One Year Later, What's the Point?
It was one year ago that I wrote my first blog, it was about my process on how I make a photograph, a print, and framing it for display onto a wall. I can look back on that today and say that I have grown (at least a little bit). Since last year, I am proud of these accomplishments:
Finally purchased an 8x10 camera at an affordable price with some inheritance money from my grandparents.
Making the experimental leap into alternative process printmaking.
Making a new friend who shares as much love and passion about art and photography as I do.
Submitting and receiving acceptance to a few local photography magazines.
Mindfully staying healthy and balanced, which has led to a seizure free life for over a year now.
Enjoying what I do in life more by working fewer days at my full time job.
Recognizing and being grateful for the blessings that life generously gives to me and my loved ones.
What do I want to do in the year to come? Well, I have some plans. They may not all come to fruition, but here are some thoughts… I am thinking of organizing or curating photographs into themes or projects. I never truly did this before. I simply went out and made pictures. Retroactively fitting photographs into a theme is not easy to me, because I like the purpose there before I expose the photograph. I will be working with some people I know to make these come to light. We are speaking about it now and are very excited to be working together to make it happen!
I have worked my way up to 8x10, but I have recently looked back at my previous photographs and find many of the smaller format photographs (especially 6x6 cm) very beautiful. Medium format seems to be a sweet spot for me between portability and spontaneity. I can take it anywhere I go and not feel burdened by the weight. I am in agreement that a camera is a tool and certain tools designed for a certain job. “The most important thing is the twelve inches behind the camera.”
I will be experimenting and developing more with alternative process. Namely, more on salted prints, trying platinum prints, and even trying out some pre-coated dry plates. I have looked into dry plate and wet plate photography and really want to try it out. This year, it will only be a matter of time before I start using glass plates.
I have been working on this website for some time now, but it not quite the vision I have imaged yet. Be patient with me. I am an artist and making mistakes to get what I like is my way of finding the ideal. My experimentation with differently layouts, names, etc, mostly has to do with all the old photographs I have made with no original intention. How do I label or categorize something with no original purpose other than to explore and to enjoy nature and respond to it in a spointaneously? Well, it will come eventually. I just have to be patient.
As you can now see on this website, I have added some new, never before seen content. I feel like I could have a whole seperate blog dedicated to drawing, art, or even my experience with having an epilepsy disorder. And perhaps I will start that soon. Who knows. I just have to see what feels right in the moment. The epilepsy one is probably more likely as that is what defined me, and still does, for so long. Without it I would be a completely different person.
Until then, I am happy that I have grown this much and more this past year, and I hope to grow even more in the coming one! Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day.
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