We’re now two weeks into our GoFundMe campaign, and we’re continuing to receive much support. Pictured above is the mock up of our self-published book. If you donate $50 to the cause, you get a copy of the book. There will only be 100 copies printed, so this may be the best way to ensure you snag one for yourself. If you are on the fence about contributing, I humbly ask if you would consider helping out. Even a small donation is a step towards our goal. CLICK HERE to contribute. A hearty THANK YOU to all that have already thrown in their support.
2019: 23 (Gaining Traction)
Our GoFundMe is underway for just a one week, and we’ve already received much support. If you are on the fence about contributing, I humbly ask if you consider helping out. Even a small donation is a step towards our goal. CLICK HERE to contribute.
2019: 22 (The Next Thing Is...)
Very pleased to FINALLY announce the next project I am bringing into the world. This one is particularly exciting, as it is a collaboration with two fellow members of the Latent Image Collective. Along with my photo compatriots Fábio Miguel Roque (who hails from Portugal) and Hean Kuan Ong (living in Malaysia) we are unveiling our book and exhibition project titled “The River, The Ocean, The Sea.” We have been working on this collaboration for almost two years, and it is now almost ready for “prime time.”
The idea behind the project is that each of us lives near a body of water that is a defining feature of the place we call home, and the place where we create our art. Each of has explored this theme in our own personal way. the results of this exploration will be released as a self-published book, and will also be the focus of an exhibition at the Albuquerque Open Space Gallery later this summer.
My part of the project features photos from the bosque surrounding the Rio Grande here in New Mexico, with most of my photos coming from within the city limits of Albuquerque. The project has forced me to approach my work in a new way, and it really opened me up to an environment and an aesthetic that was unfamiliar to me. I am proud of this new work, and extra proud to have connected my city with two other far-flung locations. We are united through photography, and through our reliance upon the precious element of water.
Our ambitious project now needs YOUR help to get over the final hurdle and out into the world. The cost of printing 100 books, as well as printing and framing over 90 photographs for the gallery exhibition is quite steep. To that end, Fábio, Hean Kuan and I have created a GoFundMe fundraiser to help offset the costs of this project. We are offering some really great, limited edition incentives for those who can support our effort. I would be humbled by any help you can provided.
To support our GoFundMe, please click here.
Water is life, as is art.
2019: 21 (Nothing to Say)
Silence might be golden, but right now I got nothing to shine.
2019: 20 (Somewhere Else)
Sometimes work life gets in the way of personal life. This was one of those weeks. In the interest in keeping up this weekly blog posting, I’m at least sharing a few images I made while focussing on a TV production. Long hours in prep and two 12 hour days on set left little time for anything else. I did find a few covered cars out in the field, so not a total disengagement from my personal work. See you next week.
2019: 18 (Revisited)
Wandering back through work from last year. It’s been a liberating experience revisiting work that was published in one way, and now processing them in a completely different manner. Any reluctance I may have felt about messing with the “sanctity” of previously published work has disappeared, as I find infinite new ways to express myself, all courtesy of Lightroom.
As I write these words, I’m sitting in my office, scanning negatives from a recent shoot on Good Friday. Scanning film, re-working digitally captured files, the give and take between old methods and new… such is the life of a 21st Century photographer.
Covered cars remain an obsession for me; serial photography has its rewards.
2019: 17 (Holding Pattern)
After a chill Easter weekend in Santa Fe, I guess my body rebelled against too much rest and relaxation and I ended up getting a wonderful, early Springtime cold. This one has been stubbornly holding on for the past four days, and my frustration continues to mount.
In the meantime, it’s giving me time to stop and reflect on what might come next for me, photographically speaking. I have a few ideas for new projects, but nothing concrete, and a couple of these ideas will push me out of my comfort zone for shooting. I’m also sitting on about 15 boxes of Fuji peel-apart film for my Polaroid 360, and once that film is gone, it’s gone. Since it’s been discontinued, I just can’t justify paying $50 per box on Ebay. At the same time, I’m struggling to come up with a worthy project that will do justice to the unique quality of that film. I’m open to suggestions, dear readers.
I’m trying to be patient and ride out this “in between” time, as I know I’ve been on a tear creatively for the past year or so, so time to breathe is welcome, even if it’s through clogged nasal passages.
2019 : 16 (Good Friday)
Every year for the past 4 or 5 years, on Good Friday, I’ve made a sunrise climb to the top of Tomé Hill, outside of Los Lunas, New Mexico. This is one of two main Catholic pilgrimage sites in the state, a much smaller, more intimate kind of experience than one would have up north in Chimayó. I like it because it is low-key. is a fairy challenging, yet short hike to the top of the Hill, and it always rewards my waking up at a criminally early hour with a glorious sunrise over the surrounding valley.
Though I’ve shot here numerous times, I tried to take a different approach this year and devote myself primarily to shooting on film. Those resulting images will have to wait for developing and scanning. I did take a few shots with my iPhone as well, but restricted myself to capturing in high contrast, black and white.
Though I am pretty much by this point an agnostic, there is still something about the Catholic exercise of faith that draws me in creatively. And spending a sunrise morning on top of a hill above the beautiful New Mexico desert is not a bad way to start a day.
2019: 15 (Improvise)
Besides photography, my other current passion is improv. I love creating with a team of like-minded performers, reacting to each other in the moment. In improv, you work with a suggestion, and add something to that suggestion. The method is known as “yes, and…” and it is the core of positive creative development in improvising.
The relevance of this approach extends into other areas of my life, both professionally and personally. Case in point, I am currently part of a group of local photographers who have the opportunity to mount a group show of our work. We have a unifying theme to the show, and it has been an interesting process seeing how our work compliments each other. What has been even more amazing, though, has been the improvisational nature of hanging the show. We worked as a group this week to hang the show, and it was a great exercise in collaboration, of “yes, and”-ing each other as we curated the groupings of images.
The show is shaping up to be something really special. I’ll be sharing a more formal announcement about the details soon. It’s been a refreshing exercise in teamwork and support and for that I am particularly grateful.
2019: 14 (Inspiration)
Busy week for me photographically. The sales of my latest self-publishing projects are going well. I made a vow that any money brought in BY my photography can only be spent on things FOR my photography. With the income from book sales, as well and a photo shoot I recently completed for a local musician (more about that project will emerge sometime soon) I was able to purchase some tools and treats.
The behemoth film camera above, affectionately known as a “Texas Leica” now has a place in my arsenal. The Fuji 6x9 will be my non-digital toy for the foreseeable future. I am using it to shoot 35mm panoramic, and my early tests look promising.I’ll share some scans soon.
I also bought a couple of photo books. Nathan Lyons has been a huge influence on me, ever since I saw work from his groundbreaking book “Notations in Passing” when I was back in college. Lyons died in 2016, and recently was the focus of a retrospective exhibit at the George Eastman House. The catalog from the show is the book titled “In Pursuit of Magic” and is a recent addition to my personal library. I plan on studying this work deeply and thoroughly.
Lee Friedlander’s “The American Monument” is another book I have coveted for some time. Originally released in 1976, it has been out of print for decades, and either ridiculously expensive or downright impossible to find. Until now. A recent re-issue made my wish for a copy finally come true. And what a beautiful piece it is. A huge (nearly 11” x 17”) format, with each page printed on one side. The book is flat bound with side grommets. The image reproduction is absolutely beautiful. This is one of 2000 printed, and I will treasure it for years to come.
Finally, a tip of the hat to my photographic compatriot Justin Thor Simenson. We have been mutually supporting each other’s work for some time now. I was recently presented with a very exclusive edition of his “El Burque” zines, compiled and bound in an 8.5 x 11” magazine format. The work is great, and the presentation in this format really befits the long term nature of his series. Justin has a Patreon page, which you should consider supporting. It’s how I received this exclusive magazine, and the guy is so prolific, you’ll be excited to be receiving new work from him on a frequent basis.