Discussion of the Mundane

[Brian Vuillemenot]

I like the one of the ice cream truck. Reminds me of my childhood.

[urs0polar]

I enjoyed looking at the gallery (I have a big monitor... ). For what it's worth, I think a lot of the pictures are not all that mundane... the polaroid of the guy standing next to the upturned airplane wing through the plane window has a surreal feel to it, the satellite on the tree stump is like this demented trophy -- or merely where reception was deemed best (either way, kind of cool) , and the blue stump is rather odd and a little abstract at first. Many of these photos are interesting on their own to me -- maybe they aren't interesting to you because you see them every day (this thought should inspire all of us). Perhaps it's more difficult than one might think to shoot "mundane" pictures during one's commute.

[Ben Syverson]

Why would anyone want to give ''notice to the minute details of often overlooked spaces'' like traffic cones and power lines and garbage bins etc etc?

If I ever felt this way, no exaggeration, I would eat a bullet. I can't imagine life without curiosity. I'm always looking.

In my view, photographers are the ones who have a keen eye for for anything of interest, perhaps especially things that many people overlook.

Name your photographic hero, I promise he or she took photos of something that was "often overlooked." That applies to Adams, Cartier-Bresson, Capa, Weston, Friedlander, Sherman, the Bechers, you name it.

Who would want to work with subjects that are well known and not often overlooked? Unless you gave us an unusual perspective on these subjects, we'd call the work "tired," "cliché," "well-worn," "pat," etc. We'd call them "product photographers," and "paparazzi."

[patapuss]

Photography is no longer the medium about which Barthes wrote in Camera Lucida, and your quote might have seemed forward looking in the 1920s, but in the context of the 21st century it is naive, and photographing the ordinary in an attempt to elevate it to the status of fine art is as cliched as any of Barthe's examples.

Camera Lucida ©1980. Since 30 year old writing is too cliché to consider relevant, I wonder to which writers you might turn for inspiration?

[jonreid]

I just self-published a book entirely of photographs of safety-cones. I don't consider them to be mundane, neither do I find them, in themselves, particularly interesting but I found myself believing that they, in their ubiquity and the different contexts in which they are to be found, say something about us. Whether or not I've succeeded in getting this idea across is not really up to me to say, though some people who've seen the book certainly see beyond the humour. It was Erwitt who described photography as the art of "finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them''.

I don't see your project as mundane. It is your idea, described with photographs. Only you can really feel that idea and your challenge is to share that with your audience.

http://www.sharperstill.com/predominantly_orange/

Jon

[patapuss]

jonreid,

Although I have not amassed a collection as large as yours, I too am drawn to photographing traffic cones in their natural environment. I think it is interesting how many of these one can unknowingly pass in the course of a day. I would love to see a copy of your book!

[jonreid]

You can buy it through the link

[patapuss]

You can buy it through the link

Christmas is just around the corner...

[Scott Walker]

Erwitt who described photography as the art of "finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them''.

I don't see your project as mundane. It is your idea, described with photographs. Only you can really feel that idea and your challenge is to share that with your audience.

http://www.sharperstill.com/predominantly_orange/

Jon

Well said, really enjoyed the preview of your book as well

[Jay DeFehr]

Camera Lucida ©1980. Since 30 year old writing is too cliché to consider relevant, I wonder to which writers you might turn for inspiration?

I never suggested Camera Lucida was cliched, but I don't think it was ever relevant to a study of photography. I couldn't recommend a book or author on the subject of photography that I find inspiring. My views on photography are admittedly a departure from tradition, and you seem to be looking back while I'm looking forward, so it's no surprise we see things differently. I'm not interested in arguing about Barthes, and I've said what I have to say about your images because you seemed to be asking for a discussion. Best of luck with your show.