Web Presence

 As an artist, I was deluged with advice that I needed an Internet presence.  The result was that I spent months photographing my artwork, measuring it, titling it, writing about it, editing the images, loading them into my photo applications, and finally, publishing the images to my websites.  At first it was very satisfying to be able to see my images online and to know that I could answer the, "Do you have a website?" question with a positive, "I do."

I was an innocent in the web of online art.  I have since realized the truism that having a website, or two, on the internet, is like having a book on a library shelf.  Someone has to want to read my statements, look at the images, respond to the artwork, perhaps purchase a print.  As a result, I find myself drawn deeper and deeper into an area of art that I previously knew nothing about - the myriad of large group websites, both in the US and internationally, that cater to people who want to get their artwork seen on the World Wide Web.  Some are free, some charge a fee. Some are open to all, some require application and review.  Most are in English, however, I do occasionally find myself corresponding in Italian (which I don't speak or write).  I have been drawn into this secondary web and it is endless.  On the plus side, there is an international community of artists who I am in contact with, and who respond to my work with great enthusiasm.  On the downside, I have found that each website has different uploading requirements for resolution and size that require me to customize my images.  All of this web activity is somewhat addictive, tremendously time consuming, and makes me wonder if my hours would be better spent creating art.

Taking Photographs

I get a thrill when I take a photograph. It’s something about the moment of capture.  There is a transcendent connection flowing from my finger pushing the shutter release, through the camera, to the subject and back around again. I love the moment of acquisition, when I know I’ve got it. 

Everybody likes taking pictures. We have become a world of photo enthusiasts. What is interesting to me is that, like in life, each person has a different perspective. I’m always looking at composition, how everything fits together. Other people focus on telling a story, remembering the moment, or preserving the face of friends and family. 

Digital photography has been both a blessing and a curse. The immediacy and the ability to manipulate results are incredible, but the no film advantage becomes not quite so wonderful when you’re traveling with a high resolution camera and you end up with multiple image cards. (Traveling with a portable hard drive is an option). Making prints is no longer automatic, and as a result, I feel the loss of tactile pleasure; I no longer receive a shiny sheaf of freshly printed photos, still slightly smelly from emulsion, sitting in a falling apart paper envelope. I miss those days.