dark secret: the results

and here are the results of the dark secret challenge...


I enjoyed seeing everyone's 'dark secrets'.  Dark secrets, unlike gossip, are those that no one really knows about; the ones that are so secret that we only reveal them to our closest companions, if at all. They are told in code to help maintain their secrecy and are hidden in the deepest part of our minds.  Of the works submitted, I gravitated torwards  those pictures that represented a secret held, but not revealed.  Some of the more literal approaches were exciting. In the end, I wanted to spend more time with the selected works and continuously question the nature of the secret being depicted.  I pondered my own deep secrets and how they are manifested in my life.


- sean carroll


thanks to everyone who submitted images & congratulations to the following photographers:

graham morrison

liz poulin

michael baker

because the submissions were all so strong, 
sean chose three extra images that he thought also deserved a mention...

jenny hanson, alicia spina & michael o'neill

history of photo experiments with digital pinhole

i do not have a digital camera,
but i purchased a dustless pinhole body cap from
pinhole resource so my students could experiment with one of my favorite forms of photography!
the history of photo students at aich attempted digital pinhole out a few weeks ago
with beautiful results...

image by amanda adams

image by suzie diaz

image by sarah grantham

image by kamisha linen

image by amir martin

image by lamar myers

image by courtney parlier

image by paul tilton

image by uraina weaver

image by kendra witherspoon

image by jason woods

seasonal affective disorder

are you really happy?
is that a problem for you?
let reynolds & baron take care of that good mood for you!

topic: ...it feels like a memory

Since I've relocated to Columbus, OH I've had to revert back to my winter ways. Scrapers, longer socks, boots, long sleeve shirts, layers. I haven't scraped snow and ice off of my car window in 6 years, so the other morning, out of habit, I jumped in my car one morning, put my things down, started my car and quickly realized I couldn't see through my windows due to the frosty covering. It brought me back to when I was a little dude, and watching my mom or dad get out of the car to scrape the windows while I sat inside the running car, doing my best to stay warm. I'd look at the patterns the snow and ice made while I shivered, until that loud scraping sound would wipe it all out, giving me a clear view of one of the two people who loved me most as a little kid. For a brief moment, I waited for that scraping sound.

"frozen window" by craig reynolds

"frozen window II" by craig reynolds

i remember waiting for my dad to come home from work...

6 o'clock on the dot; by 6:15 he was in his swimsuit.

rambunctious, tossing, laughter, trampoline, splash

floating, skimming, balancing, smelling of chlorine

summers were fun as the family floated around.

winters were hollow as leaves replaced our tanned bodies.

you'd think i'd dislike the latter part of the year,

but i enjoy the bittersweetness of winter... it makes the memories that much sweeter.

image by sarah c baron

blueprint for fun

when you have been raised on digital photography, as some students have,
studying people who made photographic images using chemicals and the sun can be difficult to understand.
once again, the aich history of photography class got the chance to learn contact
printing by making contact prints!
we took those sun print kits outside on a not-so-sunny day and still made beautiful images.

here are the results of the class' experiments...

check out this photo exhibition in person & online

hey blog friends!
i have a piece in a group show/art project!
if you live in the chicago or minneapolis areas,
please visit the exhibition when it comes to town.

if you live elsewhere,
please visit the show here.

(and if you know of a gallery in your city that might be interested in exhibiting these works,

please get in touch with me and i will forward that information to the show's curator!)

courtesy of michelle westmark & judson university

courtesy of michelle westmark & judson university

courtesy of michelle westmark & judson university

oh boy, oh beuys

wikipedia defines abstract art as art that uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. surprisingly, i find this a suitable and sensible definition.
last week i had the photo design students at aich spend some time exploring the world of abstract art.  we did a quick run through history, taking time to pause for picasso, worship at the rothko chapel, and enjoy the sweet little zips of barnett newman. it was a whirlwind tour, but we picked up a few interesting tidbits  (like joseph beuys, whom i referred to in the blog title, isn't exactly an abstract artist, but i couldn't resist) & hopefully, a greater appreciation for color field paintings!
abstraction is not everyone's cup of tea.  it took me years of history classes and museum trips to learn to appreciate the minimalists, but the art institute's photo design students seemed to pick it up pretty quickly. the images attached to this post were each made by an aich student.  enjoy the sheer beauty of their color, line and shape...