Friday, July 6, 2012

The Latent Image: No. 800

By MAX J. MARSHALL
Post No. 800
6 July 2012

Why a blog? There are already so many.

In a field of roses, is one not the most perfect and beautiful?  Hah!  But seriously, anyone who is interested in starting a blog should do so!  Just because there are many blogs that exist, doesn’t take away from the fact that each person has an equal chance to provide interesting, unique, and stimulating content!


How has The Latent Image changed in concept, content and purpose over the years.

At first, I honestly didn’t know what I wanted the blog to be.  I did some posts on food, movies, and even paintings (gasp).  Since then, the majority of the posts have been 5 images from one photographer.  I used to post my own photographs as well as in progress projects, but I’ve since stopped doing this and focused completely on featuring other photographer’s work.


Which blogs do you follow? How do you decide what to read each day within the vast expanse of the Internet.

There are many blogs that I follow…!  I have a bookmarks folder which contains around thirty links.  I check all of these daily.  Some of my favourites are “Banana Leaves” by Christopher Schreck, “Too Much Fast Food” by Bobby Scheidemann, “Conscientious” by Jorg Colberg, “I like this blog” by Paul Paper, and of course “The Last Bite.”

I look for a lot of qualities in a blog, but most of all I value dependability and consistency. 


The direction of art. Where is it going. What does it need. What does it lack?

It’s very tough for me to definitely say the direction of art because I truly believe that art trends are fluid and ever changing.  However, I can say that I love the current push away from establishments and institutions.  More and more artists are starting collectives, self-publishing, and forming alliances.  Some of the most (what I consider to be) successful artists today are Aurelien Arbet and Jeremie Egry who do EVERYTHING.  They run a publishing company, they make photographs, they curate exhibitions, they run a blog, they make music videos, they even produced a film with Alec Soth recently.  And mind you, it’s all gold!  I love everything they do.  It’s this kind of auteur mentality that gets me excited to be part of the 21st century and its artist era.


How do you go about finding the artists that you highlight? What parameters merit a selection and subsequent post.

I source other blogs, tumblr, the news, conversations with friends, artist rosters, friend’s links, photography books, magazines, museum catalogs, auction catalogs, book stores, the list goes on!  There is no limit to where good photographers can be found.  And really, the only requirement is for me to find the photographs to be compelling, interesting, unique, or stimulating.  No BFA or MFA required.


Your own work. What's going on lately? How has your approach to photography and art changed.

Since just moving to New York with Andrea Nguyen, my girlfriend (and also collaborateur on our blog “Tillsammans, Man" !!!), I have been having a hard time keeping with my studio practice.  Andrea and I do plan to keep working on photographic series together, but finding a balance between work, NY, our cat Ducky and shooting photographs has been tough!


American artists versus the world. Who and where do you find yourself focusing upon. What trends do you see across the board?

Oh man, what an interesting question!  I’m having a hard time deciphering between the two…I don’t really think there is a categorical difference?  I think “the world” makes photographs the same way American artist’s do.  But the major difference is the vernacular that surrounds them.  Imagine if Robert Frank had gone to Canada to make his series “The Canadians”; Or a world where Ansel Adams took pictures of the Swiss Alps and not Yosemite National Park.  What would photography be like today!



What are you doing to celebrate? What's next for MJM, The Latent Image, and beyond?

The way I’m celebrating the 800th post is by reaching out and asking fans of The Latent Image to share the blog with their friends!  And most of all, if you are interested…I urge you to submit your photographs to me!  I very much appreciate the viewership that I have gotten over the years, and I am very thankful to be able to speak with you today!

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