all content, no context

i find that some of my favorite pictures are those of subjects that don't have a pre-formulated meaning in my mind (or others' minds for that matter). they are subjects that when i see them i just think "this is a nice scene, i think i'll try to capture what i'm feeling here". the spontaneity of photographing like this can be exhilarating.



this is looking south from battery park - the southern tip of manhattan. at first i considered framing this picture with the statue of liberty in the background but then decided against it.

if i had done that it would have become a picture of the statue of liberty with a boat in the foreground and once you looked at it you would have labeled it a picture of the statue of liberty and that would have brought up thoughts of what pictures of the statue of liberty should be. by excluding it you are forced to make your own conclusions about what the picture is saying.

here's another example.



this is in the harvard square station of the boston subway. the picture was taken with my holga camera set on the ground with my keys under the lens to point it up slightly.

there's nothing in the picture that says boston or harvard or even subway. it's just a set of stairs and a couple of escalators in some type of concrete structure. without any context you have to look at the content to appreciate the picture - the strong lines, the blurred people moving on the escalators - all the action swirling around the empty stairs.

you're free to see what you see without any preconceived notions about the subject.

sale at jeffreyallenphoto.com!

head on over to jeffreyallenphoto.com for a 10% off deal on prints from 8"x10" up to 16"x24" (excluding canvas prints).

the sale ends monday at noon so head over there, pull up a chair, and stay a while.

sorry paul simon

yesterday must have been a sad day for paul simon. they finally took his kodachrome away.

yes it's true, kodak announced yesterday that they are discontinuing this beloved slide film.

kodachrome was loved for its vibrant and very accurate color reproduction. it was a favorite of photographers since it was first released in 1935. for example, the famous 'afghan girl' on the cover of national geographic was shot using kodachrome.

i can't say i'll miss this film though - i've never actually used it before. still the news that it's being discontinued is sad. it makes me wonder what the future holds for film in general. i don't think it will disappear completely any time soon - there are still too many advantages.

seeing as how i've never used it before i thought i had better give it a try before it's gone completely. i went ahead and shelled out 11 clams to get a roll of it. now that's some pricey slide film - i thought velvia was bad at 6 bucks a roll. i'll see for myself what mr. simon was so excited about back in 1973.

now for those with an extra 18 minutes to spare i've included a video (in 2 parts) that kodak made in 1958 to show how film is made. if you speak dutch you're in luck (don't worry, there are english captions). you can also watch a higher quality version of the video here.

a plug for a blog of a friend of a friend

rodney smith is a clever and interesting photographer. i first heard of him back at school when the museum of fine art held a show of his called 'adam's dream'. in a lot of his work he uses well-dressed models in strange and interesting situations. his black and white photographs have a nostalgic, romantic, and other-worldly feeling.

i just received word today that he has started blogging. i can only imagine that his writing, like his photography, will be whimsical and interesting. if you haven't heard of him yet, check out his site and his blog.

in his own words:

Dear Family, Friends, Colleagues, Associates, Enemies, Fans, Detractors, Etc.

I am very proud to announce my latest endeavor: a blog of biblical proportions that lifts the veil that for too long has shrouded my work in secrecy. Please visit here, where The End is just the beginning. Please link me, add me, and otherwise follow me.

All my best,

Rodney Smith

stop by his site and check out his blog for a minute or two, you'll be sure to enjoy it.

new arrivals in the holga family

i've got some new arrivals in the holga gallery! - san francisco, manhattan, brooklyn, and washington dc. here are a few of them...

once again, the brooklyn bridge:



honestly, can anyone walk over this bridge with camera in hand and not take a few shots? it's such a great location - kind of a photo-cliché but that's ok, right?



love the flatiron building... and the raindrop-covered chair.

i modified my holga so it can focus as close as two feet. it really emphasizes what's in the center of the picture and get you some extra vignetting. the picture above was taken like so.



this is one of my favorite new additions. it just seemed to work out nicely straight from the scan. it's kind of a visual contradiction - everyone is there at the lincoln memorial but no one is looking at him. in fact, they've all got their backs to him. it makes you question the situation.

photographs from holgas have a distinctive style, i.e. lo-fi, (usually) square, optically inferior, etc., etc. it really seems to work well with certain subjects (for me, architecture).

so what scene or location would you want to see in holga form? is there something you feel would fit particularly well into this category? what do you think?

a run-in with the authorities, pt. 2

if you haven't read my post a run-in with the authorities, pt. 1, check it out and then come back.

so here's the photograph that i came away with (luckily i might say).


i'm extremely happy that one of the pictures turned out from that night. i don't think i'll be going back there any time soon.

here's the original photograph by george tice - petit's mobil station - from 1974.

things have changed quite a bit since 1974 when tice was there. the trees have shot up, the water tower has been repainted, and there's a lot more light on the tower. it's kind of lost it's looming qualities but i think it still works. it's one of those ordinary places made more interesting just by noticing it.