Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 | |






I decided to take a break from NY - too many photo festivals and drama - and head to Washington DC for Memorial Day. Mostly I wanted to go to Arlington Cemetery. I wanted to bring my Iraq experience back to the US. Something I haven't done since the anti-war protests in 2003. I never felt comfortable working in American concerning Iraq - working with wounded or traumatized vets, or the families of the KIA. I just never knew if I could do that. The first grave I came to - that I was taken by, a grave that stymied me - was the grave of MAJ Gregory Stone. The only soldier killed in the grenade attack in Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait in the opening days of the war in '03. I photographed him being carried out on a stretcher. I basically made my career, or at least started my career with his death. Today was the first time I thought about that. That my whole career is based on death. Kind of a selfish thing to think about during a day of remembrance. 

When David H. and I got to Arlington we didn't shoot for a few hours - but wandered through the tombstones looking at the ages of the Soldiers killed., the days they died. One died on the ides of March, another died 4 days before his 20th birthday. We sat in the shade under a tree until we decided it was time to shoot, until we got over the vulturesqe nature of making images in a place like Arlington. 
I ended up shooting a few pics - not too many - and was definitely removed from the grieving subjects. Though I did end up speaking to one woman - Amanda - the best friend of LCPL Jason Redifer. About how she still couldn't believe her friend was dead.
It was a weird day for me. 

Artsy

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | |




After last night's big wins at the PDN party I figured it would be a good idea to update my site with a little bit of new work. I worked today on editing and transmitting all the dog pics from the Westminster Kennel Club show onto my site, along with pics from my Afghanistan Squared project. I still need to put the Fight Club stuff - at least a taste - up there as well. Maybe even the PNG and Salton Sea projects. That might be later in the week, after I organize my VII presentation for Sunday. Too much to do. Yesterday I spent the morning sticking stamps onto my two hundred promo cards - which I will never do again. Believe me. Well, not often.

Today Im posting my other "art" project - the double triptics Im making using my SX780 Polaroid camera. They are sort of dreamy representations of a space or emotion - mostly though I think they just look cool...

Back in Style

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 | |






Its been a long weekend since coming back from Phoenix. I had to finish editing the useless shoot, and then went off to make some images on Friday and Saturday night of MMA cage fights in NJ. I haven't been exactly on the ball with this fighting project - its been viceral shooting without thinking through what I'm doing. But I think its more that I havent really been focused on much of anything these days except all my family issues and Marvi's health. Plus - Im either naive or elitist, or both - but I find it hard to identify with a lot of these fighters outside of the ring. Or at least I imagine it so. Ill post some of those images later on.
For now - since my creativity has been stymied of late sitting in an office and editing or working on bills - I struck back with my new all-in-one copy scanner. Im now doing xerox portraits. Its art, what can I say. But I like it. Now I need to find someone to give me an assignment where I can just shlep my copy machine with me.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | |

Im sitting in the Phoenix airport, my flight delayed a bit. My eyes are slowly drooping from fatigue. Im sitting on the floor next to an electrical outlet and fire extinguisher - the rest of the seats in the this annoyingly tiny airport with no restaurant - are filled. Apparently all todays flights are delayed for some reason or another. My ass has fallen asleep, ahead of the rest of me (irony that it fallen "ahead"), and i cant get my right leg comfortable. In fact even though Im tired I really cant be bothered to sit here.
Sometimes I really do like traveling. Other days I do not.
Today is an orange alert out there - a terrorist attack might be coming. Look out! The only effect that this warning has had, made the toothpaste and shaving cream gauntlet line at security almost unbearable.

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And other side project that I might end up posting is a collection of images from - pics of my hotel rooms. Mostly beds - empty and ruffled. Bare and lonely. My time on the road. One of the se days when Im less distracted by making a blog or watching CNN or thinking about what time I need to wake up to get to the airport in the morning - Ill get all self-analytical and figure out what lonely hotel room pictures mean to my inner me.

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Of course there are also tons of pics of my loving wife/partner/best friend - Marvi!!

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Another fall back - or rather - a collection of images which I always find myself taking - will be the usual pics of my shadow on the well trodden road. Sort of vain I guess...

Pics of the hounds

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In light of not always having a daily shooting assignment, or the time or inclination to shoot something amazingly unique - my constant fall back will no doubt be pics of Spud and Wheat - my photogenic hot dogs who love to pose.

lifeOlowy begins anew

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I always try to write a blog. I usually keep it going for about three days before life gets the better of me. For the most part that is what happens to everything I try and take up. Biking, working out, cooking. I do it for a few days, and then drop it.
Well, to make life a little easier. Im just going to post photos. And pretty much not tell anyone about this blog. That way I dont need to impress anyone but me, and I can still use it to motive some picture taking on a daily basis - something I really need.