OUT of Town Into the "City"

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Will be leaving tomorrow (Saturday) at 4 in the morning for a short trip to Seattle.

Happy not only to visit a new city (and also Pearl Jam's hometown) but also to finally see Dawn, who I have not seen in almost 2 weeks. I will be back on Wednesday. See you or talk to you then.

Have a nice labor day weekend!

A Blink to Monsieur Eugene

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"Untitled" (Bernie´s Back Side Alley, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford Delta 100 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera - 20 secs at f231

Paper Print made on Ilford Paper RC Multigrade IV Pearl. 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

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"Untitled" (Port Hotel Back Alley, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford Delta 100 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera - 16 secs at f231

Paper Print made on Ilford Paper RC Multigrade IV Pearl. 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Last Sunday I did took a walk through the back alleys of Port Washington, giving a sympathetic blink of the eye to the master Eugene Atget (click HERE) as I explored in practice the potential of using large format for architectural shots, something I was not able to really do until now. Really excited about the results. Hoping to keep going.

F.M. Morante

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"Untitled" (Back Alley, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford Delta 100 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera - 22 secs at f231

Paper Print made on Ilford Paper RC Multigrade IV Pearl. 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

P.S_ Despite of making reference to Atget here, for who I do have an admiration, a photographer that comes to my mind when I think of photography and architecture and who I really would like to share is one I found out about a while ago, Gabriele Basilico (click HERE), an italian photographer whose photographs really invite you to walk.

Visiting Uruguay!

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"Untitled" (from the series "Internal Exteriors") 

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

I am deeply thankful to the CDF (Centro de Fotografía) in Montevideo, my hometown, for adding me to the wide array of talented uruguayan photographers they display every week through their blog http://indexfoto.montevideo.gub.uy/ and their special section dedicated to promote national photography (even out of borders) named Fotografía Uruguay.

If you would like, you can access the samples of my work belonging to my series "Internal Exteriors" (which also are on my website) by doing click HERE

While the box is still open.

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"Untitled" 

(Piriapolis, Uruguay - 2007/08) © Flavio Martín Morante_2008

And I keep looking, finding and re-finding (see previous post), and at the same time sharing here.

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"Untitled" 

(Tumacacori, Arizona -2011) © Flavio Martín Morante_2011

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"Untitled" 

(Vevey, Switzerland -2011) © Flavio Martín Morante_2011

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"Untitled" 

(Montevideo, Uruguay -2010) © Flavio Martín Morante_2010

Single Matters (or not so single)

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"Untitled" 

(Le Mont Saint Michel, France-2008) © Flavio Martín Morante_2008

In the past few days I have found myself looking at a lot of photographs I have taken since I picked up a camera 14 years ago. The reason behind this is that I am trying to refresh my website, but also trying to refresh my eyes and also my memories. While doing this I have come across a lot of pictures, many of them which I am looking at a second time from a "different angle of the room". One thing that I find VERY interesting, and it is the reason for this post, but also for a deep self reflection, is what I called the orphan pictures or the academically correct called: Single Shots; pictures that did not find their way into any portfolio, project, series, special labeled folder, etc, but that still have qualities that enable them to stand by themselves

In my case, excluding photographs with touristic or anecdotical recording purposes mainly, most of my photographs attempt to point in the direction of mirrors that speak -and ask- about life and death, and some of their aspects (as it is the loneliness present on both, to give an example), as well as passing of time and memory. As time goes by (and after passing my third decade) this subjects and and how I feel about them have become some sort of main focus, but also a challenge to me on how to translate them visually in order to share and communicate effectively about and through them.

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"Untitled" 

(Lake Michigan, Wisconsin-2010) © Flavio Martín Morante_2010

As far as projects, I have found some satisfying output channels through my recent series Internal Exteriors and Preserved (which is an ongoing work), and some frustrating ones as it was to start photographing the Milwaukee River during one of the worst droughts in history; but is to look at these single pictures what it had me thinking a lot the last few days. Sadly, tendencies, trends and academic standards sometimes play badly against single shots, specially when they are created without a project in mind or if there is not intention to group them and labeled them under a fancy title and an elaborated statement. Still, I look at all of them (some examples been shared here) and I cannot avoid to think of them as part of a group, since I am the maker of them and also they reflect upon who I am, how I see and how I feel.

Considering those subjects of interest I mentioned before, and letting the viewer enter my own little world, I think it would be great someday to be able to do a photographic show (without falling into retrospectives) titled simply "Martín Morante_ Photographs".

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"Untitled" 

(Wisconsin- 2012) © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

I really would love to do a show like that.

Southern Views

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"Untitled" (South Beach, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford Delta 100 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera f231.

Scanned Negative. © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

I keep processing negatives. I already told myself that I will be capturing the most I can during the rest of the summer and fall to then on winter, when it is really hard to get me out of the cave, I will spend the hours on the darkroom working on all the harvested fruits.

Still, making use of an old scanner (which does not have quality it all) but beggars are not choosers they say, I take a quick (and unavoidable anxious) look and obviously share some of those here today.

Cheers!

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"Untitled" (South Beach, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford FP4 Plus 125 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera f231.

Scanned Negative. © Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Early Morning Dialogues

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South Beach, Port Washington WI, 2012

© Flavio Martín Morante_2012

Today morning I went for a nice early walk before it got too hot. After getting to the point visible on the picture, before turning back I made there a few takes with my "box". The sun started to get really hot, even when it was only 8 in the morning. That's why I like to go at 6 :). Anyway, as I did set the tripod after walking around the rock formation for like 20 minutes trying to get the "rock to speak to me telling me how she wanted me to photograph her" I thought of Uruguay writer Eduardo Galeano and the short tale I read once which I share here_

"The Art" by Eduardo Galeano (translated from the spanish)

An sculptor works in his studio surrounded by children.

All the children from the neighborhood are friends.

One day, the neighborhood commission him a big horse for the town's square.

A big truck delivers a big granite block to his house.

The sculptor started to work on it, climbing a ladder hitting it with a hammer and a chisel.

The kids watching him.

Then the kids went on vacation to the mountain and the sea.

Upon their return the sculptor showed them the finished horse piece.

Then, one of the kids with eyes wide open asked him:

... but, how did you know that inside that big piece of rock there was a horse?

Eduardo Galeano, Uruguay.

From "Days of Love and War", 1978

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"Untitled" (South Beach, Port Washington, Wisconsin)

4in x 5in Ilford Delta 100 ISO (film negative). Pinhole camera f231.

Scanned Negative. © Flavio Martín Morante_2012