A while back I did a magazine. My goal was to sell one hundred copies. I did one blog post and the magazine began to sell, and before long the one hundred copies were gone. For me this was a telling sign of the times and yet another indication that, as an artist, the future was now and the future was what I was going to make of it. I’ve always felt, as a photographer, I’ve been on an island. Historically, my tools were limited. In fact, when I started in this game my tool set included ONE tool; the land-line telephone. These days we live in an ever-changing electronic world where we have more communication models than ever before. They are simply models, there for us to pick and choose. I still feel like I’m on an island but now I can invite others to join me. These models won’t make great images for you, nor will they make you a photographer, but they can surely help you get where you want to be. In my case that means pushing further and further to the edges of the island, one foot in the water lapping at my feet, wondering what would happen if I dove in and left the solid world behind……..

This spreads above are from the recent test I completed with the new Blurb magazine format. Granted, this was a rush job done right before I left on my recent trip and right after I partially tore the MCL in my right leg. I was not in a chatty kind of mood. However, a test is a test and it came with a benefit of the doubt. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long while. The moment I could make my own magazine. Magazines are different from books, they are less formal, signify a renewal or continuation from month to month and are expected to wear out and disappear. Personally, there isn’t much about this format I don’t like.

In addition to the print magazine you see above I also dove a bit deeper into the modern tool kit and made a rich-media version of this same magazine. Rich-media you ask? Add audio and video and you have rich-media. I did this simply because I could. I’m not making bold proclamations about the future, or media in general, I’m simply experimenting with new tools to see how and why I would use them. I suggest you do the same. I now have this magazine on my phone and iPad. I never use my iPad but the magazine is there nonetheless. I do use my phone and have found it handy to be able to show this work in this fashion. I also feel that certain people IN these photos can relate to this work better via phone than print magazine, which is something I must consider moving forward. What you see below is how the magazine actually looks on my phone.

My goal is to continue to explore. I don’t ever want to be one of those people who always finds a reason NOT to do something, or try something. I’ve now tested both of these platforms and have a concrete plan in place as to how and when I’m going to use them. When something new comes along I’ll test that too and see if I can find a way to work it in.

The only thing that is bugging me about all this is the fact that I can’t be in New Mexico right now working on this project. It’s driving me mad. Time, time, time. Such is life. When I finally do arrive back it will all that sweeter. Happy testing.

PS: The football photograph was made during my last trip. A week of shooting and this is the only image I think was fairly successful. It sure felt great as I was kneeling in the sand watching the lads play as the sun lit up the expanse of western sky. I was tired, sweaty, coated in dust and dirt and exactly how I should have been.