Before You Hit the Street
April 22, 2010Shortly after I arrived in Los Angeles, I got in my little purple car and started driving around this behemoth of a city. On the afternoon I'm recalling, I didn't have time enough to head down to the beach, nor to go to the really vibrant East LA neighborhoods that I scouted the week before. But there's a little stretch on Fairfax that is "Little Ethiopia" -- colorful, good eats, and not terribly far from my place. So I headed that way. I got out and started to shoot --- but I felt really uncomfortable. Which ... read more
The Other Perspective
April 15, 2010When I asked you all to think about how your life would be different without photography many of you mentioned -- in one way or another -- how much more observant working with the camera makes you. I doubt there is a photographer out there who would argue with the basic premise that visual perception is enhanced through the practice of looking through a viewfinder and experiencing the world from the other side of a lens. Undoubtedly, the process of photographing forces us to slow down. It makes us more deliberate about and aware of ... read more
Noise Reduction
April 8, 2010Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Blog. Blog. Blog. Blog. Blog. Update. Update. Update. Update. Update. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Blog. Blog. Blog. Blog. Blog. Update. Update. Update. Update. Update. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Comment. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Facebook. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. Flickr. ... read more
Your Life, Without Camera
April 1, 2010It's become second-nature. Having a camera in your hand, around your neck, or in front of your face. Usually, you feel better with it than without. And on the rare occasions when you decide to leave it behind, you feel a little anxious about the shots you're missing. So what I'm about to ask you to do isn't going to be easy. I want you to... Imagine your life, without a camera. I'm sure you can come up with a quick, glib description of how things would be different: "My savings account would be ... read more
“Shooting Without a Weapon in War Zone”
March 25, 2010While trying to wrap up a long and tedious project at the office a few nights ago, I turned up my radio, which is perpetually tuned to the local NPR station. I rarely listen to the radio at work, but something told me to turn it on. I pushed the button just as an astonishingly frank and utterly gripping interview with Tyler Hicks was beginning. Seconds into the interview -- and for the first time in a long, long while -- everything around me fell out of focus. The papers strewn about my desk. The ... read more
Never Knew Love Like This Before
March 18, 2010I've been in a new relationship for about a week now. I know, I know. It hasn't been very long. And it's awfully early to be blabbing about this to all of you. But it's got me giddy. I certainly don't want to jinx it. Still, I've just got to spill the beans... Everyone always told me that it would happen when I least expected it, when I wasn't looking for it. That always sounded like trite "wisdom" offered to console and encourage poor suckers who are up shit's creek. But it turns out ... read more
I Fought The Law
March 16, 2010Story time! Back when I lived in NYC, I rode the subway all.the.time. I also liked to take photographs on the subway all.the.time. One evening, after a a tasty but overpriced meal with a dear friend in the Village, I parted ways with my friend at West 4th and descended to the BD FV platform. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Bored out of my mind, I pulled the 5D from its neoprene sleeve and started to snap. There wasn't much going on near me, so ... read more