The Wire
If this was the decade that television finally became a high art form, then The Wire is the pinnacle. I can’t remember how it floated onto my radar, but after watching a few episodes of Season 1, I was hooked. I believe I watched Season 2 straight through and I have no shame is saying that because I know countless others who’ve had a similar experience. There’s really no way to describe how completely you get immersed in the world The Wire, but when you’re at a party and you meet someone whose just as hooked as you are, you feel like you’re in a secret society whose members have experienced art as ecstasy. If you don’t believe that a TV show can make someone ramble like a member of a cult, well, I suppose this paragraph is evidence. Season Five was kind of week, but whatever, it ended awesome.
strange.rs
http://www.vimeo.com/7695511After toiling with a previous photography collective that fell apart I was a bit skeptical that a group of photographers could collaborate on anything, but for some reason, I decided to give it another go and this time it’s been inspirational. We have tons of work ahead of us but it’s the type of work I’m looking forward to.
The Flickr Ecosystem
My days of defending Flickr to the critics, and there are many, are over. There’s no point in it. It’s simply not the way many people want to experience photography on the web, and I understand that. Through the network of groups and contacts I’ve established over the last few years, I’m able to find new work from photographers all over the globe that inspires, informs and when good, transforms my ideas about photography. Some good places to go: LPV, Photographs on the Brain, yousuck, HCSP, Contract Killers.
Brooklyn
©Bryan Formhals
I think I first became interested in New York when I started watching Seinfeld in high school. From there, I progressed to the hustle and bustle dream of Midtown and then to the Upper Eastside of Woody Allen. Once I entered the working world in the early 2000s, the media world and the Lower Eastside became my new fixation. I was confident Downtown Manhattan was the place for me. Then I moved to Los Angeles. While in LA my interests slowly evolved from writing to photography and living a writer’s life in New York didn’t seem that appealing any longer. I started to meet people through photography who lived in Brooklyn and it seemed more my pace at that stage in my life.
When I finally got to Brooklyn, I settled in Greenpoint and it seems about right for me. It’s a bit off the beaten track, and tough to get to from Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn which makes it a bit less busy than other parts of the city. Brooklyn is huge, and confusing, so I haven’t really explored as much as I want to. Hopefully I’ll have plenty of time to do so in the upcoming years. I do feel more comfortable, and inspired here than I ever did in West Hollywood, although, there are some things about Los Angeles that are rather magical and hard to articulate in words.
Raoul Gatepin
Photograph ©Raoul Gatepin – From the series Piramid
I met Raoul a few years ago when we were both in Los Angeles. We talked frequently about photography and our ideas for our own work. His work has always interested me for it’s subtly, humor, great use of color and composition. He doesn’t do much self-promoting and you won’t find him submitting to contests or portfolio reviews. It simply doesn’t matter to him. This year he added two bodies of work to his website, Piramid and Longevity Notion. While these series may not have the one hit wonders of some his previous work, as self-contained edits, they show an interesting evolution his work that I think is a sign of what’s to come. I do my best not to mimic him, but damn, it’s hard because his work is so fucking good.
Contax T2
My XA and Bessa R3A both went to the grave this year which kind of sucked. It was hard for me to get by without a point and shoot film camera. I was kind of over the XA anyway, so when the aforementioned Raoul Gatepin informed me he was selling his Contax T2 I jumped all over it. It’s a great camera. I love it. It has some quirks and I would prefer 35mm lens over 38mm but it’s no big thing. This is the camera that’s in my pocket wherever I go these days.
Thobias Faldt
I asked my friend Hin Chua for a recommendation earlier in the year, and the first name that came out of his mouth was Thobias Faldt. Much like Lars Tunbjork, you never really know for sure what’s going on his photographs. Enigmatic is the best word that comes to mind, but there’s also an absurdity that I find a appealing as well. When I compile my list of books that I want to buy but can’t afford at the moment, Faldt’s Year One will be at the top of the list.
Creative Collaborators
It has been an amazing year for me creatively, not only with my own work, but with la pura vida and strange.rs. Collaborating with other creatives is never easy and I’ve had several days where I question why I bother but whenever I reflect back on the work I get excited and inspired. Art and photography can be solitary endeavors, but in my experience, nothing beats a good collaboration with a group of people who are enthusiastic and passionate about what they are doing. 2010 will not be easy but I’m looking forward to it primarily because of the talented people I know I’ll be working with. Cheers! And Happy New Year!