New Jersey vibes for this holiday.
Blue Line Swinger: a short film
I took a trip to Marfa, Texas back in March. It is one of my favorite places to visit. There is something about the wide open spaces of the high desert of West Texas, mixed with the artistic, bohemian vibe that speaks to me. I am comfortable there. I popped a hit of sunshine and wandered the empty streets as the sun started its descent to the western horizon. This film was shot on my grandfather's old 8mm magazine camera. It was basically a test roll to see if it still worked. Lo and behold... Music by Yo La Tengo, used with only the utmost honor and respect.
Cinéma de Mes Rêves
Hello friends, I am proud to share my newest art project with you today. My fascination with photographic images has always run parallel with my love of moving images. To that end, over the past year or so, I have been exploring an archive of public domain movies. I have been photographing the source material, and then manipulating the images, creating a final quadtych. Each moment of the film becomes a departure point for me to apply my own narrative via dialogue subtitles. The aesthetic of foreign cinema, specifically the French New Wave has heavily influenced my creation of this body of work. Each individual card is meant to be a singular piece, but by sharing the set in a unbound manner I invite the viewer to create their own sequence of images. Perhaps a new story will result every time the cards are rearranged. This project is a "cinema of my dreams" and I am happy to share it with you today. Each set is 23 cards, with a bellyband, housed in a DVD case, featuring custom cover art, front and back. Signed and numbered. Cost is $25 plus shipping (US and Canada Only) Click on the button below to go to my online store!
2022: 20 Chatter
After a busy week, I had the privilege to show some video work in Santa Fe. I performed a collaboration with the remarkable musicians Jesse Tatum and David Felberg, two core members of Chatter, Albuquerque’s hot as hell, chamber music ensemble. I created two original video pieces that I projected during a performance at SITE Santa Fe. The music was beautiful, the performers top-notch, and the crowd, appreciative. All in all, a little taste of what I hope will be more video art to be made and shared in the future.
2021:50 Koudelka Shooting Holy Land
There is no shortage of videos on YouTube that feature photographers out in the world, taking pictures. Many…too many… feature young, hipsters shooting film. These videos are one of the reasons that the aftermarket for old, analogue cameras has exploded over the past few years. What was once old equipment that no one wanted is now commanding ridiculous prices on Ebay. If there is a new YouTube video released featuring an up-until-then obscure camera, the price immediately starts creeping up. But the curmudgeon in me has to also tip my hat to these neophytes, since they are truly the ones keeping film photography off of life support.
I prefer my vicarious photo shooting viewing to be centered on masters of the medium. There is one film in particular that I’ve been wanting to see for some time. The movie is called Koudelka Shooting Holy Land. I’ve been waiting to see if it would pop up somewhere for free, but alas, I finally caved and dropped 10 bucks to stream it at home. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It is an often quiet meditation on the challenges of finding inspiring subject matter, and approaching it with a critical, yet compassionate eye. Koudelka shot the areas in Israel that are the meeting points between Palestinian lands and Jewish settlements. The photos resulted in an amazing book from a few years back that I’ve written about previously, titled Wall. It was a joy to watch him wander through environments that at one turn were mundane, and at another, quite tense. Koudelka navigates it all with a world weary resignation that I found charming and inspiring.
Some of the most compelling moments in the film occur when Koudelka navigates the hyper-security measures in place at border crossings and checkpoints. For a photographer who first came to prominence documenting the Soviet invasion of his native Czechoslovakia in 1968, he is no stranger to working in challenging situations. Yet most of Koudelka’s interactions with the authorities amount to mostly gruff but docile harassment from military people who are more concerned with threats of violence and not an old man with a panoramic camera. Still, hearing a voice shout from a watchtower as he sets up a few of his shots is enough to give me concern for his safety. Yet Koudelka slowly, deliberately continues his work, unfazed and unintimidated by the powers that keep watch over a complicated mix of politics and differences in faith, all while adding to the tension and division that the photographer himself is quietly, critically assessing. If you get the chance, spend the 10 dollars and watch a master at work.
2021: 44 Planning and Randomness
I spent most this week on set for a TV production. Three overnight shoots in a row. Cold, tired and inspired. Shooting and editing TV commercials and web videos is the best part of my “day job.” Contrary to my photographic work, this kind of shooting entails the work of many people. Collaboration and team work are key. And although most of the game plan is set ahead of shoot day, there is always risk involved. Thankfully not the kind of risk and repercussions on a recent production up in Santa Fe; but often times, we don’t know how things are gonna go. Time is always against you on set. There is crew, talent, the weather, random “bogies” and all sorts of variables to contend with. Most of the projects I work on start with an idea in my mind. It is still a wondrous thing to see it come to life on set, and more fully in the post-production edit. That small nugget of thought becomes a real thing. A short story many people will view and critique. Everyone on set is there to manifest that original idea. It is an amazing thing to participate in.
Even though things are scripted, storyboarded, planned, blocked out, rehearsed… you never really know what you’re going to get. Is the talent scared or nervous? Is the director tired? Is that cloud overhead starting to drizzle rain on us? Throw into the mix the randomness of a technical challenge. In the photo above, we rigged a camera into a round, metal casing. The camera was turned on to record, and then the rig was launched from a moving vehicle. The idea was to replicate the view of a tumbling car, in the midst of a crash. We had no way to monitor the camera. We had no idea what the footage would look like. We had no idea if the camera itself would survive the tumble. On a set where thousands of dollars was invested, where 40 plus crew members, each with a specific skill and role, were on hand… we were at the mercy of the randomness of hurling an expensive camera down the road in a metal device. The best laid plans… as they say. Sometime you just gotta trust and try and surrender to the unknown. A good lesson learned at 5am on a Friday morning.
p.s……The footage actually looked great, as we all took a deep sigh of relief.
a gift for the solstice
The year has been a challenge, and as we enter into winter, we will most certainly see more darkness. But without this season of darkness, we don’t fully understand or appreciate the light. As a celebration of the change in season, I would like to share a video I recently created. It was made in collaboration with my wife, flutist Jesse Tatum, and Chatter, the amazing chamber music ensemble based here in Albuquerque, NM. The piece is titled “Air” by Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. In a year when the fight for one’s own breath, the conduit for our entire existence, has been threatened in myriad ways, this piece might serve as a reminder of our humanity, and our capacity for peace. “While I breathe, I hope.”
Chatter is a valuable part of the cultural fabric of our city and state. If you have the means, it would be a great organization to support, especially in this trying year. To donate, please visit their website.