RIP Robert Frank, November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019
I always think about the things we leave behind. Our legacy, the important things, the not-so-important things, and how they affect the people around us. I have always thought that a record, some kind of archive, is important for the future to learn from--our successes and failures and everything in between. This is a big reason why a physical archive and printed media is so important to me, and one of the reasons I believe Robert Frank's work was important.
Not only did he offer an insightful outsider's view of things we find both familiar and unfamiliar, but he had a huge archive from which he could pull and reference. He also dispelled a myth that I believed for a very long time: that a photographer has an almost preternatural gift to capture the "decisive moment." That a photographer can happen upon a scene, frame it up in their viewfinder, make the photo and walk away with a masterpiece. This is absolutely untrue. Robert Frank shot over 27,000 frames for The Americans. TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND. The final book was an edit of just over 80 photographs. Yes, he was thoughtful and methodical in the way he worked, and yes he had a vision, but he also worked the scene and shot for the edit.
The Pentax K1000 was in production for 21 years. 21 YEARS! What made it so popular? Simplicity? Durability? Ease of use? All of the above?
The Pentax K1000 is very likely the 35mm film SLR camera you're looking for.
In this video I talk about the K1000, what makes it special, and also talk a little about one of my favorite photographers who is famously Pentax user: Glen E. Friedman.
A new Kickstarter has just gone live for large format photographers who wish to use the dry plate process, born from a collaboration between Jason Lane of Pictoriographica and Steve Lloyd of Chroma Camera:
The ChromaGraphica Double Dry Plate Holder
I'll let the makers of the campaign explain it:
This video is a conversation between photographer Glen E. Friedman and Guy Piccioto of Fugazi, at an event celebrating the newly released second edition of Friedman's book of Fugazi photographs, "Keep Your Eyes Open."
You can buy the 2nd edition of "Keep Your eyes Open" here:
http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/keep-your-eyes-open/
Growing up, I became a huge fan of the band Fugazi. Being "Ian Mackaye's band AFTER Minor Threat," I knew I had to check them out. I dutifully bought each record one by one, as funds allowed. Back then, in the mid-90s I was buying vinyl, for a couple of reasons. The first: it was cool! I can't say I was an audiophile because I had the crappiest old turntable I could afford that I bought used at a record store along with the cheapest little speakers. The second reason: it was a time when CDs ruled the world as the choice medium of music delivery technology, and vinyl was CHEAPER!
The best punk and hardcore records, and pretty much anything else, could be found in the dusty vinyl bins of places like Rasputin and Tower Records for just a few bucks a pop. Rarely did I pay more than $5.00 for a record.
Fugazi even became a huge influence on my own band(s) that I would form with my friends.
And then there were the photographs. Guy Picciotto doing impossible-looking flips, Ian Mackaye with his Gibson SG, yelling into the microphone, all captured and frozen in time by Glen E. Friedman's lens and sharp eye.
In 2007, Friedman released "Keep Your Eyes Open," a collection of photographs he made of Fugazi from the beginning of the band, all through to their last show on US soil, with so many shots of on-stage performances and off-stage, in-between moments of the band's life.
The book had since gone out of print. But, in July of 2019, under a new publisher, it was newly re-released with new photos and a new interview with Ian Mackaye. Upon the books new release, Friedman and Picciotto participated in an interview at Rough Trade Brooklyn, which is presented in the video above. To say that the interview is special to me is an understatement...but to make things a little more special, Friedman is wearing a ShootFilmCo shirt! My head may have exploded a little.
