Jorge Sato

You know sometimes we desire what others have. In my case it's more about envying what others can do. I would love, for just one session, to be able to surf like Kelly Slater, write like Philip Roth, or play guitar like Eric Clapton. These envies do not last long, because I know those talents commenced their passions early and worked extremely hard to hone their innate abilities. My envy towards other photographers is different. I rarely envy another photographer's skill. Mind you I do not diminish a photographer's craft because I believe it is on par with vision, yet technique can be studied and mastered. What I envy are photographic visions that are most unlike mine.

If my head is in a good space rather than a self-critical one I'm able to enjoy the work of photographers I envy, especially the younger ones. I just viewed the work of this month's featured artists in the current issue of the photography ezine F-STOP and I stumbled upon the images of a Brazilian photographer named Jorge Sato. Perhaps because, like me, he shoots square I gave him particular attention, but squareness is about all we have in common. For one he's latin, and I'm not. I marvel at the offbeat samba like whimsical way he composes his work. I admire how he effortlessly avoids what I try so hard to accomplish in a photograph. His colors are off, but he doesn't care; his pictures are not painstakingly organized, but so what. They work, and they are magical! His imagery has a freedom that I envy. He dances with his camera the way his countrymen dance with a futbol (soccer ball). It's the beautiful game and in his case it's the beautiful photograph. He does not have a website, but you can view Jorge's work on flickr.

The "Lakewood" exhibit is winding down, and soon I will need to return to typical life. It's been a lot of work and a wild ride, but now I have to figure out how to make money at what I love to do. It's never been easy for me to learn a living at this, yet somehow I must not allow the hindrances of the past inhibit the future. Perhaps the key is to stay in the present. Cliché but true. I must make work, and make sure people see it. So, how do I write, read the classics, remain atop of technology, create, earn a living, and love my wife. Ahaa, not a moment to waste. Let's make tomorrow the most efficient day ever.

My "Lakewood" Video

In my show "Lakewood" accompanying my photographs is a video I recorded using the Canon 5d Mark II. I created it to supplement the photographs and add a second dimension to the show. It is my first project. After spending hours editing it- I now know why directors do not edit their films-I was kind of sick of it. The amateur flaws and the harsh sound the 5D recorded made it difficult for me to repeatedly watch it. However, I have been encouraged and heartened by the number of compliments I've received, especially from those with experience in cinema. It's inspired me to shoot more and expand upon what little I know about film making. Perhaps I am on to something. Ain't naivité great?

A few thoughts on my opening

I am still reveling from the opening of my exhibit, "Lakewood" last Saturday. It was a nice beginning. Some very neat people came and were very kind with their comments. For the last 6 months I have been busting my butt preparing for the show and in the process I sort of lost all sense of self. Preparing for a show is an exhausting and stressful endeavor. I told myself not to freak out but of course I did. And at times I embarrassingly took out my anxiety on my wife, until she told me she would stop if I didn't stop. I stopped. One thing I have learned, or reinforced what I had learned before, is rarely are things going to be as you planned them. And it always takes longer than you imagine: you never consider lost hours due to mistakes. But, you're level of craft reaches new heights because when forced to make something better you find a way. And I don't recommend including images that are recently captured because even though they are fresh they haven't gone through grinder of time and objectivity. Will you love it 6 months from now.

The Meaning of Lakewood

Yesterday, when I met with the folks of Lakewood's Chamber of Commerce to show them my photographs, John B. Kelsall, the president asked me what type of photograph represents Lakewood. It was a simple of enough question, but his inquiry caught me off guard. This was odd, because to make photographs that represent Lakewood has been my quest from the outset. Yet, his question made me painfully realize that not one of my photographs sums up "Lakewood!" As a body, my work depicts a lot of about Lakewood, but I don't think even if I placed all of my photographs on a wall side by side they would create a mosaic of what Lakewood is. That has been the challenge when making, selecting, and writing about my photographs. And it's not static, the more I photograph the more I continue to learn about Lakewood. Yesterday, I was trolling the streets north of South Street and east of Woodruff Avenue where I found the feel and architecture of the homes to be completely different to that of where I live in the western half of Lakewood. It felt like I was in Orange County.

I suppose my point is this, and the reason why "Lakewood" as a project is challenging. There is a certain feel to Lakewood, and as John B. Kelsall noted, "you know when you are in Lakewood." To capture that in 20 provocative photographs is my mission and something I am close to, but have to date not completed.

Dog Days

Daily, I would like to write something clever, inspirational, or share an artistic breakthrough, but to accomplish that would take much more discipline than I have. Actually, tonight, I feel like writing something negative. I've had a few hard knocks of late, and I would love to rant about them. Yet, I have learned that nobody really wants to read or listen to someone bitch. So, I'll instead I'll yell at my wife. Kidding, she would merely tell me to can it.

We have our ups and downs as artists. It truly is a roller-coaster ride. I made some good photographs today, and that usually keeps the buggars out of head, but sometimes even on good days I feel like I am spinning my wheels. The world news hasn't been all that great either. Maybe I should just go to bed, and go after it tomorrow.

Preparing for my Exhibit

Well, I made my final 15x15 inch print for my "Lakewood" exhibit, and that was the easy part. Now, I must frame them, which means cutting mat board, foam core, and plexiglass, making beveled edge window cuts, and assembling 30 pieces together. I am making this task easier having purchased Blick aluminum frames. They are not the most attractive frames, but they are inexpensive and reusable. Even at that the cost of printing and framing thirty prints will be about $60.00 per image. That's not bad, but it's not chunk change. It's expensive, however I am exited. The prints look fantastic, and I am sure once they are framed and hanging, and an ensemble, they will look marvelous.