July 29th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in art world, local
I’ve been reading The Exposure Project blog for quite a while now for their great taste in photography, but I didn’t know much about the group itself until today. They are a photography collective, and they are having an exhibition and releasing a book of new work next month. The opening and release party is at Tillie’s in Forte Green on August 18.
July 26th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
Sicilian cities decay in the most graceful and beautiful way imaginable. I had such an incredible time roaming the back streets of Siracusa and Palermo, especially late in the day when the shadows became deep and the textures of the buildings stood out in high relief. This dog was mellow and very friendly. I have no idea why he was wearing the muzzle, maybe he just thought it made him look tough.
July 25th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in art world, editorial
I was a bit taken aback when I read the review of the current show at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in the New York Times this morning. “How Soon Is Now?” is a show of work from emerging artists in the NYC metro area, graduating from a program at the museum focused on professional development. Reviewer Roberta Smith had quite a few unkind words for the show; the review is at times cringe-inducing and also enlightening. Tough criticism is a tricky line to toe; when does a bad review devolve into mean-spiritedness? Is it fair for a media giant like the New York Times to go all-out on a small group of relatively unknown artists? On the other hand, I do feel that it is important not to give hand out free passes to bad—or even just uninspired—work. What I do know is that I would not want to be on the receiving end of comments such as:
July 21st, 2008 | by Dalton | published in art world, photographers
July 20th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
The photos from Sicily are coming along nicely. I have finished developing film and I am now scanning, processing, and beginning to think about editing. Editing is definitely going to be a big challenge for me… when I left for Sicily, I had no idea where the project was headed and my focus was a bit scattered. Now I have at least 30-40 photographs that I like, but I know that a lot of them will not make the final cut as I try to put together the story. At least when I am able to continue the project (hopefully next spring, although not in Sicily), I will have a better idea of what to look for.
July 14th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
One of my favorite side trips while in Sicily was to the necropolis of Pantalica. Sometime around 1000 BCE, thousands of tombs were carved into the walls of a deep gorge running through the hills of eastern Sicily. It is now a protected national park.
July 12th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
My wife’s aunt and uncle live on a farm in a little town about an hour outside of Palermo. This is the view I saw out the window every morning when I woke up.
July 9th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in photographers
Just as I am about to begin my own journey into the world of platinum-palladium printing, this gorgeous image arrived in my email inbox courtesy of 20×200.
Clearing, Wakehurst Place, by Beth Dow
July 6th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in personal work
I’ve finally got enough film from the trip developed and scanned to choose a few photos for the website. I still haven’t gotten to the film from Pantalica, a giant necropolis outside of Siracusa where I think I took my best photos. These are from Monreale and Monte Pellegrino, just outside of Palermo.
July 5th, 2008 | by Dalton | published in technology
I broke down and bought a Nikon Coolscan 9000 today. For two reasons: I found a small crack in the glass of my Epson 4990 yesterday, and also because I am very excited about my photos from Sicily and want to be able to print them larger than 12×12. I’ve never been satisfied with the print quality of medium format scans on the Epson beyond 12×12. I think I may have gotten the only 9000 in New York City, since Calumet is the only shop that had it in stock, and they had exactly one.