President with Parrots
10/31/2005
Standing by Markus
Standing by Markus - we both noticed the woman behind us. He did much better with it than I did: check his blog.
10/30/2005
The Cowboy Way
The Cowboy Way
I'm cobbling together a gallery of street events (Political Protest, Mermaid Day, all sorts of parades, Halloween from last year) and came across this shot which I had forgotten about.
Rainy Day Cab 7
Rainy Day Cab, #1
In the cab going down to the ICP. This is the only shot that I like from that day. I've found - over and over - that I don't get decent shots when I'm with other photographers. Shooting takes your full concentration or at least a channel to some inner musings and you can't be chatting (as much as I like to) or worrying about the little social stuff that is always being worked out.
Cab drivers these days are almost all on cell-phones, or chatting with dispatchers. I don't think they know much about what is going on in the back. So - they're no different than the rest of us. I had the iPod stuck in my ears and was blasting Dylan so that I didn't have to listen to the driver talking to someone.
Film to Digital and Back Again
I added a new article entitled, well you can see it above. I was going to entitle it My Year of Living Dangerously, but I settled for Film to Digital Capture and back.
The article is a draft and I'll probably at least spell check it, but I'm interested in what you think in terms of accuracy. Is it my experience only - or is there really some movement back to film for certain types of shooting.
I don't want to disparage digital capture - or get into the "which is better" vein which runs pretty deep. But for black and white prints - using digital capture - as we say in the south, How y'all doin'?
The article is a draft and I'll probably at least spell check it, but I'm interested in what you think in terms of accuracy. Is it my experience only - or is there really some movement back to film for certain types of shooting.
I don't want to disparage digital capture - or get into the "which is better" vein which runs pretty deep. But for black and white prints - using digital capture - as we say in the south, How y'all doin'?
10/29/2005
Halloween Parade
It does seem odd, almost scary - how the various pagan rites co-exist with the modern one-God does it all world. At any rate, philosophy aside - I plan to be at what is probably the most poorly photographed event in New York on Monday.
Went last year - for the first time - and did okay - but what a crush on 6th avenue. Someone passed out in a Blimpies. Two women with baby carriages got into a bumper car rumble. That night, I came home with nightmares. I never liked this so-called holiday. Don't really want to see everyone's dark fantasy on parade. But I go anyway. I stop to gawk at car crashes also. Can you remember when this was a kid's holiday. Not in New York it ain't.
So you've got yer Mermaids Day Parade - fertility and life-affirming (beautiful women) and your Halloween Parade where the dead spirits get their chance to prance about. Boo! The real world is still scarier.
That was one of the main reasons for trying to nail down the ASA 1600 film / developer combo.
I'm going to spend this weekend getting the rest of the orders packaged and ready to ship; and try and clear the decks. Look out below - there's a whole lot of weird gents approaching.
Went last year - for the first time - and did okay - but what a crush on 6th avenue. Someone passed out in a Blimpies. Two women with baby carriages got into a bumper car rumble. That night, I came home with nightmares. I never liked this so-called holiday. Don't really want to see everyone's dark fantasy on parade. But I go anyway. I stop to gawk at car crashes also. Can you remember when this was a kid's holiday. Not in New York it ain't.
So you've got yer Mermaids Day Parade - fertility and life-affirming (beautiful women) and your Halloween Parade where the dead spirits get their chance to prance about. Boo! The real world is still scarier.
That was one of the main reasons for trying to nail down the ASA 1600 film / developer combo.
I'm going to spend this weekend getting the rest of the orders packaged and ready to ship; and try and clear the decks. Look out below - there's a whole lot of weird gents approaching.
10/28/2005
Matt Weber - Shot of Dave
Matt Weber photographs me as I photograph the woman across the way. One of the few recent pictures of myself that I like. One thing I'll tell you - watching Matt shoot - he is damn quick. Thanks Matt.
* * *
I was accepted into a number of affiliate ad programs. The question I pose to you is: what kind of things are photogaphers interested in. Does it all have to be photography related? How boring. Would you like to see ads for iPods? Or gift flowers? Teddy Bears from Vermont? I think that Tylenol would be a big hit.
Blown Apart
I was waiting for my buttered bagel and coffee in the local deli and chatting with the owner who is from Mexico. The conversation had started innocently enough with my complaint that baseball was over and there was nothing left to watch. It took a turn when Rojo told me that I could start watching more political stuff instead. That what was going on in D.C. was like the World Series and he had his radio on all day listening for indictments. And that led to the war in Iraq and he became angry. "What the hell are we doing over there anyway? It doesn't make sense."
He talked about kids he knew who came from Mexico and joined the army to make a better life for themselves. And he insisted, "it was not only for themselves - but they wanted to give something back to their new country. Some of the came with forged green cards just to get in. " Then a long pause, and he continues, "and some of them ended up giving an arm or a leg." He looked angry when he said it.
It was at that point - thinking of this kid from Mexico who had traveled from their home to serve America and who was mutilated - that I had to leave the store because I felt like crying. Very unusual feeling for me. I'm not even sure I cried at my own mothers funeral. And here I am in the deli with tears welling up.
Something in the look he had in his eyes that gave me an overpowering feeling of grief. I took my coffee and bagel and wished him and his wife a good day. I could tell that they saw how sad I was becoming and I had to get out of there.
He talked about kids he knew who came from Mexico and joined the army to make a better life for themselves. And he insisted, "it was not only for themselves - but they wanted to give something back to their new country. Some of the came with forged green cards just to get in. " Then a long pause, and he continues, "and some of them ended up giving an arm or a leg." He looked angry when he said it.
It was at that point - thinking of this kid from Mexico who had traveled from their home to serve America and who was mutilated - that I had to leave the store because I felt like crying. Very unusual feeling for me. I'm not even sure I cried at my own mothers funeral. And here I am in the deli with tears welling up.
Something in the look he had in his eyes that gave me an overpowering feeling of grief. I took my coffee and bagel and wished him and his wife a good day. I could tell that they saw how sad I was becoming and I had to get out of there.
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