Wow! I’m actually directly adding a new goyapost (rather than via posterous). I intended to do the ritual “Back to Teaching” post a few weeks ago when I went off of sabbatical the back to the daily grind. The teaching side of it has been smooth enough; it’s all the impending administrative crap that I’m dreading and already feel the weight of bearing down. Several review committees, a search, and now I’m doing the Asian Studies website because I thought it was so lame (if you want something done right…). AND, next week I have to go sit on a friggin’ Grand Jury selection. I swear, if I’m chosen it’ll royally screw up my teaching. I don’t even believe in the jury system so on that basis alone I should be excused.
In any case, an explanation for the lack of goyablogging. The short version: I have a new hobby (gee, guess what it is?). Between fixing/modding/building cameras and shooting/developing/printing film I barely have time to sleep and eat. Now that I’m back to teaching it’s even worse: very little play time. I have about five parallel photo projects going on top of the occasional shot and film processing. I acquired an old but good 35mm to 4×5 enlarger and some enlarging lenses and desire to practice darkroom printing (in the makeshift darkroom), which requires much patience and trial-and-error. I very much enjoy the variety of formats and films and techniques I’m experimenting with, but even without a Real Job I would be going at it 12 hours a day if I had it my way. Alas, I manage a few hours during the week and a few over the weekend. I really should simply transmute Goyablog into a Fotoblog, but I won’t — Goyablog has been around quite a while now and to kill it would be too sad. So, I figure the solution is to have two blogs! Goyablog for strictly non-foto-related stuff and then a fotoblog, the shape and content of which I only vaguely envision. Of course, this will probably mean even less posts for either, but it is what it is….
News: I had a piece (a 20×20 pinhole print called “Amnesia“) displayed at last Friday’s Untitled Art show. Sold a small 8×8 version of it at the Small Works table (the big pieces rarely sell) so I’m happy about that. Also, the same piece and the one I showed at the previous Untitled (and currently being displayed at a Vanderbilt-sponsored show) have both been accepted for a juried Black and White Media exhibit at a gallery in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s a slightly bigger deal than the Untitled shows, but not exactly the Big Time. At Untitled a elderly woman wanted a explanation of what a pinhole photograph is and how I produced them and it was gratifying that she was truly interested and then just assumed I had a studio in town somewhere. I told her I wish I did, but I just teach at Vanderbilt. “Oh really? What do you teach? Aesthetics?” To which I again said “I wish…”
Yes, it would be nice to parlay this hobby into a second career, but it ain’t gonna happen. Film photography cannot sustain anyone these days except for the truly exceptional artists. I content myself with the occasional cool pinhole or the latest retro-looking shot with these old barrel lenses I’m playing with. And the funky little Gakkenflex + Tri-X + Caffenol combo I’ve hit on. If I can display a few images in local shows and sell a couple now and then, that’s enough for me.
I’m gestating an essay about this attraction to the vintage cameras and film and desire to reproduce/emulate photos from a century ago. As if I have time for that….
