“Storylines…”

So first week of class is come and gone, looking forward to the upcoming quarter. Time to get some good things going. Still editing the Morocco project, shooting (digital, 2 1/4, AND 4×5 film – yikes) the family project, and TA’ing for the honorable Craig Stevens. No he is not a judge, but I’m a big fan, so he gets that title.

While in a great discussion in Professor Rebecca Nolan’s “photojournalism, media & culture” class – I happened upon the website of a phenomenal photographer, one that I must absolutely recommend you check out.

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He name is Benjamin Lowy – his website can be seen at this LINK

Inspirational stuff. By now everyone knows I am a fan of, aspire to, and live and breath conflict photojournalism.

Here is what I was struck by: (and ALAN I swear to god if you don’t look this up, I am going to knock you off your little bicycle when I see you next)

His use of the Holga toy camera, combined with using it to make panoramas, or “storylines” in the midst of places like Darfur, Iraq, and Afghanistan, is utterly genius. How I had wished Alan and I had struck apon this during the infamous “Distractions” project.

Benjamin explains on his website:

“Frustrated and bored working with digital cameras day in and out, I began using a “toy” camera that let me overlap images and create an abstract narrative. I decided that with using one roll of film I could create a storyline, which is what I took to calling them: A panoramic image representing an idea or space that I could not illustrate with my digital cameras”

Genius I tell you. Check out his website, all the photos are great, but the “Storyline” section is amazing. The images from the tsunami disaster are breathtaking, without relying on the blood&guts of the reality, but placing the viewer in an environment that truly captures the scope of the damage done.

To think people though Alan and I were crazy. Apparently, not crazy enough. Kudos to Mr. Lowy for taking a simple idea and making it gold.

So I started looking though my catalogs for my own panoramic images, of coarse! I found 1 I made from a Holga (I’ll be repeating this, for sure) and 2 from my 6×12 wooden Zero Image Pinhole. All were taken in and around Rockport ME, during the 2007 season of the Maine Media Workshops. 

Here they are for your viewing pleasure! (Click for larger view)

Holga:

Pinhole:

 

That’s it for now!

John