“And the early dawn cracks out a carpet of diamond
Across a cash crop car lot filled with twilight Coupe Devilles
Leaving the town in a-keeping of the one who is sweeping
Up the ghost of Saturday night”
Tom Waits, The Ghosts of Saturday Night
GG girl and BB
My mind stopped.
So soon?
So, I have been missing in action here for awhile. I apologize for that. It’s the start of week 6 of 14 of this term. and things are already hectic. I’ve been working non stop, but I’m enjoying it.
I’m taking an independent study this term to focus on applying my work commercially. Last week I completed my first project.
It is a Cd cover for one of my favorite singers, Lhasa de Sela. She recently passed away due to breast cancer. She had the most amazing voice. It’s deep, sweet and thick. Her music is full of feeling, and her last cd was more poignant to me because of her passing. The Cd cover is one of those cardboard ones. I’ve still to photograph it. I will do so, and then share.
I’m really happy with how it came out. Here are some parts of it
this is the front cover:
this is the lyrics to one of my favorite songs from her
here is another, I did all the hand written type.
I feel like i’ve been sitting at my table for months. it’s all i do. This is where i am everyday.
Inventory of stuff on my desk:
plate of food, cup of tea, cup of coffee, cup of water with lemon slices, brushes, blow dryer, scissors, rubber cement, acrylic inks, acryla gouache,pencil sharpener, rubbing alcohol, chocolate chip cookies, tv remote, cell phone, pliers, pencils, pens, sketchbooks, palette…
All of these things are absolutely necessary at all times.
writing on larson
Over the last few months I have been writing about Larson and the experiences we have had together. Our relationship has gown and changed a lot since I first began photographing him six months ago. I have always been a little skeptical of including a lot of writing with my photographs, but I think that these might tell a side of the story that I can’t or don’t know how to tell in photographs. I wanted to write these in a way that might function similarly to photographs. I am planning on including some or all of these in the book.
These first two are on how we met. One from my perspective and one from his perspective.
1.
I met Larson while I was living in the 19th ward, in Rochester, New York.
I was riding my bike down Plymouth ave. with my camera around my neck.
He stopped me and asked how many mega-pixels my camera had.
“21″
I said.
2. How we met from Larson’s side.
Yeah,
I remember how we met.
I had seen you riding up and down Plymouth.
This white nigga, he got a camera.
He hot
I gotta press this nigga.
But it wasn’t really like that.
I thought you was an undercover or something.
Probably just taking pictures or whatever.
Then I saw you again and was like,
let me just ask this guy.
He takes pictures, I rap.
I do my own thing.
Fuck it.
I ain’t going to just keep thinking you a cop.
I’m going to ask.
But we clicked.
Me and you.
I remember that first photo shoot.
One of the best experiences.
3.
It was cold.
We had been standing outside for a few hours.
“Lets get warm.”
He said.
We walked up a flight of stairs to a small apartment.
Two little girls jumped up and tackled him.
He laughed.
4.
We walked inside and took the elevator to the 3rd floor.
Four girls walked by and said,
“what the fuck a white boy doing in here?”
I smiled.
5.
Larson lit a blunt and got into my car.
He had licks to catch.
I Looked into my rear-view mirror.
There was a police car with its lights flashing parked behind us.
Larson had two pockets full of weed.
He never caries more than 2 ounces anymore.
6.
We went to meet his family.
We began walking toward a group of people.
Within a few seconds a large man began yelling,
“Get the fucking cracker outa here!
He repeated saying this several more times.
I timidly walked within a few feet of him.
He was still yelling at me.
I told him I wasn’t going to take any pictures.
He replied,
“You ain’t gonna do shit.”
“I’m watching you cracka.”
Then walked inside.
7.
“There is a cop behind us.”
I quietly said.
He replied,
“Fuck…. how’d you do me like that.”
I didn’t know what he meant.
8.
All I know is that four people tried to jump him.
I might be getting the story wrong, but I think it started with a car chase.
It ended with four people fighting Larson in his car.
He used to keep a kitchen knife under his back seat.
Now he keeps it next to him on the passenger seat.
9.
I asked if I could photograph him with his sunglasses off.
He replied,
“No, I don’t want to remember this.”
the mustache kit.
In the beginning of the year, I split up my closet into two halves, one side for Neil and one side for me. I gave him the top shelf because he’s tallest. It seems to be inconvenient for him sometimes. He says he doesn’t care and that he’s grateful I gave him some space in the closet. Makes me sound like a Nazi. But I must admit, I wish the closet was four times this size. I can’t fit all my clothes in there. My bed is on risers to fit suitcases of clothes I’ll probably never wear.
When Neil shops online, he has to send the packages to my apartment. Everything I receive in the mail with my name on it could be for either me or Neil. Most of the time it’s for him. Either a new Foucault book or something illegal from China. (ex: laser pointer too powerful to be sold in the US, an electronic cigarette, strange boxes with Mischa Barton’s picture on the cover). Last week, Neil bought a mustache kit. It included:
- Mustache Wax
- Darkening Cream
- Small Brush/Comb
- Handheld Mirror
- Velcro Case
When he has time in the morning, he applies wax to his mustache. He has picked up a habit of twisting the ends of his mustache. He said Graham told him it would eventually curl the right way if he twisted it enough. I’ve found that his hygiene has increased since he has decided to grow this mustache. He shaves the rest of his face more often to accentuate the mustache, he slicks his hair back, he bathes, he buttons his shirts up all the way and enjoys picking out his clothes in the morning. Just last night he wore cowboy boots outside to smoke a cigarette. He liked how tall they made him look. His mustache has become a sort of new accessory to his ensemble. It has also become a new way for him to revel in his newfound masculinity. I used to hate his mustache. It’s trendy. It’s so Williamsburg. I’m waiting for Spring to hit so he can ride his fixie with a Chrome bag and a mustache and Keds. For now, I think it’s beautiful.
I haven’t done the laundry once this quarter. Neil does it every week. He hangs my tights and knows not to put my bras and underwear in the dryer. Yesterday he told me to “do the fucking laundry” because he’s sick of doing it. I said I’d get to it and never did. He did. As a result, the clean, dried laundry will sit in our laundry basket as the dirty clothes pile up in another spot on the floor until we have to do laundry again. He spilled crumbs in my bed last night and again this morning. It really pisses me off when people do that. I told him. I ended up holding a bowl underneath his mouth to catch every flying crumb. I have a problem. Someday I’ll photograph me being a controlling bitch. I don’t know why he puts up with me sometimes.
Lick your Toes
This is an image I took in the summer. I forgot how weird it looked because I retouched his ass real good. I need to make images the way I want to again. Editorial was interesting because I explored other ways of shooting. Not my thing though. People think that all of my portraits have a dead look to them, which I can understand. I guess my goal is to do that over and over and make it better with time. If you look at each of them, they all have a different quality to them, not saying that I have perfected that or anything but its something I am working on. Going to take lots of images this weekend..hopefully
Not according to plan.
Needless to say, the Uffie shoot……… well. OK so It didn’t run as smoothly as it should have. And I don’t want to talk shit, because there’s nothing to be said besides, the scheduled thing didn’t happen. I had 20 rolls of 120 waiting to be used. An assistant, everything. Then shit hit the fan. (Hey Brendan it’s cool I’m not mad!)
Seriously that isn’t sarcasm. In the moment yeah sure, I was upset, but mostly because when I come to do a job, I come to do it. And I knew I would have done a dope job. Yeah I was sort of there to party to but, man I was dead ass on this photo. But, this has happened to me countless amount of times with musician schedules/publicists/etc so I’ve learned not to get real bummed and just think of an alternative really quickly.
After the shoot was cancelled in the afternoon, I chilled at home until I went to Terminal 5 for this party. where Uffie was going to be performing. Anna and her publicist suggested I do it at the venue instead. Not ideal for a Mamiya RB and 160 NC film. I have no digital camera. Nothing. So I brought what I had and made due. I was there anyway to see friends and shit but I really wanted the picture by this point. I waited till Anna performed, and chilled in the green room.
She was really sweet and apologized for it being cancelled and explained she wasn’t ready. Like I get it, homegirl is busy. So all of a sudden she just said “let’s do it now!” and I’m like “uhhhhh” and I took her to a separate green room and just did it. I mean. Not my thing. But it was fun. It made me just shut the fuck up about it and just shoot. Yeah it wasn’t 120. Yeah it wasn’t on a tripod. Yeah yeah yeah. And I’m almost still like “what if,” like if we had gotten to do it proper, but girl knows how to work that camera that’s for fucking sure. And it was extremely intimate and damn dude I dont know. She’s cute! Being alone in a room with her… yeah. Was not mad.
I can’t show the photos because they need to remain exclusive but Brendan (hi!) already knows I put this one up, so I see no harm.
My little point and shoot that could, honestly. Pushed the shit out of that camera. I think it did me the favor. But it takes fun candids as well. Bought it for like 8 dollars walking around Bedford in the summer. This is the second time I’ve ever used it.
Oh yeah…………… I think I’m allowed to say now. I’m probably not but. I’m going to JAPAN NEXT THURSDAY.
PEACE SCHOOL ITS BEEN REAL,
Y
New Jersey Funk
So I have taken new images since i’ve started this job. No I haven’t gotten them processed. Yes, I’ll have them soon.
Boy how I wish I could shoot digitally sometimes.
So I’m looking for a roommate. It’s perfect for someone who wants to work in NYC but doesn’t want to pay for a tiny apartment in Brooklyn. It only takes about 25 minutes or less to get into midtown Manhattan by bus (which the stop is at the end of my street). If you know someone who might be interested, let me know?
Anyway, I decided to scan a few of the many many unscanned negatives I have surrounding me. It’s work from the project I had just began on my home state.
Something racquet club
I have been working on this “project” for a long time.I have been taking her picture for a long time is what I have been doing for a long time. I recently decided to finish some kind of chapter, come to some kind of conclusion. I know I want racquet club in the name I just haven’t figured out the word that will come first. On sunday I’d like to talk more about the images and I think tomorrow I will post newer scans. But these are some of the pictures I have been throwing around, some of the ones masking taped to the wall in my room. I’ll talk more next time, just wanted to show you these see what you thought.
Herb Lubali – Big time
Herb Lubalin, 1918 – 1981, entered Cooper Union at the age of seventeen, and quickly became entranced by the possibilities presented by typography as a communicative implement. …always “fascinated by the look and sound of words as he expanded their message with typographic impact.” After graduating in 1939, Lubalin had a difficult time finding work; he was fired from his job at a display firm after requesting a two dollar raise on his weekly salary, up from a paltry eight (around USD100 in 2006 currency)
Two Feet of Snow
Last weekend Graham, Kate I and went to Pittsburgh. We didn’t check the weather before we left, so we were fairly surprised when over 2 feet of snow fell the first night we were there. For the next two days, we wondered around the city, drinking whiskey, throwing snowballs at strangers, taking pictures and shoveling out lost cars.
This last picture was taken in Rochester.
