Road to Bolinas

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Today I had a shoot at Coast Cafe in Bolinas. Bolinas is a small beach town that you can get to by following the road we live on and taking it over the mountains, through the redwoods, across a lake, past the eucalyptus groves and to the beach. I drove our scooter there and it was a blast- the best scooter ride yet. It made me feel so lucky to live in Marin. The Coast Cafe was terrific- a passionate chef, great ambience, and of course the coolest town that almost no one knows how to get to since the residents there tear down all the road signs in the vicinity. Definitely worth an afternoon of exploring the roads until you find it, especially during the weekdays since the town was practically deserted.

Talking to Obama

I’m going to submit some photos that I took on and leading up to Super Tuesday to the Obama campaign for a photo project they are putting together on the primaries. I’d love to volunteer to shoot upcoming events for their campaign too. Even at the one smaller Obama rally with John Kerry there was such energy and emotion; I’d love to witness it on the scale of his recent giant rallies.

Back in Jail

I got a call for a great assignment this morning that involves going back to San Quentin prison and photographing the inmates performing the play “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare. It reminds me of one of my favorite episodes of This American Life radio program titled ACT V. You should set the time aside and listen to it- it’s amazing; especially their insight on Hamlet’s dilemma of vengeance. The last time I was in San Quentin was when I shot the story on the Insight Prison Garden program, which focused not only on gardening but also on meditation and on our relationship with our bodies and the earth. It’s interesting how these relatively mundane activities, such as gardening and theater, take on such a different meaning when placed within the culture and setting of prison.

Holiday Commuting

On my way to pick up some rental equipment from the city right before Christmas (Friday Dec. 21), I walked on to the ferry to find it covered in holiday (read Christmas) decorations made by school children. The thing that struck me was how tired the decorations looked and how that reflected the general sense of exhaustion regarding the holidays. Also, I thought it was funny how the decorations seemed to impose on some people who you could tell wanted a little space from the whole scene, like the image here. I also found the juxtaposition of the decorations with the utilitarian institutional elements of the ferry really funny- like trying to decorate a gas station restroom.
I’m headed into the city tomorrow to pick up some more equipment for this weekend and plan to do another mini series on some theme while I’m there. Right now I’m thinking it might be just strolling through Chinatown, or maybe the street grocery stores of Mission St. or Irving.

Smallest Patient at WildCare

Smallest Patient at WildCare, originally uploaded by Enmicropedias.

Here are a couple of shots from my assignment photographing the activities at Wild Care Marin, a rescue organization for injured wild animals. They also have a great educational center for kids to learn about the wild animals that they live with and how their actions impact them. This squirrel had a severe neck injury but was being well tended to. While I was there, I also saw a pigeon with an injured wing being treated, and the night before they had released a previously injured coyote back into the wild. To learn more about Wild Care or to donate, go to wildcaremarin.org. Stop by and check out their facility if you live in Marin.

Self-Portrait

Me, originally uploaded by Enmicropedias.

(This is a self-portrait taken in my living room during the portrait shoot with my friend Paul for his author headshots. I hung a black sheet and use some black foam core on camera right to make for a more dramatic portrait. The shot was lit by a diffused window on camera left.)

It’s weird to be on the other side of the camera, even when there’s no one holding it. That’s a big black lens staring at you. I almost never have my photo taken, so it was really enlightening for me to sit there and experience what it is like for some of the subjects I photograph, the thoughts that go through your head, your sudden hyper-awareness of your body and face, and the multitude of options that are available for positioning them, without really knowing what the effect will be. I tried some of the tips I usually give my subjects, like mental imaging to create an external mood that is subtle and genuine. I think it helps even if only due to taking your mind slightly off your physical presence and focusing it on a calm comfortable internal presence. Anyways, I’m happy with it, and now I want to take portraits like this (lit in the same fashion, against black) of all my friends.

Charlottesville Archives

I just received a disc of images from the two years I spent working in Charlottesville for the CVILLE Weekly. The art director, Bill Leseuer, put it together for me. This triptych is from one of my favorite shoots I did while I was out there. It was a publicity shoot for Raisin in the Sun, performed at the LiveArts theater. Richelle Claiborne, an actress in the play, began singing while I photographed her. The shot is against a black wall with a single bare bulb illuminating her from the side, about two feet away.

In Rainbows

Today Radiohead released their newest album In Rainbows, which has given me a lot of inspiration for different reasons. The first reason is that it’s a beautiful album made by a group that has mastered their craft; listening to it gives me the same feeling I got when I saw Nils Cline of Wilco play live- he had such a combination of technical mastery and soul in his art. It’s a union I continually strive for. As a good friend, novelist Paul Rogov, reminded me today (borrowed from the lyrics of the Meat Puppets song, Oh Me), “I don’t have to think, I only have to do it. The results are always perfect and that’s old news.” The last line like the zen koan that says “Everything is best.” Once you’ve gotten past fear of failure or fixation with success, and you are in control of your medium, and it all becomes about aesthetics and communicating ideas, emotions and moving through moments.

The other part of the Radiohead album that intrigues me is their method of distribution. I’m really intrigued by their model of direct distribution; fans can download the songs and pay whatever they decide. Ultimately, I feel it’s the desire of the artist to find a way to get his work to the public, to give it a chance to speak to as many people as possible. And give the public a chance to have the work and give back what they can for it. It feels more honest and is an act of generosity and trust that corresponds to the overarching aesthetic I desire for my life.

If you don’t have the Radiohead album yet, you can get it by going to their website: radiohead.com

A Meditation on Success and Failure

Failure is only bad if it brings out your bad qualities. Success is only good if it brings out your good qualities. It’s not what you do but how you do it.

-Buster McLeod

These comments of Buster’s remind me of my general goal to create an overarching aesthetic in my life- to concentrate on the means, counting on right intention and spirit to carry me to a desired end; to have faith in that end; ultimately to have all of my daily activities colored by that aesthetic, from my morning ritual, to how I use Photoshop, to what I wear to bed.

Now is a good time to post Buster’s Rules for Living:

1. You must not dilly-dally.
2. You must be your word.
3. You must have good intentions.
4. You must admit to being the maker of meaning.
5. You must not feel sorry for yourself.
6. You must have a vision that you are striving for.
7. You must tie creativity and experimentation with survival.
8. You must be the change.
9. You must rally others with your vision.
10. You must stake your reputation on your better self.
11. You must be responsible for your own failure and success.
12. You must be comfortable with big failure.

Thanks for reminding me, B. I’m going up to Seattle to visit him on the 20th of this month and to try and establish some more contacts so that I’ll have a good excuse to go up there to visit, I mean work, more often.

88/0 Photography News and Resources

A new blog to go with the launch of my new site: 88ZERO.com. This will be both a place for news and updates on my work, and a general resource tool for photography.