William Klein and Eliot Erwitt on Contact Sheets.

This blog assignment is unusual in that we are not really being asked to give thoughts on the work of these artists, but rather to touch on what we got from their commentary in the film Contacts.
I thought it was humorous that Erwitt opened by stating "One must never show their contact sheets" and followed with "Now lets take a look at my contact sheets."
The thing that stuck with me most from both commentaries is the themes of persistence and time.
Klein pointed out the number of images it takes to capture 2 minutes worth of time shooting at 125th of a second. It is 960 images if my math is correct. If you assume you will get a good shot out of every 36 exposures, thats about 27 usable images. Of course numbers aren't always so absolute, and at times we may get more or less good work per 36 frames. That seems consistent from what I remember about my film shooting days, I was happy to get 2 or 3 photographs worth printing from a roll.
The point is taken though. Photography is work, hard work. People seem to think that just because everyone and their dog has a camera nowadays that photography is somehow "easy". I would argue that the very fact that we are so inundated with imagery, much of it bad, makes it that much more difficult. It is easy to make bad images, but to make a photograph, that takes thought. Erwitt said as photographers we need to persist, to make just one more or 20 more images to assure ourselves the best chance for success. 
We need to be prolific as artists.

Comments on two images from the first critique

My strongest piece was the one of my friend with the tattoos. I feel that the composition is strong and of all the sessions for this assignment I came closest to working the subject and location thoroughly. I was comfortable with him and he was willing to work with me. It also printed much darker than my edit, which didn't strengthen the piece.

The weakest piece was of the guy Billy. I should have committed to the white on white look if that's what I wanted. I don't really have much else to say about this piece.

A self portrait in words

Layoffs, unemployment, divorce and career change have been the dominating themes in my life over the last year or two.
I feel like I am finally moving ahead in my life, instead of working my ass off and getting (seemingly) nowhere.
That feeling has been pervasive for so long I sometimes feel like I am in some kind of dream, or somehow in a place I don't quite belong. I know that neither is true.
I put a lot of pressure on myself, yet I know that to work at my best I need to be calm and centered. I lose focus very easily if I am distracted or preoccupied. Therefore putting the kind of stress on myself that I have been lately can only be counterproductive. I am driven, I don't need to trash myself internally to provide motivation.
There is uncertainty in the future as always but at least now I feel like I am on the right path again.
It could be an out of the frying pan and into the fire situation, time will tell I suppose. I can only do my part and hope things work out.
In a nutshell I am a guy with hopeful outlook on the future, and I have had to work hard to be where I am. Thats not a new story and I know the work never ends.
As far as how others see me, that is interesting.

Two years ago I may have had a clear answer. I have changed so much I'm not really sure anymore. How do others see me?
Do I ask other how they see me, or come up with some notion of my own. I hope people see my dedication and work ethic. I could go on with this but it begins to go back to how I see myself. This is going to require some serious thought, so I am stopping now.