I’ve been creating alien things. Although I’ve always kept an eye out for alien-looking photos, for the last year or so I’ve been working on the theme “alien” to see what I can find.
This involves lapsing into a receptive state when shooting - trying to tune into the alien channel where these images are broadcast.
Stel
(Updated 6/18/23 with additional photos)
A photographer friend of mine recently shared a mannequin photo she’d made, which prompted a discussion about creepy mannequin photos. We decided to get some mannequins and make some creepy pictures.
To start, my goals were to develop skills in portraying mood via simple gesture, and to make creepy, unfunny photographs. I’ve diverged from these goals somewhat as I go along in the project, partly because they’re hard goals, and partly because I follow my nose and it sometimes leads me to other types of images.
So far my photos seem to fall into two main camps: story-telling, and light studies.
Story telling is a big factor in my photography. I often think of the story concept ahead of time, then create the image to illustrate it, but sometimes the image creation builds the story.
These are untitled for now because I want viewers to figure the stories out on their own.
I’m always fascinated with shaping light, and mannequins are perfect models for experimenting with it because they’re endlessly patient and don’t mind holding a pose for hours at a time.
Working with mannequins is challenging and fun, so I’m not done photographing them. I’ll update this page as I create more mannequin photos.
And finally, for someone prone to anthropomorphism as I am, I can’t help but thank my mannequins for their help. A big thanks to Bob, Simone, Ziggy and Chad, without whose endless patience and willingness to experiment this project wouldn’t be possible.
In August I sold Hilda, my 1973 VW Westalia Campmobile. I had Hilda for 27 years and we took a lot of fun trips together but I decided to sell her. As the end drew near, I thought of lots of creative ways to photograph her.
Hilda lived in my studio so she featured in some studio photography.
Scott shoots in medium-format B&W film and he made this photograph of us.
Taking a break from the skating.
I met a fellow photographer, Scott Moss (https://scottmoss.co/), who photographed me with the bus - perfect timing for me, since I was planning to part with her.
Scott knows some roller skaters, Kris (IG: @krisonquads) and Alicia (IG: @aliciamarliece_), who are interested in the `70s and are up for photography shoots, so he got us all together with Hilda for some photos. Maybe this is the start of Hilda’s pro modeling career?
I drove Hilda around town for a couple hours one night for some blurry fun. This isn’t the first time I’ve strapped a camera into Hilda, but it’s the first time at night.
Leaving for a new life in France, starting on a truck. Bon Voyage Hilda!
I’ve been reading art and photography books lately that are inspiring me to try new things. That, combined with a visual rediscovery of some art glass pieces, prompted me to study lighting, glass and vision to produce these experiments.
Uta Barth’s thoughts on trying to see past the blindness of the accustomed way of seeing one’s own home to find new vision inspired me to play with seeing through the lens of a piece of art glass, as in “Crazy Eyes” below.
“Light - Science & Magic” by Hunter, Biver and Fuqua prompted me to set up a lighting studio and play with dark-field lighting of glass, giving me the last two photos. The last photo - “Kelp Bulb,” part of a kelp sculpture - was a surprise, I’d been concentrating so much on lighting that I didn’t really notice the way the reflection makes it look like breasts until I was processing the photos, then it became overwhelmingly obvious.
I’ve been taking fewer photos lately, but the ones I’ve been making have included several that I’m really pleased with. I seem to be doing less of a shotgun approach to photographing these days, turning into more of a sniper. Or perhaps that’s wishful thinking…
Abduction
This is the most satisfying image I’ve made in a long time. Events, most of which were out of my control, flowed together to form this image - setting, costume, lighting and inspiration. I captured this with a single take on my iPhone and knew it was gold before I looked at it. This is why I do photography.
I titled it “Abduction” but I’m not sure that’s the right title. This photograph is so ambiguous I'm almost afraid to put a title to it because anything I call it will spin it for the viewer. In the end, though, I decided to give it a malevolent spin because that’s the way it works best for me.
Gatsby and Patio
This is a documentary photograph showing the patio roof we had built this summer. The idea for the photo was Carrie’s and she helped wrangle Gatsby while I made it.
Cat In Paradise
This was another single-take photograph. I immediately thought of a painterly, Rousseau-like image when I saw this, so that’s how I’ve processed it. I wanted to bring out the fantastical element, the “animal in Eden” kind of thing.
Jenga Tower
I spent a week by myself in Eastern Oregon dog- and house-sitting for a friend. I channeled my creativity to build successively-higher Jenga towers out of construction scraps. This was my ultimate tower, a 3-legged 14-foot high tower. Although the bird on top blew off, the main tower was still standing a couple weeks after I left.
Keep `em coming
Since I was by myself out in Eastern Oregon I did all my drinking alone. Here I am, keeping a team of bartenders busy at the outdoor bar I built on my friend’s property a few years ago. Salut!