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Bravo Bill Zuback ~ First Synopsis in Series Ready for Viewing


BRAVO! Bill Zuback has come up with his first photo post in his photographic interpretation of literature series, and it is awesome.

On February fourth, Bill Zuback launched a fabulous idea, a fine art photography series in which he interprets paragraphs from literature through photography. He received immediate response. Thanks to your literary contributions, his idea is flourishing (and his creativity is flowing!)

My thoughts on his first exhibit? His black and white photos capture the confusion of the main character well. Two things stood out to me in particular. I especially liked the photos that were combination blurr/focus. I also like the use of simple and timeless children's toy pieces. Both of these techniques and arrangements were, to me, representative of, the mindset of the main character.


Bill has narrowed it down to four "finalists", and you, as readers, get to vote on your favorite! It took me a couple of days to vote, as I had to really let them sink in. It was a tough call. In the end, I chose the one that kept standing out in my mind time and time again as being the best fit. (Believe me, this was hard to do.)

I'm not sure if he will go into any explanatory blog post about his work, or not, but inquiring minds want to know the answers to the following questions (layman in thought, though they may be):



  • So, Bill, what was going through your mind as you set out take your shots?

  • Did they turn out the way you expected them to?

  • Did you have to change course at any point along the way?

  • Was it easier than you thought, or more difficult?

  • Did you have to borrow materials?

  • Do you feel using black and white photography enhances the subject matter you're shooting? (as opposed to color, sepia, etc.)

  • Are you surprised at how the votes turned out?

  • Do you have a favorite?

  • Is your profile pic a self portrait?

  • Are you piss pleased with yourself, or what?

  • Do you need a writer for the magazine you work for?



Don't forget to vote. (Just four more days) Then come back here and let us know which one you voted for and why!

Frieda Babbley
~Keeping you posted because I've got my eye on life.
P.S. Please note, Bill was kind enough to answer my questions in the comments section, so please feel free to check out what he has to say!
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William Zuback said…
Frieda thanks for the thoughtful analysis/thoughts on the first images. You ask a lot of questions. I will try to answer them but I'll start with the last one and go in reverse. I usually work with an AD and editor on the images I shoot for the magazine work. (http://www.kalmbach.com) If you asking if I'm pissed in my self portrait? No. LOL. I find it is a good visual of how I explain myself as a fly on the wall. I'm not a real public person. Don't enjoy big public gatherings and when I do go I am very quiet and observe everything and everybody. My favorite image is the closeup of the broken doll head and white tape in the shadow box. I feel it represents the old mans confused state of being and how he must feel very broken as a human being with a whole life of experience and know nothing? The vote doesn't surprise me because the most popular one so far is the most literal interpretation of the four. I am surprised at how few people are voting compared to how many are visiting to check it out? I feel the bandw does enhance this visual interpretation because it represents the old mans struggle with his past. Which leaves a lot of mystery by keeping any color interpretations out of the thought process. I will always try and gravitate to black and white since that is how I tend to see things and enjoy representing things. I shoot in color but my love is in black and white. Nothing borrowed but next image I am borrowing things. I felt the creation process was not easy but it had a nice rhythm to it. I can tell if I'm struggling to create or if it is kinda coming natural and instinctively? Didn't change course but I guess I sort of did since I posted a couple variations. They did turn out as expected. Rarely do I create an image that I automatically fall in love with. I have to live with them for a while before I know if it works for me. My normal thought process is always first to create for me and me alone. I never worry or think about what others expect or will like. If I am creating images that are universally excepted I think I'm not being true to myself. Thanks Frieda for your enthusiasm for this project and for promoting it among your many fans. Thank You.
February 13, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Frieda Babbley said…
Actually, I was wondering if you were "piss pleased" with yourself, as in overly proud and in general, with the outcome of your project, not the look of your profile picture. Oh that gave me a good laugh. (It sucks that you can't read the post to comment, I couldn't get that to work properly so I opted for this comment form.)

You know, I almost voted for the first one for the same reason's you mentioned. But it didn't have the blurriness that the third one had. I kept going back and forth, just not sure, but then something said, pick the third. I was actually surprised so many people picked it. I thought for sure there would be more votes for the first one. I was expecting a lot more votes too. I wonder if maybe people are reading you via feed as opposed to actually coming onto the page to read and comment? Is that possible? I'm not sure. I wonder if you put a vote thing as a post if that would change things any.

Thanks for answering my questions! I thought you would make a post of your answers for everyone to see. Course, I may be the only one who cares about that stuff. I like the why almost more than the what sometimes. I love to hear the things that people don't say. Hope that didn't bug you that I asked so many.

As for promoting your project, well, Bill, you're welcome, but I fell in love with your work the first time I came across your blog, so I don't mind that at all. I'm a major fan.

Can't wait to see the next one. Sounds tricky.
February 13, 2009 at 10:24 PM
captain cloud said…
Wow, I picked the third one. Mainly this is how I pictured it when I read the work. I asked myself "Who was watching". How did it play out in their heads. The picture seems to say to me, I am watching him (the hands and legs) and what is between his feet is like looking into his head, how and what he sees, based on his distorted sense of how he thinks, sees. To me it captured not only the look of what was happening, but the feel of it as well. I actually liked all 4 and am glad that all 4 were posted as opposed to just one. Completely blown away. This is a great work. Perhaps more people did not vote because the vote bar was up and to the right, and their eyes kept going down. If one were not paying attention, one might have discarded it as, for lack of taking time to come up with a better term, "personal information". I.E. blogs that the blogger follows, ETC.
I am hooked.
February 13, 2009 at 11:04 PM
William Zuback said…
To Frieda's unanswered question that she got a good laugh from my attempted answer; No I'm not overly proud. I'm happy to have come up with a series idea that has long term possibility's and staying power to hold my interest as well as those interested in my process. Each week holds the chance to excite or disappoint and as most artists know you are only as good as your last work. My greatest fear is being a one hit wonder. I watched the Grammy's last Sunday and I don't want to be like Neil Diamond singing something from who knows how long ago.

Thanks Captain Cloud. Your summary of the work is exactly why I don't like expressing my own intent or viewpoint because it is always more fascinating as an artist how the viewer relates to the work more than the artist.
February 14, 2009 at 2:19 PM
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