Blog : Joe Curren

Lofoten Islands, 2002

Surfer Gerry Lopez, Mt. Bachelor and Lava Lands National Monument – Bend

Guitarmaker Les Stansell and fox gloves – Pistol River hinterland

Artist Spencer Reynolds – Harris Beach, Brookings

Published in 1959, Robert Frank’s The Americans is still one of the most influential photography books of all time. To make the book, Frank took a series of cross country road trips over a two year period in which he shot 767 rolls of film, yielding about 27,000 photographs. That’s a lot of photos, even by today’s standards. What’s interesting is that he didn’t see any of his work until he was completely finished with his travels, when he processed the film and made 1,000 prints of his best shots in his apartment in New York City. Yes, of course, this now anachronistic approach was the only way for a photographer at the time. But for those like me with a decidedly slow, non-digital approach, living in a more-is-better, instant gratification age, the influence of Frank’s book—and it’s shelf life—offers a glimmer of hope.

Hokkaido, Japan with Joe Curren from joecurren on Vimeo.

Mini documentary of me taking photos in Hokkaido, Japan. A mix of video from Dan Malloy and my black and white photographs, taken on our surf trip in 2010.