LOOkinG GLAssA JOURNEY INTO FILM PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX TIMMERMANS THE STORYTELLERCHRISTOPHER BARRETT URBAN STREET MODERN JAMES DEWRANCE COASTAL CALIFORNIA Apr/May, 2015 lookingglasszine.com
LOOkinG GLAss Apr/May, 2015 N° 6 EDITOR IN CHIEF: AMANDA TOMLIN PUBLISHER: LAURA CAMPBELL CONTENTS PAGE LOGIN TIPS Amanda Tomlin 3 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Kirk Gittings 5 ONE FOR THE ROAD D. Michael Duggan 6 PICTURE THIS David Kirby 8 Gordon Undy 9 SEDGES AND MELALEUCAS James Dewrance 10 COASTAL CALIFORNIA Christopher Barrett 14 URBAN STREET MODERN Alex Timmermans 40 THE STORYTELLER Owen Tioga 64 TALES FROM THE LENS Amanda Tomlin 80 THE DARK SLIDE 84 Front Cover WRITERS: Kirk Gittings, D. Michael Duggan, David Kirby, Gordon Undy, James Alex Timmermans Dewrance, Christopher Barrett, Alex Timmermans, Owen Tioga, Amanda Tomlin The Rainmaker PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kirk Gittings, D. Michael Duggan, David Kirby, Maris Ru- sis, James Dewrance, Christopher Barrett, Alex Timmermans, Amanda Tomlin Naked vs Nude: CONTACT: Looking Glass Magazine, PO Box 316, Lone Pine, CA 93545 Looking Glass Magazine is WEBSITE: lookingglasszine.com seeking work for our June / July LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: [email protected] issue. Devoted to the nude, Issue SUBMISSIONS: [email protected] 7 will feature tasteful works that celebrate the human body. We LOOKING GLASS, 2014, U.S. Volume 1 Number 6. Except as noted, contents copyright 2015, Looking Glass Maga- invite you to submit your best zine. All rights reserved. Published bi-monthly in the United States, by Powered by a Knitted Light Bulb Publications, work here: leafless@looking- PO Box 316, Lone Pine, CA. 93545. Tel. 760-876-0851. Entire contents copyrighted. Nothing may be reproduced in glasszine.com. We will feature whole or in part without written permission from the publishers. Subscriptions: $19.99 one year. Single copies $3.99. up to 5 pieces from each artist. Publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited editorial matter, and all rights in portions published thereof Let’s see yours. Images must be remain the sole property of Looking Glass Magazine. Letters to Looking Glass or its editors become the property of the made with a film camera. magazine and are assumed intended for publication and republication in whole or in part, and may therefore be used for Deadline: May 30, 2015 such purposes.2 / lookingglasszine.com About the publisher: Laura Campbell is the President and Founder of the Eastern Sierra Center for Photography, as well as a published and collected photographer. She holds a Bachelor’s in liberal arts. Her passion is to share the beauty of film photography across gender, political, geographic, and format boundaries. This magazine is her way of recognizing that vast communities of photographers need a voice.
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editorialHello Readers!Issue number 6 is all about stories—the ones we tell others, and the oneswe tell ourselves, and the ones we find in the land. Often we do not knowwhich is which, or that there is a story at all.Christopher Barrett’s street work beautifully lassoes the intimacy of publicmoments. We dream, scheme, and ponder when we walk along, thinkingthat our thoughts are private, that no one can hear, but our stories ooze outof our every pore. We walk a certain way, hold ourselves a certain way, andare often so immersed in our own world that we act as though alone. Bar-rett peers into those worlds and shows us all what is there for anyone to seeif they look a little closer.On the other hand, Alex Timmermans painstakingly constructs a story forus. He selects the context, the props, the frozen moment to show us a narra-tive. He often reveals his own sense of humor in his photographs, couplingit with outstanding technique, to create a unique vision. These are not ordi-nary scenes, but rather the constructs of a rich imagination.James Dewrance’s photographs tell the story of a place, the CaliforniaCoast. The images are the narrative of the water and the shore and the sun,a triangulation of sublime beauty both austere and decadent. The picturesspan many years but never fail to convey Dewrance’s feeling for mood andhis deep affection and regard for what he sees. The images are intimateportraits of a place he obviously loves.We also have several artists in our single photograph features: Kirk Git-tings shares the landscape of the Southwest, where has photographed ex-tensively; David Kirby gives us a glimpse of Scotland with a house inGlencoe, and D. Michael Duggan has a shot of a most precariously bal-anced Mexican dwelling.Gordon Undy shares an image from his personal collection made by MarisRusis. Gordon points out the strengths of the image, what he personallylikes about it, and how it makes him feel. Meanwhile, Owen Tioga invitesus to read his [tall] Tale and I write about creativity and the demons itquells.Amanda Tomlin no. 6 looking glass / 5
one for the road KIRK GITTINGS Kirk Gittings has been in the photography game since 1980. He is a well-known architectural and landscape photographer, author, and teacher and his work has appeared in numerous magazines, collections, and shows. In the landscape is beauty, power, drama, seclusion, calm, meaning and so much more. Most importantly to me is the history of its inhabitants through time. If one is sensitive to and knowledgeable of the visual nuances of man’s presence this knowledge adds a level of meaning that enriches one’s experience and informs photographic efforts-landscapes then become Sto- ried Landscapes. Oftentimes the only history obviously present when I am creating an image is in my thoughts. “The Portal” (or “Walking Rain”) is from a suite of images made in 2013 while I was the Artist-in-Residence at the Petrified Forest National Monu- ment. Across this primordial landscape viewed from atop Blue Mesa lies much of the history of the west. At my feet lie chert flakes from early Na- tive American stone tool making. In the distance Clovis hunters pursued massive herds of Pleistocene Mammoths and Bison. To my far left are Anasazi ruins who left great panels of enigmatic scriptures etched in the rock. Across the foreground the Pony Express and the first Santa Fe Rail- road line ran. In the far distance lies the “Mother Road”, RT. 66, the route my grandparents on both sides took fleeing their failing farms heading to the promised land of California. I spent seven afternoons during my “mon- soon” timed residency peacefully sitting and waiting at this spot while thunderstorms marched across this storied landscape, waiting................ simply for light to happen and images to form that somehow encapsulated my feelings and knowledge about this extraordinary place. 4x5 Philips Camera, Nikkor 120 SW lens, Ilford FP4+ film rated at 64 ASA, B+W 040 Orange filter, 1/2 second exposure at f22 (Portal), 2 seconds at f32 (Walking Rain), Pyrocat HD deveolper, BTZS tubes, Hasselblad Flex- tight X1 Scan. < gittingsphoto.com6 / lookingglasszine.com
Walking Rain by Kirk GittingsAll photographs courtesy © the artist no. 6 looking glass / 7
picture this D. MiCHAEL DUGGAN Guanajuato, in Southern Mexico, was a very productive silver mining re- gion a century in the past. The mining process created an almost unfathom- able array of tunnels, surfacing in various places, and criss-crossing under a great expanse of land. However, there was little there in the way of a city until much later. Now the silver is gone and a city has grown - but the con- struction of the city made surprising use of the original tunnels - mostly for roadways. All tunnels, as they travel close to the surface, or exit the depths and spill cars and buses onto the city streets, are encroached upon by all manner of home construction. This image shows living quarters that bor- der a space where the tunnel opens skyward just before going underground again. Guanajuato, Room Addition All photographs courtesy © the artist8 / lookingglasszine.com
picture this david kirbyThis negative was exposed on a very dull, gloomy day in Glencoe, Scotland,UK. This cottage lies close to the roadside and with the low-lying cloudand low contrast I just couldn’t resist. A short walk over boggy ground wasa small price to pay. Camera used was a Bronica SQ-A loaded with IlfordFP4+ film. Printed onto warmtone paper and selenium toned. Glencoe CottageAll photographs courtesy © the artist no. 6 looking glass / 9
MY COLLECTION THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS N° 2 Maris Rusis exhibits at the Point Light Gallery and is a strong advocate for traditional photography techniques. He shoots 8x10 and 4x5.10 / lookingglasszine.com
Sedges and Melaleucas by Maris RusisAll photographs courtesy © the artist no. 6 looking glass / 11
MY COLLECTION THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS N° 2 Sedges and Melaleucas, afternoon light by Maris Rusis (Australia) by Gordon Undy By your collection you shall be known. So be it. This is the kind of pho- tograph that belongs in my collection and gives much of my game away. Point Light Gallery has represented the work of Maris Rusis, best known as an 8x10 photographer, since we started on December 7th 1996. This photo- graph was one of the first I collected of his work and it has special meaning for me because I was photographing with him when it was made - just over his back fence near a track leading to Sunshine beach at Noosa in Queensland. It is a 4x5 enlarged to 8x10. When one is ‘in the moment’ of making an exposure (later to be made into a negative and later still into a positive photograph in the darkroom) many things occupy one’s attention. If one is sufficiently in control of the craft, most attention can be devoted the interpretation of what is in front of the lens in such a way that, on the negative, it provides an adequate matrix from which the positive may be made to show actually what has been seen - or, better still, felt. I have learned that what one sees and feels and hopes to capture is quite unique to each individual. So it was in this case. When I contemplate this photograph this fact is never clear- er in my mind. Out of the mid afternoon light comes an absolute masterwork. I was there but I never saw this photograph before either, in my dreams, my mind or through my lens. I was not a bad photographer but, given the same material, he saw it and I did not. ‘Why?’ is the question I have repeatedly asked myself - not out of self flagellation, but in order to understand a little of that which is at work. Let’s look at the elements in it. The title things are there - sedges and melaleu- cas- then there is the light streaming in between the trees. Clearly he saw it as a magical gossamer spread over and connecting the sedges. I saw it as a splash of sunlight. He also noted the crossed trees and used them beautifully as a point of compositional strength. The maximum point of contrast is sitting at the base of the furthest of the crossed trees and is perfectly placed in a diagonal line through12 / lookingglasszine.com
MY COLLECTION THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS N° 2the bases of the three main trunks. Then there is the inclusion of the melaleuca onthe far left of the photograph - one can see other framing choices which leave itout but to do that would be to exclude some quite necessary ambience that wouldcause us to focus too much on the splash of light and lose the context. One needsto see the whole rather than just the parts. Finally there is the sapling in the mid-dle of the foreground seemingly covered partly by the same gossamer web as thesedges and hinting at future delights in this forest.Does this give us the ‘why’ of it? No. It simply gives us some of the ‘what’.The ‘why’ is because at that moment he was completely consumed by the subjectmatter. It was communicating with him because he was ‘tuned in’ somehow. Iwas probably just looking for a photograph without ever calming my projections.I was looking for something I wanted and he was seeing what was there. Thatwas a learning experience for me and maybe this helped me become more awareof just being with the object of my attentions… Thank you Minor and thank youMaris.About the author: Gordon Undy has been using a camera since age 11, whenhe built his first darkroom. Since then he has used just about every format up to11x14. Some of Gordon’s early life was spent as a mathematician in the computerindustry. After just over 20 years, he put it all behind to concentrate on photogra-phy. He opened the Point Light Gallery in Sydney Australia in 1996. He contin-ues to use 8x10 and 5x7 film cameras. no. 6 looking glass / 13
James Dewrance coastal californiaJames Dewrance has been photographing the north coast of California since the 1980s. His 4x5 workcovers the many moods of the coast, its special geology and incredible light. Here he writes a little abouthis journey, followed by 3 questions from Looking Glass. Scott Creek from the Bluffs, 2003 All photographs courtesy © the artist14 / lookingglasszine.com
Big Sky, Scott Creek 2000 no. 6 looking glass / 15
High Tide, Mouth of Scott Creek 200016 / lookingglasszine.com
Driftwood in Scott Creek, 2006 no. 6 looking glass / 17
Vertigo #2, near Waddell18 / lookingglasszine.com
Sea Lion Cove, near Waddell no. 6 looking glass / 19
Greyhound Rock Beach 200520 / lookingglasszine.com
Recumbent Driftwood #1, Waddell 2006 no. 6 looking glass / 21
Receding Tide #2, Panther Beach 200222 / lookingglasszine.com
Passage, Panther Beach 1999 no. 6 looking glass / 23
Reef, Panther Beach 199824 / lookingglasszine.com
Sea Foam, Reef, Panther Beach 1987 no. 6 looking glass / 25
Breakers, North of Panther Beach 200126 / lookingglasszine.com
Panther Head #2, 2004 no. 6 looking glass / 27
Concretions, Davenport Landing 200328 / lookingglasszine.com
Davenport Rock, 1998 no. 6 looking glass / 29
Panorama of Davenport Cove, 200230 / lookingglasszine.com
Out of the Portal, Davenport Cove no. 6 looking glass / 31
Fallen Trees #12, Ano Nuevo 200332 / lookingglasszine.com
Seabrook, Storm Light Ano Nuevo 2007 no. 6 looking glass / 33
Fallen Trees, Ano Nuevo 200634 / lookingglasszine.com
Flat Rock, Ano Nuevo 2004 no. 6 looking glass / 35
JAMES DEWRANCE: In attempting to write about my life experience in photography, I find my mind Coastal California wanders from one mute moment of discovery to another-each being the recogni- tion of an image that marks a milestone of sorts of my progress in the field. It has always been a series of consummately visual moments contained in the nega- tive. The as-seen, felt, and doubtless moment of true composition, amidst the flurry of necessary technique. Quite thoughtless in the best moments! Thus to annotate something of a timeline has been a personal retrospective and question- ing of what moved me to work, beyond persistent manic desire. I began photography, age 23, at a time my other artistic efforts were at a stand- still. Since childhood I fancied myself an artist of pen and brush and enjoyed pen and ink drawing and water color, with an eye to the landscape. As an illustrator I drew with pen and ink for the Rosicrucian Digest and the Siddha Meditation guides, and I was at a point where inwardly I knew things wouldn’t improve with- out years of art school-the scenes in mind were not rendering as well as I liked. And there were always scenes in mind, the strongest being something akin to Con- stable, or Turner, with Dali’s horizons. I knew what I wanted to do but needed a new way to get there. I have the great fortune of a wonderful mentor and master photographer (who shall remain anonymous); I was making some drawings for him. Out of the blue one day we talked of photography and my interest and ut- ter cluelessness of the medium. He showed me his Sinar 4x5 and how it worked. After I had finished a basic photography class at a local community college, we signed up for Mr. Fred Picker’s workshop, which was a revelation. This was in 1981. Fred Picker was a great teacher for many of us. I found his enthusiasm in- fectious and became a true believer in big camera work. And I was very pleased that he always emphasized studying art of all sorts as well as photographers of all stripes and format. My first camera, bought soon after I returned from Vermont, was the Wista/Zone VI 4x5 with which I shot almost nothing but Polaroid for awhile, though not the full year as prescribed. The camera is still in use. Coming from a plastic medium where I could put anything anywhere on paper to really seeing exactly what was going to be on that negative took a few years, no matter how far I drove. Road trips were rarely productive for so many reasons. I took to heart another Fred Picker maxim: find an enjoyable place to work that you can actually get to. I con- centrated on what I call the north coast, the 30 miles or so north of Santa Cruz California. 36 / lookingglasszine.com
JAMES DEWRANCE: The north coast is a long series of low bluffs, sheer cliffs and pocket beaches Coastal California formed where the gently undulating hills of the Coast Range terminate into the sea. Mudstone, slick rock, metamorphic rock. For many years I had 2 afternoons a week free to make photographs and generally I ended up somewhere on that bit of coastline. I still make it out there whenever the spirit moves me, time and energy being what they are now. And thus I humbly present to you this body of work. It is all of a one to me. LG: You mention coming from a painter’s background. How did you manage to reconcile the freedom of painting with the structure of photography? Or do the two remain in their own spheres? JD: There was nothing to reconcile, there was the matter learning to see with the camera eye and pay attention to everything within the 4x5 image. The transition was virtually instantaneous for me, I was done with the pen and brushes not more than a year after I got into film. The #90 Wratten viewing filter- the simplest tool for composition-still works for me. LG: What value do you find in returning to the same spots over a long period? JD: I’ve told people the interesting thing about having “recurring subjects” is discovering the nuances of the place and observing the effects of the hand of time and the elements. Having a feel for the quality of light: “If I get there about 5 p.m. the light will be around the point and the cliffs will glow”. I keep a notebook of ideas/compositions that just might work, which often provides a starting point for a photo outing on an otherwise uninspired day. And I’ve avoided famous settings and made an effort to find my own compositions elsewhere and get a sense of place within and without. My models age well for the most part! Never feel like, “I’m so done with that”. LG: When you look at your body of work, are there pieces that stand out to you as beacons of change or transition? JD: Yes! Beacons of change in the shape of a photograph as a terminus. And an- other as a reawakening. Beacons and bookends. no. 6 looking glass / 37
JAMES DEWRANCE Bio James Dewrance has been shooting 4x5 film for over 30 years. A follower of the tenets of Fred Picker, Dewrance’s work il- lustrates the value of revisiting the same places over a long period of time. < www.jamesdewrance.com38 / lookingglasszine.com
James Dewrance by Vivian Giourousis no. 6 looking glass / 39
URBAN STREET MODERNby CHRISTOPHER BARRETTChristopher Barrett has been involved in the creative process most of his life. His photographic odysseybegan when he was a teen and has remained both vocation and avocation ever since. All photographs courtesy © the artist40 / lookingglasszine.com
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