Featured Photographer: Ernie Button - "Back & Forth"
Caterpillar 2002 - 2007, from Back & Forth
Chariot 2003 - 2007, from Back & Forth
It’s quite apparent that photographer Ernie Button could be considered the consummate observer. Not a bad description for someone in the visual arts, to be sure. A cursory look at his website reveals a wide range of subjects and ideas, and it’s definitely clear that he has put immeasurable time into his photographs. A case in point would be his series of photographs, Vanishing Spirits, that has garnered him a lot of praise and press for something many have seen but few have really looked at. In this collection, Ernie focuses his lens on the dried up remains found at the bottom of his scotch glass. The patterns and otherworldly terrain formed from the leftover liquid resulted in write-ups in periodicals like Float Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, and National Geographic.
However, it’s a quieter, but nostalgic body of work that has caught our eye. To highlight this work seems wildly appropriate due to its parallels with the photographic industry. Before we get into that, let’s take a look at Ernie’s collection, Back and Forth. This is a series of diptychs that started years ago as simply a documentation of the storefront rides for children that could be found outside most grocery stores. While originally done in black and white, it was after five years that Ernie decided to make return visits to most of these sites, only to discover that our society had been embracing progress to the point where these rides had fallen into disrepair or disappeared altogether. Seeing this as an opportunity rather than a detriment to his series, Ernie forged on with photographing the same sites, slightly changing his angle or point of view, and this time using color film. The passing of time is dutifully spelled out and forces us to embrace our nostalgic feelings for a simpler time, if only after several years.
“The images printed in Black and White came to represent the past, whether it was a decade ago or a day ago. Color came to represent today, maybe even a glimpse into the future, however, it may change. The revisited site was photographed at a different time of day or year or a slightly different position from the original photograph to signify not only the passing of time but also how things are never quite the same.”
To highlight this work seems quite appropriate due to its parallels with today’s photographic climate. This seemed relevant to us, not simply because it was shot with film, but because of the similarities it has to our love of this medium. Analog photography still has its connection to changing technologies and the past, so we felt that Ernie’s series mirrors that fact from a different angle, but with the same historical and vintage elements we are drawn to. Take some time to peruse these images presented here, then make sure you head over to Ernie’s website and Instagram for more!
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ernie Button is a photographer based out of Phoenix, Arizona. His photography is best known for the portfolios Cerealism (landscapes and portraits of breakfast cereal) and Vanishing Spirits: The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch. Ernie’s photography has been a Photolucida Critical Mass finalist for multiple years. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions in China, Scotland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. photo-eye Editions in Santa Fe, NM has published Vanishing Spirits: The Macallan Collection through photo-eye Editions in Santa Fe, NM. Ernie Button’s whisky photography work was recently featured in National Geographic Proof and his work has been published widely in publications like The New York Times, Whisky Advocate, American Photo, Popular Photography, Esquire, Wired, Smithsonian and Huffington Post, among others.
Gallery
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Kirchoff is a photographic artist, independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. He has been a juror for Photolucida’s Critical Mass, and has reviewed portfolios for the Los Angeles Center of Photography’s Exposure Reviews and CENTER’s Review Santa Fe. Michael has been a contributing writer for Lenscratch, Light Leaked, and Don’t Take Pictures magazine. In addition, he spent ten years (2006-2016) on the Board of the American Photographic Artists in Los Angeles (APA/LA), producing artist lectures, as well as business and inspirational events for the community. Currently, he is also Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, Founding Editor for the online photographer interview website, Catalyst: Interviews, and a Contributing Editor for the column, Traverse, at One Twelve Publishing. Previously, Michael spent over four years as Editor at BLUR Magazine.
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