Nicholas Nixon

"When photography went to the small camera and quick takes, it showed thinner and thinner slices of time...."
Nick Nixon.
This is in reference to his use of the 8x10 view camera as opposed to the more convenient and portable 35mm his peers used. Thinner slices of time what a wonderful phrase, almost as if the man looks at time as if it were a loaf of bread, to be carved by him with his camera in any way he pleases. Looking at his work bears this out, especially the series of the Brown Sisters. It's strange how the concepts that seem quite simple, such as photographing a group of four sisters each year, can carry the most power. How will this series end? Will the photographer die first? So many possibilities. Perhaps it will end before anyone dies, or continue until it is no longer possible to do another shot. This touches on so many things as I look at the series of the women from the youngest going up to present day. We all go through this, as many before us have and hopefully many more after us. Youth, adulthood and irresistibly pulled forward by time as we move towards the unknown. So simple and so powerful.

Mary Ellen Mark

"I'm just interested in people on the edges. I feel an affinity for people who haven't had the best breaks in society. What I want to do more than anything is acknowledge their existence". - Mary Ellen Mark 1989.
She has done many kinds of work all around the world. Europe, Vietnam, sets of countless movies with some of the biggest stars of our time. And yet it is prostitutes in Bombay, leper hospitals, mental wards and the like that compels her most.

She is gritty and not afraid to get out in the field and do the work it takes to get the quality shots that is obviously her standard. There are stories out there, everywhere that deserve to be told. Her work reminds me of this. Whether you are working to document local life or wars and cultures half a globe away, it is all relevant.
Getting the chance to hear her speak at Richland was great. Seeing an artist present and speak about their work is much more powerful than online browsing, or even looking at books.

Henri Cartier Bresson

The Master of the Decisive Moment. That is how Cartier Bresson was introduced to me.
The first image of his I recall seeing is of the man leaping over the puddle, suspended in space in time with perfect balance and tension. This is typical of what I feel is his best work.
In the video he seemed less pretentious than I had imagined, especially when he talked about doing portrait work. It reminded me of times I have been shooting and talking to the subject, usually questions about their work or something I may pick up on while speaking to them beforehand. It is challenging, and while I may not share the same level of trepidation as Bresson seemed to, I felt a connection.
This comes back to time. The man has been dead six years now and here he is making connections with people as if he were in the room. That is the magic of his work, the suspension of time during that perfect moment when everything comes together.

What I hope to gain from this class.

For me I think technical issues are going to be important not only in this class but throughout my academic career. I have done a lot of shooting over the years on the streets, events and my personal work. I have always used pretty basic gear. Fairly slow, often times prime lenses. In fact the XSi I have now is the first AF lens I have ever used, and I am still adjusting in those times when I use it.
The point and the goal for me is to use as much, and hopefully the full range of gear that the school has to offer and understand how I can use these tools to improve my work, instead of the gear contributing to mistakes.
I think community is important especially among artists and I am happy to see that this school has people who are actively trying to build this up. It is a huge resource we should all take advantage of.