I didn’t plan it this way. In fact, the way it turned out was
pretty much fucked.

Three big projects all came to conclusion this summer:
- AMERICAN STATES
- USER
- LIVE THROUGH THIS
Edited, sequenced, post produced, printed and bound
into portfolios.

It was, in a way, all too much. Consuming.

I would have much preferred to finish them up, like, one
per year, or something. But, like I say, that’s not how it
worked out.

Kind of like shooting projects. . .you are never quite sure
just how they’ll unroll.

The last portfolio I printed was LIVE THROUGH THIS and
it’s a monster. 130 pages. A certain amount of text and
bunches of fotos.

LIVE THROUGH THIS

And that kind of feels like the end of an era.

I had always intended to finish USER last year, to be done
fotografing drug addicts, but then, when I met Stephanie
and we started doing our “project”, the drug thing (if that’s
even what LIVE THROUGH THIS is about) really took over
again.

But now it’s over, edited, printed and bound.

All that remains is to try to get the word out about this work,
try to disseminate it as best I can. try to find an audience that
will consume it, for what it’s worth.

And I believe that it’s worth something.

To this end I’ve been giving a few talks about both USER and
LIVE THROUGH THIS.

The first one was last week, at Loyalist College, where I was
invited to show and discuss the work with students in their
Photojournalism program

Views of Loyalist College

I kind of thought I might be ushered into a classroom and be
talking to 15 or 20 second year students, but that wasn’t their
plan.

Instead I was set up in an amphitheater in front of about 75
people. Fine by me.

foto by Kristen Haveman

I ran through the work, trying to key on the fact that I’m not
a photojournalist (these were Photo-J students) but that, for
me anyway, the whole idea of photojournalism, of heroics
and objectivity, are so last century.

Passion and politics are where it’s at.

Not sure how much registered but I think I bent a few ears
and minds and in the end, just like with fotos, that’s all you
can really hope for.

After the talk I was presented with a shirt, etc.

foto by Kristen Haveman

Then a bunch of interested students came up and we had some
pretty swell, mostly one-on-one, chats. What I like best.

foto by Kristen Haveman

THEN

This week I’ll be talking to The Toronto Camera Club about my
work. As part of their lecture series.

So If you are in or near Toronto and if you have the time and
inclination, please come on down and join the crowd.

Details here.

THE END OF AN ERA

So this whole wrap-up-the-projects thing has led me to wonder
about the end of an era.

I’m on to thinking about what’s next, not just in the personal
work I do, but in many senses.

I’m going to take some time to ponder these larger questions,
try to figure out where I fit and what fits me. Those who know
me (and those who follow drool) know I quite like wallowing in
my own perplexity and don’t mind wondering out loud. For me
that’s one of the best parts of being alive: know knowing but
trying to find out.

I’m too tired to talk about it now but you can expect drool to
be a bit about that as the weeks turn over.

Drop by.

All three from Granada, Spain, last year