Someday

I've been sitting on a blog post about Photolucida & Review Santa Fe for a few days, but my face is trying to kill me (thanks, sinuses) so instead I'm going to post a video of my friend Mathew Riley. He's been busting his ass to finish his upcoming independent release Someday, which will be out within the next few months. I've had the good fortune to hear the album in nearly-finished form, and I am so excited for the final product. Until then, here's a clip of him playing "Like A Dream" acoustic at Cafe Muse in L.A. this past April (more here):



It's been fun to watch the way this thing has come together so far. The process is similar in a lot of ways to a photographic project, going from raw ideas to bringing all the pieces together, then the painstaking editing and finally putting it out into the world. Not since art school have I had the opportunity to watch the development of a creative project so closely; it's been inspiring.

Review Santa Fe: done and done

The past few days at Review Santa Fe have been a lot of fun. Though I'm ready to fall over from all the running around, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to volunteer this year. It was great to get to help facilitate this type of event, and I met so many awesome people I'm not even sure where to begin.

So first up I'll tell you about the work of one of my fellow volunteers, Michael Donnor. If you attended the reviews, you might mostly recognize him as one the people kicking you out of the room once your 20 minutes were up, but he also makes some great pictures. Donnor and I stole a few minutes to swap print boxes, and I loved his series Silent Moan.


© Michael Donnor


© Michael Donnor

I love how detailed his process is. Beyond constructing the images, he also mars his negatives (cutting, boiling, you name it), burns the edges of his prints then coats them with encaustic wax. Each piece is unique, haunting and beautiful.


© Michael Donnor

Be sure to check out his website for more.

Review Santa Fe

The list of 100 photographers participating in Review Santa Fe was released recently. Be sure to take a look through everyone's work, if you haven't already. Though I wasn't ready to apply by this year's deadline, I hope I'll get to attend the reviews here in Santa Fe at some stage. Photolucida was such a fantastic experience, and I whole-heartedly recommend going through that process.

That said, I'm really excited to be volunteering at RSF this year. I'm happy to lend a hand and having just been through a review session, I hope I can offer some moral support to the photographers involved.

Here are just some of the talented photographers I'm looking forward to seeing or hope to meet for the first time:


Graham Miller


Emily Shur


Elizabeth Fleming


Sonja Thomsen


Brad Moore


Kevin Miyazaki


Brian Buckley


Aline Smithson


Sophie Jacobson


Cyrus Karimipour


Kurt Tong


Ines D'Orey


Sarah Wilson


Teri Fullerton


Kerry Mansfield


Susan Worsham

I'm volunteering everyday at the reviews, and at the lecture on Sunday as well. Keep an eye out for me and be sure to say hi so we can talk photonerdy over margaritas.

Also, if you have any questions about Santa Fe please don't hesitate to ask. Pro tips: bring lotion (it's dry) and be sure to pack layers (the spring weather is changeable and we're at 7,000ft so it gets chilly in the evening). Safe travels!

Blind curves

When I was in art school, I never really thought about how I was going to make a living after I graduated. This was partly my own naivete, partly the lack of business education at the conceptual art school I attended, and partly being scared shitless at the thought of having to find a real Day Job.

I have yet to consistently make a living with photography. Occasionally I pick up an assignment or sell the use of an image or a print here and there, but not enough to survive. And in this economic downswing, it's even tougher to find photo-related gigs. I know some photographers who make a living doing commercial work, and I admire them for it; I lack that ability to hustle. A while ago, I was pondering the option of getting an MFA and whether or not it made any sense financially. Because let's face it, if I jumped in now, how would I pay back the student loans after I got that diploma?

So, you could say I could use another skill. The thing is, I've never been good at working jobs that seem completely arbitrary. One of the reasons I often end up working customer service is that I love to help people. Some jobs, though, make this seem so completely futile that it makes me want to slit my wrists. I once worked at a store that made photo books marketed to upper class clientele. The atmosphere made it feel like I was selling cars; it wasn't about the love of pictures or books, it was just about appeasing rich people. Twitter, on the other hand, was a great experience because I believe in the product (for starters, it's free and anyone can use it) and I actually got to help people. That got me thinking more about what I want to do in my life and how I can make a "day job" into something that is meaningful to me, on a more permanent basis. It would have to be something flexible that I could balance with making pictures.

Once I got to Santa Fe, I knew almost instantly this was the right place to take the next step. I had no idea what that meant, and I definitely didn't realize how quickly it would begin. Last week I started massage school at the well-regarded Scherer Institute. It was a very quick decision and I'm still reeling from it somewhat. The experience has already been incredibly intense on a number of personal levels. I feel so impacted by what I've been learning already. Even during these first few days, I've been going through an emotional upheaval that I don't know how to explain. I am continually questioning whether or not I can do this and have to keep reminding myself that I am capable of anything if I just allow myself the process. Already I can see that massage is a creative and intensely rewarding craft. I am scared out of my fucking mind but totally excited for what I'll have learned when I come out on the other side of this. I guess that's how I know I'm on the right path, even if it's a blind curve.

So a year from now I'll be ready to become a licensed massage therapist. I'm going to school part-time, on evenings and weekends, so I can still have room for photographing and hopefully a photo-related job. (Hello out there? Hire me please.) It doesn't mean I won't work in photography or that I'll photograph less; it's about a new experience in my life that I feel will not only help foster my visual expression, but help fund it as well. Here's hoping, anyway.