Montreal Winter

Small Cameras

For the past few years, I have been using small cameras which I can carry in my pocket when I am too lazy to schlep along my regular one. I had bought a Contax TVS III sometime around 2000 and usually it stayed at home as I wandered around all over the place saying "Why the fuck did I leave the camera at home" or similar elegant phrases. (read this) But every now and then it would end up in my pocket and every now and then I would be lucky enough to have it when a brilliant picture opportunity occurred.

Last week I received an email notifying me that I had won a prize at the Px3's Human Condition Competition, Prix de la Photographie Paris and that I would be included in a group show this spring in LA and New York and perhaps Europe later this year. I did not remember which photo I had entered so I logged onto their site and was surprised to discover my image was one taken a few years ago with my Contax. I have mentioned this event a couple of years ago (click here) in a previous blog. I never considered it one of my best but it seemed to fit the theme of the competition so I entered it.

Lately I have been using a Canon G9 as a pocket camera and although it takes a pretty good picture, it does not function very well at night because of the noise which is common with small digital cameras at high ISO's. But when I convert the image to black and white, it has a nice grainy effect which I like. I have exhibited a few of these images taken with these small cameras at my recent show in Italy and also there are a couple on my web site.

The photo at the top was taken last week in Montreal. I had to go there for a family function and although I dread going north in the winter, I felt I had to be there. As usual, Montreal in winter is miserable, damp and dim in every way. This photo was taken with my little Canon G9 from the 16th floor of my hotel room in late afternoon on a typical Montreal, February day.

Blocked!

It happens to everybody who creates things. one day, the juices just stop flowing. You find your self doing the same shit over and over and your not satisfied with anything you do. Your creative life just stops. I am not sure when it started but its like a spider's bite. You don't really know when you were bitten but suddenly you find yourself scratching the spot.

I started scratching when I came down to Florida last November. I did not notice it at first but I suddenly found myself visiting the same spots I always do when I am here. The beach, Lake Worth, Palm Beach,— the same old shit— more shitty pictures. I knew I had to change my style a bit but how?

This is not the first time I have been "blocked". Creative block is a frequent guest in my psyche. It like recessions; they come around very regularly at certain intervals and some are worse than others. This one is a middle-of-the-road one and over the years I have developed a method of working through them. I might still visit the same old haunts but I expect very little to come of it, but every now and then, I am surprised. I bring my camera everywhere but shoot very little—I don't want to be caught off-guard. I look at my old images a lot and try to figure out where I want to go next. I also see if anything can be done differently or where I can improve.

But most of all there is the technique that I have used for over 30 years (Yes, it has really happened over and over). If I were ever to write a book on photography, this would be one of the main chapters because this technique has worked so consistently over the years. I call it the freebee technique and it works like this.

People are always asking me to take pictures of their shit that they sell, their relatives, insurance claims, their dogs, for passports, etc. I hate doing it and always graciously decline, but not when I am blocked. During these periods, I always say yes on the assumption that one never really knows whats around the corner.

Last Thursday night, Sharon and I had dinner downtown at Sushi Rok, and then decided to take a stroll down to the park in front of the library to see a free concert. When we walked out of the resturant and crossed the street, there were these four black guys talking in front of a storefront. One of them said something to me which I did not hear so I went closer and and asked them to repeat it. He asked me If I had ever been to Africa and I replied no. "We are from Zimbabwe" He said, "we have just opened up this store", he went on, motioning to the store behind him.

One of them was very tall and had wonderful dreadlocks. "May I take your picture" I asked. "Sure" he said, "and all my friends too. We can send it home."

This is not what I had in mind but what the hell. We all went inside and he gathered up all his partners and they all stood in a line and all of a sudden this little kid ran up and stood in front of everybody and I took the snapshot. I asked the kid's father if I could take a picture of the kid alone and he said sure. These guys were very warm and friendly and were delighted when I offered to come back and take their pictures (this time on my terms) later in the week. One of them then asked if I could take a few pictures of the store for publicity and I said sure, why not, no charge.

I have a feeling that my creative block is coming to an end.