Bill has done pretty much everything I’ve ever wanted to do. Seriously. He’s published zines. He’s made films. He’s been in dank basements watching my favorite punk bands play their earliest shows. He’s tracked down the most famous hobo boxcar artist; Lived in amazing cities all over the United States; Has been featured in major art exhibits at the MOCA….

…breath…

And to top it all off, he’s also won a Guggenheim. I’m not exaggerating. He has literally done all of those things. Needless to say, I was floored when Bill told us he’d collaborate on the latest issue of Shutterclank!.

Then, about a week ago, Bill sent me this photo.

Look at that for a second!

The largest print I’ve ever worked with, to date, has been a 16×20.

You know what Bill Daniel does in the morning? He puts his pants on one leg at a time… then he goes and makes a 40×60 print of Minor Threat from a negative he made in 80s! Brian Baker looks like a child in that photo, because he was a child in that photo!

Ok, all joking aside, the quality of Bill’s prints are amazing. The years of experience are evident in his work. He has just posted some new prints on his website Tri-X Noise. Including the Minor Threat print I was yapping about above. These aren’t some kind of freshmen orientation poster sale prints that your bro, Trevor, has hanging above “the smelly couch“. Bill is selling hand made silver gelatin photographs, that he printed in his darkroom. They range in size and price. Starting at $25.00 for a 8×10. Don’t sleep.

If you’re already familiar with Mark’s work, you won’t be disappointed. His ability to capture and light candid group shots is remarkable. By shooting medium format film and consciously documenting social groups, Mark’s work reminds me of August Sander and Diane Arbus. This latest project was commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum. The exhibit opens this weekend and will run through September 9th. If you’re anywhere near Pittsburgh, make sure to come check this out.

If you can’t make it to Pittsburgh, you can see some of the photos that the New York Times published here.

In 2011 Spaces Corners opened, and they’re no exception to the statement above. Ed and Melissa have created an killer spot for photographers and photo collectors. Looking through their inventory, I’m reminded that one can never have too many photo books.

Tomorrow evening they’re having a special artist talk featuring Ron Jude and Danielle Mercile. I’m definitely attending, and can’t wait to geek out about photography and indie publishing.
See you there.

Since then, I’ve been trying to keep in touch with some good friends that I’ve made through shutterclank!. Guys like Boogie. Not only is he an amazing photographer, he’s been really encouraging from the start.

While I take long gaps from blogging to regroup and plan out the next move, our homies at OneGiantArm, never stop hustling. They invited me to participate in their Disposable project. These dudes gathered photographers from all around the world and asked them to submit an undeveloped disposable camera. The entire project culminated in a really sick zine and kick-ass show. Make sure you check out the preview below and support these dudes.

I’ve also been mailing out and receiving prints through Film Por Vida. If you like getting rad photos in the mail, then get on this. Seriously.

As shutterclank! moves forward, I hope to keep this positive momentum going. I’m constantly inspired by the creative people I’ve been lucky enough to meet through this project. Over the next month, there is some really great photography related events happening in Pittsburgh. I’m not going to let these fall through the cracks. So, even if you can’t make it out here to the 412, definitely stop back to read about what’s going down.

This past Saturday (April 7th), was the opening reception / Shutterclank! issue #3 release party at UnSmoke Artspace, and it was killer. I was really taken back by the amount of people who visited the gallery; and very grateful for support that was given to us through out the night. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the encouragement and help Shutterclank! has received along the way; which is something I think about every day.

Shutterclank! isn’t a large operation at all. It’s run out of a tiny room here in Pittsburgh. I’ve got boxes of zines stacked on the floor. Prints resting carefully in portfolio cases. There are piles of t-shirts folded neatly on a tiny table. My desk is cluttered with notes, a photo scanner and my computer monitor. The goal of this project has always been to share our photography with the people who inspire us to create. I’m so proud that we regularly achieve that goal.

Saturday’s opening, has been almost a year in the making. This past summer, I was lucky enough to photograph the NSF graffiti crew during their annual cookout (18 years and counting). They were painting 3 huge walls in Braddock. During that time, I got to meet Jeb and Molly from Unsmoke. They offered me the opportunity to organize something for Shutterclank! at the gallery. Needless to say, I was stoked.

As the months passed we released a 2nd issue, displayed some work in Brooklyn and kept on hustling. Meanwhile, through all of that, I kept thinking and planning our show at Unsmoke. As those months whittled down to days, the pace and amount of work increased. Weeks were spent in the darkroom, days were spent on the layout, hours and hours spent hanging prints and positioning the lights. Hell, We were still stamping titles and numbering zines on Saturday afternoon. By the time we opened the doors on Saturday, I was ready to collapse.

All of that work was more than worth it. I’m really honored that we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Bill Daniel, our homies Tommy Sussex and Joe Williams from OneGiantArm and the entire gang at UnSmoke. You guys are amazing!

Alright, enough babbling. Time to start working on the next release.

We’re really looking forward to the release of issue #3. We’ve teamed up with Bill Daniel and our good friends from OneGiantArm to bring you something killer.

If you’re in the Pittsburgh area on April 7th, make sure to come by UnSmoke Artspace for the opening reception and release party. We’ll be exhibiting prints from the zine. Shawn Watson will be spinning records, and thanks to brillobox, we’ve got free beer for you guys!

My enlarger

I am very excited to print.  I love getting a chance to hole myself up in the darkroom and make some art.

Last weekend, I spent friday, saturday, sunday, and monday in the darkroom printing like a crazed and mad fiend.

Why you ask?

Shutterclank April 2012 at UnSmoke Artspace.  Put that in your day-minder in your trapper keeper.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Making a photo zine is a work of passion. It’s a project that will take a lot of your time and money. However, for every minute or dollar you throw into the project, you’re rewarded with a new appreciation for the art of photography. If I wasn’t out shooting photos and working on this zine, I’d go crazy.

I really think there is something interesting happening right now in photography. Something really remarkable. Something that we at Shutterclank! are proud to be part of. During these times of digital everything, there are people creating independent print zines. Sincerely dedicating themselves to the art of photography, and all aspects of the medium – from film to digital and back to tin type.

Through shutterclank! we’ve met and worked with some really inspiring photographers, and the guys at One Giant Arm are no exception to that rule. These dudes truly respect the medium of photography, and I’m so happy that over here at shutterclank! we can call those guys friends.

Support your friends, Support those who inspire you, and go create something you can be proud of.

He indicated via the forums that he had a book named “Savage, Dixie, Slaughterville,” limited to one hundred signed copies, and there were still some available.  I was quick to pick one up.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and his book does not miss.  It came in a simple mailer, but when I opened it I was impressed.  The book is a 8.5x11in format.  It comes in a plastic sleeve that is resealable and form fitting.

The title text is bold and in a magenta shaded pink that softly stands out from the orange peel cover.  It is on the order of a quarter inch thick and is of tangible size in ones hands.

So far we have been pretty factual up to this point.  Enter my personal opinion.  I think that artistic critique is not necessarily important.  That is to say, if I am offering my opinion and interpretation of an artist’s work, it is based upon my interpretation, background, and artistic leanings.  I cede that what might be more relevant are his words on the creation, filling in the story behind and around the images.  In lieu of that, I offer a description of my interaction with the images and how they evoked emotion from me.

The book ranges in topic, showing quite a span from human desolation, human interaction with the environment,  youthful innocence, adult consequences, and the role of the photographer in all of it.  The work is predominantly comprised of street style photography, catching people in their best and worst moments.  I love that he both clearly and compassionately shows his subjects, be they dead animals, youths, disaffected travelers, or lost graffiti messages.

Throughout the work, you can see his fingerprint on the images, the evidence that in all of this there is a dialogue between the artist and the portrayed.  His shadow across the scene, his shoes in the frame, or the savage look of a subject that scorns the press of his shutter release.

While I definitely think this work deserves your attention, what interests me most is the method of delivery.  Graeme apparently makes a living as a photographer, but in his spare time he shoots and independently publishes his work.  Another DIY type.  Perhaps my point is not that you should go out (on the internet) and buy this, but perhaps that you should get off of your lazy ass and pursue what is important to you.

Let’s face it, starting a new project can be nerve wracking. You willingly sacrifice your money and time. You re-prioritize your life. You revaluate and reflect upon past decisions. And no matter how confident you may be, you’re a liar if say you don’t spend a little bit of time wondering how you’ll be received. Wondering if you’ll just be yelling into the wind, talking to yourself.

Shutterclank! originally started as my own little photo blogspot. During that time, Chris and I were corresponding, collaborating, brainstorming. Sending a moleskin via post. We were anxious to share our photographs with other people. When I wasn’t in the darkroom or out shooting, I was spending hours at the library looking over monographs, I was surfing the internet to see how artists in Montreal, Austin and San Francisco were sharing their works. Don’t get me wrong, Pittsburgh is a rad city, and I’ll rep it till the day I die; but when the days are short and frozen, it can feel like the tiniest little town, decades behind the times, and a million miles from those things you really want to be doing.

I wish I could tell you that I had some movie like intervention with a greater consciousness. Staring off into the stars while Morgan Freeman’s booming voice imparted me with some type of cosmic inspiration. Nope… that didn’t happen. Not at all. You see, I live with one foot in the present and one foot in some sort of suspended adolescence. I’m still inspired by the simple things that I had fun with as teenager. Kind of like Pee Wee Herman, but without the grey suit. Chris and I would talk about times past when, If you wanted to play a show, you invited 3 other bands to someone’s basement, and rocked out. If you wanted a sticker you couldn’t buy, you went to kinkos and made it. If you wanted to tour across the country, you found 50 other basements and inched your way from state to state. We figured, it’s worked in the past, might as well take that approach again.

So we pulled our money and printed a zine. Made some stickers and put them everywhere we could. Sent e-mails to everyone who inspired us. I know it’s only been a little over a year, and we’ve got so many more friends to make; but I can honestly say that our little zine has been more rewarding than we could have ever imagined. We’ve shared our photographs with a lot of people, had gallery shows in Pittsburgh, Brooklyn and San Francisco. We’ve shared stories with Guggenheim winning photographers, and corresponded with hardcore street photographers , some rad fucking dudes, and some new friends in our own backyard.

This past year has shown me once again that sometimes when you yell into the wind, someone answers back. Thank you, to everyone who has answered back.