New New New Topographics

by Jody Lepinot

When I started photographing houses in my suburban neighborhood, and realized how much I loved doing that, I thought I was weird. Who takes pictures of that? Then I was introduced to the exhibit called “New Topographics:Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape” and I was inspired. Not only did I discover that suburban architecture was actually an “OK” subject to photograph, I realized that what I was doing (and still do) has a history.

As I read more about New Topographics, I found that although this exhibit in 1975 wasn’t a big hit at the time, it was a critical turning point for landscape photography. Although many called itboring and banal, the Ansel Adams kind of approach to photographing pristine landscapes was no longer the only way to think about landscape photography. It was time to photograph what “is” in the landscape where we live, “at the interface of nature and culture”.[1]

Over the next decade or so, these “dead-pan” scenes of suburban tract houses, telephone booths, and commercial buildings began to be seen as intentionally neutral to allow a range of interpretations. With more passage of time, the New Topographics became something people called a style, rather than an important departure from the past. [1] Today there are many people photographing in a style that can be loosely called “new topographics”. There are groups on Flickr called “Neotopografia”, “New Topographics”, “The New Topographics”, and many more related groups. Many people are photographing non-populated scenes of houses and other everyday structures and objects, often in formal compositions. I’m attracted to this style and this work.

I began musing on how the New Topographics exhibit has influenced landscape photography today beyond just adoption of the style, and discovered some very interesting work. On a website called Places (https://placesjournal.org/explore-places/urbanism/), I found Peter Keyes. He created a project called “Still Life with Cone, Standpipe and Caution Tape”. This body of work is about the temporary barricades that you see in the city to keep people from danger. These structures are as everyday as can be. In fact, most people really don’t notice them other than to avoid them, but they create some curiously interesting shapes. “Most barricades are highly tectonic, revealing all of their parts and articulating their nature through the means of deployment. In contrast, some barricades manifest as facades that conceal the underlying structure…Barricades have inherent formal qualities, but our perceptions of them are shaped by context, both physical and cultural. It is impossible to see a barricade in a museum without wondering whether it is a functional barrier or an art installation…Barricades are much simpler than intentional works of architectural design, and that very simplicity allows us to see their multiple meanings — functional, personal, cultural — so clearly.”[1]

I hadn’t seen a compositing approach to new topographics until I found the work of Lauren Marsolier. She has four projects: Transition - parts 1 through 3, and Dislocation. Marseilles’s images are formally composed landscapes that show the interface between nature and culture as the new topographic style suggests, but they are “created from multiple photographs captured in a variety of locations, each composition is shaped slowly, over time, layer by layer, through trial and error. This approach allows her to represent the world photographically without showing a specific place, focusing instead on a mental experience…A subtle combination of multiple perspectives, lighting sources, and distances is used to produce disorientation in the viewer. The landscapes are ambivalent, familiar and yet not identifiable. The work probes our relationship to a globalizing world, marked by the loss of its certainties and an overall sense of placelessness.” [2]

My last example of how new topographics has been taken in new directions, is Warren Kirk’s “Westography”. This is a genre he created. Kirk gives us a humorous look at sculpted shrubs and peculiar cars and trailers in front of houses, as well as shops with odd architecture and/or colorful signage…popular subjects in the style of new topographics. Another departure, in addition to humor (rather than the usual dead-pan approach), is the inclusion of people in some of his images. Kirk considers his work to be “social landscape” images. Kirk says that his motivation is preservation, not unlike the Bechers. “The beauty of the suburbs (in Melbourne, Australia) is being ripped out. Progress is inevitable, but I’m inspired to capture the last of it before it’s gone. One way or another, it will go.” [3]

References:

[1] New Topographics, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Steidl, c. 2009, pp. 69-80 (essay by Alison Nordstrom
[2] https://placesjournal.org/article/architecture-of-barricades/
[3] www.laurenmarsolier.com
[4] https://seekerofthelostarts.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/meet-warren-kirk-the-westographer-of-melbournes-fading-suburbs/

Following the Paper Trail (or How I Use Sketching as an Ideation & Pre-Visualization Tool)

by Brian Kyle

Sketching plays a very important, and almost integral role in my fine art photography. Before we find ourselves at odds I would like to make a few things clear, this is a technique that works well for me and my style of photography, but is obviously not going to be an option or an advantage for all photographers. I would however, recommend that you at least give it a try as conceptual exercise. In this post, I’ll briefly walk you through one of my photographs from sketch to completion. I’ve intentionally chosen a simple image because I think it will illustrate how even with a simple photograph the sketch still strengthens my concept, and how this pre-visualization exercise informs my approach to pre-production and production.

Early Concept Sketches for ‘Murmurations’, 2015

When I begin a new series there is always a lot of time spent with pen and paper (and napkins too) jotting down ideas potentially worthy of becoming a series of images. These ideas often consist of just a few descriptive words scrawled in my sketchbook, such as, “Taxidermy Animals (that look alive)”, “Portraits Inspired by Rene Magritte’s Son of Man (Symbolism!)” or “Cats in Hats”. Some of these ideas that get written down might be good, a lot of these ideas are probably pretty bad. The funny thing though is it often takes writing these ideas down to come to these decisive conclusions, an idea like, “Cats in Hats” might have sounded amazing in my head, but as soon as I saw it written down I realized that it wasn’t right for me. It might be fun to think about a project like that, but I wasn’t hoping to make a cute calendar, and I don’t even own a cat or know anything about what it would be like working with them [Full disclosure: This is not an idea I’ve ever entertained, just a fun example for this post].

Once I have a few ideas that I am starting to like I start some tiny loose sketches that help me visualize what these ideas may look like, or what components they might need to be successful. These images often are loose enough that I like to compare them to a doctor’s handwriting, the author can “read” them, but often no one else can.

For instance, the image above shows a set of early sketches that are exploring the idea of a set of images that are more related than they might first appear and each is revealed as the camera pulls backwards from the scene…Counter-clockwise from top-left: 1. an image of a car with smoke pouring from the hood. 2. that same car photographed from a different angle appearing as a news item in the small box next to a newscaster on a television broadcast, shown on a tv inside someone’s livingroom. 3. The TV is seen through the window from outside of the house. 4. The headlights of a car approaching the driveway of the house. 5. A closer view of the car that reveals the driver of the car.

I’m sure when you first viewed those sketches you couldn’t make out the idea I was exploring, but I could, and this is what makes this process so important to me. I don’t have to spend long working out an idea because the drawings don’t have to be good, but while I am sketching my mind is working hard on the idea. I have to be actively imagining what appears in the photos, what those things might looks like, I considering possible compositions and what lighting and color may look like, what the real important elements might be, etc. By making crude sketches I’ve forced myself to carefully consider and map elements of my idea that probably started as a poorly considered written prompt, such as, “background of one image connects with another”.

After I’ve engaged in the task of thumbnailing my ideas, I often find that my ideas weren’t solid enough to move forward. However on the rare occasion that I have an idea that I am still excited about, like the example above. I’ll often start working out more detailed sketches for individual photographs that I am hoping to make.

Concept Sketches for ‘Murmurations’, 2015

Unlike the thumbnailing process, as I make sketches at this next stage I am vetting ideas about composition, subject, and location. If I am working on a series, I don’t start photographing until I have multiple sketches that are prospects for photographs in the series. Multiple sketches allows me some early insight into the success of the series, and often this observational stage allows me to back in and make changes that serve to strengthen the individual photographs as well as the series as a whole. In the image above we can see two images from a recent series I am working on, viewing these sketches together we can see how these separate images can provide context for one another. The sketches also provide hints about location, props, wardrobe, lighting, and composition. I will also write notes in the margin or additional sketches that further explain ideas that may not be obvious. For instance, in the image at the right I wasn’t convinced that the hyperbole of the man’s position inside the bush was obvious so I’ve written notes in the margin that indicate the bush should nearly be swallowing the subject.

‘Observation’ Concept Sketch from the series ‘Murmurations’, 2015

If I am happy with a sketch at this stage I will often add in a little bit of color or shadow to get an idea if my compositional strategy is still going to work once color and lighting becomes a component. Lastly, I’ll use this sketch and accompanying notes as a reference as I begin the task of location scouting, collecting/creating props and wardrobe, and as a potential reference when I start making a packing list of equipment/supplies that will be necessary to complete the shoot. This step is especially important when shooting on location. For instance if it weren’t for thoroughly sketching and outlining my ideas for this image I wouldn’t have known to pack extra stands and spring clamps as well as pruning shears in order to pull off this shot (without making my model force himself way into an extremely uncomfortable bush).

Behind the scenes of ‘Observation’, 2015

Lastly, I need to mention that when I actually show up to a shoot I almost never reference the sketch again. By the time I’m ready to shoot I’ve internalized the important components of the sketch and I need to be ready to adapt those important details to what actually ends up in front of me as I work with an actual location and the actual people and things that I need to photograph. It is only at this final step that the sketch no longer becomes a help, the preparation is finished and often I need to have my eyes wide open and be ready to evolve slightly to compensate for the unexpected curveballs that always come up, after all I am not a fortune teller and no amount of pre-visualization can ever replace the creativity and problem-solving that are an important part of actually producing an image on set/location.

I’m not breaking any new ground by spending time with paper and pen at the start of a project, it’s been an important part of pre-visualization, organization, and planning for decades in the film industry. I have found that mimicking this process has helped me be more informed about my project and my process and has consistently led to the creation of better realized and more unified photographic series.

Lumen Printing With a Twist

After a break for the Winter Intersession, we're back with weekly blog posts! As instructors and students alike prepare for the semester, here's some alt process inspiration from MFA student, Natalie van Sambeck.

by Natalie van Sambeck
All images are created by the author unless noted otherwise.

When we think of lumen prints we think of photograms exposed with the sun but have you every tried making them with a digital negative? I have personally tried this with some pretty interesting results and wanted to share my process with everyone.

I will explain the process in greater detail for those of you new to lumen printing. Perhaps you are bit confused. Rest assured the process is extremely simple. Even more appealing is that there is no darkroom necessary for this process. Although you will need a few items to get you started. But before we get into what you need I want to explain what lumen prints are.

As I previously mentioned, lumen prints are photograms made with the sun. Photograms are simply camera less pictures made with light sensitive material that are then exposed to light. Traditionally, photograms that require photographic paper are carried out in a darkroom. Lumen prints do not. The standard way of making lumen prints are with plant cuttings. Although any translucent material will yield you excellent results as they will give you greater tonal range in your images.

While you can certainly apply this process to create a traditional lumen print, my purpose is to share a not-so-traditional lumen printing technique with digital negatives. Both processes require similar materials. Keep in mind that like the traditional technique, the results with a digital negative will produce an image with fairly low contrast and subtle tones.

So what materials do you need to get started?
• Black and white photographic paper or film. I typically use expired paper but you can use newly purchased paper too. You can find expired paper for sale on sites like Ebay for a decent price. Some people prefer to use unexposed film instead of photographic paper. The choice is really up to you.

• A contact printer. This part is essential! It’s even more important when making images from digital negatives. I personally use a contact printer because it allows you to open one side to check for exposure without moving the negative while inspecting the paper. Contact printers are expensive though so some may prefer to squeak by with a picture frame or two pieces of glass held together with clamps. The important part here is that whatever method you choose will sufficiently hold the digital negative in place. Although, I have purposely used a loosely held a digital negative in place to create a unique result. Just take a look at the image below.

• Sunlight or a UV light. In the most literal sense UV light is required to make the exposure and sunlight is a great source of UV light. Cloudy days can work but keep in mind that this will significantly increase exposure times to hours. In short, full sun is best. If no sun is present a UV light will also do the trick. Exposure times with full sun or UV light will be roughly 15-30 minutes depending on strength of the sun. This is why a contact printer is great here. You can monitor the exposure time and take away the guesswork.

• Subject. This is either a digital negative, plant material, or some other translucent object. Creating a digital negative is out of the scope of this article. Keep in mind that this is a tricky process. In my experience Pictorico brand transparency paper and a good digital printer are essential for good results. Here are the basics for creating a digital negative. First pick an image to print. Then open the image in Photoshop, convert the image to black and white, apply a curve, and invert the image to a “negative.” Don’t forget to flip your image horizontally so that you don’t have a reversed printed image. Please not that variations in the black and white and curves adjustments will impact the quality of the image. You really need to experiment with this part of the process to find which adjustments will yield the best results. More information on creating digital negatives can be obtained online.

• “Darkroom Equipment.” While you don’t need a darkroom to create these images you will need some darkroom equipment to create your images. More specifically, you will need at least 2 developing trays, tongs, and containers to hold the mixed chemicals. In terms of chemicals you really only need fixer but some people like to also archivally wash their images. Note that neither chemical is required for a lumen print but fixer is mandatory if you want to keep the image. Without fixer the lumen print will fade with time. If planning on fixing the image, you will need a tray for the fixer and another for water. You will need an archival wash and tray for processing if you choose to include this in your steps as well. Finally, some people use a toner for their images to prevent the image from significantly fading after being fixed. I have not personally used this process but wanted you to be aware of this as I do think it would be beneficial when using digital negatives. Keep in mind that toning is done before fixing and you will need additional trays, tongs, and containers for storage. Also you will need an additional water tray before you tone.

• Film changing bag. This is really only useful if you aren’t processing the images directly after exposure. I personally process after exposure because I like to work this way. However, if you are doing multiple exposures or don’t have the time to process right away, you will need a film changing bag of paper safe box to store the developed images in until you can fix them.

Now that you have acquired your materials and printed out your digital negatives you are ready to begin! Assuming you will be processing directly after exposure it would be wise to set up your work station. Have you chemicals mixed, trays out, and filled with the appropriate chemicals in the following order; Fixer, wash, water.

Once everything is in order, place the digital negative and photographic paper into the contact printer. Note that this step does not need to be done in the dark. However, subdued low light is best to prevent the paper from completely exposing before having contact with the negative. In short, do not do this step in the sunlight outside.

When setting up the contact printer, the digital negative should go in first showing the correct image when seen through the glass. If the image is reversed you placed the digital negative in the contact printer on the wrong side. Also note that using two negatives will produce the best results when working with lumen prints. Take great care to align the negatives together if working with two. While two negatives aren’t always necessary, I find that it yields the best results.

Once the negative is in place you will add the photographic paper with the light sensitive side down. If this is done improperly you will not get an image. Note that the type of paper used can alter the results. In my experience fiber based paper yields better results with a negative that has higher contrast while an RC paper yields better results with a lower contrast negative. If you want to add a little variety to your image, you could try wetting the paper prior to exposure as this thechique can also yield interesting results (see Lumen print with digital negative on expired AGFA Portriga-Rapid Baryta paper above). If you choose to do this please note that it will ruin the negative since negatives should never get wet.

Once everything is placed correctly, close the contact printer and place outside in the sun for exposure. Exposure times vary due to the strength of the sun and time of day. Another reason why a contact printer comes in handy.

Once you have determined that the print is sufficiently exposed, take the image inside in subdued light, and take the paper out of the contact printer. I like to scan my print into the computer at this stage because the colors yield some interesting results that will fade and change once fixed. This isn”t necessary but if you see the two images below you will immediately notice the difference in colors. The first image was scanned in before being fixed while the second is the final “fixed” result.

Once scanned I put the image directly into the fixer for about a minute depending on fixer brand and paper used. Make sure to read the directions specific for your fixer and paper. Once you place the image in the fixer you will immediately see the colors change. Agitate the paper (pick the tray slightly so the water runs through the paper) for the designated time and place in the wash for roughly 3-5 minutes. Again, this depends on brand and paper. Finally place the image in water for 5-30 minutes. RC paper only needs 5 minutes while fiber paper requires 30 minutes in the water. Hang up to dry and viola! You have just successfully completed you first lumen print with a digital negative!

The New Palm-Size Camera, Should We? Or Should We Not?

by MFA student Karineh Gurjian.

I have to say I love technology and gadget that are so “techi” going to CES for me is like being a kid in a candy store. Yes I love my traditional photography training and shooting a 8x10 transparency is a totally different experience. My body does go into a shock when I hear someone tell me well I can shoot the same thing you are shooting with my iPhone. But I know any camera from a pinhole to an iPhone, when the camera is in the hands of a trained eye and a trained professional the image will be something very different than someone just snapping away.

With that being said here is the latest in the line of attachments for your phone. The DxO One is a small camera that plugs into an iPhone to radically improve the quality of photos you can take while on the go. It has a lens and sensor, similar to what you might find in an advanced compact camera like the Sony RX100 IV, but borrows your phone's screen so the camera itself can stay absolutely tiny.

It's neat, fun to use and delivers photos comparable to other cameras with similar specs. But it also has some quirks and a relatively high price tag. It costs $600 in the US.

Design and features

The design is clever, but has some annoyances. The system consists of a palm-size rectangular camera and an iPhone or iPad app. The front cover slides over the lens. When you slide it down, it turns the camera on; pushing it down again pops an Apple-standard Lightning connector out of the side of the body. I don't like that you have to push it down to get the connector back in, though, because it usually means turning the camera back on in order to do so.

The camera has a real two-stage shutter button (for half-press prefocusing), though the camera uses an electronic shutter.

Image quality

Saying the One's photo quality is significantly better than the iPhone 6 Plus' is true, but it's also an unfair comparison: the One's a full-featured camera with a bigger sensor and faster f1.8 lens with a physical aperture that you can vary for real control over sharpness zones. The company says that in good light the photos are about the same, but that's only if you only plan on viewing them on theiPhone screen.

Even on an iPad I think they're much better, if only because the higher resolution -- 20 megapixels vs. the iSight camera's 8MP -- provides more detail and the One's color and exposure are tons better.Relative to cameras like the Sony RX100 series or Canon G7 X the One produces somewhat better in-camera JPEGs.

The low-light results from SuperRaw processing look somewhat better than out-of-camera JPEGs from other cameras, but the default JPEGs look a little worse, as if the One doesn't have enough power to do as good a job as a standalone camera.

At the end if I had extra $500.00 I would buy it and play around with it but for now I can wait and see what the second generation of the camera is going to be like.

Photographing a Changing Iran

by MFA student Marta Gaia Zanchi.

Iran is changing. Rapidly, in ways Western television screens rarely attempt to illustrate, preferring to deal with issues that actually make headlines: political revolutions, economic downturns and disastrous wars. However behind the curtain of these historical events, potentially even more radical transformations are at play in youth culture, sexuality, consumerism and the role of women in society.

These transformations would go almost undocumented, if not for the work of emerging contemporary photographers who, with their variety of aesthetics and approach, reveal to us this unspoken side of Iran. Of the many, the evolving role of women in society could be argued as the most radical and the root of all the others, or at the very least, one of their most prominent manifestations.Documenting it are emerging, contemporary Iranian photographers including Katayoun Karami, Gohar Dashti, Shadi Ghadirian, and Newsha Tavakolian.

“These images speak a common language in the place where I live. Portraits of my generation, our common experiences and challenges in life. A generation that has experienced revolution, war, immigration and more. Experiences, any one of which are said to be sufficient to turn a boy into a man, but which are apparently assumed to leave the other sex wholly untouched. In my own small, personal voice I say: Not so. Instead, it’s hard, sad and often unbearable.”—Katayoun Karami

In her 2005 Stamp (Me and My Mother), Karami examines the history of the chador--that contrary to Western’s belief, is not imposed to Iranian women as a requirement. Karami juxtaposes images of her mother wearing full chador, taken in pre-revolutionary days, with self-portraits in keeping with postrevolutionary dress. Both images are distressed and resemble passport photographs. Despite the image of Karami’s mother largely predates her daughter’s, it is Karami’s that seems dated, challenging Western’s preconceptions and inviting to contemplate the change.

“I wanted to bring to life the story of a nation of middle-class youths who are constantly battling with themselves, their isolated conformed society, their lack of hope for the future and each of their individual stories,” —Newsha Tavakolian

Meanwhile Newsha Tavakolian and Gohar Dashti work at the intersection of documentation, narrative and expression, using fine art photography to recreate women’s real-life situations and experiences. Tavakolian’s series Listen (2010) portrays professional women singers who, in light of their gender, are forbidden by Islamic tenets to perform in public. Through staged documentaries, Dashti’s Today’s Life and War (2008), brings our attention to the tension between man and woman as they pursue domestic activities, interrupted by symbols of wars that, in the words of Karami, are absurdly “said to be sufficient to turn a boy into a man, but which are apparently assumed to leave the other sex wholly untouched.”

Today’s Life and War, Gohar Dashti

My pictures became a mirror reflecting how I felt: we are stuck between tradition and modernity."—Shadi Ghadirian

In Shadi Ghadirian’s work, this tension is explored even further and in new directions. Ghadirian has produced nine photographic series to date, titled Miss Butterfly, Nil, Nil, Be Colourful, Like EveryDay, Qajar, Ctrl+Alt+Delete, My Press Photo, Out of Focus, and West by East. Each one addresses the issues that women face living in contemporary Iran, as agents of transformation stuck in a past that’s part Iran’s heritage, part Western’s expectation.

From Like EveryDay, Shadi Ghadirian
 

Defying all, her images describe a positive and holistic female identity, against traditional roles by which Iranian women have been defined.

The work of these four female artists reminds us how photography, often in opposition to political and media-inspired bombast, has a power of truth and of critical thoughts. Despite all the frequent debate about the pureness of intent (or lack thereof) by documentary photography, the medium still retains its ability to challenge expectations, illustrate important local issues in ways others fail to accomplish, and find its place in a part of history that can move very large audiences to contemplation and action.

Qajar, Shadi Ghadirian

Notes:

http://collections.lacma.org/node/580927

http://museum.stanford.edu/news_room/she-who-tells.html

http://muftah.org/iranian-and-arab-photographers-tell-their-own-stories-in-new-d-c-exhibit/

http://www.newshatavakolian.com/

http://gohardashti.com/work/todays-life-and-war/

https://www.artsy.net/artist/shadi-ghadirian

http://shadighadirian.com/

Getting Past a Creative Block

by Sarah Sloneker. Images above © Sarah Joy Photography.

As an artist, we have all been there … when just for the life of us we cannot get our creative juices flowing. We have that dreaded creative block and it usually there to stay for a while. However, over the years, I found and read some interesting ideas on how to “Drano” away that block and get us artist’s back into that creative grind.

I recommend trying one of these four things:

1.     Have an Idea Box or Folder-  Being visual people, we can be inspired by a lot of different avenues such as objects, ideas, notes, sketches, painting and of course other photos. So when you are feel uninspired, I recommend creating a box or an image cloud. A place where you can save things to spark your creativity. I myself have a “mood board” folder on my computer.. That I regularly store anything visual that grabs my eye (of course saving and naming the image properly). One will be surprised how helpful this can be as a reminder of previous ideas and inspirations.

2.     Stimulate Non-Visual Senses- As photographers; most of us work primarily with our sense of sight. Therefore, I recommend resetting your senses. Recently I went into a sensory depravation tank, this is where you are floating in a black void for about an hour or so with no sight, sound, smell or touch and coming out from this tank was amazing. You won’t believe how creative you can be after you reset your body. However, you do not have to go as far as hoping in a deprivation tank to get this experience. Try just taking one sense away, for example: Close your eyes and touch the grass outside or the drywall in your apartment, just pay attention to that ONE sense. Eat an ice-cream cone with your eyes closed or lie on the floor and listen to music in the dark. Anything that gets you experiencing your other senses in a new way, and will help your art by widening your creative outlook.

3.     Write Something or Sketch it- Journaling can be a fantastic creative outlet, I myself have many journals.  Often enough, it is said that handwriting is linked directly to your consciousness, and by writing down your ideas, it keeps your thoughts moving. It’s a way of organizing and remembering things that have affected you, so you can channel that into your art.

4.     Clean Your Work Space- This might sound weird, but having an empty table as an artist can really help your metal mode. For having a cluttered studio space, doesn’t allow much room for new work to develop. I often find it therapeutic and refreshing to start a new image on fresh clean space, to allow my mind to calm down the outward chaos.. so to begin the creative cycle again.

Sample of my mood board folder (grouping of Images, not mine) and my creative journals.

Lenscratch Student Prize, Honorable Mention: AAU's Troy Colby

By Aline Smithson. Lenscratch originally featured this article on July 17, 2016.

For many parents, the camera comes out only to capture the ideal: grinning children at birthday parties, a sunny day at the beach, stiffly posed portraits in front of the Christmas tree. The house is clean, the family composed and reality dismissed in favor of perfection. These are the staged memories carried with us into adulthood. Fortunately, there are parents who use photography to explore something deeper–truths about parenthood, childhood revealed as a time of stress and insecurity, familial dysfunctions, aging parents, and raising a family in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. In sharing these realities, the stories or narratives that felt once so personal, find a universal appreciation in their truthfulness.

Troy Colby garnered an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Lenscratch Student Award for his project, This will pass. I promise you. His work is at once revealing and poignant as his photographs speak as much to Troy’s concerns as a father as to his participant observer role of documenting his son as he moves through the landmines of childhood.

Troy was born and raised in a small rural farming community. Living in rural America has been the backdrop and setting that have helped Troy refine his vision. In the past few years, he has chosen to work with his son in creating handcrafted worlds. Together they have found a love of recreating dreams and haunting emotions.

Troy holds a BFA in Fine Art Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and is currently working on his MFA. His work has been seen in Black and White Magazine, Plates to Pixels, F-Stop, Adore Noir Magazine and is a 2015 Critical Mass finalist; along with galleries from Miami to Portland.

© Troy Colby

This will pass, I promise you.

The nights are long and our days are short. Sometimes the moments slip past us. Other times they move so slow that you unable to hold still. Your determination keeps you going until your body is tired and hurting. This frustration of having to stop is tough and I know that it puts a pressure on you that we are unable to see. Same for your migraines, I know that it is frustrating. No child of your age should have this pain or feel this way. Yet you keep on going. You have always felt the need to always keep moving and busy. I am sorry you have picked up this trait from me, if I could change it I would. I am still learning to deal with and handle your mood swings from total excitement to the sudden changes of fear, anger and sadness.

© Troy Colby

For me as your dad, I wonder many times where and what did I do wrong? I know this is not necessarily the case. It leaves me searching and wanting to understand. I picked up my camera really not knowing where it would lead. I know you do not want your image taken and for that I am sorry. I have found in using my camera in capturing these moments. I am able to approach this with a new level of understanding and peace. It allows me to be in a state where I can be a better dad for you during this time. I hope that all of this will pass as time goes on for you.

All images © Troy Colby