I often don't do a good job of keeping up with other peoples' blogs, because I get so distracted operating my own. I sometimes have to rediscover blogs I meant to follow loyally. For instance, I found when I visited it again today that The Salt Mine has really been getting going.
Mark thinks like a poet. He's a good example of how photography gets mixed inextricably with life. Check out his entertaining auto-conversation about Geoff Dyer, or his account of his numerous Blurb books.
I'd love to see all the books, but they're pretty expensive. That's one drawback of Blurb books. I might need to visit Mark to get to see them all, although it's been years since I've been back East. Not that it's not worth the price to get such high quality books in tiny quantities, but still, there's a limit to the book budget.
I ordered The Collaboration. Encountering the Victor Carroll work was a significant experience for me in my youth (it combines writing and photography in about equal measure, not often easy), so, what with personal narcissistic commemoration adding to its charms, I figured that would be a good one for me to pluck out from all the rest.
I really do want to see all of them, though, eventually. Mark's too interesting a photographer to have hewn a reputation as a major artist, but he's good, thought-provoking and always engaging.
Three cheers for Mark and The Saltmine!
Posted by: David Emerick | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 08:57 AM
(Egad. I'm severely tempted by "Fibonacci" myself, being a counting dork. Any Blurb/TOE link we should be aware of? :))
Posted by: Ludovic | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 09:24 AM
Hmm, the Salt Mine is banned in my place of work, on account of it being categorised as entertainment / nudity! Guess I'll have to check it out when I get home ...!
Posted by: Rory | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 10:30 AM
Errr....how about google reader?
Posted by: Pete | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 11:23 AM
"Mark's too interesting a photographer to have hewn a reputation as a major artist..."
Mike, I would love to hear a classic Mike Johnston disquisition on this toss-away line!
Posted by: Jeff Glass | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 11:35 AM
The rendering of light in this image is magical on my monitor (D50). I wonder how the print is.
Posted by: Mark Muse | Thursday, 03 September 2009 at 12:20 PM
Mark was my first photography teacher at the Corcoran School of Art in the early eighties.
He was and still is inspiring, those of you wondering what the prints look like in "real life" don't have to wonder too much - they are fantastic in both quality of image and presentation of the object itself.
It was really a great read to stumble over this this evening. Thank you
Posted by: matthew langley | Saturday, 05 September 2009 at 11:48 PM
Thanks for the kind words, everybody -and of course thanks to Mike to that wonderful tribute. I never miss reading his unique blog a great mixture of information and just plain good writing ( cleverly disguised as conversation.)
It's heartening to know I've been censored,I must be doing something right!
Yes Blurb books are expensive and I'm sorry for it. Who knows, maybe one day I'll find a cheaper way of getting my work out there in book form.I justify the expense for myself by comparing the book price to the cost of having an exhibition - the book is many times cheaper. And more permanent.
Now that I think about it, I've only printed that carousel image once. I have to say the print is inferior to the monitor image which might be expected given the latter is viewed via transmitted light and the former reflected light. Maybe I should go the Jeff Wall route and do a light box
Finally good to hear from a former student -hey, Matt hope everything is going well for you.
Mark
Posted by: Mark L. Power | Sunday, 06 September 2009 at 01:24 PM