Beloved: The Cabin Sessions; 12 inch square hardcover book, 8 inch square softcover book, and gatefold CD. — **Beloved: The Cabin Sessions**; *12 inch square hardcover book, 8 inch square softcover book, and gatefold CD.*

Creative Collaboration: The Cabin Sessions

January 30, 2018

I'm really excited to announce the imminent release of my next photo publishing project. The soon to be available book is titled "Beloved: The Cabin Sessions." My good friend David Garcia has assembled Beloved; a tight and talented circle of New Mexico musicians to help create his first musical release. I am honored that David has asked me to collaborate on all the visual components for the upcoming release. This includes CD and vinyl LP artwork, which is cool all by itself. The release will also include a book of my photographs, that are combined with the lyrics of David's amazing songs. We are awaiting the release of our deluxe edition 12" square, hardcover bound book. It contains 54 pages of images and words, and it is the result of a wonderful collaboration between myself and David. He has given me full creative freedom to not only choose the photos, but also to layout the book. My art is featured prominently throughout, and some of my "behind the scenes" photos of the band's recording sessions are featured as well. David will have a limited number of the hardcover book for sale, starting at the album release show on February 3rd here in Albuquerque. We are also producing a lower cost, 8" square, soft cover version of the book, which I will have copies available to purchase on my online shop after the launch gig.

I can't stress enough the value of print on demand platforms like Blurb and MagCloud. They have allowed me to create this amazing project, with David's help, in a very timely and cost effective manner. The quality of the printed pieces, especially the hardcover book, are truly impressive. We took inspiration from an "art" book Wilco released a few years back. The idea was to have my photographs match tangentially to David's lyrics. There is so much common ground between his words and my images. The American West, the long lonely highways, dreams of hope, and the realities of loss... all factor into the resulting book. The cover design is also a nod to U2's "Achtung Baby" album, which might go without saying if you are familiar with that iconic album.

The power of collaborating with like-minded creatives, regardless of their area of expression, cannot be stressed enough. Sometimes we need to crawl from our solitary creative cocoon to produce our art. The sum is indeed greater than the parts.

Winter in the West

January 29, 2018

A frozen moment as I left the Sundance Film Festival.

Worth A Thousand Words: Sally Mann

January 20, 2018

Portraiture has always confounded me. As a photographer, I’ve struggled when I’ve had to deal with actual human beings as subject matter. Especially when they are directly in front of me, posing for a formal portrait. I am just unable to capture the essence of a person through a photograph. That’s not to say that I don’t ever take pictures of people. It’s just that they tend to be in an environment, usually on the street, or part of a larger, more complex scene. At the same time, as a viewer, I am constantly drawn to a great photographic portrait. Needless to say that our western pop culture is awash in portraits, many focusing on those in power, or those with celebrity. Add to the mix the current frenzy of selfies clogging up social media platforms, and one could deduce that perhaps we’ve hit the breaking point where the whole idea of a photographic portrait has transformed into something other than a thoughtful study of not just the appearance of the subject, but also a deeper exploration of their mood, their character, their psychological makeup. Most portraits today, to my eyes, seem more self-aggrandizing, self-serving; propaganda mechanisms more than anything else.

With this cynicism in mind, I focus my gaze today on a most beautiful portrait. Titled “Black Eye” it is by a true American master, Sally Mann. Sally Mann has made a career of photographing her immediate family, most notably her children. This approach has brought her much acclaim, but also much criticism. The critics are usually from outside the photography / art worlds. The puritanical, religious “moral police” that exists in the United States have, on numerous occasions, worked themselves into a foaming-mouth frenzy over the intimate work of Mann. Their objections are almost always due to the fact that Mann has no reservation for showing her (then) young children, both male and female, in the nude. The rabid critics have dismissed the work and pornographic at worst, exploitative of innocence at best.

The image I am discussing today is of a fully clothed child, the artist’s daughter, but still has been cause for alarm by many narrow-minded critics. More on that in a few moments. Let’s take a closer look at the photograph. It is a black and white image. A young girl sits in an antique looking chair, and is positioned squarely in the middle of the frame. Her eyes are closed, her arms are crossed. She is bathed in wonderful, soft natural light, coming from a window that is in the distance, the edge shown in the photo, out of focus. The hair on the girl looks like it has been blown to the side by a sudden soft breeze. The focus on this image is interesting to me. The detail on the white lace below her neck indicates a shallow depth of field. The hair and chair shows a varying degree of focus as well. The curls of hair along the lower neck is a foil to the unkemptness of the blown hair along the top of her head. Her hands are crossed, but at ease, and they look as though they are cradling something. The wonderful downslope of her dark lips brings a certain melancholy to her appearance. And then we have the black eye. How did this happen? The zealot critics have projected evidence of child abuse onto the photo. But as we know, kids get all sorts of bumps and bruises while the explore their world. And I can help but think that her eye looks swollen due to a bug bite. Especially when you consider that Mann and her family live in rural Virginia, there are all sorts of reasons a child might be sporting a swollen, black eye.

99efc4e08e7b527ca333b79a1bcb1a19--julia-margaret-cameron-albert-museum.jpg

Photos by Julia Margaret Cameron

What I find most striking about this image is its timelessness. It looks like it could have been made in the later 1800s, and reminds me of the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, with its references to Pre-Raphaelite painting, featuring limp poses and soft lighting. Mann’s photo has the same qualities. The young girl’s dress furthers this timeless atmosphere, as does the chair she sits in. The photographer has captured not only a very intimate moment, but has, though her craft, imbued the image with so much psychological power. The photo not only seems to represent a girl lost in a dream, but also feels like a dream itself. And if I dive further in the subconscious elements seen here, I could also see this as a death portrait. Her eyes are closed, her hands are crossed. Is she laid out in a coffin? Is this a display, not only to the fleeting nature of youth, but the ever present spectre of death? Now consider that this photograph was taken by the girl’s mother. The sense of serenity is one that a mother would probably know better than anyone, when seeing your young child asleep. But isn’t also a parent’s greatest fear, the death of their child? Is Mann exploring this fear with her camera? Is she challenging the viewer to take stock of their own familial relationships? Could a stranger had been able to create such a powerful image of the same young girl? I doubt that the kind of gentle touch of the artist’s lens, the intimacy of the space, the softness of the light would be available to an outsider.

It is a sad fact that women are underrepresented in the arts, and photography is no exception. Men have most times taken the spotlight as innovators, or as the heroic masters of the art world, and certainly this holds true in photography as well. But it is the work of Sally Mann that proves the value, the legitimacy and the true artistry that a woman artist can possess, and should rightfully be recognized for. I would highly recommend reading Sally Mann’s autobiography, “Hold Still.” Her family history certainly informed her artistic development, but it’s also a wonderful look at the creative process of a true photographic master.

Desert Sentinels: an introduction

January 16, 2018

A brief sojourn into Arizona last weekend offered a nice warm respite from the winter bleaks that are settling in here in New Mexico. I am endlessly fascinated by saguaro cactii. They appear almost human to me. As one traverses through the desert landscape near Tucson and Phoenix, the saguaro are ubiquitous. Each one looks unique. Each one seems to have it's own personality. The surrounding landscape offers other visual stimuli as well. The thick desert brush is both inviting and intimidating. At certain times of the year it can be deadly as well. Still, a quick jaunt with a new lens on my camera (an 85mm f/1.8 for you techie dorks) provided the seeds of desire for a future exploration and possible new project. Here are some results of my first tentative steps into the unknown.

Worth A Thousand Words: Bruce Davidson

January 10, 2018

Time to jump back into my series of blog posts that take a closer look at some iconic photographs. Today, I'm looking at and discussing the work of Bruce Davidson. Specifically, an image that graced the cover of his landmark book of color photographs titled "Subway."

To begin, let's take a trip back in time to the 1970s in New York City. The city was a dangerous place. Crime was rampant, blight was everywhere, and when to city declared it was nearing bankruptcy, the message received from then President Gerald Ford was "Drop Dead."

As the Rolling Stones sang "bite the Big Apple, don't mind the maggots," the denizens of the city went about their daily lives, which for many included a daily descent into the graffiti covered subway system. If there was one thing that best represented the sad state of urban life in 1970s NYC, it was the filthy, crime ridden train system. It was into this world that acclaimed Magnum photographer Bruce Davidson descended as he embarked on a project that would become a landmark book of color photographs.

Davidson was no stranger to the streets of New York City. He had been shooting street gangs and poor neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs for some time. In the preface for the "Subway" book, he discusses how dangerous it was to be working alone in this subterranean environment. He had equipment stolen and had been harassed when he got too close to certain subjects or situations. Yet, he was driven to explore the world that existed below street level, and persisted to create a truly stunning body of work.

Up to this point, most of Davidson's previous work had been shot in black and white. The decision to shoot color for the Subway project was a wise choice. The different sources of light, both natural and artificial, the variety of skin tones and clothing color palettes, the smattering of spray painted graffiti... these needed to be seen in full color.

“I wanted to transform the subway from its dark, degrading, and impersonal reality into images that open up our experience again to the color, sensuality, and vitality of the individual souls that ride it each day.”

— Bruce Davidson

The image that I'd like to spend time discussing in further detail happens to be the cover image from the book. So, what do we see? A color image, shot inside a subway car. The composition is solid, with the main subject, a shirtless man, slightly off center, and rows of florescent lights angling down on either side of him, pulling the viewer's attention right to the middle of the frame. We then can focus our gaze on the gold necklaces hanging around the man's neck, with a cross sitting squarely in the middle of his muscular chest. The man's face is obscured in shadow, but we can clearly make out a mustache above his upper lip. Judging by his skin tone, and the religious jewelry, I am making the assumption that he is a Hispanic male, most likely in his late teens or early 20s.

Firstly, what I find striking about this image is how close to his subject Davidson got to take this photo. It was surely shot with a wide-angle lens, so I would guess that he was standing within a foot or so of his subject. This is no "on the sly" hipshot. The subject certainly knew he was being photographed. What makes this image so intriguing to me is when I start to consider who this shirtless man may be, what kind of personality might he possess? He has the machismo to be riding the subway shirtless, which is a bold statement of non-conformity and a disregard of the likely rules against doing so. He is also showing off jewelry that I'm sure has some monetary value. One would think a quick grab from a thief would garner items that could be sold on the street for a decent amount of cash. However, who would dare make this kind of move? Is the shirtless man challenging those around him with this kind of flaunting? Is he daring other to try to make a move on him? Is there any irony in the fact that he is showing symbols of his religious faith in an environment that many would argue is devoid of God's presence?

I would guess that many riders in that particular subway car were averting their eyes from this man, as most New Yorkers will tell you is one way to survive in the city... never make eye contact with anyone. Davidson is doing almost the same thing here. We don't actually see the man's eyes. They are mostly hidden. Yet, the photographer does not shy away from a different kind of confrontation in this picture. He did not turn away, but instead took the photo. This is creative bravery on display.

Again, I must revisit the fact that this image was shot on color film. As much as I prefer to shoot in black and white for most of my own work, I do recognize that there is a time and a place for color photographs. I doubt that this Bruce Davidson photo would have the same impact if it were shot in black and white. The beautiful skin tones that inform so much, the pop of the gold chains, the sickly bluish green of the rows of florescent lights, the cool chrome of the straps; all gain so much by being seem in glorious color.

I highly recommend Bruce Davidson's book "Subway" to any lover of street photography. It is work that utilizes the documentary style that earned him a place along the other masters of Magnum, but merges it will a more artistic exploration of light and color. And it harkens back to the pre-Giuliani days when New York City was a seedy, dangerous, yet still exciting place to venture. The days when a quasi-vigilante group like the Guardian Angels were seen as a sensible reaction to the crime filling the streets and the subways. Maybe the good old days were a bit closer to bad old days, but something was definitely lost as the city cleaned itself up.

Flaunt The Imperfections: Series One

January 3, 2018

Flaunt the Imperfections: Desert Soliloquy

I created this series of photographs as a reaction.
A reaction to the impermanence of things, of images, of thoughts. It is the result of a slash and burn approach to editing, layout and printing. All images were originally shot on film, and thus, retain
imperfections, textures, and grain. In most cases these were then digitally enhanced, with intention and with reverence. In this world of digital perfection, of “look once and scroll away,” I hope this series, shown with warts and all flaws accentuated, gives the viewer a more lasting experience. Henry Wessel once said that to take a photograph of something is to say “YES” to it. Validating the existence of a person, a place, or a thing. So, with this first step in what will become an ongoing project, I say, emphatically...YES.

As I focus my efforts in the early days of 2018, I would like to share this body of work I created last year. All imagery was shot on film, and appeared in printed form as a zine. I am currently working on my next issue of the FLAUNT zine, so now is as good a time as any to take a look back at the original launch of the series. Copies of the zine are still available for purchase here.

Flaunt The Imperfections: Issue 1

The premier issue of a new 'zine series, featuring the work of Nick Tauro Jr. This publication celebrates the grain, textures and intrinsic imperfections found in film-based photography.

in the new year

January 1, 2018

“Oh, I’m still living
At the old address
And I’m waiting on the weather
That I know will pass

I know that it’s true
It’s gonna be a good year
Out of the darkness
And into the fire”

— "In The New Year" by The Walkmen

Looking Back, Looking Forward

December 29, 2017

As we all do around this time of year, I'm taking a few moments to reflect on the year that is wrapping up, as well as looking toward the year ahead. Personally, 2017 was a rewarding year. My creativity seemed to be in an elevated state of flow, and I was fortunate enough have some health stability back in my life, after a challenging time in the previous year.

I dove deep into self-publishing, and I discovered the book (or zine) format was a platform for my photos that I really enjoy working with. My book collaboration with Fabio Miguel Roque , tilted "Beyond / Além" was released in the spring, and we were honored to also be able to exhibit the work in September in Évora, Portugal.

I was happy to launch a new series of zines called "Flaunt the Imperfections" that will act as an outlet for my own film photography, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with other film-based photographers. A special thank you goes out to Daniel Milnor and Justin Thor Simenson for being my compatriots in ink, dots, paper and pixels.

I'm continually thrilled to be part of the Latent Image Collective. The international circle of photographers are a source of inspiration and support for my work, and the feeling of connection with these wonderful artists is something I deeply value. Our group exhibit "Ongoing Conversation," as part of PhotoSummer, was a highlight of the year. Many thanks to my photo-sister Karen Mazur for being there in the trenches with me as we mounted to show.

A huge amount of gratitude goes out to Rocky Norton, who generously opened his studio space to me in October to show my "Covered Cars" series and release my limited edition zine.

Rounding out the year, I was proud to release my book of color photographs from New York City. I am so thankful for everyone who purchased the book. Your support keeps me motivated to create.

2017 has been a year of challenges for most of the world. There are so many social / economic / political issues that are creating divisions, pain and hatred... it is impossible not to be affected by it all. I have felt it as well, and have noticed this pessimism has crept into my work. I am by nature an optimist, but have struggled this year to see the light. This struggle has affected my photography, and the new work I've been focussing on definitely shows it.

I've also been reassessing my relationship with social media. I cannot deny that it has been helpful in my promotion of my photography, especially Facebook. I am so deeply entwined in that platform, that I can't honestly imagine deleting my account. I use it to communicate with my fellow Collective members, I keep up with creatives around the world; the self-publishers, artists, photographers, musicians... not to mention friends near and far. It is double edged sword, but still, the good outweighs the bad...if ever so slightly.

Instagram, on the other hand, is something I need to step away from. I find it too detrimental to my creativity and my self-worth to stay engaged with it. Instagram is like a night at a dance club, hoping you meet someone, but no one even buys you a drink, and all you get are catcalls on the way to your car. It's like going for a quick cheap laugh with a pun, as opposed to writing a 5-minute monologue. It's like eating a handful of Pop Rocks. The pursuit of "likes" is futile and unfulfilling and does nothing but fuck with my ego. I don't need it. So I'm saying goodbye to that. I will most likely leave my page up so folks can stumble upon it, but I just can't add to the endless stream of easily scrollable, easily swiped, easily dismissed images any longer.

I have many ideas to pursue in 2018, but I am too realistic to make any resolutions. Instead, I wrote a list and pinned it to the wall in my office. Things I hope to accomplish. Goals I believe I can achieve. With good health, financial stability, the love and support of my amazing wife, as well as the support of all of you who are reading this, I will take a stab at it. May your new year be one of health and satisfaction and peace.

Home / Light

December 26, 2017

You can travel the world, wander unknown streets, searching for the exotic, or, you can stay in your own home and let the light guide you to something just as intriguing.

Faith and Devotion 'zine

December 15, 2017

2017 has been a very productive year for me, creatively speaking. One of the areas I've been focussing has been self-publishing. With the availability and affordability of print-on-demand services like Magcloud and Blurb, anyone (yes...even you!) can easily publish their own book or magazine. The project I'm discussing here is a series of photos I created in 2015, while on a residency in Portugal. The town of Fatima is a well-known Catholic pilgrimage site. It is also a location rife with photo opportunities. I was happy to have spent a few days shooting there, and the series of images have finally ended up in printed form. I worked on the images and sequencing much longer than on any other recent project, and I am very satisfied with the final result. As I have been very fortunate with the support I've already received for my self-publications, I have been marketing the Fatima 'zines in a much more subdued manner. However, if you would like to order one, I do have a handful of copies available in my online shop. And since I realize many folks would like to see some samples of the zine before considering a purchase, I'm sharing some spreads below. As 2017 draws to a close, I am glad to be able to put this project out into the world, since I have several new projects already brewing for 2018.