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Rangefinder
Magazine Generation Next: by Lorraine A. DarConte Mike and Glenn Rand have many things in common (aside from being related). They both studied engineering. They are both self-taught photographers. And they each have diverse bodies of work that cross the lines of commercial and fine art photography.
“There really isn’t a difference between fine art and commercial photography,” says semi-retired Glenn. “Good photography is good photography. There are only three differences between a commercial photographer and a fine art photographer,” he explains. “Number one: the commercial photographer knows how much he’ll be paid before starting a job, and the fine artist hopes he’ll get paid when he’s done. Number two: a commercial photographer is proud of using his/her creative skills and energy to make a living, and a fine artist says, ‘I’d never prostitute myself to photograph just for money.’ The third thing,” continues Glenn, “is a commercial photographer solves other people’s visual problems, and a fine artist makes them. But realistically speaking, the tools and vocabulary are exactly the same in terms of film, technique and composition. It’s really an issue of application,” says Glenn. “If the work is in a museum, it’s called fine art, and if it’s in a magazine, it’s called commercial.”
The Rands, whose combined work is in 27 museums and countless magazines, can easily be classified as photographers who work on both sides of the fence. Glenn, who currently teaches two trimesters a year at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California, has juggled a dual career his entire life, balancing teaching, commercial and fine art work. Even at Brooks, he teaches one course on photo theory, called “Science of Imaging,” and another in the fine arts arena. “Being an academic,” explains Glenn, “has allowed me to diversify.” He has been teaching for 36 years and has lived all over the country. He has also written several books, including Black and White Photography 2e (Delmar), and is currently working on a digital capture text for Focal Press. Although Glenn holds three degrees—Bachelor of Art, Master of Art and Doctor of Education—he is a self-taught photographer, with the exception of one photography course he took at Purdue University over and over again—not because he failed, but because the school only offered one class. “What was a great help to me in photography was my engineering background. In engineering I learned how light worked. I used a very scientific approach to learn to light and make images. Engineering is a very linear process,” he explains. “You go from step to step to step… and it’s pretty boring, albeit useful,” he states. “But I wanted to do something more creative than engineering, so I did.”
Like Father, Like Son “Most of my photography happens while I’m motorcycle riding. I ride the big BMW bikes, and in Australia I rode solo across the Outback (desert) on dirt roads in remote areas. That’s when I started concentrating on photography. Some of my images are documentary, some touristy (for Mom), but mostly they’re what I’d describe as fine art photos. I came back with a pile of negatives and started printing.” Mike, who, like his father is mainly self-taught, does consult his dad about technical issues. “He’s a good resource to have,” admits Mike. “Aesthetically speaking, his photography is very different from mine. He’s a structural formalist, or is it a formal structuralist? It depends on what side of the bed he gets up on,” laughs Mike. “And Mike’s as eclectic as I am,” adds Glenn. “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“I’ve studied a lot of Asian art in the scroll painting tradition from Japan and China, which incorporates lots of empty space. I also like to work with multiple negatives—something my father taught me—purposely lining up negatives while I shoot, instead of while printing. For instance, one image looks like a galaxy. It’s actually a knot in a tree in the middle of the Australian desert. I travel to the ends of the earth to find minute details—which is what the end of the earth is all about,” says Mike. “I purposely flipped the camera. I took one image, taking note of which way the film was scrolled in the camera, then turned the camera upside down and shot the picture again, lining it up in the viewfinder. “I only shoot 35mm,” admits Mike, “with an old manual Minolta. I print with a 4x5 cartridge—glass plate on the enlarger—so I can print both images simultaneously. I use the scroll painting technique of utilizing the negative dividing bar within the image.” Although life would be easier for Mike if he scanned and printed his images digitally, he feels it’s better to print each photo by hand, “because then each image is truly unique. If you’re printing by hand, it cannot be perfectly produced every time. Photography can be kitsched out very easily—an infinite number of exact copies simultaneously. And I don’t want to do that.”
Like his dad, Mike has little formal education in photography, but he knows photochemistry because, also like his father, he studied engineering. “I just call my dad when I have questions; he’s a textbook.” Neither of them feels Mike needs a technical degree, believing it would get in the way of his instinctive aesthetic values. “I go out and do crazy creative things because I don’t know better,” says Mike. “However,” he admits, “there are technical things that should be done because they are important to make a better negative or print.”
At present, Mike works in the family business developing retail businesses, perfecting his photographic skills, and researching venues to show his work. In addition, he’s writing what he describes as “a madman motorcycle book” about his riding adventures and resulting photographs. Glenn plans to play more golf and remain active in photography through writing, teaching and travel. “If you don’t keep doing it, you get rusty,” concludes Glenn. “And I believe if you’re going to be a teacher, you should be working. When I’m teaching at Brooks, which has top-notch students, I can’t say, ‘I think this is the way you do something.’ I have to know.” And indeed he does. Lorraine A. DarConte is a freelance writer/photographer living in Tucson, Arizona. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including, Rangefinder, Studio Photography & Design, Newsday and Tucson Visitors’ Guide.
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