Rick Hawkins Photography

recent double-exposures and thoughts there of

I made my first double exposure about thirty years ago. I shot a whole roll of film and wound it back and then accidentally went out and exposed the same roll again. This accident had a profound effect on me at that time which I can still feel today. I was 17 and a dreamer. The chance happenings that occurred on that strip of film spoke to something in me on a subconscious level. I made 100's of double exposures between the ages of 17-20. I couldn't afford to print all of them down at the drug store. So i just processed them to negatives and picked from there. I am not a technically minded person and learning the mechanics of working a camera did not come easily but because I got so in to this technique I spent a lot of time learning how to get a correct exposure all the while correcting all the settings for 2 exposures. I learned fast but it was painful back in the day of film because I couldn't see what I had shot until I could afford to process the film. I often forgot what the intial exposure was of . This led to a bunch of stuff in the trashcan and countless dollars spent on bad exposures. Still I wouldn't trade those years for anything. You can't really experience photography like that anymore.
Every roll of film was fauned over. Every click of the shutter meant money spent, drop off, pick up, cut and put into sleeves before they're even looked at…then scan over with a lupe (magnifier) ,mark, drop off, pick up and more money spent. Keep in mind I wasn't shooting just double exposures. It was a big ordeal. I became so invested in this way that I didn't give it up until 5 years ago when I bought my first digital camera. And while I could wax poetic on the beauty of film and romanticize about it's look or the process. Or I could discuss at length how things I worked hard to master can now be easily done with a .99 camera app but I try to still access that part of my photographer brain and remember what it felt like when I invested my self in taking chances and being free with the camera while giving up valuable resources..I still enjoy shooting double exposures. It's part of my normal mode of operation.
While the element of chance that you had with film has been diminished through digital I still am able to have a pretty solid box from which to paint out of. My camera only holds the first exposure for about 30 seconds, so the second exposure must happen in the same vicinity. This is a neat exercise in timing and intuition. That muscle in my brain is very strong but it has to be to make up for my weakness in technicality and conceptualization.
Anyway..I've been thinking about journaling about photography to better understand it's role in my life. Then I decided to blog about it and give some insights into why much of my photography is the way it is. So maybe folks (including myself) will have a better understanding of the guy who shoots the weird abstracts and blurry stuff. Or as my father said one time, "you look like you enjoy making accidents". He may have been right..but I'm really looking for the scratched record that skips on the angels voice. They rarely, rarely happen but that doesn't stop me from looking or apparently posting photographs from my search on the internet. More double exposures in the ever growing in-camera double exposure folder.

walkabout shelbyville

I've neglected the blog a bit this summer and have many images building up. The best plan may be to just stay current. Heres a few shots for the abandoned project from Shelbyville, Tn.
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More in the Dispatches from the road folder.

live shots from bonnaroo

><<><><>><><<><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><>><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> I have shot photographs at Bonnaroo the last 3 years. It's been an interesting experience. Bonnaroo has elevated it's status among music festivals becoming the largest festival on Earth. It's been a great exercise as a photographer and music fan hoofing about trying to get to any number of shows playing at the same time. It's hard work and demands much energy and stamina. Being older than the average patron I have to dig in the well sometimes to keep going. Often times in the middle of the four days I find myself questioning my sanity. Then I'll witness a show that reminds me of why I'm here. It's a crash course in music performance and learning how to wrangle a photograph in the first 3 songs of a set. This is the common rule in live music photography. You have 3 songs to get it and quit it. One of the things that makes Bonnaroo special among festivals is they are beholden to no genre. You might see a great bluegrass band and turn around and get your mind blown by amazing hip hop. <><<><>><><<><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><<><>><>><>><><><><><><><><<><>><><><

st. Vincent put on a great show. She is very innovative and coaxes amazing sounds out of the guitar. The first is a double exposure which I used a lot at 'Roo.
This was my favorite performance I saw this year. Tune-yards is this one woman dynamo. She had a bass player and a couple of horns. Simply amazing show with very original music!

I saw the Red Hot Chilli Peppers several times 20 years ago. They put on great shows back in the day. I'm pleased to announce old guys only get better. They worked up the crowd into a ball of party and dancing. Plus how many rock and roll hall of fame inductees can still take their shirts off on stage?

I've always wanted to see Radiohead. I'm a big fan. Their show had incredible light design and they took the show in a direction which I'll call trance. Dreamy and atmospheric they delivered a great set.
The smaller tent stages were the most intense crowd wise. This is the crowd at the Bad Brains show.
Ben Folds always takes a photo at every show with his Hasselblad. I've seen him do this several times. He usually has the crowd flip him off which is pretty humorous.

The Roots brought it to the main stage. They opened with an old Beastie Boys song. Now that's savvy showmanship.
Alabama Shakes was the hot ticket on thursday night. The other stages were empty so everybody came and the photo pit was a nightmare.
Local legends Glossary were at Bonnaroo this year. Fantastic American music!
I even got my Metal on! Monstro actually impressed me.
Mos Def and BlackStar filled me up with killer hip-hop. I saw a few other rap acts but I've always liked the BLack Star record so it was cool to see them. I took over 1200 photos at Bonnaroo and even did a large amount of abstracts there which I'll try to get up here soon. Thanks to American Songwriter for supplying the photo pass and publishing my work. Til next year!

water and rock

I take frequent trips to the river. It's actually by go to place when not busy and I need to get away from the house. Sometimes I photograph and sometimes I fish. I'm always trying to find a way photographically that speaks to how the river makes me feel. This is a double exposure of the ever present limestone found in these parts and the river itself.

the silo project continues

I'm up to 10 silos in the archive. What started as a simple idea has turned into an interesting personal project. My idea of going after silos came about quickly while working on abandoned farms series. Silos are interesting architecturally but they offer more in the exercise of practicing the craft. I mean they all are very similar in design. I try to approach everyone different but the perspective is limited. I have found though that each IS different. Maybe it's the size or simply what time of day I find it. A big part of it is the sun. I plan on collecting for this project indefinitely. I feel it's good for photographers to have little projects there always collecting for. It keeps your eyes open whenever your on the road. It's surprising what you can find right in town when your looking.
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More in the Dispatches from the road folder

double exposure...spring

new photos in the double exposure folder

shaking the camera at spring

I'm loving this early spring. I hope the summer is full and green with this extra grow time.

in camera double exposure but quick

I'm fascinated by the in-camera double exposure. It allows me to play around in the world of abstraction. With film it always allowed me to court serendipity. I was tricking the camera into thinking I had advanced the film. Since I couldn't view on my camera much was left to luck. I was kind of worried that in shooting digital some of the happy accidents would be lost and that to me was the true magic of it. But as I've continued to explore this world digitally a new wrinkle emerged. When shooting the first image my camera only holds that shot for about 30 seconds in it's memory after which on switches out of the double exposure mode. This is an interesting problem because it means the second shot has to be close the first and the entire thing must be made in that short span of time. This being the case I'm stuck with whatever is right there..It's a fun game to play and a good exercise in viewing the surroundings. This particular shot is a decorative wind mobile hanging at a horse stable and the woods directly right behind. I'm thinking...put it on a shirt and sell it at music festivals.
More in the in-camera double exposure folder

dispatches from the road

I went on a river trip over winter break. The idea was to get some time in hunting up some winter trout in the Caney Fork river. When we got to the river we found it very high. At the dam they were running the sluice gates for flood control and two generators producing electricity for the TVA. The water was fast and we were out of our element. Our expectations remained high because another fisherman near us was catching all kinds of fish and several of them were huge. We studied what he did and then did it. It wasn't for lack of trying. After three days and about 14 hours on the water I went to the car and got the camera.

shaking the camera on the caney fork river

The river was up in the trees. The fish weren't biting. Time for photography. Photography and fishing are darn near the same thing. They're both the act of fishing. Shaking your camera is like taking a blind cast.

Granville Tn.

Driving the backroads looking for another access point on the Caney Fork river I stumbled on to the little town of Granville Tn. It was quiet during the day except for the man on the ladder who was removing the Christmas wreaths from the street lights. It's a interesting little place tucked right up to Cordell Hull lake. It was an odd exercise shooting a place that wasn't abandoned. I seldom ever stop on the rode to visit an inhabited place. Still, after I looked at what I shot I still felt that feeling and heard that man on the ladder, alone.


More in the dispatches from the road folder.

more double exposure

I get alot pleasure from playing with the camera. In-camera double exposures have been a longtime fascination. The serendipity appeals to me.


More in the in-camera double exposure folder.

TV on the Radio

I shot several great concerts in late Summer and Fall for American Songwriter magazine. Elvis Costello, Wilco, Tv on the Radio and Broken Social Scene. It's been fun getting photo passes to the Ryman. Heres a few from Tv on the Radio.

shaking the camera on the caney fork river

Hanging out on the river is good for me. This bridge is on the Caney Fork river. I fish down here for trout. There are a couple of other photos of this area in the Dispatches folder. Heres the "shake" versions.

NYC abstracts

On my recent trip to NYC I found myself challenged. It's hard to photograph a place that has been photographed as much as any place on Earth. There are so many incredible photographers that have made NYC their subject if not their home. I quickly turned to one of my favorite techniques, in-camera double exposure. My camera allows me to make multiple exposures but I have a limited time to do it before the mode goes to sleep. So most of these exposures occur within a minute of each other. What usually happened is I would find something that was interesting, shoot and then make a mad scramble to find some kind of texture to mix in. Many of the times the second exposure was pavement or concrete. I also tried some multiple exposures of the same scene..one in and one out of focus. I shot probably 600 double exposures of which most were confusing and abstract to the point of silliness. I did get some I like and feel my attempt was fairly successful. The editing job has been monumental but I will continue to fine tune these until the get show worthy.




More in the in-camera double exposure folder.

NYC walkabout

I had the good fortune of being able to visit New York City this summer. I also benifited from having a great place to stay on Brooklyn. Long time friend Sammy Baker lives up there with his wonderful wife. I took many walks around the city. I found my self avoiding major NYC tourist spots and just focusing my walks through neighborhoods in and around their area. I found myself employing my standard walkabout technique. I'm a sucker for color and texture and NYC has an unending supply.


I had been to NY before but it was always a very quick trip. This time I was able to slow down and pay attention to the subtle details. I got lost several times on subways and was always given help by the friendly locals. I had an extended conversation with one of an extended group of fisherman...in Central Park! They had never fished anywhere else! I offered up free guide service if they ever came to Tennessee. I tried in vain to get in a couple of the world famous museums but the lines were long and I was actually enjoying the walking so much I gave up on that. After all NYC is like a living, breathing museum within itself. Ever changing culture and art is mixed with traditional ethnic pride into a soup that beautifully represents one of the most impressive cities in the world. NYC is the best example of the old American slogan...melting pot.

I became fans of these guys at the Puerto Rican Pride Parade. Retired guys working on bikes in the free time. The members of the Puerto Rican Schwinn club are all much older than they look. A couple were in their late 70's. I wanted to join up. Maybe I'll just have to start my own club. More photos in the dispatches from the road folder. Click on these images to enlarge.

Bonnaroo Backstage

My access to Bonnaroo is due to my wonderful friend Lij Shaw. Lij is the man in charge of the backstage studio. He has a great crew of studio dudes that record an amazing amount of material in a short time span. They had around 30 artists come through the doors of the hay studio during the weekend. It really is amazing what they do. All the artists are so different from each other and the knowledge that the crew has of microphone placement and other technical nightmares is impressive. The session last about an hour and the artist is asked for three songs. Its amazing they pull this off. And with wonderful results. Google Bonnaroo radio and you'll find their recordings on any number of affiliates.




The studio is very challenging photography wise. It's a tight area with lights kept unobtrusive. I'll have to have some different gear next year. A faster lens would help alot. If you are interested in more of the Bonnaroo photography friend Jackson Pollock Microphone on facebook. I keep most of my music oriented projects there. If you are looking for a good studio. Look up Lij at the Toybox studio in Nashville.
They call it the Hay studio for obvious reasons. It's a trailer incased in hay bales. The sound from the other stages can bleed onto the tracks they are recording. This muffles the sound and helps immensely. I love the hay studio and look forward to getting in there again.

the summer of music and photography

My summer photography work changed before my eyes. I didn't seek it. It just happened that way. My early years in photography were dominated by music oriented projects so I guess it's natural for me to swing back that direction from time to time. This was my second year photographing the Bonnaroo music and Arts festival. I'm there due to my good friend Lij Shaw who runs the backstage recording studio. I get out in the festival proper as often as I can or should I say when I can muster up the gumption. It's HOT out there in the middle of the day and the dust can take a toll. That said, the collection of music that Bonnaroo brings in is amazing. You can hear all kinds of interesting sounds.


The band above is The Walkmen. I'm a big fan of their last record. I also photographed them in the backstage studio. The last photo shows what I was up against in the photo pit. I think there might have been more photographers than musicians. They were all generally nice but they definitely are very competitive.
Arcade Fire was another band I was looking forward to. Not just me apparently. The crowd got very large as the marched in riding high on their recent Grammy award. They brought the big show and had the epic sing along songs. I didn't even try to get close!


The first photo of these three is special to me. I was walking behind famed music photographer Danny Clinch. Mr. Clinch has taken many famous musician photographs. He has worked alot with Rolling Stone and is the official Bonnaroo photographer. He has the super duper access. He is usually ON the stage. As I was walking behind him he stopped suddenly to photograph the guy walking in front of him in a harsh beam of light. So I did the same. I'm sure he heard my camera fire. But he never turned around.
Shooting at Bonnaroo is always a challenge. I'm always glad I did it. Although I must admit it's not easy getting sleep at the tent with music vibrating your skull until 4 or 5 in the morning. I bet Danny Clinch has got the sweet hang!

Magic at the Ryman

I had tickets to see the Flaming Lips at the Ryman. It was an extra bonus when I got the call from American Songwriter to cover it. Heres the review of the concert with my photographs.

http://www.americansongwriter.com/2011/05/the-flaming-lips-get-freaky-in-nashville/

Silo

I've been photographing abandoned farms for years. As I worked on this project another project became apparent within it. Empty grain silos became a minor obsession. I found that even though they all have the same design and probably many shared the same manufacturer, they all looked different on the inside. I have scouted this silo for years but it always seemed to be part of a functioning farm. Since that broke the rules of the abandoned farm project I just looked at it with longing. It has an antique top which I had yet to capture. Last week I drove by as I often do and there to my surprise was the ticket in...the realty sign. Sometimes I feel as much like a collector as a photographer.
More silos and farms in the dispatches folder! Click on photo to enlarge.