MIND VS. TARGET @ Bobo Gallery

My Neighbor's House

Why the name Monty Tran?

Wikipedia states the following: A pen name, nom de plume, nom de guerre, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author for various reasons....I have two, for now:

1- Unique Name -- how many people by the name Paul Jackson are out there? A lot, if you googled Paul Jackson you would never find my work...I did just find out that Jackson Pollock's first name was Paul, though...Paul Jackson is a great bass player from Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, and I could go on and on. In the competitive world of digital photography, as photographer Seth Resnick says, "Having a website isn't enough for a photographer, the key is making sure that you are found." My editorial photography work credits the name Monty Tran, google it, and here I am.


2- Both Heritages Represented -- As an artist with photography as my medium of choice, my biggest question is: Who am I? From exploring that question for myself, I hope, with my work, to shed light into other lives, maybe inspiring them (as my life's purpose is to inspire and to be inspired) to ask the same (can you tell that I read a little Jack Kerouac, "On the Road" being a favorite), therefore building confidence of being linked to such intelligent history, and also, as reminded by my father, "humbling to know that we are just a small part of the greater universe".

My father is from North Carolina, his roots are Scottish/Welsh, Jackson is Scott/Irish and Montgomery (Montgomery Shire in Wales) is of Welsh descent. My great-grandfather's last name was Montgomery, friends called him Monty and he had all daughters, one being my grandmother, hence my given middle name of Montgomery, with the intention of keeping the name in the family.

My mother is from Loc Khan, Vietnam, her family name is Tran (found at the beginning of name in Vietnamese culture i.e. Tran Lang [just a factoid for you]) and her mother's maiden name is Ngyuen. The two are the most common names in Vietnamese society, but in their history you will find poetic stories of triumph and perseverance.


There you have it, Monty Tran. Note that this is a combination of two maiden names, representing the feminine, the yin, and the peaceful -- which is what I'd like my work to speak of, knowing that I do not always -- being the masculine, the yang, and the destructive -- balance is key.

WNC Magazine - Sept/Oct issue - Outdoors Feature

Always a pleasure working with WNC Magazine, solid representation and noteworthy reproduction...This is the third outdoors feature that my photography has been included in, along with one featurette...Thanks guys, great magazine!

Trouble Sleeping Again

I have pain,

gain no more,

foresee the light,

slight no more.


I have pain,

refrain from slain,

main event,

without repent.


I do trust,

myself do just,

perception you see,

is a game to me.

Caving in Rumbling Bald

Yesterday, I met Graham Averill and a couple of guys in Hickory Nut Gorge where we explored two fissure caves located in Rumbling Bald, across from Chimney Rock State Park. This photo is of Jeff Keener at the far back wall of the first cave, hugging on to the granite rock patiently as I took this photo with a long shutter speed, while Graham painted him with the warm light from a handheld flashlight (tungsten). The green light is from my LED headlamp (flourescent), making for a nice contrast of color temperatures in the image.

Untitled

We All Walk

We all live, we all die

We all laugh, we all cry

We all hurt, we all heal

We all stand, we all kneel

We all eat, we all sleep.


We all talk, we all scream

We all Walk, we all dream

We all Love, we all hate

Which will We celebrate?