Lately I have become concerned that I am projecting my own idyllic perception of the James on the scenes I have encountered thus far in this body of work. All I see when looking at the images is what isn’t there. What they don’t say. They’re so quiet. Too quiet. They aren’t risky enough, they aren’t intimate enough. The other day I was talking with friend and confidant, Rich-Joseph Facun, about these struggles. He has always found a way to be incredibly supportive of my work without cutting me any slack. He wrote this in a recent email.
“I was thinking about the James River Blues project. If it is the “Blues” then shoot it this way. Blues songs reflect the good times but then interject what trials and tribulations are happening now or that have happened recently. Like BB King when he sings something along the lines of this: “I gave you five children and now you want to give ‘em all back…I bought you a five course dinner and you said thanks for the snack…” He gives the past pleasantry but then brings you the present drama. He makes you laugh when you should be crying. This is what the James River Blues should do. You are dreaming of the past but now you want to show the present. Yesterdays dreams interwoven with todays reality. Maybe that is what you’re concerned with and why you feel the need to show both.”
Each project I embark on is it’s own journey with a unique set of problems and answers. These dialogues with other photographers, editors and artists are crucial not only for my growth as an individual, but also for the development of these long-term bodies of work.
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Matt Eich is a photographer who is based in Norfolk, Virginia. His column, “In My Back Yard” appears every other Wednesday. He is a Founding Member of LUCEO Images.
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