Really, no connection or relativity...
I have been working on some really interesting things lately. Well, I think so, at least.
Pinhole images are some of the most surreal possibilities that film can create in a single exposure. They transcend the simplicity of the digital image and exemplify the camera's ability to produce rather than reproduce.
I started in the studio, as I thought that it might have been what I was looking for. Fortunately, after a few days, I realized that I really needed to get out of such a confined place and move into the ever changing outside environment.
With a little push from a very smart professor, an idea dropped in front of my eyes and allowed me to fully recognize what I was looking for.The other day, I took a trip down to the German Roman Catholic Orphan Home on Dodge Street in Buffalo to begin photographing deteriorating architectural spaces. I felt as though the history and usefulness of the cyanotype as an architectural blueprint was something worth exploring. Unfortunately, once I arrived at the beautiful, abandoned building I was a bit dismayed by the multitude of shady looking characters and decided to leave. Instead, I drove down to Forest Lawn cemetery with a friend of mine and I worked with taking pinhole photographs there instead, as a bit of practice. They turned out surprisingly well.
The next step will be to actually get into the orphanage, with the accompaniment of a group of friends to feel more comfortable. Perhaps it will be just what I'm looking for. I sure hope so, anyway.I also looked into going into the H.H. Richardson Complex, also known as Buffalo State Hospital/Asylum. But unlike the Orphanage, the hospital is in the process of being remodeled and is completely fenced off and patrolled around the clock to keep vagrants such as myself out. I emailed the woman supposedly in charge of the remodeling and inquired as to whether I could possibly have a chance to go inside and get my photographs and leave, promising to leave the place unchanged. I haven't gotten a response yet, but I hope that she will be understanding of my situation (I explained to her that I'm just a student, trying to complete my senior thesis project) and allow me to go in for a short while. If that doesn't work out, I'll have to just turn to other architecture for the time being (I have to complete a majority of my project by the end of the semester) and just stall and make time before I can find a suitable place as a subject. I guess we'll see.
Still looking for a job. I might have to cave and get a job in a restaurant or retail. Not my favorite idea. Until further adventures:
Seconds drip down the wall
as the fire rages on down the hall.
Soot plumes toward my vantage point
in the ceiling tiles.
