Learning to Fly

You're surrounded...(summer edition)

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:50 -0400

Fire hydrants, like benches are another obsession of mine. No, I wasn't a dog in my former life. Whenever I see them, they are usually in a place that is not immediately surrounded by anything else, except space. They seem very alone at times, and at other times they seem to be overwhelmed by the space around them. Usually you see them on street sides, but this was in the middle of the beach, and was surrounded by tons of sand, so I thought it to be a special hydrant.

Note: I had to sneak in to a closed park to get this picture without any people around. It's also one of the parks that will probably close most of its facilities this summer due to New York state budget cuts.

Imitation

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:41 -0400

A long hiatus. If you are reading this, I am eternally grateful that you chose to come back without seeing any updates for the last two months. A lot has happened since then (nothing major), that prevented me from posting anything. The thing is, I broke one of my new years resolutions in one of my last posts. If you are here often, you may recall that I made a new years resolution to not make plans - well, I sort of contradicted myself in another post and karma shot back at me by putting all these obstacles in my way. At least thats what I would like to believe. Truth is, I am going through a lull in my photography, and not sure exactly what to do to get out of it. I'm working on it, so stay tuned....

When you see this picture, you may immediately think of many others very similar to this shot by masters such as Michael Kenna and Josef Hoflehner. You may also think this is not very original, and its been done many times before. If I ever sold this photo or if it was ever displayed in a gallery, there would be art critics complaining that its plagiarism. Michael Kenna gave a short but meaningful reply to my friend Francesco's inquiry into the subject. My thoughts? All those things said above are true, except that it's never been done by me, which makes it an 'original' for me. Other than that, I agree with Michael, in the sense that its a learning tool to find your own style, or a crutch (so to speak) till you can learn to stand on your own. The article explains it way better than I possibly could...

Your thoughts?

The Left Shoe

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:06 -0400

Wandering around the parks near where I live is a favourite pass time of mine. This pass time is now under attack, as New York State will close many parks this year, and curb spending on a lot of other amenities at these parks. For lack of more eloquent words, this sucks big time. I wonder how much money it costs to keep some of these open, and whether they really will save that much. These parks were like a good friend to me, allowing me to chill and have fun, and cheering me up when I was sad. I haven't been following the discussions really, but various news and blog sources have hinted at the notion that it's really more an issue of budget mismanagement and disorganization. I lean towards this thought process more, given the current grade of politicians in office today. But on a hopeful note, they MAY open at some point again, so it's not forever.

This picture is a result of my wandering around one these parks - The Caumsett State Park. I had posted a picture before about the stuff people leave behind - continuing that thought process, this above is a shoe. The left shoe, to be exact. Or - a 'keds' to be even more exact. Also, the shoe is near a well-like structure, with a hole on the top, but a very shallow bottom, and the bottom is cemented off. Letting my imagination run wild, I concocted a million theories about how the shoe got there....care to share some of yours?

Caution: Artists at Work

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:44 -0400

With my Tattoo Series on hold until I get more people to pose, a post about about something different, with a very different idea in mind. Last summer, I had a major creative block. Like most amateur gear heads, I searched for the latest and greatest lens, looked into getting a camera upgrade, etc. Sat on all of these thoughts for a while, until the creative block became the norm, as opposed to it being the exception. I read a lot for inspiration - a lot of them were helpful, but many were just saying the same things over and over again, stuff that I already knew.

Then one day I decided to go through my archives of all my old pictures and I happened to catch a bunch of pictures taken in 1999. I was shocked with some of results - not with the ones that were really bad, but the ones that were actually somewhat good - and at the shockingly large number of pictures I took. I took myself back to that summer in 1999 and I realized that back then, I concentrated a LOT less on cameras, and photography as a 'thing', but concentrated more on the subject, and more on the moment itself. Since 1999, the rapidly technological advancement of digital cameras just bombarded us with more and more superior models, and the geek side of me embraced this wholeheartedly. But the thing I kept forgetting is that even the best gear in the world requires one thing from you - framing the picture - the most basic element of making a photograph. The better you do this, the awesome technology available today will most likely help you along. It's so easy to get distracted by the technology and the coolness factor, that one may forget why they are taking the picture, or what they are taking the picture of.

So having said all of this, I made a hypocritical choice to get over my creative block - I got another camera - but there is method to my madness - the reason I got it was because it takes me back to the days when I used to take pictures only with a Yashica GX rangefinder, and the process that I used to go through. It's a nice medium format TLR film camera, made by Rolleiflex – fully manual. Not only is it a humbling experience to not be able see instance results and have no automatic features to rely on, but it’s also a major joy when you look at the focusing screen and you get the shot you want. I find it helps me think much more about what I'm shooting, rather than how I'm shooting it (thats important, too - but its secondary, in my opinion, to the emotional factor). One of the results is what you see above - two artists discussing subjects in Southold, NY.

So what did I learn from all this? Everybody gets creative blocks at some point, and I’m sure they have their own process for getting out of them. Not all of them work for everybody, and maybe mine won't help - but maybe it will - here’s my list (IMHO):

Shoot – a LOT – everyday if possible.
Shoot some more.
Have a project in mind (It can really be absolutely anything)– it gives direction, and helps identify subjects very quickly, so you can concentrate on making the picture.
If you are a gear head, go rejoice in it – absolutely drool over the quality of the video in 5d mark II – but get over it fast, so you can do what all that awesome technology was made to do – make art.
Reading helps, but I’m very selective of what I read for inspiration, and what I read for entertainment. I find that the vague ‘find your passion/vision’ articles really don’t work for me – it usually leaves me more confused, because in reality, all they are saying is – ‘do what your heart tells you to do’ or something of that nature – which is what most people are trying to do anyway, they just haven’t found out how to go about doing it. I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not going to find it in a blog post, or a book….

So far, so good – there is a lot of information on the internet and in books that tells you all of what I've just said, but I realized that I finally ‘got it’ when I realized these things on my own. People can tell you what to do a thousand times, but it doesn’t really hit home, until you come to it on your own, at which point it starts to make sense…. So without further ado, go experience and go make your own mistakes, and hopefully you come to several realizations on your own – and when you do, feel to share it with me :)

Rose

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:00 -0400

This is Rose, the second person that I had the pleasure of meeting through twitter(courtesy of @miss_lucifer). I have to be honest - for the first time in a while for whatever reason, I really didn't know what to expect. Usually I know the person better, and have had some sort of an introduction prior to the shoot, but this time I was going in totally blind. Well, my fears were unfounded, as Rose was nothing short of awesome, and a wonderful and genuine human being. Rose is a full-time librarian, who also spends a lot of time at Artisanal Tattoo, where this shoot took place. When not at these two places, as an art lover, she runs two websites - The Famous Living Dead Brigade and Twisted Peppermint, both of which offers her fresh outlook on art and culture. The tattoo shop she works at also has an art space which is managed and curated by Rose. Amongst other things, Rose also has quite a fascination with Jack White and Nick Cave. How she got into tattoos is a long story, and for the first time in the Tattoo Project, I am going to post the entire interview, because it's a very interesting read.

Thanks to Leah, the owner of Artisanal Tattoo for letting me use their space.

Rose can also be found on twitter: @sheisanarchy003 - I highly recommend a follow, as she will keep you entertained with her random musings throughout the day.

Oh, and Rose loves her new glasses - if/when you meet her, compliment her on them - she will love it :)

--------

Q.What first got you into tattoos, or how did your first tattoo come about, and what was that experience like?
A. got my first tattoo at the age of 18. I think I was really just craving a way to "own" my own body after dealing with an abusive home life. It was a way of making a statement and taking control. The first tattoo was a very small one on my ankle of a symbol I'd created to represent me. I actually still use it when I sign things at the end of my name. It is a heart w/ an "x" that I used to sign all of my writing with when I was in highschool. That first experience started an addiction. I wanted another one immediately. I loved that I had this ability to use my body as a canvas for self expression.

Q.What does each tattoo mean to you, and what is it important that you had to have it?
A.Hmmm...well some of my tattoos are the usual ones people get that you kind of don't put much thought into and those are some smaller ones that i have. But my most important tattoos are probably my small bat on my chest, which I got when I was about 19 or so w/ a few friends. It was a bonding experience we had over the film "The Lost Boys" of all things! The bat on my left arm is very important to me. He was the first tatt I put so much thought and energy into. It has a banner that says "Unapologetic Apathy" which is a message to many people in my past who didn't seem to care to help me through my childhood and I now kind of just don't bother with a lot of them because now I'm taking care of myself and I'm not sorry that I don't care what they are up to in life or how their lives are going. It sounds harsh but it has helped me to come to terms with a lot of my past abuse. The bat in general is important to me as an animal as I've always related to it because it is a very misunderstood animal, so I have and will have many bats tattooed on me. I almost feel it is like my animal protector. My elbow piece which is a peppermint candy all kind of warped and cracked is my tribute to Jack White. It's cracked and warped because it had to match my personality as well which is a little darker than a cute piece of peppermint candy! I have a pincushion heart on the inside of my one wrist which represents the idea of not being able to get close to people. It also has an "NJ" next to it for my tribute to New Jersey, a state that has altered my life quite a bit. I also have the words "I'm not sleeping" which is a reference to a lyric from the U2 song "Bad" which was a song I attribute to saving my life growing up. Bono is my hero and one person I have always felt changed my life at a time when I really needed it just through his words. I have a baby sea turtle on my one arm next to the kanki for "Ikiru" which means "To live" in Japanese. The baby sea turtle has to make his way into the ocean and its a struggle but he does it because that is what he needs to do in order to live. I believe the struggle to live is what makes us who we are and so the film Ikiru by Akria Kurosawa deals with making a difference in life and it all came together in a way that I understood my own life. I guess it is a tribute to making a difference and the struggle to live and make a difference in the world. I have Gary the snail from SpongeBob Squarepants on my one calf because I love that show and I esp love Gary. That is as deep as that one gets! On my right thigh I have a portrait of Nick Cave started. Nick Cave is a huge influence on my writing and artistic expression. And on the back of my neck I have the words "Protège-moi de mes desirs" which is from a Placebo song and means "Protect me from what I want" which is kind of a tribute to my struggles with my addictions. PHEW! That's a lot...I don't think I left anything too big or important out.

Q.How has tattoos (if yes) influenced your choices for other types of art, or vice versa..
A. Having tattoos and being a part of the tattoo community has made me look at art differently for sure. I mean I realize that art means something different to every single person and the use of your own body to express that art is a huge symbol of our freedom in this country.

Q.When did you start the living dead brigade, and what prompted you to start it, and what has it become now, and what do you see it becoming in the future?
A. I started the Famous Living Dead Brigade after a bad bout w/ depression. I realized that the only thing that would make me happy with my life was if I knew I was making a difference in the world but that that difference had to start with me. Once I started to focus on expressing myself artistically or in any way that I felt was putting the real me out there, I decided that I wanted to share the idea with someone. So I decided to find some folks who would be willing to get dressed up and go to rock shows and maybe "perform" or express themselves in the queues of shows. This inspiration came from three places: the book 101 Alternatives to Suicide by Kate Bornstein, the Dirty Business Brigade w/ the Dresden Dolls and a few ideas I found in some My Chemical Romance lyrics. Right now it exists primarily online although we do manage to get groups together to do fundraisers at times but it really is an idea more than a "club" or "group" so its open for anyone who embraces it to go out there and do their thing and if they want to do it in the name of the FLDB then, that's great! The most important thing is that they are taking the idea and being themselves and expressing themselves. Staying alive. Living. In the future, I'd love to see it become a full on non profit organization. I'd love to be able to provide a place where people are safe to be themselves, express themselves and possibly to sponsor artists and shows and do it all not only online but in the real world.

Q.Explain the fascination with jack white a little bit more – other than the fact that he’s awesome.
A.Haha! Jack White...wow. That man is an inspiration. He started out wanting to become a priest and ended up playing music. Not only does he play music, he is a genius at his musicianship and also in the business itself. He's a workaholic who takes his dreams, goals and ideas and nothing holds him back, he just does it. Watching him perform and work is like watching someone who was just born to do what he is doing. Everything just comes natural and he seems to really have a great way of not giving a fuck what anyone else thinks...and he's just doing it all right. I'd love to just sit down with him and talk and get him to do an I Am Art picture for my art project. Better yet, have him do a song with me for it, that would be ideal.

Q.The two online screen names you have – sheisanarchy and ladymothrarose – can you explain a little bit as to what is behind these names? (if there is any significant story behind it, that is)
A. She Is Anarchy is the name of a poem I wrote once. It was supposed to represent myself in the sense that I have never done what was expected of me. I never seem to do anything the way anyone wants me to. I go about things my own way. I'm not good at being told what to do. So I started to use the name online. LadyMothraRose comes from the giant radioactive moth seen in Godzilla movies...I just happen to be a big fan of Mothra and so I wanted to sound Regally SciFi and came up with that and it has stuck. Between the two I get called "Lady Mothra" and "Anarchy" outside in the real world now, which is cool to me..I really like it.

Mandy and Dale

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:24 -0400

I did a mother and son portrait a while ago, so I guess a mother and daughter portrait is a natural followup - and who could be a better subject than a daughter pursuing her passion, and a mother who supports her fully?

Mandy

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:45 -0400

This is Mandy, Dale's daughter. Mandy is an up and coming tattoo artist, currently working at Chrome Gardens in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I don't have the whole story yet as to how Mandy got started in the tattoo business, but I'm doing an interview with her by e-mail, and this post will be updated soon. But I do know that Mandy also has a degree in art, and has an awesome supportive mom. I mean, do you know any mom cool enough to let your daughter tattoo you? (well I do - now :)). You can learn more about Mandy here, until I get the interview complete.

Mandy's tattoo credits: Jim White of Chrome Gardens in Gettysburg, PA, Tim Kern of Tribulation in NYC and Stacy McCleaf of Chrome Gardens in Gettysburg, PA.

On another note, I have been pretty busy with the day job, and this blog has been neglected for over a month now. One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a regular forray into 'practicing' my photography. When photography isn't your day job or your main source of living, its very easy to let it fall on the wayside, especially if your day job is stressful and runs into overtime and into your weekends. It's really no excuse though, if it's your passion. I can't think of hours that I've spent mentally exhausted on the couch after days of night/day streches of work, that I couldn't spend outside with a camera - it would have been just as relaxing and restful. So - I'm making a new resolution - I shall call it the "spring resolution" - to be out with my camera at LEAST once a week, no matter what my schedule is. So far, so good for this week.....

Dale

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:34 -0400

Technology is great. It's what led me to meet Dale - through twitter, and our mutual friend Ron Dubin. Ron saw the other tattoo shots on my blog, and thought that his friend would be a good subject for this, and boy was he right. Dale is a musician, and runs a recording studio in the city. She has two daughters, one of whom is a tattoo artist - her daughter being a tattoo artist is what got Dale into tattoos, and she started with one, and the rest is history. She is ordained with beautiful tattoos all over, some of which are done by her Daughter Mandy - who I also photographed in this session. Her tattoos have won awards in many tattoo conventions, most recently at the Baltimore tattoo convention.

Dale is incredibly cool and confident, and unfortunately she got sick on the day of the shoot - but she still made it, and was even singing along to Lady Gaga blasting in the next room while waiting for us to set up the lights....

Tattoo Credits: Ox of Jinx Proof in Montclair, NJ, Jim White of Chrome Gardens in Gettysburg, PA and Stacy McCleaf of Chrome Gardens in Gettysburg, PA

On a different note, a friend of mine, Thomas, has been travelling around for a while now, and only recently did I realize he has a blog. It has grown into a very nice collection of experiences, and will probably grow - feel free to check it out here: http://neonomadic.com/. He's in Chile right now (he's safe), and so I suspect there will be a few more additions to the blog very soon.

As usual, thanks to Francesco for helping me out big time.

Crystal

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:43 -0400

This is Crystal. Her arm piece is one of the best ones I've seen to date....

Mike

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:16 -0400

Tattoos, I believe are a reflective process. Before choosing something that will be on your body for your entire life, I would think one would need to look inside for a bit in order to find that piece that finally calls out to him/her. More often than not, the tattoo becomes one with the person - [which is exactly what you want, by the way :)]. But I think sometimes we forget to look at the tattoo as an art form itself. So I chose to do this shot of the tattoo itself in a more reflective process, with a hint of the person that dorns it.

On a different note, my blog database seemed to have rolled back along with the backup, and I've lost two posts, and all the comments in the last two weeks. This is highly random, and very weird, and I've never seen this before; but I apologise to anybody who left comments in the last two weeks; I sincerely appreciate that you took the time to visit and leave a comment, and hope you will visit back again.