Re: Learning a new process

I recommend learning on your own. I taught myself gum and cyanotype
printing using the recipes in Crawford's The Keepers of Light. With a basic
knowledge of photography (I have an AAS degree in Commercial Photography) it
was relatively easy.

As for developing your own style and creating satisfying work, it just takes
time. I shoot primarily landscape and nature subjects. I find my best
photos come from going out hiking or exploring in my Jeep, without any
preconceived idea of what I'll be shooting. I just walk around and look.
If something 'grabs me', I'll shoot it. I never shoot thinking about
commercial possibilities, selling prints, etc..... I photograph purely for
my own pleasure and satisfaction. I earn a nice income from a sales career,
so I don't have any pressure to sell my work. That's the way I like it.

Best regards from Wyoming,
Dave Rose
Leaving tomorrow to climb Cloud Peak, the third highest point in Wyoming.
http://www.alternativephotography.com/artists/dave_rose.html

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill King" <bill@billkingphoto.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2005 8:33 PM
Subject: Learning a new process

> I've been struggling with my notions of photography, art, and craft over
the
> past few years, and I would love to ask the list for some advice.
>
> Looking over the pictures I've taken over the past ten years, I can see an
> evolution of style and technique. My early photographs showed glimmers of
> originality, but those glimmers were usually overcome by technical issues
> (learning how film sees differently from my eyes) and too heavy an
influence
> of David Muench. Many pictures were well-lit, well-composed, perhaps even
> lovely, but they were not art. They were all-too-often copies of others'
> art or style.
>
> Since 2002, I've really struggled to take pictures; I've been doing battle
> with the dreaded Block. My photos have felt emptier and emptier. I have
> felt like I wasn't expressing myself, my own vision, my own sense of
> emotion. I have felt too removed from the final product - as though I was
> capturing something rather than creating it. I guess I've felt distanced
> from both art (expressing my personal vision) and craft (the process of
> creation).
>
> And so I basically began reading in place of creating. I read books about
> philosophy, art, photography, woodworking, ceramics, pottery, the craft of
> writing, etc., etc. Perhaps the break from shooting cliches and the
> exposure to so many different sources helped further my notions of art and
> craft. Certainly, I feel now that I have a much better idea of what I'm
> trying to accomplish - I have a much better sense of what I'm trying to
> communicate and display in my work now.
>
> So over the past few months, I've had the camera out a little more often,
> and I'm feeling much better about what I'm capturing. Artistically, I'm
> feeling like I've been making some progress. But yet it still seems a bit
> on the empty side. I guess I still feel like I'm missing the notion of
> craft in my photography. I want to shape and knead these captured images
> into beautiful prints that have the essence, and texture, and richness of
my
> imagination, but I do not have the skills or training to do this. I want
to
> put my imprint on the final product, and I'm feeling wholly unsatisfied
> watching the final product roll off an inkjet printer.
>
> So my rather simplistic sounding question is this: how do you recommend
> learning an alt-photo process from scratch? From what I can tell, gum
> printing looks like it would be a great way to begin realizing the visions
> in my head. I have lots of reading material about gums, and certainly
this
> list is a great resource, and I have a decent intellectual notion about
how
> to accomplish it, but I'm wondering where to make the next step - the step
> to take action.
>
> Unlike learning to draw, it's hard to run over to the local community
> college and take a class on gum printing. I'm not aware of anyone in my
> area doing gum printing. So, it's a big outlay, but do I just buy a
Nu-Arc,
> nice scale, good paints, paper, chemicals, gum, etc. and go at it on my
own?
> Would this be a little too risky, a little too unsupported? Or might it
be
> the most rewarding way to go about it? Would I be best served by
traveling
> to a workshop or two to get me started? Are there mentors to be found?
(I
> live in Northern Arizona.) Should I find a BFA/MFA program, where I could
a
> find a mentor and immerse myself in art and craft for a few years?
>
> I know that this is a rather personal question, and I apologize if it's
> unanswerable. I've been feeling a bit stuck and I thought perhaps
throwing
> my question out to a wider audience might help. Thanks for helping the
> artist and craftsperson in me emerge.
>
> Bill
Received on Sat Aug 13 22:32:37 2005