I am proud to announce that DSP has been featured in Bloomsburg University’s Spectrum Magazine! To read the article click on the link : Die Strafbar Photography
Thank you to all who support your local arts!
Clever Title
Using this topic to approach art, more specifically DSP and how we want our viewer to approach looking at our pieces. Without hitting them over the head with a statement, we like to see them come up with the story. How did that get there? Why? I see Dean’s pride every time someone strongly reacts to a piece.
So Much the Children Play
One instance, a couple walked up to our stand in August, looked at “So Much the Children Play” the man chuckled while pointing it out to the woman who audibly gasped, grabbed her chest then gestured waving her hand, as if to say I’m done here! while turning her face away. The husband looked at us and said, “She’s terrified of dolls. They really creep her out.” Later that day Dean and I talked about all the viewers reactions, understandably so he was most proud of that one.
It is nice to get feedback from people but even better to see their initial reaction. I love that our work isn’t spelled out for whoever may view it. More like a puzzle piece less like a squeaky clean novel -where everything is neatly tied up at the end. No one is left guessing. We enjoy the guessing!
The title is a quote made famous by Timothy Leary who spoke openly about taking LSD and like experiences. Timothy was almost completely shunned by his colleagues, family and friends for his taboo research on the aforementioned drug and it’s effects on the human body. Though he was made up by the media to sound like a madman, he lead his life speaking freely of his findings with drugs in regards to religion, life, sex and humanity. He put no end to his learning about LSD and what he could experience from it. He died while tripping on acid.
Stagnation can be such a creative linchpin. It isn’t as simple as boredom or as complex as desire. Having that creative rut is something every person experiences, a dam in the flow of ideas. Spinning wheels to get out of a mud puddle just gets you more stuck. Sometimes if you lift your chin and tilt your head ever so slightly, you can see a whole new perspective.
Since the busy month of August came to a close, Dean and I have been re-tooling. Taking a break from the constant task-oriented ‘Fest mode’ to a more mindful approach to the photography business. This was something we decided early in the summer. We knew just how exhausted we would be after the long weekend events and looked forward to having time to approach things with a fresh angle. So we took a trip to the city; where there is always artistic expression and inspiration. It really doesn’t matter what corner you turn or how long you stay, there is always something to do and see. It was a much needed creative break for Dean, it was leisurely with culture to take away. Since living there, I rarely ever plan anything when we do make the trip because I know that within a 10 minute walk there is something to pique our interests!
If anything to take away from this writing it is this. Self-exploration and internal reflection are integral to connecting with other humans. Art is one way we can connect.
Food for thought: ‘I don’t believe in photography as art or a job or anything. I think of photography as a language and I think a language should be used to speak, to say what you have to say. So the only things I have to say about my life and what I know about the world, is the way I see it. So, it’s not about photography… I think people should just use photography to say things and not just photography for the sake of photography… The world is full of talented photographers. The problem is just so many of them just don’t know what to say, they think life is one thing and photography is another but they don’t realise that photography is just a way to reflect what you are.’ ~Antoine d’ Agata 
Everyone has a quirky behavior, at least to some degree. I find a direct correlation between degree of artsy to strange behavior (there are exceptions to every rule). You don’t need a Psych degree to determine this, hence my next facet along these lines. Dean and I work in Bloomsburg, driving 45 minutes one way, which can be very draining not to mention boring. On our route, we listen to NPR in the morning and pick apart their stories some of which I think are entirely fictitious; we try to avoid route 11 because of all the GMC traffic during our commute. One morning after we had been into a year’s worth of familiar on the same route, I was half asleep yet studying the neighborhoods. Passing farms, schools, little town churches which probably seconded as schools at some point, I noticed this odd little house. The structure of the home was a run-of-the-mill 50s ranch type, shaped like a U, with the center portion of the home inset from the two sides. Outward appearance was within the normal range of living except for this one ‘thing’. I don’t remember if I mentioned anything to Dean at first but after a week or so I noticed that this ‘thing’ changed, not drastically, just enough to keep me coming back for more.
This is total speculation, from what I gather the residents of this home are either an older married couple or a mother daughter duo, in the last few years of life. The ‘thing’ that I mention is a mannequin, female, probably about my build. We’ll refer to her as “pretty woman”. She sports a different outfit on average every 3 weeks and if it is raining, she’s either using an umbrella or covered with a poncho and mask. I have only photographic evidence of one wardrobe but besides the majorette outfit, she has worn a blue Easter/Spring type dress, heavy red cloak with black detail and a patriotic red, white and blue outfit with a flag pring top hat. Not only do Dean and I bat ideas around about this home and the inner workings thereof but we enjoy glancing over to see what this woman is wearing.
My guess is that the resident used to be a seamstress (how or why else would one have a mannequin?), she’s made these outfits in her hey-day and maybe wore them at some point too. The effort to dress a large doll, who resides on your porch everyday I think it’s strange for a few reasons yet I kind of get it. I loved ‘playing Barbies’ at about the age of 12, I realized that I have enough friends and varied intrests that I don’t need the Barbie world for me to make my own choices and enjoy life. On the other hand maybe she’s a disgrunteled employee who used to work for Mattel! Once, I saw her taking off pretty woman’s poncho and thought There is the mastermind!
About a week ago, Dean mentioned to me in passing, that the Degenstein art show was coming up soon. After all of the normal life events, we’ve been busy organizing and cleaning at the house along with working 40 hour weeks. So, yes, it slipped my mind. One morning, while I was at work, I had a chance to research the artist submission dates. One day, we had one day. Ugh!
Luckily, I don’t go into panic mode very easily. I called the usual suspects, to see if I could get some last minute matting to enhance the photos. Of course the only day I need it, is the day she happens to be closed. In a moment of clarity, I thought that maybe we should just take what we have, re-mat and ref-frame some pieces and submit them. Since last year, Dean has done a lot of different works such as, the abstracts and the vehicle HDR’s, most recently we’ve been working on night photos playing around with the lighting. Until we get some actual studio equipment, using just the SB-800 is tough. We’ve found that in most cases that one flash simply does not do the trick. With that said, we concluded to submit, “Enlightened”, “Cracked Stone [ala Brett Weston]” and “Union Tree”. At last year’s competition, a photo of a sepia tree won first prize, Dean and I figured that we couldn’t go wrong entering a tree, a wall and one that sends a bit more of a message (please read the chalkboard).
I chose the matting cleverly, using colors that enhanced the images. For the “Cracked Stone” piece, I used a sharp looking, satin-like, black mat which really made it look even more moody.
Thursday evening came, we went to the artist’s reception saw lots of photos of birds, bees and flowers. One of the other artists there has kind of the same feel as Dean’s photos, subject moody, dark, interesting. Her image was very well processed, and cleanly framed, she was awarded first place in the advanced photography, rightfully so. Second place was a Hallmark looking image of a book and lantern on a window sill with a lighthouse in the background, honorable mention -a staircase. Ugh! That’s really all I can say.
Now I do agree that not everybody has to have the same taste in art but I suspect that some of the chosen winners had a relationship with the society or the judge. I am not certain if the artist’s names were made known to the judge but I have a hunch that it was common knowledge. With all of that said, I think we’ll lean toward larger prints and maybe a more dramatic frame, next time.
