Reasons to Photograph and Gerry Johansson

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There are so many reasons to photograph. Winogrand said he took pictures of things to see what they looked like photographed. Some photograph for beauty, for change, for expression, to document, etc.

Sometimes I see pictures and have a feeling that might be similar when a comic hears a joke and is gutted because they wished they would have come up with that material because it’s so good.

I just got this feeling from looking at a picture of a townhouse by Gerry Johansson. It’s a perfect picture, I’ve been trying to make this picture for a while now. He did a hell of a job, a lot of that battle is finding the house and he made the most of it. My neighborhood was full of townhouses like this and as mundane as it is, it’s so beautiful to me.

Upcoming Photographic Opportunites →

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I think many of us who are hungry for information and opportunities often find ourselves missing out because they’re truly hard to find, even in the information age. I always find out about grants, awards and other opportunities just a bit too late. I hope I can help at least 1 person out by sharing the opportunities I come across.

Magnum has 2 upcoming opportunities

Soth, Larrain, Giving Up →

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1st blog post is about another blog post…

Alec Soth on Sergio Larrain (clickable links like this will be italicized fyi)

This is a fascinating post because Soth, a great photographer , thinker and writer about photography brings up the thought of giving up on photography as he’s looking at the Aperture monograph of Larrain that includes letters he has written to various photographers including Joesph Koudelka and Henri Cartier Bresson. In one of the letters, written sometime in the 60’s, he writes about the struggles he faces making work solely to make work while balancing the financial aspect of surviving as a photographer as well. Around 60 years later and I feel exactly what he writes, battling the same battle and trying to figure it out with no roadmap. Photography is the newest artistic medium and has only recently been recognized as art, but not yet universally even.

HCB, and Robert Frank gave up photography and Soth has mentioned his desire to do so at times as well. Just like we all have thoughts on giving up on things, these are some of the most successful practitioners of the medium.

The blog post ends like this “With those words as inspiration, I think I’ll say adios to these weekly Popsicle posts. I’m wiped out after the recent Texas Triangle marathon (shooting, exhibition and publication in less than a month) and need a break from these weekly assignments. While it is frustrating to only complete 46 of the 52 posts, it isn’t like I’m quitting photography…yet.”