No Answer Is Still An Answer

New Work, in the broad sense.

2010-05-11T08:18:00.002-04:00

As both of you know (both being you two who RSS this blog), the frequency with which I've been posting has been low. I think that has had a lot to do with my personal plateau of transmission and digestion of social media and my need to have a voice. Well, my need for a voice has always moved forward, but my need to express that, in this way, has always been conflicted. I think the best gift I could give as a "blogger" is to be more committed to posting genuine, inspired content rather than content for activity's sake. I stand by that. In fact, it points to the rewards of following a site or blog in an automated way, because I don't use up the currency of your interest in my content.

I have no plans to increase my posting regularity, though I am hoping that more posting will come out organically and feel somewhat necessary. Or worth while.

I also think I've felt a dull pressure to subscribe or revolt against photography blog paradigms, and in the end chose to abstain from following forces in any direction. After all, no answer, is, still an answer.

But there are new catalysts in my creative flow, and I think they will help generate more content. They are video, and gaming. These two things have been captivating my attention for a while now, and I'm beginning to find my sea-legs. More than other things I've pursued, I feel less self-conscious about how rudimentary my current efforts are. I've always wanted to present a finished, perfect result. And now I'm not so committed to that, as it's felt like a handicap, rather than a positive trait.

That being said, I'd like to share some interviews I did at the WCG Ultimate Gamer, Season 2, open casting call in NYC. They are limited. Or succinct. I guess that is to say I'd like to go a whole lot further. But what I do feel I accomplished is the beginning of a broader conversation. One that not only affords these pro gamers a space to speak and express beyond sound bytes and stereotypes. But also a space that makes them actually think through the answers. And maybe even change their minds or consider points of view they'd not previously stood behind.

How often do you get to hear a celebrity athlete talk about things that are personal or personally interesting to him? And how many of those are NOT publicity tripe, bootstrap struggles or apologies?

These people want to talk. And I want to nurture that while they're still allowed.

Here are three randomly chosen entries from that day. There are more in the Gamers Album on my Vimeo page that you can click to.

Trevor Housten gives a little background on how and why he plays games. I'm sure if you look in the Birthday book, whatever his birthday is matches the description exactly. I found him to be a fascinating guy, and a complex thinker. I'm looking forward to watching him play and hearing him talk about gameplay in detail.

Shidosha Hodges proves the case for celebrity being about character. Yes, to a degree you're born with it. And very clearly he's adopted the tropes of hyping oneself up without bragging. But there's an evenness in his timber that feels like he believes every bit of way he's laying down for his audience.

Trevor Scanlon makes a reasonable, though contestable argument. There are holes in it, but for the most part, I agree with his take on the magnitude of the audience to narrative ratio.

At this point, I am taking all kinds of notes about what you think is successful or unsuccessful about these pieces. Though I've likely criticized the unsuccessful parts already. I'd love to hear what you would like to see, or see more of in this type of content. This goes doubly for those who are not already interested or familiar with gaming or competitive gaming.

Nyle x Naysayers @ Santos Party House

2010-04-23T11:30:00.003-04:00

WCG: Ultimate Gamer Season 2

2010-04-13T16:14:00.015-04:00

I have a lot to say about competitive gamers, gaming culture and the gaming industry. Perceptions of what is real, what is valuable and what is sellable are obviously subjective. But this weekend, I got a strong confirmation that my perceptions and beliefs are not only valid and evident, but also that they are shared.

World Cyber Games held open call auditions for their second season of Ultimate Gamer this weekend, and I went to shoot some portraits. I was excited to see so many people I already knew. And thrilled to meet even more for the first time. Different than a tournament, this gathering was more like a convention. Many people knew each other already, or had a friend in common. Some even met people they'd only watched, heard about, played against or talked to online. And there was a genuine sweetness to the thrill they got from actually getting to wait around in the same room as someone with in-circuit notoriety.

And yet, these connections were totally accessible. There was no autograph signing. No crowds. Just like minded individuals hanging out. In fact, the great equalizer, is that they all were trying, hoping (some with better chances than others) to make it onto this show. A show that, with all it's debatable shortcomings, or canny networkiness, has the best chance of pinning its thumb down on the beginning of a new era for pro gaming and the gamer-as-celebrity-athlete.

That chance rests less in big name sponsorships and high-profile brand exclusivity than it does in the fostering and presentation of gamers as a community. Not a union, yet. Not a demographic. And certainly not a stereotype. But an intelligent, fun loving and semi-serious group of diverse human beings. Relatable and with personal drive and feelings beneath the base coat of "ass kicking". There are interesting stories there.

Okay, I could go on and on. Please look for upcoming video vignettes that I also shot this weekend. I think they can speak better than I can.

Many thanks to all the excellent people who sat for portraits and interviews this weekend. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

hatperson

shidosha

robskii

rivington

scan

seltzer

royallance

laxkeeno

shift

jorel

paola

kaze angel

stryfe

wizard

paul santoro

phire

hotboy

xyanyde

rip

witwix

rxy

hatperson

commando

RUMPUS VIDEO, COTN

2009-12-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

So it's finally done. And boy, did I do a lot of learning on this one. But I'm pleased with it.

Please enjoy the debut VIDEO for Children of the Night , as well as the debut video for- me. Do I need to come up with a director's pseudonym now?

The Yes Men

2009-12-02T01:53:00.005-05:00

The Yes Men are hard to explain. If you don't already know them, you can check out some of their exploits here. But when I heard they were staging another event, I decided to get involved. And I figured, if I was going to get involved, I'd go whole hog, and show up at my designated meet up point at 4am, rather than waiting it out till later in the morning.

Our task was to hand out newspapers that had compelling information about global warming. The papers happened to look a lot like The New York Post. We ran into a little bit of resistance in front of the Time Warner building. But with a little classic passive resistance and conscientious objection one of my new "delivery buddies", Dakin Hart, gave me a good lesson in a type of activism that I felt like I had missed by decades. That, if nothing else, made the whole day worth it.

And also the fat cat with the pipe who threw away the paper, and then proceeded to try to talk shop with me about my camera.

Dakin Hart

We explained that this was different than the Post he was already carrying. A supplement.

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival

2009-12-02T00:30:00.003-05:00

After my boys Children of the Night qualified at Brooklyn Bodega's "Show and Prove" to perform at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, I decided to join them to document their experience. I saw some of my favorite artists, and made a few new ones as well.

A brother seamus?

Versa and Remy of Children of the Night

Remy, Lansky, Versa of Children of the Night

Chify of The Clown Prince

Tiye Phoenix

Black Thought of the Roots

I named one of my hard drives after him

Pharaohe Monch

Simon Says, "Get the fuck up!"

Make Music NY

2009-11-07T08:23:00.009-05:00

The Make Music NY festival is a one day event with over 800 acts performing at venues all over the Five Boroughs. Some of those venues are street corners, park bandshells, storefronts, and restaurant entryways. It's a really good way to celebrate lesser known acts of nearly every genre and promote NY as community of music supporters. Which they are. It was hard, however, to see all the shows I wanted to see, without my jetpack. But I got a few. Governor's Island, to Ft. Greene, to Eleanor Roosevelt Park, to SoHo, to Tavern on the Green, to the Guggenheim. I met some great people, both fans and performers, and saw some really quality acts. One of the most interesting aspects for me was Punk Island. They booked all the punk shows on one of 12 satellite locations on Governor's Island. The stages were makeshift and immediate. A front porch, a tarp on the lawn near the water, a parking lot a dark archway between two wings of a building. It had this great, raw, "I can make my music anywhere with electricity" vibe that felt more authentic than say an abandoned factory-turned venue.

Some were drunk. Some were crazy. The guy pushing the guitarist was drunk and crazy.

Mike from The Underclassed

Cassis and the Sympathies

Jeffrey Bobrick

There were a lot of shows. Not all of them were packed.

Peek

2009-11-07T00:22:00.006-05:00

This summer I was connected with the folks at Peek to shoot some lifestyle ad content. Peek is a mobile device that supports email, texting and now Twitter, but no phone. It's kind of a genius idea, as a small, light, indestructible and inexpensive way to stay connected, that sidesteps the phone experience including corporate telecom. They let me use one for the week, and it was a lot of fun. It's like a utility vehicle, rugged, sleek and spare in design, and totally utilitarian. It appealled to my capricorn sensibilities.

Sean Risley

2009-11-07T00:15:00.003-05:00

I met Sean on the ferry back from Punk Island. He had been there with a project called That's Not Cool, which educated kids on identity abuse through mobile technology and social media. He had also worked for years on The Truth Campaign, which is a project I've always respected.

As expected, his near full coverage of tattoos is not where the story is. Sean is a really interesting person, whose complex thoughts and histories crystallize at the surface with a calculated attention to style and aesthetics. What I really like about Sean, is that there are no accidents.

COTN/Prophit Show at the Highline

2009-11-07T00:12:00.003-05:00

This is not a comprehensive survey of the strength and energy of the show that night. But for the sake of brevity, I'll present the dynamics of this story.

Prodigy

2009-11-06T23:56:00.005-05:00

Prodigy X is one of the first gamers I started working with in '07. He explained to me then, that he was unlike other Pro Gamers. Whereas they were all striving to be the best at their game, or genre, while he was, "an all-around gamer." It was no surprise to me then, when I saw him on WCG Ultimate Gamer, a reality competition show on the SyFy network, like a Top Chef or Project Runway for gaming. I pitched him this idea that I'd been chewing on for a while about the scene in Pink Floyd's The Wall, after Pink destroys his hotel room, just before he shaves his eyebrows and nipples. A compulsive and psychological moment of clarity where he rejects all the outside influences trying to puppeteer him and the physical detritus accumulated over the years as he's strived to be the artist he wanted to be and the icon they've made him into. There were some gaps, sure, but I felt like this intense focus on the physical to craft some psychological understanding, even if obtuse, was on brand for Prodigy. There are many stars in the world of Pro Gaming celebrity. There are Shaqs and Steve Nash-es, 50s and Snoops, David Lee Roths and Eddie Vedders. Prodigy is more like a Reznor.

CI Prep

2009-11-06T23:55:00.003-05:00

I was recently hired to shoot publicity/marketing shots of a brand new charter school, Coney Island Prep. The school is made up of 90 5th graders and has a lot of philosophical approaches to educating the person, not just the student. In fact, they call them "scholars" rather than students and that's just the beginning. I grew up in the era of Free to Be... You and Me, pod classrooms with no walls, and the TAG program, but the environment at CI Prep is both motivating AND tangible. These scholars are learning about choices and consequences, focus, hard work, and how to satisfy one's need to still be a kid and how to know the kids around you. I have high expectations for these young thinkers.

Big Apple Con Costumes

2009-11-06T23:54:00.003-05:00

When I shot at the NYComicCon in February, with the amazing DDB team(R.I.P.), I started working on a loose thesis about Cons and the costuming experience. In short, Cons, like the convention of Comics themselves, allow us to transfer our favorite parts of ourselves, whether they are prominent traits or not, into a character who is built broadly to represent the favorite parts of ourselves. When the tangible obstacles around you are suspended, in your ideal universe, are you strong? Are you sexy? Are you clever? Which superpower do you possess? How does your alter ego relate to the world around him? This, and not body type or day job is what puts us into the costume we wear. And it's effects are gigantic and little. There IS a difference between a character with long violet tendrils and one with short, spikey hair. Ask the artists who drew them. I went to the Big Apple Con with two agendas, and furthering my study of fans in costume was one of them. From seasoned vets (Superman has 12 different costumes he rotates) to noobs, you costume says something remarkable about you, and the Con is a safe environment to explore those expressions.

Big Apple Con Celebrities

2009-11-06T23:53:00.008-05:00

Still working on a thesis for Celebrities in attendance at the Cons. For now I'll just say that I've met some actors whom I've always respected, and some who I have new respect for. But unlike press junkets, there's an interesting window into the human being that plays an actor that plays roles in movies and tv series'. Tender and tense, giving and guarded and ultimately stripped from the buffer of the screen. To be continued...

Thomas Jane

Rekha Sharma

Alessandra Torresani

COTN Studio

2009-11-06T23:53:00.007-05:00

Sometimes I double dip. I was in studio with Children of the Night, shooting their video for "Rumpus" and thought we should do some portraits while we were there. This picture is the last frame, of the SINGLE roll of film I've shot in '09. It also happens to be one of my favorite shots I've taken of them in the past year.

Alecia Medley, Twilight Eclipse

2009-11-06T15:11:00.015-05:00

I had worked with Alecia on a previous project this summer, and was thrilled by her ability to inject nuance and authenticity into a bigger picture/moment. We were talking about putting together another concept when she mentioned how badly she wanted to be in the third Twilight Movie that will be filming next spring. She had accidentally gotten hooked on the books, and like everyone else, hooked meant obsessed. She felt that her look, style and ability would make her a perfect fit for one of the supporting characters, so I suggested that we shoot some character shots to submit along with her resume. Admittedly, our resources were low, and my grasp of the character was incomplete without having read the books. But we opted to go the long way around. No sfx shots, no scene recreations, just moving through moments as the character. On the surface, there's no real context to build a story. And yet, there's something about these shots, and Alecia's control of the moment that still leave you feeling like you're witnessing a scene from a dream that you haven't put together yet.

It was an other time.

2009-10-14T15:44:00.004-04:00

Dangerous wanted to borrow my Yashica point n' shoot that I used to schlep all over Manhattan when I first moved here. Of course, I had migrated to digital without finishing off the roll. So we shot out the roll, and I took it to get processed. In 2009, that means, developed chemically, and then scanned at way bigger than I'll ever use it. You know, for back up.

So naturally, I was excited to see what was on a roll, sitting dormant since probably 2004. There's a bunch of good stuff, Halloween party, intimate morning portraits, Zip passed out in fetal position on the middle of his floor...

...And Remote Lounge. I only went there once, maybe twice. I remember The Chad telling me how awesome it was (for picking up chicks). But one night, Ron and I were restless, as we tended to be, and decided to pop in. It was probably a Tuesday, and was very empty. We still got to see some boobs. I'm not sure why that didn't make it onto the camera.

But this looks like an old sci-fi B-Movie. I don't know if it's the grain, the control panels, or the turtle necks and Joe Barbershop hair.

tech note: for those interested, this was shot on Fujipress 1600, sat in various household range temperatures, and was processed at +1/2.

This means something. This is important.

2009-09-15T01:22:00.002-04:00

Children Of The Night @ Highline Ballroom

2009-09-11T14:59:00.003-04:00

Children of the Night, killin' it at the Highline. It's funny to watch their evolution. I've been working with them now for near a year, and you can see these little, nuanced differences. Stage presence and blocking, interaction with the audience, the lyrics, the beats. It's moving.

But there's external stuff too. The venues are getting bigger, better. The crowds are getting larger. But also the crowds are getting larger because they're now old enough to get in. It's cool to get to track a progression like this, since we're mostly focused, fixated, on our own effort for evolution. And our stagnation.

They keep pushin. Like the rest of us. But there's no shortage of hustle. Mark my words, you get them in the right hands, in the machine, and they will be big.

Dominoes

2009-08-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

I mean it. Don't look in there.

2009-08-20T08:54:00.002-04:00

How many times do you have to pass something in your normal routine before you want to "collect" it for yourself? This car has been parking in front of my house for months, and I chuckle at the sign each time. But now I wonder what has possessed them to put up this sign? It doesn't seem like the trunk has been molested before. None of the other trunks on the block show signs of forced entry. And doesn't that inspire curiosity? I'd like to shoot a portrait of a cat burglar, having jimmied open this trunk, only to find... nothing. As advertised.

Where are you going, Lee? version 3

2009-08-10T23:16:00.004-04:00

"Yeah, I know. He's been sitting like that for four hours. At least he put the parking break back on."

Where are you going, Lee? version 2

2009-08-03T19:04:00.005-04:00

So, I'd like you to open this link, hit play in your new window, and then come back to this picture.

Where are you going, Lee?

2009-07-24T18:10:00.003-04:00

Or what are you leaving behind?

I'd like to investigate the possible narratives that this image represents. Not in an academic way, where we discuss how cultural and geometric cues point to or indicate the specific ambiguity of...

But my story for today is this:

"I've just set charges in all of the major sewage junctions, and I have about 17 minutes before they go off. Figuring about 44 minutes before anyone who can think identifies what the problem is in the first place. I should be home in time for Cronkite."

Michael Jackson 6p.m.

2009-07-09T07:39:00.001-04:00

The shows must go on?

A.W.O.L.

2009-06-18T10:37:00.008-04:00

It is interesting to consider why we do and don't post something. I have many excuses, but beyond the idea of "busy", how do we sort through the conditions and causality of being an active transmitter? In the past few months, I've totally neglected this blog, dove headfirst into Twitter, receded from that Twitter energy, and all but quit Facebook. In fact, the idea of signing on to Facebook gave me such ire that if it weren't for the Scrabble app, and Brooke Oberwetter's challenge of besting anyone with a higher rating than her, I may still not have been on. But why is this?

Is the thrill gone? Has my increased connectivity to old and new worlds, people and information forced an internal purge? I don't have the answers yet, but here's what I've been doing in the meantime.

Roadtrip: DC to Dallas

turducken

2009-04-20T12:14:00.002-04:00

It's a barbaric process. But undeniably tasty.

This is one of the most random, but memorable experiences I've had with my mom.

Bending Oaks

2009-04-17T16:20:00.003-04:00

Making Lemonade at the Emergency Room

2009-03-25T11:49:00.000-04:00

EWR - BOS; BOS - EWR

2009-03-24T11:03:00.001-04:00

I found light

2009-03-20T13:33:00.001-04:00

Shaqhole

2009-03-19T09:18:00.002-04:00

This image is in honor of Adam's newfound love for Shaq's Twitter feed. Pucker up, buttercup.

The Manhattan Bridge lines

2009-03-16T16:27:00.003-04:00

There are many functional and acceptable reasons why NY doesn't have more elevated trains.

The 7 line runs above ground in Queens. The B and D lines roll down through the belly of Brooklyn.

The F train rolls above ground in Carroll Gardens. Each having a very different view, and tone.

But my line is the Q line. I love it, and for my life and routine, I think it's the best train in the city. Certainly frequency, consistency and cleanliness are major factors in my love for the Q, but the number one reason for me is the Manhattan Bridge traverse.

For about 4-10 minutes, the Q train (as well as the N and B trains) emerges from underneath DUMBO or Chinatown and glides across the bridge. Some days, midday, it's so bright you have to look at the floor. Other days it's so foggy, you can't even see the Brooklyn Bridge. But there's always something to look at.

You peer into the storage floors of The Watchtower, and wonder what the hell they've got so many documents of in there. You look down at Pier 17. The road-salt stockpile under the bridge at Pike St., Governor's Island, The Statue of Liberty, and of course the Manhattan skyline.

When I first moved to Brooklyn, getting above ground was a treat. But now, as Tanya put it, I need that "breath" of fresh air, not just for the sake of my subway experience, but for my weekly operating routine. There are not better, regular opportunities to step away from your life on the ground, and your life "in" the city than on that stretch of train.

The only thing better than getting up from your seat to go look out the window, is watching someone else do it.

Gettin' Down in Upper Marlboro

2009-03-09T12:41:00.005-04:00

Communication Arts Submissions

2009-03-05T12:23:00.005-05:00

Usually contest submitting is a self-imposed secretive experience. I'll ask a few people close to me to weigh in on series, content, composition or something, But then I'll do battle with each image face to face, daring it to be worthy, pressuring it to go out there and win. Then I bury it. Bury it in the ground, and wait for it to grow into a beanstalk. I don't want to look back. And I don't want to think about it anymore. And generally, there is nothing to talk about.

But I just submitted to CommArts, and I feel pretty happy about it. Well, at least I really enjoyed looking at the images and their order before I shipped them off.

Here is a small select of images from this year's NY ComicCon.

Happy little trees

2009-03-02T17:08:00.000-05:00

When you look at this, squint and think of Bob Ross.

Grandma

2009-02-17T09:07:00.001-05:00

Snake Eyes. GO JOE!

2009-01-23T11:14:00.003-05:00

Chicken Dance

2009-01-20T09:15:00.002-05:00

You don't just crawl into one of those, you know. It fastens on the side, with strings.

Shernita and Dexter

2008-12-17T16:23:00.004-05:00

Veterans

2008-11-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

2008-11-14T10:20:00.001-05:00

Do you know why it is important to shoot pictures like this?

Velouria. Simple.

2008-11-12T12:18:00.004-05:00

This is neither my favorite video, nor the best. But it represents something important. In what would become a medium where the picture is often the hero over the song, this video props up the song first, and the artists second, while using video as an instrument.

The concept is simple. Almost inane. And it reflects the gestalt of the band: independant, low budget, fun-loving, and loose. There's nothing to it. But in that way, it's more like looking out the window of a moving car (while listening to the radio) than watching a film where the song is the soundtrack. It asks very little of you. Only for you to hear the song, and watch the band "not acting". This is a very 90's approach to video-making. And I kind of love it.

There is so much breathing room for you to presume, rightly or wrongly, but in a narrative way, how this honest, unscripted, relatively un-blocked, performance functions as a metaphor for the bands' personalities and dynamic. Frank is quick to show himself first and biggest, the victor, king of the hill. Joey blazes his own trail and almost immediately vanishes from the pissing contest Frank has just initiated. Only to return at the end with a dynamic, unique version of his role. David stumbles, and gets up, and trudges forth. But always has his head up, and maintains somewhat steadfast in his enthusiasm, or at least, responsibility. And then there's Kim. Darling, fearful, but positive. Apprehensive about the danger of the endeavor, but neither rejecting it, nor championing it. She'll get there. She'll make it. She will fall, but falling is not the end of her. Be patient, and you will cheer for her. Cheer for the Pixies!

The Pixies |MTV Music

HOLY CRAP!

2008-11-07T02:20:00.002-05:00

When I was six I saw my first music video, Billie Jean. My response? "They should make these for ALL songs!" I had thought that it was the only one ever made, yet. The next one I saw was Rick Springfield's "Human Touch", and I was hooked. In high school, I wondered why we don't have access to all the videos ever made. MTV was cool (then), but they only played what they wanted to play. Couldn't there be a library where we could grab a tape of whichever one we wanted? Then there was MTV2, but it's value had a weak shelf life. And we've been in a void ever since. Yes, there have been excellent videos since MTV2 aired JACKASS, but not enough, and not like this. Now, for the first time since they took Jesse Camp off the air, MTV has done something right. Here it is... MTVMusic.

Radiohead |MTV Music

Somethin' BIT me!

2008-11-07T01:00:00.005-05:00

There's something strange and moving about cheering for marathon runners. You only see each one for about 4 seconds, but that window represents in some way the entire experience of the marathon. You show up having already heard descriptions and anecdotes in person or on tv. But this is good, because it means you don't have to figure out what's happening, and you can focus on what's most important - exactly what is going on with each person whom you can fix your focus on at that precise moment. A second wind. A strained calf. Focus. Disbelief. Total cake walk. Sore feet. The realization that one can only feel his bleeding nipples just enough to know that he's got to push through the last quarter mile so that it can all be over. It's brutal. It's human. It's lovely.

The best thing to do, as a spectator, is to go out and cheer for strangers, and call their names. Many have them written on their body somewhere. And to see a runner's eyes dart briefly in your general direction, or auto-pilot out a weak grimace, or especially, pick up the pace, even if just a little bit, gets me choked up. "You can do it Gert!"(of which there were many this year) can really make a difference to someone who seems to be struggling. Even more so if his name is Gert.

But there's this weird feeling of transportation when you cheer for these runners. And it's totally different than cheering at a professional sporting event. You hear the words come out of your own mouth, but they sound like someone is yelling to YOU as YOU run the race. And you well up with tears at how encouraged it makes you feel, that strangers believe in you, and want you to succeed. And then you remember that you are the stranger, and that you feel weird and good that you want some stranger to succeed. And at what? Simply, something that takes hard work and has meaning to each individual. It's a very raw experience. And wonderful. And the way I describe it, very self-centered.

Character Moustache

2008-11-07T00:56:00.001-05:00

Thanks Banksy...

2008-10-23T11:50:00.004-04:00

...for my new avatar.

I dislike contributing so overtly to the critical mass, but Banksy is smart, and the SHOW closes on Halloween. That's all I'll say. No clever quips or plays on words.

In Coney, with Dangerous

2008-10-23T01:10:00.003-04:00

Sasquatch

Show me SEXY!

Connecticut with the Clemensens

2008-10-23T01:00:00.003-04:00

"You can't turn a ho into a housewife fool!" - Too $hort

2008-10-17T02:12:00.004-04:00

This is me trying to reconcile the 35mm format. Not in the shooting, but now, after having shot. You look through the glass, and feel obligated to conform to the environment (eye piece & in this case, LCD screen). But obligation or not, you make trouble for yourself trying to tape-off or reformat your camera's given aspect ratio.

And yet, I've been getting better at it horizontally. I'm loosely projecting a 6x7 crop, or a 6x6 or 6x45. I have even started mixing in the 16:9 (universal HD format), which as you enlarge it looks better and better. But the point I'm not making well is that shooting vertically is like looking through a crack in a door. It's so narrow and clostrophobic. And just too long.

What the hell am I talking about. I need to go to sleep I think.

Sometimes the face shoots itself.

Anyway, this is Eugene Hutz. I really dig the cellular intimacy here. There are even more dynamic shots from this series that will make it on later. But you can see two of them here.

Adrienne Anemone

2008-10-11T18:02:00.002-04:00

If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick one up

2008-10-11T17:23:00.010-04:00

I call this one...

2008-09-23T10:50:00.001-04:00

COTN (Children of the Night) @ AlphaBeta

2008-09-22T23:57:00.015-04:00

I wrote to Brimley tonight, "...they say Wu Tang and Tribe. But I'd say Jungle Brothers and Camp Lo had a baby with Madlib."

To Push or to Pull

2008-09-22T23:31:00.002-04:00

New York is made up of positively and negatively charged energy. Energy that presents us with situations and choices. Instead of asking yourself what the hell this guy is doing, ask if I helped him or not by doing nothing.

The Palouse (F.K.A. Kiefer's Flatliner dream)

2008-09-18T14:11:00.014-04:00

I woke up in Idaho, on MaryJane's Farm at 05:30. It was 08:30 at home, and my tent had gotten just brighter than pitch black. So in the spirit of the farm life I decided to get up and watch the sunrise in the hammock nearby. But when I got out, I realized the sun was coming up somewhere else. So I followed it. Actually, I ran to it. Down the gravel road, and out of the farm. I cut left up this hill, and was high-stepping through the cut wheat(?). I must have looked like a possessed lunatic. But it looked apocalyptic.

By the time I got to the top of this hill, I thought, "Damn, I bet this would look even sweeter from that next hill." So I ran down into the gully, saw a fox, leapt the "crick" as Mary Jane says, and bolted to the top of the next hill, to see this:I said to someone recently, that between Richard Misrach and motivational office posters, there was no good reason to shoot sunrise landscapes. But when you're there, and it's right up in your face, no, all around you IMAX-style you can't fight the compulsion to capture it, with whatever you've got. I think it goes without saying that this doesn't even do it justice.

Every day Theo wakes up and knows that he has to run faster than the slowest gazelle...

I made him do this for me.

Jimmy's Diner

2008-09-18T13:47:00.004-04:00

If you like white gravy with sausage, or you're in Mastic, NY, or both, definitely stop by Jimmy's Diner. We had a lot of fun there, and Ron, "the bouncer" and I were like long lost relatives.

That's my girl -- My whole world. But that ain't my truck. - Rhett Akins

2008-09-18T12:38:00.020-04:00

This summer we went to the Demolition Derby in New Egypt. Typically, while they were doing their warm up laps, before the first race, which was before the actual Demo, the sky opened up, "like a cow pissin' on a flat rock" as they say in the cuntry. This is when I first heard the song, "That Ain't My Truck". Tanya pointed it out first before I had really processed the words. Truthfully, I still didn't really get it. I thought it was about some guy who loves his girl, but not as much as his truck. But when I got home, we looked it up here. It's no Rakim, but there's some scrapple-fried genius in that storytelling. And that's the kind of genius we witnessed here at the Demo. Truly, they're poets.

If Done = "A good thing", then R=?

A. cigarette

B. lady

C. the race

D. piping cheese into hot dogs

Randy Moss has a NASCAR team, and Ice Cube has a Demo Derby team.

"Danger" is her LAST name, her middle name is Piñata.

The family that prays together, stays together.

She explained to me that he had some sort of boil or cyst on the inside of his arm, and "it hurt like hell!" "I'll bet," I said. Duct tape. Genius.

The thigh says, "Bed Rock Bully" and I'm pretty sure the driver's real name was Billy Rubble.

I don't know what's in the tea, but they can't seem to get enough of it.

When the announcer ordered everyone off the grand stand, and it started raining sheets, we all took cover near the concessions. As we made a break for the car, I heard someone yell to a group behind us, "It's probably not smart to hide under the metal bleachers!"

Murakami

2008-08-03T23:41:00.015-04:00

This April I had the good fortune to shoot portraits of Takashi Murakami for Courrier Japon. The article dealt with the opening of his show, ©Murakami, at the Brooklyn Museum, and the mixed reception that his work gets all over the world, especially in Japan(which would not be a destination for this current exhibition. Very little of what gets written about Murakami gives you a sense of who the human being is behind the work and the hype. And I had a feeling that my shoot with him, in the middle of a packed press schedule, wouldn't afford me the intimate time to have him show me.

But I got great direction from from the editors, Tommy and Remi who had come in from Tokyo to do the piece. They explained to me that while his work is very popular in the West, many Japanese reject aspects of his work. Some dislike how he abandoned his education of traditional Japanese techniques for pop. And others, namely the large otaku culture feel like he has appropriated their notes without truly sharing their same interests. The magazine wanted to illustrate the balance between desiring Japanese acceptance, and boldly defying it. Ultimately, here's what we came up with.
Subtle, yes. But listen to the notes he's NOT playing. I'm only kidding.

But then we got to the "loose" shot.

Apparently, he's actually a very fun-loving guy, and will do most anything he's told, just as long as you ask him.

We had about seven minutes to get an alternate shot before he was wrangled away to his next interview. I was told that this one could be more light-hearted. So we move in front of the signature LV monograms, and I walk up to him and say, "Okay, this is where you get to have a little fun. Now would be the time to bust out all your best dance moves."

Chirp, chirp.

Nothing.

So I start to show him, which is, ridiculous. But then Alexander, the champion stylist, picks up what I'm laying down, and with a little more trust from the boss, teaches him all the right moves.

The "Dirt Off Ya Shoulda"

The "Supa-man"
The "DAMN! My fingers are hot!

"Tell the hardest truths first" -Benjamin Horne

2008-07-29T00:36:00.003-04:00

When I was thirteen my attraction to nostalgia and minutia inspired me to keep a journal of my life and thoughts. But I never did it, thinking that it would take too long to go back and rerecord all the things I'd think important. When I was sixteen, I thought surely then was the time to start keeping a journal. But regret over never starting one before, and all the important data lost between 13 and 16, disabled me from writing one then. You'd be sad to hear how many times that experience has recycled in my life. I know I am. I did keep a journal of my Europe backpacking trip in 1998, and I reread it from time to time. It's a pretty good one, from an editorially historic point of view. It has such quotations as, "Let me break it down for you, Falafel Dan doesn't live there," and, "The saga continues, Mike vs. the Pill." But even after congratulating myself for creating this artifact, and historical document, I could still never bring myself to start a full year, Doogie Howser-style journal.

This blog is not about photography, it is about the life and thoughts of a photographer. There will be wisdom amongst the chaff.