CONTACTS

While digging around in my hard drive, looking for something to
slap on the back cover of my new magazine (STANDARD), I came
across a set of contacts from my trip to Mississippi and Alabama.

I thought I might post a few here, along with the corresponding
final select from each one……

AND, SPEAKING OF STANDARD…..

The final sequence and layout of the images has been decided,
the copy is written and the whole thing is going off to the designer
for final tweaking.

Stand by.

In the meantime, a few spreads, photographed from the dummy……

And, speaking of the dummy……

I edit, sequence and scale my shows and portfolios using the
Light Table feature in Aperture. It’s a swell tool.

But it’s still virtual. You never know how a book will look until
you hold it in your hands, turn the pages (and sometimes throw
it across the room in disgust). So the time-honored method of
making prints and sticking them into order in a portfolio-type
thing (a dummy) is what you have to do to make sure it’s as
right as you can make it.

WHERE THINGS START

A very interesting piece of writing by Will Steacy about the
genesis of his project: Down These Mean Streets, over on
Conscientious.

Bullet Hole, Atlantic City, 2008. © Will Steacy

Steacy takes a political stance. Many of his images appear,
on first glance, to be “standard” views. But the way they are
strung together, the basic premise of them, his insistence
on having his images taken as political statements, really
turns my crank.

The way I feel these days, that seems to be the only approach
that is modern…..to create strings of images that skewer and
slice. That love and tear apart this world we live in. That are
critical and not just more pretty pap for the masses.

You can read his genesis story here. His website is here.

LOCATION (1 of 3)

I have a list in my head of kool spots that I might use for shoots. I suppose
every photographer does. It’s just a matter of waiting for the right gig to
come along that will suit one of the spots on my list.

When I was asked by Ottawa Magazine to shoot ace crime reporter Gary
Dimmock I immediately thought of this spot I drive bt at least 4 times a
week. Right downtown, soaring columns that are vaguely reminiscent of
fascist architecture, with some nooks and crannies thrown in to the mix.

Of course, having a sweet location is just the beginning. You’ve got to
know what you want to do with it.

In this case I knew I wanted the pix to look a bit ominous and kind of
night-y, if you know what I mean. These were shot just before noon,
but I used the good old Profotos and my trusty Honda generator to
overpower the daylight.

Doesn’t hurt to have a subject like Gary, either. Came to the shoot
looking nicely disheveled and brought the right vibe with him too.

LOCATION (2 OF 3)

There are other times when the location is the actual subject of the
shoot. You’re directed to a specific place and the only control you
have is to pick the angles and perspective.

Case in point: this shoot I did at Calypso Water Park, for Report on
Small Business magazine.

Outtake from Calypso shoot (and, yes, all the landscapes were shot with 4×5 film)

The shoot was further complicated by the fact that we were sent on
this shoot a month before the park actually opened. If it had been
open it would have been (as we say in the biz) a turkey shoot. What
with hundreds and hundreds of people lined up, waiting and sliding,
all in their bathing suits.

As it was, we recruited some brave souls to come by the park, brave
a cold(ish) early May morning to slide and pose.

Opening spread

The shot of owner Guy Drouin, was done a few days before the main
part of the shoot; the only time he was available. I was called about
his availability less than an hour before the shoot, bombed out to the
park (a 45 minute drive), had 15 minutes to find a spot and set up.
Then I had about ten minutes of his time to shoot, before he had to
rush off to the airport to tend to some other business.

Needless to say, the location was quickly picked and I squeezed off
some shots before he left (and the rain started).

Another outtake

LOCATION (3 OF 3)

Often, given the type of images I’m called on to produce, I walk
into a place, meet the folks I’ve been asked to photograph and
must find locations, on the spot, that will make interesting
backgrounds for portraits.

Typically the folks I’m about to shoot tell me that there are no
interesting locations in their office. I always beg to differ.

When you put a frame around bits and pieces of the world it’s
amazing what can happen. As well, once you add light, it all
changes some more.

Here are 4 location portraits I shot a week or so ago for a
corporate client. Theirs was a pretty typical office, sort of
nondescript. But every place has perspective and nooks
and crannies. Of course, finding locations is really just
a trick. The real job starts when the subject, flesh and
blood, walks into that location.

GREATER MIDDLE EAST PHOTO BLOG

I have a friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, who thinks
that the Middle East is underrepresented when it comes to
the fotoworld. So s/he decided to do something about it.
And as you droolers know, drool luuuuvs it when folks get
off their sorry asses and do something. Anything.

So, a big drool shout out to Greater Middle East Photo Blog.
Not only is this blog going to shine a light where light where
light seldom penetrates, but (judging from the first bunch of
posts) it’s going to do it in a most interesting way.

I insist you go here and look.

NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARD

Another drool shout out, too, to Domenic Macri, art director at
Report on Business magazine. He just won GOLD at the National
Magazine Awards for best cover. I took the cover foto.

Of course, I can claim absolutely no credit for the award since
my foto had nothing to do with the cover.

Confused? Go here for an explanation.

Thanks, though, to Clare Jordan, the photo editor who assigned
me and to Domenic and the crew at RoB for using their creativity
and for caring.

DAVE COOPER in JUXTAPOZ MAGAZINE

Shot hot local artist Dave Cooper a month or two ago for überkool
mag, Juxtapoz.

Here’s what it looks like in print:

SIDE PROJECT (Last Sunday Morning)

I live just down the road from the Rideau Curling Club. Every May long
weekend (Victoria Day) the folks at CanGames host a games convention
there. The games of choice: Role playing games (Dungeons & Dragons),
collectible card games (Magic the Gathering) and miniatures games
(Warhammer).

Every year I watch these unfamiliar faces walk by my house on their way to
the games. This year I decided to mosey on down to the curling club, where
the gamers take over the whole place, and shoot some portraits:

STANDARD

Well, I’ve got 3 or 4 projects running simultaneously. Some big edits
for a couple of upcoming shows (and when I say “edits”, I mean that
in the true sense of the word. Namely….choosing and sequencing
images. These days the term edit seems to mean Photoshop post
production), some imminent personal shooting and, as if that’s not
enough, I’m thinking about starting a magazine. That’d be a print
magazine on, like, paper.

Now I know that there’s great danger in broadcasting plans. But
hang on kids, I said I’m thinking about starting a magazine. I’m
not sure if it’s just going to be a one-off, or if maybe it might be
possible to roll it out into some bigger thing that will embrace a
larger community. Stand by. We’ll see…….

The thing is gonna be called STANDARD and the first issue, which
is in production now, will be a showcase for some of my American
shooting.

In the mean time, here’s the cover.

EN FRANCAIS

Here’s a review of the exhibition I’m in at the Bytown Museum.
It’s in french. If you can’t read it you could go here for a pretty
bad Google translation.

ME

I received this drawing (of me) couple of days ago. A swell
birthday present from my friend (and client) Jean Brunet.

PIKTO TOP PICK FOTO COMPETITION

PIKTO, a friendly foto production and gallery space in Toronto, has decided,
with the launch of their Top Pick thingy, to up the ante vis-a-vis their support
for the foto community.

The Top Pick competition will award the winner with $5k towards printing,
framing and photobook services, which will come in handy since the winner
also gets a show at their swell gallery.

And, bonus, there’s no submission fee.

Details here.

HISTORY

History in 2 senses. First, I took these a while ago. Christmas time, 2008.
And, secondly, both the spots shown are places where history took place.
(Not that history doesn’t take place everywhere, all the time.)

Three shots of the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee. The site
of the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King.

The wreath, in the final shot, marks the spot.

Three shots of the crossroads. Where Highway 61 crosses Highway 49,
Clarksdale, Mississippi. Legend has it that bluesman Robert Johnson
went there one midnight and sold his soul to the devil in order to be
the best musician anyone had ever heard.

Now where was I?

Oh yes, talking about the shows I saw at CONTACT foto fest……

THE MECHANICAL BRIDE
at MOCCA/ Alec Soth, Ryan
McGinley, David LaChapelle

The Rape of Africa by D. LaChapelle

This was one of the feature shows at CONTACT. There were more
photographers involved than those I mention here. But I’ve decided
to only talk about the work that interested me……

Everywhere I went at CONTACT people were talking about the Alec
Soth talk. It happened the day before I went to Toronto so I missed
it.

A shame, really, because he’s a total star in the foto-firmament.

I did get to see some of his prints at MOCCA, though, and looking
at them you can see why he’s so influential/talked about.

These suckers were simple yet mesmerizing. Never hurts to make
big C prints from 8×10 negs, either, does it?

But it’s not just about his impeccable technique. It’s about his brain.

Fotos by A. Soth

Also on view was a wall of Ryan McGinley shots from I Know Where
The Summer Goes.

Now, with Mr McGinley, it seems like you either love what he does, or hate
it. I wanted to be one of those who hated it, but was seduced. His row of
small (yes, hallelujah, small) prints were beautiful and seemed to me to
capture some essence of summers’ past. I was happy to see this work.

Fotos by R. McGinley

And, finally there was Mr. LaChapelle. All flash and brash. Fun.

But this shot of Lady Gaga was really only fun like a donut. It doesn’t
last long. And your fingers get all sticky. Too bad.

Lady Gaga by D. LaChapelle + SONY demonstration that was happening while I was at MOCCA (somehow fitting)

THE GLADSTONE HOTEL

Ottawa content. Genevieve Thauvette shows some of her Dionne Quintuplet series at The Gladstone

Über-Kool hotel, The Gladstone, had 4 floors of fotos. Some segmented off into
little rooms. Some rooms more interesting than others. Then there was this:

From Nightingale, by Meera Margaret Singh, in the halls of The Gladstone

Rising star Meera Margaret Singh mounted Nightingale, her ode to her mother, in
the hallways of The Gladstone. I’ve seen this work (online) in a gallery context and
it’s very swell there. But something about the location put this over the top. The
milieu charged this installation and you couldn’t help but wonder.

From Nighingale, Meera Margaret Singh

THE BROTHEL WITHOUT WALLS
at the University of Toronto

Mid-morning I called Clare Jordan, the foto editor at Report on Business magazine.
Was just checking that some images I’d sent her (from a story to be published next
month) had made it to her ftp site.

She asked me to go for lunch but I countered with the suggestion we go see The
Brothel Without Walls, a feature show at U of T. She was game.

Picking up Clare and looking at The Brothel Without Walls

Brothel Without Walls showed work that critiqued the media. (Funnily enough,
no photography was allowed in the gallery. I took the shots above just after I’d
been told not to take pictures, and that all the galleries were being monitored
by CCTV. Fuck me.)

The standouts in this show, for me at least, were Christopher Wahl, including
this devastating image of CBC news reader Heather Hiscox:

Swine Flu. © Christopher Wahl. (You really need to see it large)

Evan Baden, who showed images from Technically Intimate, a series he shot of
young women and men whose images he initially found on the web. He then
recreates these found images, using the original subjects. Strangely sexy, and
makes you think, too.

© Evan Baden

Jessica Dimmock showed some of her images of paparazzi. Now, I’m a huge fan
of hers but I thought this series fell a little bit short. Was a bit too overwrought
and obvious.

© Jessica Dimmock

Also of interest were:

© Stefan Ruiz, from The Factory of Dreams

And…….

© Marina Gadonneix, from Remote Control

HMAb LIVE BLOG PARTY

My last nite in Toronto was spent at the PIKTO studio, with, like,
200 plus other fotografers, art directors, foto editors and misc.
other foto industry guys and gals.

© Eric Brazier (here)

The occasion was the big Heather Morton Art buyer live blog
party. Copious amounts of alcohol and conversation fueled
the nite. As well as brief talks by myself and these folks:

It was a great pleasure to see so many gathered for some good
times, networking and so on. Thanks to Heather (and the folks
at PIKTO) for making this happen. Blogs and the internet are
just so virtual, a party is sensual. We need more of that.

AND IN OTHER NEWS…….

Went to the opening of EVOCATIVE OBJECTS at the Bytown Museum.
Museum director Mike Steinhauer included a couple of my fotos in
the thing, a funny pairing of Yvon, an addict, and David Wilkins, the
American ambassador……

As well, included in this show, which is composed of very “normal”
but rarely seen artifacts from certain Ottawa neighourhoods, was
bits one of ChinaDoll’s outfits. As it happens, the outfit we used
when I fotografed him last year…..