-------- Projects -------- Second Chances A photographic exploration into the mindset of people who have removed themselves, for one reason or another, from the mainstream of society and have chosen, or been forced, to live in isolated desert environs. Part voyeuristic and part documentation, “Second Chances” balances the harsh brutality of the landscape with the surreal beauty that defines its isolation. Passing Through While meandering through the unknown, these photographs reference endangered interior landscapes, the abandoned ruins of our society. Although the work is mostly devoid of people, their presence is felt rather than seen. By focusing on the ambiguity and the silence of these empty spaces, they become metaphors for the wasteland we inhabit while simultaneously highlighting the search for meaning locked in our own inner corridors. On The Beach Photographing people on the beach is an aggression. Douglas McCulloh and I have spent years photographing people on California and Florida beaches. We choose a spot on the sand, set up unforgiving studio lights and shoot with one, high resolution camera. Hundreds of people pose themselves in front of the lens unaware of the trap into which they have fallen. Special thanks to: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Southeast Museum of Photography, UCR/California Museum of Photography for their help in producing the book On The Beach: Chance Portraits From Two Shores published in November 2006. Fractured Realities Over the last six years, as a member of The Legacy Project, I have been photographing a 4700 acre body of land that has been transformed from a bean field (1940’s), to a Marine base (1940’s – 1990’s), to an abandoned site (1990’s -- early 2000’s), to a possible airport (2000’s), to a developer’s dilemma (2005 – present), to a Great Park (currently under development). Along with its somewhat schizophrenic history, many realities have surfaced and been transformed. These very large triptychs focus on the disjointed dovetails so prevalent throughout this area – where the past, present and future intersect as a yet-to-played-out entity. The Great Picture In the summer of 2006, the six photographic artists of The Legacy Project unveiled the world's largest photograph at a special reception held inside the world's largest camera. This mammoth photograph is three stories high by eleven stories long and provides a panoramic view of a portion of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro that is destined to become the heart of the Orange County Great Park. The The Great Picture is a magnificent tribute to a historic turning point in Orange County history as well as a statement about the evolution of the photographic medium, hand versus mechanical/technological processes, and the importance of “vision machines” to the advancement of culture. TLP-Looking In TLP-Looking Out The Legacy Project - Looking In/Looking Out The Legacy Project is dedicated to producing comprehensive photo-based documentation of the shuttered El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and its transformation into one of the nation's largest metropolitan parks, the Orange County Great Park. This unparalleled non-profit documentary project will continue over the next decade as this massive undertaking comes to fruition. Initiated in spring 2002 by a visit to document MCAS El Toro, a politically volatile abandoned military base located in the heart of development prone Orange County, California. Jerry Burchfield along with Clayton Spada, Mark Chamberlain, Robert Johnson, Douglas McCulloh and Jacques Garnier formed The Legacy Project and agreed to spend the next ten to fifteen years producing a visual legacy of urban change as the former air station became the OC Great Park. Given the collective background of these six photographic artists, their work treads a line between documentation and art. To date, The Legacy Project members have shot over 100,000 photographs, produced extensive video footage, numerous mixed media artworks, and specialty projects such as the Perimeter Project, the Timecourse Project, the Runway Project, aerial overviews and the historically unique, world record setting The Great Picture which with the help of over 400 volunteers, artists and experts converted a F-18 jet hanger into a camera obscura, thus creating a three story by eleven story photograph. (see The Great Picture gallery above.) The photograph is a magnificent tribute to a historic turning point in Orange County history as well as a statement about the evolution of the photographic medium, hand versus mechanical / technological processes, and the importance of “vision machines” to the advancement of culture. In addition to numerous exhibitions and lectures, to date two books have been produced by The Legacy Project: In Transition - El Toro: A Photographic Essay from Past to Present, (2003) and The Edge of Air: The Final Days of MCAS El Toro, (2005). A third book on the making of The Great Picture is due in 2009. For further information on The Legacy Project and The Great Picture refer to www.legacyphotoproject.com.