When I wrote about a potentially new series of re-imagined botanical subjects a few days ago, I was not really sure if this was going to be a series that had some wheels on it. As a friend stated when she looked at her recent ‘negative’ urban landscape photographs that she was really surprised in how the appearance effected her. And how the resulting deconstructed photographs also inspired her. As well as how her new urban landscape photographs also inspired me.
As I stated in my earlier post about my ‘negative’ botanicals, I needed to create and print a few more to further evaluate if and how this series might develop. Mission accomplished; these are surreal and visually mysterious photographs.
One option I considered is that this new series is an extension of my Memory Pods project, which could explore the memory of the COVID-19 pandemic, since these were photographed during that period. The deconstruction and inversion of my subjects as a potential metaphor for the upside-down worldly aspect of what is occurring during this pandemic, including my own ‘negativity’ toward those who are doing all of the wrong things such as anti-vax and anti-mask attitudes driven by political rhetoric.
Second option that I am considering is that this new series is a metaphor for climate change. I think that in this past year we all have become increasingly more aware of the environmental changes that continue to occur at a far rapid pace than anyone had anticipated. Thus, many speak of this moment as an environmental crisis, not just as an environmental change. In fact a looming threat to the future of mankind, which really has me worried. Faced with two options for this series, I am going with what I think is the more serious of the two issues to be investigated. So as a straw man, I am now starting to title these photographs as part of my Anthropogenic Crisis series.
I have a feeling I will be writing much more about this…
Best regards,
Doug
Printed on a 24″ x 30″ sheet of H. Metallic Rag, in an Edition of 5.
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Book workshops & Portfolio Reviews
SEC4P: Creative PhotoBook workshop (Update: Sold Out), a virtual event on Zoom; January 22 & 23 and 29 & 30, 2022, 10 AM – 1 PM, EST (3 hour session each day, with a week between the weekend sessions to work your book-dummy). Hosted by Southeast Center for Photography (SEC4P)
LACP: Exposure Weekend, virtual portfolio reviews, which I am one of the many portfolio reviewers available, January 27 – 30th, 2022, details here. Los Angeles Center of Photography
Medium Photo: Developing a Creative Photo Book, a virtual (Zoom) workshop I will be leading again in conjunction with Medium Photo with New dates: March 5 – 6, 12 – 13, 2022 More details and sign-up available now at Medium Photo.
News alert; a new photobook workshop is in the works for Spring 2022 that will occur on Mountain Time, stay tuned.
Singular Images 
Wow love it!