Paris Metro. 1992.
Photography has changed profoundly since the inception of this blog in 2009. I've logged and blogged well over the actual 4,000 posts referenced here but a good many earlier ones were purged over time as they lost their relevance. I've typed millions of words, put up thousands and thousands of photographs and met, through the internet, many wonderful people.
Lately, it's been harder and harder to decide what to write about. Most of the cogent points I meant to make over the years have been made; repeatedly. My plan to monetize the blog fell victim early on to my general resistance to mixing editorial content and advertising. Last month was the first month that the blog logged a negative fifty six cents for affiliate earnings....Thank you Amazon.
I'd like to think that I had something to teach about the nature of working as a photographer, or about lighting, or about the selection of tools but, in the first regard, there are so many kinds of photographic work and I'm really only focused on a tiny part of the market, and one that is fairly static. In the second regard, I have been so inconsistent about what cameras and lenses I use that I am hardly a reliable source of what YOU should be using to do YOUR work. As far as lighting goes I sometimes feel as though I'm showcasing a style of lighting (and portrait engagement) that's become more of a temporal sign post of past practices than any good learning curriculum about current styles and trends.
I am neither closing the existing blog nor abandoning my intention to come back and write more. It's just that I need to re-think what's left to write about that isn't covered more quickly and completely elsewhere. It's also necessary that I believe in, and enjoy, what I write about.
I'll be back when I feel as though I have something to say but can hardly shake the feeling that photography as we knew it and practiced it has changed so profoundly that the Visual Science Lab is now, more or less, irrelevant. Most people now use phones to capture their day-to-day life. Instagram is a better place than a blog to show off new (and old) work. Video is the new mainstream imaging format.
CGI and AI and a host of other technologies are already eroding the last of the market share for traditional photography, and cameras have become more or less boring. They are all good and all flawed. In the end, who cares?
I'll be back when I have a new body of work to share. I'll be back if I'm struck with new insights into the culture of photography. I'll be back when I have a burning desire to write about new work.
In the mean time I always answer e-mail. The contact page on my website has an e-mail form. If you just copy the address: Info@KirkTuck.com I'll never get the mail and it's set up that way to prevent spamming. Go to the website (www.kirktuck.com) and use the form. Click on the link and then leave your message. Then we'll be able communicate.
If you want to see new images with brief captions it's easy enough to find me at Instagram:
Thank you for reading, commenting and adding to the atmosphere here. I very much appreciated having an audience. Especially (for the most part) such a brilliant, wise and supportive one.
All the best, Kirk
added later: The article that started it all: https://www.photo.net/equipment/leica/m6.lgc
added much later: Sad. I keep circling back here, waiting for that rat bastard who writes all this stuff to get back to work. Then I realize it's my blog and I'm not quite ready yet... but it's frustrating all the same.... KT
added much later: Sad. I keep circling back here, waiting for that rat bastard who writes all this stuff to get back to work. Then I realize it's my blog and I'm not quite ready yet... but it's frustrating all the same.... KT
79 comments:
Your picture at the top (which I've seen before and always loved) takes on new meaning with this post. I see a somewhat weary, slightly slumped man trudging off after a day (week? month?, years?) of too much effort. Kirk, I'm going to miss these posts. You've been my breakfast companion for several years now and I've greatly enjoyed your writing and learned a lot from you. And thank you for sharing your life with us all. I feel like I know you, Belinda and Ben as friends and it's been a real gift. I'll be checking in now and then to see when you're back. You have a real gift, so rest up, rejuvenate and please come back to delight us all. I think there's a lot for for you to say.
I miss you already. :-)
One of the hardest problems that some of us oldsters have is finding new stuff to photograph. Since I, and most of us, enjoy your writing as well as your photography, you might think about writing short stories and illustrating them with new pictures you make. They should be short novels designed to show off your writing skills and your ability to weave a story around a few pictures.
PS, I' waiting on more books from you.
When you are ready to start writing your blog again your faithful readers will be here waiting for you.
Why not publish an online book of your favorite or most popular blog posts. A sort of greatest hits book?
Thanks for each and every post. I can say that because I’ve read them all. Take a break, but do come back. We’ll keep checking in.
Haven't found this blog that long ago but always found your writing very interesting and most importantly honest, sharing work experiences/knowledge, family issues, getting excited and losing interest in new gear - all without covert interest in clicks, likes or referals.
The most interesting recent fact for me was your report of being in Iceland and not really that focused on the pretty landscapes and hoping that you had people to shoot.
Very important lesson on knowing yourself and that, contrary to the internet mind, everyone's different - there's no best location, camera, style.
Have a nice rest and hope you'll be interested in coming back someday. Good luck from Brazil
I got that sinking feeling from the first paragraph. Well, do what ya gotta, but ...
Aww, crap!
... and could you put your Instagram link somewhere on this page? Or your website Home page?
As many have said in previous posts I read your blog daily for the insightful comments and your writing style. But, we all need a break sometimes, and that can be a move on to something new.
What ever you choose, I will be pop in from time to time to see if you come back, and if not I will re-read this blog from the start
Take care and thanks for the entertainment
Andy
I'm shocked and saddened. Just one thibg: whenever you're back, your audience will be here.
That's why you never reply to my emails! And here I thought I was on the black list lol. As far as this post is concerned I echo what Rene says. We all need a break. When I quit commercial photography I didn't touch a camera for four years. Just burned out.
Eric
Although I have commented rarely I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and looked forward to reading it every day. Regardless of what equipment you were using there were insights to be gained on photographic technique and the real-world use of equipment that I could apply to my own photography. I will miss that real-world usage commentary. Thanks for all you've written and I hope you will return even if only occasionally; I will be delighted to see you pop up in my news reader again anytime.
Oh dear. I understand but, dammit, I’m really going to miss you.
Sounds good. thk you will be back, thoroughly refreshed with purpose. in the meantime go easy on yourself, perhaps you deserve it.
Kirk, you're a "words" guy. What if, during your recharge period, you immerse yourself in some of the arcana of "old" language? One of my oldest browser bookmarks is an etymology site done by a Douglas Harper.
an example post:
https://www.etymonline.com/columns/post/out-of-time
and the background story: https://www.etymonline.com/columns/post/bio?utm_source=etymonline_footer&utm_medium=link_exchange
It's my favorite source for "where did THAT word come from?"
Kirk,
As the comments above indicate, your readers understand that the self-imposed pressure of posting as often as you do is wearying. I suspect that most of us value your comments on the business of commercial photography, which for many (including me) is a far country. I hope that your enthusiasm for photography does not wane, even if you are not making a living at it. Please do resume the blog in whatever form you wish if and when the spirit moves you. Be well.
Chip
I have read your blog for many years, probably from close to when you started. It has always been one of my go-to blogs. I have enjoyed your trips through various systems and your writing is always entertaining. You've inspired me to learn to swim properly (thanks) and you have an ability to take a normal object, like a building, and make it interesting to look at. I don't have that skill and I admire it in you. However, I like your portraits the most, so if you ever want to return with a portraits 101 then I'll be waiting for it! You may think it's old fashioned, but style never goes out of fashion.
All the best and I for one shall await your return with anticipation.
Reading your blog has been like receiving letters from a friend who is traveling through life and sharing his thoughts and feelings of things he experiences along the way. It’s always been interesting, sometimes insightful on gear in real world usage, and always a great read. Please do come back.
Kirk,
allow me to disagree on some of your points... , :-) .
>> ".. I have been so inconsistent about what cameras and lenses I use that I am hardly a reliable source of what YOU should be using to do YOUR work."
Great!
So we readers can learn which differences matter and which don't (for each of us) and that the handling of and communication with one's camera is more important (and a very personal thing).
>> "I'm showcasing a style of lighting (and portrait engagement) ..... about current styles and trends."
Styles and trends are, I think, for those who search for what to express, rather than for how to show what they know or believe they want to express.
>> "...that the Visual Science Lab is now, more or less, irrelevant."
Indeed no!
For me (longtime photo amateur) it's been a source of knowledge and enjoyment of good text and photography - very difficult to find in videos or on Instagram.
>> "In the end, who cares?"
Anyone who takes photos instead of snaps cares, or *should* care!
- - -
Kirk,
My thanks for your blogging!
Wishing you a good time off!
And hoping and waiting for your return ... that you won't find this i-net world too barren to water again.
Thanks for all your posts from a silent reader ... I for sure will enjoy it when you come back here. Leaving the feed on... And have a good time off!
Hi Kirk,
I can appreciate the need for a break- I’m at the end of 2 months leave (and into a third) due to work burnout over last 2 years, and now trying to find the work I want. Having a toddler that shuns sleep may not have helped :~)
As per other comments, I come to VSL precisely because it’s not a straight gear review site - your best writing is explaining the craft, the thought process, and how to apply camera, lens and lighting features in practice. The results are stunning!
Your insights into running a business are also greatly welcome. We appreciate that you can’t write such gems all the time; some days will be laps, some airport lounges, and some just TLC for Studio Dog and yourself. And that’s perfectly fine. It adds variety and humanises you to us.
Take the time to work out what interests you. You’re at a big change in life - your parenting side is over, and you parents are moving on too (hope all goes well with your father).
If you come back, feel free to ease back on the frequency of posting - fit it into your life, not the other way around. Sometimes less is more :~)
Take it easy,
Cheers,
Been reading you every morning since you started blogging. Love your portrait style and philosophical musings. Most I will miss you personally, Ben growing up, Studio Dog and wonderful Belinda.
Come back when you feel like it. Photography or life, reading your thoughts pleases me.
ted in Ireland
Kirk,
Whatever time passes, whatever changes in photography... This is still the best photography blog out there.
Many thanks for your posts and I look forward to your return.
You'll be missed Kirk. As a long-time reader of VSL I really appreciate your take on things and I love your writing style. I wish you all the best and hope you find a way to recharge your batteries and find new inspiration. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the many, many great blog posts. I enjoyed reading them. Even the ones about video. ;-p
Cheers
Thank you for all you have given up to this day. Most of us who do this full time for money seem to work alone, inside of our own little bubble-worlds regardless of how much client contact we may have. We're always an outsider to a certain degree. And I suffer from that, but like it as well. So it's always great to hear from fellow working photographers about their likes and challenges and thoughts and diversions. Always makes me feel better about what I do, that I'm somehow "normal" and on the "right" track. But I also know how we can feel like we are constantly giving ...
I've always marveled at your incredible written output here, being especially star struck because I'm someone who has to mount an offensive to do website SEO even though I'm an OK writer. And in the 16 below zero reaches near your son's college town, it has been fun to hear about Texas and your observing how landscaping here ran right up to the buildings ...
Hopefully we'll all hear and see something new from you even occasionally when, if, the time is right.
Health, happiness and peace ...
Blessings, Kirk, as you take a break. I've loved reading your blog, and will be grateful if you write again, but understand if you don't. Thank you!
Ah, poop. How about one a week?
John Camp
Thank you Kirk, for all the writing and photos.
I’ve been reading for a few years. As a hobbiest, I haven’t commented as I didn’t feel I had much constructive to add. However, I really enjoy your writing- from slice of life, to theater, to professional work and thoughts. And I really enjoy your photos, from the film cameras to the Fujis, and the stories that go with them. (As an aside, I do like the long form writing/stories here over Instagram- I like to read! But I do follow your content there, too)
With regards to cameras and system hopping- what I’ve learned from all your changes is that consistent practice of an art means you can do damn good work with most any tool in your hand. This has done a lot for me in terms of realizing it’s fine that I still love my 60d, and that I need to just get out and play/practice more. May have to take up a walk-about habit of my own.
Again, thank you for all the writing!
Chris in Seattle
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, insight, and humor with all of us. I've only been following your blog for a year or so, and I guess this gives me a good excuse to go start at the beginning and see what I've missed. Enjoy your time away from the blog, you've certainly earned it!
Scott in Pittsburgh
I for one, and I know others, will be monitoring your site for new posts because we always seem to learn something. Prost!
Have a great break!
I'll admit to being a bit less sad about you stepping back this time than the last time you went on haitus, because I'm really happy that you're taking (and showing here) new portraits of your friends and acqaintences.
The portraits you take (and the stories behind them, or the stories behind the people) are my favourite part of the blog.
It always felt from the way you talk about these photos that it was one of the main places you got your energy and enthusiasm from. Great to see you finding time to get back into the fun portraiture.
Enjoy! Catch you later,
Mark
Another fan of your open and honest writing style here. Your combination of life experiences and insights into a working photographer’s life are what make your blog such interesting reading.
I remember when you took most of your blog down a few years ago and you were back, apparently rejuvenated a few weeks later! I hope the same happens this time but if not, then I wish you all the best for the future.
If you needed any reassurance that your writing is valued then hopefully all these comments will provide it! Good luck Kirk.
Don
U.K.
I've followed this blog for quite a few years. It is the main reason I moved to m4/3 and Sigma DN lenses for my main gear and have never looked back, iphones or not! Oh, and the marvelous Oly 12-100/4 Pro, which I reckon is the best zoom I've ever used!
Also follow your photos in Instagram, but that one is mostly to admire photos and get photo ideas, rather than read.
Here is where the interesting reading stuff is, even if it may feel boring to you. Still: whenever you come back with more reading material, it will be very welcome and read from end to end!
And thanks heaps for sharing so much of your knowledge over the years.
I've been reading your blog for so lang that I can't remember when, but not as far back as 2001. Like John Camp, I hope the itch will be too strong for you to resist at least every week or so. I hope your father is stable now for a while, and you can use the break from all of us to really refresh (or at least shoot a lot and replenish petty cash after the Forester outlay).
I tried to send you a lighting question by going to kirktuck.com and clicking on your mailto link, but it didn't bring up a form. It just put me in my own mailer with your (apparently spammed-out) email link.
Enjoy your break; you certainly deserve it. You will be missed.
Always and interesting read, insightful, thoughtful, occasionally laugh out loud funny. Thank you for your efforts. My morning will be just a little less interesting until your return. Everything changes, be well, pet Studio Dog for me. See ya on the flip side!
Thursday, February 21. Day One of no hope of finding a new posting from Kirk Tuck on VSL. No hope. That is depressing.
Enjoy your well-deserved break; you've earned it many times over. Hope to see you back posting soon.
JT
Kirk, in the larger scheme of things I've always been a little surprised at your investment in this blog, so completely understand the desire for a hiatus. It is your insistence on writing only what you feel connected to, versus some empty obligation, that has always made it a daily must-read. Frankly, if you ever decided to monetize your blog I wouldn't hesitate to pay up. Your frank and honest perspective, and the willingness to admit when something is outside of your area of expertise or experience, has real value. You're experiences have been welcome input into buying habits, my perspective on photography, my continued belief that I should never pretend to be a professional photog, and even challenging myself on my health and lifestyle decisions. Thank You, and I look forward to whenever you should return to share more of your wisdom, opinions, and musings.
Thank you for so many interesting posts I really enjoyed recently. Inspiring, exciting and helpful both for my modest amateur photography and as an European from Austria for my English ! Have a good time ! Thanks again, I will reread older posts and hope you will come back. Helmut.
Kirk,
Although I have only said so from time to time via the comments, I’ll note once again that your thoughts and how you write about them, your generosity in sharing, are priceless. I get the need for a break and a refresher. I also get the mood (ennui?) questioning relevance and freshness. The number of loyal readers, and the comments and thanks that they leave, should convince you that this content is eagerly awaited, read and considered.
I’ve been reading this for long enough to recall that you’ve been there before. We'll keep the monitors warm and ready for when you return.
Cheers,
Murray
I have always found your posts to be some combination of informative, entertaining and inspirational, even when your giving this couch potato guilt pangs from descriptions of your exercise routine. Enjoy your time off. You certainly deserve it but I won't believe for a second that you have nothing further to contribute. I'll be keeping an eye out for your return. In the meantime, thanks for all the enjoyable reading to-date.
I'll agree with most of what you said. I think photography and the future of photography is going to be quite different indeed. The youth of today love photography but in a very different way than we do. They have 0 interest in cameras or lenses, those are in their phones now. I really don't see how camera makers will sell any product in ten years. 18yr olds have no interest in a camera, it's all filters now baby. I will disagree with you on one thing though: VSL is only irrelevant if you feel that it is. If that is how you feel then I understand completely. I think the traditional blog is on the way out just as the manual transmission died a slow death a decade ago. Video is the thing now-Youtube. I hope you return but if not then it's been a great learning process for me and I thank you for that. I followed you on Instagram so at least I'll see your work there and I'll probably say hi. Things change. Everything is in transition. I've certainly experienced many major changes in my life just in the last five years. We can lament and reminisce, and a certain amount of that can be healthy, but not for too long. Refusing to embrace change is unhealthy. Farewell for now Kirk.
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I have been in/out of photography as a hobby for over 65 years and have been a pretty consistent reader of this site for at least five years. I've pretty much stopped buying new gear as I don't use what I have nearly enough, think that the end product is a print and really have no interest in lighting technique. I read your blog because I find it enjoyable, am interested in the overall/general subject matter,like your writing style (and your novel)and am somewhat fascinated by your ability to generate so much output. My career was in publishing and I was lucky to be able to retire as the industry was changing into something that I hardly recognized.
Would love to see you come back and talk about life, family, your next novel and photography as a hobby. Best wishes.
I read your first post again and I feel that, in many respects, you have come full circle.
The Fuji APS system is to digital what Leica LTM and M were to film.
Your writing, which was good to begin with, has improved not only in its insight and evaluation of both the gear/technique side of the digital age, but also the philosophy of what we all do, both behind the lens and in life.
Perhaps spending your time on writing fiction, ending your blog, may be the way forward. We shall miss you, but more importantly, remember you. Thank you for the journeys you have shared with us.
Really interesting times for photography. Whether it will be in a good way, time will tell.
The only comparison I can think of that was as disruptive, is George Eastman's invention of a coating machine that mass produced dry plates. Followed by the 1888 Kodak camera pre-loaded with with film.
It unleashed a tsunami of photos of the mundane.
Most professional photographers were horrified, probably rightly. Snapshot fiends became a public nuisance unimaginable today.
But a little over a decade saw the emergence of Edward Steichen, Frederick H. Evans, Alfred Stieglitz, Imogen Cunningham and Edward Curtis to name a few. (If I have my dates correct).
We've learned a lot about the art and practice of photography from you.
But we really enjoy reading about the things that make you happy.
My 'blog is entirely seen as me speaking to myself, and posts are pretty rare. Had I an actual audience I'm certain to have snapped long ago. Thanks for the many posts on gear technique and life, presented in your unique style. Take care of your dad, yourself and.. everything!
As so many others have said: Thank You. I will miss the walks around downtown Austin, the goings on at the Zach Theatre, and the occasional swim, in addition to all I’ve learned about photography.
Best regards, Tim
I keep clicking on my VSL bookmark. Guess I'll have to break that habit at least for a while. Will miss the blog, but I do understand burnout (been there) and the need for a break.
I am following you on IG, so wont' be going completely cold turkey. VSL has been the only photo website I visit on a regular basis for a year or more. I do sometimes hit DPReview for tech updates and sometimes Molitor, but that's about it.
Enjoy your break.
JR / Gato
I just looked through your Instagram for the first time and I love it, especially for the portraits! Please keep posting on Instagram even if you decide to take a break from writing blog posts.
Do what you want and need to do. Don't be swayed by adulation, you don't owe anyone anything.
Your blog is a daily must 'go to'. I appreciate your candour, perspective and real world experiences. I will be forever grateful and thanks for that. Enjoy your 'time-out'. Looking forward to your return.....
I've learned a lot from you, some of it even photography related. I think to shoot interesting photos you have to be an interesting person. You have that nailed. Your compassion, grace and humor are all things we need more of in the world. Thanks for all you've done.
Hey Kirk, thanks for all the posts you've put up over the years. I've been reading your blog regularly since I discovered it via TOP. And I see the editor of The Online Photographer has extended a carte blanche invite for you to guest blog over there in the meantime. Meanwhile I'll keep your blog on my RSS feed so that if you do start posting here again, I'll notice right away.
As for my appreciation of your blogging, I can't think of another full time working photographer who blogs like you have done. Maybe Philip Bloom comes closest, in the video field. But his posts have gotten more sporadic in recent years.
I did comment on your last post asking for suggestions of topics. But here's another suggestion if you are still open to hearing ideas. How about a quick survey of what other bloggers you read that you think your readers might enjoy while you are taking a break.
I'm still of the opinion that search engines such as Google are really not that much use in finding quality content and that human-mediated links are always going to be better than machine-generated ones. So who do you read? Who do you think is worth reading, about photography on the web?
Kirk, many of your posts have elicited much interest from me so I'll miss VSL during your break (even I can still wade through some archival posts). I wish you all the best and it would be nice to see you back sharing new thoughts and insights (not to mention new pictures).
Kirk, I love seeing the images, reading about the activities of a professional photographer and being amused by your severe GAS. As a hobbyist I would love to have any excuse to buy new gear and get away with it. Your blog is the only blog I read on a regular basis.
I hope you have an enjoyable break. I’m with others and would be happy if you decide to call it quits, write less often or write about the first thing that comes into your head. I have a feeling that in some respects, just like swimming the blog is a cathartic activity for you.
I wish you all the best during the break and will keep following you on Instagram - just remember you don’t owe your readers anything, but we owe you a debt of gratitude for the thoughts and images you’ve shared with us.
First, 4000 is not enough, maybe 10,000 would be enough. And second where am i going to get my photography education and inspiration if not from you.
Thanks for all the philosophy, style and techniques that I've learned here over the years. The good folks at Precision Camera should thank you for the pile of flash gear I've bought there over the years, based on what I've picked up from you.
Looking forward to your return.
Kirk, thank-you for all you have been sharing with us over the years. So wishing you all the very best and hope you get your mojo back.
I have enjoyed your blog for many years. I particularly identify with the arc of your career as mine has had some similarities ( not nearly as interesting as yours) in the swoops and gyrations of the business of photography.
Your observation of not having anything new to say is a valid one as we get older. I still remember as a high schooler in the 70's devouring the back issues of Popular and Modern Photography going back to the early 60's with the occasional magazine from the 50's. After about a year of reading I noticed that the articles cycled. "How to get super sharp negatives", "Push your film to 1600ASA!", "What is the best aperture?" and so on.
What I realized was that during the cycle new people came to the field and old ones left. Only with a technological shift did new ideas get bandied about and argued such as "Are built-in meters good?" and "Can you trust auto-exposure?".
I find my self repeating the same stories over and over yet I find people are polite enough to laugh or nod appreciatively as they haven't heard my hoary old anecdotes and homilies. We are the judge of our performance as we are the closest to it.
You are not an old fart, just extremely experienced with the field so that almost any aspect is familiar to you and thus must seem so to others.
The fact is that you have a creative gift with words and thoughtful insight that makes even familiar things newly interesting and relevant.
A break is a great way to take that pressure off and recharge and enjoy your family and work. I know you will be back bringing the well thought out and well written words we have come delightedly familiar with.
Well crap. Now I'm going to have to start reading Ken Rockwell again.
Kirk, go have fun and recharge. I've loved reading your blog because it's always been about life with a bit of photography mixed in. All those blogs that are about photography and nothing else are, in the end, boring...particularly in a pursuit as well-understood as photography is. If I don't see a new post from you anymore, it's been real. And thanks.
I'll be diligently following you on Instagram until you return to blogging.
Kirk,
Thanks for all you have provided to a wide range of photographers. I have enjoyed and learned much from your endeavors. I also really enjoyed your book. Enjoy your respite. If you decide that this is it for the blog, I hope you continue to write and we find you as a quest on other blogs.
OK. He really means it. Now I have to figure out Instagram. Dammit.
I agree. Illustrated short stories!
Kirk, I have gained much pleasure from reading your blog over the years and I have learned a lot from reading it. Nominally, it is a photo blog, but in actuality it is a blog about your life, which I find interesting and, to use a cliche, heartwarming. Your excellent photographs, attractive models and subjects, coffee, lunches, swimming, your wife and son and dog, walking, Austin (why have you never photographed the bats?), your Dad, your camera shop, your friends, camera equipment, etc. You are an interesting man and a good writer and I have enjoyed following you. I have been amazed by your energy and cannot fathom how you do all that you do and still have time to blog. May I be so presumptuous as to suggest that instead of declaring an official hiatus or sabbatical, that you just declare this a breather or drawback and then, having renounced the commitment and pressure to produce a DAILY blog, you can instead write something from 'time-to-time' when the mood strikes you. You can avoid the mental pressure of a daily commitment but still express your thoughts as they occur when you have the time to do so. I suspect your plate is too full right now but I will bet that you still want to present your thoughts and opinions in a blog, and my plan encourages you to do so -- as time permits. Thanks for the enjoyment you have given me. Richard
Kirk thanks for all the insights and entertainment you provided,hope you enjoy the break,looking forward to your return [hopefully]
Michael.
fwtw: I miss you. I get it, but still, you are missed. Best to you and your family, including Studio Dog.
Kirk, thank you ever so much for your inspiring photography as well as your inspiring writing. I never tire of looking at portraits you made, or of reading your thoughts about portraiture. Not sure whether it's available quicker and more concisely elsewhere - I don't even have an appetite to go looking, I enjoyed this here too much. All the best!
Thank you Kirk and looking forward as I am sure you will be back soon.
Greetings Kirk
I understand how you feel, or think I do. There comes a time when one has to more forward or ? As for photography, well it's not my photography any longer, and any camera or lens works sometimes it's just a little harder with one brand over another. As a matter of fact my film cameras and lenses still work just fine. Your right about cell phones, they are the new Brownies. I was talking to a friend a few years ago because I was having an issues getting my press passes for and event, he turned to me and said, very matter of fact, "they don't need you any more, they don't us any more" it's sad, but true. Your lucky you still have work and people to shoot portraits of. My peers, and my best friend of 40 years have past on. The people I went though wars, civil right marches, protest, laughed, and cried with are all gone now. As for CGI, AI, and other companies like them, they'll take over the market at some point. As for cameras, I don't care, let's see what your work. I'm still a member of NPPA, and Photographers without Borders, the point is you still have friends and clients. I hope to be going to Cuba, Canada, and France to photography this year. We'll see.
Best Wishes
Good Luck
Roger
I returned from an Internet-deficient business trip to find this post, hopefully a hiatus, not a swan song. Yours is one of two photo-related sites that I read every day, Mike Johnson's being the other. You will be greatly missed, rather in the same way that so many miss the original Prairie Home Companion and Garrison Keillor. This is not an idle comparison.
The intelligence and thoughfulness are palpable. Unquestionably, amateur photography has changed, but the creative process and good imaging are timeless.
Kirk, couldn't find a contact form anywhere on your website. Only links to send you eMail. Have done so in order to try and order a print. However not sure whether you have gotten or will ever get the eMail, given your comments here. Thanks and best, Joachim
We miss you!
Come back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean.....
So, absent for 30 days. I personally am missing your photo techniques, business activity, life adventures and insights, and would welcome you back. But, do you feel better about NOT blogging, or do you feel like you are missing something, that you have things to say ? Of course your posts can be short, simple, and direct, or longer, complex and analytical, daily, weekly or monthly. You get to decide and whatever you decide is fine. I hope you get back into it at least on occasion. And many thanks for years of interesting reading from one of the very top blogs on the Internet. Best Wishes to you and yours.
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