Hey Everyone,
I feel that I have some explaining to do. I know my first episode (from Ireland) isn't out yet and I told many of you it would be...I'm sorry. But hear me out. It all started when I called FedEx in Dublin...they came out the next day and I met the courier and personally handed him a package of 6 tapes. Feeling good about the pick up and what was being sent I worried about nothing and along with the rest of you I awaited my first episode (from Ireland). The end of the week then came...no episode. The weekend came and past...no episode...So then I get an email from NBC. I clicked away thinking that they would be saying “great work”, “1st Episode looks amazing”, “thanks for the footage”....but no. They were wondering where the tapes were. So I called FedEx. They never got them. It's at this point that I realized that FedEx was in fact not the one who picked the tapes up, rather it was a company called ________, I won't be mean. Anyways. FedEx hired someone else to pick up the package and bring it to them so that they could then fly it over to NYC. So I get the number of the place that actually picked up my package and they tell me that it was delivered to FedEx....?????????
So both of these companies did not have the package....who did? I now can tell you who. Bill. Bill had my package. Bill was walking outside around a building where he worked. He worked at one of the offices for the courier place and as he walked back inside there on the ground beside a truck was a small box. In this box was a small package with a name and a phone number both belonging to me. So casually Bill picks up his phone and calls me "Hey, you Roger?"..."yeah" I say. "I have your tapes, what should I do with them?" Overwhelmed with joy I said “Fly them to New York Please, thanks”.
That is my story. That is why my video is not up yet. On behalf of all the people here in Ireland (meaning me) I apologize…but please do not lose faith in me, I will see you soon.

Rog

Posted by Roger at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I've finally figured out my portrait project! Not so exciting to you I know but a relief for me. I was originally doing this portrait project because I was very impressed with the work of this photographer “Richard Avedon” who did these extreme focus portraits…but now I am more after my own agenda, documentary. Last week one of the students here came in with all these boxes that she found up in an attic in town. The boxes contained old glass negatives that dated from the early 20's up to the late 30's. The images were all portraits of the people from my town, Ballyvaughan. Getting to see these images was extremely interesting in a historical sense but I had to ask myself what it really was that made me so fascinated. I suppose it was the fact that what I was seeing was a specific time and because of the work of a photographer it has been perfectly recorded, frozen and preserved to be seen far after these people will have passed. I doubt that the person taking the photographs meant for them to be found so long after they were taken, but it is my intent that my photographs will be. It is now my plan to create a book that documents all the people of this town at this point in time, specifically. I think it would be both fascinating and important to create a history for these people not only for them but for their children, grandchildren, myself and for everyone that I can share it with.

On a separate note, school is going well. I am starting to develop all my negatives this week and finally start printing. My teacher, Martina, has been helping me not so much with the technical aspect of my work but rather with the reason behind my work. Up until this point I haven't really been thinking to deeply about why I do my photography. I haven't yet put together a cohesive group of images that I can justify as a "Series". I’ll keep up the work and show you all soon.

All that said I will have to say that things are changing in me, for the better...I know that being here now is the right thing for me.

I'll check back with you all soon,
Roger

Posted by Roger at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)