Tag Archives | black and white photography

Gallery sitting…

By John on August 28, 2013 in 4×5 photography, autumn, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, quiet islands, skill and craft, working

It is quiet here on Paros. The tourists are leaving in a steady flow. French, English, Italian and Greek…For many of them next week is the beginning of the school year for their children. Here at the Aegean Center, this is true as well. The Autumn Term begins next week in Italy. My show comes down in 11 days. I am very pleased with the reception I have had. I am still seeing about 25 people per night visiting the exhibition and have had many interesting conversations with tourists and locals alike.

The summer is winding down and I am about to experience my first September on Paros. I have heard it is the best time of year, a reward for making it through the high season: warm, sunny, quiet…

So I will ride my bike, swim in the sea, take care of some maintenance in the school darkroom, sweep the courtyard and water the plants.

Before I know it it will be September 25th and I will be in Athens, meeting up with the school and then returning here on the 28th. To paraphrase Bukowski, time runs like wild horses over the hills…

JDCM

The exhibition…

By John on August 20, 2013 in 4×5 photography, beauty, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

My solo exhibition opened Sunday evening. It was a joyful relief to have it up an on its way. I realized that I have been building this portrait project since October 2011 while also working on (and completing) several other portfolios in both photography and painting en route to this destination. No small feat. It feels as if this has been an overreaching arc representative of all my labors to date here on Paros.

I have had some interesting comments regarding the 22 photographs. One on-line viewer remarked that I had created a community. I can see that too: a small town. I have a butcher, barber, teachers, students, potters, cafe owners, artists, farmers, families, etc…The portfolio could stand alone as a village almost anywhere. A visitor to the exhibition last night said that I had captured the souls of these people. I like to think I only borrowed them for a brief moment.

I was too busy to take any pictures of the opening, but I know others did. When I have some of those, I’ll share them.

I think I will concentrate on portraiture for a while. My other photography is good, solid work. It is like doing push-ups or lifting weights–all preparation and training for the real event. I will begin a second round of portraits in late September, once the light has shifted a bit and people’s schedules have settled down.

Thank you, once again, to all those who helped make this happen. You know who you are. Yes, I did the work, but without the support of the Aegean Center and the people of Paroikia this project would never have seen the gallery lights.

JDCM

Just a bleak update…

By John on July 25, 2013 in skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized

I haven’t updated in a while. My apologies. Not much happening here in New York to report, really. Not much I am too enthusiastic about here in the US, actually. I visited New York City twice and although my motives were sound I was very disappointed by what has happened to humanity. There are far too many people there and no one seems to be happy. They are always on their mobile phones or some other application, as if these things will make them happy or even connect them to other human beings in some meaningful way. They haven’t understood that by using the internet to connect with others they are merely closing themselves off to the realities of actual one-to-one contact. This is the great myth of the electronic information age. Online reality is fiction. Also, the more I have been talking to other teachers and mentors about the kids of today the more we all agree: few of them actually want to work towards a goal that requires effort or any real thinking. They want the end result right now. They want their hand-held devices to do the thinking for them. The turn their cameras on ‘auto’ and let the machine create, not their minds. They demand good grades just for showing up.

This was evident at the Museum of Modern Art yesterday. I rode the train into the city to see a wonderful show by the photographer Walker Evans. It is the 75th Anniversary of his exhibit of American Photographs. First off….MoMA is a terrible museum. It didn’t feel like a museum. It felt more like a large shopping mall. It was crowded and noisy. People were stuck to their handheld devices as they wandered lost an unseeing through the many chilly rooms. They impolitely took pictures of the work, not really looking or learning, but rather documenting in a poor fashion. They talked loudly into their mobiles. Children screeched, ran around. I was appalled. 90% of the people there were only present so they could check MoMA off their NYC list.

The Walker Evans show was in a small room on the 4th Floor, not in the photography section. It was shoehorned between the crass, colorful and superficial 1960s pop-art section and the large abstract works of Arshile Gorky. These photographs are small, none larger than 8×10, and perfect. Precious. Lovely. Evocative. “American” in the best sense of the word. Yet people were wandering in and out, disinterested and not comprehending the importance of these images, especially when compared to the emptiness of Warhol, Stella and Lichtenstein. I left the museum after 45 minutes, disgusted. Humanity is doomed. We have already forgotten our history. But MoMA has succeeded. It is a perfect modern art museum. It represents all that sucks about modern art and modern culture. It is about fashion, fads and the next shocking big pile of expensive, market driven shit. It is superficial and dead, cold and, in the end, not worth the real estate it sits on. It is about the $25 adult ticket fare and the gift shop. It is about money. If you worship money, please go. If you, like me, have grown so disillusioned by the cesspool that the US in many ways has become, then skip it. It is a train wreck of culture. Nothing to see here. Move along folks.

JDCM

Return to Paros…

By John on June 25, 2013 in beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, stone walls, working

As the ferry rounded the northern tip of the island, opposite Naoussa, and I saw the lighthouse atop Cape Korakas, I knew that I was home. I leaned against the port gunwales, waiting until we had passed the Cave of Archilochus, and then I went back inside the old ship and gathered my things. I was the first person downstairs in the garage bay. I walked off the NEL Lines Aqua Jewel with a feeling of deep relief and happiness. I was home, back on Paros. I allowed the noises and smells of a busy Greek island port to fill my senses as I walked back to my flat.

That was two days ago and since then I have taken care of essential business, mostly laundry. I have come back to my favorite cafes and eaten in my favorite restaurants. All is well with the world. In other words, life continues and changes in small and big ways and I find myself, as usual, listening more than talking during intense discussions with friends. My grandmother always said that was a character trait that would serve me well. We’ll see…

I do have a lot to say, but verbally it seems that many others say it so much better than I, so why paraphrase? Many years ago I was an avid musician. I wrote music, songs, lyrics, played in bands. I did this for many years-decades. I had a lot to say then, or I thought so. In the end the words became dark, sinister and negative. The bands moved on without me and I dropped the music, along with a few other pastimes. I can still play the instrument, but the desire to express with sound has left me. Just part of the Great Circle, I suppose. These days I have a quieter way to explain the world. I find it much more calming, and good deal lighter in actual weight. It lets me stop, look and breathe. The shutter clicks. I feel that this is where I should have been all along.

The island has become the color of worn brass and oxidized aluminum. The craggy, yellow-brown contours are set off by the blue sky and the deeper, indigo sea. White buildings dot the arid landscape, like so many chunks of salt-lick. The tomatoes are rich and sweet and there is fish to savor in a nearby taverna. In two days I leave Paros again, this time for America. I will visit with friends and family, eat American food and have my senses bombarded with different sights, most of them very green and wet. It will be humid and there will be rain.

En route I will stop in Athens. While I am there I will visit the Benaki Museum and see a large photography exhibit by Constantine Manos.

Now I am rambling. It is hot and I need to add some images to this post. These are from my recent island hop.

JDCM

Folegandros

Folegandros…first impressions…

By John on June 18, 2013 in beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, stone walls, working

As I departed Sikinos this afternoon, the Meltemi came in gusts of Force 6. The air was hot, the sand flew in my face, the boat arrived, I boarded. An hour later I disembarked at Folegandros. If Santorini didn’t exist, vacuuming up 90% of the foreign tourists, Folegandros would be the place. As such, the island has secured all the charm of the Cyclades without the vast throngs that clog the narrow streets of the ancient Minoan hub. Thank God for that. I have been to Santorini and was not impressed. Here it is different. The restaurants are all open and have large, taverna-style menus on chalkboards outside. Tonight I will eat in a place called ‘Chic’, recommended by a friend in Athens as a good place where they serve a specialty of the island, roast lamb with prunes. I have already walked past and it looks very inviting. They also have rabbit, one of my favorites. I am sitting in a small café called ‘Pounta’. They have rabbit on the menu too. This is a good sign for the next few days.

The reports on hiking are all positive. I will take advantage of this but I will also take it easy. It’s not a race and I am not trying to prove anything. There are some good beaches and I have a book to finish reading. The stone walls here are lovely. My observations on the bus ride from the port to the Chora (where I am staying) have already whetted my appetite. I will post some images when I have them.

For now I finish my espresso-freddo and look forward to a night of good food and rest. Tomorrow I take a short walk and head to the beach.

JDCM

Amorgos, part 2…

By John on June 12, 2013 in beauty, Cyclades stone walls, Greece, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

It has been a wonderful day here on the rugged and wild island of Amorgos, on the southeastern edge of the Kyklades. I picked up a book yesterday which detailed the history of the place and it filled in many gaps. One interesting tidbit is that geologically Amorgos has more in common with the island of Samos than the other Kyklades. It is as if it split from the Dodecanese millenia ago and drifted west.

I spent the day exploring the remote western end of the island and I was grateful I rented a car. It seems that the Dimos (town council) has cancelled all bus services to that area due to lack of funding. They have suspended service in the high season of July/August as well. This was good for me, in a way, since there was no one around and I had the place all to myself. I suppose it will be good for the car rental agencies too. In any case, I was able to hike, find some nice little coves to swim in and photograph some more walls. I sat in the Kykladic structure of Markiani, photographed the mouldering stones outlining the ancient settlement and mused on the idea that people have lived here since the 3rd millenium B.C. Even then it was good place to be. Below me, after a near-vertical drop of 1700 meters, the sea crashed against the rugged cliffs, endlessly grinding stone into sand.

I have managed to shoot two full rolls of film since I have been here and I ran out this afternoon just after the above mentioned archeological site. So that makes it three. I will return tomorrow for more hiking, more photography and lunch at a nice little taverna recommended by a friend. I have added some photos. One is a detail of a 4th century B.C. tower in the small town of Vroutsi: free admission, no tourists and no rope lines. The young man at the gate even gave me a free booklet with information. Perfect.

JDCM

Classical era stone tower Near Vroutsi, Amorgos.

Detail of the 4th c. B.C. stone tower Near Vroutsi, Amorgos.

Stone walls, juniper and thyme.

Amorgos, part 1…

By John on June 11, 2013 in beauty, Cyclades stone walls, Greece, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

I arrived on the somewhat remote island of Amorgos yesterday morning at three-thirty in the morning after a 10.5 hour ferry ride from Pireaus. I say ‘somewhat remote’ only because it is not like the tourist destinations of Paros, Aegina, Naxos or Santorini. There are tourists here, this is true, but they are mostly small groups of sailboats cruising the Aegean, en route to other parts. It is too far from the other islands to make it worth a day trip and the beaches, although lovely, are not as accessible as in other parts of the Kyklades. It is a rugged place, looking in parts much like its larger neighbors Naxos and Ios. In the higher elevations there is still a fair amount of greenery and the goats here wander freely along the roads. It is place for hikers and ramblers and I have had two good hikes already. Detailed topo maps exist so I won’t bore anyone with too many details, but this place is not for the lazy or uninspired. The trailheads are easy to find but can quickly shift from an easy walk to some serious bouldering if one is so inclined. I have already found myself in tough spots, having to remember the ‘three points on the rock’ maxim, a rule that has saved my bacon more than once. My hiking has led me to some of the more lovely, isolated beaches this island has to offer.

My lodging is clean and comfortable and I have rented a FIAT Panda to make transit easier. The island is long, about 25 km, so waiting around for the bus is not for me. I am here for another three days and then I head to Sikinos, a place even more remote. Hmmm…I have more to say, certainly, but not now. I will sit here in the Akrogiali Cafe, enjoying my espresso freddo metreo. I’ll add more in Part 2, including pictures. I have included a b/w image of some walls running along a hillside, a favorite subject.

JDCM

Teaching and craft…

By John on May 26, 2013 in beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

There is less than a week until our student exhibit at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts here on Paros. It has been a busy three months for most. Like all previous sessions there is always one or two students who fall away. This spring has been no different. One student left and returned home a few weeks ago. Another has stayed here but has followed a different path from those found on our artistic maps. So be it. There is nothing I can do about either case. I will say, in my own defense, that I was there for both of them in a professional capacity when they needed me and, in the beginning, helped to guide them through some of our philosophies. Their individual decisions to take different routes has no bearing on the Center, the teachers or my own labors.

This spring I was given the honor of filling in as Silver Darkroom instructor. This is not a post I assume to be permanent. All teachers learn that their own skills, craft and knowledge increase when they pass on what they know to others. This has been my experience as well. I have learned more about the art and craft of photography in three months than I thought possible. It was knowledge that I had already accrued so to give it away freely only strengthened my own foundations. It was not review or regurgitation. I found myself solving problems and asking questions of myself from a new point of view. One important lesson is to be able to say “I don’t know. Let’s find the answer together.” What freedom to not suppose, to not be a fake!

There is an ethos to teaching. It is not enough to greet the student, spend a few hours or days, and then set them free. That would be tantamount to showing them a map and telling them to drive to California from New York without first discussing the possible roads west. As the more experienced traveler it is important to guide these eager minds along the way. Yes, let them take a wrong turn, experience a sudden detour or two and even run out of fuel, but do not abandon them in the badlands of inexperience. Let them know that you are there, waiting up ahead at the next marker or traveling alongside. I have practiced this and it has paid off. I have gained a level of patience and understanding by remaining available. I have set up appointments and answered their questions to the best of my abilities, abilities which have grown over the course of three months. To some this may seem a sacrifice of my own personal time, my own independence. It is quite the opposite. I have never felt so free, so happy and, at times, so completely baffled. At that point I turn to someone more knowledgable than myself. Such is the nature of education, or it should be.

There is a quote from George Bernhard Shaw: “Those who can, do…those who can’t, teach.” I must admit that I have found this to be very untrue and can only believe that GBS had his head (beard and all) deeply imbedded in his anus when he thought it up. The quote should be “Those who can, teach.” Learning is a cycle: Practice>Teach>Learn>Practice>Teach>Learn>Practice>Teach>Learn…

Ralph Waldo Emerson had a better idea:

“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.”

JDCM

Greek Easter, Paros, 2013…

By John on May 3, 2013 in beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

There was a time before my time, before the time of my sisters, my parents, my friends…

For some reason this phrase popped in to my head today. For the past few days I have been helping a friend and mentor and her husband move house. It has been an emotional and difficult time for them and I have been honored and humbled to help sort through decades of their life here on Paros, and earlier. We have been separating the wheat from the chaff–a difficult process.

Much of what they wished to save has been in the form of photographs, or more precisely, photographic archives. That is the only way to think of it. Negatives of all sizes, black and white, color, contact sheets, prints. Their time here has been documented and preserved in hard-copy. There was little digital imagery. As I worked I felt something meaningful, truly palpable, while holding a negative up to the light, perusing a contact sheet or carrying an artist’s portfolio bursting with prints. Compared to the lightweight, back-lit digital medium that takes up little space and weighs all but nothing, these items, this archive, made sense to me. Maybe those of us in the digital age have become so accustomed to the ease with which we view, and then delete, images, or page through them via myriad viewing software programs that we are beginning to forget the importance of this process.

My point is that memory, that elusive, ever-changing spirit we carry in our soul, is something that should have weight. It should take up space in our homes. We should, every once in a while, take a photo album or box of negatives off the shelf, dust them off and hold them up to the light of day. As we gaze, we smile. We remember friends long gone or vistas experienced in a way that we cannot when looking at an LED screen or something of that nature. We smile, or we cry. We tell a friend, “Look…here…this is when we…” and then hand them the fragile transparency or piece of paper. We pass on that experience.

We are all repositories of the past. This brings me back to the idea that there was once a time before my time, before the time of those who came before me. I have books as proof, books I can hold. I have folders full of negatives, unprinted. I am accumulating weight in the form of artists portfolios stuffed with prints. I have held them up to the light of day. I say, “Look…here…This is when I…

Happy Easter!

JDCM

News from Paros…a journey of small bites…

By John on March 10, 2013 in 4×5 photography, beauty, craft, Cyclades stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

Lupens blooming along the path to the monastery of Agios Kyriaki

The first week of the spring 2013 session at the Aegean Center has all but ended. As I sit in Pebble’s Jazz Cafe, overlooking the bay of Paroikia, the sun begins a slow descent towards the faint outline of Sifnos to my west. Since my return at the end of January the sunset has moved slowly north along the ridge of that island, the daylight has increased and the temperature has become warmer. There have been welcome harbingers of a lovely spring: warm, breezy with high clouds and only sprinklings of rain, barely enough to dampen my laundry hung out to dry, birds singing in the bright morning…

My work for the next few months has been laid out for me, a buffet of grand proportions. My own large-format portrait work, which I have written about before, takes priority if I wish to have the printing finished by the end of May and the work at the framers by June. This is the beginning-of-the-end of a long-term project, the seeds of which I planted during the winter of 2011/2012. I have two or three more sittings to arrange and then I can begin crossing tasks off the list.

I am also teaching in the darkroom, guiding the bright and eager minds of our small cadre along the meditative paths of silver photography. I have been impressed in this first week by their enthusiasm, previous experience and general attitude towards the idea of ‘slow photography’. I can only hope that they, too, feel as if I am an able mentor for their journey. There are two or three returning students working on the darkroom, which benefits everyone.

The third element is my return to oil painting. I loved it the first time last spring and this time around seems no different. Just today I was working on a piece and I was struck by how much I love oils: their malleability and fluidity, the ability to push them around on a properly prepared canvas…

The fourth menu item this session is a fascinating journey into the world of Johannes Vermeer, more precisely his use of the camera obscura in his work. There are three of us working with Jane Pack and in the next few weeks we will construct a full-scale replica of the master painter’s camera, discover how he applied it and use it ourselves to draw, and then paint, some still lives.

When I realized a few days ago the scope of the labors set before me, my heart and mind quaked. I quickly spoke to an advisor which helped. I know that I can accomplish all of these things, but like a plate of food at the above mentioned buffet, this kind of smorgasbord can seem impossible to consume. Like any dinner, it starts with the first bite. Before I know it will be the end of May and I will be ordering coffee and dessert.

JDCM

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