About John Annesley and the photographic process
|
|
"You see what you’re looking at; you have
an artist's eye. Everything you see is beautiful and that comes through in
your work." Jim
Tucker painter and
photographer
Often it's the ethereal beauty
of the sky at dusk or dawn that captivates me, but I also am fascinated by
the beauty of abandoned places and objects: rust and patina, old cars in
fields with grass growing in the seats, falling down barns, ghost cars and
frontier cemeteries. I sense that the man-made world is transient like a
sunset, and the things we cast off gain a spell-binding beauty in their
colors and textures as they transform gracefully back into the natural world
from which they were hewn. Vehiculart.com was inspired by the particular interest I have in vintage vehicles, especially those abandoned ghost cars that are featured so prominently on this site. Archival fine art photographic prints
John
prints images 12" x 18" and smaller with archival inks and paper
using an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 ink jet printer. It uses 8 separate pigment
based inks with light fastness of seventy five years and produces images every
bit as clear and vibrant as traditional photographic processes. John
writes the title of each work and signs each mat. The matted photographs are then
packed into crystal clear, re-sealable presentation envelopes, and shipped or mailed
in a sturdy, flat box, adequately cushioned. Black is the standard color that John
provides for the mats because photographs are generally easier to see against a dark
background. NOTE: each photograph is custom printed and can take a week to
produce before shipping..
presented in a 12x16 signed mat
presented in a 16x20 signed mat Cameras, lenses, etc.
I’ve gotten some beautiful photographs with cheap cameras that nobody in their right mind would dare use professionally. A lot of people really like those early photos of mine and they sell regularly in galleries- its not the equipment that makes compelling images. For years I simply couldn’t afford the right equipment or enough film, so I used what I had. I’ve finally gotten a 4x5 field camera because I wanted prints that could be enlarged dramatically and be in sharp focus throughout the entire image and show greater detail. Art, however, can be made with anything; its all a matter of what you’re trying to achieve. Formal Training:
I have had little formal training as regards photography or any of the things I’m really any good at. I have an intuitive response to things that have the ability to capture my imagination, and no amount of arduous study can match a single minute of truly inspired creative insight. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” I’ve found its when I think I’m completely prepared and trained and ready to meet some challenge that I become jaded and lose my sense of wonder, and make boring photographs. When I just let go of self-direction and let inspiration guide the way, everything just flows and I lose myself and lose sense of time. Of course it sure helps to know how to use your equipment, but beyond that there’s some risk of never experiencing the joy of discovery as relates to figuring out on your own how to make images that capture your soul; that would be a shame! Its those epiphanies that have the power to transform the learning process into deeply meaningful and lasting lessons; they become part of you. If you have everything spelled out for you before you even go out into the field, all the way down to composition theory, etc. then you run the risk of emulating lessons rather than being capable of seeing and reacting with legitimate actions of your own. If you're adhering to other people's versions of composition and subject matter, do you really even have any input into what you're seeing, looking for, doing? Learning from others is great so long as it doesn't replace intuition and your own input. Art is expression, not regurgitation. If you're just trying to be a proficient technician because you're chasing a paycheck as a hired photographer, that's fine but its those with creative souls who are in love with the subject matter who inevitably end up being the ones that produce images that captivate other's people's imaginations. Any craft taken to its highest expression becomes art. |
The extra time it takes to set up and compose with a 4x5 camera isn’t too bad because I’ve always used my 35mm and digital cameras much like large format cameras anyway. I have always taken the time to precisely compose my shots using a tripod, and shoot usually in low light which means long exposures and in order to get the best results from small format cameras, shooting slow slide film or at the lowest ISO setting on my digital cameras in order to minimize grain in the resultant images. It was Galen Rowell who taught me that if you take the time to compose the shot and use a tripod and slow film, you can enlarge a 35mm image up to nearly four feet by five feet and a great many people will confuse it with a large format image. In large part, it’s the way you approach things that make for good results, not the equipment you have. It was a lesson I was eager to embrace because at the time there was no way I could justify the expense of a large format camera. Q & A
Q: What kind of car do you drive? A: "I have a 1947 International truck that has gone through myriad transformations and now has an engine crane on the flat bed and the truck runs on propane. My other vehicle is a Land Rover but I got it extremely cheap and put a new engine in it- instead of 40 grand, it was 2 grand and was in excellent condition except that it needed a new engine- which only cost another grand. I like saving 37 thousand dollars I don't have; its very handy. Plus, I get an excellent off road vehicle which is necessary when driving in the middle of nowhere looking for abandoned cars to photograph, and its designed to be easily serviceable by the owner in the field: a major bonus. The next step will be to convert this one to propane, too." Q: Where did the word, "Vehiculart" come from? A: "I was preparing a show of my car art at a gallery for the first time and a friend came up with the word on the fly. Vehicular and art, just running them together. I think he had a momentary speech impediment or something, that would explain why it came out as one word." Q: What are your favorite car related songs? A: "Johnny Cash 'Hot Rod Lincoln', Rush 'Red Barchetta', War 'Lowrider'. Q: Where would you like to see Vehiculart going over the next few years? A: "On the road. It's been to Scottsdale during the Barrett Jackson car show and auction there, but it would nice to take it to car shows and galleries nation wide. The most likely next step is a coffee table type of book, except that its home should probably be a dash board instead of a coffee table. It would go over well at auto museums and car shows, a much more likely seller in those venues than fine art prints which should more rightfully be reserved for art galleries." Q: Where can we see Vehiculart aside from online? A: "The most reliable location is in Bisbee, Arizona at BizzArt galleries on historic Brewery Gulch. It's the home garage for Vehiculart and the building is an old auto garage. Even when on the road elsewhere, there's always lots of vehiculart in that place." |
