  4. Remove your prints when you are happy with how they look and put them into a tray of Hypo Clear. I use Permawash mixed 1 gallon of water to 3 ounces of chemical for 2 minutes.
  5. Rinse for 5 minutes

Then proceed with Step 14 to wash and dry your prints on print drying screens as was described previously in My Step 12.

Congratulations, you have come a long way and accomplished a lot!

Stay safe,

Michael

My Inclusion in the 2020 Photo Review 36th Annual International Photography Competition Exhibition

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At long last the photographs selected to be included in the 2020 Photo Review 36th Annual Photography Competition have been posted on the Photo Review website for a virtual exhibition.  You can see them here: https://www.photoreview.org.  The 2020 competition was juried by Kathy Ryan, Photo Editor, and Jessica Dimson, Deputy Director of Photography, of The New York Times Magazine. There are a million competitions and you could spend all your time just working on that, so I try to focus on those that interest me for a particular reason(s), including who the jurors are and how competitive they are. That was the case here.

It’s sometimes very surprising what photos will be selected when you submit several and I have been pleasantly surprised those that have been chosen for the last several shows I’ve been in.  I am particularly happy about my selection for this show. It speaks strongly to me about the ambivalence for many concerning the times we live in. I thought about that when I made the photograph a couple of years ago and I still feel that way now. Perhaps the jurors felt the same way.

Stay safe,

Michael

Inauguration Day

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Well we made it. And not a moment to soon! I was a little bit nervous that morning. I still wasn’t over the rampage that took place at the capitol building, and to be honest it may take a long time.  Early on in my career I spent two years working there on the Senate side. I spent a lot of time in all the buildings that make up the campus. I knew them all along with the tunnels, and many of the special places and hidden nooks. It was a better time on the Hill then. Democrats and Republicans disagreed but they worked together when it mattered. Members of both parties got along and didn’t view each other as the enemy. Staffers had lunch together, played softball for the fun of it and hung out at bars. In many ways it was a better time.

I was worried that there would be some type of violent activity in or around Washington, DC, and at state capitols. Thankfully that didn’t happen. Instead there was a peaceful transfer of power, though for some that may take a while to get over.

I wasn’t at the inauguration, but felt very much a part of it.  And so it was important for me to memorialize the event by capturing the feelings I experienced as I watched it. I was happy, relieved, yet deeply concerned about the incredible challenges facing all of us as we begin to move beyond this very dark time. Now we’ve made a start and I am hopeful for our future.

Stay safe,

Michael

Can Your Photographs Hold a Longer and Deeper Meaning for You?

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Think about the thought process you use when you make a photograph. In my case sometimes it will be representative or relational to something that is happening around me or something to be memorialized. It may be a part of a thematic project, or it could just be a spontaneous capture of something that captures my eye on the street. Here’s something. Can your photographs hold a longer and deeper meaning for you, so that you will come back to them over and over again to consider not only what you were thinking about when you made them and the experiences of the day on which they were made, but what more they can say to you on other levels or about other things that matter to you as time goes by? Finally, can they inspire and perhaps change you for your work to come?

This week I will be thinking mostly about the peaceful and thankful transition of power to Joe Biden. As I write this I am filled with apprehension about what will happen leading up to and surrounding this historic event, not only in our nation’s capital, but also in state capitals and other places across the United States. I also have considerable fears about the open hate, extremism, and potential for violence that is likely to be with us for sometime to come. But I also have a sense of optimism. The raging virus can be cured and what else afflicts America can be repaired in great part, because I believe that most Americans are so much better than what we have seen in recent days.

I have a picture I made several years ago on Flag Day. It had meaning for me then and it has even more meaning for me now. In Bucks County, not far from where I live, the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans organization holds its annual Flag Day Veteran’s remembrance event at one of the many Bucks County community parks. What makes this annual event unique and amazing is that volunteers plant nearly 65,000 small American flags, as well as 5,000 small black flags in the park ground commemorating Americans that gave their lives during Vietnam or other conflicts, or are missing in action, yet to be recovered – all placed in the shape of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. I went there that day, saw all the flags, listened to the heartfelt speeches by veterans and local officials and spoke with those celebrating the event. I will always remember that fine day; what it meant for my photography and my life by being a part of it.

As this week unfolds, as the Inauguration takes place and the days follow it, I will look at the picture I made and continue to think about it from time to time – because it had meaning for me then and so much more now.  I will think about those that who have fought and died for our country, those that believe in the promise of America, the challenges we face, and what America can be truly become if we all work hard to make it happen.

Stay safe,

Michael

Be Thankful, Nurture It, Repair it, Photograph It

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I thought I had seen it all in my lifetime, from the assignations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, to the Viet Nam war and the Kent State shootings, Watergate, 911, and the last decade of police atrocities against black Americans. I traveled the world in service to my country, to places like the Soviet Union and China where democracy did not exist, but nothing prepared me for the shameful acts that played out before our nation on live television on January 6th.  It was the inevitable conclusion of the last five years since Donald Trump declared his candidacy for the White House.  In the end our democracy remained intact as law and order was restored and Congress came back in session to certify the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

It will take a long time to get over this.  But be thankful for the good that America is and what we have. Work to nurture it back to health. Help to repair what needs to be fixed. Photograph it. 

Stay safe and stay vigilant,

Michael

It’s Finally 2021!

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Well, gosh damn, it’s 2021 and most of us made it across the finish line. I say this because nearly 350,000 Americans lost their loves during 2020 … many unnecessarily. It didn’t have to be this way. It really didn’t. For those of you who lost a loved one or friend, you have my greatest sympathy.

Yes there was a hoax in 2020, but it wasn’t the pandemic or collusion, or all the so-called fake news put out by the mainstream news media. No, it was the cruel joke perpetrated upon those who somehow believed there was a true president and a functioning government during the past four years that cared about this country and the American people. But the good news is in less then three weeks our long national nightmare will be over. And yes it won’t be easy. One of few accomplishments of Individual 1 was to sow discord in our nation in ways that few could have dreamed possible.  We will all have to work at this and better times will be ahead!

Okay, so what about our photography?  2021 is going to be a great year if we decide to really live a fully “photographic life”. The vaccine is coming but we will still need to be careful during the coming months. But dammit it’s a new year so let’s make the most of it!  Commit to doing whatever you need to do to keep your head in the game until you feel comfortable about making the types of photographs you normally do.  And if the virus isn’t a problem for the subject matter you focus on, then get out there and make pictures!

But wait, there’s more!

If you’re not doing anything but reading this and thinking about all the great things you could be doing, get off your chair and do something … anything! How about this? Sit back down, grab a pad or journal if you keep one and write down a plan of everything you want to do this year. That’s right; write it down!  Here are a few ideas. For starters learn some new things from most convenient knowledge source readily available to you … the Internet, and then go through you photographic library for inspiration. What about the library? It’s open on a limited basis. I was just there this week doing research for a project. Same thing for galleries and museum; you can safely visit them.  While they’re also open on a limited basis they also have a lot of great information available online. Buy some books you have wanted for a long time. I just did! Get your camera equipment serviced if necessary.  Now how about giving your darkroom a good vacuuming, and clean it of any unnecessary clutter. It’s not your messy bedroom, it’s a neat and dust free working space. If it’s not being used get rid it. Sell the stuff or donate it to someone that can use it. Are your film speeds and development times correct? Are you caught up making your proof sheets?  Have you even gone through your recent proof sheets to see if there are some keepers worth printing?  What about going through your older proof sheets to see if there are some hidden gems you never printed? Have you thought about printing at all?

Now define some achievable photographic goals. That way there can’t be any excuses. A couple of long-term projects and some shorter ones that can be more easily accomplished might well make sense. And of course be open to any random opportunities you learn about or that just pop up from an impulse you have. Try to keep things within two hours of where you live. No need to travel far. Forget about it another potential for an excuse. Think hard and creatively! There’s plenty of good stuff nearby if you open your eyes and heart to all the possibilities! Write it all down!

There will be plenty of ups and downs in 2021. Sure there will. But we can live truly photographic lives right now. Things will become more normal and we will be making the types of pictures we love … normally. Yes, 2021 is going to be a really good photographic year. I know it will be for me because I want it to, and I am going to do all I can to make it so! I hope it will be the same for you!

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and photographically productive New Year.

Stay safe,

Michael