Our newsletter.
NEWSLETTER February 20, 1995
This newsletter is sent to our friends and to those who have taken an interest in our photographs and books. Because of your purchase of the Limited Edition of Natural Connections: Photographs by Paula Chamlee, we have added your name to our newsletter list. We are full-time photographers and split our time on the road between making new photographs and, in our efforts to sell prints, calling on curators, collectors and others who have an interest in our photographs. We support ourselves entirely from our print sales. This is the sixteenth year for these newsletters, and in 1990 when Paula and I married and began traveling and photographing together it became a joint newsletter. We enjoy keeping in touch through these newsletters, and find that those receiving them appreciate our staying in contact in this way. Now, on the eve of another photography year (a photographic year seems to begin somewhere around March 1st when we leave the darkroom after our annual winter hibernation), as we prepare to head out on the road again with our photographing projects we wanted to bring you up to date on our recent photographic activities, on our forthcoming plans for 1995, and to let you know when we might be able to visit you during our travels.
Now, on the eve of another photography year (a photographic year seems to begin somewhere around March 1st when we leave the darkroom after our annual winter hibernation), as we prepare to head out on the road again with our photographing projects we wanted to bring you up to date on our recent photographic activities, on our forthcoming plans for 1995, and to let you know when we might be able to visit you during our travels.
Our most immediate trip will take us from the remnants of winter in Pennsylvania to warm South Florida where we have a joint exhibition opening on Friday evening March 3rd at Books and Books in Coral Gables. At the opening, we will have a joint book signing. And on Wednesday evening, March 1st, we will be giving a talk about our photographs and books and having a joint book signing at Liberties Bookstore in Boca Raton.
As most of you know, twenty years ago I made the decision to stop teaching photography so that I would have more time to concentrate on my own photographing. Until last year, except for very occasional weekend workshops, I have done no teaching since 1974, but in May of 1994 we both taught a two-week-long workshop at the Academy of Film and Photography in Prague. Our students, who were from ten countries as well as from the Czech Republic, were a lively and spirited group, challenging us at every turn. The traditions of European photography have been primarily réportage (photojournalism) or what used to be called "experimental" work—a mélange of conceptual based imagery, collage, photograms, etc., so the classical fine print tradition was something new for them. We started with about 20 students, but every day new students showed up, and we ended up with nearly 30. We hoped we were getting across to the students, but as a teacher, it is rare that one knows if one has really reached them, or what, if any, lasting effect one's teaching will have, so we were particularly gratified when last month we received a letter from one of our students—one whose work was particularly conceptually based. An excerpt from that letter:
"Probably the most important thing that happened was the profound
sense of relief I felt from looking at your prints and listening to you talk about them. At heart I have always felt that the single most important feature of picture making is vision, and that subject matter comes second, but for a long time I had felt some sort of pressure—that I had to choose a theme, concept, or a technical gimmick etc. before looking. And this has to a certain degree been blocking the serious development of my form of creative vision. During your stay I realized that my approach to the world is much more visual than conceptual, and that the technical sides of photography very often got in the way of seeing....What I learned from your work was to put vision back in control, and I feel that after returning to Denmark, I have achieved a wonderful sense of meditative calm in working that has been lacking for years."
Also resulting from our contact with students in Prague: This summer we will be bringing one of the Czech photography students to this country to work as our assistant for 16 months.
And while in Prague we were able to photograph—our first time overseas with cameras. We had been sent to Prague as official cultural ambassadors by the United States Information Agency (USIA), and were encouraged to bring our cameras—something we would have been unable to do at our own expense. We arrived in Prague with 13 very large and heavy cases of photography equipment. (They must have been wishing we were 35mm photographers!) Photographing in a new country took some getting used to—one doesn't just instantly start photographing—but after a week (we were there for three weeks altogether) we felt we were getting a sense of the country and we now have photographs from Prague and the Czech countryside to show you.
Besides making photographs—the major activity in our lives—we seem to have great interest and energy for participating in other aspects of the world of photography, and in 1994 we founded a not-for-profit organization—the Institute for Photographic Studies (IPS). We are working on IPS activities that will include, among others, a photographer's traveling exhibition service, a History of Photography video series, and an international school of photography.
And we continue as publishers. We are most pleased to report that the publication, in mid-November, of Natural Connections: Photographs by Paula Chamlee, has met with great success, and the response has been most positive. "As good as I have seen; each print needs to be studied." "...it is difficult for me to believe I will find any other book that is better and damn few that are its equal." " ... you have swewpt aside a whole cadre of us grumpy old men and put yourself at the pinnacle of (mortal) large-format photographers in a wholly feminine, breath-taking and convincing manner." "Let me end this letter with a standing ovation for this wonderful collection."
In the wake of the publication of Natural Connections we received a number of requests from photographers for us to publish their books under the Lodima Press imprint. Discussions are going forward with three of them, but it remains to be seen whether publication will actually occur. For that to happen the work must meet our high standards, be sufficiently different from our own, and the photographers will have pay for all costs, just have we did.
We recently became aware that many did not receive their brochures for Natural Connections. Some sbrochures eem never to have been delivered, others appear to have been misplaced by secretaries, spouses, or yourselves. So in case you were wanting to get a copy, but did not receive a brochure or were too overwhelmed by the demands of the holiday season, we are including another brochure for you. To the limited number who get this newsletter, we will extend until April 1st our special offer of Natural Connections at the pre-publication price (includes either the regular Hardcover or the Special Limited Edition).
After five years of traveling together, mostly to the West where we primarily photographed the natural landscape, this year we will be doing something different. We will be photographing in all 50 states from the back roads, a project that will take at least three years to complete. We do not know exactly what we will be photographing, but we believe it will be more of a cultural survey than a purely landscape one. Along with our photographing we will each be doing considerable writing, and a filmmaker is planning to make a film and/or a TV series about this project.
And during 1995, Paula will be continuing a project begun last December, a series of photographs of the farm where she grew up on the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. So, many good things are in the works, and the world of photography continues to challenge us.
* * *
Last year saw Kodak discontinue the film we use, Super XX, the last of the old-style thick emulsion films. Kodak reserved a portion of the last large roll for us, and we spent an enormous amount of money to secure a very large supply, one that we hope will be at least enough to complete our 50-state project. Because of the cost of our commitment for this film, and also for a soon-to-come large paper order (Kodak has threatened to discontinue the large sizes of Azo, the photographic paper we use to make our prints), it is necessary that we raise the prices for our prints. Michael's prices will be going up slightly this year, while Paula's will remain at the level they were during the last half of 1994.
Michael 8x10 $1,000 Paula 8x10 $500 8x20 $1,200 5x7 $400 18x22 $2,000 4x5 $400
The price for Michael's 2'x5' enlargements, direct from his 8"x20" negatives, will remain at $3,500, except for one print for which half the edition has sold. That print is now priced at $5,000.
This year, our travels will include many relatively short photographing trips (anything less than six months is relatively short for us), rather than one of our very long ones as we have done in past years—and we look forward to seeing you sometime this year on one of our trips.
And, once again, as always, know that you are welcome to visit us here. There are always new photographs to see and Paula is one of the world's great cooks.
With warm thoughts and best regards—
Smith/Chamlee Newsletter Page
uÙˆfiThis newsletter is sent to our friends and to those who have taken an interest in our photographs and books. Because of your purchase of the Limited Edition of Natural Connections: Photographs by Paula Chamlee, we have added you to our newsletter list. We are full-time photographers and we divide our time on the road between making new photographs and calling on curators, collectors and others who have an interest in our photographs. We support ourselves entirely from the sale of our prints. This is the sixteenth year for these newsletters, and in 1990 when Paula and I married and began traveling and photographing together it became a joint newsletter. We enjoy keeping in touch through these newsletters, and find that those receiving them appreciate our staying in contact in this way. Now, on the eve of another photography year (a photographic year seems to begin somewhere around March 1st when we leave the darkroom after our annual winter hibernation), as we prepare to head out on the road again with our photographing projects, we wanted to bring you up to date on our recent photographic activities, on our plans for 1995, and to let you know when we might be able to visit you during our travels.y,could devote my time and energy entirely toy
ya few rarejoined us, of course, that we were reachingtwhening, seldom As anotherofour students in Prague, we will, t, study with us and to .do some of our own yBut thanks to the USIA w
before the end of our three-week stay—soour own Among the comments:of you have ill be continuing a project she bega
excerptswept
ts, but every day new students This year, our travels will include many relatively short photographing trips (anything less than six months is relatively short for us), rather than one very long one as we have done in past years—and we look forward to seeing you sometime this year on one of those trips.
with the ion ofing—,
and s ˇˇ'ˇˇ«Pˇˇ 3∫3–6'9√<1>˝>˛>ˇ?????D¸F"FÚFÛFÙFıFˇ˚ıÔÈ„˚››˚››˚Ô◊È›—˚˚x!¿x!¿x !¿x!¿x
!¿x!¿xAs another result of our contact with our students in Prague, we will, this summer, be bringing one of the Czech photography students to this country for 16 months to study with us and to work as our assistant.
And while in Prague we were able to do some of our own photography—our first time overseas with cameras. We had been sent to Prague as official cultural ambassadors by the United States Information Agency (USIA), and were encouraged to bring our cameras—something we would have been unable to do at our own expense. But thanks to the USIA we arrived in Prague with 13 very large and heavy cases of photography equipment. (They must have been wishing we were 35mm photographers!) Photographing in a new country is quite a challenge—one doesn't just instantly start photographing. However, before the end of our three-week stay we felt we were getting a sense of the country—so we now have photographs from Prague and the Czech countryside to show you.
,After five years of traveling together, mostly to the West where we have primarily photographed the natural landscape, this year we will be doing something different. We will begin a project that will entail photographing in all 50 states from the back roads, a project that will take at least three years to complete. Of course, we do not know exactly what we will be photographing, but we believe it will be more of a cultural survey than a purely landscape one. Along with our photographing we will each be doing considerable writing, and a filmmaker is planning to make a film and/or a TV series about this project.
Last year saw Kodak discontinue the film we use, Super XX, the last of the old-style thick emulsion films. Kodak reserved a portion of the last large roll for us, and we spent an enormous amount of money to secure a very large supply, one that we hope will be at least enough to complete our 50-state project. Because of the cost of our commitment for this film, and also for an imminent large order for our paper (Kodak has threatened to discontinue the large sizes of Azo, the photographic paper we use to make our prints), it is necessary that we raise the prices for our prints. Michael's prices will be going up slightly this year, while Paula's will remain at the level they were during the last half of 1994.
.And while in Prague we were able to do some of our own photography—our first time overseas with cameras. We had been sent to Prague as official cultural ambassadors by the United States Information Agency (USIA), and were encouraged to bring our cameras—something we would have been unable to do at our own expense. But thanks to the USIA we arrived in Prague with 13 very large and heavy cases of photography equipment. (They must have been wishing we were 35mm photographers!) Photographing in a new country is quite a challenge—one doesn't just instantly start photographing. However, before the end of our three-week stay we felt we were getting a sense of the people and the place—so we now have photographs from Prague and the Czech countryside to show you.
Besides making our own photographs—the major activity in our lives—we have great interest and energy for participating in other aspects of the world of photography, and in 1994 we founded a not-for-profit organization—the Institute for Photographic Studies (IPS). We are currently working on IPS activities that will include, among others, a photographer's traveling exhibition service, a History of Photography video series, and an international school of photography.
or this wonderful collection."