Barnardsville

Barnardsville is a rural, small community north of Asheville. I went there last week and found an abundance of photo opportunities. Below are a few of the ones I made, but I plan on going back in the next few days. This time of year, there are a lot of farmers beginning to till and sow their soil and I’m concentrating on documenting that in the coming days and weeks.

In many parts of WNC, the land is still being lived off of by farmers and agriculture continues to play a major role in the lives and livelihood of many. This connection to the land is not unique to the region, however, it is important to me to show how much this land and environment give back to us. Many of the organic produce, dairy, poultry and livestock that are sold in our markets come from these nearby farms. The diversities of lifestyles, commerce and economies of this region is quite broad and I want to illustrate that through my photographs.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Katsushika Hokusai

Recently I got a book of Katsushika Hokusai’s beautiful paintings. Most everyone has seen his famous painting from the 36 Views of Mt. Fuji, of the large wave at sea crashing down over the mountain. The series of paintings that he did of Mt. Fuji are very well known. I think his series of flowers is quite good and among my favorite of his work. Hokusai’s career is interesting as he was an illustrator for his professional life, but the work of his that is so acclaimed came in the last years of his life, when he was semi-retired and in his 70s. He, himself, believed that he didn’t become a true artist until the last years of his life.

Favorite Recent Photo

This photo is a favorite of ones I’ve made recently. It from a bar that I’ve wanted to desperately get photos of for some time. I plan on going back in the near future to make some more images but I am really happy with this one.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Grad School

I am happy to write today that I will be beginning the MFA program at WCU this fall. Almost a year ago I decided to pursue an MFA with a concentration in photography, but couldn’t apply until this January so it was months of waiting and I’m just glad its all over. The program is small and just what I’m looking for. Yay!

Yesterday was a good photographing opportunity for me. The weather seems to be agreeable for the next two days as well. A couple of the photos are from last week. One of my favorites is the deer decoy. I spotted him from the road when driving by.

and then the, “See What Inspired Me” Cliffs billboard. There are a number of these signs around the area. The open-endedness of the quote is alluring to me. Like, see what inspired me to grade this mountainside and destroy the ecosystem. See what inspired me, its this pile of cash here.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Weekend at Dad’s

This past weekend we visited my dad’s house in Martinsville, VA.  We took our Boxer, Sadie with us too. It was a nice time to get away for a couple days and see my dad and stepmom, Diane. Emi made sure we played lots of hide and seek, which their house is well suited for with a large basement and attic.

We cooked some really good steaks and afterwords got into some ice cream. We then watched some NCAA basketball and got our March Madness on. There were a couple good games just down the road from where we were in Greensboro. The Tar Heels won as did Duke. Dad’s a big Duke fan, I don’t really have a favorite since UF is out. Actually, that’s not true. I like Memphis and have them winning it all. Emi and Diane found other games and activities to entertain them while we watched the madness.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

New Published Work

Here are some recent tearsheets from stories I’ve done. The first is from the April issue of Our State. I photographed the Daniel Boone gardens in Boone, which is a native garden that opened in 1966.

The second article is from the March/April issue of Verve Magazine. The articles are about money issues, which is obviously very relevent in today’s economic climate.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Rethinking the American Dream

This month’s Vanity Fair has a great article entitled Rethinking the American Dream, which is most relevant in these difficult times. I found the conciseness of the piece very thought provoking. Now may be a good time to sit down and reflect some about where we are as a nation and just how we got here. We see it in the news constantly, but I believe these really are defining times for our country. I belong to a generation of Americans who may face the reality of changed expectations, which doesn’t necessarily mean lowered expectations, just different. One could argue that for too long the “American Dream” has been the carrot on a stick we are all chasing. Of course reaching it and realizing that we have reached is wherein the trick lies.

The article is written by David Kamp and features photographs, some of which were Art Directed by none other than Norman Rockwell. One of the best quote I’ve heard in quite some time comes from economist Gregg Easterbrook, who is quoted in the article as saying it was no longer enough for people to keep up with the Jonses; no, now they had to “call and raise the Jonses.”

Closing a Summer Cottage, Quogue, New York, a 1957 Norman Rockwell art-directed Colorama by Ralph Amdursky and Charles Baker.

Children’s Parade (1970), by Lee Howick.

Family Romp in the Living Room (1959), by Lee Howick.

Camping at Lake Placid (1959), by Herb Archer.

The Old Swimming Hole, Scottsville, New York (1953), by Herb Archer.

Old Work, New Day by Paul Jackson

Friend and fellow photographer, Paul Jackson is having a show next weekend in Asheville. The show, entitled “Old Work, New Day” will be on Saturday, March 21st from 7-10PM at Studio Chavarria on Walnut Street.

Paul writes:

The show speaks of using existing resources to produce or create something new, reverting to labor over luxury to save energy and produce less waste, & choosing collaboration over competition.

These are not my ideas nor are they new but I believe they are worth addressing now, creating an environment to discuss how to incorporate them in our everyday lives.

Will feature scrolls and prints from Vietnam: more than war series and other current work, taken from a 5 year retrospective, to be projected digitally onto the Apartment building where studio is located.

We got some flying to do

Now look boys, I ain’t much of a hand at makin’ speeches. But I got a pretty fair idea that something doggoned important’s going on back there. And I got a fair idea of the kind of personal emotions that some of you fella’s may be thinking. Heck, I reckon you wouldn’t even be human beings if you didn’t have some pretty strong personal feelings about nuclear combat. But I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a countin’ on ya, and by golly we ain’t about to let ‘em down. Tell you somethin’ else. This thing turns out to be half as important is I figure it just might be, I’d say that you’re all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing’s over with. That goes for every last one of you, regardless of your race, color, or your creed. Now, let’s get this thing on the hump. We got some flying to do.

-Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove

Breathless

The best cover of a song ever. Nick Cave’s version is great, but Cat Power’s haunting voice and mood that she brings, I dare say surpasses the original.

Hammer Time

Look, its a little MC Hammer. How fantastic is that? Found that little guy in Hip Replacements on Lexington Ave in downtown yesterday while taking some fashion pics for a friend. I don’t usually photograph fashion such subjects, but it can be a zesty enterprise. Anyway, it was a fun time and the clothes were stylin and the models looked good (as models are suppose to).

I like the opportunity for making pictures with bright saturated colors from time to time and the lighting can be good times. The directness and harshness of the light is fun to use and its really nice to not have to use diffused light so much, it gets so boring.

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Quotes

“The creative moment lies in the selection of the subject” -Brassai

“The subject of the picture is more important than the picture” -Diane Arbus

“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.” -Diane Arbus

“I believe in realism. I believe in the objective approach. I am very much against pictorial or pretty photography. The lens forming an image is a realistic thing. The lens is real; it is sharp, it is clear. There are very few photographers today that have the guts to be themselves. They follow fads. As long as what you do is honest and expresses something worth expressing, you can do just about anything. Photography is as wide as the eye is wide. There is no limit to our material.” -Berenice Abbot

Just some quotes and truisms that are as relevant today, as the decades past when they were uttered. Looks like some things don’t change.

Community Center

Ms. Pearlie May

Copyright Scott Lessing Hubener

Burton Street Community Center

Today I was over at the Burton Street Community Center photographing the senior’s who use the facility each week for their activities. Since my luck wasn’t as good documenting the house I was to cover for this project, I’ve taken on covering the Community Center. The center also is host to youths, who I’ll photograph next week practicing their dance routines. Its nice to have this avenue open up after the subject I planned on photographing in the residence fell through.

I also found out there’s a recent post featuring my work over on Jorg Colberg’s Conscientious Blog, which is a really great experience. Jorg’s blog is something I’ve been following for several years, so to be featured is a real honor.