19-JUN-2009
Wrapped in the flag, Jacksonville, Oregon, 2009
Using my longest focal length (400mm) to compress the space between the flag and the man standing just behind it, makes it appear as if the man has wrapped himself in the flag, symbolic of extremely patriotic behavior. Actually, there are several feet between the flag and the man, but the long telephoto lens does not allow us to see that such space exists. It is an appropriate motif for Jacksonville, a 19th century town which calls itself “one of the most historically significant communities in the western United States.”
11-JUN-2009
Opposing symbols, Downtown Civic Space Park, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
A swirl of hoops and funnels, symbolizing Arizona’s monsoon clouds, forms a vortex-like cone that moves with the wind. The $2.5 million sculpture, created by Janet Echelman, dominates a new park in downtown Phoenix. On a previous visit, I had used a long telephoto lens to pick up the glow on the strands of netting that make up the work. ( See
http://www.pbase.com/image/111968245 ) On this occasion, I used a superwideangle lens, and shot directly into the sun. The sun becomes a star, backlighting the form of the sculpture. By exposing for the sun, I darken the rest of the image so that day appears to become night. A swirl of pale clouds mimics its shape in the dark blue sky. My 14mm wideangle lens creates rays that resemble stylized starlight, as well as encompassing the entire sculpture and several downtown buildings in the background. The eerie scene speaks of a ghostly vision, a giant net or trap hanging above us like a bad dream. Yet the star-like sun presents a hopeful, optimistic symbol to play against the effect of the net about to descend upon us. It is the tension created by these opposing symbols that gives the image both its energy and its meaning.
10-JUN-2009
Confinement, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2009
An awning of slats runs along side of Scottsdale’s library, and at 2:30 in the afternoon, the angle of the sun paints the both the sidewalk and the library wall with a pattern of horizontal bars. While on a field shoot, I asked my tutorial student to take a break on a bench at the base of the wall. She does not seem very enthusiastic over stopping her shooting, which makes the message of my photograph even more expressive. She tries here to relax, but her folded arms tell another story. The shadows slice across her, hiding her face in deep shadow. They make her anonymous, a symbol of confinement and restraint. She makes no effort to resist. She will simply wait it out, a metaphor for humanity trapped in a situation it cannot remedy. By using a 16mm wideangle focal length, I can move in to make her large, yet still retain a considerable about of wall and sidewalk in the image. I also convert the warm colors of her clothing and skin to black and white, making the symbolism stronger in the process.
15-APR-2009
Patriotism and innocence, Kingman, Arizona, 2009
I made this image through the window of a toy store in Kingman. It appeared to be out of business. Left behind in its window was a flat wooden cut-out toy, depicting a child swinging from a tree. Attached to the back of toy was a discolored photograph showing a stack of small American flags. Someone who once worked here was probably trying to add a patriotic dimension to the toy – perhaps intending to imply that the innocence of childhood is somehow a particularly American virtue. But time and exposure to harsh sunlight have intervened, badly discoloring the photograph, fading its colors and adding a purplish color-cast. There were many other objects in this window. But I chose to isolate on the idealized toy and the discolored photograph. And I put them both in the context of a store that is now appears to be out of business. I call attention to the symbolism inherent in both subjects, and ask my viewers to consider possible new meanings implicit in my image.
20-MAR-2009
Determination, The Statue of Liberty, New York City, New York, 2009
As we steamed past the Statue of Liberty on the way to Ellis Island, our boat offered this frontal view. I chose to photograph it from chest to torch, stressing a look of outright determination that is seldom seen. The overcast background adds a somber context to its forceful attitude. The contrast of the oxidized green copper patina to the gilded flame in the torch suggests that while the statue was 129 years old at the time of this photograph, the passage of the years has not dimmed the flame, nor the idea of freedom that it represents.
07-FEB-2009
Luminosity, Old State Capitol, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
A faint rainbow outlines a flowing sea of luminous clouds that diagonally link a burst of sun to the silhouetted figure of Winged Victory that stands atop Arizona’s Old State Capitol building. The allegorical figure still functions as a wind vane. It is often seen as an angel -- its wings and torch symbolically protecting and guiding those who have governed Arizona over the years. The silhouetted angel appears to be welcoming the flow of divinely inspired clouds with an outstretched wreath. I saw the faint rainbow for the first time on my computer screen. It adds both magical and spiritual content to this image, a reminder that photography can tender mysterious gifts to us in surprising ways.
http://www.pbase.com/image/105037214 )
07-FEB-2009
Forlorn couch, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
It is incongruous and ironic to see a single couch within a vast space, such as this one placed in a lobby serving the thousands of people who use the sleek new Phoenix Convention Center. It is a matter of scale incongruity – a gesture of hospitality intended more as a gracious symbol than serious comfort for the masses. (Hey, only one person at a time could sit back on this couch and relax.) I found that single couch standing alone, empty and forlorn. I stress such loneliness by converting the image to black and white, removing the bright color of the couch and moving it to the top of the frame. I fill the space below the couch with shimmering floor reflections that seem ready to swallow it whole. The image becomes a symbol of a dysfunctional modern world.
07-FEB-2009
A world turned upside down, Phoenix, Arizona, 2009
The sculptor Brower Hatcher has created a project known as “A Layering of Worlds,” an arch formed by five layers of painted stainless steel mesh. Suspended within the mesh are 35 sculpted bronze and aluminum objects that symbolize the history and culture of Phoenix. One of those objects is a red metal figure of an upside down falling man. My image juxtaposes this helpless symbolic figure against part of a commercial skyline. A round white cloud floats over the tallest office building in Phoenix, implying serenity and wellbeing. Yet Hatcher’s red figure tumbles within a complex cage of steel before it – symbolizing a world currently being turned upside down by economic stress and dislocation.
15-NOV-2008
Golf Course, Jerba Island, Tunisia, 2008
Jerba is a popular resort, attracting vacationers from European countries. A golf course was located across the street from our hotel, enclosed by a rusting green fence. At various intervals along that fence, metal plaques cut into the shape of golfers were affixed. They were primitive in design, often chipped and rusting, and all of them displayed featureless black heads and hands. Ironically, the metal golfers were depicted as symbolic Africans, even though very few Africans vacation here, and most local residents can’t afford to play golf. After making this image, I realized that the people who created this signage probably did it in this way because it simply felt right to them. This course, after all, is in Africa, even if it is on the northern fringe of the continent. We read symbols according to the context we bring to them.
11-OCT-2008
Made in the USA, Jackson, Wyoming, 2008
The classic western boot is an American icon and a hot seller in Jackson. I zoom in on this rack of boots, enabling me to stress the flag label peeking out at us. Both the flag and boots are idealized symbols of what the Jackson area and the American west as a whole are supposed to represent, yet when presented in this purely commercial context, we see them for what they really are: patriotic and nostalgic merchandising.
15-SEP-2008
Beholding chaos, Klamath Falls, Oregon, 2008
The woman parting the blinds was about to clean the display window of a Klamath Falls store, and I was trying to find a workable vantage point. I worked my way across the street, and noticed that the reflections of parked vehicles were almost obscuring her. I made the image anyway, and as soon as I saw it, I realized that the image was more about the symbolic meaning of the reflections, than it was about her. The chaotic jumble of reflected vehicles appear to be inside the store itself, overwhelming her in the process. Her world is one of order and system, yet she, like all of us, also must survive in a world of random chaos. That tree just outside the window is the work of nature, while the reflected chaos is the work of man. When she opens those blinds to clean the window, she sees the world as she expects to see it. Yet from our vantage point, she is beholding chaos without realizing it.
14-MAY-2008
The cycle of life, Yosemite National Park, California, 2008
This Sequoia may live for thousands of years. But to do so, it must first die many times over. We can see that happening here – dead branches are hanging from its trunk like dead skin. They will eventually fall off and become food for worms. Ranked behind it are other Sequoias – their branches laden with green growth. Like all living things, the Sequoia begins to die as soon as it is born. Only for the Sequoia, the process of dying takes longer than most other species on earth.