Payne Fresco

Local photographer and good friend Payne Fresco has recently started a blog. Payne has been shooting and thinking about photos for a long time, and now some of his experiences will finally be shared online.

In Payne's own words, he is

"a photographer and part-time philosopher living in Filbert Springs, a small town located in the southern Willamette Valley. (Don’t worry if you can’t find it on the map.) At one time I was planning on being the world’s greatest photographer, but now I’ve set my sights lower."

Payne's blog reminds me of one of those cigarette vending machines you used to find in markets and malls back in the 70s before they realized it was an easy channel for kids to get hooked on tobacco. Well, if you substituted shiny pearls of wisdom for cigarettes, that would be Payne's blog. Did I mention his studio doubles as a freight truck?

Welcome to cyberspace, Payne!

Quiz #10

Today's challenge is to identify photographers from portraits of their immediate relatives. For example, if I showed you the photo below with the clue Wife


the correct answer would be Harry Callahan, since the photograph is of his wife Eleanor.

Below are twelve such photographs showing close family relatives of prominent photographers. I've chosen a mix of blood relatives (who might be identified by facial features) and relatives by marriage, and a mix of well-known images and lesser known ones. Many of them were taken by the photographers themselves, in which case I've cropped the photo to disguise their style. Some are by unknown sources.

As always, the first complete set of correct answers (or in the case of group contributions, the last clue correctly identified) wins a free print. Good luck.

1. Daughter


2. Sister


3. Brother


4. Father


5. Wife and daughter


6. Mother


7. Mother


8. Wife


9. Grandparents


10. Son-in-law


11. Father-in-law


12. Mother

Just call him "O"

This photo ran in our local paper yesterday alongside a profile of Obama.

Charles Dharapak, Associated Press
The article was a general puff piece. It didn't require that particular image, just any old photo of Obama, which makes it all the more interesting that that photo was chosen.

Just three weeks into his presidency Obama has already been so mythologized that we hardly notice when he's given a halo. As with most depictions of Christ from a certain era, it's become a routine visual accessory.

Detail Showing Jesus Christ in the Fresco Cycle from the Upper Church of the Basilica of San Francesco by Giotto and Cimabue
Before the presidential seal became his backdrop, the Obama campaign logo was used for similar effect. A quick Google image search for "Obama Halo" turned up almost half a million images, many with links to rather bizarre citations. (Sorry for the lack of credits. They were difficult to trace)







Am I the only one worried that we may be burdening our president with impossible expectations? After all, look what happened the last time we anointed a holy man as our leader.

What To Do? #14

40. My father, 1993

41. My father, 1999

42. My father, 2004

(What To Do? is a weekly installment of previously unpublished b/w photos from my archives)

How to sell old photos: Three business models

Ampersand Vintage, 2916 NE Alberta St., Portland
Following a hot tip from a friend I finally had a chance last week to drop in on Ampersand, a local purveyor of found photographs and photo books. After months of anticipation I was able to get my first glimpse of the recently published Errata Editions series. This was the Limited Edition available for $200 as a set of four. The books looked fantastic: journal-sized, intimate, with sturdy textured cloth cover and tipped in graphic, and of course amazing image quality. What else would you expect from the king of photobook commentary? I browsed through all four but didn't see my magic photo so in the end I left without buying any. But I suspect I will buckle eventually and each of these books --perhaps a used version or the regular edition-- will find a home with me.

On the subject of Jeff Ladd, he has recently revamped the print offer section of 5b4 to showcase a huge variety of his older work, all original C-prints or fiber silver gelatin made by Jeff in the traditional manner. For a donation of $100 to the blog he will send you the print of your choice. The photographs range from good to exceptional. As talented as he is as a writer and publisher, I think Jeff Ladd is even better behind a camera. His sense of where to stand and of the moment are impeccable, and the scenes he chooses are wonderfully ambiguous and non-journalistic. In my opinion he is one of the top street photographers of our era.

I've posted a few favorites here but it's definitely worth the time to look through all of them. But do it soon because he seems to be adding more every day and the sheer numbers are beginning to make browsing unwieldy.

Benares, India, 1998 by Jeff Ladd

New York City, 1999 by Jeff Ladd

Dehli, India, 1998 by Jeff Ladd

Jerusalem, 2001 by Jeff Ladd

Paris, France, 2006 by Jeff Ladd

New York City, 1990 by Jeff Ladd

Istanbul, Turkey, 2001 by Jeff Ladd

New York City, 1997 by Jeff Ladd

San Cristobal, Mexico, 2006 by Jeff Ladd