Creative: Magokoro, Lucas McKinnon

I showed Lucas McKinnon’s “Magokoro” to someone, and they quickly said, “This is a study of color.” And I would agree. The work is a great example of what can be accomplished during a workshop if you stay focused and committed to the task at hand. Namely, shoot, edit, sequence, and design. It’s not easy, but the payoff comes in the form you see here. Something concrete and tangible. Something that requires thought and hard-earned dollars to produce.

The print world demands more than the digital world.

Lucas did not arrive at the workshop as a finished product. (Who is?) He had no thirty-year history of professional photography or extensive photographic training. What he did have was familiarity with his kit, curiosity, patience, a good pace at which he moved through the world, and the drive to make something. He also had a connection with photography and poetry, see the name of his site. He had worked long enough on this connection to allow for the foundation of what you see here. What else could any of us ask for? This book is a near-perfect reflection of Lucas himself. (Apparently, there is a typo, hence the “near perfect.”) Writer, poet, photographer, and maker of a specific style of photograph.

Japan provides a unique color experience. When I think of Japan, and now when I reflect on it, I see the color that lives in my mind while reading William Gibson. A techno-slasher style, futuristic glow that often arrives in blues and greens. Just like the cover, back cover, and many of the inside pages of this book. Broken up with vibrant reds and yellows, and an unmistakable human form. This is a book that asks questions but provides fewer answers. This book requires the reader to ponder.

If I had to describe a workshop in one word, it would be “movement.” In Japan, we were on the move from the time we landed till the time we watched the bustle of Tokyo fade below us. Finding a theme can be helpful, but in most cases, the time is spent finding a personal story. Whatever story is found is brought forth with a combination of text and image. Make something that reveals something. Make something that I can’t make, and vice versa. I’ve never had two students make the same work. Even in scenes where we might be working in the same general area, when the books are complete, everyone has something specific to them. I never considered this until it happened.

I don’t know how old Lucas is, but I can’t imagine producing something like this when I was his age. I was still playing with that plastic box where you have to fit square, circular, and triangular shapes into the correct holes. My photography was SO primitive compared to what I see here. I’m having flashbacks of assignments where I turned in some truly embarrassing photographs, and the worst part is, I thought they were solid. I’ll also note that this is the THIRD version of this book. Those of you afraid of printing, let this soak in. Revision, revision, revision. All good things in the creative world come through revision. Test books make the process MORE enjoyable. Have a look at Lucas’s site and tell me you don’t see a consistency of color and light. Tell me this book doesn’t reflect that same look and feel. Examining this book reminds me of all the other books created during the workshop. Books based on pop culture, architecture, street, and more. It’s remarkable how the tangibility of books contributes to the lasting impression they leave behind.