Re Reading Camera Lucida

http://www.nomenusquarterly.com/post.php?id=74

Can Tho

Okay where to start? First Friday is a great art scene in the SE part of Portland. I was at the 23 Sandy for the artist reception. The place was packed. I got to see my friends and my teacher!
I stood near my image ‘Indian Point’ to answer questions. Near me stood Josh Hobson’s and his image “Coming, Going, Coming.”
I asked Josh where that was taken and when he said ‘Can Tho’, I could not believe my ears. That’s where I grew up I tell Josh this. Josh was listed as a non-portland artist because he was just a few weeks ago. His picture arrived in Portland before he did. Josh had travel with his wife in Vietnam and Korea (to teach English). Portland has welcomed Josh in a big way because his other image is showing at the same time at the NewSpace Center for photography. (The show is call Carnival.)

I had to show Chris Bennett’s picture: ‘View from Hart Mountain’. I thought it was quiet a coincident and thought I make a post of it. The show will be on until the end of February.

Indian Point

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This photograph is now in a group show.

Over this last summer of 2009, I’ve been going on a lot of hikes along the Columbia River Gorge region between Oregon and Washington forests and mountains. I go with my friends who are expert hikers. They are my guides. They have seen incredible views of  St. Helen, and other Colorado range. I’m always amazed that they rarely photograph the views. I climb the hills for the views. I’ve been lead up to Indian Point’s secret spot. Some of the trails are hidden like this particular spot of Indian Point where I took this photograph. I gaze down and out towards the mighty Columbia River. My guides points to the opposite side of the River to Dog Mountain’s peak. The ground below has signs of modern industries, cars, and damns. There are signs that the landscape is changing. I try to imagine the time when the Native Americans looked out to these majestic land before industrialization. These are some of the most sacred spots. On Silver Star Mountain trails, there is a path through huckleberry berries and brambles which leads to a sacred spot. The Native Americans build a shallow pit made of rocks. The initiate will then lay in the pit for a day perhaps night and wait for a vision. For me, the hike is a meditation of breaths, and exhaustion of body and mind. I carry my problems with me in my head and try to unpack them along the way, to work them out and wait for insights. Dropping a problem here and there and picking up new vision, insights and preserve them in my camera. I always carry a camera or two with me on these excursions. The images show a privilege view and make my physical exertion worthwhile. I carry these visions to the flat land and share them with my friends. I’m always proud of them and know that someday I won’t be able to climb any more and will be glad to have the hard earned views. Photography allows me to capture the vision, a modern invention to express what has always been inside for those who choose not to share.

Wall Space Gallery

wall space seattle ND10 Down & Out Catalogue

The blog post regarding show is flatfile.blogspot.com

Three Journals

Three Journals

Originally uploaded by Duc N. Ly.

And a Corona Four typewriter in the background.

Ricoh GXR

Well, I think it’s a brilliant idea. The sensor should be coupled with the lens. It makes sense if it’s going to be digital. The sensor won’t get dirty this way. The black and White back is a nice idea. The leading companies like Leica, Canon, and Nikon have their legendary lenses that seem to hold back camera designs. The Leica M9 is a good example. Ricoh has some heritage in older equipements but is not held back by it. In the future when sensors improves, the body still works and if you want to shoot with older sensor for a retro look that’s cool too. It’s like going back to the film cameras of the 80s or 70s.

In fact this should have been the very first design of the digital camera because the sensor technology has improved increasingly. This would have save us some money and let us upgrade only the lens and sensor and allow us to get used to the body and it’s menus and buttons. It seem a little bit too late in the game because sensors are so superb now. Ideally, the new camera should have interchangable sensor separt from body and lens, like the medium format camera such as the Hasselblad. This is why it’s possible to shoot with a 50′s Hasselblad with the new digital back. It’s a good start to move away from film based camera of the SLR. But this move seems like it could harken back to the medium format cameras.

I would thought that the next progression is for an interchangable sensor.  It doesn’t seem far fetch.  It makes sense to have the body separated because the digital technology has maxed out at 3 inch for the display screen.  Any bigger would be bulky and 3 inches seems the right size to view images.

The digital view finder also flips to 90 degrees which is like the medium format style of shooting at waist level.