RESURRECTED

Here’s a thing that Ben Walker shot at an opening I had at Gallery
La Petite Mort, way back in September, 2006.

I linked to it on drool back then, but thought I might resurrect
it here and now, 2 1/2 years later. In case you missed it the first
time around.

This short video is titled: “Who the HELL is TONY FOUHSE. Some
of the language isn’t safe for work.

Who the HELL is TONY FOUHSE from Tony Fouhse on Vimeo.

POST PRODUCTION

(Addendum: I just realized that the thoughts contained
below are my opinions. So, at the end, when I ask people
who don’t agree, to fight back in the comment section,
well, that just doesn’t make any sense. After all how can
you fight effectively against someone’s opinion? That’s
kind of like me saying I don’t like the color blue and then
you try to convince me that I do, indeed, like the color
blue.

I thank all the people who wrote their opinions, etc.
in the comment section. But I’m sorry, because of
the stuff I outlined in this addendum, if I come across
as a total dick in the comment section.

It isn’t the first time I’ve been a dick and, if I know
myself, it certainly won’t be the last.

Stay tuned……..)

________________________________________________

I make no secret of the fact that I like my photos to look
like photographs.

By that I mean that I don’t go in for huge amounts of post
production on my files. I correct for density, contrast, color,
bits of cosmetics. I will lasso (in Photoshop) bits and pieces
of the image and do local corrections that bring forward, or
move back, certain areas of the image. For instance, I might
select the face to accentuate the light or the contrast. I often
select hands and do a bit of work on those.

But, mostly, I like photos to look pretty much like they came
straight out of the camera.

(Here’s an example. On the left is a scan of a 4×5 negative,
straight out of the scanner. On the right is the final, corrected
version. Click on image to enlarge.)

So…..

To once again paraphrase Alec Soth (man that guy’s smart):
There are, broadly, 2 kinds of photographers. You’ve got
your camera photographers and your “darkroom” photog-
raphers.

Camera photographers try to get the juice of the matter
before them into the camera. The subject selection, framing
and moment of the photo is what matters. Any “truth” that
they are trying to communicate flows directly from their inter-
action with the person/situation they are shooting. It’s all
about their relationship to what’s in front of them. When they
are successful there is no need for dramatic post production
manipulations. In fact, too much Photoshop actually detracts
from their “end product”.

On the other hand, your “darkroom” photographers take a file
and work it and work it and work it. It seems to me that by
doing so, by “touching” the image so much, the way the final
image is viewed becomes skewed. The actual content of the
shot takes a back seat to the means of production. The image
becomes more about the way the photographer “handled” it,
and less about what was in front of the photographer/camera
when the photo was shot.

I admit it: I don’t really like photos that seem to be more about
Photoshopping skills than about seeing and experiencing things
and people and situations. I’m drawn to work that defines the
artist’s intelligence by slicing time and space and a sense of
place from the whole wide world. I’m interested in photography
that is about the act of perception, about the photographer’s
relationship to their subject during the encounter, not after it.

(Here’s another example. This time from a digital file. The
one on the left is straight out of the camera, the one on the
right has been corrected. Click on image to enlarge.)

Call me a purist. Call me old fashioned. Call me kraaaaazy.
I don’t care.

I know that, in the end, it all comes down to intent. I don’t
expect every photographer out there to shoot and produce
images in a way that pleases me. After all, the point is to
please yourself. If you do that, if you please yourself, nothing
else really matters, does it? (Or, does it?)

So if you want to shoot some shit and then sit in front of your
computer for days on end doing stuff to it, trying to make it
“interesting”…..be my guest.

Me? I’d rather spend my time out in the world, living a little,
experiencing and interpreting what’s in front of me while it’s
actually happening.

(In the interests of brevity, I’ve just briefly touched on a few
aspects of this topic. I realize that there is a certain amount
of grey area when it comes to “how much is too much”. So,
please, fight me back in the comment section if you think I’m
full of shit. Come on!)

SNAP! 09

I was honored to be asked to participate in this year’s SNAP!
auction. A yearly event put on by the Aids Committee of
Toronto, it’s one of the premier photo auctions of the year.
I’m privileged to be included with such heavyweights as:

Toni Hafkenscheld

Surrey, B.C. by T. Hafkenscheld

Edward Burtynsky

Shipyard #13, QuiliPort, Zhejaing Province, China, 2005 by E. Burtynsky

Bill Schwab

Willow River, Dearborn, Michigan by B. Schwab

Robyn Cumming

Lady 8 by R. Cumming

The preview is taking place at the Edward Day Gallery, Toronto,
this coming Friday, Feb. 27th.

The actual auction is happening Sunday, March 1st.

PRODUCTION STILLS

A little while ago I shot a bunch of days for DND. There
was a video shoot going on at the same time. Fortunately
I got to take the talent into my little makeshift, location
studio and shoot away to my heart’s content. Except, from
time to time, we had to be totally quiet because the video
guys were rolling.

My location set up, with clients

This was my first experience working around a video shoot.
Let me tell you, there was some waiting around, but the
video crew couldn’t have been more cooperative, friendly
and professional. There was a general feeling of everyone
making the most of each opportunity. We didn’t step on
each others’ toes and, as a result, a good time was had
by all.

The video crew

Another shoot I was doing took me to, amongst a bunch
of other places, some child care facilities.

Looking at fotos on the laptop monitor

After the kids were gone