Find the River

Yesterday I was able to process some of the first negatives (6 total) for the project I have been preparing the last few months_ 

"This Will be the Place" (A Photographic Survey in the Milwaukee River). 

It has been a feeling hard to explain with words but I can say that I am really excited about the process, the initial outcome and the experience in general. Positive prints will have to wait a week. Friends are staying at the house, so darkroom/bathroom "out of order" for now and my scanner sucks (I need a real negative scanner, but I do need the money too, ha!).

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(from "This Will be the Place"- A Photographic Survey in the Milwaukee River")

Milwaukee River/Waubedonia Park, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

photograph location_ 43º 28' 00.52" N 87º 58' 01.58" W

Metadata_ June 17, between 8.30 - 9.15 AM.

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus film negative. Pinhole camera f231

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Satellite Image_ Google Maps.

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(from "This Will be the Place"- A Photographic Survey in the Milwaukee River")

Milwaukee River/Saukville Railroad Bridge, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

photograph location_ 43º 25' 18.97" N 87º 56' 40.75" W

Metadata_ June 17, 9.45 -10AM.

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus film negative. Pinhole camera f231

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Satellite Image_ Google Maps.

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(from "This Will be the Place"- A Photographic Survey in the Milwaukee River")

Milwaukee River/Old Buttons Factory, Waubeka, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

photograph location_43º 28' 18.37" N 87º 59' 29.60 W

Metadata_ June 26, 3.45-4PM

4in x 5in  Ilford FP4 Plus film negative. Pinhole camera f231

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Satellite Image_ Google Maps.

More to come. Soon I will be printing and the positive prints will be on a flickr type folder.

Also, historic and geographic relevant information will be added to each picture soon.

Something Will Smell Fishy Here.

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Fish & Ships Invitation Card.

Designed by Jane Suddendorf.

Work by several artists.

This Friday Gallery 224 will be opening a new show to celebrate the beginning of the summer, and where better than in one of the best waterfront towns in Wisconsin.

This time, the title of the shows has all the flavor of this hot summer, Fish & Ships, which promise to be a great and varied display of local artwork, once again thanks to the great effort of everybody pushing Gallery 224 forward. I am very happy to be part of this upcoming show, with two of my pieces from the series "Liquid Dreams" ("Empty Promises", which can be seen on the card) and "Self-Portrait" (seen below) but also to know that I will be sharing wall space once again with some friends and some new people.

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"Self-Portrait" ( from the series "Liquid Dreams")

© Flavio Martín Morante_2008

If you are around this weekend, stop by for the opening reception on Friday 29 at 5PM. It will be nice.

www.gallery224.com

224 E. Main Street

Port Washington, WI

Good Old Fashion

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"Untitled" ( for Mobocracy Vintage Clothing Store)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

TTV picture ( Nikon D200 attached to an 1950's Argus 75 camera)

Until recently I was hanging some of my work at a really cool place in town. Mobocracy, a nice small vintage clothing and accessories (50's & 60's) store right in downtown Port Washington, which brought a fresh air to Port's windows is there for you to find really cool stuff at really reasonable prices. Hats, sun glasses, shirts, pants, etc, etc. If you are around the area, check it out, you won't be disappointed. Like we say where I come from, "good things come on small jars".

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"Untitled" ( for Mobocracy Vintage Clothing Store)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

TTV picture ( Nikon D200 attached to an 1950's Argus 75 camera)

Check their facebook page here or their website here, or simply stop by and meet Craig, the owner and a really cool guy. 

I would like some strawberry with that.

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Strawberry Fest, June 2012

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

It came as fast as it went. After two days, Strawberry Fest has marked another year and with a very good perspective of growing. Few blocks more were added this year and I have to say I saw a lot, a LOT of people on both days. Also the weather was good and hold off the rain, which we do need (really) but which would have done everything a little more unpleasant.

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Strawberry Fest, June 2012

Photo taken by Dawn. 

(Nothing you can do to fix this face, :)

From my part, I was happy to participate on it this year as my first time ever. Besides all the artwork I was able to sell, I had a great time meeting some new people, crossing paths with old friends and seeing a big part of my work hanged at once and being appreciated by people. Also I got to talk with a lot of people that shared some really cool stuff that I am looking forward to check out.

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My paintings at Strawberry Fest, June 2012

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Last but more important, I want to THANK EVERYBODY that made my participation on the festival not just something possible, but also such a great time.

Strawberry Fields Forever.

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"Untitled" (Dreamt Manarola) 

Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 8 in x 8 in

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

This weekend ( Saturday 23 & Sunday 24) Cedarburg, Wisconsin, will be hosting the annual Strawberry Fest, an already established iconic festival of Wisconsin and the Midwest. This year, it will be my first year participating on it, after been accepted by the Cedarburg Cultural Center to set my tent at the festival. If you happen to be around town this coming weekend, stop by, I will have my paintings and photographs for display and sale at the event. It will be nice to see you there.

The festival is a great open window to local art, but also to great food for every pocket and every taste. Weather seems it will be hot but great, so do not miss it!.

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"Untitled" (Manarola, Italy)

Digital Inkjet Print 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2011

Getting my Feet Wet (Literally)

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"Untitled" (Milwaukee River/ 06-17-2012) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

I still remember the first black and white picture I took back on 1998. I wrote already about it long ago on how I compared that to a first real love, a moment I won't forget. I remember the date, the moment and even I can tell how cold it was that day. Ironically I cannot remember when I did take my first digital picture. Go figure. Anyway, yesterday I actually took my first picture using large format film negative (until now I was doing step by step on paper negatives and positives but not film), using Ilford FP4 125, and it feels like one of those days that will stick with me. The river was cold but nice, peaceful, in silence, and that's what drags me to it because at this time in life or age, that's all I am asking for. I did not do many photographs (actually only 6 pictures during the whole morning), and I know that I will have to wait few weeks before I can really put myself to process the film, but it will be a nice wait.

I been reading a lot about tray processing, something Ansel Adams was all for it, and considering the high price and low quality of developing tanks (and I need 3), tray processing will be. Still, with so much going on these next 2 weeks, I will wait until I slow down before going into dark hours.

Recently talking with Dawn about all this years with a camera, and I have to say that after around 6 years doing digital, I can really tell the difference (personal) on the whole process and how I do approach it. Do not get me wrong, I do not have anything against digital pictures, all the color prints I have been selling are digitally captured and I love some of them a lot. Still, since I started to work on the whole "pinhole thing" a different feeling falls over me every time I load a film holder into "the box". Maybe is the notion that I do not have a complete control of things, which scares but fulfills too, and maybe admitting that goes beyond photography and that is what it makes me feel more alive. Maybe is that I am not looking at the screen right after each picture, but I am looking a the whole picture in front of me so I can decide if is good or not, and then I make the capture. It can be something intangible or just my imagination, but in any case it feels good, and I guess that is the good thing about it.

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"Untitled" (Milwaukee River/ 06-17-2012) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Home Sweet Home

Recent explorations about the question of what the concept of home is?.

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"Untitled" (Work in Progress ?) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

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"Untitled" (Work in Progress ?) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

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"Untitled" (Work in Progress ?) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Love Affair

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"Untitled" (Chicago) 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Last week Dawn and I spent couple days in Chicago. As usual we did walked a LOT, so taking a nice break was not reason to feel guilty. I was able to do the video shots I wanted, so hopefully soon I can finish editing the short "The Painting of a Midwest Blues". We saw couple exhibits, learn a little about architecture, did some music and visit some favorite places. The weather did behave like it should have.

This time I did not take many pictures, however, I made a short video which I share here now, that somehow reflects my love for the "Windy City" in a very playful but still metaphoric way. I called it "A Short Kiss to Chicago". I hope you enjoy it.

A Short Kiss to Chicago from F. Martin Morante on Vimeo.

It is windy time in the Windy City.

Man Still Looking South

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"Untitled" (South Beach, Port Washington)

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Harman-Ilford Direct Positive Paper (DPP) Glossy-4 x 5 inches.

Developed on Kodak Dektol. Pre-flashed 5 seconds under enlarger light.

Nice walk last Sunday morning where I could do some pics. Still debating how I want to photograph South Beach on "Simply Looking South" (in case you thought I forgot). The "funny thing" is that in this case because of the mirror image, South Beach looks actually like if it was North Beach.

POSITIVE Thinking

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"Untitled" (Port Washington Harbor) © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Harman-Ilford Direct Positive Paper (DPP) Glossy-4 x 5 inches.

Developed on Kodak Dektol. Pre-flashed 2.5 seconds under enlarger light.

Finally was able to do some pictures after a busy pause. Yesterday was a wonderful day in terms of weather/light. Around 6 PM after work I made my way to the lake, in order to take advantage of a great afternoon light. Also, I finally got my hands on some Ilford Direct Positive paper, which I was hesitant about it, but at the end proved to be GREAT!.

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"Untitled" (Port Washington Harbor) © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Harman-Ilford Direct Positive Paper (DPP) Glossy-4 x 5 inches.

Developed on Kodak Dektol. Pre-flashed 2.5 seconds under enlarger light.

There are several things about it I do like, the main one is that the images are produced as a positive on the camera, so there is not a negative. This makes the print a truly ONE OF A KIND, which is something that it gives it a unique value since there is not way to reproduce an equal image. Also, because it captures what the camera sees the way a negative will (mirrored image), when developed everything is inverted (left to right to right to left). It says a lot about the whole idea on how we see and perceived things. I have read that if you use it for portraits, people really feel good with them, since it reflects what people see in the mirror. But that is a story for another day.

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"Untitled" (Port Washington Harbor) © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Harman-Ilford Direct Positive Paper (DPP) Glossy-4 x 5 inches.

Developed on Kodak Dektol. Pre-flashed 2.5 seconds under enlarger light.

 The tones and the quality of the images (which were made using a pinhole camera of aperture f231) tend to look "dream like" which it is something I really do enjoy as a result. Compared to the paper negatives, which are the ones where I started the whole self photo study, the direct positive prints have better tones and more latitude control, all of that after pre-flashing the paper, which is something I recently did learn. 

This has been a really good surprise to me which I hope to keep working on. Soon I will be organizing myself to create some kind of Flickr page so I can share more pictures as portfolios. Stay tuned.

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"Untitled" (Port Washington Harbor) © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Harman-Ilford Direct Positive Paper (DPP) Glossy-4 x 5 inches.

Developed on Kodak Dektol. Pre-flashed 2.5 seconds under enlarger light.

NOTE_ For some reason, these pictures look a little dark on screen on the shadow areas, something which is not as they are on the real prints. 

Things of June

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Omaha Beach (Looking West)

© Flavio Martín Morante_February/March 2008

Normandy, France.

At 68 years of D-day tomorrow, I am sharing here a link to a small portfolio from my website, which is called "The Overlord Breeze", with pictures taken back on 2008 during my time on the north of France.

The text I wrote on during that trip, which then I adapted in order to add it to the website reads_

The Overlord's Breeze.

June 6, 1944, D-day, World War II, thousands of lives lost in one single day, the "Atlantic Wall", Ike, Montgomery, Rommel, Europe´s invasion and liberation, the end of occupied France, Overlord, Omaha, Juno, Sword and Gold, americans, english, canadians, frenchs, exiled europeans, germans, etc, etc.

These are terms, words and expressions you will find on any search (virtual or not) about the northern region of France that saw one of the biggest military operations in modern history.However today, if you go there without knowing nothing about anything that happen there, if it was not for the museums, souvenirs and remains of the constant desire of man to destroy man and mankind, you will find a place of a unique (and ironically) peacefull beauty.

That´s what I saw when I visited some of these places that I had only read about, and that "contradiction" its what I tried to capture on this series of photographs.

The photographs can be seen by doing click here

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Omaha Beach (Looking East)

© Flavio Martín Morante_February/March 2008

Normandy, France.

Ways of Seeing, Ways of Showing.

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© Flavio Martín Morante_2010

Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin.

I have just added 30 new prints (including the ones on this post) to the collection of photographs I am selling at Smith Brothers Coffee House on Port Washington. All photographs are printed on a limited edition of 10 prints per each at a "very reasonable price". If you are around, check them out, hopefully you will like them enough to take some home.

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© Flavio Martín Morante_2011

Monterosso al Mare, Italy.

PS_ I have to confess that the picture at the beginning of this post makes me fantasize with having done a picture for a Hitchcock movie. :)

Book Marking

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"Shades of Life" 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

As I pointed out on a past post (click here for it), traveling and books are always a source of growing that cannot been substituted by anything, because both can open so many doors in many directions as I have proved during all this years.

I have been really lucky to have visited a lot of places since I was able to put a backpack over my shoulder, but many of those times were books the ones that made me pick up the backpack, and many other times were those places that made me read more about them. Not even talking of what happen when I mix on that pot my point of view through a camera, but that's another story.

So, as I keep planning "where to go next" (Dawn and I will be going west again to drive along the Wisconsin's length of the Mississippi River soon) I am happy to share here that I finally got one of my "dream jobs" as it is to work for the local Port Washington Library (http://www.wjnlib.org/). I am really happy about it, not only to work there surrounded by "all that stuff" but also to have met some really nice and friendly people which makes the whole experience something great.

Before I started working there last week, I had 6 books from the library (now I have 5), so I do not want to think what is going to be now that am actually working on it. :)