Chris Dorley-Brown: The Corners

Photo: Chris Dorley-Brown

I was immediately blown away by the photos I encountered recently at the Robert Koch Gallery* in San Francisco. They were of fairly large size, impeccably printed (natch), highly detailed and precisely aligned compositions (think view camera) of various street scenes in England.  Large format or not, it was plain to see that this work clearly fit into the genre of street photography- the people inhabiting said compositions providing just the perfect balance, mystery and tension...

That's when the silent alarm buzzed my head; please, Lord, please- don't let these be multiple exposures where the right people are conveniently placed at the right place doing the right thing in the right way ie- please, don't let these be utterly beautiful, immaculate... lies. 

Now, there are those who will say a good picture is a good picture- what does it matter if it all happens in the field, or gets finished at home? Every photograph is a lie to some extent and bottom line, it's either good, or it isn't. Yeah, I get that; but no, I can't appreciate that. It just leaves one nasty lingering taste in my mouth. 

Now, Chris Dorley-Brown is not out to deceive anyone, he is perfectly forthright in what he does and how he does it. "Straight" photographs are hard enough to "interpret," and I'm certainly not gonna get into the whole history of how photographs "tell us nothing." But when we see a guy checking out a woman in a Winogrand photo, chances are, the guy was probably... checking out the woman in the photo (despite the usual plethora of other ambiguous, peripheral factors and details within said frame for us to ponder). In a Dorley-Brown photo, when I see a guy checking out a woman crossing the street, I have to wonder: was the guy really checking out that woman, was she even there, was he checking out another woman, a guy, a dog taking a shit? We'll never know! And while some may say that such a degree of image manipulation only serves to expand our perception of what's "real" and/or possible, it strikes me as merely allowing greater control of our own manipulation! When I look at a single exposure that truly works- I am left in wonder of how life sometimes (at least) seems to magically come together for the briefest of fleeting moments. When I see images such as these, complete in the knowledge of their artifice, I'm left with the wonder of... technology.

These, admittedly beautiful, images are highly choreographed fictions. Recently, an actor named Smollet was arrested for his deceitful fabrication, Dorley-Brown while perfectly honest with his fictionalizations, nevertheless exhibits them in the presentation and manner of straight "street," documentary photographs, and that is how they are viewed- and ultimately appreciated. Smollet staged and practiced his fiction beforehand, Dorley-Brown creates his fiction after the fact. Not exactly the perfect analogy, point taken- not to mention, one was done with criminal intent, the other without malice in the perfectly legitimate pursuit of artistic license. But if you allow me the initial premise, just as Smollet's deception will now unjustly cast doubt on every hate crime to follow, Dorley-Brown's fictions add to a growing list of photographers whose highly manipulated and seamlessly stitched collages continue to add doubt and mistrust as to the veracity of what we are viewing when it comes to photography, and reality, in this digital age. And perhaps, it's a lesson well learned to take nothing at face value- unlike with with, say... Jerry Uelsmann, whose highly manipulated photographs always welcomed us into a totally surreal otherworld of beauty and grandeur.

Understandably, some may see this as a trifling or even unfair criticism to what is a creative and much needed shot in the arm to a now stodgy and long in the tooth genre of photography. No one can say the results aren't impressive- just as no one can deny that it's inarguably harder to get it right in-camera!

*above photo not in exhibit

Portrait of Humanity

I thought (I really, really thought) I had a good chance of having one (1) photo included in BJP's Portrait of Humanity, after all, most (if not all) my work is... precisely-just-that. So, this one kinda hurt, particularly since there's not a weak one in the bunch. 

Anyway, it is what it is. I try to learn form every rejection. Sometimes I do, other times... This time, I'm telling myself that it (at least) seems that this particular competition was leaning towards celebrating a portrait of humanity concentrating on ethnicity, as opposed to what my portraits celebrate- Individuality! Perhaps... 

At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! 'Cause, like I said- not a weak one in the whole freakin' bunch...

All Photos: © Stan Banos

All Photos: © Stan Banos

The... AMC Pacer!!!

Always wanted to buy one of these, fill it with water (and goldfish)- and announce my avant garde artistic debut! Unfortunately, have never have bought a car, period (let alone waterproofed one)! And honestly, always expected to walk into some museum somewhere and discover to my utter dismay (and excitement) that someone had beaten me to the punch...

PS- Can't believe no one's done it to this day.

What R U- A Rocket Scientist?

Sure, lotsa teens shoot off model rockets, but nothing like what this teenage rocket scientist created- and not many get taken to Area 51 for their efforts!

PS- Unfortunately, one has to subscribe to Gaia to hear the conclusion (which is no disappointment, to be sure)... Let's just say that he's taken to see an engine, a very large and damaged engine, an engine whose technology (parts of which responded as if a living  entity unto itself) is thousands of years beyond our capability- and (if fully functioning) capable of powering everything on our planet, and much, much, more...

Atlantic City- Brian Rose

Photo: Brian Rose

Atlantic City is my favorite photo project (and book) by Brian Rose since The Lost Border, his epic tribute to the Berlin Wall. And there is more than a little correlation between the two in that both served as the doomed, temporary monuments to the ego and deception of those who so desperately sought to subvert the reality that created them. The East German regime ultimately collapsed under its own weight, just as Trump's Atlantic City casinos ultimately folded under their own facade of grandiose fraudulence.  

And it is in the photos themselves that you sense this, even if you knew nothing of the political/economic background that ultimately determined either scenario. In each we see landscapes inexplicably barren, separated, repurposed and eerily juxtaposed with busier, more ornate, real life dioramas. Dramatic and contradictory contrasts in natural landscapes usually portray the cataclysmic occurrences created by nature's wrath and fury, these man made portraits of landforms subject to geopolitical and socioeconomic upheaval leave similar traces of large scale  trauma forced upon the local topography. And while such nuanced visions of contrast and imbalance provide such a visual wonder to behold, they also carry the weight of history, as well as a sadness and remorse most palpable...

10 Years Ago- EXPIRATION NOTICE!

Ten freakin' years ago!!! Hard to believe, but true... A Puerto Rican in San Francisco via NYC teamed up with a bloke from Manchester, England named Mark Page (by the way, we could still pass each other on the street and not even know it, being that we've still never met) to form an online photography gallery/mag called Expiration Notice, whose aim was to provide exposure for "emerging photographers" who were still producing* serious, quality work, despite being overlooked and undervalued throughout their years.

Those were the artists we sought out- not the new, youngblood flavors of the month, not the already well established. We didn't know how long it would last, or how successful it would be; and despite that self imposed limitation, we could have continued monthly for three years (at the very least- instead of the three months we actually did) if we had had significantly greater access to all those we were so desperately trying to find and exhibit. 

Word did get out, but not quite as far and wide as we had hoped or needed. Towards the end, we even tried to get some commercial backing, not for financial gain, but in our quest to feature long deserving photographers we knew were still out there beyond our reach. It was not to come, and we decided to close shop instead of decreasing the quality of "the product." Ultimately, I'm rather proud two guys from opposite sides of the pond (with no real connections in either the art world or the photo biz) were able to provide even a short lived venue for some very deserving photographers, not readily exhibited elsewhere. It was something definitely worth pursuing some... ten years ago; still-is-NOW!

*Not to mention those retired, or just plain forgotten...

A Confederacy of Dunces...

The Governor previously wore Blackface, the second in charge is facing possible sex charges, and the third in the line of succession also wore Blackface! What is it with Whites and Blackface, anyway? And what's up with Virginia? 
But wait, there's... more!

Yeah, I'll Buy That!

Yeah! Weeks, months, years- life itself seems to be zooming on by these days and  

this seems as good an explanation as any other....

Jack Delano

Wonder what went through his head as he documented this idealized vision of colonization...

Ya think ya know something, until you realize how much you don't. Any student of photographic history is familiar with the name Jack Delano and his career with the FSA, where he joined other classic photo names in the making, while producing one of its most consistently remarkable bodies of work. What I didn't know was that he was born Jacob Ovcharov in Ukraine before immigrating to the states- and then settling in Puerto Rico later in his career where he continued to expand his Renaissance Man career. And the kicker for me is, looking at the guy then- the guy could (and did) pass!

My Hacked B&H Photo Account

So... I get a snail mail notice from FedEx asking if I'd made changes to my account. Odd, since I don't have a FedEx account. Called, verified, no account. Hhmmm...

Later that week, I'm paying my monthly AMEX, when I notice an order for- an 11in iPad Pro. Very odd- considering I never ordered any such thing! I go on my B&H account, see it had been shipped to my home address- and then intercepted by B&H in New Jersey, a half month prior via... FedEx!

B&H had known that my account and online info had been hacked and compromised- and they did nothing, as in absolutely nothing to notify me! You would think that they, that any legitimate business that had even the slightest pretense about caring for their customers, would notify them about such a potentially devastating breech! Nothing, nada, zip... They definitely made sure to do everything possible to make themselves whole- but pretty much left me to hang in the wind.

Changed my passwords, ordered a new AMEX card and spoke to B&H who said they have many problems with fraud, followed by much silence on their end of the phone before an admission that I did "seem to have a legitimate issue." Ultimately, someone "new" (don't ya know) got the blame; and honestly, since not a big customer, wasn't expecting much else, still... even a $25 discount on next purchase would have been a nice gesture towards saying- sorry, you had to cancel your AMEX card and have your private info exposed while we sat on it (like irresponsible assholes) and did... NOTHING!!!

Caveat emptor!