(6x6) Blog » Travel

California On My Mind

tait — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:58:15 +0000

I thought I’d share a few images from my recent trip to LA. I was out for Review LA, to visit with a few ad agencies and also catch up with some old friends. I dropped by Photo LA as well, browsing the latest offerings from a number of local and international galleries. Lapis Press and Schaden had a really cool booth with a bunch of unique photo books and an impressive project called the La Brea Matrix spurred by an iconic Stephen Shore image. The Rose Gallery was showing a number of beautiful and very large Elger Esser prints as well as signed copy of William Eggleston’s Guide that I would have loved to take home. Also on display was one of my favorite images by Hiroshi Watanabe and a couple very cool amorphous flock of birds prints by Richard Barnes.

Stripped Shirt

Regarding Review LA: this being my first portfolio review I could only guess what the experience would be like, but I have to say it scarcely could have been better. It goes without saying that if you’re not open to hearing criticism (especially at this early stage) then a portfolio review isn’t a worthwhile way to spend your time. However, I was ready and excited to hear from others how I might improve, refine and develop some of my latest work, a fair amount of which hasn’t even graced this very blog. As a result, I found it was eye-opening and inspiring to look more objectively at my own work.

Main Palm

Amidst all this introspective evaluation and shoe gazing, the most enjoyable part of the weekend was getting the chance to meet and spend a little time hanging out with some of the other photographers in the hotel lobby, where everyone was killing time between reviews chatting and checking out each other’s work. In particular, I got the chance to hang out a bit with Liz Kuball during the public showing at Photo LA. She was at Review LA showing her beautiful California Vernacular project. I had seen an image or two of hers floating around places like 20×200, so it was cool to see so much more of the collection in person. I also got to meet and talk with Susan Worsham who’s Some Fox Trails in Virginia is lovely and quietly unsettling in a wonderful way, as well as Sarah Windels and Andrew Ti. All in all there was a lot of work to see and some cool new people to keep up with.

Garden Hose

Untitled (Green Painted Room)

La Fete

Untitled (Frond)

Paradise

Dallas Divide

tait — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:58:21 +0000

From a trip over the Dallas Divide during a mild snowstorm. I’ve crossed over this pass a number of times and this grove of Aspen trees are always intriguing and somewhat foreboding.

Dallas Divide

Manhattan Ave

tait — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:41:33 +0000

Here are a couple of images from a recent walk down Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint. I love this street and will often take a walk to visit the bank or post office rather than make the trip into the real Manhattan. There’s always a lot of activity, as anyone familiar with the area will know well, and it still manages to retain a bit of it’s polish roots which gives it a certain charm.

The Travel Agent’s Window

99 Cents and Plastic Flowers

Review LA

tait — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:36:10 +0000

It’s a new year and time to get back on the proverbial blogging horse. So for my first post here in 2010 I’ve got some cool news – I’m heading back to California tomorrow for a fun filled photo week. This weekend I’ll be visiting Photo LA, the annual contemporary photography fair in Santa Monica and showing some new work at Review LA, the portfolio review portion of the event. All the work leading up is done and everything is ready and packed up to go. The edit, the prints, the special promo/leave-behinds are all in their place. Now I’ve just got to have an open mind and receptive ear for the critiques.

If your in LA and interested in seeing all the work being reviewed, there is a showing open to the public Friday Jan 15th from 5-8pm. Come down and say hi.

In a Big World

tait — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:01:34 +0000

Both from the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, August 2009:

Little Kid in a Big World #1

Little Kid in a Big World #2

Liberty Bell

tait — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:40:37 +0000

I spent two days in Rogers Arkansas in mid-September helping my father wrap up the last of a few loose ends at my grandmother’s house before it was sold. I had a bit of time between dropping him off for his flight and my own, so I went exploring around the came across this unfinished housing development. I had been by this spot once before but this time, many months had passed and abandonment shows quickly.

Liberty Bell #5

Liberty Bell #4

Liberty Bell #3

Liberty Bell #1

Definitely Not Cuba

tait — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:01:30 +0000

I read this morning that a US state department official met with authorities in Cuba to discuss a number of small but significant issues between the two and apparently are making some small inroads into thawing the 50+ year icy relations. I think the most amusing of these gestures is that we’ve turned off a sign that “streamed anti-Castro messages on the windows of the United States Interests Section [in Havana]“. Apparently in return the Cubans have lowered large black flags that obstructed the view of those windows. Promising…

Having never officially been to Cuba myself, I though I’d share a few old images from my travels through other caribbean island countries (but definitely not Cuba).

The Saxophonist (2003)

Untitled Ride (2003)

Allegory of The Cave

tait — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:26:07 +0000

An image from the Snaefellsnes shoot in Iceland. It was the last image we shot and the first frame of the video project. More to come soon.

Bjarndis’ Allegory of The Cave

Snaefells Yokel

tait — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:32:28 +0000

It figures that while I’m out on location in the middle of nowhere the web host would inexplicably go down at a time when there is nothing I can do about it. Anyway, I’m back online again here (obviously) so I thought I’d share a couple of behind the scenes photos and an update from the shoot on thursday. I was out in the wilderness, the Snaefellsnes peninsula in Iceland, which is a pretty spectacular place to be, shooting a still and video project that had been percolating in the back of my mind since I originally visited almost two years ago. Scheduling and production difficulties had put this project on hold a couple of times before, but not this time. The challenge this time around would be the weather.

It was a very tough day. Bitter cold, wind so strong you could hardly stand up straight, sandstorms and stinging rain made it one of the most difficult days on location I’ve yet encountered. Though, all in all the weather i got for free what would have cost $10,000 a day to replicate, so here’s looking at the bright side. The photos below don’t nearly do justice to the severity of the weather, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Behind the scenes / Snaefellsjokel #1

Behind the scenes / Snaefellsjokel #2

Pride

tait — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:09:55 +0000

I know its not environmentally kosher, in fact I was a little shocked to see it, but there there is an undeniable beauty of so many balloons in the sky. It reminds me of the end of Le Ballon Rouge, Albert Lamorisse’ 1956 short film.

From Reykjavik’s gay pride parade earlier this month:

Pride