Canon Test Drive

 Nadine's Daily Bread

 Ollie's Sushi

Nadine's Tomato Salad

 Jackson's Buddha

 James' Cherry Tree

I recently attended a writers' workshop sponsored by Canon, a company whose headquarters are on Long Island. An inventive creative writing collaboration between teachers and students led by inspiring educator and colleague Suzanne Valenza, culminates in a published anthology using Canon's printing capability. To provide images for the text, students were able to test drive the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera, a great camera whose lens readily captures nuanced details. To my delight, there was an extra on hand for me to borrow. Above are some highlights of our family's time with the camera. 

Happy 4th!

Photo by Jackson Bouler

After debating whether or not to make this a wordless entry, other than the photo credit, I chose instead to say something.  My grandfather, Giuseppe Ferretti came to America from Italy in 1911. With little formal education, he worked by day as a barber for 63 years, but at night, he invented musical instruments, sculpted stainless steel, and of course, raised a family.  Although he never truly reached his full potential, his labors led the way for three successful children, and now many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have opportunities he couldn't have even imagined.

Wasn't this exactly what the founding fathers intended when they talked about a country where people had the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?  For those who came before me, whose dedication and sacrifice ensured these freedoms, I thank them, and hope that my work as an educator will pass the torch to the next generation.

Photography: Naturally

When Olivia began bird watching at five years old, it was at close range at our feeders, but as her interest in birding grew, it became important for her to not only see birds in their natural habitat, but to document what she saw. This year Olivia had the chance to test drive her new Tamron zoom lens on Eastern Egg Rock as part of her visit to Project Puffin. Here are some of her shots--demonstrating how the zoom capacity allowed her to get up close and personal with birds which might have otherwise been scared off.
As humans encroach on more and more natural habitat, Project Puffin, a seabird restoration project in Maine started by ornithologist Dr. Stephen Kress, demonstrates the steps people can take to help birds find suitable habitat for nesting and may be the key to preventing extinction for species like Roseate Terns. If you would like to support Project Puffin, please consider bidding on the original painting Olivia donated to them.

Good Ol' Photography

Louise Millmann's history of photography class is the only thing that could have enticed me to give up the first day of summer vacation. Louise's insights about photography moved at such a swift pace that I was afraid to take a bathroom break for fear I would miss a century or two. We paused at 1874 to become both photographers and models-- and sometimes even gentlemen.

Nadine in the 19th Century

As Louise prepares to teach the history of photography, her mode of attack is to purchase every form of antique photography methods. Forget the tin type, she's talking all sorts of types that I ain't never heard no nothin' about. Thank goodness I am enrolled to get the inside scoop. We are also going to be playing in the darkroom and. . . having our historical (hysterical) portraits taken. A master of disguise and photoshop, Louise has the eerie skill of swiftly turning the most hip Greenpoint fabunista into a Civil War widow. Here's a view of my life in the 19th century...the two sides of me that still exist in 2011. Let me know if you are around doing nothing on Monday or Tuesday next week and I'll see if I can sneak you into this wonderful and wonderfully unpredictable workshop.

Use Art to Turn the World Inside Out

What an incredible way to use photography to transform the relationship between buildings, art and humanity. Posting striking closeups of people on buildings, French graffitti artist JR sparks conversation and reflection in a bold manner. In one example, he juxtaposes images of Palestinian and Israelis who do the same job. In doing so, he reveals the universality of their life expereince despite the political barriers between them. It's worth taking the time to watch the full video since it forces us to consider our own two hands and what changes we can make through art.

Halloween

Thank you, James, for the perfect Halloween pic.

Digital Ideas

Where would I be without my digital camera? Of course it's been long discussed how photography transformed the role of painting at the end of the 19th century into the 20th, as the artist shifted from reporter to innovator. But film was still precious, something to be used deliberately. Gradually film became less expensive and processing more instantaneous, hence the Polariod Instamatic; however in the digital age, I hand the camera to the kids and say, have fun, without even a second thought as to how many pictures they'll take. Only in the digital age could someone do an arm's length self-portrait, easily deleting any misfired shots. For me, it's less about the quality of the image, but more about the access. While some folks improve their apparatus, I instead go for cheap and easy, carrying my camera as a sketchbook instead of the finished product. True, the iphone has potential in this department, but my snappy, point n shoot Canon suits my needs perfectly. Here is a pic I took in Maine, intended to make its way into a painting, not a finished photograph.
For those photographers out there, both professional and novice, I'd love to hear about your relationship with your camera(s).

Klph and John: 'Original Owner' at Ripe Art Gallery

Poet Charlie Pelligrino

John Keller

Camera shy Cliff Gardiner in mirror

James with Cliff Sr and Joyce Gardiner
I have incredible nerve posting these iphone pics to discuss the work of photography team Cliff Gardiner and John Keller (Klph and John) and their current exhibition at Ripe Art Gallery in Greenlawn, NY. Their photographs, super closeup shots of rusting American cars, were mounted to pristine plexiglass, which provided an unusual juxtaposition of shine versus decay. The show, attended equally by car and art enthusists, makes a statement about Americana as well. The nostalgia and respect for the American muscle car is central, but is given metaphorical meaning in its disintegration into rust. The show runs through August 13th.

Fairhope, Alabama

One summer we spent two weeks living in Fairhope, Alabama, an idyllic Southern town on the bluffs of Mobile Bay. With an urban design based on Carmel, California, its plan suited the mix of a vibrant downtown surrounded by charming homes. Bookstores, boutiques, restaurants, the town fabric set the stage for independently owned businesses and a walkable streetscape. One can only begin to imagine how the spill is going to alter the direction of towns all along the coast, a slow erosion of nature and culture.

Wordless

Shake It!

After coveting photographer Monica Shulman's fantastic iphone pics on her blog Ciao, Chessa, I waited for my old phone to die. And waited, until last weekend.

Now I am one with my new piece of technology, I tested out some new photo apps-- falling in love with 'Shake It!' which mimics Polaroid shots. What a great marriage of old school with modern technology. So now is there a possibility my camera will play 8-tracks?

A New Find

Surfing the blogsphere over lunch today I discovered Vintage Printable, an awesome site for downloadable images-- everything from botany images to photographs. I'm thinking it might be a great source for some new collages.

Wordless Saturday

Visiting Artist

A big thank you to Cliff Gardiner of Klph and John Studios in NYC for providing my students with some hands-on training as commercial photographers. It was a marvel to see how the right photograph can elevate a product from commonplace to desirable.

Experimenting

Hiroshi Sugimoto

In art news this week, Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto has left Gagosian Gallery to join PaceWildenstein. Known for his atmospheric beach images and monolithic movie theates, Sugimoto's black and white images evoke the surreal sensations of dreams while remaining representations of reality. Keep your eyes open for upcoming NYC shows.

1970

Sunday Night

Sunday Afternoon