Hey Brian…
Is this you? I am just now catching up with my Christmas cards…so I thought I would write quick note. Have been very busy the past few months and last week someone threw the OFF switch and I am as quiet as a morgue here…not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it doesn’t last too long.
So how are you? And what are you up to these days?? It would be nice to chat a bit and catch up. As I age it seems more and more important to stay connected to my past as best I can. And while it seems like not that much has changed, I realize that everything has changed, if only in small degrees. I am still in the same studio…going on 21 years now, and about to sign a new lease, maybe the last one, especially since the rent is going up at a rapid pace. And at the end of another 3 year lease I will be pushing 58 and maybe it will be time to move on. While my house is plenty big enough to work out of, I never liked the idea of living and working in the same place. I like them separate. Always have. My work is always evolving. I am all digital now, which only makes sense these days. I have 2 artist friends who are competing to see who will be the last one in the darkroom, but my darkroom went away over a year ago. And you know, I don’t miss it. My work is still a mix of personal fine art work, assignment work and stock photography, with a little teaching thrown in here and there. In a nutshell the whole world of photography is a little nuts right now I think..no I think it basically sucks, but that is just my opinion. On the other hand, I still love it and and have great fun tooling around in the digital darkroom. I think it sucks because there is a big race out there to see who can provide the cheapest work at the fastest pace and hand away all rights at the same time. I don’t wish to go there, and needless to say I lose a lot of work because I am too expensive…so be it. Plus any one with a digital camera and passing knowledge of Photoshop is a photographer now. Fairly recently I realized that film created the great divide, you either knew what you were doing or you didn’t. You could afford it or you couldn’t…you had a darkroom or you didn’t. Digital photography is so much easier in my opinion than shooting with film. I do like the digital workflow and all, but film was a leap of faith…
Anyway, enough on that…
I am good and hope you are as well. How is life in Indiana? Talk to me sometime.
Ciao,
Mel
