Black and White Photography of New York

11/03/2005

Good Night - New York - 2006

G' Night: New York (sounds British - G'Night Governor)

That's going to be the working title of the first calendar: all night shots. And I have pah-lenty to choose from. It's also a good printing test since I (and maybe you dear prospective customer) get to see what the tonal range will be like.

Of course - first problem I ran into was quite a lot of image cropping necessary to hit their 11.25 by 8.75 inch side (decided to start with the smaller size after looking at pricing and also looking on Lulu at what sold best). As far as cropping goes, what I mean is - it seems (and I could be wrong about this) that they want the image to fit the calendar page - i.e. I don't think there is a way to say: this is the image size, it will fit on the paper, just center it even though it's smaller than the page.

Maybe there is a way - not sure yet.

A lot of what I'm going to be futzing with in the beginning will be calendar related (as opposed to book) but it's a good way to get me started and seems like the quickest thing for me to produce.

G'Night New York - Calendar of Black and White Photography of the city that never sleeps unless forced to.

Reminds me of a story. When my father first came to NYC from Cleveland Ohio (he was about 12 at the time); he said he couldn't get over the fact that there were people and cars out at night.

This was around 1935. He said he never got over that. Years later, in his seventies then - we were driving through Manhattan at 4 a.m. - and he looked around and saw lots of cars and said again - just can't get over the fact that there are this many people doing something at this time of night. Some of those early - he's how it works where I grew up - soul mappings just stay with you forever I guess.

Lying in bed, I heard a tremendous booming sound. My windows shook. Wondered if it was an explosion or just something falling off a truck. Could be those pesky terrorists again. Well, probably not. I'll find out what it was in the morning. Sounds of several police sirens. A bit of walkie-talkie chatter. And like that - as if they had put on the sounds of the forrest CD - I'm sound asleep.

And waking up - well let's just say that when you flip the t.v. or radio on - you will surely be greeted by the announcement that some tractor-trailer has jack-knifed on some important artery; usually in the early morning. You know that it jack-knifed at an important exit or entrance ramp since those are the only locations worth reporting. For all I know they're doing a jack-knife dance throughout the highways of America. And the only thing that does pique the interest is: what kind of truck jack-knifed.

"Good morning, New York. Seems that a tractor-trailer has carrying ketchup in glass bottles has overturned on the exit ramp of the G.W. Bridge. Traffic is stalled for miles, and some of the ketchup has poured into the Hudson River. The E.P.A. is on the scene, as well as cleanup crews."

OR

"Good morning, New York. A truck jack-knifed this morning on the entrance ramp (fill in the blank) of the New Jersey turnpike. The truck was carrying containers of ball-bearings. Clean-up crews have been slipping and sliding all morning. We interviewed one driver who was behind the truck when the ball-bearings tumbled out - and he told us it weren't a problem since his car just speeded ahead faster than normal - though he couldn't steer it too good."

G'Night New York.

I always wonder about those tractor-trailers and their equilibrium. They always seem to be jack-knifed and it's always on an entrance or exit ramp where millions of cars need to pass.

iViewMedia Pro Vers. 3

iViewMediaPro 3 is available - and I upgraded from vers. 2.x to 3.0 for $99. I've installed it but haven't done anything with it yet. Reason for upgrading: to be honest, MediaPro is control center for just about everything I do, from launching files in Photoshop to creating the photo galleries. And I noticed that they've improved (added functionality) to gallery creation process including direct FTP so I won't have to go into some 3rd party app to do that; and a couple of other features I wanted as far as searching goes, and - smart as they are they said that this upgrade price was only good until November something or other which gave me the extra push.

As soon as I get a chance, I want to see how it works with the old catalogs I have, i.e. do I need to create this stuff again (category sets, custom fields etc.); or can I import or merge or upgrade the old catalog structure. Will find out soon.

Calendar and Zen Hotdogs

I went through the business with Lulu of creating a calendar yesterday - just a quick run through only uploading one image - but it does seem pretty straight forward. Now - what to call it and what images to select?

It's tempting to just put images that relate to the season as a first go round:

I sort of wanted to call it: A Season In Hell (Rimbaud) but thought better of it. Though that might be the second calendar. I also ordered someone's b&w calendar so I could see what it looks like (which was stupid since I could have made my own and ordered it).

Of course they've got two types: premium and regular (gas pump analogy) and I'm going full hog for the premium one first. Might as well start at the to and work my way down.

You get into the usual funk about what to call it, but at least you've only got 12 images to select assuming that you use one of the monthly images for the cover.

Look - at some point - after I reach a quarter of a million page views per month (which will be soon) without making money - I'm going to get myself a nice hot-dog stand in Central Park - and hang my pictures or books or calendars from the awning. And if anyone asks about buying one - I'm going to say - oh well - you see they're not for sale anymore. I've become a Zen hot-dog vendor. I will concentrate fully on the making of your hotdog. Do you wish mustard on that?

What, hotdog vendor - you can't make any more? Not for sale!

No, sir. You see these hotdogs, sir. Each one is made with the same rapt attention that I once put into images. However, these sell better. Go ahead, try one. Come back soon.

I digress - so calendar names. Should be easy enough:

NEW YORK - 2006 - Central Park Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - People Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - A Season in Hell (Photographer's Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Papaya King (Gourmand Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Pet Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - The Winter Edition - just people suffering in the snow

Now I'm not sure about this - legally - but you might be able to use a line from a popular song for captions - and maybe the lawyers out there would know - just one line per picture. Something from Dylan would be first of course: "I'm walkin' down streets with no names..."

Stuff like that. It's endless. Let's see what I come up with. It is one of the pleasures of all this - how you have to keep coming up with ideas to stay afloat - and that some of those ideas are exciting. I think I first learned photography by studying a very good quality Ansel Adams calendar.

Sometimes - it feels like you're standing still, not making any forward progress - only to discover when you look back that you were in fact speeding along at the time.

11/02/2005

Corner, New York 2005

Corner, New York 2005

(I'll try the simple meaningless title for this shot).

Matt - ICP

Matt - International Center for Photography

8/27/2002 (Old Blog Entry)

I've been going through the old blog, cleaning it up so it's readable and came across my thoughts on 8/27/02. Here they are - unedited:

"On the political front -- it really feels like the U.S. is going to launch a "pre-emptive" attack on Iraq, and it feels like it will happen in the next month or two. A pre-emptive strike is pretty tricky wording for what used to be called a "first strike" and it is something that I cannot remember the U.S. doing before -- although I admit my knowledge of American history is limited. On the other hand, you could say that unofficially, the U.S. is already at war with Iraq -- and has been since the Gulf War. There is a blockade -- and air-space is controlled by the U.S. Not to sound like Hamlet -- but the arguments pro and con both have some validity. The "con" side suggests that:

a) By attacking you risk starting a nuclear strike by Israel if Iraq, hoping to bring other Arab countries into the war, hits Israel with chemical weapons.

b) You supposidly want the help of the Arab countries in the "war against terrorism" and this will only cause more hatred of the U.S. and more terrorist strikes.

c) No connection between 9/11 and Iraq has been shown.

d) Iraq has not been an aggressor against the U.S.

e) This will be a much tougher (more bloody) war than the Gulf War. You cannot take over Iraq without bloody house to house, urban fighting. Many civilians will be killed, and it will not be an air war.

f) The U.S. will then be involved in propping up whatever government they set up for years to come.

g) There is no alliance of European countries as in the Gulf War. This will basically be a unilateral attack.

On the Pro side:

a) Iraq is in violation of the U.N. settlement that was agreed to after the Gulf War because they will not allow American inspectors.

b) Iraq is close to attaining nuclear weapons (this was the V.P.'s major argument recently). Once they get them, it will be too late.

c) Sadam has used Weapons of Mass Destruction against his own people (The Kurds).

d) Sadam has terrorist training camps set up.

e) And this is the main idea -- it is only a matter of time before Iraq attacks either Israel or the U.S. and rather than wait for them to get more powerful, they must be taken out now.

f) All those people who said that we'd get bogged down in Afghanastan -- that it would be a bloody war -- were wrong -- and the same people who are saying this about Iraq are wrong as well.

g) Comparisons are made with Neville Chamberlin (sp?) and the treaties he signed with Hitler, which proved worthless, and just gave Hitler more time to get stronger.

What I wonder -- is what support for this war would be if:

a) A draft was started, with no college deferments.

b) Thousands of American soldiers were killed.

c) American civilians were put at risk, and killed and it was linked to a retaliation by Iraq.

If that did happen -- then the first reaction would obviously be revenge.

In short -- are the potential gains -- worth the risks? Right now, I'd say no. The case has not been made."

11/01/2005

Girl, Pizza Place

Girl, Pizza Place

I remember this day because the owner was somewhat upset that I was taking pictures of the pizza place. And nothing I could do to assuage him. Oh well. Maybe I should bring him this print.

The Male Camera

I skipped the Halloween Parade to continue working on making the site more profitable (business before pleasure) but I managed to write a new bit called, The Male Camera.

The Male Camera

As I contemplated the awful chore of writing mini-reviews for the photography-related vendors I use, I thought first about B&H Photo (the Superstore).

My relationship with them goes back to when they were on 17th street? There was a point when they had two stores: north side of the street was for new equipment and south side for used equipment.

I imagine myself standing in line in that former small store - a line that snaked around and was always getting tangled up in itself - and I can see the camera salesmen behind the counter. I'm peering around at them - trying to remember faces.

Many wear green frocks - the color of B&H's logo. And peering into the faces of these men, it dawns on me that they are men. What I mean is - that all the sales people are men.

Young, middle-aged, old - but male. There's a a hip guy by showing the latest Canon lens. Oh - there's one guy who is still wearing his "shooting vest." Does he think he's on safari?

There's the guy who likes to tell you that every camera you like is flawed. He barely seems able to get himself to sell it to you. According to his reckoning, every photography company that made every piece of equipment would be out of business soon if they didn't get things right next time. He had given them a piece of his mind, but did they listen? No.

I wander further back - looking for saleswomen in that all-male world. Back in to places like Wiloughbys, and 47th Street Photo. Back to Olden Camera which had a lots of floors and a tiny elevator and a realm of dark bins with secret camera parts in it that only the cognoscenti knew about. Back to Camera Barn on Broadway where I bought my first camera thirty something years ago. But there were no saleswomen to conjure up. Not a one.

Is this the way the world is? I only know New York. Are there pro-photography stores with saleswomen? That I don't know.

Part II

Don't get me wrong. It's not photography as a craft that is imbued with maleness - it's the camera itself, and the myriad of attachments that go with it.

Look - do you see that sales guy standing behind the counter? It's true - he once enjoyed shooting very much. Had some talent too. But what gave him a real thrill was owning the best there was and more than that - being able to talk with another guy who could appreciate the beauty of the beast.

He's no different from the guy that knows cars and sells BMWs. He enjoys being around them. He enjoys being the expert. And he can test drive the latest models when they arrive.

When you guys were back in the stone age, don't you remember that fellow - well we didn't have names back then but he sure had a methodology for chipping flint.

Dissolve to:

Salesman: Sir, I see you're interested in the model #42 Havagotcha.

Man: Yes, yes indeed. I'm not sure I can afford it though.

Salesman: That's fine. Why don't you just hold it for a minute. (Hands it to the man). See how it balances in your hand. Why don't you point it at something and press the trigger - mean shutter. This baby can fire 8 shots per second in normal mode, but press that switch - that's right. Now you're in rapid fire burst mode. 24 shots per burst! Yes it is amazing. I can see you appreciate that. What sort of shooting do you do - if I may ask?

Man: Well - you know - mostly shots of the wife and kids but every once in a while I like to try and shoot nature. Deer, fish - that sort of thing. I like flowers a lot also.

Salesman: Well I'll tell you, sir - you won't miss much with this beast. I see you notice the finish. Yes, that's triple-coated, 100% weather-sealed titanium. Did you know it has over 400 gaskets in the weather-proofing system? Yes, 400.

The camera you have in your hand is the same model that went to Everest. I guess that says something about durability. And can you believe it - two of these beasts have been to Mars and back. That's right - NASA uses them.

Man: Wow. I didn't know that - I mean about going to Mars.

Salesman: But I understand - not everyone can afford a piece of equipment like that. But press that button - yes that one. See that green light. Now You're in ultra-tracking mode. This baby can follow-focus an object approaching you at 60 miles per hour.

Man: That is amazing.

Salesman: Of course - you heard about that poor fellow that was run over last week - guess he forgot to duck.

Man: Wrap it up. I'll take it.

Tracking and hunting. The modern camera can do both. What's worse than not being able to track properly. What could be more embarrassing than for a man to admit he's lost.

You wonder why you can't get him to ask directions when he's lost on the way to the latest French restaurant in the burbs.

Asking directions would mean that he's a bad tracker. Bad hunter. Not able to provide French food for the wife and kids.

No - he doesn't need directions - he just needs to get out of the car and put his ear to the highway pavement and listen; or stick his nose out the window and pick up the scent of French food. That's how he'll know where he is.

I am quite sure that when Stanley finally met up with Livingston that he actually told the bearers - you see - knew where he was all along. We were never lost.

Clever name for the Guidance System for cars: NeverLost.

If camera-male is the weapon for tracking and bringing down game, that is: killing something, then the photographer finds himself straddling the creation-destruction cycle: trying to create with an instrument he really wants to destroy with. That can be a problem.

That is an awful dichotomy. How easy to just let it all go and fall back into who has the best spear way.

And so - that's where my first review of photography vendors took me - and why women (assuming they are artists) should, be more creative photographers than men. But that is for the next installment.