911

It was late in the afternoon and everybody was getting ready to go home for the day.  My XO (executive officer) came and told me (then, a Specialist and compony armorer) to go get the keys to the arms room.

I had no idea what was going on, but went and got the keys.  When I got back, he told me what was happening, and a bunch of us watched it on TV on AFN (american forces network) and stood there in shock.  We were in The Army in Germany, and all we did was train for war...  which now seemed highly probable.  We were all worried about people at home in the states, but had to fulfill our military role overseas.  

We went the the highest "threat-con" which meant that post was locked down and I spent the next 2 days in the arms room issuing weapons to people pulling guard duty.  Once a system was in place, I only had to come in once every eight hours for weapons and ammo count.  It was a long, frightening couple days, and months, that eventually resulted in a year in Iraq for myself.  I think about it all the time, but it seems like another life at the same time.

Narrative Social Landscape...

Okay...  for some reason, when I combine these three words, (narrative social landscape) the first thing that comes to mind is NPR.  I listen to it quite a bit, so in that way, it is very literally a narrative for me.  The social landscape aspect of it is that the stories and programs come from all over the country (and world) and many of the shows involve people calling in and giving their opinion.  I listened today as I drove (and brainstormed for this assignment) and decided to stage a few of the stories with some "household items".
I'm still no pro with a flash, but tomorrow before class I will post my contact sheet, and you can tell that I'm trying.  ...now posted at the bottom...

This was my version of a story on the urbanization of the US and how candidates for Governor in Maine are pledging to grow "responsibly".  NPR covered the local political debates, and they were all saying they would prevent wal-martization from happening...  Here is an urban center with a road leading to it complete with cars, workers, air traffic, and even some mountains in the distance. 

This is a story about the Army going further to prevent suicides.  I was trying to depict a fatherless family sitting down to dinner with what might have been the reason for ending his life.  

This is a story about religious corruption in Poland.  I used a slow shutter speed and drew a little with light to give the shrine figures halo's.   

Shots from the weekend... and what inspires me...

Here are a few shots from the weekend.  I figured I would show a pretty sunrise along with the other three creepy photos.  The top two are from the Friendly Toast, the bottom one is the Memorial Bridge, and I found a chained up fridge in the woods near a boat launch.  The bottom 2 are Olive...  checking out her freshly carved pumpkin and painting.

Why Do People Take Photographs?

Early on it was an effort to record.  As time has passed, photography has come to serve many functions, but I feel like I have a very punk/folk rock outlook on art as a whole...  one reason why I want to become a teacher.  I firmly believe that anybody can benefit from the process of creating art.  It may seem foreign and strange at first, but you can do things with a canvas or camera that you may never be able to do with words.  I also don't believe that you have to make art with the ideal that the finished product has to be "amazing"...   or that anything otherwise would be a failure.  Making art is a success as long as you care about it and work through some sort of thought or idea in your head.  Art (like folk and punk) is for the people.  Expression is important, and expression through photography is something brand new to me this semester, but I am beginning to see how people can become hooked on the fleeting moments and nostalgia of the medium.  

Process

My processes with other mediums usually begin with a thumbnail and lots of scribbling and maybe even a botched start.  Photo so far seems different because why would I sketch something when taking a picture is so much faster?  Maybe this is a way for me to dig a little deeper into my process?  It seems a little counterintuitive to me to draw something I want to photograph, but but maybe I'll start to think about that...

As far as project ideas go, I feel like I think things through best when I run and drive.  I was driving when I thought of the urinals, and thoughts seem really clear when I run.  I have to make notes after so that I don't forget my ideas, but just providing myself with time alone to think is a huge part of working something out for me.

Inspiration

I have so much inspiration in my life.  My friends and family...  The friends I lost in Iraq that I think about every day.  My wife of almost eleven years and daughter Olive, that provide me with a constant feeling of comfort and chaos.  It seems like boring domestic stuff from day to day, but I can't imagine where I would be today without their support.  I was a good artist in high school, but I graduated a looooong time ago.  When I was in Iraq, I decided that I would go to school for something I enjoyed...  not just a field that I could get a job in.  

Also... there is a band from Chicago called Tortoise.  The album TNT will make anybody want to make art...  I think.  I haven't actually tested this theory out...  yet.              

7 Sins

Envy

Greed

Wrath

Lust

Sloth

Gluttony

Pride

So here is my 7 Sins stuff.  This was a lot of fun.  My concept came to me in a public bathroom while I had my daughter...  she's potty training.  It was a reminder that there are totally different social rules in bathrooms, and that people don't feel comfortable there.  I wanted the viewer to be a little uncomfortable looking at my "sins", but I'm not sure if I accomplished that.  I think it works well as a series though, and I got a bunch of practice with photoshop too...   something that I've resisted so far.  I'm sure that others could do better, but this is really my first stab at altering images, and I only know how to use a handful of tools.  There are a few edges or spots where there should be shadows that bother me, but I'll get better.  I also wish I had better original images to work with, but shooting in public rest rooms has a very short time limit, and I wasn't really doing a lot of quality control as I shot.  It was more of a post-production crap shoot...  but I think the overall results are pretty successful.      

In ClassAssignment

Class shots from the Kings...

Homework # 7... Flenaur

So... above are my contact sheets, and my favorite(ish) six photos that I plan on printing.  I'll probably do some minor color adjustments to a couple, but other than that, what you see is what you get.  It was a fun assignment.  I spent one morning in Cambridge and another morning in Portsmouth.  I also warmed up a little last weekend in York.  I really enjoy cities, so it was a challenge to convey the feelings I have with an image.  Sometimes juxtaposition is my goal: like the street lamp that seems to be lighting the Prudential building, or the very human "obey" tag amongst the robotic buildings.  I also enjoy the feeling of authenticity I got with the barber shop.  Kinda like that laundry photo I took during the first assignment, I managed to make it look really washed out (in a good way I think) and old.  Editing was difficult, and I'm still not sure of all my choices, but I can always go back and print more if I want to...