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The final image of this short series is a more straightforward view of the staircase. I was attracted by the lines, vertical, horizontal, and diagonal, and how they work with one another. The essential element here is the bucket in the lower right, which breaks up the monopoly of straight elements. The only other curved element of interest is the shadow that announces itself against the wall, and its true identity remains a mystery, whereas the other straight lines are known elements.
I make every attempt to always have a camera available to me, be it digital or film. In this particular instance I happened to have my Nikon TI 35, which I happen to find perfectly suited to street photography (images will be forthcoming). Had I had my Canon G11 available, I might have taken several dozen pictures in this area, hoping that one or more would be worth keeping. However, as I had to keep in mind the fact that my film was not unlimited, it was necessary to make sure that each shot counted, so I was more careful about the few frames I exposed. Sometimes constraints are not a bad thing.
A few steps to the left of the previous image allows for a different view of this staircase. I finished working on this image just before returning to the book, The Art of Photography by Bruce Barnbaum, and his admonition of strong vertical elements used as framing, unless they relate to the subject at hand. This pipe, which I find interesting in itself, works within the context of the stairs, and reinforces the other vertical elements as they struggle against the lines within the frame. The rust works as nature’s graffiti, creating its own pattern, in opposition to the carefully structured lines created by man.
The next trio of images will come from the same location in Hampden. I came to realize a thread in my photographic interests that made sense – I like to see things as they are, as opposed to how someone would like me to see them. That is the thinking with my street photography, and is the line of thinking when I wander through alleys seeking items of interest to photograph.
As the title suggests, this is the rear door of 1113 W 36th Street. as I was taking pictures a couple of women exited another door to take a smoke break and I asked them about the subject in which my camera was interested. They told me that it was the Budget TV store, and were somewhat convinced that it was a front, as nobody ever went into the store, and they did not sell TVs. I related the same thoughts concerning a store on Main Street in Annapolis (which may no longer exist), where the windows were frosted over and I never saw anyone go in or out. I entered the store once and a man came out of a back room, stood behind a counter, and asked me what I wanted, not in an unfriendly manner, but also not in a friendly manner. I told him I was just looking and left. Curious as to whether or not this store still existed, I used Google Maps to look at Main Street and bizarrely enough the street view does not go in front of the store (bizarre in the respect that the street is the main drag within the capitol of Maryland).
Tomorrow I will offer another view of this same location, and perhaps hint at other conspiracy theories.
I have been posting images that are iconic Baltimore, and this one continues that. A couple of posts ago I noted the word “Hon” in a couple of contexts, and one who has never been to the city will not recognize this as Baltimore culture. This is a word that is interchangeable with any name, or used like Sir or Mrs. So it’s only natural that a church in Hamden might bless one in Bawdamorese.
Continuing my walk through Hamden, numerous things pop out at me and command my attention. Flapping in the wind was this sign, which worked for me in a number of ways. From a visual aspect, I liked how the light sign pointed itself to the dark building in the background. The more I looked at it, the more amused I became with the other elements.
This is a Clear Channel sign, where the content is falling apart. Having been a podcaster for six years, Clear Channel Communications, Clear Channel’s parent company, was a point of disdain of mine, in that their domination over the radio spectrum contributed to a dearth of innovation in popular music. Coercion with the music monopoly has led to a precipitous decline in what was once a thriving market, so the picture slowly coming apart within this sign worked for me on that level.
The icing on the cake was the ability to include the name of the street, Chestnut, a word that is often used to refer to an old joke told too many times.
Baltimore is a place a great diversity in many ways. However, if one were to attempt to distill the sense of place down to a single concept, then my guess would be that thinking in terms of the old neighborhoods would be a good direction to take. In that regard, I would have to point to Hamden as iconic, after all, where else would Honfest be held?
I have shot in Hamden on a number of occasions and have taken pictures of the places that demand my attention, like Cafe Hon, but my interest is really more along the alleys and places outside of the main drag.
This image is an example, a stoop common throughout the city with an added benefit of a chair in which to sit. The thing that got my attention, however, was the sign in the window that states, “Please do not sit in window.” I am thinking of people with no connection to the house sitting in and around the stoop, with the solution being the placement of the sign.
This is Baltimore.
The bridge series is being shot on large format film, and printed traditionally in the darkroom. My original intention was to create large prints, but as the project developed I came to realize that although the scenes are of massive structures, they are better seen intimately. So the question then becomes why use film at all? Why not go ahead and grab the convenience of digital imagery? Certainly, I would be able to more quickly get what I am after (as well as be gone from the scene before being chased away by the authorities).
The first of the two parts of this answer deals with process. Perhaps there is something that makes me smile when I have to carry a backpack full of equipment (in addition to a heavy tripod). Perhaps I like the adventure of covering my head with a dark cloth in an area where I should be more concerned with simply being able to hold onto my wallet. I do know, however, that I am a process-oriented person who enjoys setting up the camera, unfolding it and directing it slowly to the area of interest, and going through the ritual of making sure that everything is right before exposing fifty cents of film within a fraction of a second. It gives me more of a feeling of being involved with what I am doing.
The other part of the answer deals with the fact that it makes me a better photographer. Those who have never looked at an image on a ground glass are amazed that the scene is backwards and upside down. They often wonder how I can make decisions based on something that does not represent what they normally see. The answer is quite easy. For one, since I see the scene before I prepare to take the shot, I already know what is going to be included in the exposure. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the scene becomes more abstract, which allows me to notice things that may have passed me by. The small things eventually become important to the viewer, and the relationship with these small things to the whole of the image can have an important subliminal effect.
Additionally, there is nothing automatic with a view camera. One must think about how they will render the scene – not how the camera will make those decisions. Depth of field and shooting speed are the obvious choices to be made, but to those not shooting on sheet film, it needs to be pointed out that the range of light in the scene needs to be taken into consideration because that will affect the speed by which the film will be based. There are many decisions to be made, but the photographer gets to make them all, which folds back into the first part of the answer where the process makes me feel more involved.
This weekend I will be doing the absolute opposite of what I have posted recently, which is that I will be in New York City shooting street photography. I will be shooting both digitally and using my little Nikon TI-35, which is the perfect street camera. Sometimes it is good to shake things up.
Bridge 2 is the current title of this next image I am offering. I have been trying to decide whether to offer catchy titles to these prints or to offer something more mundane. I guess by calling this particular one Bridge 2, I have made the latter decision.
This print falls into the abstract area of the bridges project on which I am working. That being the case, assigning a name that is suggestive of some of the things that I see in the image might distract the viewer from their own imagination. Different sections of this image are suggestive to me, but examining it now (and attempting to ignore the dust that was introduced by the scanner) I am seeing things that I had not previously noticed. For instance, from the vantage point where I shot this image it looks like the water that flows from the spout located in the middle of the top of the image must get caught by a funnel below and to the right of it. Of course this is not the case, but at this moment my eyes keep going to that area and wonder what is going on there.
This is “almost” a final print. I have been using cheap paper that has characteristics very similar to Ilford MGIV, though the base is quite different, that has allowed me to try a number of alternate versions of the print before creating a final print on the Ilford paper. (This cheap paper is actually quite nice, but I do like the Ilford better.) The final print will be very similar to this, but I see a couple of minor nits that I will correct with SpotTone.
The time since my last entry has been probably longer than any previous gaps, but it is time to begin posting again. I have been quite busy, which is a good thing. I have a show of current work at Slayton House in Columbia, MD and will have an entry in Maryland Federation of Art‘s next show.
The project on which I am working deals with bridges, especially in and around Baltimore. Over the past several months the idea has been percolating and has morphed into three general categories, strength, beauty, and the abstraction that lies between the two. This particular image is in that latter category, as will be the case with the next several images that are presented. For those who know Baltimore, these initial images were found under the Russell Street exit.
When one begins to think about what is required to allow a massive number of vehicles to remain suspended or transported over an area, it quickly becomes incomprehensible. Add to that the requirement that the structure needs to continue to funciton in all conceivable weather over a long period of time and I am amazed that it is even possible.
This is from a series of images that that were taken under the bridges that move traffic in and out of Baltimore.
