Square Magazine

Square Magazine published some of my work. It looks good!

Experimenting With Props

Knife, originally uploaded by quinnjacobson.

 
I've been experimenting with different concepts in the form of props. Every time I do this, I find myself going back to the beginning and photographing people - particularly faces – raw and pure. That's all I'm really interested in.

In the end, what I find most interesting is "less". Less as in fewer props, fewer distractions. I'm not very good at creating an atmosphere anyway. What I can do is show the depth of a person and sometimes, I can reveal something interesting in their face or spirit.

I enjoy this the most but I question if it's because I'm "comfortable" and I'm getting lazy or if it’s still valid to work what you feel most strongly about decade after decade. For now, I’ll continue doing what drives me; the human face.

A New Chapter Begins...Now!

It seems I've closed one chapter of my life and am ready for the next one.

As I look back over the last year (2009/2010), I see what I've done and I'm amazed and incredibly satisfied. Having these kinds of opportunities (Paris exhibition, Archer Project, etc.) is a rare and wonderful thing.

Henry David Thoreau said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation". For the most part, I would agree with that. They're desperate because they are clueless about their purpose. The trick is to find your passion and pursue it with everything you have. Take risks, push your boundaries, and never quit. Passion is what we need more of - and I don't mean passion as in fundamental religions or passions that hurt people. I'm talking about a personal passion - it's always a positive thing, an asset to society, not a liability. Finding out why you are here and what you're supposed to be doing with your life is what we need to be asking ourselves. For the past 10 or 15 years, maybe more, I've been preoccupied with this idea and have done my best to be honest in its pursuit.

How do you define success? Happiness? Satisfaction? Is it relative? I'm not sure. Regardless of the definition, at this moment in my life I would have to mark 9/10 in all of the categories. I feel accomplished, appreciated and am very happy. Over the last few years in Europe, I've met some of the most kind and wonderful people in the world. Every color, nationality, race and religion - all beautiful, interesting people that helped me get to this point. I can't thank them enough for the difference they've made in my life.

I've talked a lot about stepping out of the spotlight. I'm beginning that process now. Some of it will be a little bit sad for me. I'll miss doing some of the things that I've been doing for a long time. However, it's time to move on and experience the next chapter/adventure of my life. I know it's time.

My exhibition in Paris (Centre Iris) just ended. It was successful beyond words. I'm eternally grateful and thankful for Pierre, Olivier, Benoît, William, Patrick, Bruno, and all of the students in my workshops; almost thirty of you! I would also like to thank all of the sitters that came for portraits. I ended up making almost 175 portraits of Parisians over the last few months. Talk about a body of work! I heard some of the kindest comments and had the honor of making portraits of some very important people in the world of photography. Merci beacoup! It was my honor and pleasure. And finally, Jeanne and Summer, I love you! What an adventure! I could have never, ever done this without you! Hugs, kisses, and someday we'll be having some more Chinese ravioli and Japanese Sushi in Paris!

There are some wonderful things ahead for me (art/photographically). I'm looking forward to sharing them when the time is right. Summer will be starting her studies in August and we (Jeanne and I) may have some big changes ahead, too. We'll see. For right now, let's say the operative word is: CHANGE. Change is good. Change presents opportunity. Don't fear change.

One more thing; I wanted to share some images I'm sending to Washington D.C. for an exhibition. This is Benoît, a Parisian artist and filmmaker. I call this, "Three Portraits in Paris: Chopin's Left Hand". You get it, I don't need to explain it. However, the Parisian model with black eyes may be a different story...

 
"Three Portraits in Paris: Chopin's Left Hand", Triptych - Whole Plate Black Glass Ambrotypes

 "Parisian Model With Black Eyes" - Whole Plate Black Glass Ambrotype

This is Gwen, she was the sweetest lady you could meet. I made two plates of her, I kept this one. Update: I gave this plate to a friend, Joe Baltz, a photographer and teacher in Chicago, IL.

If you would like to see a small sample of the portraits I made in Paris, you can go here. Please forgive the low quality of the images, they were “snapped” with my small digital point and shoot. There are about 150 I never got snaps of!

French 3 Television

France 3 TV's piece about Quinn's exhibition in Paris at Centre Iris Gallery.

France 3 TV just aired this piece this week. The spot is about my exhibiton and work in the Wet Plate Collodion process. They also show a lot of images from my exhibition in Paris at the Centre Iris Gallery. It's a really good piece - very "top shelf". I'm very pleased. Enjoy!

“In Honour of Archer” Just Another Exhibition? I Think Not!

 

Next month, on May 1, the exhibition, “In Honour of Archer” will open in London. There will be close to thirty Frederick Scott Archer, 1813 - 1857pieces of artwork in the show. All of the work is Collodion or Collodion-based from artists all over the world working in the Collodion process. I can’t over emphasize the importance of this exhibit and event. Not only for today, moreover, for posterity.

Every once in a while, there’s an opportunity to contribute and be involved in something that will be far more important in the future than it is today. The problem is being able to recognize those opportunities and then having the chutzpah to make the sacrifices to get “some skin in the game”.

“In Honour of Archer”, is one of those opportunities that I can say with great confidence, will take its place in history. It’s bigger than all of us. It’s its own thing, like a mountain so high that it generates its own weather system. It has its own energy, we’re just trying to keep up.

The work presented in the show will have a certain gravitas, too. A provenance, if you will. In this case, the context of the work is much greater than the work itself. I don’t mean that in the pejorative, I really like the work that has been submitted, I mean that in the way that this isn’t “just another exhibition”. I mean that the photographs in this exhibition are forever connected to this event. It’s the connection that gives this purpose – that’s what makes this so important. I wonder if people get that.

A hundred years from now, no one will know or care what you or I did today. We may see what we’re doing in our daily lives as important, but no one will remember. No one will care. John Popper, from the Blues Traveler band, has a great lyric in a song called, “100 Years”. It sums up the ephemeral nature of our day-to-day existence. He says,

“Big angry man in the doorway there
Just keep on walking like I don't care
Why you giving such an evil eye
Could it be you were ignored by every passerby
And it won't mean a thing in a hundred years
No, it won't mean a thing in a hundred years”

Our death denial illusions are exposed and open for God and the world to see them when we talk about our achievements for future generations. However, in my opinion, this event transcends those illusions. This is one of those things that we all know is the right thing to do. So why has it taken 157 years?

I feel neither allegiance nor indebtedness to anyone except Archer when it comes to the Wet Plate Collodion process. Without Archer, and some others in the 19^th Century, Collodion would have been a shelved process, at least as far as we know it today. He’s never received the recognition or the proper acknowledgments from his country, the big photography museums or the academic establishments. They should be embarrassed and ashamed. I'm glad, however, that we, the Collodion Collective, were able to come together and make his commemoration what it should be.

Unfortunately, as Parker and Stone said, "Sometimes what's right isn't as important as what's profitable." In that context, this is not, “just another exhibition”.

Thank you to everyone that participated in any way – you’ve done a great thing!