The Doctrine Of The Equivalent
The Doctrine Of The Equivalent

Just wrapped a two-week-long run of sold-out shows playing bass with The Blenders for their 2023 Christmas Tour and the entire time, I was ruminating on a quote by one of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams. (Shared with me via my friend Kurt.)

“[Alfred] Stieglitz’s doctrine of the Equivalent as an explanation of creative photography opened the world for me… In showing a photograph, he implied, ‘Here is the equivalent of what I saw and felt.’ That is all I can ever say in words about my photographs; they must stand or fall, as objects of beauty and communication, on the silent evidence of their equivalence.” - Ansel Adams

I became so obsessed with this thought that I even taped the words to the top of my Leica M6, “The Doctrine Of The Equivalent,” and it began to subconsciously show itself in the photographs I made over those two weeks.

Whether they stand or fall…

Here is the equivalent of what I saw and how it all felt to me.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 46°52'43”N, 96°47'18"W
Your Neighbor's Art
Your Neighbor's Art

“My dad had a catchphrase, and I said I’d never have a catchphrase…

But it turns out, my catchphrase might be, ‘Support Your Neighbor’s Art!’” -JT Bates

I had the night off in Minneapolis, so I decided to swing out to Dakota Jazz Club with a couple of rolls of film to catch my friend JT Bates soundcheck for a set with his quartet of old friends and magical musicians Jeffrey Bailey (bass), Michael Lewis (saxophone), Bryan Nichols (piano) and featuring the brilliant Aby Wolf on vocals.

It’s easy (especially music) to view only the show as THE THING. But after years of it all, I’ve started to realize that the rehearsal is THE THING, the dinner before is THE THING, the green-room hang is THE THING, and the load out is THE THING.

It’s all of it…

THE THING.

And I’d like to stay present for as much of it as possible.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 44°58'25"N, 93°16'32"W
7th Street Entry
7th Street Entry

Minneapolis • 9/8/23
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There’s something magical about playing the Entry at First Ave. Maybe it’s the fact that @thepretendershq played there the night before along with the hundreds of set-lists plastered in the back. Maybe it’s because Prince’s motorcycle is hidden in a secret location.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But, even though nostalgia is my drug of choice, I don’t think that’s it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s not the ghosts of past shows, it’s the one still hot at your feet.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
◙ @firstavenue @danrodriguezmusic @natebabbs @bownotbau @andrerodriguezmusic

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 44º97'83"N, 93º27'70"W
Ripple River Motel
Ripple River Motel

“…and so we spent the night, trading good dollars for rough quarters.”

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 46º52'26"N, 93º70'79"W
Summer 2023 Contact Sheet
Summer 2023 Contact Sheet
Photo Essaysrob morgan📍44°97’77”N, 93°26’50”WLeica m6
Incidentals & Interruptions
Incidentals & Interruptions

“I had a boat to catch in Cape Town. What happened on the way, who I met and all of that, was incidental. I had not quite realized, the interruptions WERE the journey.” - Excerpt from “Jupiter’s Travel’s” by Ted Simon

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my 38th birthday than playing a show with Caitlyn Smith and the band, in the Ozarks, opening for Dirks Bentley. The show was sublime, the sound-check a shit show.

I’m reminded of how I used to view the set as what it meant to be a musician. I now know… all of it is all of it.

We’re playing just a few miles from my grandparents’ home where I spent my summers growing up and (since all birthdays turn me into a wandering existentialist) I can’t help thinking life might be the same way.

Now that I think of it… sure, I had a blast playing, but it was the conversations in the green-room and in the van that I won’t quickly forget.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Ozark Amphetheatre, Camdenton, MO
Passing It On
Passing It On

“Grief’s a crafty little fucker. Sneaks up on you.” - Shrinking (Apple TV, S1E3)

EVERY SINGLE used film camera I’ve bought (and I have quite a few) turned out to be owned by someone who passed away, sold by someone who loved them.⠀⠀⠀⠀

A dad’s cherished Leica M3, a brother’s Rollei 35, a mom’s Minolta Hi-Matic, the list goes on…

I love Craigslist and meeting up in person for this reason. I can’t tell you how often I’ve ended up hanging out for an hour talking and listening to memories.

“She would be so excited this is going to someone who will love and use it!”

Yesterday, I met Shannon who was selling a 1980s Olympus OM-1. Turns out, once again, it belonged to someone she cared about that recently passed away. It only felt right that I went for a walk in my neighborhood cemetery to run the first roll of film through it.

Well… not it’s first roll.

🎞️ Ilford HP5 400, shot at box speed and developed in Kodak HC-110. (delusion B)

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Minneapolis, MNfilm, ilford hp5, 400
Teetering In The Unknown.
Teetering In The Unknown.

"Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown." - Anthony Bourdain

 

It’s Sarah’s Birthday. We had the weekend off and thought we’d head to Belgium.

Most of our time was spent wandering the streets of Gent and Brussels; my Rollie 35 hanging from my wrist and a spare roll of Ilford HP5 in my pocket.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Gent, Belgium
Pennies On The Dime
Pennies On The Dime

“Now the work comes in every once in awhile, they pay ya pennies on the dime.” - “Gun” by Erik Koskinen 

A pre-show walk with my buddy Erik and his band in minneapolis.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Minneapolis, MN
Wildermiss In Minneapolis
Wildermiss In Minneapolis

“Good things come to those who wait, but only the leftovers from those who are fast and bold” – My wife Sarah

It’s 10pm and I just got back in town from a run of shows. A buddy calls me up and tells me there’s a band playing tomorrow night that I should meet Their name is Wildermiss.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
A Short Dance In The Pacific
A Short Dance In The Pacific

“I cannot rest from travel: I will drink Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone, on shore and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea[.] In “
- Ulysses

 

Flying to another country, only to play one night, is a whirlwind. Often, one’s glimpse of a city is only that which can be seen through a hotel window. So, we decided to stick around for a couple of extra nights as a band on this trip to Mexico: family diners, a desert show, and a short dance in the Pacific.

Photo Essaysrob morgan📍 Todos Santos, Mexico