PH0702 Informing Contexts January W0 - W1 2022 CRJ

It was great news to get the reply from Graphis in New York on getting a honourable mention in the 2022 Graphis International Photography Annual.

One of my food, Pear, WIP images . 2022 ©

W1 Topic 1 : Reflection, Where are you now?

Consider whether our not any photographic "characteristics" are important to your own practice.

- Respect for the medium is very important to me. I don't have much time for those who just use the camera asa tool to make images and don't look after it or make no effort not to understand light, exposure, the zone system etc.

- Pride in your work, to continue to strive for excellence in what you do. In some art photography its seen almost as uncool to know your craft and know what your doing. There seems declining value in those who are a master of their of their craft. The de skilling of art and photography.

- Photography is after all a beautification process and I have no time for those who deliberately produce and exhibit ugliness. I particularly dislike the practice of painting over your photograph. Clearly your work is not good enough to stand by its own merit and its thought that a poor image is not improved by graffiting over it, that's about making a bad photograph worse.

Identify any approaches / practices / practitioners that specifically resonated with you.

- I like that photography is a shapeshifter and is constantly changing. But the balance must lie in the medium otherwise its just an idea, they are called art galleries not idea galleries. Perhaps the next shift is the creation of idea galleries.I believe art died with Duchamp's urinal, probably necessary but from then on ideas could be exhibited but poorly executed. And the deskilling of art began.

Outline / summerise your independent research (eg interview or reviews of relevant practice / readings. ).

- Apart from ordering the 3 books below and starting to read them, I have also ordered online a book on world leading paper sculpture and a book on art quotes from famous artists. I have been reading Kate James who I know and have met a number of times and have a number of her books and find her ideas on sense of self , self worth and values and prioritising in your life of great value.

Evaluate the development of your own photographic practice to date.

- Well am I mirrow or window.

- made or taken

- or a synthesis or a selection

Reflect on the peer / tutor feedback received on your current / future practice.

What are your action points? Where are you going next?

- to bring the fractured parts of my self together. the below 3 categories into the 1 image.

Photograph Drawing Paper Sculpture

-seen - intention - see

- direction - ackinowledgement

- control - justification

- existence

- form

- shape

-confirmation

" I hear and I forget

I seen and I remember

I do and understand."

Confucius

Spent much of January taking stock of 2021 and reflecting. I adjusted and re calibrated my Linhof Master Technika 2000 5x4, by resetting the infinity stops for the 150mm lens above, you can see the infinity stops which fold down or up to allow the rail to either be stopped by them or glide right over them. Look at the end and just above on the rail of the yellow fine screwdriver tip.

And switching to a levelling head and not using the 3 way pan and tilt head or Linhof ball head. considering that you're notgoijng to be doing radical tforwards and backwards tilts on 5x4 or using the 6x12, then that head is just extra weight and space. I'd like to buy the Linhof Leveling Head Quickfix 1 ( around $800 - $1000 AUD) but bought the Manfrotto one instead as its cheaper, the ball head unlock lever is stiff and I wonder if it will loosen with time. See image blow with a Linhof Quickfix 1 plate system running on it. I'm running the Linhof Quickfix 1 quick release system for 5x4, 612, and Hasselblad. So I'm running over 3 differing formats. the only reason I don't run this system on Canon as the plate is too big to fit comfortably in my hand when hand holding. The smaller rectangular Manfrotto plate fits more comfortably in my left palm.

I purchased these above photography art theory books from Nile bookshop online to help with my masters project.

Reading : Art can help by Robert Adams

Watching : Manifest

Listening : Ad Astra Soundtrack

Eating : Brocolli pesto