Some Color

Woman With Hat, Subway






Cat in Window, Brooklyn

The cat in window shot is a beautiful print. One of the first color shots that I enjoy looking at. I haven't figured out with color why the web image looks more saturated than when I'm working in the Adobe RGB colorspace; and the print on silver rag is very close to what I see in PS on the screen. The web shot seems to be closer to the PS screen when I convert it to sRGB with Perceptual Intent set. But what's usually the hardest part - going from PS Screen to print - that was pretty easy. I set the printer driver to Adobe RGB; print options in PS set to Adobe RGB. Seems too easy.

Also - at least at this point, when you see a color shot, you can assume it has been heavily "fixed." This one is more like a painting in the sense that almost each section has the color / saturation / and exposure that I want - or think I want at the time. I should post the un-photoshopped version but oh - I don't think at this point I should be explaining color manipulation (since I hardly understand it myself). Although I suppose that hasn't stopped anyone before.

Another Book

Fastback.com really does seem to offer the best quality and best choices and they are serious about bookmaking in the sense that they tell you not to use JPGs and to use TIFFs instead and they give you all the info you need as far as color profiles, calibration etc. to use. In short, they do it the way it should be done. They offer the nice "butterfly flap" on the softcover which I like. And they've got a small gallery / office in NY. Only problem - pricing. What else.

Here's a link to the sample pricing.

So if I make a hardcover with 40 images and some text pages, cover, dust jacket etc. and it costs me $125 to make. What in the world am I going to do with it? Pass it around at parties?

Just as a note - in going through all the reviews - the most horror stories were about MyPublisher.com

* * *

Snapfish:
File this under the category of "I'll give it a try."

Eugene sent me an email with some new stuff that Snapfish was doing bookwise. I logged in and I put together a book called, Central Park - in about an hour. I gave them 300 dpi rgb jpgs saved at max. res., and hope for the best.

It costs about $20 for hardcover book with 20 pages. 9 x 11 landscape. The program for uploading, and placing the images was straight-forward.

I have absolutely no idea whether this book will be as crappy as the Lulu b&w book I did, but even if it is - it will be crappy in hardcover (smiley face).

They charged me NY Sales Tax. And shipping was - well put it this way, it began as $20 and ended up as $29 for the book. I need to see if there's a way for someone else to buy it from their site at a markup - but I don't think there is.

There is a 25% discount if you order more than one.

Oh, one more thing. They say they will ship within 2-3 business days. If true, that is amazing.

* * *
That is amazing. Book has been shipped. (2 days to produce).

Landscape Screensaver

Right-click on image, save link as, to download.

BeckermanLandscapes.exe (5MB)

Free. New Screensaver (39 New York Landscape Images). Self install. You can add your own music playlist if you like.

No adware, spyware, or nagware. Just 39 images.

Windows only.

(I wanted to do one for the Mac as well - but the cross platform screensaver creators were very expensive. This was made with Screensaver Factory 4.)

I wanted to add music - but I don't know - because that was really increasing the size of the file. And you can pick your own music to play with this thing when you set it up.

I've done a bunch of screensavers - years ago - and they were downloaded by the thousands. Especially after they were picked up by the screensaver sites. As a marketing idea - the screensaver is a good one - similar to having your name stamped on pens.

Anyway - this is the best one I've done.

Grand Central Interior 2

Been looking through the 4 x 5 stuff for a good Grand Central shot. I think this is it.

Kingsbridge Armory

Bronx, New York (4 train station)

Most Annoying

The Female Version:
A woman with her child is waiting on line to get onto something - is it the playground or a bus - I don't remember. But another mom with her kid cuts the line. There's a brief exchange and the first hapless mom utterly defeated - she's just lost all her dignity. Hapless mom sees and ad for a Hummer and in a couple of quick cuts she sells her mini-van buys a Hummer and is happily cruising away. The graphic says: Get Your Girl On - and the song in the background is strong and powerful, though the lyrics say something about "I put it in the pot..." which I don't get. Probably I'm in the wrong generation to get it.

The Male Version:
Man is standing on line in grocery. His grocery items are all modern wimp man stuff like Tofu, carrots and the cashier has to swipe his Tofu a couple of times. Behind him on line is a "real" man who has various types of meat - ribs, steak, and gives the Tofu guy a strange smile. Tofu guy - feeling unmanly - also sees an ad for the Hummer and after another couple of deft cuts he's happily moving down the road in his new fortress.

Ads for big ticket items like a Hummer aren't just made up on the spot. There are tons of focus groups; and long meetings where each detail is examined. So the blatent message of the ad: if you feel like other people are stepping all over you and you are powerless in these little exchanges between peers - then buy a hummer. Buy it for the power it represents. It is the magic suit of armor you've been dreaming about at night.

Now - when I was a kid, there was always an ad in the back of comic books where there'd be a little runt that got sand kicked in his face by the big bully. I think the ad was for the Charles Atlas method of bodybuilding.

I thought those ads made sense. Someone made you feel insecure - here was how you could build up your body so you could defend yourself. And here is the same idea - in highly polished, carefully conceived million dollar ads - saying that if someone kicks sand in your face, just go out and buy a big car.

FDR & East River

From an old 4 x 5 neg (1993).

my retrospective

I've covered most of the interesting shots from the past 15 years. I learned a couple of things from this review:

a) That Delta 400 film was bad news. It is a skinny negative and hard to get into the medium format film carrier without all sorts of cursing. If under-exposed, it looks absolutely awful. The early rolls (when the film first came out) - all turned purple. And it is definitely grainier than other 400 films.

b) Cameras: Whether you've shot it with a 4 x 5, or a 35mm - if you didn't "get the shot" it doesn't matter what you shot it with. And for me the odds of "getting the shot" are increased exponetionally with a 35mm camera.

c) Especially in the beginning, I shot the same things so many times it's nauseating to look at. For example, I had a fixation with photographing a group of people crossing the street towards me. I knew what I wanted, but I never got it. About ten people crossing, about 15 feet away - all doing something interesting, and none of them noticing the camera. I don't know what put that idea in my head but I must have about 1000 shots with this premise - all of them boring.

These fixed ideas are all over the place. Sometimes they eventually pay off with one good shot and then I never go through it again. But flipping through sheets of negatives I hear myself saying - oh man - not that idea again! On the other hand - I guess that any sort of art is mostly about some obsession, otherwise, why bother?

d) Of all the cameras that I used over the years - the only camera that did not give me one good shot was the Pentax 645 which I used for about six months. I have no idea why. I got more shots with the Pentax 67 than the 645.

Now it's back to making some new negatives.

Marathon, 59th St. Bridge

books

Man, I should've thought of that. This morning I was watching the news when a couple came on to plug their new book: The Bridges of Central Park. (Sounds like the Bridges of Madison Avenue). There on the cover is the Bow Bridge and the book is comprised of historical and current shots of the various Central Park Bridges. The twist is to show historical pictures of the bridges, then how they are today - and fill it in with some historical info. Available in bookstores tomorrow.

I can just see myself being interviewed:

Host: What a great idea! When did you first decide to do this book on the Bronx?

Me: It was back in the 90's, actually.

Host: The 90's! Let me just remind you that it's now 2025! Are you saying that you've been working on this book for over 35 years?

Me: Book? Can you repeat that question?

Host: (Slowly) Are you saying that --

Me: Oh, yes, I remember! Yes! It's taken me a long time. But actually I only worked on the book for a year or two taking the photographs. The rest of the time was spent figuring out the order of the pictures!

Host: You're kiddin'? Right?

Me: Every few months I would take the pictures out and re-arrange them. But I was never happy with the order.

Host: Amazing! Are you happy with the order of the prints now?

Me: Mostly... (reaches for glass of water and takes long gulp - some dribbling and some of it gets on the book in my lap). Do you have a shmata, Miss?

Playtime

Grand Central Interior

An old '4x5' negative. I know the time will come when people will ask: "negative? what's that?"
It may be here already. And then the long explanation that will end up with something like: "oh, it's like one of my new mega-square cards, dude. i didn't know you had so many pixels back then. that is awesome!"

Amongst Us!

Yes - the camera is on the ground. (Seemed like a good perspective at the time). It reminds me of a cheap sci-fi movie from the 50's. But it's New Years Eve, 2004 in New York.

[The more I look at this, the more I like it. I don't like my title though. I think I'm going to keep it as the top post in the blog until someone can give this a fitting name.]

Radio City Music Hall, 2004

Doughnut Shop, 2001

we don't need no stinkin' photographers

"Fujifilm says that the S6000fd can give precedence to the faces in an image, ensuring that they come out looking crisp and well lighted. The camera can pick out up to 10 faces in a scene and is not thrown off by eyeglasses. " From today's NY Times

I think that's more faces than I can pick out in a scene. Now, all they have to do is figure out which face has the most dramatic look, which can be done by programming the camera for Happy Photography, Depressed Photography, Ironic Photography etc.

Meanwhile, Kodak, Sony and Apple Computers have combined to create a new technology called, Master Photography Program (MPP). Although not officially announced yet - the rumor is that MPP will be emulate a number of well known photographers. So far, from what I've heard they have Ansel and Edward Weston programs and more are on the way.

european vacation (1994)

Church Interior, Paris

If I do put this up for sale, first question will be: Which Church is it?

It would be nice if I knew but how do people do it when they come back with thousands of negatives - or captures - and ten years later they can tell you the name of the Church. At any rate I'll just say "a rose by any other name would still smell..." or something like that.


Paris, Park

But let's take a little time to visit the country that American's love so much. My time in Paris was heaven. I lived for two weeks in a tiny room in Pigalle? section - or wherever the cheap rooms were. I had a hot plate and bought my own stuff at the local bodega - and cooked in my room. I had one meal in a restaurant. I'm sure I missed most of the tourist hot spots. I would just walk out of the hotel and just like in NYC I'd wander around.

The morning light in Paris is special. Sometimes, usually around the beginning of Fall in New York when there is that nip in the air and a light mist - I feel like I'm back in Paris.

Bronx Mural / Grand Central 2006

Bethel, Bronen's

i'm on webster ave. have managed to track down the old music store where i used to rent my trombone. bronen's used to be near Fordham but they've moved a few times. Bronens (since 1915) is boarded up. On the corner to my left, standing in front of a bodega are six teenagers - black - wearing white tee-shirts and white rags on their heads.

I'm sitting in my sister's black toyota. As I step from the car wtih the m3 around my neck I see them sizing me up. Not out of corners of eyes - but straight glare. Straight glare means - what the f--k am I doin' here.

I don't care and don't return the stare. The cat spit up hairballs at 3 a.m. and kept me up for hours - so I'm just as irritable as they seem to be.

As camera comes to my eye to photograph the old store, two teenagers approach from both sides and they're on cells. I swear they're talkin' to each other.

I would like to be able to explain that I don't care about them - I'm just an old white guy that's come over to photograph the place where he rented instruments as a kid. It brings back memories of my mother. My mother was a real musician - piano and later cello. I used to go with her to pick up the cello.

One of the teenagers stops in front of me and says in a friendly way: just don't take pictures of us.

Me: Oh, no problem. I'm just photographing the music store.

Him: Music store?? Man that place been shut for years. It's a real shame. I used to get my horn there.

Me: I used to play the trombone when I was a kid --

Him: Oh, man - the trombone! That sucks!

Me: I hated it. I always wanted to play the trumpet. I used to live around here, y'know. Up on University.

Him: Man - musta been a long time ago.

Me: Yeah, like 45 years!

Him: Cool. Listen - just watch yourself around here - lot's of shit goin' on.

Me: Thanks. I'll be out of here in a second or so.

Him: OK. Too bad about Bronen's. I used to like that place a lot.

fixing the M3

I am having trouble with the M3 with slower shutter speeds. I noticed it first when I was shooting the infrared stuff - but now I see an uneven curtain pull at speeds of 1/60th or slower - sometimes. Anyway the camera needs a thorough going-over.

Any advice as far as a repair shop for old Leicas? I guess I'd sort of prefer if they were in NYC and I could drop it off and pick it up when ready.

The other thing - the M3 will not focus as close as modern Leica lenses are able to focus. I think this can also be fixed by a repair person.

Boy on Rock, 2006

Corner, Brooklyn

Down under the Manhattan Bridge area. Couple of days ago.

Bronx Mural, 2006

The Kiss, 2006

The park under the Brooklyn Bridge a few days ago.

What I'm Listening To...

While Four Rolls of Film Dry...

There are two or three shots that I can't wait to see...

The summer is always the slowest shooting time for me. I don't like the light. I don't like the heat. Man - I can't even hit the 68F water temp unless I keep some in the fridge. Oh - I know you can do it at 70F or 75F - but once I get a formula I like - not gonna change. Superstitious that way...

Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin' up, we struggle and we scrape
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
- Dylan, Mississippi

Eye

Untitled

Climbing Stairway

Two Shoes

Whenever I see abandoned shoes in the city, I wonder who left them and how they got there. Sometimes, they just seem to have been perfectly placed. Other times just dropped in a random way on the sidewalk.

What's Wrong?

This was shot from the window where I used to work facing east across sixth avenue (between 21st & 22nd street).

It hasn't been doctored in photoshop.

a) What's wrong with this picture.

ANSWER: THE CARS ARE MOVING THE WRONG WAY ON SIXTH AVENUE. SIXTH AVENUE RUNS UPTOWN. THE CARS ARE MOVING DOWNTOWN.

b) What could the reason be?

CLUE: THE FIRST THREE CARS ARE ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER. You can clearly see the bar attaching the first and 2nd cars. The link between the 2nd and third cars is less visible but it's there.

AND THE FINAL CLUE IS: SAMUEL L. JACKSON

YES:
Die Hard: With a Vengeance They did at least one big car crash / explosion on 6th Avenue. The film came out in 1995, so figure this was shot around then. I waited for a while on 6th avenue with my Hexar, for the explosion but they kept having glitches and calling it off. Finally I had to get in to work so I went up to the 4th Floor, and there was a window that you could actually open - leaned out and shot this as the cars were moving DOWN sixth avenue. When I first saw the negative the other day - I was just wondering about the odd configuration of the cars. When I looked closer, I saw the bar and chain holding the first cars together and remembered the movie shot that day.

Blizzard, Park Avenue

(Date Unknown)

Church in Parking Lot

I was always tempted to call this, Church of the Holy Parking Lot. But now looking back on where I was standing (WTC Plaza) when I took it - it doesn't seem that funny. The longer I photograph, the more temporary everything becomes.

Photography is good at grabbing these scenes for posperity. What struck me as an odd juxtaposition years ago - turns out to also be a record, in this case of a scene that was blown away in an instant.



(Detail from one of the signs).

I shot this on a tripod with the EOS 50mm f1.4. You can easily read all the parking rates, and even the make of the air-conditioner sticking out of the back of the church. The monthly charge for cars was $329.81 plus: 18.25% city and parking tax. (And this was with the rather grainy Delta 400 film). I don't think the 50mm f1/4 was their cheapest lens - but it surely was one of their best.

Two Chefs

Early shot of the Metropolitan, with Canonet on tripod at dusk. This is the Egyptian Room. In 15 years since this shot was taken, I've never seen a catered affair at night in this spot.

Weber

Matt Weber's next show will be at: the Pierre Menard Gallery in Cambridge. I put this in the blog because he's a friend and a talented photographer. "Talented photographer" is a banal phrase but it's the best I can do right now.

Looking for Seat

I've been having problems with my scanner lately. I've been scanning in straight street shots but they keep coming out with these surreal patterns. I called Lester to come over and fix it but he said there was nothing wrong with it and the picture looked correct to him.

Fifth Avenue Escalator

This actually began as another homage to Feininger, but I couldn't leave well enough alone.

Memphis Man

Okay - the backstory: this was on the corner of 23rd and 6th. Used to be a parking lot there.

I often stop to talk to street musicians before photographing them. I asked him where he was from and he told me Memphis. He had that hard Muddy Waters sound. I asked if he could play Crossroads and he paused for a second (this shot) and then began to play the Johnson Crossroads. I stopped and listened without taking any other shots. He was the real thing. I gave him a few dollars, walked on to work, and never saw him again.

3rd Ave. Reflection 2005

Rockefeller Center

I did a 16 x 20 of this one yesterday. Beautiful. I read that they opened the Top of The Rock restaurant (or whatever it's called). I want to visit.

8:26

I love the hands coming out to hold what I guess is a torch - not really sure what it is (above the clock). Madison? Lex? Midtown.

etc.

I'll be matting and packaging all day and then I should be caught up. After that a couple of choices:

a) go out and force myself to shoot

b) watch the DVD of I Robot which I swiped from my sister's house yesterday and plan to return without her knowing (I need a caper once in a while)

c) Go back to - or start - workin' on the freakin' book which I've been too busy to deal with

d) None of the above. (This last choice has the most appeal for me. It involves a reclined position where I stare blankly at the ceiling fan trying to calculate how many times per minute it revolves before falling into a deep sleep.)

This entry is tagged as "blog drool."

Untitled

Dave Gets Banned

From:	FlickrHQ
Subject:	You have been removed from the [ Group ]
	Hi there... This is a note to let you know you've been removed from the group. (Being removed from a group isn't permanent. You can join again later if you want.) Note: This message has been sent to you by FlickHQ on behalf of the group. If you want further clarification about why you were removed, you'll need to follow up with a group administrator, because FlickrHQ has no say in an individual Group's administration.

Now that was exciting because I've never actually been kicked out of a group before. This is just a virtual group - so I guess it's not the same as being kicked out of a real group. But still --

So what did I do to the Flickr group? Did I say something wrong or something? (Tom Waits) The group is private and although there is a link to ask the administrator for an explanation when I click on it I'm told that I don't have rights to view the group or find out the rules of the group. Since it is a PRIVATE GROUP I can't even find it. So how did I get into the group in the first place - someone invited me. (Guess that was a mistake).

Since I haven't posted anything to the group in about two weeks - I can't imagine what I did to deserve being banished - but I have to say - it's a great feeling. Rebel without a cause and all that. If you haven't been banned from a group - you don't know what you're missing. In fact - it was so exhilirating that I may join up with more groups just so that I can enjoy the feeling of being kicked out.

Homage

Okay photogs - what photographer was I (emulating, ripping off, copying, doing an homage to).

* * *

The answer - maybe - is that you are all winners and that I'm the mixed up one. Andreas Feininger did a famous shot (seen here) of a person with the camera aligned to give a robotic look. One day, after my eyes were examined, I asked my optometrist if he'd mind sitting behind the eye gizmo for me. And that's what you see here.

At the time I was thinking of a Feininger shot the way I remembered it. But I could have sworn that his shot was also of an optometrist. Now that I go back through Feiningers images I see that I may have transfigured his camera shot into the optometrist shot. Or maybe there is an optometrist shot by Feininger but I can't find it anywhere.

So possibly this is an "inspired by" shot that has some originality of it's own (unless I'm still wrong and Feininger actually did an optometrist shot somewhere). At any rate, that let's you off the hook because according to contest rules if I myself can't even be sure - then certainly you, the contest winner are no longer eligible to buy me Leica lenses.

"No one can do inspired work without genuine interest in his subject and understanding of its characteristics." -Andreas Feininger

"A technically perfect photograph can be the world’s most boring picture." -Andreas Feininger

Metropolitan Museum 5

[From a nice big juicy MF TLR Plus-X neg.]

42nd Street, 1995

Well at least in this shot I can definitely say it was 1995. I'm not sure if you can still walk on the Pershing overpass these days with a tripod without being swarmed on by security. Even back then it was a little iffy as there is a very narrow curb and the cars are zipping around behind you. I remember one leg of the tripod had to be stuck through the railing.

Dog Lit By Welding, 2005

Sprinkler on 6th

Somewhere on 6th Avenue near entrance to Central Park. Seems like a good one to post today since it is sweltering in NYC. 2003

The Bicycle Lesson

Mother Goose

Willis Avenue

When you cross the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx, this is the first building you see.

P.S. Let me know if this is too big (800 px wide).