Istanbul, Turkey

Recently I had the opportunity to present a paper on my photographic research at an international academic conference in Istanbul, Turkey. With limited amounts of free time during my short stay in this exotic and historic city, I made sure to avail myself of photographic opportunities at this ancient seaport. Formerly known as Constantinople, modern Istanbul still remains a mix of contemporary and ancient cultures. Once a major intersection of the world’s three major religious faiths (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian), Istanbul today is home to about 14 million inhabitants that mostly practice Islam. Istanbul is a cacophony of honking car horns, strange tongues, and roasting chestnuts at every street corner.

Frontal view of the Blue Mosque (also known as the Sultan Ahmet Camii), located in the Sultanahmet Square, opposite from the Haghia Sophia. This mosque was built between 1609 to 1616 CE. © 2012 Terry Ownby

Frontal view of the Haghia Sophia, also known as the Church of St. Sophia. Presently called the Kariye Museum (Kariye is the Turkish version of the Greek word “khora”, which meant “rural area” or “country”. Located in the Sultanahmet Square, adjacent to the old city market area of istanbul, Turkey. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

Olives, cheese, and sausage being sold at a small shop in the famous Spice Bazaar near the sea port of Eminonu, Istanbul, Turkey. This is located next to the New Mosque. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

Dried fruit and nuts being sold at a small shop in one of the back alley’s of the Spice Bazaar. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

Typical street vendor in Istanbul selling roasted chestnuts (kestane). At other times, his cart is used to sell the popular snack of steamed or roasted corn-on-the-cob (misir). In background is another vendor selling the ubiqutous simit (bagel) coated in roasted sesame seeds. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

At the crowed seaport of Eminonu, passenger ferry boats arrive to disembark their human cargo, only to repeat the process across the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Straights. On the distant hillside are the rooftops of the Topkapi Palace. Light rail trains can be seen in the background. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

Panoramic view of the lower half of the famous Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) in the Old City section of Istanbul, Turkey. The reference to “blue” comes from the use of the blue Iznik tilework throughout the mosque’s interior. This mosque, or camii, was built between 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmet I. © 2012 Terry Ownby.

Brooklyn in B&W

While on our recent trip to New York over spring break, I had an opportunity to spend a morning in Brooklyn. Specifically, I was in the DUMBO area (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). During the late 19^th century, this area was a manufacturing district and housed numerous warehouses and factories. The whole area reminded of the work by documentary photographer and sociologist, Lewis W. Hine. I could easily imagine him photographing children laboring within these massive structures a hundred years ago. I think it was that feeling of his documentary work that helped me pre-visual my images as black and white. After wondering some of the narrow cobble-stone streets between towering warehouses, I ventured down to the waterfront along the East River, to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. This park lies between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. Here I happened upon Jane’s Carousel, which I had previously learned about on CBS Sunday Morning. Housed in an all-glass pavilion is a 90-year old carousel that has been painstakingly restored to its original look, after being rescued from Youngstown, Ohio. While photographing the carousel, a lady standing next to me told me her story of riding that carousel as a child and she was visiting it with her sister so their children could ride it as well. Neat story. Enjoy my B&Ws!

The Manhattan Bridge with Empire State Building in background.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Support stanchion on the Brooklyn Bridge.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Manhattan Bridge viewed from Brooklyn's DUMBO district.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Jane's Carousel beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Detail shot of Jane's Carousel with Brooklyn Bridge viewed through glass pavilion.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Close-up view of carousel horse figure after restoration.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Carousel in motion with Manhattan Bridge in background.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Storefront for Grimaldi's pizzeria in Brooklyn.
© 2012 Terry Ownby

Brooklyn Bridge

Last Friday morning we spent time walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Afterwards, we made our way around the Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I shot this panorama. The Brooklyn Bridge is to the left, while to the right is the Manhattan Bridge. Once we finished photographing along the waterfront, we went over a couple of blocks and had an incredible New York style pizza at Grimaldi’s, which is famous for their pizzas.

The waterfront between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.

New York City: Spring Break

For a number of years, a colleague from the Art Department has encouraged me to join him with some of our photography students on his annual trip to New York City during our spring break. This year I finally had time to take him up on his offer. We started recruiting students during the fall semester and when our trip began, we had 14 students (9 were photography majors). It was a five day/four night trip and we were based in mid-town Manhattan, just a couple of blocks south of Central Park.

Using the subway system allowed us to easily navigate from the Upper West Side to Brooklyn. Times Square was visited a few times in the evening for great photo ops. We also did the typical tourist activities, such as going up the Empire State Building, standing in the center of the Grand Central Terminal, visiting the 911 Memorial, and dining in Chinatown and Little Italy. Since I’m a food photographer (and foodie!), sampling international fare was on my list of quests. I managed to sample Irish, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish cuisine that would be impossible to find locally. The Spanish tapas and seafood paella in Greenwich Village at the Spain Restaurant and Bar were by far my favorite indulgence!

From a photographic standpoint, we saw lots of great images, both historical and contemporary at venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, the NYC Public Library, and the International Center for Photography.  Names such as Frith, Baldus, and Atget were some of the more historical work viewed, while Weegee and Grey Villet helped transition to more contemporary imagery, which included Cindy Sherman, Greg Girard, and Francesca Woodman.

Below are a few of my favorites from the trip, enjoy!

Lower Manhattan in the fog.

Some of my students outside the Met.

Shopkeeper and his market in Chinatown.

"Christmas Story" relived!

Fog moving in on the Empire State Building.

Midtown Manhattan with the Hudson River.

Lower Manhattan at sunset.

A quiet moment at the NYC Public Library.

The 911 Memorial fountains at dusk.

Prescriptions, cafes, and memories

Last week Wilson (photography program coordinator and colleague at UCM) and I headed down to Joplin, MO to pick up our images that had been displayed in the recent Photo Spiva show. Since the day was young, we decided to head over to Springfield, my old stomping grounds when I was a college student. We made our way downtown and started looking for the galleries on Walnut Street. Imediately we found the Elite PhotoArt Gallery, where one of our student’s work was on display…Robert Weston Breshears. He had a set of his journalistic style images from Afganistan and Pakistan, which were on stretched canvas, prominently on display. Stepping next door, we entered the Art + Design Gallery, which is hosted by the Art + Design Department at Missouri State Unveristy, where I earned by bachelor’s in photography and media. The senior exhibit was hanging, so that was great to see current student work. I wish we had a gallery this nice when I was a student there! While in the gallery, I was talking with the gallery director, who turned out to be a good friend and former photography classmate my those early college days…a day of surprises…I hadn’t seen her since the early 1980s!

Eventually Wilson and I wondered down the street to make images. Downtown Springfield has changed somewhat since I was there years ago, but I recognized the buildings. This image below of the Gailey’s Cafe and former drug store (part of the Seville Hotel) was located just down from Ozark Camera, where I used to hang out as a college student and where I bought my first Nikon.

© 2009 Terry Ownby

Chasing light…

Yesterday was cold, cloudy, and foggy. It’s day’s like that which provide great light and it’s usually incredibily soft. This kind of light is great when it comes through windows of old houses like the one I live in. I love the way it bounces off doors and walls and gently cascades down the stairs. So when I turned around in my office chair and say the light playing in the hallway, I had to stop what I was doing and pull out the camera to start shooting. I never tire of the way light bounces through old hallways and I’ve been chasing this type of light since my undergrad days back in the early 1980s.

Once I felt I had explored enough of what was happening in the hallway, I stepped down on the stair landing and started shooting out the window that overlooks my neighbor’s old house. Again the soft light and hoarfrost clinging to the trees were photographic delights. Who says you have to travel to far-off exotic locales to create images? One needs to be able to create work close to home because it’s all in our personal vision. The most exotic places on earth aren’t going to give you beautiful images if you have no personal vision and being able to see the light. Ultimately, it all comes back to the light and how we interact with this magical substance. I’ve been chasing light now for 35 years and never tire of the pursuit.

© 2008 Terry Ownby

© 2008 Terry Ownby

Incongruity: Found American Cultural Objects

Four years ago I began a series of images that came to be through happenstance. In other words, I simply stumbled onto some unlikely situations as they presented themselves to me and I leveraged the photographic opportunity to my creative advantage. Since that serendipitous moment, I have actively sought out similar objects to photograph and so far, I’ve been nicely rewarded with different photographic opportunities.

I’m a big fan of taking road trips throughout the United States (something my father inflicted me with at an early age!) and these trips target my found American cultural objects. The thing is, these pop cultural objects are incongruous with their surroundings or sometimes just life in general. Americans seem infatuated with the notion that “bigger is better” and thus construct these larger-than-life edifices to commemorate this “bigness”.

On a recent trip to Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry, I intentionally detoured my road trip to the small Ohio River town of Metropolis, Illinois, home of America’s number one super hero—Superman. I’ve been here numerous times with my folks when I was a kid and had not been back in nearly 40 years, so I was very happy to see Superman still stood next to the court house. But to my surprise, I found another giant in town, Big John, standing vigilantly outside the Big John grocery store. What a deal…two giants for the price of one!

Superman, © 2008, Terry Ownby.

Big John, © 2008, Terry Ownby

Summer Holiday

Ahhhhh! Finally, my summer holiday has arrived! Now I’m about to enjoy the pleasure of why I chose to become a university professor…summer break. It did come a bit late for me this year though. So back in May, when my colleagues took their respite after Spring finals and started their bike riding on the Katy Trail WITHOUT me, I’ve pressed on for six more weeks of teaching summer session. Mind you, I’m not complaining about their enjoyment out on the trail, I’ve experienced my own pleasure at what I enjoy most…teaching.

I found teaching two summer sessions rather unique. My intro studio class ran for six weeks, while my digital imaging (i.e., Photoshop) lasted only three weeks. It’s interesting to condense a full 16-week semester into three or six weeks. Nonetheless, the same material and most of the exercises are still accomplished. One thing I did notice was the higher quality of work produced by my students. I suppose there’s multiple variables to account for, such as, highly focused and motivated students, less pressure on me with a lighter load, not having to simultaneously accomplish my doctorate studies, or, maybe it’s just the simple pleasure of teaching two subjects I thoroughly enjoy.

Regardless, my students performed well, received very good marks, and now I’m ready for summer! I came straight home, kicked off my shoes and put on the flip-flops, pulled the shirt-tails out, fixed an excellent whiskey and coke, and plopped down on my favorite chair on the front porch and watched the rain come down. Now I get to relax. Soon I’ll be on a road-trip to visit the grandkids out east, then we’re off to Chicago for some serious urban and cultural infusion, and lastly back to our first married hometown—Madison, Wisconsin, to visit Army buddies and friends.

Reading is high on my list of relaxation activities for the next two months. I’m also planning some serious photography projects. Two specifically. One I see as an on-going project involving old “Fall Out” shelters from the ‘50s and ‘60s Cold War era. Below is a rough, preliminary exploration of where I’m thinking of taking the project. The other project will be solely in the studio, incorporating aspects of important moments from my life in still life format with a “scientific” flavor to it. That one will remain under wraps until finished…sorry no preview! Time to sign off, as tomorrow will be busy with preparations for vacation!

© 2008 Terry Ownby, Education Fall Out.

Photo Competitions

Competing for recognition in the photo community has been a long, time-honored tradition. Often times, winning awards for one’s photographs can lead to valued respect and it can help launch young photographers’ careers. It can also provide the photographer with a sense of fulfillment, an internal gratification.

I remember winning my first “ribbons” and “awards” for several images in my first photo competition nearly three decades ago. This was early in my photographic endeavors while serving in the armed forces. Shortly after this, while still in college, I jointly won some Addy Awards for work I was doing for a local ad agency in Springfield, Missouri. These awards certainly helped kick-start my career as an advertising photographer and it wasn’t long afterwards I won four more Addy’s, this time on my own.

So, thirty years later I still compete and I still get a sense of fulfillment when I garner another win. For example, last year I entered my Tall Rancher image as part of my Incongruity series, in the International Photo Review competition held in Philadelphia each year. My image placed eighth out of over 4,000 images submitted by 998 photographers from around the world. Needless to say, I was thrilled! But just a couple of weeks ago, I entered my Chicago Rails shot in the local Mid-Missouri Artists exhibit and won the award for artistic achievement. Again, I was just as thrilled. This type of recognition still plays a valuable role in my career as I work for tenure and a promotion at the state university where I teach.

Sadly, I don’t see many of my students here taking advantage of these types of opportunities. When I taught at the Art Institute of Colorado, I served as the photo competition coordinator for our program. During that time, I had several students win and were published in outstanding journals such as CMYK, PDN, and Communication Arts. I also was privileged to have one student win a Pulitzer Prize for his photojournalism work. All these students benefited from this type of publicity and exposure, helping to launch successful photo careers. So, to any of my current students who may happen to read this blog, I encourage you to seek out every opportunity to compete! Enter competitions and exhibits soon, and often!

© 2008 Terry Ownby, Chicago Rails.

© 2004 Terry Ownby, Tall Rancher.