Three Short Films
Watching photographers do their thing
I love artist talks.
Reading about a picture is one thing, but seeing and hearing imagemakers describe their process and explain what makes them tick is something else entirely — especially when they’re great communicators. Honestly, I can’t get enough of it.
I’ll bet many of you watch Art21, the source of many inspiring profiles about artists making work today. They emailed with links to some of their award-winning films, and naturally, I had a field day. Of course, my eyes are always drawn to photography stories, and I thought that some of you would appreciate these short films about Richard Mosse, Tommy Kha, and Richard Misrach.
If you dig this stuff, you’ll enjoy My Big List of Photography Videos, a playlist I keep on YouTube. I’m constantly bookmarking videos there, so do let me know if there’s something you think I should add to my list. Enjoy!
“My power, if I have any,” says Richard Mosse, “is to be able to show you the things that I’ve seen in a more powerful way than perhaps the pictures you’ve seen in the newspaper of the same thing.” Mosse uses photography to make the things we cannot see visible — to push the limits of the camera and the documentary image. The results are fascinating and beautiful. Watch What the Camera Cannot See →
“When I look back at my works, it’s a time machine.” Richard Misrach and his wife, author Myriam Weisang Misrach, look back on fifty years of his photography. Misrach is a legend, and it’s inspiring to hear him describe how the constraints of the pandemic gave way to a new kind of imagemaking. Watch Never the Same →
“Where do I stand in the picture? What’s the best way to arrive at ourselves through photography?” Great question. Tommy Kha’s work explores representation, American culture, and Southern mythology. I need to learn more about his photography; this is a great place to start. Watch Tommy Kha's Bits & Pieces →
One more thing…
I've been saving portraits on Instagram for years. Portraiture is one of my favorite kinds of photography. It's a genre, I guess, but I see it as a way to use photography — to picture people, to show us how they look and maybe even who they are. I curated a show of contemporary portraiture for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art years ago, and I'd love to do something like that again someday. In the meantime, I’m featuring the great portraits I've discovered on IG from time to time. If you make pictures of people and want to show your stuff on @flakphoto, please drop me a line. I love hearing from you. Cheers!
Great set of films. I saw that there’s a new Nan Goldin documentary on HBO. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. Haven’t had the time to check it out but it’s on the list.
Awesome! Looking forward to checking these out. Thanks!