Visual Pollution

Hollywood, CA

Criss crossing the country, its easy to get depressed by what you see outside the car window.  Its pretty much the same thing everywhere you go.  Fast food restaurants, giant parking lots.  Oversized signs.  

I often find myself thinking of ways to improve urban blight to make it more human friendly.  I love urban planning.  

Sometimes, I go so far as to sketch out a fantasy map of a neighborhood in a way that I think would work better.  Its weird, I know.  But I get really excited about it.  Like when Santa Monica started putting little traffic circles all over the neighborhood to slow down traffic, I started imagining where tram lines could go and which street could be closed to cars all together.  

And, working on Hollywood Blvd, Ive been really compulsive about keeping up with the revitalization efforts.  In some ways, these efforts depress me, because even though Hollywood used to be nothing more than a symbol of American glamour that managed to delivered little more than  Lebanese owned Tshirt shops and strung out hustlers, it was exciting in a sort of sad way.  

But overall the revitalization is a good thing.  There are fewer blocks composed of nothing but a parking lot, and more mixed use buildings going up.  They are trying to create these "live work" spaces around the subway stops, like normal cities have.  I hope it works.  But usually, in LA, I am disappointed.  These kinds of efforts take twice as long as in other cities.  People are opposed to public transportation, and not interested in community issues.  Its a very individual kind of town.  It will probably be another 10 years before the next subway line is completed.  I know east west lines have been blocked by the city of beverly hills to keep "unwanted elements" out of the city.  That line is now planned to go through south LA along exposition.

All this makes me sad.  And also makes me feel disconnected from where I live.  

Then, recently,  I read this article in the Times which, while being a little pretentious, kind of sums up how I feel about living here.  

I still dream about a different kind of city, but the older I get, the more I am able to appreciate it for what it is, instead of what it will never be.  Though, one day, I just might move to Vancouver, which, in terms of urban planning, seems to be just about perfect....

Anyway, this photo is taken from the roof of the World of Wonder building, looking west towards the Chinese Theatre.

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Sometimes, I miss Texas

Ft Worth, TX

I took this with my camera phone at a Black Crowes concert last year, and only recently discovered it as I was deleting media to make more space.  I think it's the perfect picture.  Lots of girls in boots.  Lots of cells phones. No one's too interested in the Black Crowes, myself included...

Here's my analysis of the scene:   I think the girl in the black boots is the "A" friend and the girl in the pink boots is the less attractive "B" friend she keeps around so that guys (like the one in the backwards baseball cap) will check out her ass and not her friends.  The A friend is checking her messages for a guy who she is supposed to meet there, who hasn't shown up, and the B friend is pretending she got a text message.  No one is really enjoying themselves because the beer is $8 a can.  

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Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

15 miles outside of Timmons- ville, SC

I think I was sub- consciously mimicking the cover of the Lucinda Williams album (one of my all time favorites) when I took this picture...  Anyway, this is the home of the 3rd, and final beekeeper in our documentary

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Bees In My Mouth

Timmonsville, SC

Never scream for help when you get bees in your veil.

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Around the World in a Best Western

Can you tell, based on a hi - wide angle shot of my hotel room?

Im thinking about making this my first "regular blog feature" - so all 10 of you that read this blog can wait with baited breathe for the next installment.  

It is based on that uncomfortable feeling of waking up and not remembering where i am -What town, who i am shooting, what my goal is, or what happened the day before.  Sometimes, it takes turning on the lights and looking around to get my bearings.  But since I always stay in a best western, that doesn't usually help much. But still, even best westerns have hints of personality.  It may be a take out pizza menu on the desk with a location printed on the front.  Or a Bible on the nightstand (usually hidden in the drawer, unless you are in the south), or an oil painting of an adobe mission over the bed (which would indicate a hotel room in the south west)  So, with that, here is my latest hotel room.  Where am I?  (try clicking on the photo for a LARGE DETAILED VIEW!!)  Its kind of like a highlights game!

 This is a hard one.  There is very little to give anything away.  But the utter blandness is the first clue.  Also, you might notice, its a little DATED.  The floral bedspreads have been replaced in the newer best westerns.  And you might not be able to tell, but the painting features a gazebo in a swampy park.  Gazebo?  Swamps?  10 years behind?  Hmmmm....  For further help, you will find some NERDS on the bedside table (that I bought across the street at a piggly wiggly).  Yes... Im in South Carolina (Timmonsville, to be exact)

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5am - and no beekeeper to be found

Lost Hills, CA

When documentary subjects stand me up at 5am in the middle of a cherry orchard - I get really zen and shoot the sunrise 

Going with the flow is my new thing.  I say that every year, but this year I mean it. 

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Where Are They Now....

Los Angeles, CA

The feature story for today's New York Times Magazine is about F2M college students.  I was happy to see a brief mention of Transgeneration - 

"The increasing number of trans college students has even given rise to a surprisingly deft reality television show, "Transgeneration", on Sundance Channel, which featured a transmale student at Smith College."

"Surprisinngly deft."  Of course, I like that.  Particularly since 3 years ago, when Transgeneration came out, it was surprisingly overlooked by the NYT.  anyway... it's nice to feel like I've worked on things that matter and people care about.  ...You get it where you can.

So, these are the promo photos I took of two of the subjects of the show, Raci and TJ.  I can remember taking these photos and it's, I guess, not surprising to think how much has changed since then.  You can find Raci on her myspace page, and if your lucky, she might add you to the thousands of friends she has there.  TJ can be found here.  He's back in the states, but only briefly.  Gabbie has been harder to keep in touch with, but Lucas has moved to LA.  We play racquetball every now and then.  Though not for long, as he just got accepted to Yale and will be moving there over the summer.  

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The End of the Bloom

Pretty spectacular, isn't it?.  I could have stayed here all day.

In 3 days, these trees will be green and the flowers will be gone...

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The Elephant Man

Best Western - Coalinga, CA

Never get stung in the eye. More pix after the jump

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In Memory of Polaroid

Tanzania and Rwanda

Since Polaroid announced it will no longer manufacture its cameras or its film, I thought it would be a good time to post some of my last polariod shots, which I took in Africa a couple years ago.  I brought along a Polariod, because I figured most of the people I would be taking pictures of were used to having their picture taken but not used to getting to keep the picture.   I thought it would be an equal exchange, and even give us a way to interact beyond the language barrier. 

It was somewhat successful.  Though, there were a few times when polaroids were not appreciated and almost seemed like an insult.  This was the case in the photo of the three women in front of the sand dune.  They had seen their fair share of tourists in their time, and were none too happy about engaging without monetary compensation.  You can see it on their faces.  Which is fair enough, I suppose.  Other times, like the Muslim girls in Zanzibar, people were only too happy to get a photo, or 2 or 3 from a tourist.  But either way, I liked watching it unfold.  I liked watching how people reacted, what they wanted photographed, what they were proud of, what they thought was beautiful.  Alot of times, I would get direction from them on how and what to photograph.  That whole experience was interesting to me.  Vanity is universal.

Too, I just liked the idea of taking pictures of these people with their Polaroid.  And I do really like these pictures....  

Particularly the last one.  She's hiding.

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