Current Film Project

So recently I've begun to explore the sort of, advanced cousin medium to mine own (photography) which is that of the moving image. 

I'm a very form oriented individual. My photographic "parents" as some people like to call them, are Albert Renger-Patzsch, Julius Shulman, and Andre Kertesz. The important one in terms of this blog post is Albert Renger-Patzsch. Renger-Patzsch was a German photographer associated with the New Objectivity active during the Weimar Republic. Now, the New Objectivity was something that, for those who know me, would assume I would hold protest against. However, in looking at the photographs presented by Renger-Patzsch, his focus on recording the beautiful forms that exist in the world, I've found a substantial amount of nearly universal subjectivity tying together all of his work. Yes, the images were recorded at a somewhat "arm's-length-distance" in an attempt to reduce the photographers bias. However, the choice to make the photograph is the biggest form of subjective bias I can think of.

Anyway, his importance in this blog post is that the increased sensitivity to everyday forms and objects, as well as Julius Shulman's increased sensitivity to imbuing a subjective, emotional, aesthetic quality to everything he pointed his lens at helped me in my first (after a long hiatus) film project.

As for the cinematic influences on this project...well, in keeping with the Germanic/ western European love of form I was greatly inspired by German Abstract Cinema of the 1920s and later on Soviet film director (1929) Dziga Vertov's masterpiece, Man with a Movie Camera. < Please, if you have the time, watch Vertov's film.  Specific artists would have to include, Vertov, Walter Ruttmann, Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling and Oskar Fischinger. While the latter four are arguably more abstract than Vertov and my film is much more in the spirit of Man with a Movie Camera, I developed my appreciation for the musicality of forms and their inherent subjective qualities because I was first introduced to German Absolut Film before experiencing anything of Vertov's. (Again, if you can spare the time, please read the short wikipedia article about Absolut Film)

Currently it's called City of Light and Lines but I might as well call it Man with a Blackberry Camera as that's what I chose to shoot with for convenience, ease of blending in and capturing the true environment, and it offered me a lo-fi, old film look that I feel works.


As the film progresses it becomes more and more abstract. Elements of sci-fi and suspense. Light is personified as a concept and a character.

Without further ado...here's my short silent film:

Any feedback, comments, questions, any...anything is greatly appreciated! Please utilize the comment box either on Youtube, blogger, or my email address provided in the right hand side bar.

Warmly,

-steve


P.S. Here is the stable URL link to the youtube page.
http://youtu.be/EWZ0HTJpdF0

A Night of Architecture

Just before college I began to become very inspired by the work and images of Julius Shulman. The way he was able to compose the frame and present a space. His images may have sometimes been cold and lacked the personality of the artist, for he was a very chipper man as times. However, His ability to organize space within the frame was second to none in the world of architectural photography. He was able to add resonance, breath, and the sensation of movement to the sometimes distant feeling, stagnant, geometry of Modern design. I envy his ability to respond to space with such a heightened sensitivity. He was one of the reasons Modern architecture and design became popularized in America and arguably the most important architectural photographer of his time. Without him, Modern architecture would certainly not have been what it was.

Here are two (4) images that I made tonight inspired by Julius Shulman.
I greatly favor architectural photography to be in black and white because, unless color is an integral part of the space or design it distracts and detracts from the beauty of the space. I've supplie black and white as well as color versions of both photographs. PLEASE feel free to comment, critique, or ask questions.

I neglected to take down the address or the name of this apartment complex. I've got some searching to do.

Links to Julius Shulman's works:
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/shulman/
http://ehehr1955.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/julius-shulman-photography/

Bing image search (large+wallpaper size only)

Here is an image I made over a year ago. To this day it is still one of my favorite architectural photographs of mine. I don't believe it's previously appeared on this blog so I'll upload it now.

SUNY Purchase Dance Conservatory - 2010 - ©Steve Shillling 

Revision (Sat. March, 31st)
It seems this photograph does appear on this blog in a much earlier post which can be seen by following this link.
http://visual-drone.blogspot.com/2011/02/inspiration-series-1.html
Again, Julius Shulman is spoken about and I provided some example work of his.

Image(s) of the Night 19-23

Tonight I went for a stroll with two of my friends. We dropped of my one friend's girlfriend at Penn Station and decided to walk back East rather then waste money on the subway. Along our way back I was able to snap off a few images seeing as I had taken my digital camera along with me.

You'll notice something different about these images. That is that they all have people in them. This is certainly not something that occurs often or is seen often in my, so called, ouvre.  My current focus is on everything that is NOT photographic in photography and stripping it of its preconceived notifying photographic indicators. However, everyone in a while I feel compelled to just snap some images.

Midnight Shift - 2012

This image of the construction sight holds significance because immediately following my passing of the site I was asked by one of the workers if there was any way he'd be able to get the/an image(s) that I took. I told him if he supplied his email address then I'd take care of the rest. Later tonight I had the photograph all ready for him and had emailed him a high resolution file that he can use for printing or sending to a lab to order prints if he so chooses.

Untitled - 2012

There's something unsettling about this image. It's the small postcard of the twin towers in the upper left-of-center portion of the frame. It's almost as if it's a constant reminder for the guards on duty. And the only reason I approach this with some reservations is because I don't think we need our security to be constantly feeling a sort of mixture of anger, hatred, and sorrow while they are performing their job as assisting those who need help and simultaneously maintaining a "lookout" and a watchful eye for any unscrupulous behavior. I feel that with all the associated ideas behind 9/11 it might almost increase the tendencies of racial or ethnic profiling amongst public security officers such as the NYPD or even the officers dressed in full camouflage and wielding automatic rifles.

Late Night McDonald's Run...Walk...er...Sit - 2012

Untitled - 2012

 Yes, I added a good amount of digital noise to this image. I felt it needed it. There are a good deal of negative undertones within this image and I felt adding grain as a sort of, degradation of the image, of clarity added to the mood.

The aspect ratios are as follows:
4:5
6:7
6:7
5:7

Promotional Trailer!

About a month ago I was Director of Photography for a friend's short film. Now, we've finally sat down and I helped Joel edit together a trailer.
Hope you enjoy it!






The Way Station:
Located at: 683 Washington Ave
btw prospect and st marks Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 11238
A to Washington
or 2/3 to BK Museum
or Q to 7th Ave B45 to Washington Ave and Prospect Place (stops right in front of bar)

Image of the Night #19

Untitled;  2012

Image(s) of the Night #17 + #18

I've been experimenting with some different photographic processes.

Here are two of the results.

Title: Mandala 1; 2012

Right-click and select open in new window in order to see full image and increased detail.

Title: 增長 ("Growth"); 2012

Upcoming Group Exhibition

Please come and look at some exceptional artists work in this upcoming group exhibition.

Check back in the near future as I will be posting a small write-up about the show and why it's more than simply a group of individuals suspending images on a wall.


*Note: This is simply my own personal promotion card. Each individual artist has made his or her own.

Back to Making Work

I've been spending quite some time reading interviews held between various individuals and John Cage. I'm working on ways to steer my work in a direction more similar to his. However, for now I'm just going to keep making the work I feel I need to.

Having said that, here are some examples of my most recent creations. As always, I'm going to leave out (aside from what one gathers from the titles) any notion of my intent or goal. Both of theses are or should be considered irrelevant for you, the audience. All they (the pieces) require of you is that you place your soul under careful observation, paying attention to its reactions.

A friend of mine mentioned that I should write up a manifesto of sorts and I'm currently battling myself with that idea. I want not to take the offensive but at the same time I strongly believe that art has been steadily traveling down a damaging path, largely to blame is capitalism, and that there should be felt some great urgency to correct it's path.

However, here, in this blog post, is not the place to do it.

Without further swelling my passions, here are some samples of new work:

Never Ending: More Promotional Work

Recently I was asked to assist one of my friends on his short film. I accepted and was given the title of director of photography. The film is currently in its final stages. While I won't say anything about it I'll give you a look at an additional contribution of mine, the promotional poster.

I should mention that this is not the final draft of the poster as it is missing the location of the public screening. This will be taking place in a Brooklyn bar called The Way Station.
Located at:
683 Washington Ave
btw prospect and st marks
Prospect Heights, Brooklyn 11238
A to Washington or 2/3 to BK Museum or Q to 7th Ave
B45 to Washington Ave and Prospect Place (stops right in front of bar)

Two Videos Worth Watching

Here are two videos from Youtube that the writer feels are important enough to share and well worth the combined 11 minutes of your life to listen to.
I wish everyone viewing these videos to maintain a clear and open mind for this is the best way to make honest, direct observation. It is nonsensical and damaging to filter content as it streams into consciousness only to further cast judgement upon it. Rather, observe everything as it is, go into it, understand it, and then if you feel it still necessary you may continue to sort it out and judge it upon already established beliefs and so on. A word to keep in mind, metaphor.

Enjoy.

If you are on a tablet that does not accept flash-based media, please take note of the names and urls of the previous mentioned videos.

Alan Watts ☮ The Way of Waking Up - HD/HQ:    http://youtu.be/7blUYJm6i-c

Alan Watts - you are god in the dance of life:    http://youtu.be/bX8D0yU0pMc

100th Post - Recent Work

I've been neglecting this blog as well as the additional blog I run which, aside from some fundamental differences, shows the same work as I do here on One Hand Clapping.

Here is a compilation of the most recent work I've been focusing on:

Recent work

From left to right:
Arrangement for Yellows and Blues: Alegro con Brio - 2012;  36" x 29"  Pigment print from digital file
Arrangement for Reds and Blues: Larghetto con Motto - 2012; 36" x 29" Pigment print from digital file
Nocturne in E: Grave quasi Lamentoso - 2012; 36" x 29" Pigment print from digital file
Arrangement for Tones - 2012; 18" x 28" Pigment applied to mulberry paper

The less I say about them the more freedom I give to you in order to interpret them or better put, experience them as your own, in your own way.
Enjoy and thanks for sticking with me till now.
: )

Sincerely,

-S.

P.s. - To view the image larger than Blogger's native viewing window size please right click and select "open in new window" or "open in new tab."

Image of the Night # 16- Arrangement for Reds and Blues - Larghetto con Moto - 2012

Arrangement for Reds and Blues - Larghetto con Moto - 2012

If you would like an example of what a piece set to the Larghetto con Moto tempo sounds like then I direct you to Ferdinand Ries' Symphony No. 7 Op. 181 II. Conducted by Howard Griffiths with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. I'll admit there are parts of the song that I feel do not really harmonize with the image but it is merely for educational purposes of demonstrating the tempo. If you wish to listen to the song and view the image together then I suggest first clicking on the video and then opening the image in a full screen format.

New Works of the Morning (1/16/2012)

I had a difficult time sleeping throughout the night and, to be honest, had a rather odd dream. There was nothing overtly strange about it except how cemented it was in reality. No laws of physics were broken or thrown away with. The only strange thing about it was that there was nothing strange about it. Anyway, I woke up this morning, wandered down to my friend Anthony's place and woke him up asking if he wanted to go to the bookstore and get some breakfast or brunch. After hearing that he too did not sleep well I decided it was best if I give him some more time to rest, I returned to my room and picked up my camera. I discovered something though. While I normally create while listening to music I may have to stop doing so from time to time. The first image I'm going to show you comes equipped with a sound clip. Actually it will be an entire song because I'm not going to bother to edit out the specific portion that took me from the beginning to end of making the image. Anyway, the song is called "God Fearing Man" by Ben Harper (personal website here). It features an instrument known as the Weissenborn lap-slide guitar, favored by Mr. Harper. I think that the meshing of the slide guitar portions of the song combined with the subject matter and visual texture of the original photograph contributed greatly to the resulting image. I find it almost works better (as in it is better understood) when it accompanies the music. Though it is not my intention to create images that accompany music but rather images that posses a musical quality I cannot help but feel a significant connection between the image and musical piece. This I attribute to the fact that I was listening to it, rather loudly, while creating the final image. However, if I am to take a step back and look at the situation a different way I could make the argument that my current train of thought is only possible because I desire it to be so and that I'm projecting a biased opinion and created an argument to make sense of that. Whichever it may be I'll let you all be the judge of that.

The image has no name yet but the text "Created while listening to God Fearing Man by Ben Harper" accompanies it. Possibly a mistake, but for the purpose of this bolg post I feel it serves as supporting evidence.

And here is the song: (Please, if you will let it play through for a bit. It wasn't until the energetic solo that I created the image.) I couldn't upload the mp3 with this blogging site. Probably best since even though it could be considered for educational purposes and thus be filed under the "fair use act" I'd best not tread on thin ice. If you'd be so willing, please open it up in a new tab or window and open this image up. Thank you.

Below, I have another image that was made with no external stimuli such as music. Rather, it was made by an open window and though I live in New York City it has been a surprisingly quiet morning, just the wind has been blowing. This image was made before the first image in this post.

This is an un-edited image and my only thoughts towards editing it are to possibly crop a bit off of the bottom.

I sincerely thank you for your time,

Peace

-S.

UPDATE 1/16/2012:

Here is the alternate crop of the second image:

Supplement to previous post

Here are a list of quotes that I feel should be read in conjunction with the previous post, Image of the Night #15:

from: (Original Source): From the Kenneth Lindsay translation of Wassily Kandinsky’s “Uber die Formfrage,” Der Blaue Reiter (Munich: R. Piper, 1912), pp. 74-100.

My source: Chipp, Herschel Browning., Peter Howard Selz, and Joshua Charles Taylor. Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics. Berkeley: University of California, 1968. pp. 155-174. Print.

"Every creative artist's own means of expression (that is, form) is best since it most appropriately embodies that which he feels compelled to proclaim. From that, however, the conclusion is often falsely drawn that this means of expression is, or ought to be, the best for other artists also" (p 157).

"Necessity creates the form. Fish which live at great depths have no eyes, the elephant has a trunk. The chameleon changes its color, and so forth. Thus, the spirit of the individual artist is mirrored in the form" (p 157).

"[...] one shall consider valid every form, deem correct (= artistic) every form, which represents an inner content" (p 158).

"One should approach a work in such a way that the form has an effect on the soul. And through the form, the content (spirit, inner resonance). Otherwise one elevates the relative to the absolute" (p 158)

"[...] it is not most important whether the form is personal, national, or has style; whether or not it is in accordance with the major contemporary movements; whether or not it is related to many or few other forms; whether or not it stands completely by itself: but rather the most important thing in question of form is whether or not the form has grown out of the inner necessity" (p 158)*1

*1 That is, one may not make a uniform out of the form. Works of art are not soldiers. With a given artist, a given form can be the best at one time and the worst at another. In the first case, it has grown in the soil of the inner necessity; in a second–in the soil of outer necessity: out of ambition and greed. W.K.

"And so it is sufficient to say: everything is permitted" (p 160)

"For the 'understanding' of such pictures, the same liberation is necessary as in realism, that is, it must become possible, here too, to be able to hear the whole world just as it is without objective interpretation. And here these abstracted or abstract forms (lines, planes, spots, and so forth) are not important as such, but only their inner resonance, their life. Just as in realism, not the object itself or the outer shell are important, but rather its inner resonance, its life" (p 162).

"[...] the external effect can be a different one from the inner effect: the inner effect is caused by the inner resonance; and this is one of the most powerful and deepest means of expression in every composition" (p 163).

"the ideal critic, then, would not be the critic who would seek to discover the 'mistake,' 'abberations,' 'ignorance,' 'plagiarisms,' and so forth, but the one who would seek to feel how this or that form has an inner effect, and would then impart expressively his whole experience to the public" (p 165).

I'm going to stop there but I urge anyone whose interested by what Kandinsky writes to go out and find a copy of Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics Herschell B. Chipp.

Peace

-S.

Image of the Night #15 - New York City, Nocturne in Blue and Red

New York City, Nocturne in Blue and Red; 2012

Here's the most recent Image of the Night.  Created with the inspiration garnered from the paintings of James McNeil Whistler. I was looking out my window and my eyes fell to the AC unit of my neighbor. I noticed that there was enough light so that the interior parts were just visible. Inside there were an arrangement of pieces that reflected various colors, all of which seemed to fall into the blues and red portions of the spectrum. The photograph was made late in the day so I knew that the sunlight was a much cooler color temperature then my eyes were showing me and I knew I could use that to my advantage. Though it is entitled a nocturne it can be seen that it displays a rather violent array of verticle bars of a high value. Seeing this caused me to think about it in predominantly two ways. One of which was that each vertical line sounded like distant staccato trumpet or violin notes. The other way was that it also appeared to be a very illustrative example of a music staff with each black space being the measure and each white vertical line being a standard bar. Now, in order to bring the music to life I found an online example of color-tone relation. These notes serve as a relative consensus between two composers, Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korakov. Now, if you really want to sit down and play the picture in accordance to the colors shown in relation to the circle of fifths then be my guest but that's too much for me. I enjoy the aesthetic experience of relating the blues to low violin, cello and double bass sounds while the reds appear to be more in the spirit of the soft warm tones of the horn, and some woodwind instruments. I can give no insight as to how long or short the image will play out for you or if it even will at all. I also must say that nothing presented here is a definite science, rather, it's a product of myself realizing my views on the visual world, how I've experienced and enjoyed them for years and years, as well as my findings of like-minded individuals that seem  to have agreed with me.

I'll share with you some quotes from one of my favorite painters, Wassily Kandinsky.

from (Original Source): Chapter 5, Uber das Geistige in der Kunst (Munich: R. Piper, 1912), pp. 37-42 (actually published in December, 1911)

My source: Chipp, Herschel Browning., Peter Howard Selz, and Joshua Charles Taylor. Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics. Berkeley: University of California, 1968. pp. 152-155. Print.

"If you let your eye stray over a palatte of colors, you experience two things. In the first place you receive a purely physical effect, namely the eye itself is enchanted by the beauty and other qualities of color. You experience satisfaction and delight, like a gourmet savoring a delicacy. Or the eye is stimulated as the tongue is titillated by a spicy dish. But it grows calm and cool, like a finger after touching ice. These are physical sensations, limited in duration. They are superficial, too, and leave no lasting impression behind if the soul remains closed. [...] On he other hand, as the physical coldness of ice, upon penetrating more deeply, arouses more complex feelings, and indeed a whole chain of psychological experiences, so may also the superficial impression of color develop into an experience"(p 152).

 "Only with higher development does the circle of experience of different beings and objects grow wider. Only in the highest development do they acquire an internal meaning and an inner resonance. It is the same with color, [...]" (p 153).

"The eye is strongly attracted by light, clear colors,a nd still more strongly by colors that are warm as well as clear; vermillion stimulates like flame, which has always fascinated human beings. Keen lemon-yellow hurts the eye as does a prolonged and shrill bugle note the ear, and one turns away for relief to blue or green"(p 153).

"They [colors] produce a correspondent spiritual vibration, and it is only as a step towards this spiritual vibration that the physical impression is of importance" (p 153)

"The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes, or dark lake with the treble" (p 154).

UPDATE (1/16/2012): Recently, a very good friend of mine, Emily Yost, a fellow photography enthusiast as well as quite the artist told me that when she viewed this image she could not help but think of the Theme song to Cowboy Bebop. Now, seeing as it's one of my favorite, if not THE favorite anime I've seen, I loved hearing that news. If you are unfamiliar with the theme, here it is in full.

Recent Work (Wharton State Forest)

Recently I was able to have the opportunity to take one of my cameras and accompany my friend Ryan Shorosky for an adventure in Wharton State Forest located in Southern New Jersey near Hammonton and Lower Forge. These are some of the images I made during my time spent there.
 Since these images are on the internet and therefore, I believe them to be loosely "in the public domain" I'm allowing full distributing rights to those who wish to use them (e.g. phone backgrounds, wallpapers, teaching instrument or instruments for critique, etc...). However, it would be greatly appreciated if you could either link to my site or give credit to me as the original artist.
You'll notice some slight to moderate vignetting on many of the images. This is due to the fact that I was operating an old Mamiya 645 medium format camera with a slightly wider than standard 70mm lens. As the aperture is decreased in order to broaden the depth of field (range of what will be percieved as in focus by the human eye) the edges of the frame are exposed to a dramatically lower amount of light resulting in the appearance of somewhat burned or darkened corners.
You'll also notice that I've neglected to remove any instances of dust that happened to be on either the scanner or the negative during the time of scanning. This is partly due to the fact that uploading these are a luxury I take during my more free times during the day. If anyone would like to inquire as to how to obtain a professional print and at what sizes they are available please feel free to email me at SRS2Photo@Gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy these recent images.

Peace
 

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Taken by: Steve shilling II

Important Past Speeches

In this day and age, after hearing this presidential address, how is it we've not been able to prevent what's happening now?


I urge you to take the time to sit down and listen, or for some of you, listen again to former president Jimmy Carter as he presents his famous "Crisis in Confidence" speech which is also known as his "Malaise" speech.

http://millercenter.org/president/speeches/detail/3402

FDR's proposal of a second Bill of Rights

What ever happened to these?

Source

More Info here