Walking Pictures #30

Untitled, Louisville KY 2009 © jwl

Parking Garage, Louisville KY 2009 © jwl

I made these images looking out the window of Louisville's first parking garage. I was probably trespassing, but a Police officer walking didn't seem to mind. He informed us that the building is slated for demolition. That is unfortunate considering some of the ornate architectural elements (not included here). I guess Louisville prefers the look of the garage across the street.

Hotel Junkie

Hotel Window, Louisville KY 2009 © jwl

Here's another image from my recent trip to Louisville. One of my guilty pleasures of traveling is staying in hotels. I saw this on Friday morning, it was like picture number one of the weekend. I am still processing the files from the small camera and I look forward to getting the film back for the rest.

Walking Pictures #29

Manmade Landscape, Louisville KY 2009 © jwl

I spent most of the early part of today making photographs with my good friend Chad Pelton. We met in Louisville last night to spend some time catching up and make some art. I want to use some of the weekend to try and begin a new project on River Towns. I still need to get my head around what that idea actually means, but for nothing else I can get some new work made.

I caught this one after breakfast.

Gotta Go Back

Untitled (sketch), Virginia 2001 © jwl

Here's another jewel I pulled from the box. By the looks of this little nugget, I am gonna have to head back and try and make some art here.

Walking Pictures #28

Hobby Horses, Milwaukee 2009 © jwl

Lemonade From Lemons

Roadside Landscape (sketch/diptych), Highway 16, Virginia 2001 © jwl

Here is another example of reviving some old work to create something new. It is also paired with the final product. These images say vastly different things about the same subject. It is interesting to me to see how stance and medium can change your expression.

Roadside Landscape, Highway 16, Virginia 2001 © jwl

Before & After

Road Sign, Crumpler, North Carolina 2002 © jwl

Recently, while working on my next book project, I found a pile of old polaroids. In this pile were a few forgotten images of familiar scenes. To explain, for a long time (before digital) I carried a Polaroid camera that I would use to 'sketch' scenes or ideas for future photographs. I used this process for times when I didn't have the equipment or enough time to make a proper image. Either the time of day or season wasn't right for the color or maybe I didn't see what was there clearly enough to spend the time on the subject. For these days, Polaroids were genius. Nowadays, I will just make a digital image and oftentimes the quality of the digital image is substantial enough to just go with it. Oh, how far we have come!

Road Sign (sketch), Crumpler, North Carolina 2001 © jwl

Finding these 'sketches' has peaked my interest in a very peculiar way. Looking at them, with their inherent quality flaws and despite my reasons for not making a proper photograph, I think they have a great immediate charm. It helps to have the 8 or 9 years of detachment, but I like these little images. I have been scanning them in order to preserve them before they deteriorate any more.

Whatever the process or reasoning, these are truly photographs. Proper photographs.

Walking Pictures #27

Screaming Eagle, Milwaukee 2009 © jwl

My friend Scott Johnson used to use a half-frame 35mm camera. His work with that camera had it's own language. The images were playful in the way that the halves of the images spoke to each other and also in how the entire image spoke to the viewer.

I made these images (or this image) on my walk last week and now that I have it in the box it reminds me of some of Scott's work. I have made quite a few images out of paired images, I think that interplay between the segments creates an acute action for the viewer.

Thanks for the inspiration Johnson.