LensWork 129 Tablet Edition

LensWork
No. 129 April 2017 Tablet Edition

LensWork Tablet Edition
Photography and the Creative Process

Articles • Interviews • Portfolios
Brooks Jensen & Maureen Gallagher, Editors
Around Blejoi Bridge Seeing Through The Fog of Desert

Andrei Baciu Kathleen Pickard Jim Hontz
From Seeing in SIXES
The Playground Series Atop the Troposphere

Francisco Diaz & Deb Young Luc Busquin
Alumni Books Articles

Carol Golemboski Editor’s Comments
Psychometry A Plague of Technical Maestros
The Photograph as Experience

by Guy Tal
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Editor’s Comments
•
A Plague of Technical Maestros
Even if we don’t like opera, we nonetheless all acknowledge the great tenor
because what he does is so difficult — and we can’t. But how would our
appreciation of the great tenor change if suddenly we could all sing as well
the maestro, albeit with the aid of technology? Would it make a difference that
his accomplishment was the result of years of hard work and natural talent?
Or would yesterday’s accomplishment of merit become today’s ho-hum and
commonplace occurrence? Would we still admire the tenor with the same
sense of reverence and awe?
This is one of the core issues plaguing fine art photography today — and we
had better not pretend that it isn’t.
For almost all of photography’s history, making a photograph was an incredibly
complex thing. It required expensive equipment and very difficult-to-master
and arcane skills — chemical, artistic, and even physical skills in the darkroom.
As a result, only a relatively very few number of people could do it success-
fully at the highest levels. As a result of that, when one of those individuals
showed us a finished fine art photograph — even one we didn’t like or under-
stand — there arose in us the assumption that something significant exists
in what they had produced or they wouldn’t have produced it. In short,
we gave the great masters of photography the benefit of the doubt and kept
looking, searching for a better understanding of the master’s intent. We tried

to look closer, think more carefully, and allowed ourselves time to catch up to
the photographer’s sensitivities. We trusted the photographer and distrusted
our lack of understanding. It was up to us to dig deeper to find what was sig-
nificant, meaningful, and important. The challenge was for us to rise to the
master’s level of understanding.
Enter the new technologies

But then a “flip” occurred, like a top-heavy barrel in the middle of a lake. We
are now drowning in an ocean of images. Driving this flip was the simple fact
that the production of a photograph had become so easy, so instantaneous,
so mechanically driven that it’s almost a brainless activity — clearly not always,
but always can be. We photographic artists still strive for something more,
but technical superiority is no longer a differentiation between us and the
masses — at least in their minds. The primitive and mysterious technology
that used to amaze the audience has now been replaced by a new technol-
ogy that makes yesterday’s magic elicit only a yawn. No big deal. The public
are all maestros now — or think they are.
There is a serious consequence to this which may be almost invisible: People
no longer assume that the production of a photograph is the result of
arduous effort culminating in a significant accomplishment — let alone a
deep or meaningful piece of artwork.
In fact, it’s just the opposite. Because anyone can now make a technically good
image without putting even the tiniest amount of thought into it at all — as
is painfully obvious in even the shortest scan around the Internet — there
simply isn’t much to it. We’ve all heard the old “compliment” about our great
camera because our photographs are so good. We photographers may not
want to admit it, but there is some truth to it. We may take false solace in the
idea that “cameras don’t make photographs, people do,” but we might need
to rethink this now that we live in a new world teaming with advancing tech-
nology.
I’ve often put it this way: In the past, when the tourist at Wawona Point pulled
out their handheld 35mm camera and thought they would make a photograph
of Yosemite as good as Ansel Adams, we pulled the darkcloth over our head,
and snickered with secret arrogance. But today, when that tourist points their
smartphone or iPad at Halfdome, their photograph is likely to be pretty darned
good. In fact, it may be as good as ours, or at least so close to ours that we
should no longer snicker. So much for our exclusive priesthood. We snicker
at our own peril. George Eastman’s original idea has finally come true to the
very end — “You push the button and we do the rest.” We in this case are the
camera engineers, the software writers, creators of the Internet, and website
designers.
Who needs a maestro when an app is just as good? Of course, you and I may
not think it is “just as good,” but they do and so do their Facebook friends and
followers. We are all maestros now — or think we are.
What difference does this make? I believe a substantial one that changes the
very core of fine art photography as you and I practice it.
A fundamental shift
How do people think about photographs now that they are no longer rare?
Do they still revere photographic artists as sensitive souls with a special talent?
I suspect not. Now, when people see a photograph that they don’t like, don’t
appreciate, or don’t understand, they automatically assume the fault is in the
photograph. Their failure to connect with the photograph is not their fault, but
rather the photographer’s. The concept that an artist is taking us on a creative
journey with them is at risk of being lost.
Am I being too harsh? Perhaps, but a quick scan of any Internet chat room or
the ubiquitous “consumer ratings stars” will bear me out.
Viewed from another perspective, the audience for photography has become
unbelievably arrogant in their ignorance. No longer do viewers think they
have to do something to earn understanding — look more deeply, think more
expansively, become more sensitive, learn something about photography or
about art, or try to see from the photographer’s point of view. Viewing art-
work has become a matter of thumbs-up or thumbs-down — with little, if any,
effort to probe or understand what escapes instantaneous comprehension.
Where art used be a field of questions, now it is a field of opinions.
Let me be succinct: When artistic photographs were rare, it was assumed that
they were all significant to one degree or another. Today, fine art photographs
are not only commonplace, but overwhelmingly common, statistically few
of which are worth looking at — but all are likely to be technically excellent,
thanks to technological engineering.
This reality changes everything. We photographic artists had better take note
because it changes the way our work is viewed and perceived. Most impor-
tantly, we can no longer assume that people will give our work a second look
if it fails to connect with them at first glance. I used to spend hours trying to
divine the meaning in a Wynn Bullock abstract; today we’re fortunate if some-
one clicks the thumbnail on our web page so they can glance at a slightly
larger version — for a fraction of a second.
Ease of production and volume have changed everything

The great challenge of photography 100 years ago was for the few in the pho-
tographic priesthood to be considered an artist in a true art medium. Fifty
years ago, the great challenge was for fine art photography to be accessible
to the masses in an age in which galleries were rare and commercial printing
was primitive. Today the great challenge is to make a powerful and meaning-
fully important photographic statement that is visible amidst the umpteen
gazillion photographs that aren’t.
As an example, consider how we photographers spend our precious art-mak-
ing time. In a less technologically advanced age, almost all of our work went
into creating better photographs and more meaningful artwork. Indeed, I know
many photographers who spent almost no time on the issues of distribu-
tion, sales, or exhibition of their work. When I think of those photographers
of long ago compared to what I observe today, it’s a shocking shift. Now that
the technology can be mastered with an app or a mouse click (well, almost),
a great deal of the life of a photographer has degenerated into the search
for visibility — social media, website ratings, Google Analytics, and publishing
possibilities. I have repeatedly heard from workshop instructors that 20 years
ago all their workshop students wanted to learn how to make better photo-
graphs. Now, the hot topic is how to sell their work via exhibitions and pub-
lishing. Photography has flipped from a pursuit of understanding (both content
and technique) to a pursuit of fame and social visibility. The vacuum left by the
elimination of technical complexity has been filled with massive quantity and
the invisibility that goes with it. The time we used to spend mastering our
craft is now spent updating our Facebook page.
Consider a less esoteric example: our relationship to the physical print. Those
of us who grew up with photography in the 1940-1990s have a fundamen-
tally different attitude to the physical photograph than those who came into
photography after the iPhone. I recently had two separate conversations with
Jurassic Age photographers both of whom were experiencing an existential
crisis because their inkjet printers had died. Like me, these two photographers
had been life-long printers. Unexpectedly, both of these photographers found
themselves questioning the importance of investing in new equipment so
they could once again make prints. During the first 30 years of my photog-
raphy career, the most important decision about where I chose to live was
always whether or not the house, apartment, or condo would accommodate
my darkroom. I understood precisely the existential crisis these two photo-
graphic friends of mine were experiencing.
Before digital photography, it would never have occurred to any of us to aban-
don making prints. “Making prints” and “being a photographer” were two
ways of saying the same thing. Today, contemplating a print-less creative life
in photography has crept into possibility. Sure, such blasphemous thoughts
don’t have anything to do with our pursuit of meaning and depth in our pho-
tography, but do point to how the changes in photographic technology have
made an impact in our relationship with materials and motivations.
Please do not misunderstand: I’m not bemoaning any of this. I would not
want to go back to the time in which the only visible artwork was that work
that was approved by the art establishment. I love the technology that allows
me to focus on content rather than materials. I’m not feeling nostalgic for
what used to be, but I do think there are some implications that accompany
these foundational changes that need to be contemplated, understood, and
might just change us as we do so. What are the implications for those of us
who are trying to use photography to make personally expressive artwork?
What are the implications for those of us who are trying to pursue meaning,
understanding, and depth in our lives rather than mere entertainment? How
is art-making different for us than it was, say, for Minor White? How is looking
at a photograph different for our audience than it was, say, for Brett Weston’s?
Should we simplify our work so today’s casual (and possibly uneducated) audi-
ence can understand it at a glance? (Were Shakespeare’s plays popular with
the masses because he dumbed them down? Or because he commanded
his craft so well that even the average person could appreciate them?) Do
we ignore the tsunami of photographs overwhelming our culture, or do we
need to somehow change in their wake? If so, how?
Musicians, novelists, actors, dancers, sculptors, and painters are seen (in degrees
of their ability) as artists because they can do what the average person cannot.
However, when anyone can be a pretty fair “photographer” because they
own a good camera, (or tablet, or phone), then what? Worse, when everyone
thinks they can understand a photograph without effort, what is the future
of fine art photography? How do we connect with an audience who seems
only willing to rate our work based on how well they agree with our vision?
Is there no longer room for challenging artwork that asks something of the
viewer before they rate our work with zero stars?
The Life and Happenings
around Blejoi Bridge
Andrei Baciu
W ise men say that — at first look — a stone is merely a stone.

Then, waking up and feeling that, beyond the empirical,
there may be Something else, a stone is no longer a stone. Finally,
in Divinity, a stone becomes once again a stone, exactly because
its profound role was grasped. The Blejoi Railroad Bridge is my
“stone.”
Built by the Germans during WWII, the Blejoi Bridge crosses the
Teleajen River in Prahova County, Romania. Used mostly for foot
traffic these days, the occasional train can be seen lumbering
along its aging but sturdy expanse from time to time. A parallel
bridge was built for vehicles, but I am interested in the enduring
use of this train trestle. Located in proximity to my home and
work, the Blejoi Bridge intersects my daily travels, so I have ongo-
ing opportunities to observe and photograph. Although I have
been crossing The Blejoi Bridge all my life, it is only recently that
I began to appreciate and photograph the life and happenings
that quietly occur around this otherwise prosaic bridge.
The multitude of people passing by, the river beneath it, and also
the industrial ”fragrance” of the surroundings have always been of
interest to me. However, one may be disappointed by this place
during the long periods of time in which nothing happens — long,
profane standstills — but this too is daily life.
For the patient photographer, however, bursts of magical time
eventually flood everything with their translucent light. Men and
bicycles, birds, dogs and horses, children playing or going to school,
adults heading for work past the deserted watchman’s hut, fisher-
men, old people minding their own (or someone else’s) business,
individuals and groups, some in high spirits, some not — all of
them become, suddenly, actors in a mysterious play they don’t
even know they’re in, yet a play by no means less real.
One of the most intense experiences — not only from this series,

but also from my whole (photographic) life — took place the very
first time at this place. As I observed from the bridge, an old man
with a cane appeared on the road beneath the bridge. As if on
queue, crows began to appear. At a certain point, the old man
turned away from me, facing the fog in the distance — as if he
might vanish into it. At that precise moment, the sky filled with
a flock of raucous crows, cawing and circling. What had initially
been a prosaic scene transformed, for just a second, into a pro-
found allegory (of life itself, if you ask me), which I was not only
witnessing, but, at a deeper level, I was really living, with all my
being.
As it always happens with photography, I learned a lot of things
in creating this project. Maybe the most important lesson was
that of patience and trying to open myself to the life in front
(and inside) of me. As the maxim goes: do not speak unless spoken
through.
Andrei Baciu (Born 1983, Măgurele, Romania):

A philologist with a PhD in Romanian literature,
Andrei works as a high school literature teacher.
A self-described amateur photographer, he
explains, “I strive to be, at least in the etymological
sense of the word ‘amateur,’ which, as we know,
comes from the Latin ‘to love.’ Photography is,
indeed, a way of being, of understanding the
exterior world and myself. More than anything,
photography is, really, a blessing and (I like to think that) I give my best to
live up to it.” Andrei photographs mainly in a 100-kilometer radius on the
hilly surroundings of his natal village in central Romania. He co-authored the
book De ce fotografia? (Why Photography?). Andrei lives in Măgurele, a village
in Prahova County, Romania, where he was born.
Andrei Baciu
ierdnaclaudiu@yahoo.com
www.andreibaciu.ro
Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Andrei Baciu

Layout and PDF presentation © 2017 LensWork Publishing
Seeing Through
Kathleen Pickard
T he vision of this project was established when I was a pre-

schooler — although it took many years for me to realize
it. Around age five I discovered a maltreated paperweight in a
basketful of junk in the basement of our home. It was abraded
and deeply chipped, as if someone had used it as a hammer.
I was enthralled by it. I found that, if I held it just the right way,
I could see a tantalizing array of colors and shapes through the
small areas of undamaged glass. I added it to my small collection
of important things.
Many years later, in 2008, when we had made the transition to
digital photography, my husband and I rented a cottage on the
rocky shores of Georgian Bay — which is the northeastern arm of
Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. The weather that particular week
was unrelenting sun and cloudless blue skies: a cottager’s dream
but a photographer’s nightmare. Even so, I ventured out to the
bay, camera in hand.
I stood at the water’s edge, then stepped in up to my ankles, and
then over my knees — photographing all the while. I discovered
that the frigid water of Georgian Bay is so clear that it’s difficult
to judge its depth! I also discovered that I could look through the
sunlit ripples on the water’s surface and watch the moving water
constantly shape and reshape the pebbles and rocks illuminated
beneath my feet. The effect was mesmerizing. I stayed there until
my feet were numb and the card in my Nikon D300 was full.
When I reviewed the day’s photos, I was delighted; I felt I had cap-
tured something of the elusive spirit of Georgian Bay. I was instantly
hooked on photographing water — moving water — looking
upon its surface and, simultaneously, seeing through it. Like
other photographers, I’m in photographic bliss when favorable
conditions occur. Until then, I had no idea that midday sun could
be counted among them.
I love to find surprises in my photographs. No matter how often
I do this kind of shooting, or how practiced my technique, I find
that serendipity ultimately reigns. So, when we experienced two
uncharacteristically still, summery weeks in Newfoundland this
past June, I was cheerful even though the icebergs were melt-
ing as we watched. For me, the sunlight upon the icy waters of
the North Atlantic and the multi-hued pebble beaches of the
Bonavista Peninsula were more than adequate compensation.
While reviewing these images, that moment of discovery when
I was five years old returned. I recognized in them that worn
millefiori paperweight. The dots were finally connected. My adult
fascination with shoreline photography was not at all far removed
from my childhood enchantment with the colors in that dam-
aged chunk of glass. Having been polished back to transparency,
it is now sitting on the table in front of me. This project proved
to me how enduring early influences can be in one’s creative life.
Kathleen Pickard (Born 1950, Simcoe, Ontario,

Canada): An optometrist since 1974, Kathleen’s voca-
tion was augmented in 1979 by a “serious avocation” to
photography, when she learned of the work of noted
Canadian photographer, Freeman Patterson. Over the
next decade, she took numerous week-long workshops
with Freeman in New Brunswick. She explains, “Over 35
years later, photography has become an increasingly important part of my life,
and my principal creative outlet.” Kathleen’s project, Winter Vitrine, was selected
for inclusion in LensWork’s Seeing in SIXES 2016. She and her husband Larry
Monczka (a LensWork Alumnus) have shown work together and published a
Blurb book titled, Seldom Seen in 2016. Kathleen and Larry live in the hamlet
of Port Ryerse on the north shore of Lake Erie, in Southern Ontario, Canada.
Kathleen Pickard
kathleenmpickard@gmail.com
www.raraavisphotos.com
Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Kathleen Pickard

A six-image project from Seeing in SIXES 2016
The Fog of Desert

by Jim Hontz hontzphotography.com ◆ hontzy@comcast.net
Fog in the desert seems a paradox. It usually follows a heavy winter

rain and a cold night. Desert fog is contradictory to one’s paradigm of
a blistering, arid land inhabited by exotic, specialized life forms
designed to conserve every drop of moisture for their very survival.
To wander in this rare Sonoran murk in southern Arizona is to

submit to sensory deprivation. The mist subdues footsteps; voices
seem muffled in cotton. Distance is foreshortened by a gray curtain
through which ghostly saguaros advance and retreat as if from
a fantastic, silent dream. The mist is tenuous as it teases those
forces which seek to disperse it or enter it.
These blended images are a collective impression of the beautiful

mystery of this otherworldly landscape.
*Editor’s Note: Our LensWork community book project, Seeing in Sixes, was a huge success! As a bonus to select photographers, we will be
sharing one six-image entry in each issue of LensWork. We hope you find the work inspiring, and consider entering your work in 2017!
Back for 2017!

Now accepting entries!
Seeing in
Six-image Projects from LensWork Readers*

II
Submit one or more entries now!
Deadline for entries is June 15, 2017
Everyone who enters will receive a book (One copy per entrant.)
whether or not your work is selected for publication.
The book will be completed and printed in July 2017,

and mailed in September 2017.
Retail price for the book will be $34.95 (plus shipping).
Entry instructions and details at www.lenswork.com

* You do not need to be a LensWork subscriber to enter.
A Call for Entries

Announcing the 2017 LensWork Community Book Project
Last year’s Seeing in SIXES was such a success, we’re publishing another book
in 2017! This book will feature the work of our readers — like you! perhaps
you! — printed with the quality you’ve come to expect from us. This promises to
be an important and substantial survey of the LensWork community: subscribers
as well as non-subscribers.
Juried events are fairly common in photography — in the form of magazine con-
tests, gallery exhibitions, and even state fairs! We’ve always avoided that type of
thing here, but in some sense, LensWork itself is “juried” — i.e., not everyone who
submits work for review can be published. We do our best to bring you the best
of what we see — and to some degree you subscribe to LensWork because you
value our editorial process. That’s the nature of anthology publications.
We are firm and unshakable in our commitment to an “open submission policy”
for LensWork itself. We never have, nor ever will, require a “submission fee” for
LensWork as so many other magazines do.
Now Accepting Submissions for 2017

We are already receiving entries for Seeing in SIXES 2017. This book publishing
project will give life to small projects of six images, selected from entries, funded
by entry fees, printed with the museum-book quality you’ve come to expect
from LensWork Publishing, including both black-and-white and color work.
• First, everyone who enters will receive a copy of the finished book later
this year — in September 2017. (One copy per entrant.)
• Projects must be 6 images exactly (an arbitrary, but inflexible number that
places on these projects a haiku-like structure).
• Each project will be presented in a 6-page spread in the finished book
• A project title is recommended
• Other optional components are at the photographer’s discretion — sub-

title, a sentence or paragraph of introductory text, image titles or captions,
poem, etc.
• Each project will include contact information for the photographer (e.g.,
email, website, Facebook)
Examples
As an example of what was included in last year’s Seeing in SIXES book, we’ve
included the 6-image project “The Fog of Desert” in this issue featuring color
work by Jim Hontz. Other examples (with well-written text) were published in
issues #127 and #128. Although text isn’t necessary for the 2017 publication of
Seeing in SIXES, we will be giving those entries with well-written text a higher
rating..
Last year, many participants told us that simply going through the process of
preparing an entry served to improve their skills in identifying a project, picture
editing, sequencing, and writing — and that getting published is a bonus.
We’ll share a few of their comments on the following page...
Comments from photographers who entered work in “SIXES” 2016

“Exceptional * Inspirational * Phenome- “Although my work wasn’t selected for pub-
nal * Unprecedented!!!! I recently received lication, I must say that the ‘artistic exercise”
my copies of Seeing in Sixes and was over- of editing, sequencing, writing, and actually
whelmed with the absolute beauty and high sending in my entry was well-worth the
quality printing that I’ve come to expect from small entry fee. Then, when I received the
LensWork. Congratulations on the superb job free ‘entrant’s copy’ of the book I was curious,
you’ve both done throughout the process. of course, to see which entries were selected.
Already looking forward to next year’s sub- I did not come away disappointed. Far from
mission and final product.” ~ Joanne Scherf it. The diversity of artistic vision is truly stun-
(Entry Published) ning and inspiring. ~ G. Casalon
“Pleased with the book is an understatement. “You hit it out of the park with this effort. Your
Even if my images were not published in it is dedication to quality is unmatched.”
one of finest photo books I own and my ~ Jack Brinn
library is fairly large. The work of 50 very tal-
“It looks fantastic — the color reproduction
ented photographers, 300 pages of incredi-
of my project was spot on. Thank you, thank
ble photography exquisitely printed, no ads,
you, thank you!” ~ Lori Pond (Entry Published)
no reviews, no gear and definitely no critics
highbrow intro and commentary make this “WHAT A MASTERPIECE! Now it’s time to
a remarkable treasure. I should have ordered slowly assimilate those wonderful visual sto-
more at the $25 price.” ~ Robert Hansen ries in the next weeks. Months. Years. Greet-
ings from Coimbra, Portugal.” ~ Carlos Dias
“I looked at the book yesterday. It is wonder-
ful, fantastic, better than I could have (or did) “The four copies arrived safely here in Paris.
imagine. With 1,900 entries, I don’t feel so Already I can tell looking at the published
bad about not being selected. It is incredibly materials will take some time to fully appre-
rich and varied in subject matter, style, and ciate. There’s so much great stuff in there.
mood. Every photographer should get this What an effort! Congrats on a job well juried/
book and study it.” ~ Gary Anthes edited/published. ~ Christopher Mark Perez
(Entry Published)
This book transcends my expectations, and
I’m proud to be in the company of some “We got our box of Seeing in Sixes a few days
many excellent photographers. As another ago. Just a word to let you know how thrilled
book seems to be in planning for next year... we both are at the quality and contents of
I seek once again to make it into the final this labour of love. It has been very stimu-
volume. There is no other publication or lating to page through the book together,
publishing company that has been so bold blending our oohs and ahhs into a chorus
or accomplished so much to expand the of praise and surprise.” ~ Kathleen Pickard
narrow views of the art photography estab- (Entry Published)
lishment. ~ Emery Roth (Entry Published)
Deadline for entries is June 15, 2017

XX You must enter to be considered for inclusion in this juried publication!
XX Everyone who submits a body of work for consideration will receive a copy
of the finished book in September 2017. (One copy per entrant.)
XX Projects must be 6 images exactly (an arbitrary, but inflexible number that
places on these projects a haiku-like structure).
XX Selected entries will appear in a 6-page spread in the finished book.
XX Entries may be color or black-and-white!
XX A project title (with or without subtitle) is recommended.
XX Other optional components are at the photographer’s discretion: subtitle,

a sentence or paragraph of introductory text, image titles or captions, poetry,
narrative, etc.
XX Contact information for the photographer (e.g., email, website, Facebook)

will be included with each published project.
XX Entry via online submission only. Seeing in SIXES detailed entry instruc-
tions and entry forms can be found at www.lenswork.com.
XX Entry fee is $45 for the first project, $25 for each additional project. There is
no limitation on the number of projects you may submit. Remember, everyone
who submits a project will receive one finished book in Sept 2016. (One copy per entrant.)
XX Unlike many other juried publications, you retain all copyrights to your
images and written materials. LensWork is granted one-time only publication
rights only.
XX Additional books will be available for purchase by you and LensWork readers!
Entry instructions and details at www.lenswork.com

New Alumni Books Feature!

With this issue of LensWork, we continue our new feature that will appear regularly. There are so many
great books being published by LensWork alumni that deserve to be seen and collected! In this new book
feature, we are proud to bring you a preview of some of these outstanding publications you might not
otherwise see in your local bookstore. – The Editors
Psychometry by Carol Golemboski

Editor’s notes: We first published work from Carol Golemboski’s project
Psychometry in LensWork and LensWork Extended #59 (Jul-Aug 2005). We could
not be happier to announce that Golemboski’s innovative work is at long
last available in a new book. This beautifully printed hardbound features 46
images (including those published in LensWork) plus three illuminating trans-
lucent overlays that demonstrate her unique printing technique. Using hand-
drawn elements that are captured on transparent acetate, she prints through
these acetates onto gelatin silver
paper rendering her handwork in
her gelatin silver prints. Ghostly
and captivating, these graphic
elements make her photographs
seem almost possessed — or at
the very least, haunted!
From the Introduction in
LensWork #59: I always thought
I would write fiction; I love mys-
tery and ghost stories, and even
as a child would write short stories
with twist endings. As a visual
artist I’m able to satisfy my writing
Title
interests in this body of work by creating dark, fictional stories, then express-
ing those stories as photographs.
My series, Psychometry, refers to the pseudo-science of “object reading.” This
is a psychic ability claimed by certain individuals to divine the history of items
with which they come into close contact. The objects I photograph, which
I find in flea markets, estate sales, and antique shops, already have their own
unknowable histories. They range from ordinary belongings like doll houses
and bird cages to symbolically charged items that suggest the human figure,
such as dress forms, leg braces, and wigs.
— Carol Golemboski
Photographer
Book Specifications:
Dimensions: 11” tall by 9¼” wide
Binding & Pages: Hardbound - 88 pages
Images: 46 monochrome images, 3 translucent overlays
Printing: Printed in Italy using 300-line screen duotone
Text: “A Visit” by Shirley Jackson
Published by: Flash Powder Projects
ISBN: 978-1-943948-02-4
To Purchase: Visit www.carolgolemboski.com
Alumni Books: Psychometry by Carol Golemboski
Bending Spoons
Birdcage
Home Away from Home

Planisphère Céleste
Safe
The Playground Series
Francisco Diaz & Deb Young

T he International Collaboration Project was founded by

award-winning artists Francisco Diaz from the USA and Deb
Young from New Zealand — with the vision of establishing “virtual”
international artistic collaborations of concept-based works. Each
International Collaboration Project series is designed so every piece
in the collection calls into question what is real and what is not
real. Each work presents a conceptual theme but also encourages
the viewer to see more, as they look deeper, only to realize that
nothing is truly real.
The Playground Series collaboration started after one of Frank’s
photo buddies sent him ten friend connections; the first connec-
tion was New Zealand’s Deb Young. Newly acquainted with each
others’ work through Facebook, they used the social media giant
as a portal for discussion of art and the creative process. Facebook
became their digital version of the artists’ hangout.
For their first collaboration, they went out photographing on the
same day in their respective areas. Later, when they met online,
they discovered that they had both captured scenes of playground
interaction. As is their process, they discussed what playgrounds
meant to them as kids, the fun of exploring, bullying, being left
out, new adventures, and the complexities of playground society
from a child’s perspective.
Diaz and Young have learned the importance of planning out each
image before creating it. Montage, in their work, is about having
the completed image look, upon first glance, as if it were a single
photo. To facilitate the sharing of images, they employ WeTransfer,
Dropbox, texting, emailing, and Facebook direct message. To
create works together in real time they use remote-access soft-
ware, Skype and Oovoo. They can also view through each others’
camera using a tethering setup while screen sharing. They use
different software for post-processing, explaining, “The process of
photomontaging needs to result in a seamless construct of mul-

tiple elements from a myriad of lighting conditions and vantage
points. Post-processing is like a conductor maintaining control of
the visual symphony.”
Embracing the 21st century digital era sparked this innovation
where art photographers collaborate from different corners of the
globe, blending creative energies as an example of true cooper-
ation amongst global strangers in these difficult times.
Francisco Diaz (Born 1962, Brooklyn, New York: Before pho-

tography, Francisco was a painter and performance artist.
Interestingly, one of the biggest impacts on his life was a cheap
supermarket encyclopedia that introduced him to Leonardo
da Vinci and the concept of the Renaissance Man. He earned
a BA and an MA in studio art. Because of his background in
painting, he conceptualizes his photographic approach with his collaborator,
Deb Young, in painterly ways. He explains, “My input in our concept discus-
sions leans toward structural, spatial, and color ideas.” Dutch/Flemish paint-
ing of the 15th century inspires him, along with such cinematic directors as
Hitchcock, Peckinpaw, Tarantino, Kurasawa, Woo, and Boyle. Francisco lives in
Montclair, New Jersey.
Deb Young (Born 1963, Christchurch, New Zealand): Deb

first became interested in photography as a teenager but
her passion truly ignited when she started working for New
Zealand Photography magazine. Later she would receive her
Photographic Society of New Zealand licentiate certification.
She explains, “I embraced photography because I wanted to
create images that related to documentary work in their look, but were, in real-
ity, created images.” Young’s influences are photographers like Robert Frank,
Daido Moriyama, Fred Herzog, director Alfred Hitchcock and the Hudson River
School of painting. Recently, her collaboration with Francisco Diaz was selected
to appear in the new book, Fossils of Light + Time. Deb lives in Auckland, New
Zealand.
Francisco Diaz & Deb Young
fotography121@gmail.com
www.diaz-young.com
Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Francisco Diaz & Deb Young
LensWork Extended Tablet Edition
LensWork Monogr aphs

Superb printing • Affordable price!
Three books delivered for just $35 per year!

That’s only $11.67 per book! (Additional postage applies for delivery to foreign addresses.)
“While I am not prone to write to people and express my feelings or impressions on anyone’s work (I’m not qualified),
I felt I had to in your case. This past week I received your Monograph Made of Steel and just had to say it was one of
the most beautiful book of images that I have seen for a long time. Such wonderful images, it reminded me of the
work from the likes of Walker Evans, and the books that I used to get from The Friends of Photography back in the 80’s.”
~ K. Randolph, Eagon, MN
“Recently I received Monograph #5 with the beautiful work of Kim Kauffman. It is a tribute to her vision, and to your
unrivaled attention to design and reproduction. Congratulations to Kim, and to your staff.” ~ M. Ross, Oakland, CA
“I just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with your latest monograph of Michael Reichmann’s photographs.
[Mexico: The Light & The Warmth] The photographs are stunning and they are equaled by their presentation. In fact,
it would be impossible to separate presentation from content. They speak as one.” ~ J. Liebenberg, Watkins Glen, NY
• Three books per year via subscription

• Independent, stand-alone, book-length publications featuring the work
of one photographer, or a single theme
• Monographs of color work as well as black-and-white duotone projects
• 72 pages with state-of-the-art, museum-book quality printing
• Larger than LensWork, the Monographs are 9” x 8”
• The same exquisite 20-micron dot stochastic printing you’ve seen in
LensWork (equivalent to 300 line screen)
• Printed on the same gorgeous, high-opacity, matte surface paper as we
use in LensWork
• Each volume designed independently, but as a part of the LensWork
Monograph series
• Available only by subscription*, mailed directly to Monograph
subscribers.
Subscribe at http://shop.lenswork.com or by calling 800-659-2130

Subscribe Now!
The next three monographs, in black-and-white, will include:
#10 • Chuck Kimmerle “Peripheral Vision” (The American Prairie)

#11 • Dalang Shao “Another West Lake” (Images from China)
#12 • Louis Montrose “Workers in India”
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Atop the Troposphere
Luc Busquin
E ver since I can remember, I’ve been captivated by kites, airplanes,

rockets, clouds, and stars. There is little doubt in my mind that
I was destined to become a pilot. For the past twenty years I’ve
crisscrossed the skies of Europe and America as a professional
pilot. I’ve experienced and photographed the wonder of our
Earth while cruising atop the troposphere between 30,000 and
40,000 feet. As a photographer, one of my objectives is to offer
the viewer a new perspective by filtering out the presence of the
airplane.
For this series I was heavily influenced by the writing of Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry (b. 1900 d. 1944) who was an aviation pioneer,
a poet, and a writer. As a teenager I read his books — Southern
Mail, Night Flight, Wind, Sand and Stars, The Little Prince, etc.— which
imprinted themselves on my young imagination. I always knew
that his work had steered me toward my chosen profession, but
it was only late in this project that I realized how much his writing
had influenced my art.
As a pilot, I’ve reflected on the pioneer aviators of the 1920s and
1930s who flew the first regular air-mail routes. Their machines
took them farther, higher, and faster than ever before. For the first
time, they overflew mountains, deserts, oceans, and even war
zones; they connected cities and people on different continents
faster than ever before. Those experiences must have given them
a unique awareness and a sense of scale, of oneness, of wonder,
and of fragility; a sense of what is futile, and what matters.
Perspective (as in altitude) makes a significant difference in how
and what we see. From the viewpoint of an ant to that of an astro-
naut, one’s perspective of the world changes dramatically. With
altitude, the tree disappears in the forest, but the forest appears
out of the trees; with higher altitude still, the forest gives way to
networks of forests and fields.
As a simple example: during a flight with my wife, Laura, we saw

a rainbow. When seen from land, rainbows terminate at “the
pot of gold” on the ground. In the air, however, the full circle of
a rainbow is seen with the shadow of the airplane in the center.
It wasn’t until fifteen years later that I was finally able to bring her
a digital photo of a full rainbow. Over time I’ve learned a little
about what matters.
From atop the troposphere man’s largest efforts are overshadowed
by nature’s grand scale. The great cities, with their enormous pop-
ulations, shrink from sight. The view from atop the troposphere
allows me to share a unique look at our planet, and to a degree,
humanity. Seen from this perspective, we do not see humans, but
rather the industry of humans: the patchwork of farms or a grid
of oil wells. From this perspective, Nature dwarfs man in every
way. By comparison we are small and fragile — and because we
are so dependant on this home, it is wise for us to preserve Earth
while enjoying Her unequaled beauty.
Luc Busquin (Born 1973, Haine-St-Paul, Belgium): Since

childhood, Luc has pursued his fascination for the sky
and his interest in photography. As a way of self-in-
struction, he would borrow his father’s camera to take
pictures of airplanes, and would pore over old pho-
tography books. Now a professional pilot, Luc unites
his passions to create a unique vision of the world, as
well as its relationship to the inhabitants and the land
below. He explains, “The technical aspect of photogra-
phy provided the initial appeal, but the aesthetic sustained my interest. Today,
both my passion for the skies and for photography are very much alive. Pho-
tography gives me a creative outlet that’s missing in my career as a pilot.” Luc
moved to the US in 2002. He lives in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Laura, their two
children (Hannah 22 and Jérôme 14), and their five cats.
Kings Canyon, California

Green River #5, Utah

Cloud, Fry Canyon, Utah

Cumulonimbus #5
Minnesota Winter
Cumulonimbus and Lightning at Night

Mount Shasta, California

Fields, near Wayne, Nebraska Fracked Oil Wells, near Midland, Texas
Port of Los Angeles, California Farms, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

L’Anguille River, Arkansas

Green River #3, Utah

Irrigation Canals, California

Farming, Center, Colorado

Offshore Platforms, California

Escalante River, Utah

Cumulonimbus #10
Desert Rain, Henderson, Nevada

Luc Busquin
luc.busquin@gmail.com
www.lucbusquin.com
Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Luc Busquin

Creative Thinking with Guy Tal

•
The Photograph as Experience
All art is concerned with coming into being, i.e. with contriving and
considering how something may come into being … whose origin is in the
maker and not in the thing made; for art is concerned neither with things
that are, or come into being, by necessity, nor with things that do so in
accordance with nature (since these have their origin in themselves).
~ Aristotle
Photography is commonly practiced as a means of memorializing an experi-

ence — something the photographer saw and was moved to capture and to
show as-seen to others who might find it interesting, moving, or otherwise
useful. It may come as an inconvenient truth, however, that formal definitions
of art explicitly exclude things that occur naturally or without conscious appli-
cation of creative human skill — bringing something into being that did not
exist before, and that could not exist independent of the mind and skill of
a creative individual. By bringing new things into being, art does not mimic
reality but expands and enlarges reality.
The word art derives from the Latin artem, referring specifically to things created
by human skill and craftsmanship, as opposed to things occurring randomly
and naturally. The Encyclopedia Britannica offers this definition for visual art:
“a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of
skill or imagination.” Although “object or experience” implies that just about
anything we can perceive with our senses may qualify as a work of art, the
more restrictive part of the definition is in the words “consciously created,”
suggesting that art is a product of a deliberate act by a human agent. More

importantly, it suggests that naturally or randomly occurring phenomena, as
well as creations made by unconscious machines, no matter how aesthetic
or inspiring, do not meet the definition.
I will go a step further and suggest that even some aesthetic creations made
consciously should not be considered as art, or at least not as particularly
meaningful art. It is quite easy to produce works of great beauty by following
simple directions and/or by application of prescribed techniques and without
creative intent or investment of imagination. Indeed, if anyone who can make
a pretty photograph, regardless of whether it is original, creative or expressive,
can be considered an artist, then the word ceases to possess the power to
differentiate or to serve as a measure of value, and becomes quite meaning-
less.
Ansel Adams used the term “departure from reality” to describe the qualities
in his photographs that transcend literal transcription of things as-seen, and
that set such photographs apart as creative art rather than representations
of actual experience. The term is also useful in that it allows for variations in
the extent of such departures — some photographs may “depart” more than
others.
Rather than departures from reality, however, I prefer to think of my photographs
as extensions of reality. My experiences are innately linked with the reasons
I practice photography, and inspire the inner states that I wish to express in
my photographs. I do not wish to repudiate or obfuscate my experiences, but
rather to employ some of their visual qualities in expressing something of my
subjective state of mind. Put another way, I do not wish to depart from reality;
I wish to add something to it — something of my own mind and imagination.
The things I wish to express in my photographs may transcend the strictest
concept of reality — an objective representation of something that a random
observer might see if present to witness it. But my photographs, once made,
become part of a new reality for those who view them. They add something
to reality that would not have existed if I had not created it, but that is just as
real as anything that existed before them.
I consider the photograph not as a representation of an experience, but rather

as an experience in itself — a new experience that I made possible for others,
and which can stand on its own, independent of the conditions of its origin.
In the ways and places that I work, it is unlikely that such information as geo-
graphic location or other trivia will be of any real consequence to the viewer,
who likely will never experience them in person and certainly not share my
subjective impressions of, and relationships with, them. But my photographs
may still impart such sensations as beauty, solitude, romance, joy, wistfulness,
hope or melancholy — deliberately created by my treatment of composition
and processing so that the resulting photographs express not just what an
experience looked like, but also my subjective feelings about it.
Formally, I am a full-time professional photographer.

I am not the typical pro in that I make most of
my income not from selling photographs but
from teaching, speaking, mentoring, and writing
about photography. I do not consider myself
a photographer who produces art, but rather an
artist working in the medium of photography.
www.guytal.com
Publishers & Editors

Brooks Jensen
Maureen Gallagher
Layout & Design

Brooks Jensen
Crystal Baird
The contents of this computer media are copyrighted materials.
Please note that this computer file has been sold as a consumer
product for the private non-commercial use of the purchaser
only. Its contents are copyrighted in its entirety and may not be
duplicated by any means for use other than the original purchaser.
Each article, portfolio and photographic image is copyrighted by
the author or photographer and may not be duplicated for any
purpose or by any means without their consent.
Please play fair.
© 2017 LensWork Publishing

LensWork Publishing
1004 Commercial Ave, PMB #588
Anacortes, WA 98221-4117 U.S.A.
USA TOLL FREE 1-800-659-2130
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Email editor@lenswork.com
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LensWork 129 Tablet Edition

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LensWork

No. 129 April 2017 Tablet Edition

Photography and the Creative Process

Around Blejoi Bridge Seeing Through The Fog of Desert

The Playground Series Atop the Troposphere

Alumni Books Articles

The Photograph as Experience

LensWork Ink & Digital

LensWork Bimonthly Magazine

LensWork Tablet Edition + EXTENDED Computer Edition

• LensWork Tablet Edition for iPad or Android tablets

LensWork Monograph Books

LensWork Online 2017

ӹӹ LensWork Tablet & Computer Editions

daily.lenswork.com To shop online: shop.lenswork.com

A Plague of Technical Maestros

looking, searching for a better understanding of the master’s intent. We tried

Enter the new technologies

Ease of production and volume have changed everything

W ise men say that — at first look — a stone is merely a stone.

One of the most intense experiences — not only from this series,

Andrei Baciu (Born 1983, Măgurele, Romania):

Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Andrei Baciu

T he vision of this project was established when I was a pre-

Kathleen Pickard (Born 1950, Simcoe, Ontario,

Images and text in this portfolio © 2017 Kathleen Pickard

The Fog of Desert

Fog in the desert seems a paradox. It usually follows a heavy winter

To wander in this rare Sonoran murk in southern Arizona is to

These blended images are a collective impression of the beautiful

Back for 2017!

Six-image Projects from LensWork Readers*

The book will be completed and printed in July 2017,

Retail price for the book will be $34.95 (plus shipping).

Entry instructions and details at www.lenswork.com

A Call for Entries

Now Accepting Submissions for 2017

• Other optional components are at the photographer’s discretion — sub-

Comments from photographers who entered work in “SIXES” 2016

Deadline for entries is June 15, 2017

XX Selected entries will appear in a 6-page spread in the finished book.

XX Entries may be color or black-and-white!

XX A project title (with or without subtitle) is recommended.

XX Other optional components are at the photographer’s discretion: subtitle,

XX Contact information for the photographer (e.g., email, website, Facebook)

Entry instructions and details at www.lenswork.com

New Alumni Books Feature!

Psychometry by Carol Golemboski

Home Away from Home

Francisco Diaz & Deb Young

T he International Collaboration Project was founded by

photomontaging needs to result in a seamless construct of mul-

Francisco Diaz (Born 1962, Brooklyn, New York: Before pho-

Deb Young (Born 1963, Christchurch, New Zealand): Deb

LensWork Monogr aphs

Three books delivered for just $35 per year!

• Three books per year via subscription

Subscribe at http://shop.lenswork.com or by calling 800-659-2130

#10 • Chuck Kimmerle “Peripheral Vision” (The American Prairie)

E ver since I can remember, I’ve been captivated by kites, airplanes,

As a simple example: during a flight with my wife, Laura, we saw

Luc Busquin (Born 1973, Haine-St-Paul, Belgium): Since

Kings Canyon, California

Green River #5, Utah