GETTING OVER THE LINE!

Well time is moving on and the leaving Dublin project is well into the second year of its shooting(its been active for 27 months now)
Things are not getting any better on the streets in fact they get worse.
We are indeed feeling the pain of four austerity budgets in a row as money is sucked out of circulation and commercial activity continues on its downward spiral.The publicity maelstrom whipped up for the upcoming referendum is a mere diversion from the fact that whatever the outcome we are destined to continue down this road until this government falls out of favour with the electorate.As before the flaws in our system will leave us waiting whilst another set of deluded ministers bury their heads in the sand regarding our stressed population and only have eyes for keeping the show on the road.No time for negativity,just lets hear the good news,the rewards of their hard labour.
In fact there is no good news that will negate the hardships that are being felt on the streets right now, therein lies the flaw in the current political thinking.
But you know people are making the best of their lives still despite the weary weight that we are all squarely bearing.
For some this means relocating,emigrating,leaving home family and friends, in order to persue their chosen career.
One such  person is Gemma Geraghty.
Gemma an Artist, graduated last summer from Art school,A hard worker she worked in retail whilst interning in Dublin and London(six months) to gain experience.
through most of 2011 Gemma worked on the Leaving Dublin Project and was a great help on many a shoot in and around town(all Gemma shoots here).Now thanks to her hard work and dedication she has secured a full time position working on a technical team in a large London Gallery.
I congratulate her warmly and,just like her family,friends and boyfriend Paddy, I will miss her dearly,again saddened by the depressed state of the cultural section(be that only financial) in Ireland at the moment.
So like so many others  in order to get her career project over the line Gemma has had to take the boat.
She is following in a long line of cultural export and I hope she is soon to return,but I doubt it will be any time soon.
Ray hegarty and Artur Sikora headed up the lighting team on this shoot,a perfect job as always!


Back in Dublin I am trying to get a little project of mine over the line as we move a little closer to a milestone ,a print exhibition.
The cost of  mounting a substantial piece worthy of my sitters is high and response has been great to my funding campaign of fundit.ie.
There is only 2 days left on the campaign and it is close to reaching its goal.
The important thing to note is that if it fails to reach its target no funds will change hands.
So please help me to raise the last€900 euro or so by pledging to the campaign(if you have not done already) now and help get this one over the line.
there is a short video here to explain the virtues of a €150 pledge so if you can scrape it together the reward well outweighs its monetary value.https://vimeo.com/42268203
Big thanks to all who have already moved to help out its really appreciated!!
david
please Share and comment as always!

WALKING THE WALL!!

Things have been very busy in my small world of late with preparations for an upcoming show in the Photographic Archives Gallery.The show featuring my Leaving Dublin Project and the fascinating story of the Argentine Irish Diaspora,as told by Maurice Gunning, is a stroke of curatorial genius bringing together  two strands of a story and enriching the narrative by adding the layers of time and distance to the discussion.
The comings the goings,the leaving,the living!
It should form a central part of discussions around the theme of the PhotoIreland festival of which it is a part,that of migrations,the diaspora,and cultural identity.

ON REWARD 1-TYPE 55

There is no doubt about it less and less photographic work today is being carried out on traditional film stock.Pretty soon it will be impossible to find someone working on large format film unless you are pretty dedicated and detective like in the way you pursue a portrait photographer.
Right now I think it would be pretty impossible to find anybody shooting on type 55 polaroid film without a really long search!And when you did make that find the cost would be very high to you.
The reason for this is that type 55 film was discontinued in 2008.
Enough stock was manufactured to satisfy projected demand for 2009 but it sold out pretty quick and was snapped up by entusiastic photographers and ebay entrepreneurs.
I have had a pretty large stock of this precious film on ice since then and I have used it sparingly.
A recent show in Dublin last February rekindled my interest in shooting on this film ,particularly as a portrait medium.
The above shot of fellow photographer Rory O Neill is a recent portrait of mine shot on a linhoff technica 4x5 camera.
Type 55 negatives are the famous source of the "Polaroid frame look". Due to the development process where a Polaroid 545 film back holds the film for exposure with a large format camera, the Polaroid reagent/gel is squeezed between the negative and positive. Some of the reagent is trapped underneath the onion-skin-like frame that crops the print into a perfect 4x5 image. This reagent however creates an impression of that frame on the negative, which is not protected. The result is a perfect negative, but with imperfect frame-like image surrounded 3 of the four sides, while the 4th side shows the impression of the connective mesh that controls aspects of the Polaroid packet's sleeve functionality.In other words each frame shot on type 55 has a unique border caused by the rollers.This negative can then be used to achieve very high quality prints.

As a reward on my current Fundit campaign for the upcoming leaving Dublin show I am offering a unique experience for those of you willing to fund  to the tune of €150+.
Its a portrait sitting with me,shot on this rare and priceless material.
The reward includes a print of same,signed and dated,a limited edition postcard,and a thank you at the venue!
Rewards far beyond the value of the pledge.
GO FOR IT!!
here is a direct link
keep an eye out for further information on the other rewards and postings on the fundit site.
There are also lesser and one greater rewards available for pledges from twenty euro.
big thanks
David
as always

ON YOUR MARKS!!

One night last February I met with Darragh Ross and his good friend Kenny D'Arcy the Pair where ready to travel off to Australia in a matter of days and we had a long chat on the beach,before and after their respective photos where made.
Darragh an electrician\electrical engineer, was looking forward, (as was his friend Kenny) to plying his trade once more in Australia.Neither of them had the opportunity to do what they were trained to do at home as work had completely dried up for both in Ireland,leaving Darragh working in his local Mace service station.Now although he is saddened to leave his family and friends,and angered that our economy has left him booking this trip,Darragh is excited at the prospect of being out in the great wide open doing his thing and looking for his place in the whole big scheme of things!On your marks!! you might say as they line up to sprint away to give their youth energy and enthusiasm to Australian society.
Our Loss their gain!!