Hi Chuck,
I came across this the other day:
“arousal is determined by an artwork’s psychological features, such as its novelty, complexity, surprise, uncertainty, and incongruity”
It struck me that this describes your work. Would you agree?
Interesting, Igor. I do think that my work would fit within that framework. I like that that “quality” or “value” are not included.
Thanks for that.
If all the way up to Lee Vining, check out the Whoa Nellie Deli (in the Mobile station) best tacos I’ve had in a long time!
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A friend also recommended them, too. Will have to visit when winter is over with.
And Mac is better than PC. And you and Cole should absolutely meet for Mexican food someday… again.
Ditto that! a GREAT place to eat!
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Hi Chuck,
Thank you for doing this for NPN. I don’t have a particular question - just wanted to say that I’ve long admired your work and find it inspirational. I like Igor’s list of features and do think that they fit your work. It’s rather ironic that your photos of everyday objects (clotheslines, fence posts, tire tracks, and such) could be considered novel and complex, but there you have it.
I first saw “Clothesline” in your Lenswork monograph years ago, and it is one of the photos that is stuck permanently in my mind. It is not morose at all (neither is your larger body of work, IMO). To me, your work has a touch of melancholy and stoicism, but maybe that reflects more on me than you.
P.S. I just remembered that you said on Facebook the other day you would offer relationship advice. I shall take you up on that offer. It’s my tripod. I’ve tried, but I simply can’t develop a loving, warm relationship with it. I even put an NPN sticker on it. Should I keep trying?
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Hi Bonnie,
I think “melancholy and stoicism” is definitely a better description than “morose.” Thanks. And that clothesline photo has always been one of my favorites. It is just full of old stories.
Regarding your tripod. Have you tried talking to it? Telling it your fears and your needs? Sometimes tripods can be a bit egotistical because having three legs means they are always balanced. Count the legs. If there are less than three or more than three, then you might have found your problem. Just a thought.
To be honest, I am surprised. Your photos have that tight, detailed composition that I usually attribute to a tripod. Well done. Not everyone is going to gravitate towards a tripod. Some people just move too much and have a faster pace. Use it when you need it.
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I think you meant to say that a Mac is more expensive than a PC.
Thank you Chuck for doing this AMA. Your work is sublime. I went back and looked at some of your blog entries. I hope you do more writing because I like your honest approach. This one had truth to it in particular:
“The landscape photography community has more great marketers than it has great photographers”
What advice would you give a young photographer (lack of experience not age) wanting to create compelling and personally expressive work? Thanks so much Chuck.
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Hi Alfredo,
Great question. I would suggest finding a subject you are passionate about and photographing it honestly and with intent. By that I mean photographing with a purpose beyond pretty pictures. We are each unique, and that uniqueness should reflect in our images.
It can be lonely to follow our own creative paths. It’s easier and safer to join the herd.
But nowhere near as fun
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Thanks, Chuck! Honestly, I’m not worried about using/not using a tripod. Most of the time I’m just wandering about and a tripod would interfere with the experience. I use it when I have a specific need/idea in mind that would require it. 
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15 hours to go…… Maybe you will start drinking coffee?
So here’s my question - what did you learn about your photography / self from the 2+ years you were living in one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world? How did it inform your photography and did you consider it a period of growth?
I often hear people say that photographs are all around us, but if I can’t connect with a place I struggle to understand how I can communicate an emotional connection if there isn’t one there in the first place.
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Am I expected to stay up all night? What about my beauty sleep? Not that it’s needed, but still.
Living in NYC was a definite challenge. I am self-conscious when I am working and prefer to be unseen. Something not exactly easy to do in such a big city. And the subject matter was foreign to me. But, while it was not easy, it did advance my work
I love that painting. It evokes so much. When i look at it I can actually smell the fresh meat.
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Living in NYC was definitely a creative challenge for me. I am very self-conscious when I work, thus prefer to be far from people. Not easy. Also, the subject matter was foreign. I couldn’t drive looking for photographs due to the frenzied traffic, and even if I found something there was no place to pull over and photograph.
That all said, it was a catalyst for creative growth. I had to, figuratively, adapt or die. I began to find photographs in what most would consider the least expected places and of the least expected things such as a street lamp and Sycamore trunk https://www.chuckkimmerle.com/photo/154/ among others. I learned to see with a more discerning and less judgemental eye.
It was sort of being in the Army in that it looks much better in retrospect
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Hi Chuck,
It has been a while since we have exchanged words, probably not since the private book project a bunch of us contributed to - “The Insightful Landscape”. I love your work and wish I could see in B&W the way you do. Color moves me the way B&W clearly moves you. What can you suggest to start developing my B&W eye?
Youssef, hi!
You are a color photographer who has admitted he has a problem. Asking for help is the first step. You are on your way to color sobriety.
Developing and eye for black and white comes more naturally to some, than others. My best advice is to take it slow and not force anything. If a particular scene is defined primarily by color, then it should probably be a color image as it may fail without that characteristic. B/W images are defined more by shape and form as we are removing any colors. So look for strong elements. Try to understand how the shapes and forms interact with, and support, each other. When we are trying to develop our b/w eye, it helps to first work with simple compositions with strong elements.
Really, it’s just a matter of thinking about the scene and the final product before making an exposure. And doing that thousands and thousands of times.
Hi Chuck,
As a big B&W fan myself, I really admire your work. I hope I am able to catch you before the end of your AMA (which is very information btw!). First is a technical question: Do you print yourself (it seems so but just want to confirm my understanding)? Which paper(s) is (are) your favorite for BW printing? Do you always use the same favorite paper(s) or change it based on the subjects and mood? Second question is more philosophical: we often talk about visual storytelling - I can see clearly how other photography genres are able to achieve this (for example, Photojournalism, Wildlife, Street, Portraits, etc), but for pure landscape photography, what are your thoughts about telling a visual story using a single landscape image? I find it very hard to do, especially if the scene does not involve any human element and is all about aesthetics. Maybe my definition of visual “story” is too narrow? Would you consider personal expressions as part of visual story? Thanks in advance.
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Great questions to wind this session down.
I make all of my own prints on an Epson P7000 via QuadToneRIP on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308. I know some people print on different papers for different images, but I like the look and feel of the paper and I want my paper choice to reflect who I am, as a creative photographer, rather than what the image looks like.
It’s extremely difficult to create a narrative photograph when working with nature. We can, or course, evoke emotion and a sense of wonder, but nature images are often self-contained. We appreciate the aesthetic content, but don’t feel the need to look for deeper meaning. Of course, that is not a universal truth.
In my view, the photographs which offer the strongest stories, or narratives, are the ones which encourage us to ask questions, to wonder what is outside the frame. These photographs often do contain at least a small human element.
“Personal expression” and “visual story” certainly do overlap, but are not necessarily the same. It is possible to create with strong personal expression yet have an image that does not have a narrative.
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I would like to thank everyone who participated in this discussion, as well as those who visited just to look through the responses. If you have an further questions or would like me to clarify a response, I encourage you to contact me directly.
For more detailed help, I offer one-on-one or group lessons via Zoom as well as occasional location-base workshops.
Warmest regards to you all,
Chuck
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