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.

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.