Interviews

Getting a bit of insight or the back story to the creative process is always interesting to me. Here are some interviews with creative people I have recently blogged about:
Amy Stein interview on Fecal Face here.
The Satorialist AKA Scott Schuman interview with PDN here.
Azazel Jacobs interview with New York Magazine here.
Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

courtesy Banksy (check out his "shop" - no need to bring £)

Polaroid: "Galgenfrist"

Maria just forwarded me the AP/AI newsletter and they reference that Bloomberg.com reports that Polaroid (see yesterday's post) will produce enough instant film to supply market demand through 2009. That's what we call "Galgenfrist" in German, Ladies & Gentlemen. "Galgen" means 'Gallows' and "Frist" means 'the time until deadline'. Let's use this last respite wisely and hope a third party will buy the technology -- and resurrect already retired types of Polaroid film.
For inspiration and nostalgia check out "The Polaroid Book" by Taschen -- this fantastic collection includes work by Ansel Adams, Deborah Willis, Helmut Newton and many others. And if you are in the mood for some really funky Polaroid work, look at Lucas Samaras monogram published by Aperture (Emily gave me this book years ago - here we go: we have come full circle!).

Horst P. Horst

The Forbes Gallery in New York is showing classic prints my legendary & influential (remember Madonna's Vogue video?) photographer Horst. P. Horst -- through March 15, 2008.
PS: Oh and look at these prints closely if you go, observe the richness of these exquisite non-digital prints ;)

Emily Shur's Blog, Polaroid & Other Film

My dear friend Emily Shur has joined the blogging-world!

Emily is an accomplished and respected photographer and I am very excited about her blog. Her second entry - "Where Do I Go From Here?" -is about Polaroid's recent decision to no longer manufacture Instant Film. A true heartbreak for photographers like Emily and I.

Where's Emily? (Polaroid Collage) © Nina Buesing

Photography has at last become a firmly established discipline in the art world, while commercial photography -- in my opinion-- has become less and less interesting. Of course there are still people who do great work and who put heart into their (commercial) work, but these are the exceptions. I do think, like Emily points out on her blog so wisely, that it has to do with the technological developments -- note I am not calling them advances ;) --of the medium. Of course some parts of the digital workflow are much better for the environment, and I would not like to go back to the days before Photoshop, but I really think that the combination of digital and analog is best .
I never thought I would see the day when film would no longer be available at all, and I took comfort knowing that at least in some of my work I would for the rest of my life be able to incorporate film, but I am no longer so sure about that. Maybe the day when film is no longer available is not so far away.
Next thing you know I will regress further and make my own glass plates. I already have a cyanotype kit at home (Maria is the one who inspired me to go back to that old technique that I learned in art school-- the same Maria who is currently printing true c-prints for her next solo show!).
But it is not only a question of preference; it is also a question of means. You can buy a used Hasselblad, with outstanding optics, that is so genius in design that it will last you a lifetime (if they continue to manufacture 120 film!) for less than 3K, while a new digital Hasselblad's equivalent will run you at least 35 K -- and it probably won't last you a lifetime. And while a mechanical Hasselblad went to the moon and most places on earth, I am not sure how well the digital Hasselblad would perform in the sub-artic circle (magnetic interference, extreme cold) or for how long it would work if you kept it in your house on the Caribbean sea in Belize (extreme humidity, salt).

Emily is right, I think if you have an opinion on this you need to express it and I also think you should forward it to Kodak, Fuji and Ilford -- let them know that you love their products and how much you appreciate having a choice.

Here is some contact information for those companies:

Kodak: email:audrey.jonckheer@kodak.com or click here.

Click here for Fuji or write to them here via snail mail: Fuji Photo Film USA, Inc. P.O. Box 7828 Edison, NJ 08818-7828 Attn: Customer Care Dept.

Ilford you can reach via this email at: USInfo@Ilford.com or write to them via snail mail here: 1350 Main St Springfield, MA 01103 USA

In the meantime head over to Emily's blog: emilyshur.blogspot.com ; add it to your RSS feed and enjoy some Polaroids she took in Hong Kong very recently.

Island Living

More Horse© Nina Buesing/Getty Images

I love the colors of the beach, particularly the colors of the Caribbean coasts. I love the blue and turquoise of the sky and water. The sand that ranges from light beige to white to a powdery pink. And the silvery color of drift wood.
A few years back we lived in a small rental apartment in the heart of Nolita that we had to renovate extensively (with the help of family & friends). The place came with 70's fake wood paneling, which we painted white, which made it look like a wooden house on the beach in the Caribbean. So we went with that concept and kept everything in hues of light blue, white, silver and with natural wood accents. We decorated it the way I imagine we would decorate a beach cottage. We were lucky to also have beautiful trees in front and back of our cozy apartment and in many ways this tiny apartment was a little oasis on the giant island of Manhattan.
Seemingly India Hicks' aesthetic ascribes to similar ideas. We much enjoyed 'The Landing', the boutique hotel that Ms. Hicks established with Toby Tyler and Tracy Berry on Harbour Island --an island a bit smaller than Manhattan ;)
While in Belize recently I came across Ms. Hicks Spider Lily Shower Gel from her 'Island Living' line and liked it. I don't like strong perfume too much, but I do like a very fragrant shower gel and this one puts me in a good mood every time I use it.

My Harbour Island timage that New York Magazine used. © Nina Buesing/Getty Images

Tim Walker

When I returned home photographer Tim Walker's first monogram "I love Pictures" had arrived. I love the whimsical approach to picture making Mr. Walker employs and I have been waiting for some time for a collection of his work in print. This book does not include all images I had wished for, but still has a great number of witty and beautiful images.

Some More Work in Progress

This is not for the same series as the earlier image posted, but from a new project.


Working Title: Bianco Cayo © Nina Buesing Corvallo