Bernhard Fuchs

Bernhard Fuchs is one of my favorite contemporaries working in photography today. He is originally from Austria and studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Bernd Becher. I first discovered his work at a bookstore in Berlin several years ago. I think each of his incredible books has been executed with great care and thought. His work is rooted in typologies and within that construct he is always pointing his camera at someone or something splendid and lovely.

Best of the Road - SLR Edition

Scanning Electron Micrograph

Check out these crazy SEM photoghaphs

Picture: EYE OF SCIENCE / SPL / BARCROFT MEDIA

Boston, Seattle, and Anchorage - Lectures and Workshops

This autumn I will be conducting lectures and workshops in the aforementioned cities. The lectures will be a review of the past 12 years of my photographic work and the workshops will all be about the photo book. If you live in or are going to be in Boston, Seattle, or Anchorage I would be delighted to have you participate.

Photographic Resource Center at Boston University - Boston, MA.
Master Lecture Series

Richard Renaldi
Friday, September 24, 7 pm
Boston University, College of Arts & Sciences 522
725 Commonwealth Avenue

Richard Renaldi: Introduction to the Photo Book
Saturday, September 25, 9 am – 3:30 pm
Boston University, College of Arts & Sciences 326
725 Commonwealth Avenue




Photo Center Northwest - Seattle, WA.

From Portfolio to Print: Publishing your Photography Book
Richard Renaldi
Saturday, October 16, 10-4




Alaska Photographic Center - Anchorage, AK.

Free public lecture October 21 7:00p
Out North Theater
3800 Debarr Road
Anchorage, AK

Richard Renaldi: The Photographic Book
From Idea to Publishing
2-1/2 Day Workshop
October 22-24
Friday: 6p-9p; Saturday & Sunday: 9a-5p

Rock

One thing I really love about the Colorado Plateau are all the incredible rock formations. In the midwest, south, and east most of the rocks are mountains covered with trees. In the west however, the results of millions of years of erosion from wind and water are visible in their full glory. I returned to Monument Valley this trip, a place I have always wanted to see again. I know that this spot has been photographed a million times, attracts the amateurs, and is the background for lots of westerns and car commercials. Nevertheless it is incredibly special and worth seeing once in your life.*
* especially at sunrise and sunset

The Border

Seth & I spent the better part of the week at Big Bend National Park which is located in southwestern Texas. We were very impressed by the Chihuahuan desert, Chisos Mountains, and the Rio Grande. Some short hikes took us to the edge of the Rio Grande. The River is shallow in places, runs fast, and is full of brown silt. Approaching Big Bend from any direction, there are US Border Patrol checkpoints. As you drive towards the park they appear, equipped with spanking new vehicles. Be prepared to show some identification.

Thinking about the River made us sad. It is sad to see that the relationship between the US and Mexico is such a troubled and tortured one. A relationship with deeply personal interwoven stories, and families divided by many kilometers of migration. We're sad to see the right wingers in the USA calling for the building of a wall. Sad to see poor Mexicans and other Latin Americans get caught or killed crossing the River and sent to detention or back home to an uncertain future. I can't imagine that any politician calling to build a wall has ever actually seen the long border that Texas shares with Mexico. It is a rough, rugged, and inhospitable terrain.

When we were there, we felt the frustrations of the limits of our geographic freedom. We wanted to walk across a shallow part of the river to Mexico, if only for the excitement of doing so, and in defiance of the fact that we're not allowed to. It turned out that we couldn't. Seth had to stop halfway across the river, dead in his tracks by a super strong current. The crossing was too dangerous, and he never made it to Mexico...

Under the cloth

Big Bend National Park, Sept 8, 2010

Oil and Gas

This past Thursday we drove along the Gulf coast from central Louisiana to eastern Texas. What we saw first hand was how affected these miles of coastline have been by the oil and gas industries. The wetlands are absolutely stunning and the wildlife is in abundance. However, from almost any vantage point along this stretch you can see dozens and dozens of drilling platforms offshore. About thirty miles from Galveston, we were so enthralled by the sea and the light of dusk that we thought it would be safe for a sunset swim. We rationalized that we were far enough away from the platforms (quite a bit further to the east) and the affected area of the Horizon spill that it would be ok for a swim. We were so wrong. What Seth noticed after five minutes of swimming was that there was a sheen on the surface of the water. I started to notice that the water felt a little different which felt like there was a greasy film on my skin. We rushed out of the water but not before feeling a slick and slippery tar ball beneath our feet. I felt disgusted and very embarrassed. Whether the oil was from Deepwater Horizon or from leeching off the hundreds of platforms along the coast I do not know. What I do know is that it is not safe to swim on the Bolivar Peninsula and probably not safe in Galveston either despite the absence of any warning signs. The people of Louisiana and Texas have sacrificed their beautiful coasts and wetlands to the oil and gas industry and for the jobs that they provide and have conveniently closed their eyes to the horrible consequences of that decision. It is very sad.





beach on the Bolivar Peninsula

Improv Everywhere

I spent an evening a couple weeks ago with my two nephews watching YouTube videos made by the flash mod/performance group Improv Everywhere. I'm sure people are familiar with some of their missions. I recommend going to their website and checking out their entire archive. They are hysterical, often very clever, and bring joy.
Here is one to crack you up.

Mississippi Museum of Art

A few gems from the collection... If you are passing through Jackson it's a must!
Top to Bottom
Franke West Keating High Cotton, circa 1980
Marshall Bouldin III Second Notice, circa 1954
John C Coovert King Cotton, circa 1907
Marie Hull Sharecroppers, 1938
William Hollingsworth, Crossroad, no date
Eudora Welty, title and date omitted due to accidentally not being recorded by me
Ethel Pennewill Brown Leach, Totin' clothes, Mississippi, 1916
Boyd Saunders The Gathering, 1984
Roland Freeman, Sunday Baseball Game 1976

Road Trip 2010

Seth & I headed out on about our 5th in as many years road trip this weekend. Our first stops so far have been Alabama and Mississippi. It's extremely lush and beautiful down here in the deep south. Here are a few shots I am liking so far below...