self-portrait selection.....

Les

 

David

 

Suryo Wibowo

ok, we have the three best forum self-portraits as curated by Magnum photographer Chris Anderson....Chris said he chose these because of "their overall photographic quality, sense of humor, and the intelligence that went into them".....there is  a link below to the 37 photographs from which he chose... these were from a "first edit" that i made yesterday....

for those three of you whose photographs are here, please confirm that you made these within the time frame i set up....honor system....and also, please give me your full name and address  so we may send out your "prizes" soonest....

Les gets an archival signed print, David a signed book, and Suryo the much coveted used camera bag!!

Chris made the same comment i made when he first saw all of the work..."impossible to judge...they are all very interesting"....but, a decision had to be made, so here you have it....

i will incorporate all of the self-portraits into a new slide show as soon as there is time...there were several others that i really think are very fine photographs, so i think it prudent to make an overall presentation of your work....

thanks again for participating....i seriously enjoyed looking at all of these portraits...the revelations were endless!!!

 

www.davidalanharvey.com/emergingphotographers/selfportraits

Comments

[Les]

Dear Arie and Bobblack thank you for your kind words.

I am unfamiliar with IndexG gallery, infact I've been stationed in Singapore for the past two years hence I've been out of touch with the happenings in Toronto.

By the way what's the best way to contact DAH? Through the email address on his profile?

Les
buzzinfly AT gmail DOT com

[panos skoulidas]

Altough, i would like to see you ALL here...:( mainly because of the counter!!!)

http://web.mac.com/innerspacecowpanos/%22MOVIES%22/following_JIM_MORRISON_all_around_Venice..._4th_of_july.html

if for any reason you live in china click here:

http://gallery.mac.com/innerspacecowpanos#100101&view=mosaic&sel=0

( full screen slideshow )

[Katharina]

Sidney,
there's something that struck me as bizarre
in your post about photographers having photographed China ( just thinking loud...not meant as criticism) .....why is there NOT one single Chinese photographer mentioned ?
How come Owen Lattimore pops up in relation with Mao ,but not- just one example- Mao's offical photographer couple Xu Xiaobing & Huo Bo ( both legends over here ) ?
Why have there been so little efforts to promote Chinese photographers in the West ?

There's been Jonathan Spence & Chin Anping's awsome " The Chinese Century "
(the end of Qing Dynasty up to 1995 shown through -mostly- the eyes of Chinese photographers with Spence's introductions) ...or Li Zhensheng's private archive "Red Colour News Soldier" promoted by Robert Pledge.... it's both great books that give unique insights ... Spence is one of the world's most renowned Sinologists , Pledge - among others things- a long term China watcher ..... but : shouldn't be there much more ? ....especially since suddenly there's been so much interest in all things Chinese ?

How many people have heard of Aniu, Ling Fei,Han Lei, Lu Guang, Mao ( aka: Lu Nan )..3 shadows gallery , 798, Timezone8 etc etc etc the list is endless...... and that's only a tiny handful....

[Rafal Pruszynski]

Katherina,

I think you should ask that of the Chinese. For example, I was recently in Shanghai and wanted to buy some Chinese photography books, as I was curious about contemporary Chinese photography. I found NOTHING to buy, mostly some random albums and photoshop tutorial books. Nothing about contemporary Chinese photography.

[Patricia Lay-Dorsey]

DAVID B, ANTON & OTHER EM LOVERS

How I wished you guys were with me tonight as I heard--experienced is more like it--Derrick May mix it up at Detroit's City Fest street fair. Oh my god but this guy is good!!! Of course being an acknowledged king of the "Detroit sound" doesn't hurt when it comes to electronic music! I was right behind the barricade just twenty feet from the Master as he sent the crowds into orbit around the moon. I thought of Bob B as I found myself transported into some sort of a Zen state. Amazing! Anyway I got to talk to Derrick briefly after his set and he kindly posed for this picture:

http://www.pbase.com/image/99732640

I f***in' LOVE this guy!!!

Grandma Techno

[Katharina]

Rafal,
I have lived in China for about 15 years now and believe it or not : you find a lot if you look around...and this despite the potential censorship problem which in theory does not apply to a Western country .... There have been so many photo editors, editors , etc coming here to look at galleries , photo festivals ,taught in seminars etc....and therefore I find it bizzare that somehow we don't see much translated into western publications ... Chinese art( photography) has become pretty dominant outside China...why then not other genres ?

[Marcin luczkowski]

Jonathan

Moving photos.

[Sidney Atkins]

Katharina,

Wie geht's? Zenme yang? Nice to hear from you! Been thinking of you lately, and I loved your two self-portraits.

First, I should mention that there are at least a few photos in this 'Inside China' book by Li Zhensheng, Wu Yinxian, and Shen Qilai. And quite a number of both historical and more recent photos by 'Photographer Unknown' who one suspects may have been Chinese photographers who sold photos to Western news agencies and no one kept track of their names (?) (Also, I know the 'Chinese Century' book you mentioned and enjoyed it very much. But that is a rather different kind of book, more historical. This book is more of a hybrid, a little bit historical, a little bit contemporary, and a little bit of a trendy photographic showcase for already known Western photographers).

But still, you are quite justified in asking, where are the Chinese photographers in a photo book on China? I think there are a couple of answers. The first is, this book is for a Western marketplace, and the 'name' photographers are ones known in the West, or at least known to the editors of this book. Even though we live in a somewhat globalized world, there are still big walls separating regional cultural-linguistic blocks. Right now contemporary Chinese artists are all the rage in New York and other art market centers, so within a few years Chinese photographers may also be better known. If Chinese photographers in large numbers start showing up at Perpignan, Arles, Look3, or other Western photography-insider cocktail parties, then it may happen faster (?).

Something else is, I think, also at work here. Language is a big barrier, of course. For many Westerners, Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese names are hard to pronounce and hard to remember. We tend to read, listen to, watch, and rely on media, information, and entertainment in our own language, and somehow to trust it more. There is a racial, linguistic, and cultural bias, that we may be only partially aware of, that suggests that Western photographers or writers may be more 'honest' or more 'accurate' than Asians covering their own countries. And unfortunately, the Chinese photography that most people in the West see is stuff like 'China Pictorial' which is cliche'd, heavily over-saturated color, sentimentalized and posed propaganda. This reinforces our prejudice that 'these people' can't be trusted to do 'serious work'.

Of course, if one takes the time and trouble to explore, one can find many treasures, as Bob Black has done with Japanese photographers, as you have done with Chinese photographers (or as I am doing with one of my own current passions, Korean films and soap operas). But most of us are lazy, and most of the people who put out photo books these days, in America at least, are conservative. Especially National Geographic!

I don't know if the Chinese photographers you mention have made an effort to be seen outside China or to publish their work in Western languages, but I can give an example from my own experience of a Japanese photographer friend, somebody I worked with in the environmental movement in Japan the 80s and 90s who is a very well-known (in Japan) photojournalist of social and environmental causes, Itoh Takashi. In addition to his many other projects around Asia, he has made numerous trips to North Korea and has had freedom of access there to everyday life that no Western photographer that I know of has. Mostly what you see in the Western press are the cliche photos of propaganda posters and monuments in Pyongyang and the 'Arirang' mass games. Recently there was a photo book called 'Inside North Korea' that I thought was a joke... aside from the usual tourist shots of downtown Pyongyang, most of the other photos were actually taken with big telephoto lenses from 'outside North Korea' (!!), on the Chinese bank of the Yalu or the southern side of the DMZ!!! Itoh, on the other hand, has visited farms, villages, schools, hospitals, factories, etc. in the countryside and on multiple repeat visits. But his work has only been published in Japanese language outlets, his web site is in Japanese, if you don't read the Japanese media, you would never know this guy existed. Here's a web address for some of his North Korean work:
http://www.jca.apc.org/~earth/sub7.html
(All in Japanese, of course, but I know you can read Chinese characters so you may get something out of it). I don't necessarily think that Itoh is a brilliant world-class photo artiste dripping with 'authorship', but he is a journeyman photojournalist whose work deserves to be seen more widely, especially by anyone interested in North Korea.

I must confess that I too am ignorant about much of what is happening in photography in China these days. I was familiar with Li Zhensheng, but the other names you mention are new to me. Where can I see their work?

Fahr wohl,

Sidney

[macin luczkowski]

Panos Panos Panos

I knew that you only need the time. Work hard and long and you will have great potrfolio soon.
best for me:

"Jim Morrison's shadow follows" !!!!!!!!

"Jim, reaching the light" !!!!!

Jim running towards his "death"... Pam unable to stop him!! excellent!!!!

Now you have better frames, better composition, you should work more at "right moment". Look at David's work.

then work more at humans emotion.

mood and color you have right now.

Correct some things and then you will be really great photographer. It have to be your next nature. You should not think about how to do it, you should just do it. the Rest will give you your own life.

Of course this is my point of view. I think you should not try to be next photojournalist. There is hundreds of great photojournalists in every country in the world. But there is not any signle next Panos. You have reporter's heart. It is enouht.
Look at Nan Goldin's works, Araki's, Parr's.

You are at the right direction.

Photography is something very simple.

This is what I think.

peace

[Aga Luczakowska]

I can not belive... I just went away for one day (I was busy shooting some funny wedding).. and here are 150 more posts!!! You all will kill me! I have to be totaly jobless to read your blog David ;-) There is no other option :-)

[Ari Baiense]

AGA,

With the dynamics here we always miss something...

KATHARINA,

Thanks for your contribution on the expansion of our poor knowledge about the eastern culture and art. I found the books you've mentioned, at Amazon's website and checked Timezone8, a valuable reference site about chinese art (lots about photography).

Cheers!

[Rafal Pruszynski]

Marcin,

its funny you say that because if you read Magnum Stories its surprising how many Magnum guys say that they arent photojournalists. Yet they tell stories. I dot think the world needs more PJs..it does need interesting stories though.

[david bowen]

grandma techno

nice one - shake some for all of us.. wish i was there.. miss the feeling of base in my chest right now.. derek may is great.. good to have got a decent portrait of him.. gratulaira as they say in norsk-way-land.

i saw a glacier for the first time this week.. also caught my first fish..
day to day i am photographing life on the in-laws porch.. in the sun.. then home.. shipping over my negatives and books from the u.k. next.. 1800 usd which we cannot afford.. but i need them.. i need them..

can everyone slow down the typing until i have finished reading the past posts? ah.. no.. of course.. time and tide..

back soon.

[anton kusters]

GRAMMA TECHNO!!!

right on... keep on feelin' the beats...
am at Rock Werchter now, experiencing some great beats... and tonight is Underworld!!!! they are the total rulers when it comes to getting in a trance... no drugs, no booze, just juanita/kiteless and more...

will try and make a short video for you... images will be near impossible... fingers crossed

rock on
anton

[anton kusters]

PANOS my man

wow... "Jim-hangingvenice"... i love it, the color, the composition, the energy, the story i'd imagine...

strong strong strong image for me

peace
anton

[Katharina]

Sidney,
o genki ?, Ni hao,

( DAH: sorry for kidnapping your blog here ...just one more !)

Will certainly check out your Japanese photographer friend....would love to see his photos from North Korea !
As for the Chinese I mentioned : some you may find ( and order ) through Timezone8.com or 3shadows gallery ( they have a website) ... but seriously there's so many more...if you are interested in just a general overview/introduction , try and find " Humanism in China " ( Chinese title: Zhongguo renben) .
Some years ago there was a curator from XYZ museum in the US whose plan was to accumulate Chinese documentary photographers and do a book... hm somehow this didn't happen ...
YOU:... There is a racial, linguistic, and cultural bias, that we may be only partially aware of, that suggests that Western photographers or writers may be more 'honest' or more 'accurate' than Asians covering their own countries...."

True... and there's been also some feeling of superiority from the West.... which at least is gradually changing over here...
( big topic..)

Hm...not sure if the Chinese will show up en masse in Perpignan and elsewhere.... whereas in art there's money, for everything else there's very little sponsorship.
bye-bye le !

[JChance]

Hello ALL,

I have got an edit together of my recent work on HIV/AIDS and TB co-infection in Cambodia. I will need to trim it down slightly so any feedback is most welcome. I feel like it is 80% there though...

The essay starts with three individuals: Chan Thea who is HIV+ and is also receiving treatment for TB in the MSF Clinic in Siem Reap. Tem Roeun (also HIV+), has developed extra-pulmonary TB in her spine which has caused paralysis in her legs.(extra-pulmonary TB is TB that manifests outside of the lungs), and Yong. Yong is a six-year-old child who was born with HIV.

The second part of the piece was shot with MSF and CHC (NGOS's) in Phnom Penh. The hospital in Phnom Pehn is currently treating patients with a drug resistent form of TB, of which cases are growing. Needless to say this is of great concern to the medical community. TB is the most common cause of death for those infected with HIV/AIDS. At 2.2 percent, Cambodia has one of the highest documented rates of HIV/AIDS infection in Southeast Asia, and also has a very high prevalence of TB: An estimated 65 percent of Cambodians carry the opportunistic infection.

http://jameschance.com/coinfection

SEAN: Enjoyed your work form Beijing, thanks for posting. Maybe a little long for me but really enjoyed the concept and your style of shooting.

Who is going to Perpignan this year? After missing Look3 would be great to meet some of you there!

Cheers,

James

[Katharina]

Ari,
I don't consider myself that knowledgable....but it's interesting and only fair to look beyond the perception of Westerners......Asia has so much to offer that we don't get to see/ read/ hear ( or at best we scratch on the surface) because of cultural, linguistic,financial .....barriers.

[Johnny]

I didn't like all of it but I did love some of it. Great work everyone and congrats to the winners.

[Martin Brink]

Katharina,
I've heard about some famous chinese art photographers, but not much beyond that. There's some guy doing large format landscapes I think and those prints sell for big money. Forgotten the name though..
It's sad that it's all westeners and I've always thought it would be cool if photographers from other cultures like Africa or Asia would go to Europe or the US to shoot. To show another perspective, that WE probably don't see..

Cheers

[anton kusters]

BOB, KATHARINA, SYDNEY

i'd love to get into japanese/asian photography too... have a few books here, the images are absolutely beautiful and the "seeing" is so refreshingly different to me... but i can't even read who the photogs are :))))

i'll ask my brother to translate and post here...

ps what i am totally amazed about is the book culture too... they seem to make such beautiful books, not only the physical book, but they have a totally different way of graphic design, mixing words and images,....

i do learn a lot from it, even if i don't understand one iota of the language....

so i'll be chacking the ones you listed, BOB, KATHARINA and SYDNEY... arigato gozaimas for that...

beautiful...

peace,
anton

[panos skoulidas]

MARCIN SAID:

"...Photography is something very simple.

This is what I think.

peace

Posted by: macin luczkowski | July 06, 2008 at 02:49 AM..."

..........................totally true MARCIN, totally true........................

RAFAL SAID:

"...I dont think the world needs more PJs..it does need interesting stories though.

Posted by: Rafal Pruszynski | July 06, 2008 at 04:14 AM..."

.......................totally true RAFAL,totally true.................................

ANTON , keep dancing on that euro beat...&
in the meantime, for whoever missed Jim Morrison's
re- appearance last night somewhere in VENICE...
here it is once again... ok time to go to bed .. 4:51am..

http://web.mac.com/innerspacecowpanos/%22MOVIES%22/following_JIM_MORRISON_all_around_Venice..._4th_of_july.html

[Simon Griffee]

Time is short and written word is not a forte, therefore: Stream of thought ( http://generousalphabet.org/journal/elsewhere-no-status-quo ):

No Status Quo. Doing your own thing and being happy with that. No need to please others, only yourself. That is how you do your best work. The small is the large. Change a small thing and it changes big things. So doing your own thing, being your own critic, is rejecting destructive things like nationalism and organized religion and organized thought. When you reject organized thought and reject the need to please someone else, you are yourself, and you do great things because you are doing what you love. You are free. The thinker is the thought. No more division.

DAH:

"i remember a lot of my friends getting really really old when they turned 30...lost every ounce of idealism etc....this was a wake up call to me...i was shocked....couldn't believe it...i.e. the very best actor in our drama school was selling insurance by the time he was 31....

point is, some people grow narrow early, some expand as they go along..."

viva expansionistas!!!!"

Yes, VIVA!!!

Happy to appear in the Self Portraits gallery (number 30 for thirty years old and for my mum who, unlike me, believes in numbers! Still waiting for the lottery mum!)

Also happy about winning a prize for photographs submitted to a photography event where photos were taken around one area and edited down to 20 submissions, all in a period of 34 hours ( http://simongriffee.com/felb/ ). I thank David for the advice of 'just looking for good pictures' when out photographing. It let me get loose and it let a story come out.

Also happy to find out about Michael Nichols' Last Place On Earth ( http://michaelnicknichols.com/gallery/ndoki/ ).

This forum is always an inspiration, and has been a catalyst. I enjoy looking at the great variety of (visual and written!) work here—thank you!

I give my congratulations and appreciation to all who photograph themselves and the world around them. You make world better!

[erica mcdonald]

Mornin' BOB & ALL

Yes - Tamara and I met up and walked about the streets for a spell before settling in at my favorite Mexican place..the Corner/ La Esquiina..anyone been? Authentic, and 24 hours..a photo project itself, you should see the diversity of types that go there, from white dinner jackets and dancing heels to, well, everything else. T is a lovely soul sister, and we talked 'girl talk' all night, something I don't get to do too often..and of course I got all kinds of insider notes about you, dear BOB and your generous Toronto hospitality!

BTW, Marina's site is beautiful (Bob's wife..www.marinablack.com ALL, check it out) and it is fantastic to see so many of her images in one place..mysterious, lyrical, fun..I just LOVE the animal shots..and how on earth did she put it together so fast? You weren't kidding about getting it done..

[erica mcdonald]

PAUL T

Try to cut yourself some slack..you can't do everything at once, and you may as well try to enjoy your last bits of time here in the States. Moving is incredibly challenging..hope whatever you are doing in DC brings a bit of rest and relief before the next big push.

peace to you and the family..

[david bowen]

anton.. why no photos? not of underworld.. apart from their big stripy lightshow they are boring to look at.. would be great to see all of the other shape-shifting animals around you..

email me if you have other festival plans.. you're in europe right?
could try to hook you up with magazines if you want to do that sort of thing.

think i have a couple of norsk ones i'll check out.. pretty firmly parked off-road for a while.. thats the idea though.

okay - pappa is mowing the lawn.. it's a big event here in patio-land so i must commit it to.. erm.. digital sensor.

[bobblack]

KATHARINA :))))

that was part of my point too about the NG book...by the way, CONTEMPORARY CHINESE PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE WEST for those who want to see :)))...

last year, as part of our projections, we did CONTEMPORARY CHINESE PHOTOGRAPHERS:

http://xpia.com/indexg/screening/screening_detail.asp?gx_id=6926

It was curated by Xiao Yi Zhu...one of the photographers, Cao Fei, of course is incredibly famous now ;))...anyway...there was also an on-the-wall real exhibition of their work too at the gallery...almost no photographers went to either the projection or the exhibition last year.....some of my favorite photographers are from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan...but still not much known about them, though their counterparts in other areas are in the west...

one of my favorite photographers from china, besides Rong Rong, is

Xing Danwen...She is represented by our friends Holly and Lee Ka-sing (the owners of lee ka sing gallery and indexg)...we dont deal with the gallery anymore, but Xing is worth looking at...5 years ago she was unkown, now she is a superstar...funny, the art world...her website..

www.danwen.com

running
b

[bobblack]

list of chinese photographers;

Xing Danwen, Rong Rong, Cao Fei, Du YingNan, Maleonn, Hu JianWen, Huang Xi, Liu LiHong, Tang HaiTao, Wang YiShu, Yan Shi, Yang Fei, Zhang Jin, Zhou XuFan, Wang Zi, Patrick Lee and on and on and on...got lots of names...but no time, do the homework ;)))

b

[bobblack]

ERICA :)))

THANKS FOR MENTIONING MARINA...OK, IF U ARE INTERESTED..

www.marinablack.com

I am happy you met with Tamara :))..yea, she's great and a black-family member indeed :)))

im happy you guys got to talk! :)))

running, running

hugs
bob

[marinablack]

PANOS :))))....

LOVE lots of these Jim returns pics...BUT BUT BUT, since when the hell did you ever "CENSOR" YOURSELF???...what's up with that old man? ;))))...u gonna show folk, wrestling in the venice tunnel, than bring it on, or dont show ;)))))...(i guess venice folk are still private as well)...anyway, love these strange, hallucinatory pics,...keep em coming....

JAMES CHANCE! :))))...heartbreaking and powerful work...important essay and hoping david will use for assignment...keep us posted....would love to know even more about these specific people and their familiies...thanks james...

ok, now off for the day..running and got deadlines..

hugs
b

[lisa Hogben]

GUYS

I just checked out Marina's site.

Get yourself to it straight away, the work is breathtakingly beautiful!!!!

It is indeed medicine for my eyes!!!!

Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff!!!!

That link is again

http://www.marinablack.com

[blogfan]

Great example of a consistent vision and a tight edit:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/07/06/weekinreview/kabul-multimedia/index.html

hasselblad xpan camera, me thinks.

[Katharina]

Bob,
send you pm..

[Katharina]

Martin,
agree...what a thought !

Anton, Bob, Sydney,
a while ago I had the opportunity to look at some books by new Japanese women photographers ( hm.,will see where I put my list, sorry ) ...does any of you have any insights about women photographers ? The photos took you on a journey beyond the ordinary....

[panos skoulidas]

MARINA BLACK !!!!

AMAZING!!
I just feel
that I discovered a "classic"..
a "legend", a "teacher",
a "myth"..
BOB you are so lucky..
endless inspiration right next to you..
actually I want to thank you BOTH..
for your contributions..
( I also loved the story of how DIMA used the "family nikon"
for the first time.. I loved the mood,
the black and whites , the way you develop
and expose the films..)
MARINA great feeling, great work..
bob , ( smiling ) you got a lot to learn from her..
peace

[Eric Espinosa]

JAMES,

As usual, I very much like what you are shooting...you are an amazingly prolific photographer. Your HIV story is another powerful story even if this is a tough story on which to innovate as there has been so many on that topic. One of my "favourites" is the work done by Pep Bonet. He has covered this topic across several countries including Asia. I do not know if you are already familiar with his work but I have attached the link underneath if you want to check it out....

http://www.pepbonet.com/hivaids_asia/hivaidsasia_india01.html

MARINA/ BOB,

I can tell that you are a B&W family....there is mot certainly a BLACK touch here that links the two of you....I think that you guys have found each other...Your photography seems symbiotic in many ways...Great to have Marina join us on the blog...

CHARLIE,

I checked your new site. Looking very good and I liked the edit on your ancestors... Very close to what I had proposed so great to see. I will be at Perpignan...I hope we will meet there.

ERICA,

Seems like you are progressing your story...I really cannot wait to see what you are up to. I have to say that I was very intrigued to see you starting this project with this old camera...Very curious to see the touch and feel of the protographs you are doing with this. When can we hope to see some initial work here?

Well, later this week I hope to restart my boxing work.... The kids should be back around mid-week so hopefully I will be able to get this going. Several of you have been very kind to send me some links to past boxing work as well as some articles so I will try to learn from all this and try to add my personal touch and see where this goes....

Cheers,

Eric

[bobblack]

KATHARINA: :)))

KAT, i just wrote you and email :))...ok, as to Japanese women photographers. Yes, i know some :))...Marina and I know personally the great photographer Asako Narahashi. she is famous for her "water" photos...she was exhibited at the gallery that showed our work and she is a wonderful wonderful person! :))))

http://www.03fotos.com/

other great female photographers from Japan: Rinko Kawauchi (i love love her work), Mikiko Hara, ...just to name 3 :))

LISA: THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PROMOTION :))...MARINA IS VERY HAPPY :))

PANOS: :))) Hey, Marina is ALSO LUCKY TOO ;))))))))))...we've learned together, side by side, over the last years..ironically, we both returned/turned to photography the moment we started dating (she was a painter too, and also writes)....our work is both very similar but also very different...im not sure WHO INFLUENCED WHO :)))......truth is that OUR SON'S PHOTOGRAPHY was the biggest influence...:)))...marina is not one for blogs (she will write emails though), but she will join our blog (she reads it :)) )...and will enter the EPF this year :))

ERIC: :))...YES, the family that shoots/drinks/talks/runs/develops/prints/meditates/loves together...stays TOGETHER :)))))....thanks so much...

ok, got my own work to do...

running

hugs
b

[panos skoulidas]

BOB SAID:

"...YES, the family that shoots/drinks/talks/runs/develops/prints/meditates/loves together...stays TOGETHER :)))))...."

bob,
please stop reminding me my SEVERE loneliness..
( not laughing and about to drive in search of sedatives,
to forget )..

bob, i also agree that MARINA is LUCKY TOO..
YOU also said above that:
"...our work is both very similar but also very different...im not sure WHO INFLUENCED WHO :)))....."
honestly i don't see any similarity in your work and Marina's...
funny thing is that you write, you are embracing and helping everybody IN HERE and not only,
BUT when it comes to your photos, you EXCLUDE most elements...
not only being "outtafocus" but alswo you are "TELE"..
piercing angles...
MARINA, chooses wider view, LET US see , but through her own personal FILTER...INCLUDES
THE ELEMENTS!!!
( the Marina filter )... so, BOB, i dont see influence, i see COMPLETION...

I WISH I COULD SEE AN EXHIBITION OF YOU GUYS TOGETHER SOON...
I MEAN A BOOK... THE "BLACK" BOOK...
just the "BLACK BOOK"...

I wish Marina would write here from times to times... because i enjoy the way
"UNIVERSAL CITIZENS - WRITERS"... write...!
enough of the "western" way or the "eastern" way...!
how about the "universal" way...?

[Katharina]

Bob,
thanks for the info...
Rinko Kawauchi...was one of them... will check out the other names you mention.... there were 2 others I remeber...will let you know as soon as I found my list...

PS: sent an e -mail to Marina this morning
( last night your time)..hope she received it.

[panos skoulidas]

AKAKY is a prestigious writer( next big thing in NY times ),
BOB , is a magician with words,
YOUNG TOM. HERVE, SIDNEY
amazing poets and writers also..
Not to forget RAFAL , and many more...

Poetic language, great use of english...

And on the other side, the "slow", the "thirdworlders"( my word ),
the misfits , the freaks, the ones that always in the wrong place
at the wrong time...
like me ( PANOS or my best friend MARCIN )...or

you can even "read" our heavy accent...
WE CAN BARELY WRITE IN AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF ENGLISH...
still using an ( X ) for a signature...
so people OF THIS WORLD WELCOME TO WRITE HERE!

(so... MARINA please join us , ONLY if your english is NOT AS GOOD
AS bob's..!!!)
laughing

[bobblack]

PANOS :))))

u r NOT alone! :)))...remember that...come visit toronto, u will see...unless we get to Cali first (next year?)....and marina loved what you wrote about:...very true my friend and perfectly put...her view is wider, let's people see more, and yet in life she is much quieter...my work, shows much much less (u'll see soon with bones of time assignment, weird shit :)) and deals probably among other things with NOT SEeing....but in life im totally open...the weird shit about art :))...family exhibition (we had one in december with Dima) rocked :))...so much joy and fun...black book, a project on the horizon, for sure :))...we try, very hard, as a couple to celebrate each other's work, it feels like that, COMPLETION, as you say...alpha/omega...im just happy that people get to see her work here who arent familiar with her...but if she drinks, she talks alot ;)))...and she breaks men's hearts ;)))...

and her english: FUCKING GORGEOUS :))))).....she prefers to talk in person than in blogs, so which means you'll just have to visit :)))

KATHARINA: :)))...she loved what you wrote her...we talked about you over lunch just now...:))))))

hugs
ok, now im runnin away for the day...work to do...

b

[Sidney Atkins]

Bob Black:

Thanks for the lead to Xing Danwen. I love her 'Urban Fiction' series. I'll check out the other Chinese names you mentioned as well when I can get a broadband connection. Cheers!

[Joan Gummels]

Jonathan -

I'm so very far behind, still adjusting to life without internet at home - but finding more time available to shoot, go figure. I finally checked out your recent gallery of crime images -- I have to chime in with the "be careful" advice, but WOW. Brings home that violent crime is a daily occurrence, part of the fabric of some lives. Looking forward to seeing more.

Joan

[Jonathan Hanson]

Joan, thanks for checking out the galleries...

Dont forget to pick out a print!

Jonathan

[Patricia Lay-Dorsey]

Marina's web site is a treasure not to be missed! Her vision is unique, her images haunting, her words poetic, and her world view all inclusive. What a duo she and Bob make!!! Trio I should say, as I gather their son Dima is also a gifted photographer. Be sure to read the "reviews" section to see what I'm talking about.

a BIG BRAVA to Marina! Please keep ups posted whenever you update your site. I look forward to seeing/experiencing/feeling more of the wonders you create...

Patricia

[marcin luczkowski]

Dear Marina,

What can I say?

More, more, more!!!!

Bob,

lucky you!

Jonathan

I have looked at your main website on my laptop, but it's not working on opera browser. No scroling, no menu. Only black singer. Some tech mistake?

peace

[Paul Treacy]

SECOND EDITION & MUCH IMPROVED!

Should anyone be interested;
http://www.blurb.com/books/288613

Top notch production values on this one and some new material.
Preview shows only fist 15 pages.

Sorry if this posting is inappropriate but I just finished it and wanted to shout out.

I've much reading to do here to catch up so I'd best get on with it.

Cheers.

[Paul Treacy]

That should read

f i r s t

not fist. Woops!

[Jonathan Hanson]

Marcin, sounds like the screen res is to low and you are viewing the whole page because of its size. The menu is at the top of the page. I have had this happen before and that was the issue. It works on fire fox...

Anyway, thanks for stopping in to check it out.

[marcin luczkowski]

DAVID,

Many time when you write your critic about someone's works you say; "look at work this guy" "that guy did it before" "this magnum photographer did it that way", "don't try to be next Webb, we dont need next webb", "Look how did it Rodero", compare to this, compare to that, similar to this, similar to that.
I can't find Harold bloom's quote about "Repeatablety" in english. I know only his words in polish. I hope you will know what I mean.

there is always somone before. There is only few "genius", who find quicky own unrepeatable stryle. But we all have someone's breath on back.
and time not work for ours benefits. every next generation gives us next barrier to overcoming.

we all are eating by time and generations.

we are only reflecyion at the someone's mirror.

what do you think about that?

with who you had to fight when you had started?

with who you have to fight right now?
do you think about it?

I know thinking it's last thing we should do, but who not thinking about?

am I Intelligible ?

peace