This image, scanned from a negative, is a section of a manhole cover. Neenah, oh Neenah! Your manhole covers “can be found throughout the central United States and parts of Europe,” according to Wikipedia. Long may they resist rust. For those of you who live in Europe, have you seen Neenah in your city? Let me know if you find it. The name is supposedly the Winnebago Indian word for “water or running water” (Wikipedia again).
Digitized from film negative. I didn’t make any changes to this shot except some slight color correction. This will be the last of the vandalized-dumpster shots, I think.
These are peeling-dumpster photos (see explanation in the previous post, Under the Sea) that I’ve exhibited various places or that are on my website. But upon going through my old files, I see two or three more that I’d like to work with, so I’ll be staying with this one dumpster a little longer. Four of the photos above were taken with digital point-and-shoots; one was shot on film and digitized. Is the film photo easily distinguished from the rest?
In August 2004, somebody set fire to the dumpster at the apartment building at the end of our street. The paint on the dumpster peeled and turned bizarre colors. What a bonanza! I got a lot of abstract photographs out of that act of vandalism. This one wasn’t good enough for an exhibit (not sharp enough in key places), but I like the way the peeling has created the shape of a fish. To me this form usually looks as if it’s floating on top of the blue, when in fact it’s made up of the underlying metal. Once you see this, you can make the “fish” recede and then “resurface” repeatedly, until you’re dizzy or your eyes start to water. I’ll post one or two sharp dumpster photos in the coming days. This shot was taken with film, then digitized.
This is an old photo I’m just now playing with. I don’t even recall what camera I used.
I love glass bricks because I find color and form intoxicating and exuberant. This is one of my earliest and most successful glass-brick photographs; it was juried into the LaGrange Biennial (Georgia), a national art exhibit, in 1998—probably the most competitive show I was ever in. I can only hope to do as well again someday. This photograph was taken at a fast-food chain restaurant in Carbondale; many people may be able to read or recognize the sign. Pentax K-1000.
VAPOR AND FLOW 