An advice from Alec Soth

On making a career in fine art photography:

It's really important to make good work first. Many people try to promote themselves and get the work out there before it's ready, which is a waste of time. Write the great novel and get it sold; don't just write a chapter.

Source: PDN Source Guide Interview with 5 Photographers

A Response to A Conversation on Age

Gail
Santa Barbara, CA
© Stella Kalaw

Gail was my supervisor while I was working in the school library at Brooks. She eventually became my good friend and confidant. Whenever I am in Santa Barbara, I make sure to spend time with her. We sit for a few hours catching up on each other's lives while sharing a meal at one of her favorite brunch places or sitting on a chair in her living room with my feet up. With every visit, I always feel as if no time has passed. We just pick up where we left off.

Yesterday, she sent me an email in response to the previous posting. I thought it was a wonderful perspective on the conversation.

This was very interesting to read. How do you feel about it, life experience?

No longer a young student thinking about film speed, exposure, lenses, situation, but a maturing person. (I assume and hope we continue to mature to whatever ripe old age we live.)

Well traveled, immersed in your daily life of keeping up with your responsibilities and relationships.

Probably no longer think about exposure nor the fact that your eye is constantly moving, focusing, observing, just as you no longer think about walking, it just happens.

You are free to note what catches your eye, your interest, and what gives you that little thrill, be it the light, composition, design, situation, people, etc.

Aging has its advantages, and, damn it, its disadvantages. :-)

A Conversation on Age

Jörg Colberg of Concientious had an interesting conversation with his friend D:

"The other day, I talked to my friend D. about this. He said that in principle, instead of looking for young photographers we should actually be looking for older photographers. He argued that unlike in painting, where a painter's technique often evolves significantly with age, photography usually doesn't show such an evolution - in part because of photography's very technical nature. So, he argued, young photographers are technically as competent as older photographers, but what really makes a body of work is not technique but "everything else." It took me a while to make him specify what he meant by this, and it basically came down to what one might call "life experience". In essence, D. argued that if you're very young you are usually not able to see as many facets of the world as when you're older, and, crucially, that translated into what kind of photography you are able to produce."

Read his full blog entry.

Wandering 12

Pix Patisserie in Portland, OR

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 11

Portland, OR.

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 10

Farmer's Market in Portland, OR

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 09

Oregon

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 08

Carson, OR

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Wandering 07

Portland, OR

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

Sam Abell: The Life of a Photograph

Publisher: National Geographic

A new book from Sam Abell coming out this month. I look forward to purchasing a copy and reading the book from cover to cover.

Publisher's Description

Drawing on 40 years of fieldwork, The Life of a Photograph takes readers on assignment and inside the heart of a master photographer to witness the process of making a truly great picture. This exquisite book is organized by the known and unexpected themes of Abell’s work, ranging from his sensitive Portraits, beautiful Land, Sea, Sky and thought-provoking Wild Life to the surprising Just Looking (quirky scenes encountered on assignment),On the Road (photographs taken from automobiles), and The Built World (human impacts on pristine land). Anecdotes, explanations, and intriguing glimpses behind the scenes reveal the evolution—picture by picture and thought by thought—of some of the world’s most interesting and recognized images and many never-before seen photographs as well. Selections cover geography and wildlife from the Arctic to the Amazon, and cultures from Australia to Japan to the American West. A beautiful gift for everyone who loves fine photography, this volume is not to be thumbed through once—it is a treasure that will be savored over and over again.

Inspiration: Sam Abell's A Photographic Life

Whenever I need a dose of inspiration, Sam Abell's A Photographic Life is my book of choice. He shares his eloquent thoughts and processes through a chronological highlight of his personal as well as professional life. Not only does his photographs move me but also his writing. On page 132-133, two photographs of the same scene are shown in the spread, one taken in the morning and the other at night.

Aran Island, Ireland 1993

I saw the sleeping horse from the roof of an inn where I was reading and taking in the rare sunshine. The scene below looked eccentrically interesting so I made a few photographs. When I moved on I forgot about it.

In the night I awoke and climbed out of the bedroom window to take in the moonlight. The horse was still there. Moonlight transformed the scene. What had looked eccentric in the afternoon now looked mysterious. I climbed back into the bedroom and in the dark put my camera and tripod together.

The night was still- rarer even than sunshine in the Aran Islands- but during the long exposure the horse's head blurred as it nodded off and on. I finished photographing, the horse was still standing there, but in the morning it was gone.

Mr. Abell has taught me to think deeper, to understand and to appreciate the photographic journey. Through his words, I now carry with me a certain consciousness that I was not previously aware of. Whenever I read a few pages from his book, it is enough for me to feel inspired again.

SIPF Opening

Mark Gernaut, a creative director at Spark Media Lab, was at the Old School for the opening of the Singpore International Photography Festival yesterday. He writes his thoughts and first impressions of the show on his blog, Creative Spark.

SIPF Festival Guide

Who Does She think She Is?

Source: Amy Stein Photography Blog

The rut

Ch'ng Yaohong of Asian Photography Blog writes: "I feel that I’ve walked into a mental block. So I’m wondering how do I get out of the rut and back into the game?"

I've been there and it is a difficult place to be. It took me three long years before I broke through mine. Financial stress was the culprit. Business fell sharply after 9/11 and I was constantly nervous about not having enough money to pay for the next month's bills. It consumed my life and it left me exhausted. My debt kept growing and as much as I wanted to continue on my current direction, my younger sister's voice of reason got through my stubbornness. Failure was a hard pill to swallow and I was depressed for quite sometime. Luckily, I was blessed with the optimist gene. Once I was done feeling sorry for myself, I got my act together and reversed course. I had two goals in mind: one was to climb out of debt and the other was to find that creative spark again.

I took on a full time job to stabilize my financial situation. Once the stress and chaos was replaced by calm, I felt I was ready to take pictures again. I started by having a camera with me at all times. I had to shut off the inner critique in my head, stripped away any expectations and gave myself permission to have fun and to make mistakes. It wasn’t always easy and it required discipline and resilience. I had my moments of despair but I refused to let it go for long periods of time. With enough persistence, I succeeded. I felt a vision gradually emerging. My confidence grew and before I knew it, project ideas and creative inspiration began to flow.

I finished paying my business debt over a year ago. It was a long and hard journey but it was worth it. Although I initially thought of this as a setback, I am glad I made the decision to move in this direction. I knew deep inside that it was the right thing to do. I could not see myself moving forward in life without addressing this issue. I am so thankful that wonderful opportunities have come my way this year and I am excited about what is ahead of me.

Wandering 06

Market Street and Zeum at the Yerba Buena Gardens

Wandering is a collection of photographs from my occasional observations of everyday life. It is a means for me to reconnect to what drew me to the medium in the first place. And that's really all it is: my repeated attempts at recapturing that feeling which energizes me to continue taking pictures.

©Stella Kalaw

The Persuasive Mortgage Broker

As the media bombards us with the grim news on the economy, I am reminded of a phone conversation I had with a very persuasive mortgage broker four years ago. The mortgage company was partnered with the home builder and the salesperson we dealt with suggested that we check with them first before seeking other companies for financing. After we exchanged pleasantries, I inquired about applying for a loan with a 30 year fixed rate and a 25% down payment. We had done our homework and we knew exactly how much we could afford.

"Why would you want to do that?" the gentleman smugly replied to my request. I wasn't pleased with his tone. He sounded as if I did not know what I was talking about.

"It works for our situation." I replied. He ignored my request and began launching into a passionate explanation on the advantages of creative financing. "You don't have to put that much money down. Why would you want to do that when you can use the rest of the money to buy furniture?" He pushed for adjustable rate mortgages and clearly emphasized that as home values rose that we could refinance our loan. He definitely painted a rosy picture.

I was not buying it. Our salaries would not rise dramatically in the next several years so we knew that locking in a decent rate made the most sense. And, it was very important for us to be able to sleep at night and not worry about losing our home if the market conditions changed. The risk was not worth taking. I repeated myself and my request for the fixed rate mortgage. Again, he pretended not to hear me and made another attempt to change my mind. Exasperated, I cut him in mid-sentence and thanked him for his time.

As I hear and read the stories of homeowners who are in the brink of foreclosure or those who struggle to pay their mortgages by getting a second job, I am so thankful that we stood our ground and refused to go with the trend. Upon a friend's recommendation, we ended up with a mortgage broker who understood our concerns and processed the loan we wanted. Sometimes, it really pays to be prudent.

Family Spaces at SIPF: October 8-31, 2008

First Lamp in Somerville, 2007

Family Spaces was selected for exhibition at the Inaugural Singapore International Photography Festival taking place from October 8-31, 2008.

Old School
11 Mount Sophia Road
11B #B02-09 Singapore 228426
Map

Exhibition Schedule

Festival Guide

The Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is the first event of its kind in Southeast Asia. This biennial festival strives to provide a platform for Southeast Asian artists to showcase their works alongside their international peers in various venues such as National Museum of Singapore, The Arts House, 2902 Photo Gallery and more.

3 central components of the SIPF are the official exhibitions, workshops and portfolio review. The festival kick starts with exhibition openings and 2 days of portfolio review sessions for up to 50 Southeast Asian photographers, followed by a series of workshops facilitated by curators and senior photographers for up to 45 Southeast Asian photographers. Selection for workshops/portfolio reviews is based on project submissions.

Open to public are a series of evening presentation by invited curators, artists and festival directors. Over the weekends are series of public lectures and forum to share thoughts, ideas, issues and current trends in photography.

Along with the official exhibitions and programme, is SIPF Fringe which counts on the participation of arts galleries, arts spaces and education institutions to promote photography across Singapore.