Joseph Vavak

Frontier County (and more)

2012-01-15T19:54:00.002-06:00

Moorefield, Nebraska

North Platte, Nebraska

near Stockville, Nebraska

I'll spare everyone from more of my ramblings about how fantastic the weather was today. (It was absolutely, completely, spectacularly gorgeous.)

Instead, I've just posted a few photographs from today's proceedings. I visited every town in Frontier County (Curtis, Eustis, Maywood, Moorefield and Stockville) after starting the day in downtown North Platte. This part of the state is rugged and hilly with steep drops to the mostly dry creek beds that meander through the rough terrain. I can only imagine how rough it must get when a bad blizzard blows through this isolated, nearly tree-less place.

Details on ordering ninety-three to follow. Thank you again for stopping by.

Hello, January?

2012-01-14T20:26:00.001-06:00

It's not often that Nebraska experiences a January quite like this one. My birthday usually finds itself smack in the middle of the coldest weeks of the year. This winter, in quite unusual fashion, has been anything but cold. Outside of a little snow in early December and two or three days with single degree lows, the weather has been just fantastic. Tomorrow promises a high above fifty degrees.

I've decided to take advantage of mother nature's generosity and head west for a quick overnight trip in honor of the beginning of my thirty-third (!) year. While putting together the ninety-three photo book, I realized that there was one county that I just wasn't 100% satisfied with. I'll be revisiting that county again tomorrow and hope to have the book available for purchase in the next few months before the Hot Shops show in May.

Pictured above are the sandhills just north of Brady, Nebraska. I am forever finding myself drawn to the sandhills' space and isolation.

Also visited: Lexington, Darr, Cozad, Willow Island, Gothenberg, Maxwell and North Platte.

New photographs for a new year

2012-01-01T19:00:00.001-06:00

Today begins yet another year. It may be what amounts to a mostly symbolic fresh start, but I'll take it nonetheless. As always, I'm reminded that I must always move forward and find time to be creative as much as possible. And remember to be happy, even in the face of an always-hectic world rushing by.

What follows are twelve photographs for the first day of 2012. I spent this mild, yet extremely windy, holiday in the Loess Hills region of western Iowa. I'd like to think it's a good start on what will hopefully be a fantastic year of image making and discovery.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Five: Songs from 2011

2011-12-03T16:58:00.001-06:00

Big Harp - Everybody Pays

William Elliott Whitmore - Everything Gets Gone

Wilco - Art Of Almost

The Mountain Goats - High Hawk Season

Tom Waits - Kiss Me

Keeping busy

2011-12-02T18:17:00.001-06:00

It's been over a month since I last posted anything on this blog. While I've been busy with work and school, I have also spent quite a bit of time photographing South Omaha. The lack of immediacy from shooting film doesn't really allow for consistent blog entries with photographs.

I am looking forward to revealing much of the South Omaha project at the Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha this coming May. The winter will be spent scanning negatives and organizing the series. I'll have more news soon.

Pictured above is the view of the Veteran's Memorial Bridge and Missouri River from Mandan Park.

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ninety-three is nearing completion in book form. I've been sequencing the photographs and working on getting a cover design figured out. The book should be available from Blurb in the next few months.

Today was a gorgeous day

2011-10-16T19:35:00.005-05:00

A few details for your enjoyment from a near perfect Sunday afternoon...

Way over yonder in the minor key

2011-10-11T20:58:00.001-05:00

Some photographs from this afternoon in far southwestern Douglas County, Nebraska along the Elkhorn River. Fall is my favorite time of the year to photograph. There's just something about the fall light that's just about perfect.

October 1st

2011-10-01T23:51:00.000-05:00

Some days you've got it. Some days you don't. Today was in the latter category. I spent some time in eastern Saunders County before watching an unfortunate performance by the Nebraska football team against Wisconsin.

I did make it to what's left of the village of Wann, Nebraska. Once a small settlement with a church and school, Wann now amounts to little more than a few houses and the structure along the railroad tracks in the photograph above.

For those who may not know, I've been uploading a large number of photographs to my Flickr page, many of which have not been seen before.

flickr.com/photos/josephvavak

Sunday squares: A random strip mall

2011-09-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

A place that once was and a river that still is

2011-09-04T21:34:00.002-05:00

I've spent quite a bit of time lately researching ghost towns in the area. Most of these came into being around the time the first homesteaders came to start anew and flourished for a short time before dying away. Now, almost a century later, there is very little left to mark the existence of any sort of settlement or activity. Just an obscure name and a little history.

Rock Bluff, Nebraska is one of these places. Once an important location for those crossing the Missouri River and even home to a college, the town disappeared early in the 20th century. Now all that remains is the gravel Rock Bluff Road and a makeshift park where the steamboats once docked along the river.

The Missouri River has been far above flood stage since May and is finally starting to recede back into its banks, although you wouldn't know it from the water surrounding U.S. Highway 34 in western Iowa. I stood on the edge of a closed gravel road and watched the flooding for a few minutes. A strong wind from the north made waves in the flood water not unlike what occurs on a large lake. It's certainly been a strange summer.

Rock Bluff, Nebraska

Cass County, Nebraska

along US Highway 34 near Pacific Junction, Iowa

Waubonsie Church, Iowa

Southern Minnesota

2011-08-27T23:27:00.003-05:00

I have explored Minnesota once before, three years ago. That trip took me through the North Woods with its giant Paul Bunyan statues and Lake Superior shoreline. This one was less ambitious and closer to home, a drive across southwest Minnesota following the Minnesota River for much of the way.

Outside of the area around the Minnesota River (and its tributaries like the Redwood), this part of Minnesota is not at all unlike its neighboring state to the south. There are miles and miles of virtually flat farmland dotted with small towns that all have a large grain elevator of some sort towering over the surrounding landscape. Of course, as stated in Minnesota's tagline, there are small lakes seemingly everywhere a person looks.

Tyson Lake near Wood Lake, Minnesota

Fairmont, Minnesota

Blue Earth, Minnesota

Also visited: Winnebago, Truman, Lewisville, Madelia, New Ulm, Fairfax, Franklin, Redwood Falls, Echo, Vesta, Russell, Ruthton, Holland and Pipestone, Minnesota.

Up through Iowa...

2011-08-26T22:33:00.005-05:00

With classes resuming on Monday, I felt the need to get at least one small road trip in before nearly all of my time is spent working or studying. After mulling several destinations in my mind, I took off and headed somewhere entirely different at the last minute, up through Iowa's so-called Great Lakes to Minnesota.

While the weather refused to fully cooperate, I made the best of it and explored quite a few places I had never been before.

near Kimballtown, Iowa

Manilla, Iowa

Spirit Lake at Orleans, Iowa

Also visited: Elk Horn, Irwin, Aspinwall, Vail, Westside, Wall Lake, Early, Rembrandt, Sioux Rapids, Greenville, Spencer, Milford and Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Telephonic miscellany

2011-08-23T22:25:00.009-05:00

While certainly not the best photographic instrument the world has ever seen, a cell phone camera is almost always handy and ready for action. Here are a few random shots from so far this year...

What's in a name?

2011-08-12T00:24:00.009-05:00

In search of no place in particular...

2011-08-03T19:13:00.007-05:00

Some days, I wake up and feel the need to head out on a highway somewhere, the end destination somehow unimportant. Today was one of those days. I chose to head east into Iowa, ending up as far from Omaha as the wonderfully named (yet quite unimpressive in reality) Defiance, Iowa.

I've been reading William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways off-and-on for the past month or so. It's a great book, one man's travels through rural America in the early 1980's, and Heat-Moon's writing makes me want to take off cross-country even more than usual. Little day trips like this will have to suffice for the moment. School starts up again in less than a month and my wallet is even lighter than usual.

The photographs above and immediately below were both made in the small, small town of Westphalia, Iowa. The last one comes from Woodbine.

Also visited: Carson, Oakland, Hancock, Avoca, Harlan, Earling, Panama and Portsmouth, Iowa.

Nebraska City

2011-07-25T20:44:00.010-05:00

In Nebraska City today, an old man stopped his car near where I was photographing the side of an old truck, rolled the window down, and asked me just what the hell I was doing. I told him I was just taking pictures of random things. He said that his wife still used a camera with 110 film. It surprised him when I said that was actually pretty hip at the moment. When I told him about my travels in Nebraska and the little details I like to capture, he made a sort of strange face.

"The world has more than enough pretty landscape pictures," I said. The old man thought about it a second. "I bet you'd have better luck selling them though."

We said goodbye and he drove away.

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Nebraska City is one of those places that is just plain... nice. The town's main street is sort of idyllic with mom 'n pop diners and locally owned shops, and the people are always friendly. It lies nestled in the hills above the Missouri River so the recent flooding hasn't had much effect, outside of what's shown in the photograph above.

I did notice that the business that once held a small showing of Ben Richter and I's work a few years back is no longer there. It's been replaced by yet another attempt at an antique store.

It's still hot in Nebraska, unfortunately. The heat index isn't 115 anymore, but I'm still anxious for fall to get here all the same.

Nebraska City

near Lake Waconda

Kodak Ektar 100

2011-07-21T22:44:00.019-05:00

My prior experience with color film was largely with Fujifilm's now defunct NPS 160. It produced a low contrast image with a lot of exposure latitude, something that gave images a certain look that I was really into at the time. This look stuck with me as I began shooting ninety-three. Over time, my tastes changed (and my processing skills improved) and I've settled on a bit different look for my images.

Recently, I've been shooting with about as new of a color film that exists in this now digital world. Kodak Ektar 100 was introduced in the fall of 2008. Ektar is an unusual sort of film, a negative film that behaves a lot like a slide film. It's more forgiving than most slide films, but offers a lot more contrast than typical negative films.

I have recently found myself drawn to the Kodachrome images of photographers like William Christenberry and Saul Leiter rather than the sort of pristine perfection of someone like Stephen Shore's large format work. With this in mind, Ektar has been the perfect film for a somewhat sloppy photographer like myself to come back to. It's not as picky about exposure as slide film, but has a certain look that is pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

Ektar is very sharp film with a fine grain structure. It appears to scan well from what I've seen so far, although I'm without a scanner to really dig into just how much detail is there. Even the machine scanned files look pretty good printed at 18x12, if a little short on resolution upon close examination.

I've settled on Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kansas for film processing and basic scanning. The quality is top notch and they offer a fast turn around. I send a few rolls out in a Priority Mail flat-rate box and I get a package back in the mail a week later. The wait has taken some getting used to, but it's been worth it. The results are great and it's immensely satisfying to carry around this tiny camera and lens that are worth less than $100 altogether.

I'm looking to debut the South Omaha photographs sometime next year, perhaps in May at Hot Shops Art Center. Stay tuned for more details, as they say.

Independence Day

2011-07-04T17:18:00.004-05:00

This 4th of July finds me once again searching South Omaha for photographs. It's a fantastic day, not entirely too hot, and just enough clouds to make for good images. Everywhere I walked, the loud bang of a firework was never too far away and sometimes close enough to startle me. You never know how people will react to a strange bearded guy wandering around with a camera around his neck.

The project is slowly moving forward. I was happy with much of the last four rolls I got back from Dwayne's and have another three ready to go out in the mail. Above is a photograph of the back of some of the businesses along 24th Street.

At this point, I'm thinking I'd like to have a small show to reveal the work. It's been too long since I've exhibited anything.

More from this past weekend...

2011-06-29T01:00:00.007-05:00

Coin, Iowa

Tarkio, Missouri

Farragut, Iowa

Detours make for good photographs

2011-06-27T17:56:00.010-05:00

Fairfax, Missouri

A closed interstate detour is a bit of a peek at what life would be like if those two lane highways I like so much were all that we had to get from one place to another. In a word: crowded. Long waits at stop signs in little towns, people driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit and making suicide passes around two or three cars at once.. It's safe that I'm glad that most of the highways I love so much are (usually) under-appreciated.

In my attempt to create my own detour, I stumbled across a few photogenic little towns in both Missouri and Iowa. The weather was also much more cooperative than yesterday. I had a much more productive day and now feel like I accomplished enough to make the trip worthwhile. This whole photography thing can be awfully frustrating sometimes.

One town that I passed through, Craig, had a sign proudly proclaiming that the town survived the 1993 floods. Unfortunately, it appears as if the town is on its way to needing to survive yet another one.

Craig, Missouri

Fremont County, Iowa

Also visited: Tarkio, Missouri. Riverton, Farragut and Sidney, Iowa.

Wanderin'

2011-06-26T21:32:00.005-05:00

I set out today with out much of an aim and ended up in St. Joseph, Missouri. With all the flooding along the Missouri River, it's not exactly easy to get from Omaha to here. In fact, there isn't an open bridge across the river between Omaha and St. Joseph at the moment. Unfortunately, as I type this from a hotel room, there's a huge storm making its way through Omaha and southeast Nebraska into Iowa and Missouri. Rain is the last thing that the area needs at the moment.

It's only fitting that the weather didn't cooperate much at all today in a photographic sense. At first, everything was a uniform gray, but as the afternoon went on, the sun would appear and then disappear frequently. Without the sun illuminating the ground, the sky was much too bright to work with. And every time I tried to wait it out, the sun wouldn't peek through until I was back in the car and ready to move on.

The first photograph was taken just to the south of College Springs, Iowa. The second, of an old steel bridge over the swollen West Nishnabotna River, was taken between Malvern and Randolph, Iowa.

Also visited: Treynor, Silver City, Imogene, Shenandoah, Coin, Blanchard, Shambaugh and Braddyville, Iowa. Burlington Junction, Maryville, Bolckow, Rosendale, Rea, Whitesville, King City, Union Star, Helena, Rochester and Savannah, Missouri.

June

2011-06-19T22:20:00.009-05:00

It's hard to believe June is already two-thirds over. Time has a way of really getting away from me.

I'm still at work photographing South Omaha. So far, it has been a bit of a struggle for me. The first camera had a wonky shutter and I keep forgetting to set the dial back to aperture priority on the second one. It's unbelievably frustrating to look down and suddenly realize you've shot half a roll of film at 1/60th of a second. Rather than admit defeat, I say a few impolite words in my head and go right back at it. I'm also finding the small area I've chosen to focus on to be more restrictive than I had imagined. In most cases, I just set out in the car and go for hours. This subject requires more thought and depth, more time spent walking and searching.

A few days ago, a friend asked me why I'm continuing to attempt something that I find to be so frustrating. I find that I need to work in a different way and develop new skills, no matter how much I want to go back to what I know best. It's the only way I can get better and evolve as an artist. So I press on.

I am sending four rolls of film off to Dwayne's in Parsons, Kansas tomorrow. New photographs soon, U.S. Mail and old Minolta camera willing.

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Also, don't forget that I'm posting three images of Nebraska to my Flickr account every day this month. I've enjoyed going back through all the images from ninety-three for what feels like the thousandth time. There's always something new to be found...

www.flickr.com/photos/josephvavak

Including the photograph of the sandhills and sky of Arthur County, Nebraska that is now on the front page of my website.

www.josephvavak.com

The other half...

2011-06-01T01:31:00.007-05:00

I recently began posting photographs on a Flickr page, hoping to reach new people and join a wider community of photographers. I will be updating the page on a regular basis, so stop by periodically and see what's going on. There is a new Untitled series already posted that hasn't appeared on my website yet.

Over the next month, I will be displaying a second set of images of Nebraska. Entitled ninety-three and a half, the series features another 93 images that didn't make the cut for the finished product. I love many of these photographs as much as anything I've ever done, and I discovered many new images I hadn't given a second thought since the early days of my travels. There will be three photographs posted (most) every day in the month of June.

Without further adieu..

www.flickr.com/photos/josephvavak

Sunday details

2011-05-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

Both images are from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Happy (?) accidents

2011-05-25T13:49:00.004-05:00

The aforementioned shutter problems lead to some interesting results. While I like the spontaneity of some of the mistakes, as illustrated above, I'm sending the camera in for repairs. I think I would get more and more frustrated as I saw more otherwise good photographs ruined.

South O

2011-05-24T20:45:00.010-05:00

It took a little longer than I had expected, but the first two rolls of film of images from South Omaha are back from a photo lab in Texas. The good news is that the ol' Minolta works well for the most part, although the shutter appears to lag occasionally. Working from film scans will take some getting used to, but I like the results thus far.

For now, enjoy a few images from Sunday afternoon, May 8th.

ninety-three

2011-05-13T21:57:00.012-05:00

Matej Vavak came to Nebraska in 1868 with his wife and five children, settling on a homestead in the hills of Saunders County near what would become the Czech village of Prague. The family first built a log cabin, then a house, and farmed the land for many years. Upon his death, Matej was buried with his wife in a small cemetery in the fields of the property, marked with a large stone carved in his native Bohemian language.

I didn’t come to Nebraska until 1995, the summer before my junior year of high school. My father grew up in Prague and my mother in east-central Iowa, but I was born in Indiana after they were married. By the time I became interested in art and photography, I had lived in Nebraska for roughly half of my life, much longer than my family had stayed in any one place while I was growing up. I realized that I only knew a very small portion of the state I called home and decided to embark on a photo project designed to change that.

On a warm June day in 2007, I began my exploration at the grave of Matej Vavak, still standing in the midst of a field of newly planted soy beans. It seemed like a fitting place to begin the journey. That first day, I crossed the Platte River at North Bend and drove US Highway 30 west to Grand Island.

ninety-three developed over the course of a few road trips to every corner of the state. At first, I didn't really know exactly what it was I was looking for. This was the best possible way I could have approached something like this. Without a concrete plan, I was able to let Nebraska dictate how the project would look and influence the way my photography was developing. I found out a lot about myself in the landscape, from the isolation of a single lane of asphalt through the sandhills to the tremendous sound of a short grass prairie moving in the wind. Even though the project is now finished, I find myself with a strong need to revisit these places, to continue exploring Nebraska.

In the end, the series consists of one photograph for every one of the state’s 93 counties. It’s an unusual portrait of the state I call home, a visual document recording all the details that I encountered along the way. I hope that people enjoy the photographs and find themselves inspired to get to know Nebraska a little better.

Selections from ninety-three were exhibited at Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha during May of 2010. I hope to show the entire series at some point and publish a book of the photographs.

A map of everywhere I visited during the making of ninety-three.

A new beginning...

2011-05-08T18:34:00.007-05:00

It was almost a year ago that I found myself happily unemployed and toyed with creating a document of the South Omaha I had come to love since moving to this part of town. After a somewhat feeble attempt at starting the project, I put it on the back burner and continued to put a bit of polish on ninety-three instead. Today, I spent the afternoon photographing South Omaha once again, restarting what I hope will hold my attention and bring inspiration to me.

I have decided to shoot color film for the first time in a few years. Pictured above is the Minolta XD-5 SLR that I purchased a few weeks ago along with 35mm and 50mm lenses. It was manufactured in 1979, the same year I was born. The hope is that the older camera will seem less conspicuous than an all black, modern DSLR and people will be a little more comfortable around it.

As I worked with the Minolta today, I remembered why I like these simple manual focus cameras so much. The viewfinder is tremendous, the subject snaps in and out of focus smoothly as I turn the lens' focusing ring. It's a bit like driving a car with a manual transmission. The operator feels more connected with the machine, more involved in the process of taking a photograph. The XD-5 doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it feels solid and the lenses are wonderfully small and well-built.

After shooting with digital for so long, I found returning to film to be a bit of an adjustment. There's no confirmation as to whether you got everything right or if something went horribly wrong. Thirty-six exposures seems both small and large at the same time. The last frame can come up right in the middle of a burst of creativity. Or it waits off in the distance, taunting you to find enough potential subjects to finish the roll. I can't decide what is worse, wasting the last few frames or leaving a half-shot roll in the camera, anxious to see what magic you captured, unable to develop the film until it reaches its end.

Cross your fingers for me. I'll (hopefully) have some images later this week, thirty-year old camera permitting.

For the photo nerds in the audience who care about such things, I'm trying out Kodak's Ektar 100 film. It's supposed to be as close to transparency film as print film gets, with the least grain of any color film. This is actually the first time I've ever shot Kodak color film. All of my older projects were shot with the now defunct Fujifilm NPS 160 film.

A spring afternoon

2011-05-05T14:43:00.003-05:00

May has snuck up on Nebraska, ushering in green grass and mighty thunderstorms, giving us all a chance to enjoy the fleeting days of spring. After my morning class, I was compelled by the towering clouds to stare at (and attempt to photograph) the afternoon sky in awe. In the end, I spent most of my time waiting for the sun to find its way out from between the clouds, watching the water of Lake Manawa with the retired old men who sit for hours alone staring at their fishing lines.

I sat on the banks of the Missouri for a time, just myself and the swirling motions of its current going by. The result of that activity is included above. It's a series of photographs of the same spot in the river, taken a few seconds apart.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone.

Camera recommendations

2011-05-02T02:31:00.009-05:00

From time to time (or a little more often than that), I am asked by friends and family what camera they should purchase. As this question usually involves repeating myself repeatedly, I figured I'd put some of what I've learned in a handy blog entry.

This advice is by no means definitive. Every style of photography has different demands and different people use cameras in different ways. This list is intended for those who are buying a DSLR for the first time, for general photographic use, and want to get the best camera possible for their money.

As for point and shoot style digicams, I really don't have a recommendation any longer. There is so much sameness in every manufacturer's offerings. There are (not even) a handful of digicams aimed more towards a serious photographer, but they don't offer near the image quality or flexibility of even the lowest priced dslr.

Entry level: Pentax K-r
Surprise, eh? Pentax cameras are quite a bit harder to find in stores these days, but I think the K-r is the best blend of image quality and price that's currently available. The Pentax features the same tried-and-true sensor as the last generation Nikon D90 and D300, both of which are much more expensive cameras. This sensor gives the camera fantastic dynamic range and image quality that the competition at this price point doesn't have. Price? Around $550 on Amazon as I type this, or $650 as a two-lens kit.

Mid-level: Nikon D5100

This camera just hit the market in the last couple of weeks, but it's a great value for anyone who wants to try out video as well as still images. The D5100 features a handy rotating, swiveling screen that can be used at all sorts of interesting angles. It also utilizes the latest 16 megapixel sensor from Nikon / Sony, a sensor with more resolution and even better dynamic range than the previously mentioned 12 megapixel sensor. The opening price is around $899 with a kit lens but will be sure to drop over the course of the next few months.

Prosumer: Nikon D7000

I recently downsized to a Nikon D7000 after shooting larger Canon full-frame sensor cameras for much of the past four years. The D7000 features the same sensor as the D5100 in a more robust body with a brighter, larger viewfinder that shows 100% of what will end up in the captured image. So far, I've been very impressed with the camera, especially the sheer amount of dynamic range available in the raw files, and have really enjoyed carrying around a lot less weight than I used to with the full frame lenses and camera. The D7000 is just small enough without being too small. Since the camera is still in heavy demand, it's price is holding steady at around $1199 for the body only or $1499 for the kit with the surprisingly good 18-105mm lens.

Beyond that, I'm sure most people spending in the ballpark of $2000 will have a good idea of what they are looking for. Currently, it would seem that everyone is waiting for replacements of the models that are currently out. I still think the Canon 5D MkII is the best camera in the $2-3000 price range, but wouldn't mind trying out the Sony A850 or A900. The Nikon D700 may be able to take pictures in the dark, but I'd rather have more resolution if I'm going to spend the money to shoot full frame.

As for the recent crop of micro four-thirds cameras from Olympus and Panasonic, as well as Sony's NEX system, I have trouble really recommending them at this time. Micro four-thirds (other than the slighty larger Panasonic GH1 and GH2) suffers from lower quality sensors with reduced dynamic range that can make noise in the shadows a problem. Sony's NEX system has potential, but there are hardly any lenses available for it. It will be interesting to see what happens once companies like Nikon and Pentax release mirrorless cameras, as has been rumored of late.

I'd really like try out a Fujifilm X100, if anyone wants to loan me $1200 to buy one. Your support is much appreciated...

An anniversary

2011-04-15T01:29:00.009-05:00

Downtown Omaha, from 16th and Jackson.

The First National Tower under construction.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the first day I picked up a camera and attempted to make photographs in an artistic sort of way. It was a fairly warm Easter Sunday and I was living in an apartment in downtown Omaha. I remember a homeless man preaching to me about Jesus as I walked down Jackson Street. And it was the day that Joey Ramone passed away.

I had just purchased a Sony digital camera on a whim. To be honest, I don't really remember why I felt I needed to spend $350 on something I really didn't have much use for at the time. It had a 1.3 megapixel sensor and the 64 mb (!) memory stick I purchased to go with the camera cost $130. Most of the photographs from those first few months are taken at awkward angles, something I must have felt gave the images a more authentically artistic bent. Most were taken in the camera's black and white mode, another important aspect of overly artsy photographs.

In those days, I was completely up in the air about where my life was headed. My first serious relationship had ended a year before and I was just about to go back to college in pursuit of a psychology degree. I ran a fairly popular punk music website and had vague dreams of starting a record label or opening a club. But, like most of the people I knew at the time, I just was sort of hanging around, hoping something would catch my eye.

Somehow, photography clicked with me. It was still quite some time before I found myself and really became interested in art, but the foundation was there early on. Ten years later, I feel like I'm still learning and improving, and I've actually gotten to the point where I can refer to myself as an artist with a straight face. I look forward to a lifetime of possibilities.

Below are a few more photographs from those first few months.

Boys Town

Gateway Arch. St. Louis, Missouri.

Downtown. Prague, Nebraska

Boys Town

A lazy Sunday afternoon

2011-04-10T19:07:00.007-05:00

near Blencoe

With gas nearing $4 a gallon, my love of road trips is getting to be near as expensive as a drug habit. It's $50 to fill even the tank of my little Subaru. Despite that, I've been feeling restless again of late, and went out for a little bit of Sunday afternoon exploration. I spent some time photographing the north downtown section of Omaha and then took off into the Loess Hills of Iowa.

I fear there's nothing too exciting to report. It's definitely good to see some green growing again.

Blencoe

near Council Bluffs

Also visited: Crescent, Honey Creek, Modale, Mondamin and Onawa, Iowa.

Vertical city views

2011-03-31T18:00:00.009-05:00

A few more photographs from my travels earlier this month. Calling these places cities may be a bit of a stretch, especially for Geneseo, Kansas (Pop. 272).

Westcliffe, Colorado

Geneseo, Kansas

Dodge City, Kansas

Homeward bound

2011-03-13T19:53:00.008-05:00

Until today, the weather had been near perfect for my travels. The closer I got to Nebraska, the worse the weather got. I woke up to 30 degree temperatures and a dull gray sky in Goodland, Kansas. It didn't take long for a persistent cold mist and fog to develop. By the time I got across the state line to McCook, there was a nasty mix of what appeared to be rain, ice and snow all at once. Maybe Nebraska is trying to tell me something.

Both photographs today come from Goodland before the weather really went south. The small city boasts what they claim to be the world's largest Van Gogh painting. As I stood there, shivering from the cold, I couldn't help but wonder what ol' Vincent would have made of the spectacle. Some little town in middle-of-nowhere western Kansas with an eighty-foot tall easel next to a Pizza Hut displaying a copy of a piece of art made by a long dead Dutch schizophrenic that may have ate a little too much lead paint.

The photograph below is from downtown. I'm not sure what Caldwell's is or was, but there sure is an interesting array of imagery posted in the window.

detail from photograph of Caldwell's

Colorado

2011-03-12T22:55:00.010-06:00

I'm really going to miss the mountains. While I only saw what amounts to a small fraction of the state today, Colorado was fantastic. Pictured above is the Arkansas River along US Highway 50 near Cañon City.

It comes as a surprise to people that I don't really plan out my travels very much. I choose an eventual destination, which sometimes manages to change by the end of the day, and head in that general direction. Most of the time, and especially in my experience on this trip, the best roads are not the ones that Mapquest or your Garmin will recommend. For example: Today I made a last second decision to take Colorado Highway 69 north from Walsenburg. The highway follows the Sangre De Cristo Mountains up to canyons of the Arkansas River. It was a great drive and took me right near a place I had never even considered for this trip: the Royal Gorge Bridge.

Unfortunately, they now charge $29 for a single adult admission to the bridge, so, being a poor college student at the moment, I was only able to peer down into the gorge from the rather makeshift overlook outside the gates. This horse by the west entrance didn't seem concerned.

I headed back east through Colorado Springs towards Kansas. It's not long after a person leaves the shadow of Pike's Peak that they are confronted with miles and miles of flat grasslands that seem to stretch on forever. Soon I'll be back in the croplands of the corn belt, home in Omaha once again.

The last image is of a bar along US Highway 24 in Peyton. A guy got out of a pickup while I was taking the photograph and just stood there, dumbfounded. I said hello and got back in my car.

Also visited: Trinidad, Gardner, Westcliffe, Calhan, Ramah, Simla, Limon and Arriba, Colorado.

A Land Of Enchantment

2011-03-11T19:34:00.008-06:00

The drive from Cimarron to Taos twists and turns through canyons and over mountain passes. Pictured above is part of Cimarron Canyon, a state park that US Highway 64 meanders slowly through. I enjoyed pretty much every moment of the drive to Taos and back. What I've seen of New Mexico thus far really does live up to its state motto.

Taos, however, was congested with stupid amounts of traffic. While I had romantic visions of Taos, thanks to photographers like Paul Strand, I found a place where everything had that look, even the hardware store. It just didn't do it for me.

downtown Springer

grasslands near Ocate

Also visited: Raton, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire, Holman, Cleveland, La Cueva, Wagon Mound and Sugarite Canyon, New Mexico

Ohhhhhklahoma

2011-03-10T21:55:00.010-06:00

Some thoughts from today..

Dodge City will talk up its wild history, stories of lawlessness and a time when multiple saloons were on one block of its main street. And if that's what you go there looking for, you'll find yourself disappointed, just like me, by how that past is celebrated in the present. The "historic" Front Street is nothing more than a canned attraction, fenced off with an admission charge to come inside, with an Applebee's next door. So much for the wild west.

Liberal, Kansas is very conservative and has Dorothy's house from the Wizard Of Oz in a public park. There were also swastikas carved on the wall in the gas station bathroom.

The very northwestern corner of Oklahoma's panhandle is completely isolated and absolutely gorgeous. I would have never guessed that such scenery could be found in the state. If I ever get around to making a list of my favorite drives, Oklahoma state highway 325 west of Boise City will be there.

Unfortunately, Capulin Volcano National Monument in New Mexico closes long before sunset, but it was worth the brief side trip. I'm still like a child when I see the mountains in the distance. I get all excited and can't stop looking. Taos tomorrow!

And editing raw files on a netbook with Google Picasa leaves a lot to be desired. Pardon any lack of quality in the imagery.

Also visited: Minneola, Fowler, Meade and Kismet, Kansas. Tyrone, Hooker, Guymon and Kenton, Oklahoma. Clayton and Des Moines, New Mexico.

Omaha to Dodge City

2011-03-09T22:36:00.007-06:00

With a break from school and work, I've hit the road in search of a new project to obsess over. I was getting to the point that I felt the urge to just keep going whenever I was driving on the interstate. As you might imagine, this need for exploration isn't exactly conducive to a productive workday. I miss the open highways and the little towns, clear nights full of stars, and the challenge of creating something worth mentioning.

I'm heading southwest towards Taos and Santa Fe, exploring the vast great plains that stretch for hundreds of miles before rising to the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Tomorrow will mark my first time in Oklahoma and New Mexico (aside from placing a foot on the southeast portion of the Four Corners when I was twelve).

The photograph above is from a little roadside attraction called Rock City near Minneapolis, Kansas. Rock City is a small park full of.. large rocks just like this. Very strange.

Also visited: Fairmont, Bruning, Hebron and Chester, Nebraska. Belleville, Salina, Brookville, Kannapolis Lake, Geneseo and Great Bend, Kansas.

A few details from Valentines Day

2011-02-14T23:38:00.003-06:00

The first two photographs are from Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge. The third is the southern end of a frozen DeSoto Lake.

Two more from yesterday

2011-02-13T22:28:00.006-06:00

Both photographs are from Glenwood, Iowa.

Fifty degrees

2011-02-12T17:32:00.009-06:00

Winter's grip is slowly lessening, this weekend being the first real break we've had from cold, ice and snow since last fall. I couldn't resist the opportunity to get out and spend some time making photographs. The following images are from the Loess Hills just west of Omaha near Glenwood, Iowa.

It's amazing how a few hours spent putting the brain through its creative paces can make a person feel so much more at ease.

A second look: 93 in 2010

2011-02-09T20:24:00.008-06:00

February finds Nebraska still stuck in the midst of the winter doldrums. Tuesday was the coldest day of the winter with daytime temperatures barely climbing above zero. While I enjoy winter, it's nice to know that the end is in sight. Just a few more weeks until spring break and (hopefully) some warmer temperatures.

Just another evening spent occupying my time by looking back at last year and making plans for the coming one. I'm anxious to hit the road.

near Bassett, Nebraska

State Fair Park in Lincoln, Nebraska

near Long Pine, Nebraska

near Fordyce, Nebraska

A second look: The Platte

2011-01-11T01:10:00.012-06:00

While I've been busy with school and hiding from the cold, there hasn't been a much to report on this blog about my activities. January, as it tends to do, finds me looking through photographs I've made during the last year.

The following details were created along the Platte River near Louisville, Nebraska in July. It was an incredibly hot day and, with all the flooding we had received, the river was running higher than it usually would in the heat of summer. At one point, I stepped into the thickest mud I may have ever seen. My shoe very nearly disappeared and I spent a good half an hour trying to get the dark mud off before I dragged it into the car.

I need to get out on a fan boat one of these days.

The Ol' Subaru

2010-12-23T23:02:00.003-06:00

As most everyone I know can attest, I have a strange obsession with everything Subaru. I've had a handful of them over the years. The '99 Impreza pictured above was with me for nearly ten years before I passed it on and was my companion for much of my travels throughout the state of Nebraska. I drove confidently on gravel and dirt, sometimes in areas without any people around for many miles and it never let me down. Unfortunately, the car died an early death this year, the victim of a timing belt failure at 160,000 some odd miles.

The photograph above was submitted to a Subaru photo contest. It was taken in the summer of 2007 on Panorama Point, the highest point in the state of Nebraska. As you can see, the Point isn't all that much taller than its surroundings. It's not all that easy to get to, either. The only way to get there involves many miles of gravel roads and a pasture path.

Since the photograph never was published by Subaru, I thought I'd put it here in honor of all of our travels together.

Another year gone by...

2010-12-15T17:04:00.011-06:00

2010 has been a good year, all in all. My first solo exhibition was a success and I am finally able to call ninety-three completely finished. There were some ups and downs, as there are with every year, but I'm closer to earning my degree and am happy to say that I'm convinced 2011 will be even better.

As for my current projects, I'm in roughly the same place I was a year ago. Still undecided on what direction to go with the yet-untitled family project, with a couple other ideas in the earliest stages of development. I'm hoping an idea will reach out and grab me like Nebraska did.

To make up for the lack of photographs of late, here are a few yet-unseen images from the family project...

Montezuma, Iowa

Wahoo, Nebraska

Barnes City, Iowa

Belle Plaine, Iowa

Searsboro, Iowa

Five: Songs From 2010

2010-11-17T01:46:00.011-06:00

Jim Bryson - Freeways In The Frontyard

Superchunk - Crossed Wires

Frontier Ruckus - Nerves Of The Nightmind

The Thermals - I Don't Believe You

Jakob Dylan - Nothing But The Whole Wide World

Influences

2010-10-23T20:53:00.005-05:00

As always, click to enlarge.

From above: 1. William Christenberry, 2. Edward Hopper, 3. Walker Evans, 4. The Weakerthans, 5. Alfred Hitchcock, 6. Mark Rothko, 7. Ed Ruscha, 8. Stephen Shore, 9. Robert Frank and 10. Woody Guthrie.

Meme borrowed from Jeph Jacques, creator of one of my favorite web comics.

Sunday squares

2010-10-17T17:02:00.005-05:00

A few photographs from this afternoon. Enjoy.

A second look: the Untitled series

2010-10-10T22:32:00.015-05:00

As a result of last week's revisit of my first series, rather creatively titled untitled, I found myself once again going through old photographs to see if there's anything I might have missed the first time around. While there is a set from the series on my website, there are quite a few images that haven't really been seen since 2006, if ever.

Without further adieu, here are some of the photographs I rediscovered for your viewing pleasure.

More from this weekend...

2010-10-05T13:52:00.003-05:00

Untitled (again)

2010-10-03T20:37:00.009-05:00

It's been a few (four!) years, but I recently got the urge to revisit the sort of photographs I was working on when I put together my first portfolio. I spent the afternoon searching an industrial section of Omaha along I Street and came away with a few images I am happy with. After spending countless hours searching the Nebraska and Iowa countryside for potential photographs, it almost seems a little too easy to make these topographic works in the matter of just a few hours.

Above are two images from this afternoon. I'll post a few more some time this week.

The hills, part two

2010-09-04T21:19:00.011-05:00

I'm happy to see that September has found us once again. There's a slight chill to the air, a reminder that fall is just around the corner. It was a near-perfect day to explore the northern section of the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. The route is at its best around the mid-point of the Byway, in the area around Preparation Canyon near Little Sioux in Harrison County.

As I mentioned last week, the best parts of the Byway are off the beaten path, along remote gravel roads that wind through the Loess Hills. If you make the trip, make sure to take the short hike up the Murray Hill Scenic Overlook (the view from the Overlook is in the photograph below) and find your way to the Loess Hills State Forest Overlook Trail (pictured in the second image below).

Also visited: Magnolia, Pisgah, Turin, Castana, Smithland, Oto, Sioux City, Westfield and Akron.

Yes, there used to be a ballpark right here

2010-09-02T23:35:00.013-05:00

Tonight was the last baseball game at venerable Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. I mentioned the ballpark's demise a few months ago on this blog. The game itself was fairly uneventful, with the Omaha Royals getting out to an early lead and coasting to an easy victory.

I'll be sad to see the place go, mainly because it was such a wonderful place to catch a game on a summer evening. A baseball palace on the hill, a throwback to days that now have passed. The crowds seemed to be getting thinner every year, numbering no more than maybe a few hundred on some weeknights. And so, progress marches on, a new ballpark with all the extracurricular amenities for people who just don't seem to have the patience for the pace of baseball in this modern world.

The hills

2010-08-26T19:34:00.005-05:00

I spent today exploring the southern end of the Loess Hills Scenic Byway, a route that stretches over 200 miles through the Loess Hills along the western edge of Iowa. It's an interesting drive, winding through and along the edge of the bluffs that rise above the Missouri River valley. I discovered a couple of places that I am sure I will be revisiting at a later date.

For those interested in traveling the Byway, be advised. The route can be frustrating to follow with signage that seems to just disappear from time to time. To see the best parts of the Byway, there are several loops that require driving for many miles on gravel roads. The loops meander through the Loess Hills far more than the main route.

The top photograph is from the Waubonsie Cemetery in Mills County. The Waubonsie Church and Cemetery stand alone along a quiet country road along one of the Byway's loops. Below is a photograph from an old mural painted on a building in the town of Tabor.

I plan on traveling the northern section of the Byway in the coming weeks.

Also visited: Pony Creek, Pacific Junction, Thurman, Sidney, Waubonsie State Park and Hamburg, Iowa. Star School Hill Prairie and Rock Port, Missouri. Brownville and Peru, Nebraska.

Eastern Iowa, Day Two

2010-08-03T22:57:00.007-05:00

There's just not too much to report from today. The highlight of the day was the classic Maid-Rite that I had along Interstate 80 near Amana. I always forget how good a loose-meat sandwich with all the fixings can be. Maid-Rite is pretty much exclusive to Iowa, dating back to the 1920's and small towns along the highways before the arrival of the interstate. Yesterday's entry mentioned my Great Grandmother's cafe, which also served Maid-Rites to the travelers along Highway 6 in Ladora.

Pictured is St. Michael's Church in a little bump in the road called Holbrook. The old stone church was built in 1867 and still stands today, albeit it has seen better days. I can't figure out why someone has begun patching the structure with common red bricks, as you can see in the photograph.

Also visited: Oxford, Kalona, Wellman and Lake Hawthorne.

Revisiting eastern Iowa

2010-08-02T23:30:00.002-05:00

There are days where a person sets out to photograph, only to struggle to come up with anything that really catches the eye. Today definitely was one of those days. To make matters worse, the weather made things difficult, with fairly bright gray skies and very little sunshine to balance them out. Around six o'clock, it was dark enough that nightfall seemed imminent.

I revisited many of the places that my grandparents and I traveled to last summer, spending some more time exploring, hoping to find details I might have missed. There are a few promising photographs, and I'm sure I'll find more after I spend more time going over them in the coming weeks. Sometimes I'll look through a series of photographs a hundred times and still find something new.

The photograph above is of the Ladora Savings Bank building in Ladora. The building's history can be found here. On the same website, there are photographs of my Great Grandma Calvert and the 24-hour cafe she operated during the 1950's across the street from the Savings Bank.

Also visited: Malcom, Brooklyn, Carnforth, Victor, Marengo, West Amana, South Amana, Williamsburg, Parnell, North English, South English, Keswick, Thornburg and Barnes City.

Concert For Equality

2010-07-31T23:35:00.010-05:00

"She said that musicians sound silly when they talk about politics. I'm certain that Woody Guthrie wasn't a silly man." - David Rawlings

In a past life, I spent quite a bit of time writing about music and politics on a couple of websites that I'm sure most have forgotten. Since the demise of the last site, somedaynever, I've maybe attended one live show a year and haven't spent near as much time spouting off political opinions. It would appear that politics have become even more polarizing over the last decade, but I'm sure the more things seem like they change, the more they stay the same.

Tonight was the Concert For Equality in the downtown Benson, one of the many neighborhoods that have been absorbed into Omaha over the last century. The show was a bit of a throwback to seven or eight years ago, back when Saddle Creek was just beginning to reach a wider audience and the label's roster played shows together on a regular basis. All proceeds from the concert went to the ACLU to aid in their lawsuit to prevent the city of Fremont from enforcing controversial immigration laws similar to what the state of Arizona is attempting to do. Counter-protesters promised to gather just outside the concert gates, but none were to be found when I arrived around 7 pm.

I was most impressed by the performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, pictured above with Conor Oberst and members of Bright Eyes on stage for their finale. Rawlings played a song of his own which wandered into a fiery rendition of some of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," and was easily the highlight of the show. Bright Eyes sounded great, as did Cursive, and seeing Desaparecidos on stage for the first time in eight years felt good, if a bit like traveling back in time.

I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of everyone at Nebraska Appleseed. They tirelessly work to make Nebraska a better place for all of us who don't have the patience to deal with the frustration of making change happen in a stubborn world. I am incredibly grateful that such dedicated people exist.

Wahoo!

2010-07-24T19:01:00.006-05:00

When I was growing up, Wahoo was sort of a mythical place. It was always the last town we drove through on the way to my Grandparents' house in Prague. And that name.. It just didn't seem like anyone would actually name a town after a goofy celebratory yelp.

Wahoo lies about a half hour west of Omaha's western edge. Despite the unusual name, it's a fairly typical Nebraska small town. I've passed through Wahoo countless times, but I hadn't ever taken the time to photograph it until today. It was a great day to be out and about, with a little more mild temperatures than we've had the last couple of weeks, and just the right amount of clouds to occasionally give some cover from the sun.

I (slowly) continue to work on my family project. While I like some of the images, the whole idea just hasn't managed to quite completely click with me as of yet. Perhaps another visit to eastern Iowa will help everything take shape.

Also visited: Ashland, Memphis, Ithaca, Weston, Brainard and Malmo.

A random drive...

2010-07-16T20:31:00.013-05:00

With nothing at all to do today, I started driving east into Iowa. Not much to report, really. Just a nice drive on a hot summer day. Iowa is far prettier than Nebraska, with rolling hills and green nearly everywhere you look.

The top photograph was taken near Cumberland. The bottom was taken a few miles north of Greenfield.

Shop talk

2010-07-14T22:38:00.007-05:00

I must preface this post with a simple fact: I detest what qualifies as discussion of digital photography on the internet. There's simply too many people with too much money spending way too much time arguing over tiny differences that have little to do with what makes a good photograph.

That said, I do get asked from time to time about the equipment I use. I assure you that this information is far from being all that interesting, but I have promised a post like this on more than one occasion. So, here goes..

The Cameras
I have used my fair share of cameras since I seriously began pursuing photography. When I started out, I used Canon and Nikon 35mm film cameras for most of my work in school. Eventually, I shot my first full series with a borrowed Bronica SQ-A and a Hasselblad 500 c/m, medium format film cameras that capture a square image. The untitled series on my website was shot with these cameras. When I first envisioned what would become ninety-three, I planned to shoot it with a medium format film camera, either the Hasselblad or a Mamiya.

On what amounted to a whim, I purchased a Canon 5D digital slr when the price got to be quite low (relatively speaking) with the rebates that were running at the time. I was assuming I'd photograph a few more weddings here and there, and it seemed that the 5D would replace 35mm film cameras for more casual work. At the time, I was still set on photographing Nebraska on color film.

In May of 2007, some very good friends coaxed me to take a road trip to Glacier National Park with them. I figured the 5D would be perfect for the trip, small and easy to carry, yet with enough image quality to make sizable prints that I would be happy with. I quickly found the camera to be a productive tool. After an aborted attempt to begin ninety-three with a Mamiya 645 film camera, I ended up setting out with the 5D when I began the project in earnest.

My shooting style with the medium format cameras was somewhat cumbersome and, while I am not a "decisive moment" photographer by any means, I felt it was getting in the way of cataloging the world in the way my brain does. I have the utmost respect for anyone who sets out with a giant view camera and heavy tripod. I learned fairly quickly that I am just not that guy. The Canon 5D gave me the mobility I enjoyed and color photographs of a quality more in-line with the medium format film I used before. The original 5D lacked a bit of resolution and sometimes the more limited dynamic range was frustrating, but the Mark II version really improved on both counts. All of ninety-three was shot with these two cameras.

The post-thunderstorm photograph above was taken with a recent purchase, an Olympus EP-2. I haven't used the camera extensively yet, but it's small enough to hide in my glovebox and the quality is much better than any point-and-shoot digicam that I've seen. As they always say.. The best camera is the camera that is with you.

The Lenses
My experience with lenses has been far more complicated than the camera story. With medium format, it was always the standard lens, 80mm for the Hasselblad and Bronica. That made things easy. I had a 28-105mm lens that I used a lot with a Nikon N80 film camera, but a vast majority of my shooting with 35mm film was with a standard 50mm lens.

With the 5D, I've owned all of the following Canon lenses at one time or another: 17-40mm F4, 24-70mm F2.8, 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4, 50 f2.5 macro, 70-200 f4 IS, and 135mm f2

The 50mm focal length is still my favorite. In fact, it's the only lens I currently own. If someone made a lightweight 28-50mm lens, that would cover almost everything I need. I sold the 17-40mm lens but will most likely be buying it again for a wide angle option. It's a nice lens, relatively small for what it is, with the ability to go really wide if necessary. The distortion isn't too bad from around 24mm on up.

As for the rest of the lenses... The 24-70 f2.8 is a great lens, maybe a little soft on the long end, but I got tired of its sheer size. The 35mm f2 is built like a toy and is pretty much awful in the corners up to f4, but gives very good results around f8. I bought the macro lens to shoot distortion-free detail shots but hardly ever used it. The 70-200 f4 IS is pretty much an amazing lens. Sharp at every aperture, crazy good image stabilization, and fairly lightweight. I used it to shoot much of ninety-three but its telephoto range just doesn't fit my style anymore. The 135mm is very sharp, even wide open, but I found it to be too long even for portraiture.

I think that just about covers it. When it comes down to it, I'm really very simple when it comes to making photographs. I don't carry a giant bag with an assortment of lenses and who knows what else. Instead, I tend to walk around with a camera and one lens. I've found that having too much stuff just gets in the way of what I'm attempting to do.

Right now, I am debating shooting my next large scale project with 35mm black and white film. Just an old camera body with a 28mm lens and another with a 50mm lens. It has been quite a while since I've shot anything in black and white, and I miss the look of it. Ilford HP5 has been calling my name.

This end is only a beginning...

2010-07-12T12:20:00.006-05:00

I am happy to announce that I am calling ninety-three finished as of this past weekend. There are more than a few friends that will most likely roll their eyes at this, but I really do mean it this time. The photograph above, from Homestead National Monument near Beatrice, is the final piece of the project.

Hopefully there will be an opportunity at some point in the near future to show the entire series. The ultimate goal will be to publish a book of the photographs. I do plan on putting together an electronic book in the coming months, a more affordable way to share a high quality version of the project for everyone to see.

Again, thank you to everyone for their support. It's much appreciated. I've got something new in the works that I hope to be able to share soon. Stay tuned.

Homestead National Monument

2010-07-10T20:28:00.012-05:00

I set out today to finally put ninety-three to bed, and eventually ended up at Homestead National Monument near Beatrice. The monument resides on what once was Daniel Freeman's homestead, the first established under the Homestead Act of 1862.

Homestead is what I would consider a quiet attraction, the kind of place that rewards spending some time contemplating your surroundings. There isn't any overly spectacular scenery or attention-grabbing structures, just a very nice visitor center and a native prairie to walk through and clear your head. Today was a near-perfect day for the walk. It was just what I needed after a long week of doubts.

The best news is that I am ready to call ninety-three finished in the next few days. I've got some new ideas that I hope to be able to share soon. It's an exciting time (when I manage to look past all of the present uncertainty).

Also visited: Ellis, Odell, Clatonia, Adams, Louisville and Bellevue.

Saturday afternoon

2010-07-03T17:52:00.006-05:00

I've decided to spend some more time on two counties that are the closest to home yet relatively unexplored during the time I've been working on ninety-three. First comes Washington County, which lies immediately north of the Omaha metro area. I spent most of the afternoon around the Missouri River near Blair and Fort Calhoun. There's still quite a bit of flooding in the area from the all rain we received in June. The road to Boyer Chute lies under water at the moment, but the flooding appears to be subsiding as we move into the far more dry weather of July.

Detail #2512 was found in the town of Nickerson, across the Elkhorn River in Dodge County.

Also visited: Herman, Fontenelle and Arlington.

Stromsburg, Nebraska

2010-07-01T23:47:00.004-05:00

Today I revisited Stromsburg, the Swede Capital of Nebraska and one of my favorite small towns in the whole state. The town has a near-idyllic downtown square full of locally-owned shops and friendly people. It's a bit like going back in time.

Above is a barn that I photographed in early 2008 and was going to rephotograph today. Sadly, it appears that some sort of calamity has destroyed the structure since my last visit. The abandoned farmhouse and small silos are still there, however, quietly standing at the intersection of two gravel roads about two miles west of Stromsburg.

Also visited: Clarks and Silver Creek.

Gage County

2010-06-24T23:26:00.007-05:00

I spent this afternoon revisiting Gage County, attempting to find a photograph worthy of being the final addition to ninety-three. It certainly was a gorgeous day for it, a reprieve from the almost daily thunderstorms we've been dealing with of late. I'm not sure I'm ready to call the day a success for myself, but we'll see.

The building in the photograph is the Elijah Filley Stone Barn, located a mile or so south of the town of Filley. The unusual barn was built in the 1870's and now finds itself on the National Register of Historic Places.

Also visited: Cortland, Pickrell, Rockford, Holmesville, Blue Springs and Wymore.

The (almost) final map

2010-06-23T11:09:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I updated the ninety-three map, but here it is for your viewing pleasure. There is one red dot for every location I stopped to attempt to take a photograph. I was going to try to count them all, but I kept losing track before I even got halfway through the map.

All told, I spent nearly 40 days photographing Nebraska and shot over 4000 exposures along the way.

And I'd love to do it all over again.

Wynot Stop Here?

2010-06-20T23:24:00.006-05:00

Three years ago today, I began what would eventually become ninety-three. I didn't have any idea that the series would turn into this big of a production, an obsession that has stuck with me ever since that day. The good news is that I'm just about to wrap up the project for good. After my travels today, I feel as if there is only one county's photograph that I need to improve upon.

It was a very moody gray day when I woke up in O'Neill this morning. The sun came out as I went north towards South Dakota and the clouds didn't return until I came through Wisner on the way home. My main focus today was Cedar County and I visited almost every town in the county that I had not stopped in to this point. I'm much happier with what I was able to come up with this time around.

The above photograph is of the now defunct drive-in movie theatre in O'Neill. It's definitely seen better days. The only operating drive-in theatre left in Nebraska that I know of is in the town of Neligh. That theatre had Toy Story 3 listed on the marquee when I drove by yesterday.

Edited to add... A reader points out that there is a drive-in theatre still operating in Alliance. So that makes two.

And another photograph, from my trek through southern South Dakota that went over both the Fort Randall and Gavins Point dams. The old worn out Pepsi logo was on the side of a building next to a car wash in downtown Wagner.

Also visited: Pickstown, Marty, Tyndall and Tabor, South Dakota. Spencer, Butte, Menominee, Fordyce, Constance, Bow Valley, Wynot, St. Helena and Obert, Nebraska.

A failed return to Rose

2010-06-19T20:57:00.008-05:00

The photograph above pretty much sums up my travels to Rock County today. The Elkhorn River has been flooding all the way from its beginning to its end near Omaha. After a detour near West Point on the way up here, my plans to revisit the area around the near non-existent town of Rose were foiled by the water over the road shown above. While I have a lot of confidence in my Subaru, I do feel it's best suited for dry land.

Despite the flooding doing its best to get in the way, today was a beautiful day once the clouds cleared in the morning. Best of all, due to the highway to Rose being under water, I had time to take a short drive on Nebraska Highway 7 north of Bassett to the Niobrara River. I always forget just how impressive the elevation changes coming into the Niobrara valley can be, and this may be the best place I've found to cross the river. The photograph above just doesn't do the scenery out there justice.

It's another drive to add to my list of the best ones in the state. I'll have to put together a list for this blog one of these days. If you're heading out to see the Sandhills, it's well worth the drive up here to see the Niobrara on the way up to Valentine.

Also visited: Wisner, Neligh, Long Pine and Newport.

Pawnee City, Nebraska

2010-06-17T23:57:00.003-05:00

Pawnee County, along the Kansas border in eastern Nebraska, has been another county that just doesn't seem to cooperate with me. After two visits, I still felt like I could do better with the photograph of the county for ninety-three. I am happy to report that I was able to find something that I am satisfied with on the third try. This leaves me with only a trip up to the northeastern part of the state to call the project completely finished.

Above is detail from a shop window on the downtown square in Pawnee City. The appropriately named Memory Magic deals in scrap booking supplies.

It has been just about three years since my last trip to Pawnee City. The last time through, I photographed a rundown building downtown that someone had written SOLD in one window and NEEDS ROOF BAD in another. Sure enough, despite all the time that has passed, there was the same building with the same writing scrawled in the windows.

July 2007 above, today below. Not much changes in a small town, other than the paint slowly peeling away from a window.

Say Hello to Etsy

2010-06-14T23:03:00.006-05:00

Today marks the grand opening of my Etsy store. I'm excited to have a place to sell my photographs that is both affordable and offers more exposure than I would be able to get by creating a web outlet on my own.

josephvavak.etsy.com

I'll be adding more photographs over the next few days, but there's already quite a bit available for sale. All 36 images from the ninety-three exhibition at Hot Shops are listed, the first time many of them have been online in any form. Some images from the On The Road and Details series are also listed, a few in two different sizes.

If you are looking for something you don't see listed on the Etsy site, leave me a comment and I'll see about getting it added.

Out and about

2010-06-10T23:44:00.003-05:00

Today I revisited a few places from my ninety-three travels along with some new ones. The day started out miserably enough in Grand Island. The sky dark gray and sad, cold rain steadily falling for hours. Around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun began to make hurried appearances before the clouds finally gave way.

I keep telling myself that I'll let the project be, but I can't seem to let go and call it finished. Every time I am ready to close it out, I decide to go back and improve an image or two (or three). As much as I may want to move on to something else, this state always finds a way to reel me back in. There's a freedom to Nebraska, the vast openness and peaceful solitude of the countryside, that I can never get enough of.

The above photograph is from the village of Alda, a small bump in the road just west of Grand Island on U.S. Highway 30. The rain was practically a downpour at this point.

Also visited: Wood River, Cairo, Howard City, Rockville, Loup City, Sherman Reservoir, Ansley, Mason City, Litchfield, Hazard and Ravenna.

Play Ball

2010-06-07T23:30:00.002-05:00

Perhaps the most well known of South Omaha's landmarks, Rosenblatt Stadium has hosted the College World Series since 1950. 2010 marks the last summer for the ol' ballpark. A new park is being built north of downtown to host the Series starting next June.

I love the place, if mostly for sentimental reasons. The stadium itself isn't all that charming. For example, the gray concrete concourses beneath the seating are about as uninviting as a person could make them. But it's a great setting for baseball and I'll miss spending lazy summer evenings in the stands watching the Omaha Royals play.

On this Monday night, all the scoring came early and the game wound up tied 2 to 2 after 9 innings. Former University of Nebraska standout Alex Gordon, recently demoted to Triple A to learn the ins and outs of left field, drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the 11th.

The Magic City

2010-06-05T17:02:00.006-05:00

A few months ago, I moved to a house on 13th Street right near the South Omaha bridge. In a matter of just a few weeks, I fell in love with this part of town. There's just so much character and revitalization everywhere you look. The people of South Omaha have changed over the years, from the Czech and Irish immigrants of the early 20th century to the Hispanic immigrants of today, but the spirit of the community continues to thrive.

Today begins a new project for myself, an attempt to document the neighborhoods, details and people that make up South Omaha. It'll be a learning experience for me. I've grown used to traveling hundreds of miles to find potential photographs. Now I've confined myself to a space little more than eight miles north to south and even less from east to west. While something like ninety-three was understandably superficial in nature, this subject requires much more depth to be successful. I'm looking forward to the challenge (and the frustration).

The old South Omaha bridge was demolished in February. Last week, the new bridge opened for the first time. While the new bridge doesn't have the charm of the old one, it's bound to be a lot safer. The photograph above shows what little remains of the old bridge alongside the new construction.

Another Joseph Vavak

2010-06-02T14:39:00.011-05:00

There haven't been very many Joseph Vavaks in the world. At the moment, there might be a handful of us here in the United States. Not many more. Interestingly, the Smithsonian American Art Museum has six paintings by another Joseph Vavak.

Joseph Vavak was, as far as I know, unrelated to myself. Born in Austria in 1899, raised in Chicago and eventually passing away in Stotebury, Missouri in 1969. Most of the work I have found is from his time as a Works Projects Administration artist in Chicago during the 30's and 40's. Along with the Smithsonian, there are also paintings in the collections of the Illinois State Museum and the University of Kentucky Art Museum.

I plan on researching this Joseph Vavak more. It's fascinating to me that someone with the same (admittedly unusual) name as myself was such a wonderful artist.

All good things must come to an end

2010-05-31T02:28:00.004-05:00

It was a great month, but the ninety-three exhibition at the Hot Shops has come to an end. I met so many great people and got so many positive comments on the work that it was all very overwhelming.

Going into the show, I was more than a little apprehensive about showing my photography to a wider audience. It's one thing to take a picture. It's quite another to assume that anyone would really want to look at the picture. In the end, everything went wonderfully and my fears were unfounded. I really wish the month wasn't already over, but look forward to sharing more of my creations in the future. After all, this is only the beginning.

Again, thank you to everyone who came out to see the show. And welcome to any new fans I may have found over the course of the last month.

Just about finished

2010-05-26T20:17:00.005-05:00

I'm just about ready to call ninety-three finished for good. Today was spent in two counties that have given me nothing but trouble despite multiple visits: Merrick and Nance. I was a bit more successful this time around and feel like I really improved the photographs for both counties. The weather, in true Nebraska fashion, ranged from bright sunshine to pouring rain and back again several times.

Central City's State Theater is alive and well, currently showcasing Robin Hood and the latest Shrek film.

Also visited: Marquette, Archer, Palmer, Fullerton, Belgrade, Cedar Rapids, Primrose, Albion, Petersburg, Boone and St. Edward.

Hello.

2010-05-23T22:36:00.006-05:00

I spent my Sunday afternoon walking around what remains of the State Fair Park in Lincoln. For those not from Nebraska, the State Fair is moving to Grand Island in 2010, leaving its home in Lincoln since 1901 behind. Some of the buildings are already gone, leaving nothing but a concrete foundation and tiled floors behind. Others remain but are slowly falling into disrepair. It's a sad sight for anyone who has childhood memories of the Fair.

The photograph is of what appears to be a fairly friendly electric box somewhere near the livestock building.

In the middle of the night...

2010-05-21T01:07:00.005-05:00

While I'm not one to usually photograph at night, something about this once-upon-a-time hotel in the small town of Union, Nebraska made me want to capture it under the street lights. Only one car drove by as I set my tripod up on the side of Highway 34, but a handful of cats came out to see what was going on and knocked over a metal trash can in the process.

I need more night photography practice. It's not as easy as it looks.

Some Like It Hot

2010-05-11T23:53:00.005-05:00

From the May 6th issue of Omaha's Shout! Weekly...

Sweet Home Nebraska
"There's not a lot of money in being a quirky photographer from Nebraska," Joseph Vavak admitted with a laugh - but that doesn't seem to have slowed his pursuit.

The quirky photographer from Nebraska recently completed a project entitled "ninety-three," a visual travelogue of the Cornhusker State, a "notebook," Vavak said. "Rather than looking for something specific, I just go. Whatever I run into, I take pictures. It's kind of a documentation of what I saw.. found photographs, you could say."

Vavak began the project in 2007 after researching his genealogy and the history of his family in Nebraska. "There's actually a small graveyard in a field [that] was the original gravesite of the Vavaks who [first] came here," he said. "I took photographs of that to start with, and I didn't know what I was going to do with it."

But, like many artistic developments, "it spiraled out of control." Vavak began a series of two and three-day excursions across the state, documenting as he went. The result was "ninety-three" - one photograph from each of Nebraska's 93 counties.

Capturing Nebraska in postcard-like snippets, the images reflect the mixed small town and rural landscape of signage, storefronts, farm-houses and fields. The display of tight, orderly rows serves to highlight the photographer's eyes for symmetry, and the colors are crisp and clean - wheat, whitewash, asphalt and rust, with overtones of sun and sky. Even farm town dilapidation - peeling paint, broken clapboard, old murals - feels fresh in this light.

"[It's] just taking the little details that maybe people overlook, that are all around us," said Vavak, "and putting them in a context where they are interesting."

The images themselves are, perhaps, what one would expect of a photodocumentary of the Midwest - cows in cornfields, grain, silos, run-down sheds - but in front of Vavak's lens, Nebraska comes across with beautiful, bright simplicity.

"I've learned that I really like it here," Vavak said of his travels. Currently in south Omaha, he has lived in Nebraska since he was a teenager. "I considered it home beforehand, but I really feel like Nebraska has a lot to offer that people don't necessarily see... I know there's a lot more to it than what we see here on the east end."

Shout! Weekly is available for free throughout the Omaha metro area. Thank you to Lisa Martin for the kind words and covering the Hot Shops open house.

If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, ninety-three will be be on display through the end of May.

Thank you

2010-05-02T19:38:00.003-05:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made it out to the Hot Shops this weekend. It was great to see so many friendly faces and I'm fairly certain I said "thank you" more the last two days than I usually do in an entire year. While putting together your first solo exhibition is daunting, the reward of seeing people enjoying the work and getting involved in conversation about Nebraska definitely makes it all feel worthwhile.

If you've yet to get down to the Hot Shops, the exhibition will remain on display through May 28th. Don't forget to sign the guest(note)book if you do.

The time is now.

2010-05-01T01:15:00.009-05:00

Hello May!

The show has been hung and I can't wait for everyone to get a chance to see it. I'm excited for how it turned out. It was a stressful few days getting prepared but everything is ready to go. The open house at the Hot Shops runs 12-7 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces.

I have to thank a few key people who helped make this a reality. Kelly Adams from the Hot Shops for her patience, very supportive nature and helpful advice. William Hess for printing and mounting the images for the show. Logan Epps for crafting the shelves that make the whole thing work. And Steven Schmiedeskamp for lending a hand to hang the show on very short notice.

There are many more people who have inspired and accompanied me along the way that I am just as thankful for. I am very lucky to have a life with so many great friends and family around me.

Enjoy the show.

Ten days!

2010-04-20T22:28:00.009-05:00

Just a little over a week remains until the Hot Shops' Spring Open House weekend and the debut of ninety-three that goes along with it. There's a lot going on both Saturday and Sunday, May 1st and 2nd, including many other exhibitions, demonstrations and more. For details, visit the Spring Open House page.

RSVP for the event on Facebook, and don't forget to become a fan while you're at it.

I recently changed up the look of the front page of the website to make everything a little more clear. There will also be an online store to purchase prints and more that will be opening in the next few weeks. The Spring Print Sale prices are still good through April 30th.

Along with the redesign, more of something I've begun working on called An Instance is available for your viewing pleasure. This is just the very beginning of a series that I'm really excited about and one that is a bit of fresh air after working on mostly documentary photographs for the last few years.

Some things I enjoy (and an update)

2010-04-07T22:44:00.007-05:00

Jamie Burmeister's Vermin are slowly taking over the earth, one clay limb at a time. Check out vermin.me for more sightings.

And come down to Hot Shops to see Metro Photo Club's latest exhibition, Just After, on display through April 24th.

Hot Shops' spring open house is set for Saturday and Sunday, May 1st and 2nd. I'm readying thirty-six images from ninety-three to go along with everything else they've got going on that weekend. For more information, visit the Spring open house webpage.

Three weeks!

On the way home

2010-03-14T23:12:00.006-05:00

Back to Omaha once again after a quick trip up the summit road at Scotts Bluff National Monument. It was a great experience despite the overly gray day that present itself. The view was great, as was the drive up the winding road to the top.

ninety-three is a mere photo or two away from being completely finalized. We're just about a month and a half away from the Hot Shops show.

The above photo is from the scenic overlook at Scotts Bluff National Monument. The line across the middle is the walking path to the summit.

A Sea of Sand (Hills)

2010-03-13T20:00:00.005-06:00

I'm fairly certain that the best drive in the state of Nebraska is state highway 27 between Gordon and Ellsworth. Fifty-five miles of winding road, rising and falling through the near-absolute isolation of the sand hills. Just make sure to fill your tank beforehand; There's about 90 miles between gas stations.

The above photograph is from downtown Bayard in the shadow (figuratively) of Chimney Rock.

Also visited: Alliance, Hay Springs, Rushville, Lakeside, Antioch and McGrew.

Westward!

2010-03-12T20:29:00.003-06:00

It's been too long since my last visit to Nebraska's panhandle. I missed most everything about the place. Sometimes its easy to forget that a person is in Nebraska when driving through this part of the state.

The day started off in McCook, looking to improve my image for Red Willow county after a couple of earlier attempts left a little to be desired. After a morning of dreary gray clouds, the sun finally broke through and made for a beautiful early spring day. It is definitely nice to leave the long-standing piles of snow behind in Omaha.

The above image is of the main street in Danbury. The village of 128 people lies just a few miles north of the Kansas border southeast of McCook.

Also visited: Marion, Hayes Center, Wallace, Broadwater, Bridgeport and Harrisburg.

Spring print sale!

2010-02-26T23:55:00.005-06:00

To celebrate the completion of the ninety-three project and my first solo exhibition, I'm offering a special discounted print sale to everyone I am lucky enough to have the support of here in the early going. Any image from the ninety-three, on the road, or details sections of my website are available.

All prints will be 15x10" c-prints on 20x16" paper matted with an archival mat and backing board. Each will be hand-numbered and signed by the artist. The prints will only be produced in limited amounts. I haven't chosen the editions yet, but expect to only produce 15-25 of each image for sale.

The pre-exhibition price is no longer available. Enjoy the show.

To purchase a photograph, send me an email at josephvavak@gmail.com or contact me via my facebook fan page.

As always, your support is greatly appreciated. All of the funds will go into making the Hot Shops show a successful debut. I'm very excited to get this show on the road.

Images Of Nebraska

2010-02-11T17:38:00.008-06:00

I stumbled across this book a few weeks ago on Amazon and ordered a copy out of curiosity. Nebraska Photographic Documentary Project 1975-1977 was published by the University Of Nebraska Press in conjunction with the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

The book is best described by its rather wordy title. Two photographers, Robert Starck and Lynn Dance, documented the state of Nebraska in the spirit of photographers like Walker Evans. Their black and white photographs are very straight-forward, a collection of places and people that they encountered throughout the state over the course of the project.

As a whole, the Photographic Documentary Project is an interesting look at the state of Nebraska nearly three and a half decades ago. Many of the photographs may be unremarkable, but that's the nature of this kind of work. I was happy to see a project somewhat similar to my own in print and enjoyed comparing my work with that of these two photographers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of the images in this collection feel as if they could have been taken just yesterday. As much as parts of Omaha and Lincoln continue to rapidly change and expand, much of the state stays remarkably the same.

I attempted to google both Starck and Dance without much success. If anyone stumbles across this blog that knows more about this book or the photographers behind it, please drop me a line at josephvavak at g mail dot com. I'm curious to know if they continued to produce photographs after finishing this project.

Revisited (Again)

2010-02-03T18:01:00.005-06:00

Today was a great day to get out and photograph, the first such day off I've had in quite awhile. There is still a lot of snow on the ground. Along with the gray skies, it really makes the whole countryside seem incredibly bleak and lonesome.

I rephotographed a few places that have now become very familiar, just trying to get exactly what I want while the snow is still around and the mood is right. The image above is one I've taken before but had never quite been happy with. It's a farmstead along old Linwood Road, halfway between Morse Bluff and Linwood in northwest Saunders County.

Three months...

2010-01-21T20:05:00.003-06:00

The Hot Shops show is just a little more than three months from now. Everything is coming together nicely thanks to the help of William Hess. I am not sure if I'm more excited for everyone to see the work or to see how it's going to look on display.

I will be offering a print sale in the next few weeks to help pay for the exhibition. The prints will be available at a lower price for a limited time. I'll have more details soon.

Don't forget to become a fan on Facebook. And put Friday night, April 30th on your calendars.

January

2010-01-15T14:11:00.004-06:00

Omaha is (was?) starting to thaw out after a rough month or so of consecutive blizzards. There were two snowfalls of over a foot along with numerous smaller storms along with temperatures that bottomed out around fifteen below zero. My day job finds me in the business of selling snow throwers. After five weeks of nonstop phone calls and emergency shipments of product, everything is finally settling down and things are getting back to normal. All in all, they say it may be the worst winter in 60 years. And, unfortunately, it's not over yet.

Above is a photograph of the ten plus foot snow pile that has become a (semi-)permanent resident of our cul-de-sac.

This is a biography...

2010-01-13T00:20:00.017-06:00

I (Joseph Vavak) am a photographer from Omaha, Nebraska that has a somewhat puzzling obsession with the mundane and the everyday. My photography is the result of what happens when someone cursed with a photographic memory and the mind of an engineer becomes wrapped up in the freedom of creating something unique to his existence.

2010 marks the completion and unveiling of ninety-three, a photographic record of the state of Nebraska. ninety-three features one photograph for every one of Nebraska's counties, the result of countless miles spent wandering my home state. It is a random collection of memories and places unlike most any portrait of Nebraska that you might have seen. ninety-three is about getting to know exactly where it is I come from and recording everything that I encountered along the way.

ninety-three will be on display at the Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska in May of 2010. The show will be opening during the Hot Shops' spring open house weekend.

Exhibitions
May 2006
Corning Center For The Fine Arts in Corning, Iowa
Miniseries

October 2006
W. Dale Clark Library in Omaha, Nebraska
One MWPSE Student Exhibition

November 2006
Hillmer Art Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska
Artist and Mentor Show

April 2007
The Art Of Music in Nebraska City, Nebraska
inexterior

January 2008
Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska
Miniseries 2.0

May 2010
Hot Shops Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska
selections from ninety-three

For references, inquiries or any other questions that you might have, please contact me at josephvavak at gmail.com.

The Oxford Project

2010-01-02T17:12:00.005-06:00

One idea I have been saving for a rainy day, perhaps for a thesis project, is to photograph every person in a small town. And, as seems to happen with many ideas, someone has already beat me to it.

Peter Feldstein's The Oxford Project features photographs of most everyone in the small town of Oxford, Iowa. Oxford is just northwest of Iowa City and currently has around 700 residents. I've got a handful of family members buried in the town cemetery, none of which appear in this book.

Feldstein takes the idea one step further, photographing the town residents twice, once in 1984 and again in 2006. Along with the pairs of photographs, the residents were asked to describe how their life had changed in the twenty-two years since they were originally photographed.

The result is a fascinating book about the identity and growth of a small town. We see some of what has changed and what has stayed the same. Some residents talk proudly about the smallest details of their lives. Others confess to how the small town atmosphere has been suffocating. But most all seem proud to be Oxford residents, for better or worse. It's especially interesting to see how people have changed over the course of two decades and how many of the children have chosen to stay and make the town their home as adults.

A small sampling of The Oxford Project is available online at this website. The book is currently available from Welcome Books.

Five: Photo books from 2009...

2009-12-10T18:24:00.029-06:00

I didn't buy enough photo books this year to author a 'best of' list, but here are five books that I really enjoyed this past year.

William Eggleston
Paris
While Paris is unlikely to change anyone's opinion on the photography of William Eggleston, it's a solid book for anyone who may already be a fan. Along with the images, there are a few of Eggleston's drawings interspersed in the book.

Edward Hopper & Company
This book basically takes what might be my favorite painter's work and discusses his influence on some of my favorite photographers. It's a fantastic little book but sadly already out of print and demanding high prices.

Jungjin Lee
Wind
Released late in the year by Aperture, this book has served as my introduction to Lee's beautiful work. Wind features atypical, intriguing landscape photographs produced on homemade paper hand coated with a homemade emulsion.

Sarah Greenough
Looking In: The Americans
This is by far the most obsessive photobook of the year. Greenough's look at The Americans is several times larger than the book it analyzes. The highlight of the expanded edition is a look at Frank's contact sheets for the project.

Peter Kayafas
O Public Road!
Peter Kayafas' collection of American road-trip photographs has a title I wish I had thought of first. And the book comes with a song by Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide fame, bringing music and photography together in an effective way. A great concept.

Image: Meadville, Keya Paha County

2009-12-08T14:20:00.002-06:00

When I set out to construct my first project on Nebraska, I decided that I wanted to create a sort of visual collection of all the random places I visited throughout the state. The idea was to explore this place I call home and record images of its smallest corners that may otherwise have been forgotten or left in anonymity.

The Omaha World-Herald has an article today about a new bridge being constructed across the Niobrara River in north-central Nebraska. I visited the old bridge during the summer of 2007 and captured the above photograph which will appear in the final edit of the series.

Meadville is what amounts to a ghost town on a rarely-traveled gravel road that wanders over 30 miles between Springview and Ainsworth. All that remained there was a general store and this old, one lane bridge. At the time, I wondered just how safe the wood-surfaced bridge really was.

Not safe enough, it seems.

Image: Omaha, Douglas County (Alt.)

2009-11-30T14:14:00.003-06:00

As November draws to a close, it's time to look back at another year gone by. 2009, like most years, has went by much faster than expected. I got back on track with my work, stumbled upon some new inspiration and began to pursue my BFA in earnest.

2010 is shaping up to be a big year for me. My first solo show at the Hot Shops. Two extensive projects to develop. And the many surprises that every year we live through inevitably presents.

The above image is one of several alternate images from ninety-three for Douglas County that I captured a few weeks back. I'm on track to have the entire project finished by the opening of the show on April 30th. Just a few improvements to be made and I'll be ready to call it finished for good.

Once again...

2009-11-19T23:39:00.001-06:00

Back at work on ninety-three once again, hoping to get some work done before the weather takes a turn for the worst in the next few weeks and winter settles in.

Harvest is my favorite time of the year to photograph rural Nebraska. There's lots of activity in all the little towns and the late afternoon sun has a warm quality to it that just isn't there the rest of the year. I revisited a few places and discovered a few new ones. The sun sets so early.

The above photograph is from downtown Pierce. Just the small detail of a glass brick from a building.

Also visited: McLean, Magnet, Hartington, Coleridge, Belden and Laurel.

Out and about...

2009-11-17T23:23:00.010-06:00

With the Hot Shops show just a few months away, it's time to finish and tidy up ninety-three for its debut. Today I set out to find an image for Douglas County and wandered Cuming County for what felt like the 20th time. Sometimes I just can't seem to find something that will work.

Pictured above is an old barn still standing all by itself in a recently harvested field near Bancroft.

Also visited: Omaha, Aloys, West Point, Beemer and Bancroft.

John Vachon

2009-11-09T22:11:00.005-06:00

"Omaha looked swell this morning out the train window," wrote John Vachon. "Very unspectacular, and ordinary looking, but definitely camera-challenging.

John Vachon wasn't from Nebraska, but he extensively photographed Omaha and Nebraska for the Farm Security Administration in late 1938. There are quite a few (sadly low quality) images of Nebraska available here on the Library Of Congress website.

The always excellent Shorpy has quite a few high resolution images by Vachon here.

Image: Instance #2

2009-11-07T17:56:00.006-06:00

Just a small taste of something new that I've begun working on over the last few weeks. The process shows a lot of promise, I think.

The series will be titled An Instance. Merriam-Webster defines instance as "a step, stage, or situation viewed as part of a process or series of events," and that's pretty much exactly what these photographs represent. A moment (or step) in time that's defined by a process and its somewhat unpredictable results.

I'll let you use your imagination as to how this was accomplished. In actuality, it's really quite simple.