Thesis Complete!

My thesis is complete!

Finally!

I will have my diploma soon and officially be a Masters of Photography

"Wassenaar Issue 01" online!

Some of you may remember a while back when I announced one of my photographs from Neil & Judy would be part of an online magazine. Well, yesterday the magazine came online.

Wassenaar Issue 01 from the We Can't Paint Network

My photograph is featured in the group "Domesticity Redux"

The photographs examines, as the title suggests, domesticity but in a way that can at times work against our preconceived notions.

There is no direct link to the gallery but go HERE and click on Group at the top.

My photograph is featured alongside a photo from my buddy Matthew Crowther.

CHECK IT OUT...no seriously, check it out.

film isn't gone, it's just retired

Came across this today and it made me sad

Analog Retirement, BustedTees

thesis-ing

I'm a photographer
not a writer

Yes. Perpetually writing my thesis. I can never say I'm almost done.

But it has to be done soon.

Seriously.

It will be done.

new job

This coming Monday I start a new job at V-Lab in Evanston. I'll be doing darkroom black and white prints! The lab does work for Classic Kids Photography.

sweet

I'm Glad I Don't Really Look Like This

Chicago galleries opening night, 9-5-08

I briefly attended a few openings this past Friday in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.

I hit up Rowley Kennerk Gallery, only popping my head in as I was looking for friends.

Also saw the John Opera show at Andrew Rafacz Gallery.

Check out that show, it was good. Simple, understated photographs. The size, the expanse of trees/horizon above the figure is mesmerizing.





I closed out the night with dinner at Veerasway, Indian restaurant. Expensive but delicious.

Here are some photos from the night.

Luke and Matt


view of the show at Kavi Gupta


my love, Carlye

What I'm Listening To

Jamie Lidell - Jim


Beach House - Devotion

Art Opening This Friday!

Come out to the I Space Gallery this Friday from 5-7pm for the opening of Pulse of a Perfect Heart. The show features recent MFA graduates from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

I have two photographs from my series Neil & Judy.

Pulse of a Perfect Heart, July 18 - August 16, 2008
I Space Gallery
230 West Superior
Chicago, IL 60610
opening 5-7pm

website

Neil & Judy photo to be published in online magazine

I just received word that one of my photographs from the Neil & Judy series will be part of the feature "New-Domesticity" in the first issue of the online magazine, Wassenaar.

Wassenaar Magazine is part of the We Can't Paint Network.

I'm not sure which photo will be used but stay tuned as I learn more.

new photo added to Neil & Judy

I've been going back into some of my photos from the Neil & Judy series and have so far added one image. The original six were in part limited by the space available for the MFA show. Now that the show is over I'm adding images. I've been photographing off and on for the series and plan to have something to show for it soon. For now, enjoy the now 7 photographs that make up the series.

uncommon

I'm currently writing my thesis, finishing up the last requirement of my MFA degree and I'm reading a lot of books and looking at a lot of photographs. There's a quotation from an interview with Stephen Shore in Anne Celine-Jaeger's Image Makers, Image Takers that I'd like to share with you...

Q: What is it that you give or do to an everyday subject to make it uncommon?

A: I'd call it 'conscious attention'. It's a condition of seeing the world in a heightened state of awareness. I think most people have experience walking down the street and for a few minutes, everything looks bright or more vivid, or space and time feels more tangible; things seem more real. I imagine that it's quite possible that the quality of mind can imprint itself on a picture through the choices a photographer makes.

I think Shore's view does a great job of capturing what is great about photography and what it means to be aware. I know the feeling, the awareness he speaks of. What do you think?

MFA opening - pictures

The MFA opening was almost a month ago but I've finally managed to get some pictures from that night. It was a great time with a great turn out.

Stay tuned for more info about the MFA show part 2, at I Space gallery in Chicago. But for now...pictures!


Mom and Dad, with Neil & Judy


Carlye and Me


Dad, not filling up the lawnmower


Dad taking a picture of his picture


Install view

MFA show recap

Thanks to all those that came out to the opening of the MFA show.

For those of you who couldn't make it or would like to see my work again head on over to the newly updated Neil & Judy section of my website.

MFA show opening tonight, 5-7pm

MFA show opens soon!

The MFA show at the University of Illinois School of Art and Design opens next Wednesday at 9am!

The opening is next Friday, the 18th from 5-7.

I'll post more about it soon.

I'll have six photos from the "Neil & Judy" series but you'll have to come to the show to see which ones!

I'll post the selected photos once the show is open...I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Some Tunes in the Mux

Enjoy!

http://donaldr.muxtape.com/

let me know what you think

This Year's Model

I'd like to be as timeless and awesome as this album.

Post Denver Wrap Up

To all those I met at SPE, thank you. Your feedback and comments are always appreciated.

If you picked up my card or talked to me leave me a comment and we can stay in touch.

rocky mountain high

I'm currently sitting in the Plaza Foyer of the Adams Mark Hotel in beautiful Denver, Colorado for the 2008 National Conference for the Society for Photographic Education.

I've met a lot of great people while here and received some really helpful and insightful feedback about my work. I must thank the following people who took part of the student portfolio reviews:

Kenda North
Brian Steele
Ryan Flathau

I just got back from a great presentation by Brian Steele about grading and assessment for basic photography courses.

More to come later.

same car, different color

Ever notice when you buy a car and go out driving you can easily spot cars just like yours. Maybe the car is of a previous model or has a spoiler or is a different color but it's still "your car." You never noticed the cars just like yours before but now it's all you see...you thought you were the only one but it's not true.

Same applies to photography.

Since embarking upon my photographic series about my parents, currently titled "Neil & Judy" I've come across numerous photographers doing similar projects. Same car, different color.

Finding others working on similar projects is maybe disheartening but I've come to realize or notice that others' pictures are not necessarily better but different.

Doug Dubois, Family Portraits, 1984-1992 and 1999-2006
Caitlin Arnold, There's Something About My Family
Larry Sultan, Pictures From Home (I'm trying to find a better link, let me know if you find one)

there's more...I'll post them as I find them

Tivoli Theatre, Downers Grove

Shot some photos here earlier today. More to follow next week.

website update

holy cow!

I've updated my website. It's not a huge update. I just shuffled everything around a bit. It's now a side scrolling website. I'm not a huge fan of that particular style but for now it allows for quicker updating than my previous design. Look for updates on the "Neil & Judy" series over the next day or two.

Please let me know what you think.

Donald Rasmussen

Polaroid to stop making instant film

In another blow to film Polaroid will stop manufacturing instant film. I don't shoot instant film but our film world is shrinking. Luckily Fujifilm will still manufacture film.

Polaroid Closing Instant Film Factories

Grocery Shopping

This shot is new and it's one of my favorites. I can already tell that it's going to make the cut.

a new photo - taken yesterday

titles

What's in name?

I'm considering changing the name of the "Leave a Light On" series to "At Night."

What do you think?

The newer body of work, represented by the crop of images below, is currently untitled. Not called "Untitled" but currently lacking a title.

Here's an idea for a title for the series..."Neil & Judy"

What do you think?

even more new work

film


digital

More new work (film)

new photos (digital)

These shots are from a Canon 5D. I'm trying this digital approach alongside my traditional medium format film (6x7) method.

Recent Work - Recap

As part of the grad program here at the University of Illinois we have an end of the semester final critique. Below are the nine prints I displayed. All the work comes from the currently untitled project about my parents. Expect a lot more after the first of the year.

Garry Winogrand and Stephen Shore - two interviews

It snowed today. I've spent the day surfing the web and looking and reading about photography. I've found two great interviews that I must share.

The first one is an old Bill Moyers clip about Garry Winogrand.

Link

The other comes from PopPhoto.com. It's a short interview with Stephen Shore about photography in the digital age. Be sure to take a look at the gallery. The colors are gorgeous.

Link

It's fascinating to take in these two interviews right after one another. Winogrand embodies the digital age way of shooting but with film. Worlds colliding.

How are you spending your day of snow?

Best Albums of 2007

In my first ever best of list I present the 11 best albums of 2007...

(click on the album covers to links to iTunes)

11. Asa Breed by Matthew Dear

10. Cease to Begin by Band of Horses

9. The Reminder by Feist

8. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco

7. Sprit If... by Kevin Drew

6. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird

5. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon

4. In Rainbows by Radiohead

3. The Shepherd's Dog by Iron and Wine

2. Blasts of Holy Birth by Lewis and Clarke

1. The Stage Names by Okkervil River

raise high the Christmas wreath

a new photograph

The Kitchen
(raw/unedited scan)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Expect some new work this time next week.

In the meantime enjoy some turkey and mashed potatoes.

Iconic Moments of the Twentieh Century

I found this post on Boing Boing (via Laughing Squid) and had to share it.

From Boing Boing:

LINK

Art collective Henry VIII's Wives restaged historic photographs with elderly volunteers as the models. All of the models in the series, titled "Iconic Moments of the Twentieth Century," live in a home for the elderly in Glasgow. From the Henry VIII's Wives site:

A group of aged volunteers pose in their everyday outfits and in their daily environment (the vicinity of the Home) to re-enact the scenes from well-known newspaper photographs taken from history books and encyclopaedias. The images in question depict ‘historical moments’ that took place in their lifetime: Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at the Yalta Conference during the World War II, the Napalm Attack and the killing a Vietcong from the Vietnam War, or the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald, which was depicted live on a TV programme. Each of these images represents an immediately recognisable cultural leitmotif of its époque, the representation that overshadows the event it documents.

IMC Fest and new work

The IMC Fest opens next week. The Independent Media Center in Urbana will be hosting the IMC Fest November 9th thru the 11th. I have 5 photographs in the show from my Leave a Light On series. The fest is a celebration of local music and art. Check out the website.

and here's one recent photograph taken this past Monday night.


Byers Vacuum
Champaign, IL

new work (update)

Mom Writing the Grocery List



Dad Filling Up the Lawn Mower

a new photograph

Here's one new photograph taken just last week.
The Memphis update will be coming soon, I swear.


Car-X
Champaign, IL

Memphis

more to come soon

Good News!

The film processor has new parts and is back up and running.

Look for new images here next week!

broken parts

It what can only be viewed as an ominous sign of things to come the color film processor at the only local photo lab in Champaign that processes medium format film is broken. This was last Tuesday. I dropped film off the day before. Luckily my film was not in the processor at the time of the mechanized meltdown. I've been going back everyday since to find out the latest news. First we weren't sure if there were parts available. As film dies its slow death it brings down film processor companies with it. That being what it is the company that makes the local color processor is out of business. Out of business means no new parts. Used parts it is. Parts should have arrived yesterday. No dice. Today. No dice. So I will go back tomorrow in hopes of finding out if the parts are in.

This recent event only sheds more light on the quickly changing world of photography. A week ago when I shot these rolls I thought I would have had the negatives in my hands a day or two later. Now it's been over a week. With digital photography there is not wait, there is no machine to break down, no company to go out of business.

When photography started it was a solitary business. The photographer would buy or make the necessary equipment. The glass plates would be coated by hand, developed and printed by the photographer. Then the business of photography took off. We were no longer in complete control. We relied (and still do) on other people and companies to do some of the work for us. We send film off to be developed and printed (sometimes in an hour or less). Now we've come full circle. Once you buy a digital camera and a printer you're set. You'll only need ink and paper. Sure the business end is still there but no longer are the any steps in between. The photographer owns the process from start to finish.

I will stick with film for now or at least until the processor breaks again. In the mean time listen to some new music. I am.

Happy Birthday!

to me

limbo-ography

Is a photographer a photographer if he's not making pictures? Of course. I'm at that stage in the semester in which the amount of money I have equals something on the order of nothing. I'm waiting around for a summer work paycheck, university stipend and government loans to all kick in. So I sit here unable to buy film. It's true, as I type this I have one frame left on my last roll of film. It's not a great place to be but it's giving me the opportunity to get reading done, to reevaluate old work, and catch up with friends.

Sure, I could go out with a digital camera and work but that's akin to asking a painter to use acrylic instead of oil (or something more poetic). So I'll wait until I have my film to embark upon the projects that need doing. I'll continue to make work perhaps even using this opportunity to try something new. Maybe that painter comparison is apt after all.

In the mean time here's a recent image, taken within the last month.



North Street Records. Normal, IL

more photos from the CoPA opening

I just came across this set of photos on Flickr from the CoPA opening. I'm not sure who it is and if I did would I remember him/her from the opening but I wanted to pass this along.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtrittin/sets/72157601081835400/

Cedarhurst opening - pictures

opening wall


opening crowd


Jori and Matt, my opening companions


couple looking at my photo


me with my photograph

Opening at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts this Saturday

If you're looking for a road trip get your yourself down to Mt. Vernon, Illinois. The Cedarhurst Center for the Arts will be hosting the Southern Illinois Artists Open Competition and Exhibition this Saturday. The opening will take place at 6:30pm. A photograph from my "Leave a Light On" series will be a part of the exhibition.

Cedarhurst

new work

Here are some recent photos taken over the summer break.


International Tailor Shop


Beautique Catalina


College Oaks Square Ministry

CoPA opening - pictures

The opening was a great success. It was quite an honor to be among so many great photographers and photographs. Look for a full run down later.


me with my photos


Walker's Point Center for the Arts


my work, installed


the crowd

website update and CoPA opening this Friday

My main site has been updated. There's no new content, yet. The color scheme has been updated. Take a look.

Reminder: The Coalition of Photographic Arts 1st Annual Juried Exhibition opens this Friday. If you're in the Milwaukee area stop by the Walker's Point Center for the Arts at 911 W. National Avenue. The opening is from 4-9pm. The next day, Saturday, there will be a lecture given by Brian Ulrich.

CoPA show opening Friday, July 27th

The Coalition of Photographic Arts 1st Annual Juried Exhibition opens Friday, July 27, 2007. The opening reception is taking place from 4-9pm on the 27th. Brian Ulrich, the juror for the show will be giving a lecture the next day, Saturday the 28th at 2pm. The show is at the Walker's Point Center for the Arts at 911 W. National Ave in beautiful Milwaukee "The Good Land" Wisconsin.

Hope to see you there.

Two upcoming shows

A total of 4 of my photographs are to be part of two shows here in the Midwest. All the photos come from my recent series "Leave a Light On". I will have work in the Southern Illinois Artists Open Competition to be held at the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. I will also have three photographs in the Coalition of Photographic Arts in Milwaukee, WI. The CoPA show is being curated by Brian Ulrich.

more details to follow.

updates

My website has been updated. I've uploaded some of the best shots from this past semester. You can find them from the main page or from here. The new series is titled "Leave a Light On"

It's a hit - Rilo Kiley

Any chimp can play human for a day.
Use his opposable thumbs to iron his uniform
and run for office on election day
fancy himself a real decision maker
and deploy more troops than salt in a shaker.

But it's a jungle when war is made,
and you'll panic and throw your own shit at the enemy.
The camera pulls back to reveal your true identity.
Look, it's a sheep in wolf's clothing.
A smoking gun holding ape.



sound like anybody you know?

The Decision Maker

No One Belongs Here More Than You

Holy freakin' cow!

Miranda July. I'd like to meet you. I was first introduced to her video work in an undergraduate class. Quirky for sure, funny and at times hard to understand. But with the movie "Me and You and Everyone We Know" I feel in love with her. Now comes a website. A website, dare I say, unlike any other I've seen. She's taken to writing with dry-erase marker on her stove top. The whole website! All to promote her book "No One Belongs Here More Than You." With such an amazing title and hilarious website I believe I'll be buying the book.

thank you

No One Belongs Here More Than You

go

a new scan and The Decemberists

Lombard, IL

Here's a new image shot about a month ago that I've finally had a chance to put up online. Enjoy.

If you get the chance get yourself to a Decemberists concert. They are truly amazing. Colin Meloy is one hell of performer with an amazing stage prescence and a knack for interacting with the audience. Mariners Revenge Song was complete with a fake whale.

But the new discovery of the evening was My Brightest Diamond. wow!

Automatic Art

Champaign, IL

a new image

Here's one of my most recent images.

Chambanagraphy

Riding in on the coattails that is Brian Ulrich and Chicagraphy is the newest photographic sensation: Chambanagraphy!

check it out

http://chambanagraphy.blogspot.com/

big time awesome

Forgotten and Altered is officially open. Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday night. The turnout was better than I had expected. Come back here soon for some pictures from opening night.