Hanover Plaza

This is one of those shots where reflections got the better of me. I'm not even sure what's going on. Some parts of this are the building - straight on - and the rest is the Stone Street Tavern behind me. But looking at the negative it gets very confusing as to what is where.



What's confusing is that bits and pieces around the door on the right are not reversed.

civil air patrol

There is one question I really love to ask
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind
Just to save his own belief - Bob Marley

Street Show 2001

Are you the photographer?

Yup.

They're beautiful.

Thanks.

(Pointing at Steps of Met.) Where is this one?

Right behind you.

Really?

Yes.

That's a great shot. How much is that one?

$20. They're all $20.

You do beautiful work.

Thanks.

I don't have any cash on me right now. Will you be here tomorrow?

Maybe, I'm not sure.

If you're here, I'll definitely take one... just beautiful.

Thanks.

If I buy three will you take $15 for each...

FDR, Blizzard

I'm going to start adding larger jpgs; I think the average monitor size is getting bigger.

I also added larger sized prints to the print store since I keep getting asked if these are available in larger sizes.

Number 4 Train

Can You Identify

the location of this statue? Extra credit if you know who is on the horse. Extra extra credit if you know who the lady is. Hint - it is in NYC.

wave, 1999

This was taken on my first trip around the globe.

A few seconds after this wave hit, we were washed overboard and I found myself fighting not to sink into a water spout. It was a spout that must have been a half-mile across. But my efforts were futile and soon I was spinning down, down, down.

When I came to - I was washed up on a beach. Half dead, I came to - and was approached by a big green lizard which said: Didja know that you can save 15% off your next score with Lizard King insurance?

The lizard then began to dance around in a wild frenzy, and finally said that his name was Jim Morrison Jr.

As I spit sand, I knew that I must have entered the parallel universe that is Australia - and that this was the son of the mighty Lizard King himself. I had always suspected that everything would be weird in Australia - but I didn't know just how weird.

Then as I was still gasping for air - a band of gypsies holding looking-glass mirrors swarmed around me and in an instant I was hog-tied. Someone was saying that I should be tossed on the barbie. This scared the hell out of me until a beautiful woman approached and said that her name was Barbie.

As she bent down to kiss me - I heard her mutter, "No rest for the wicked tonight."



I was transported by raft down a strange river with bow bridges until we arrived at the Temple of Art.

They hauled me over to the temple of art where the sacrifice was to take place.



I was shocked to find my images scattered around on the floor and being trampled on by critics. Nine lights were floating. I asked my captors what they were and was told they were spirits of baseball players that had been using drugs in the sixties. Chief amongst them was Dock Ellis.

Untitled

Uniforms

Hurry Up

1994

Published by DAVE BECKERMAN, The most trusted, the most fair and the most balanced, name in blog photography.

Anyway - this shot always makes me chuckle. I think it's because I used to do the same thing all the time. A kid I knew when through the trouble of cutting a hole in his jacket so that he could walk around like this without bumping into things; and got into big trouble with his mom when she found he had destroyed his new jacket.

No Rest For the Wicked

Billboards go up and down so quickly in New York that I can't keep up with them. 23rd and Park Ave. South. I still don't know what this one was promoting but I have an idea.

Alive With Pleasure

Rollei TLR, 1998

Ad Center

The woman sounded so hopeful when she called to ask me to take part in a survey, that I just couldn't say no. I usually just hang up. But as the survey went on and on the word Microsoft was used a couple of times and I began to make sense of it. They wanted to know if I had received junk mail from Microsoft about a new advertising service called Ad Center.

There must have been 40 questions, mostly to rate various features on a 1 to 10 scale.

Eventually they got to the free form part of the survey where they ask what your business sells and I said 'photography.'

Could you spell that for me, she asked.

That was startling.

P-H-O-T-O-G

Hold on a second she said while she slowly typed it.

R-A-P-H-Y

Oh, that how you spell it.

Then some more questions. What could Microsoft do to incent you to join this program, she asked.

-They could give me a free trial for a month, I reply.

And once again - what business are you mainly in?

Photography.

I'm sorry sir, could you spell that for me again.

P-H-O etc.

Thank you, sir.

And what is the highest level of education you reached?

Graduate School.

I'm sorry, sir. Is that graduated college, or post-college?

Post. That's post college.

Very good, sir. Only a few more questions...

Good.

Sir, our records show that the Microsoft Ad Center mailing went out to you. What would you say is the main reason that you didn't see it?

I throw all junk mail I get in the garbage.

Thank you sir.

Thank you.

Spooky Theater

One day, around the time that 42nd street was being Disneyfied (cleaned up) I walked by this place on 42nd street that had been a strip joint. Maybe they were trying to fit in with the scare the kids theme with this display - but it didn't work. Even though I can read each word on the sign to the left, I have no idea what it says. I sort of think it's some voodoo curse. (Pentax 67)

Metropolitan Museum

This was with the hologon on the Contax G2. I rented the lens for a day. It comes with a built-in level which I decided to ignore.

Urinal, NJ

(Back by popular request of one reader)

Subway Car, Corner

Subway Car, Corner - Hexar, Tri-x.

Token Booth

From Leica Dot Something

JOHN:
I was looking for some advice. I plan to photograph my neighbor's dog (avail. light) and I think I need a 90mm for my M7. Normally, I would shoot it with my 50mm, but this dog is wild and I'm nervous to be around dogs anyway - so I think the 90mm would be a good choice. But I'm not sure which 90 to get? I don't think I can afford the cron, but I also heard that the Elmarit 90mm is good as well.

MARK:
The only thing is - why in the world would you want to use a Leica to photograph a dog?

MITCH:
I agree. The Leica is meant for street stuff not dog portraits.

MARK:
John was just asking for advice on which lens to get, not whether it was the right lens / camera for the situation. I assume he has a Leica and just wants to know which 90mm to get. Personally, I haven't used any 90mm with my lizard skin M6 but from what I've heard - the 90mm cron asp. is the best there is.

MITCH:
Mark, do you really have the lizard skin M6?

MARK:
I do have the liz skin M6. It's still in the box. I'm afraid to touch it. Don't want to get any marks on it. I also have the titanium body. Honestly, I don't use the cameras much. I just like having them around.

MITCH:
They are beautiful.

GOLGA:
I think you're both nuts.

MARK:
They are. The lizard skin Leica is fabulous to look at. I've been looking for a good display box for it. I think my neighbors would enjoy viewing it but I'm afraid someone might break in and steal the thing at night.

As far as the 90's go - you get what you pay for.

Listen John, if you are that nervous about shooting the neighbor's dog, then you should get an SLR with a telephoto. I've done a lot of dog shooting over the years and whenever I did a shoot with a wide angle lens - I always got bit! I'm not kidding. So I know what you mean.Now I use Canon 30D with a 300mm lens on a tripod when I am asked to shoot animals of any kind.

I used to work for National Geographic and we'd use a long lens to photograph EVERYTHING!

btw - what sort of dog is it?

JOHN:
Now don't laugh - but it's a toy poodle. It's ferocious. I mean, it's like the size of a shoe, but if they let it off the leash it runs after me yapping it's head off, and it once took off a piece of my pants. To tell you the truth, I'd just as soon actually shoot the mutt :)

MARK:
Maybe you should get a rifle instead.

JOHN:
LOL.

MARK:
I'm not kidding. When I was in the bush, we would actually shoot small game for sport.

JOHN:
Isn't there an episode of Seinfeld where these dogs are keeping Elaine awake...

[DELETED PORTION. OT. ADMIN]

JOHN:
Sorry :(

MARK:
My advice: Just get the most expensive 90 you can afford.

JOHN:
Thanks for the good info guys. I think I will use a... [deleted by admin. OOT]

MITCH:
Golga - if that's you're real name - why are we nuts because we appreciate beautiful objects. Dry up troll.

(to be continued)

59th Street Bridge

This was TMAX, and other than some dust retouching and an adjustment level - that was it. I have no clue as to why the sky/ water produced this gray dreamy tone. This was a fairly long exposure - at least 30 seconds.

Leg, Flea Market

What Do You Think?

Another common e-mail from beginning photographers:

"I live in (fill in the blank). It is just so boring here. I wish that I lived in New York like you so that I could capture all the excitement of the city."

My initial reaction to this is that if you can't find anything interesting to photograph where you are - you won't find it anywhere else. This goes along the lines of the end of the Wizard of Oz, everything was always there before you at home.

If you live in a small town - then photograph the people or places around you. Do it as best you can. Do it better than anyone ever did.

I guess I could be all wet about this - maybe there are places that are just so visually boring that no one could be inspired by them. But you've spent 16 years of your life in this place. You know it so well. Even if all you do is capture your complete alienation from the landscape - that would be something - wouldn't it?

What do you think?

Cupola, Burnside Avenue

I've been working on the Bronx Gallery again. Someone wrote to me asking why there were no shots of people in the gallery.

This was a conscious decision after a couple of years of fiddling with the images. This is a personal reminiscence. The shots may not have any universal value - just my attempt to document places that had meaning to me. I did a bunch of taped interviews with family and friends from those days - and if I ever do get around to doing a proper book - I would include snippets from these tapes.

Burnside Avenue - my grandparents lived here - no not in the Cupola - but a block away and we always wondered what it was when we were kids. My cousin snuck into the building once and tried to get up to the top but the door to the cupola was shut tight.

Room With A View etc.

As I am finally separating the "living room" work from the "street" work in the galleries, I can begin to post images that may make you uneasy for sale without driving too many people away.

This was a long time ago in Brooklyn (Manhattan on the other side). If I were to guess I'd say at least 10 years ago. It was in a garage that had been abandoned and put to another use.

This was shot with the Mamiya 6, which of all the medium format cameras I used was my favorite. I did carry it around with the 50mm lens for a pretty long time. The rollei TLR was / is a great camera but I usually used it with a tripod. The Mamiya 6 - very portable and quick to focus. Would I use one again? Not at this point, not without someone giving me a good MF film scanner.

Leica M8

Indian Dwelling, Arizona

I'll just turn this entry into a what d'ya know 'bout the Leica M8.

digital ice

Alot of the old Bronx negatives are pretty scratched and dusty and I spent lots of time cleaning them up, often at the 200% view in Photoshop. One or two of them took several hours this way. I'm still using the Minolta 5400. Anyway, since Digital Ice doesn't work with b&w I thought I'd see what happened if I scanned the tri-x shot in as color / output to RGB. Then I figured I'd convert it to b&w. What an odd effect. The scan looked like it had gone through a high gaussian filter or vaseline on glass (which actually was used in the old days). It did remove all the scratches and dust, but it also removed a tremendous amount of detail. Buildings where you could see each individual brick were now brickless. Had a sort of film noir look to it - like in a scene where the hero gets bonked on the head.

I'll post the scan once my cable modem is fixed up.

wi fi

this is so totally awesome (teen talk for) "I made a smart move.

A while back I bought an old thinkpad with a wi-fi card from my neighbor to use as a backup when (not if) my cable modem link went down, which it did recently. it went down on Mon. and while I was calling Time Warner and hanging on the line and eventually told to plug and unplug the modem which is about all they do at support these days. Long story short, it went out again today so I'm typing this on the old laptop with the wireless card. I'm getting the signal from one of my neighbors, and frankly there are signals (networks) flying around all over the place here, and most of them have a pretty okay signal (2 or 3 bars) and if I go out into the hallway and stand outside my neighbors door I can even get 4 bars.

I don't even know what wi-fi stands for? Wireless fidelity? Shows my age. But anyway, I can get my mail, and post to blogger etc.

Do they make antennas or boosters for this thing so that you can amplify the signal from my neighbors apt.?

But yes - this was a good idea because I am, believe it or not, running a business here and I can't really stop replying to emails or see orders when they come in for 4 days which is how long it takes Time Warner to get around to paying me a visit.

And of course I can always go out into the nearest starbucks etc. Do they charge you to tap into their wireless network? I've never done that before. The local Starbucks looks like a nice place to hang out with my ancient Thinkpad running Win 98.

Rest Hour

A recently passed law in New York has made it legal to rest on stair railings in the subway. The city council has called this law the Real Rail Rest Regulation (RRRR), and as you can see New Yorkers are enjoying the benefits. Opponents of the RRRR argued that resting on railings would be dangerous. In their railing tests, at least five people were injured when they fell asleep, slipped off and were trampled on.

The MTA regulation states:

"In the event that you need to use a railing as you walk up or down stairs and a restee is on said railing - you should ask the restee to leave the railing. If they refuse to leave said railing you are entitled to strike them with hands, canes, or other objects until they move. It is also permissable to apply a small amount of lubricant to the railing. (See section 4.56.7 regarding how much lubricant is acceptable.)"

Also, to safeguard the restee, the MTA offers a physical test where an incline machine tests applicants at various inclination degrees and awards badges with the degree of allowed inclination.

If you are so inclined to take advantage of this new service - contact the Inclination Department of the MTA.

On 2nd, 2002

errors

Moving Walkway, Paris

Darlene from Indiana wrote:
"My biggest question is this; when you photograph people do you first ask their permission? Has anyone ever become angry with you for taking their picture?"

This is the most common question I get asked: do you ask for people's permission?

No. It isn't possible. As soon as you ask permission - you have changed the picture. People may say that it's okay to take their picture but they will pose, make faces, and be on guard as far as how they will be portrayed.

You usually can't ask permission afterwards either as most of the time you don't even know if you are going to use the photograph - or how it turned out.

A couple of points:

It's easier for a woman to point the camera at a stranger than a man. The woman is usally less threatening.

The photographs can be taken either by putting the camera to your eye and snapping at the right moment when the subject isn't aware; or shot from the hip where you try and guess about what you are going to get. You need a lot of patience to do this sort of work because you will fail to get something good most of the time. For every image of people you see on my site, there may be a thousand other shots that were never posted. Maybe more.

It is also the least financially rewarding (money) form of photography because 99% of people would rather have a shot of a beautiful sunset then some scene on the subway or wherever.

You need to be very comfortable in the scene that you're shooting; i.e. your intentions need to be "good." If you are nervous - somehow that will be perceived when the subject realizes that you've just taken their shot - so you need to be prepared to smile, and talk with whoever after the shot. In fact, it's not a bad idea to have a business card on you and tell the person that if their shot does turn out well they can see it on your site...

In all the years I've been doing this I have never had any one get really angry. But it could happen. And as I say - it has to do with knowing and being a part of the community - even if that is New York. If I were to go to Indiana and try the same thing - I would probably get into trouble because I would be a stranger there. In other words - the very best place to practice this technique is in your own neck of the woods. If you come to NY and do this - you will be spotted as an outsider and could get into trouble.

Although if you arrive in New York as a tourist - maybe that could be an advantage as well. I'm not sure. Almost all my Paris shots were taken during the course of a one week visit to Paris. In some ways that may have made me feel "safer" since I actually was just another American tourist.

[Note the photograph taken above was shot with a 21mm lens. The second I shot this the guy in front of me turned and the guy with the girl turned around and gave me the usual what the heck are you doing stare. I wish that my shutter speed had been lower because in that instant I thought it would be good if I could blur the surroundings and keep the subjects sharp. There is a little bit of that effect in the shot, but not as much as I wanted.]

Hope that's helpful to you --



Oh, one more thing - if you are planning to come to NY - it doesn't matter anymore what you are shooting you will at some point run up against security. Don't get into anything with them as they are just doing their job. Of course their job is often an insane one - but so be it. If you don't want to be bothered by security head off to some area where the banks aren't lined with marble.

Hubcap on Bridge

2003 (One of the bridges that crosses over from the Bronx to Washington Heights)

View From My Window

My old window on East 7th street.

101 Careers

At my doorstep on 83rd street. On the first roll I shot with the Hexar. Got to be 10 years ago.

And I notice as I go through negatives that I'm fascinated by juxtapositions of words and conditions.



Man with White Sunglasses.

I could do a series with people with books in their hand.

Mausoleum, Woodlawn Cemetery

Well that's the thing about life - it is fleeting. No way around it. But if we can't be here forever - then maybe we can hire an artist to build something that will last longer than we did. That is part of the artistic impulse as well - to create objects that will outlive us.

Bronx View

1982

bx analysis

The thing is - as I'm going through all this negative scanning - I'm starting to analyze what I was doing and why. Why did I like a particular angle. I see framing patterns forming across all the photos. The "overview" perspective is all over the place, going back to when I was 15 years old.

Then, I notice that I seem to like shots where almost nothing is happening.

A train is coming into the station - what am I thinking? Why do I care? But the train is pulling in slowly - and it won't be blurred - and there's a guy looking out the window in the front car. I used to do that all the time. Favorite car: first car with a good clean window.

But at one point to shoot? I want to cram the view of Burnside Avenue in. But I want some decent angle on the guy at the window... click.

I'm looking at negatives going back 30 years or more. I don't see much difference in terms of subject matter, framing, or ideas. The only thing that changed was technique - but not ideas.

This morning I had the car for a while. I started the engine without knowing where I was headed.

So where do I end up? The Bronx. Grand Concourse. Hey, they actually opened the Paradise Theater again. Cool. But what an ugly paint job they did on it. The colors are awful.

But there I go like a salmon to the Grand Concourse.

I afraid I'm doomed (or blessed, depending on my mood) to shoot the past over and over.


Apartment 1E, 2004

Flickr

I've been setting up galleries on Flickr. Wow - that is some big community they've got up there. The first thing I was wondering was - yikes - how much disk space do they use? Must be football fields of servers. Anyway - the organizing interface is wonderful. A lot easier to add and remove things from than my own gallery system.

Here's the link to my stuff on Flickr.

Mosholu Parkway Station

Woodlawn Mausoleum

Still on my tour of Woodlawn Cemetery pictures. I'll be darned if some of these mausoleum's aren't bigger than my apartment. That strikes me as unfair. What is the point of the contemporary mausoleum anyway? It's not like the olden days where the dead king needed room to take his stuff with him. Now we know you can't take it with you.

Besides being rather grand - what is equally annoying is that most of the mausoleums are designed by artists! Artists for the dead. That must be pretty steady work.

Willow, Woodlawn Cemetery

Night Ship

The film is Kodak Safety Film 5063 which I think is Tri-x but I don't know the date.

Trinity

Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx 2002

Workin' my way through my Bronx archives. I do wonder sometimes what the real purpose of this and other blogs is? Is it pure ego? If I had enough money would I still be - and then it struck me that the original purpose of this blog anyway - was to try and attract an audience by sharing the "photography" process so that people would remember the site and hopefully buy something someday. So this was a commercial idea from the beginning. Whether that worked or not - hard to say.

Of course since 1999 when I began writing what I then called a journal - the number of photoblogs has mushroomed. So it's really not a novel idea now. Were there even blogs in 1999? I mean blog software?

I guess that video blogs, and podcasts are the latest and greatest way to be published and not seen. The melting point is being reached when my 82 year old dad and my 4 year old niece are bloggin'. (Okay, she's not four, she's five.)

But when you reach the point where every human being on earth over the age of (fill in the blank) has a blog... I just wonder -

What does it mean when that diary that you used to hide under the bed is now public. Do we have less secrets?

There have been stories about job seekers who have not gotten jobs because of their blogs.

"I'm sorry, sir. But even though your resume and qualifications are fine - we see that on June 23rd, you stole two bottles of beer from the local bodega. How do we know? You wrote about it in blogger, sir. And since we are a brewery, well you see sir..."

But will there be other unforseen consequences of world-blogdom? One thing I wonder about is the usual blog format of last entry first or in computer gibberish: LIFO (Last In First Out).

When an ongoing story is told now - you have to scroll down to the bottom and work your way to the top. But no one does that - I think they read the story backwards, from top to bottom, in reverse order, one chunck at a time. Will they have to start printing books backwards: Last Chapter First - First Chapter Last.

Will there be a new reading disorder: BS (Blogger Syndrome).

I guess we'll have to just see and wait, uh wait and see.

Boy's Grave

Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx 2002

Crossing Cross Bronx Expressway

Fire Doors

Tremont Avenue, Bronx New York

Bronx House of Detention

Flea Market

6th Avenue, 25th street. 1999.

Auto Graveyard

Bronx - near the Bruckner Expressway.

Snowstorm, Central Park

I always did like this overpass. This is looking towards Turtle Pond (on the left).