FEBRUARY SHOW; READING + TRIP PROMO
Think of the sun...
Good Day Sheila!
(No, your name isn’t Sheila. Come on the trip and you’ll learn what the heck I’m talking about)
Our kind friends at Pro Photo Supply are hosting an exhibit of work created on our 2022 float — it’s up all of February. We’re having an informal meetup on Feb. 17th at 5:30ish to look at the show and walk over to a nearby bar for a pint. If you’re in PDX join us!
READING
It’s a good time of year to catch up on your reading — two books that I found invaluable to help me prep for teaching on the river are from APERTURE BOOKS — Richard Misrach on Landscape and Meaning, and Todd Hido on Landscapes, Interiors, and the Nude.
Both feature nice reproductions of a wide range of their respective works and a well-written/edited set of essays from each photographer. If you come down the river with me, you’ll learn that I lean heavily on quotes from both of these photographers.
How can you apply these quotes to your photography?
Misrach: “Often the light comes and goes, and that's it--the picture is gone. Ansel Adams used to talk about that. He said something like, "You're driving along and you see a spectacular scene. You race to get the camera set up and make the exposure. But if the light has changed, don't wait around for another three hours." It's true. If the picture's no longer there, you've got to move on. Because once it's gone, it's gone. Often it's only there for the briefest moment: you're either set up and ready to go or you're not.”
Hido: “I photograph like a documentarian, but I print like a painter. I don't like to set things up when I'm shooting. I really prefer to photograph what I find. The interpretation comes in making the print. I was never really instructed in how to print in color, so I adjusted the colors in my photographs to be whatever I felt they should look like or convey. The way I use color is very subjective. […] I like colors that are more muted and softer than in reality. I'm not married to reality; I don't feel I have to faithfully describe a place. I add my own emotional content in the choices I make in the printing process. Color absolutely sets a mood. There's no question about it. When I'm choosing the colors, anything goes, but I still want the picture to feel like it could be real, like it could have happened.”
SUN ON THE RIVER
It’s raining again here in Portland and looking at the work, once again I’m excited by the idea of floating through the desert wilderness with a group of photographers. Looking at this work as we hung the show (hat tip to Mike Floyd for all his help), I can’t help but be impressed with everyone on the trip. Each photographer brought vision and a keen eye to the trip. And each photographer captured something unique about this amazing place. It’s truly wonderful to see the Green River through these different eyes.
If you know someone, or you want to book a spot yourself, NOW is a great time to do it! There’s still plenty of room on the trip if you want to grab a block of tickets and make this your annual group-of-photographer-friends trip. And if you are flying solo, that’s also great — we build a river family for our time heading downstream, and you will be part of it.
I’ve been talking to a lot of folks about the trip, and part of the conversation always goes like this:
INT. A FRIENDLY BAR
Cool Person
The trip is how long? Ten days? That seems like a long time to be away.
Andy
Sure — you’re not wrong, but here’s the thing. On day two you wake up and realize that for the next 8 days, all you have to do is head downstream. You don’t have to make any decisions about food, where you’re sleeping, or where to go. Nobody can email you. Social media can’t distract you. Your phone will make no noises. All you need to do is head downstream, make photographs, hang out with great people, go for an occasional swim. Look up at the stars. And repeat.
Cool Person
Huh.
Andy
It’s the perfect amount of time. This is the opposite of a long weekend, where the world comes crashing back onto you way too soon. This is a chance to have a creative reset, to just be in the now. At the end of the trip, you’ll come out a different person.
SCENE ENDS
If you get a chance to talk with any of the 2022 crew, ask them. Visit canyonphotofloat.com and find all the testimonials — see what they said.
I’d love to have you on the trip (and I’d love to have you come back for another float!)
-andy
