In the next few days I'll be stripping off all the old blog posts and starting over from scratch. From my point of view the practice of photography has changed so profoundly and in such interesting (and frightening) ways that most of the content has become antiquated. If you are looking for a favorite post from earlier than this Spring chances are it's already gone. Content lives forever on the web so you might be able to find what you are looking for but I'm done with looking back. The future is much more interesting.
17 comments:
You're a brave man Kirk! I can't even bring myself to delete crappy pictures I took 5 years ago that I know I'll never look at again. I may have some hoarding tendencies...
Adam
Yikes! I just "found" you a couple of months ago, and now all that good stuff is going away? Please keep up the great content.
Could I hire you to clean out my garage?
(I had to use a defunct blog to post this comment. "anonymous" is no longer listed)
Bob Dein
The first step is to format the card in camera if you know you didn't get the shot you were after. Try it. It is very liberating.
I can understand that equipment related posts have a relatively short life span but I hope you keep the posts that are actually about taking photos.
I have them all archived and, Glenn, as I'm sure you know nothing is ever gone from the web...
Sometimes cleaning out the old and starting fresh again is very liberating. You have to get to a certain mindset to want to make the change, but once you get to that point there is energy that builds once you start to take action. Good for you, Kirk.
Changing subject completely here, though... I was immediately taken by the photo above! My wife and I got married on that boat nearly 13 years ago. We had a GREAT time. Captain Mike let me bring all the CDs that I wanted to play for the 4 hours that we had rented the boat for. What a pleasant memory. Thanks for posting THAT photo!
Kirk, You look like the tour guide. The light meter looks like a microphone and you are about to describe the sites of the city. Pictures can be deceiving.
Any good photographer knows this saying, "ABM." Always Be Metering.
And besides, the good stuff is in your books. Buy the books, read em, learn from it, right?
But wouldn't those books also be out of date?
I understand the reasoning behind starting fresh, but there's also value in the mistakes of the past--sometimes they're not mistakes, and it's the present that's the mistake...
Then again, we can delete that too.
Always enjoy the blog, I'll just have to be more timely about reading it :)
DP, the physics of lighting doesn't go out of style... And the business of photography seems intact.
Not sure that I understand what you're seeking to accomplish with this, Kirk. Your best posts-- the ones relating to the art, aesthetics, and philosophy of photography-- are as valid as they ever were. As to the gear-related posts (which may of course be dated), I find it interesting to be reminded of what was "state of the art" only a few years ago-- and also to be reminded that the equipment served quite nicely in the production of beautiful images before we all "learned" that it is obsolescent.
It's your content, your blog, and your choice,obviously. . . but I would urge you to reconsider.
As a send along for your "point zero" I found this nice quote from Chip Simone, Atlanta photographer, who studied under Callahan and spent decades with B&W film in large format, then switched to digital color photography, and now says he has found himself in his second career: "In all these years my love for the camera have never wavered, but the camera itself has undergone remarkable transformations. It has become more refined, more intelligent, more sophisticated. What even the most sophisticated camera doesn't do, however, is something that cameras have never done. The camera doesn't define what photography is. Neither does the lens, the film size, pixel count, or the type of final output. Photography isn't a noun. Photography is a verb. Photography is what I do. It is a deliberate and willful act. It can be an expression of hope, an act of faith, or fear, or lust. It can be joyous or excruciating. But photography is not a camera." Got me thinking again.
This is why I love following your blog. Always something interesting. You should look up Hopi sand art drawings. Beautiful creations that, if I remember correctly, get destroyed at sun down. Maybe your destiny is like some kind of performance artist? :) At any rate, two thumbs up for always keeping it interesting.
I hope you archive and not delete!
If you do plan on deleting, please slap it all together as an e-book. Then make downloadable or even charge $5 for it. Blame me so others don't blame yoy for charging for your past. I would buy for $5 the post I have read in the past. Especially with the photos.
David Bateman
I am also going to chime in and encourage you not to delete your archive.
You have created a wonderful library of material. With Google, it is all perfectly accessible.
I have helped artists burn their work before. Roomfuls of stuff. I pointed out that it might be a good idea -- but that is what they wanted to do, so I helped them drag the stuff out to the pit.
Years later they had second thoughts about destroying their work. I held my tongue.
Your writing on photography is one of the very few intelligent and accessible sources on a subject that is filled with people arguing over photographs of brick walls. I hope you reconsider.
If you don't, I do have a lighter here somewhere....
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