Remember this guy?

Alex Roman, the guy that made the insanely beautiful architectural piece last year that blew my mind?

What's he doing now?  Not surprisingly, he is killing it.  Check out this piece he did for Silestone.  I watched it like 10 times:

(And yes, it's CGI.)

Thanks to ISO50 for the find.

Talk to me!

Rob Haggart posted this interview with Hall of Famer Clint Clemens, which I found to be one of the most thought provoking posts of the year.  A few juicy quotes:

1) "So what’s happening is that you have a world in which the supply of photography is much, much greater than it ever was. You’ve got the concept that data, because it’s ones and zeros and it’s not a physical asset, has less value."

2) "So, how do you build a wall around yourself?  It used to be your ability to focus, process, expose, etc. and that whole wall has completely fallen down.....essentially what we’re seeing is the automation of photography with all these new cameras."

3) "My sense is that the real profit in photography is coming through people that are essentially teaching."

Wow.

I'd like to turn the tables for a minute.

This blog started as nothing more than my creative journal.  Over time it has transformed, and through it, I've heard from shooters around the world, which has been amazing.  But this is a big, interesting, important conversation that is worth having.

SO.....whether you're a regular or first time reader of this blog, please, please, take 2 seconds to share your thoughts.  And if you want to share a little bit about yourself that would be awesome too.

Talk to me!

Failure

After seeing Brock Davis' MSCED project the other day, I decided to go make something cool.  I wasn't going to overthink it.  Just let an idea enter my mind, and make it happen, without second guessing or overthinking it.  I'd just let my imagination lead, and my hands would follow.

We've had a beautiful fall here, and it has been amazing to watch the trees slowly change colors.  There was one in particular on my street that was a really nice shade of pink, with big, perfect leaves.

So I decided to do something with leaves.  Then I thought it would be funny to have a pile of leaves that was perfectly square, instead of the low, round piles we're used to seeing.  Where would it be?  In someone's yard?  Too obvious.  In the middle of a field seemed more random and simple.

So I raked up the pink leaves (my neighbors found this to be a little bizarre), glued them to a box, took it to a big field, and made this picture:

Which I have to say is a really stupid, almost embarrassing image.  But the process was a success.  It felt good to just make something for the sake of making something, without getting caught up in trying to understand why you're making it, or what it means.

Cubist leaf pile: check.  On to the next idea.....

Baldessari @ The Met

In NY a few weeks ago for some meetings, I carved out a few hours one afternoon to get over to the Met to the see new Baldessari show, as well as the final few days of the Starn Bros. Big Bambu.  

The museum is totally overwhelming, both in its size, and in the spectrum of its work.  Museums for me, are like restaurants.   I have to be careful how much I consume -- after a while I start to feel full, and the food loses its flavor.  

I beelined for the Baldessari show, which took me about 20 minutes to locate in the maze of galleries stuffed with Warhols, Closes, DeKoonings, Rothkos, all the heavy hitters.  It's always a strange experience to see a painting up close after having seen it reproduced a million times elsewhere in a million formats.  

The Baldessari show was amazing -- I love the purity of his conceptual approach, and the simplicity of his work.  It was like being in a room full of whimsical, tangible ideas, many of which make you laugh out loud:

 

 

 

JB is still making work at age 80, and has been since the 50's.  So the whole show just oozed dedication and lifelong commitment to his art.  I especially like that he lived in National City, CA for a long time, taking periodic trips to NY / LA to see art, but staying mostly unfiltered by local scenes and influences.

There was an original JB print for sale in the gift shop, which seemed weird.  And it was only $5k or so.  For a second I entertained the thought of slapping it on the MasterCard...

Why I am so enamored with Mr. Baldessari?  Because he's known all along what many people never fully grasp -- that it's all about the idea.

I finally used my 5D...

And got around to putting something together in FCP.  And I have to say, I liked it...

Wednesday Morning, Boulder from jamie kripke on Vimeo.

Brock Davis / MSCED

Make Something Cool Every Day.  This approach seems to work for Brock Davis, an artist, musician, and CD at Carmichael Lynch.

This is one of the most inspirational projects I've ever seen.  And as soon as I'm done uploading a few of his beautifully crafted images, I'm going to get the hell away from this monitor and go make something cool.