Posted by Tony Kuyper on October 7, 2009 at 10:48 PM
My neighbor, supervisor, and friend Chip Thomas has recently posted (literally) a possible answer to this question. Chip is a photographer of many things, but mostly people. This is an image of his of an elderly Navajo man on the the old Cow Springs Trading Post about 35 miles southwest of Kayenta, Arizona along Hwy 160. He scanned a 35mm slide, enlarged it in PS, had it printed in 3-ft x 3-ft sections at Kinkos, and then cut out the figure of the Navajo Man and used wheat paste to adhere it on the cement block wall. Chip's images can be seen all along Hwy 160 from Kayenta to the intersection of Hwy 89, and then there are more as you drive 89 south to Flag. You need to keep your eyes open, but they aren't hard to spot.
I think most people in this forum would continue to take pictures regardless of sales. It's just part of our nature and something we dearly love. However, outside this forum, it's likely that our efforts aren't widely viewed. Chip's roadside images, I think, demonstrate that there are ways to share what we truly love with a wider audience in ways that we may not have considered--public art. It doesn't need to be commissioned, or installed, or dedicated. It can simply be giving what we love to the rest of the world to see . . . for free. There are lots of possibilities that are different than what Chip has done, and there certainly is no shortage of pictures.
Posted by Rohn B. McKee on October 8, 2009 at 4:25 AM
Cool
I have taken so many pictures, 21,000 in my computer now, that are meaningless to most everyone but me. They represent my photography journey. Both a technical and artistic journey. Some day, some new images will be of interest to the critical public.
Posted by Luke Ormand on October 8, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Thanks for bringing this to my our attention.
Posted by Bruce Palla on October 8, 2009 at 3:44 PM
After I'm dead and gone is when fame and fortune will strike. Ha- Ha!! Until then, displays like this are quite unique and expressive. I'm glad the vandals haven't painted over it.
On a side note, unless I start to delete some soon, it will be a time consuming p.i.t.a. for my heirs to sort through my images, especially those in multiple locations.
They like them when they receive prints, and hang them on walls, and they've looked over my shoulder while I download or process and commented about the wish to have this or that. At the very least, I'll have to give someone my password.
Posted by bill meikle on October 8, 2009 at 5:56 PM
The sad reality is that when we go our pics, and I have maybe 50-100,000, will be trashed most likely, only the prints we signed and sold will likely remain hanging on customers walls to remember us by. Plus maybe one or two of our own hangings.
And of course our published work will be around in some form.
Best just to have fun today and not think of these things!
Posted by Jim Harris on October 9, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Tony, I mean this with absolutely no disrespect to you or your friend,, but isnt that nothing more than "graffiti" ??
Posted by Joseph Kayne on October 9, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Discussion
6 repliesI think most people in this forum would continue to take pictures regardless of sales. It's just part of our nature and something we dearly love. However, outside this forum, it's likely that our efforts aren't widely viewed. Chip's roadside images, I think, demonstrate that there are ways to share what we truly love with a wider audience in ways that we may not have considered--public art. It doesn't need to be commissioned, or installed, or dedicated. It can simply be giving what we love to the rest of the world to see . . . for free. There are lots of possibilities that are different than what Chip has done, and there certainly is no shortage of pictures.
I have taken so many pictures, 21,000 in my computer now, that are meaningless to most everyone but me. They represent my photography journey. Both a technical and artistic journey. Some day, some new images will be of interest to the critical public.
On a side note, unless I start to delete some soon, it will be a time consuming p.i.t.a. for my heirs to sort through my images, especially those in multiple locations.
They like them when they receive prints, and hang them on walls, and they've looked over my shoulder while I download or process and commented about the wish to have this or that. At the very least, I'll have to give someone my password.
And of course our published work will be around in some form.
Best just to have fun today and not think of these things!