Comments on: Camera Position 39 : Your Mission & Your Audience http://www.cameraposition.com/archives/62 Photography podcasts that deal with the why of photography over the how and discuss the essential qualities of the medium from the point of view of the creative photographer. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:11:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: sdurbin http://www.cameraposition.com/archives/62#comment-82 sdurbin Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:02:21 +0000 http://www.cameraposition.com/archives/62#comment-82 I'm a believer in writing as a tool for discovery, and think there's great value in creating artist statements, etc. I'm glad you mentioned the project framework, because it has felt quite useful to me to attempt to explain or present a photographic project in a paragraph. Naturally, this is best done while still engaged in the project. However, although I've been pondering the question, I'm not at all ready to create an overall statement of my mission as an artist. I just don't think I'm settled enough to say something non-trivial, non-trite, and true. For example, I have a project that is totally different from work I've done in the past: abstract rather than representational, color rather than monochrome. I have others in mind that are different in other very significant ways. I do plan on some writing, along with lots of printing and looking, to help me figure out where these projects can go, but the larger statement seems too big to tackle for now. Which leads me to wonder whether you have portfolios other than the Italian architecture (mostly) which is on your website. If so, how does it fit into your sense of your photographic mission? If not, at what stage in the Italy work did you come to see this as your major focus? Is your newer interest in portraiture likely to extend beyond the Italian setting? I’m a believer in writing as a tool for discovery, and think there’s great value in creating artist statements, etc. I’m glad you mentioned the project framework, because it has felt quite useful to me to attempt to explain or present a photographic project in a paragraph. Naturally, this is best done while still engaged in the project. However, although I’ve been pondering the question, I’m not at all ready to create an overall statement of my mission as an artist. I just don’t think I’m settled enough to say something non-trivial, non-trite, and true. For example, I have a project that is totally different from work I’ve done in the past: abstract rather than representational, color rather than monochrome. I have others in mind that are different in other very significant ways. I do plan on some writing, along with lots of printing and looking, to help me figure out where these projects can go, but the larger statement seems too big to tackle for now.

Which leads me to wonder whether you have portfolios other than the Italian architecture (mostly) which is on your website. If so, how does it fit into your sense of your photographic mission? If not, at what stage in the Italy work did you come to see this as your major focus? Is your newer interest in portraiture likely to extend beyond the Italian setting?

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