Everything Waffles and the Warpath Gallery are ready to announce the Everything Waffles Retrospective. This exhibit displays the portraits from 2010-2013. You can view the online catalog at their website at http://cargocollective.com/warpathgallery.
Finally my self-published book of portraits with Waffles has been published and printed. This book is comprised of 15 portraits with Waffles over the past year reflected internet images circulating the web. You can check out the preview below and if you are interested in a copy please let me know.
Copy this link until infinity and help me publish project across the very source from where this project came from.
As a reminder, Everythingwaffles.com is a website now. It is experiencing some issues right now but it is a great place to see some of the videos that have been made.
As I continue to work with family as a part of my recent work, I have stumbled across a new series of images that I would like to pursue. Unlike the first part of this project where I recreated past family photos, I want to look at the places where we put photos. After handling so many of my own family images, I discovered that the shoe boxes and albums they were kept in were just as interesting as the images themselves.
I look at these containers as a geologist might see a core sample of rocks. As the old boxes fall part and new ones are added, we can see the layers of history unique to each family. This personal archive exists in all families that collect their own images. Whether it is in an album or a tin can, these containers become an intimate item within the family.
Now to the part where you come in, I would like to ask for these containers from your family so that I may document them. I do not expect to have the family photos in these when given to me, but the boxes and albums themselves. As I understand these are precious in some cases just like the photos, all care will be taken to ensure their safety. Whether I pick them up personally or you wish them to be shipped to me, I will cover all expenses in this processes. These images of the albums will be for my professional practice and they will part of my larger body of work dealing with family.
If you are interested in allowing me to documenting these boxes and albums, contact me through email at info@justinschwab.com or find me on twitter at justin_schwab.
After working on the self-portraits with Waffles over the past year and half, I finally decided to bring all of the images to book. This book is more than just what I have shown and holds many images that have not been seen. With all of the costumes and source images, I believe this represents a survey of portraiture through the past few decades. The main purpose of including Waffles in this body of work is to insert a trending topic(cats) into portraits that followed trends during the time they were taken.
July 2010
From the original photo above, my goal in this series of images is to portray myself in a similar setting as the original. This body of work stands as a survey of styles and photographic trends that circulate through the internet and a re-contextualized from their location online.
Along with this book, I have started a website to continue this series of images with not only photos, but videos as well. I approach these in a similar way to find trends of videos found on YouTube and elsewhere and match that style while using my cat Waffles to alter that meaning.
Currently this book edition has a limited quantity so please contact me if you may be interested.
To keep up with this body of work, visit everythingwaffles.com or justinschwab.com
Here is another video discussing the special announcement coming on 12/1/2011. more things have developed and there will be more surprises on the way on that date.
After the amount of responses from friends and supporters, my project using family photographs expanded and incorporated new elements. This project was created in response after examining many family photos. What you see in these photos is only a small part of the installation which uses a sound clip projected out of the chair at a low volume.
After sitting in the chair, the viewer begins to hear a telephone ringing near them at a volume that can be heard only while sitting in the chair or standing next to it. This is a constant part of the chair, looping continuously and without the viewers control of stopping it.
Although the family photographs are of my own family, the project is not intended to be autobiographical. The focus remains on the uncomfortable sound projected around the viewer and the interaction with the photos displayed on the wall that act more as objects than photographs.
Not familiar with my project using family photographs? Check out the project here and learn more.
Today I am proud to announcement, a countdown to an announcement. After finishing the latest Waffles portrait and putting it online, I have a new project that will be announced on December 1st of this year. It does seem strange to make an announcement to make an announcement later but since this is a much larger undertaking.
As I approach the work on this project, you can expect sneak peeks found on here and subtle hints to what will be to come. This project is going to require much of my time and effort so the pay off should be worth the wait.
Again thank you for your patience and let the countdown begin.
I have been meaning to put up some videos of the boring parts of setting up for a portrait with Waffles. Now that my space is a little bigger I can just set the camera and record away.
Honestly I edited out everything but the boring part of the video just for your entertainment. Honestly, would you expect anything different?
What more could you ask for than a video of a man ironing fabric? Perhaps a new photo with Waffles?
Perhaps.
In celebration of the “Everything Waffles” page being released, here is an old video of her hanging out on my shoulders.
Again you can check out all of the Waffles portraits now on the link above. Just click on “Everything Waffes” and you will find more great images.
A Family Portrait, Daguerreotype circa 1840's
Since the development of the camera and the use of studio portraits in the first half of the 19th century, there has been a particular interest in portraying families. Although the technology was limited and the exposures were too long to pose naturally, the way a person/family would present themselves would be a large part in viewing their personalities.
Does the kid on the right look familiar? Probably not since I used to have blonde hair. I guess it was an early phase.
This history of portraiture, and my own families photographs have lead me into developing a new body of work. Since starting the research involved in this, I have to come to realize that I could use a new area to research. Currently my work(excluding my cat portraits) is exploring the significance of family portraiture and images. Those that I might find from my own album and redevelop their intention and significance. In this body of work I have been using myself as a surrogate for my entire family. This meaning I am playing a character that represents my family in a series of photographs that evaluate human body language and closeness to the photographer.
I have always been a little camera shy.
This is a call to all those who want to help in the development of my current body of work. I am looking for people to send me family snapshots and picture from their family albums. These do not need to be ideal or well composed but are just images from their families. I will not be using these images directly in my work, but use them as study for the work I am developing. I am interested in the body language and composure of the family and composition of the photographs. This nonverbal communication is important when looking at family photographs during any time period.
My use of these images is strictly involved in the research of other families and their images. Anything from a birthday party to a funeral will give me a glimpse into the attitudes and minds of those within picture and that of the person behind the camera.
Methods to send me your family photos are:
Email: info@justinschwab.com
Twitter: justin_schwab
Prefer snail mail? You can let me know if you would like to send a hard copy of family photographs. Although I don’t expect this method, developing a collection of these photographs would do great things for my research.
Images can be sent in any format and will not be shared with anyone else. All of the images will be used only as research material and will not appear anywhere else. Any assistance in this will be greatly appreciated and recognition will be given to those that submit their photographs.
Justin Schwab 
