Sketches from my photographic life

Is art fair over?

Colin OBrien

This week is “Art Fair”. There are actually 4, or maybe even 5, separately organized fairs going on around town simultaneously. It’s most clear it’s this week because the weather is so ‘bad’; as in, this is the week the heat and the humidity both peak, at »

Art or not

Colin OBrien

“Is photography art?” was discussed for over a hundred years. The photo-secessionists, like all pictorialists, thought they had in some way to ape painting to be acceptable. Perhaps more success came when photographers accepted the strengths of their own medium and people like Paul Strand, and then the Group f/64, got to work. But »

Color rush to black & white

Colin OBrien

I’m happy to say I have now read the essays that introduce Color Rush. Interesting stuff. Definitely recommended.

The irony though is that for the last few weeks all the photographs I’ve been working on have been black & white. I think it goes back to my previous comment about ‘gray’ images, and so I wanted to see if I could do a better job with my photographs than I had been. Maybe. »

Familiar – style or subject?

Colin OBrien

When I look on the computer at a photograph I’ve made, many times I’ll think, wow that’s like …, and though I typically won’t be able to actually say who it reminds me of, but there will be something that seems reminiscent of some famous photographs, or photographers, I’ve »

LensWork workshop

Colin OBrien

I spent last weekend at a workshop given by Brooks Jensen, of LensWork magazine fame. He is touring the western states, so I had to travel if I wanted to attend. I missed out on Portland and couldn’t get to San Francisco, so I went to Los Angeles, which »

Not like last year

Colin OBrien
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This weekend I was trying to take a longer bike ride, while still staying close to town. At one point I was out at the Broadway Bridge, and I went down to the river. I was at the point where last year I saw the kayaks going under the path from the Argo spillway and into the Huron River, below the Argo Dam. »

Color Rush

Colin OBrien

I have received my copy of Color Rush (thanks to TOP for the recommendation). Fabulous. I am reminded of how much I love the look of Autochromes.

For a while I intended that I would only make my photographs available as black and white prints. But for many »

Blooming magnolias

Colin OBrien

We have a large, old magnolia tree in our front yard. It is in full bloom. This year feels unusual, compared to recent years, in that there are no storms coming through, blowing all the blossoms off almost as soon as they appear. Of course, we did lose yet »

Saugatuck getaway

Colin OBrien

Late last week we got word from our favorite bed and breakfast in Saugatuck that there had been a cancelation and we were able to get away for a nice weekend by Lake Michigan.

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