Mamiyaroid 38
Cig Harvey
Last week I visited the Robert Mann gallery to see Cig Harvey’s exhibit in support of her new photobook, Blue Violet.
Her work is always vibrant with bold colors and hints of magic and surprise (like a photo of a bird taking flight off a hand, the wings perfectly spread—and no, it’s not photoshop). This book has a cool winter-spring color palette, probably owing to the photographs being made in Maine.
Last year she made a portfolio for the New York Times .
And do yourself a favor and click through her gallery of Blue Violet.
And to see the image of the bird, view this gallery.
Here’s a taste:
I was able to photograph Cig Harvey with my Spectra camera and one of my last packs of Spectra Polaroid film.
We spoke for a few minutes and I asked her what cameras she used for this project and she said for certain images she used a medium format camera, and she used several different brands, but didn’t have any allegiance to any particular brand. She said that the way she works she uses whichever camera fits the image.
I found that refreshing because so many photographers on social media seem to prize the tool over the photographs, and at the end it should be what you make that matters, not what you used to make it.
This weekend I listened to an artist talk she gave and she spent a lot of time discussing the book design, and how much time she spends thinking about the sequence of photographs. Blue Violet uses the French fold method, which increases the thickness of each page and gives the book heft. Paging through the book is like lifting drapery as you turn each page. It makes you slow down at each image, to take care not to tear the pages.
In an earlier talk she spoke about making physical dates with your photographs, to take time to view your work in order to give yourself a sense of your work as a whole. That’s what the editorial process should be, anyway. And it’s hard to do it on a screen, especially if you want to get a sense of what something will look like in a book or on a wall. In that spirit I’ve been making 8x10 or larger prints of my own work so I can live with it. I don’t want my photographs to only live on my computer or in that tiny box on Instagram.
I mentioned that I had discussed photographing strangers and respecting people’s space and wishes with my students and I asked her how she negotiates photographing her daughter. She said she always discusses the photographs with her daughter before she makes them (her work with her daughter is studied, not often candid, but often the most whimsical and poignant pieces). She said she probably photographs her daughter less than most mothers, and that she considers the photographs a collaboration. She said she hoped her daughter would look back fondly on the work they did together.
Lately I’ve been taking more pleasure in medium format and 35mm film than I have with Polaroid and other instant films. Some of this is because I’ve almost run out of that large stash of film I acquired, but most of it is because I want to be able to see the images at a larger scale.
Some recent favorites:
Until next time…
Adalena
I love to receive comments and questions about photography and cameras!
My email: adalenakavanagh@gmail.com
Instagram: @mamiyaroid (instant/film) @5redpandas (personal)
Twitter: @adalenakavanagh
Also, if you’re thinking of buying Polaroid film for the first time, here is my referral code, which gets you 10% off, and I get some reward points.
Original photography prints: adalenakavanagh.bigcartel.com (I change out the shop every month of so. If you see something you like, let me know, I’m happy to make you a print.)
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
-Adalena Kavanagh