i love this photo, #40

© Emma Kisiel

I love this photo by Denver-based photographer Emma Kisiel, as featured yesterday on Lenscratch.

within reach: scrambled

eggshell © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

within reach: soured

bulging milk carton © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

1/13

calendar entry © kjm

My nephew's first calendar.

as seen: recurring

Nina's guest bathroom © kjm

A room as muse - past examples here and here.

starry

constellations © Alexi Hobbs

I've been a fan of Alexi Hobbs' work for a long time. His pictures are mysterious and sweet and a bit sad, all at once. Glad to see his work showcased on Feature Shoot yesterday.

photo talk

© Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times

Lots of photo-goodness in my hometown in the last 24 hours.

Today, Taryn Simon lectured about her past and present project work, in conjunction with a show curated by Lisa Hostetler at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Packed house, engaged audience and a brilliant artist. Last night, Barbara Davidson and Curtis Mann gave terrific gallery talks at the opening of Shutter, a group show at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Union Gallery curated by Andrea Avery. And at both events, the crowd was broader and more diverse than just the local photography community.

as seen: urban soup

Hatton's Deli building, Cleveland © kjm

within reach: forgotten fruit

fruit salad/ziploc incident © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

as seen: deer and dog

cabin wall, Old World Wisconsin © kjm

I shot at Old World Wisconsin for a travel story this week, and really had a wonderful time. You may think of it as a place of merely superficial reenactment, but that's far from the case. I was fortunate to spend the morning touring the grounds with the curator of research, who described in detail the variety of European ethnic farm architecture displayed, and telling stories of hunting and finding representaive buildings in all parts of the state. All the farm structures on site are actual historical buildings acquired and transported to the site.

cracked colonel

Park Avenue Location © kjm

as seen: lobby

actual good hotel art © kjm

I don't like it when bloggers apologize for not posting, explaining that they've been too busy and/or lazy. So after two months of not posting here, I'll just say... nothing.

within reach: taken

cardboard cake plate © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

within reach: it works

pen test © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

departure

dead bee on the travel section © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

as seen: air guitar

guitar shop parking lot © kjm

as seen: stop/shop

tourism sign, highway m22 © kjm

as seen: lone pine

tree near Harbor Springs © kjm

as seen: windowsill church

window, Red Fox Inn Bookstore © kjm

as seen: farmette

toy farm, Traverse City © kjm

TITW?

© Adam Amengual, Mark Hartman, Randal Ford, Timothy Devine, Melissa Golden, Adam Golfer, Michael Rubenstein, Robin Twomey, Billy Delfs and Adam Krause

I've known Kate Osba for some time, as a picture editor who has hired me for portrait assignments. A few weeks ago, I met her in person for the first time, while schlepping my editorial portfolio in New York. I learned that Kate's blog, This Is The What, is a great source of photographer interviews (more than 40) which she frames as "10 Minutes With..." There are photographers I'm already a fan of, like Daniel Shea, Matt Eich, Robin Twomey and Michael Rubenstein - and others, whose work is new to me: Andrew Querner, Randal Ford, Adam Amengual, Adam Krause.

You can read all the interviews here, including 10 new minutes by yours truly.

the chain

nineteen blue things i didn't know i had © kjm; © Simon Winnall

I'm thrilled to have been included in The Chain, the latest online curatorial project by Stuart Pilkington. Participants were asked to submit a theme, which would then be sent to another photographer. The theme I put forward was 'Make an image that references your earliest childhood memory,' to which the British photographer Simon Winnall made the photograph, above.

I was given the the phrase "Go for blue," which had me scratching my head for a few days. I actually don't really like the color, but as a result started noticing how much blue was within the reach of my home environment. I began gathering things and result is this little still life. A departure for me, but incredibly fun to assemble and shoot.

You can see all the work here.

backyard party

Elena's watermelon © kjm

within reach: bedroom view

spring growth © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

as seen: over easy

breakfast place, Astoria © kjm

as seen: (and heard)

musician Andrea Belanger listens to Ray LaMontagne perform at the Bonnaroo © kjm

no gondolas

morning © kjm

Part of what makes travel so compelling is how new landscapes differ from our own. And Venice, Italy might as well be Mars when coming from Milwaukee, or anywhere else for that matter. Its simply one of the easiest places on earth to make beautiful photographs.

This was my third visit to Venice, a last-minute, frequent flyer miles-enabled trip, to meet up with Marilu, who would be there to see artwork at the Venice Biennale. I did no fishing for an accompanying editorial gig, and carried only a small man bag with one camera and an iPad. I've never been abroad with so little gear.

I felt like I've made beautiful pictures of Venice before, of the Grand Canal and gondoliers and the city's narrow passageways. So while the city's unique beauty still made an impression, I focused my camera on everything else - the minutiae of travel, of walking and looking.

Which makes for thousands fewer files, no sellable stock imagery and 18 small, simple photographs, which frankly don't tell a story specifically about Venice. Such is the vacation album of a photographer, I suppose.

as seen: venezia diciassette

yellow flowers © kjm

as seen: venezia sedici

food map © kjm

as seen: venezia quindici

turf © kjm