OK, OK- I Take It Back...

You know, the part where I go on and on about how much I hate that tiny, dark, next to worthless screen on my new camera. Well...

Photo: © S. Banos

There I was in the middle of the street in the midst of some truly gorgeous light, slowly inching my way forward till I stood right before this guy as he was looking every which way with my thing camera hanging out in front of me for all the world to see. Of course, I knew he would eventually catch on and charge me in a hail of cussing and commotion, but inch on I did, angling and framing best I could, since a posed portrait would have likely lost all life and spontaneity. Nevertheless, I was readying contingency Plan B on the first forward step, "Excuse me sir, I was wondering if I could take your..." And in the midst of all my frettin' and a fussin'- it dawned on me that I had already, instinctively fired the shutter. The deed was done! A veritable impossibility with an all too conspicuous SLR had been successfully realized and accomplished with relative ease! Up until that instant, I had looked upon the lowly LCD screen as little more than a barely tolerable hindrance; now I realized how that minuscule screen complemented the GR's overall stealth, also making it... very much the asset.

400 Tons!!!

Four hundred tons of radioactive contaminated water leak out of the Fukushima power plant into the ocean each and every day...

3 Must Get, Must Get Books

Ryann Ford- The Last Stop

All three of these books document things that are pretty much no longer there, things from our collective past.  And although digital photography may be all about the instantaneous sharing of all that is brand spanking new and however fleetingly unique, the major strength of photography remains as it's forever been- its ability to freeze, capture and immortalize time. It's ability to now traverse the globe in seconds time is truly remarkable, but nothing compared to its original mission; a mission it continues to retain and faithfully complete, no matter how forgotten. And these three books remind us all of its inherent power to transcend generations young and old, analog and subsequent.

Chris Killup- In Flagrante Two

One book is an absolute classic that is being reissued. Another taken at roughly the same period is being published for the first time for all the world to see. And even the latest color offering testifies to monuments of time and lifestyle forever lost.

Christine Osinski- Summer Days Staten Island

Chris Killup is the kind of photographer that can do everything well (very)- portraits, landscapes, and everything in between. He's at his peak with In Flagrante Two; hard to find a mediocre shot in the entire essay. Summer Days Staten Island is yet another paean to the glories of B&W, as Christine Osinski searches for the heart, soul and underbelly of that fifth, and forever forgotten borough of NYC. Finally, Ryann Ford's The Last Stop is one living color tribute to the democratic art and architecture that formed America's once unique and memorable roadside rest stops.

THRIVE

It's over two hours long and you're free to make of it... what-you-will. Many will consider it but a compilation of every "conspiracy" theory imaginable, from: free energy and UFO's, to our collapsing environment and The New World Order. The production values vary and it can be a tad "new Agey" at times, but keep in mind this is a man born to privilege, groomed for power and success, who mixed and hobnobbed with the monied elite. Some will dismiss it out of hand, others as the food for thought that it is...

GR Update...

Yellow & White-  Photo: © S. Banos

No color, no photo; also like how the shadow partly obscures his face.

After my initial, short lived brush with beginner's luck, I immediately became both anxious and apprehensive- was the GR going to be just a simple snapshot vehicle for small curiosities (as with the two photos in previous posts), with only the rare out of character shot of something striving for more? Or was it going to be an instrument with which one could take consistently "serious" images as well? The only way to find out, of course, was to keep shooting...

Been a coupla weeks now, and it's been predictably frustrating at times, bust mostly quite productive and... fun! This analog dog is shooting in a completely foreign manner (ie- phone style), with a very foreign device (a digital recording mechanism), utilizing a very foreign medium. And I've also discovered I was wrong on several fronts. 

Valentine-  Photo: © S. Banos

"You a cop?" "Do I look like one? This was the much needed 2nd shot that confirmed the GR was indeed a serious imaging device.

First, size does matter; it is considerably easier to shoot on the street with a smaller, less conspicuous camera- particularly one that resembles the same basic size and dimensions of today's average, common place cell phone. I am now getting images that I wouldn't have with my SLR- does that mean that photographers haven't been getting similar images with say... analog rangefinders? Course not. Just saying that I am now getting images that I wouldn't have previously with my old Nikons. Part of that is also because I am now shooting with a 28mm (e), and (more importantly) I no longer have to manually focus (or even prefocus), or set exposure as before. That (to a large extent) frees one to concentrate on composing on that ridiculously small and dim viewing screen- which despite the difficulty (and my age addled eyes), can be achieved with regular practice and consistency.

Black Sweater-  Photo: © S. Banos

The sound of an SLR shutter directly behind her, and she would have been up and screaming bloody stalker, pervert galore!!!

Setbacks I've encountered include sometimes forgetting to set the proper shutter speed or ISO (don't wish to go full auto)- and sometimes my general disdain for said viewing screen makes me want to forgo the concentration necessary to ensure proper composition (when not shooting from the hip). But if I respect this wonderfully minuscule and capable device, it often rewards me with some pleasingly surprising results. The less than FF sensor still allows for crisp images and shadow detail, and the greater DOF is handy on the street. The lens performs even wide open and I'm enjoying shooting color for the first time in decades... Easily securing it in your jacket pocket sure beats lugging an SLR around on your shoulder- and it's near weightless within the confines of a camera bag. Now I'm scared they'll stop making the damn things, or make them bigger, or they'll be bought off by Hasselblad and sold for 3 grand a piece with giant, hand carved, wooden hand grips...

Shepard of Market St.-  Photo: © S. Banos

Shit Stain

Photo: © S. Banos

Well, what else could I possibly follow up with after a jar o' pee- not that I have any definitive proof, mind ya. After all these many years of solemn, sullen monochrome, I'm just seduced by all these vivid, vibrant colors- golden urine yellows, earthy fecal browns... Maybe there's a typography to be had here; the one on used doggie bags got quite the attention just a few years back. This could just be my ticket to photographic fame and immortality!

Which Would You Choose!?!?

This is one of Life's toughies- no hints, no clues... ya just gotta man up, steel your resolve and hope for the best!

Photo: © S. Banos

customer survey

The Pride And Cost Of Techdom

Photo: © S. Banos

“The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn't have to see the pain, struggle and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day."
 -Justin Keller
     

There is some kernel of truth in what Mr. Keller says- the homeless population in San Francisco has reached insanely ridiculous levels... and it has remained so for at least the fifteen years I've lived here. It was made more than blatantly obvious this past Christmas season (ya know, that time when Christians the world over celebrate the birth of their homeless god) when many a native was outta town and its major streets were left with what appeared to be an SRO crowd of homeless street inhabitants milling about en masse in post apocalyptic, zombie, sci-fi fashion. I-kid-you-not.

Of course, there's a myriad of explanations as to why this continues to be such a plague in this tale of two cities. But computer avatar Keller chooses to simply place all the blame on the homeless themselves. Case closed, problem solved- jail 'em, ship 'em out, and crucify the whole bloody lot if all else fails...

Actually, some of San Francisco's homeless denizens are in fact shipped in from other cities (eg- Las Vegas). But even those numbers are but a fraction of the total that compromise the walking wounded and their cardboard/tent encampments that can be seen throughout certain portions of the city. Many of these people clearly exhibit mental health problems and/or long term drug dependency issues. And this country's major answer to both those problems are twofold: a) have them wander the streets until they're finally... b) incarcerated.

Those with mental disorders  have been increasingly incarcerated during the past three decades, probably as a result of the deinstitutionalization of the state mental health system. Correctional institutions have become the de facto hospitals, and there are more seriously and persistently mentally ill in prisons than in all the state hospitals in the United States.

Photo: © S. Banos

Long term, drug rehab/mental health programs are every bit as critical to solving the homeless situation, as the lack of living wage jobs and affordable housing. Of that there is little doubt or argument. These common sense solutions for this ongoing plague are both proven and effective, should anyone, anywhere care to seriously employ them to the degree needed.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee insists the multi-million dollar tax incentives these software giants and start ups have received are offset by the extra income trickling down to this fair city, while: Google, FB and Genentech buses crowd public bus stops to ferry their private passengers to and fro in luxury; the giant block long Twitter citadel on Market St. remains a totally self contained and self serving bastion of exclusion from the neighborhood beneath its unbreachable walls; and the community give backs for those massive tax incentives remain the cosmetic, unkept promises they were always meant to be. Meanwhile, longstanding residents and neighborhood businesses continue to be booted out to make room for their high end "needs."

San Francisco rent has skyrocketed to obscene levels. Median rent in San Francisco is over $3,000 a month, with some neighborhoods in the $4,000-$5,000 range. Average rent is in the same range. 

So what is the viable alternative to self serving twits like Justin Keller- socially involved and emphatic human beings like... Justin Keller. 

Photo: © S. Banos

It's A GReat World

The Ricoh GR is incredibly, almost unbelievably compact- well built, like some kind of rare, precious object, and the quality one can squeeze from this diminutive operator is near legendary. It certainly doesn't supply the classic camera, tactile satisfaction, but being the rather unique creature it truly is, it nicely creates its own individual user aura. And because of that nearly non existent environmental signature- you want to (and can) take it everywhere!.

Photo: © S. Banos

Frankly, I detested the very thought of having to compose on a tiny 3 inch screen; it's hard enough trying to make sense of 'em in the best of light with glasses on- what chance does one possibly have in real world circumstances!?!? Easy it ain't; that still doesn't mean it can't be done... and the photo up top proves it.

I was left eyed all my life- until ten years ago when I developed floaters in that eye. It made focusing difficult- easier to change what side you bat from, what hand you throw and write with! Nevertheless, I was forced to adapt, and adapt I did. It certainly wasn't overnight, but with time and practice- I've been a right eyed shooter for several years now with no ill consequence.

Likewise, I was always a manual exposure, full control kinda guy; with the GR, I set the shutter speed and let the autofocus and other bells and whistles that I configured do what they do, while I concentrate fully on somehow trying to position that 3 inch rectangle. Problem solved? Yes and no. Not perfect by any means, but that selfie photo was done on the quick, in very BRIGHT light and is every bit as well composed as if I had done it on my F3. Beginner's luck? Believe it!!! I was damn lucky to get that shot on the second day with the camera, shooting in a completely foreign manner- and I'm sure there'll be many a cussing shit fit yet to come on many another occasion... Right now though, it seems almost magical that despite the odds- sharp, colorful, well exposed images manage to regularly pop up.

The GR opens some doors, while making you you jiggle the lock on others- you accommodate to it, learn its strengths and let it "free" you, or spend your time wallowing in its shortcomings. Why am I so much more forgiving of the GR than the full featured XT-1? Because: A) This was never meant to be a "do everything" camera, and B) It's near supernatural portability is, in fact, it's greatest technological feature and asset. Also, unlike the XT-1, where I was shooting similarly to my analog SLR (except with a crappy EVF that made shooting outside less satisfactory in every way), the GR forces one to use the LCD screen (a la Avedon shooting with his 8X10), or shoot from the hip- you can't condemn it for what it wasn't made to do; either way, people are less threatened by it since it shoots and looks as much phone as camera. Some photographers can't handle the 28mm coverage (too wide), I've been married to a 20, so it's a change for me as well, if from the other direction. But shooting in color with a 28mm isn't that bad for me, being that color adds so much more information- and that combo kinda worked out well for that Eggleston fellow as I recall...

Photo: © S. Banos

Must say, the add-on (3rd party) OVF makes it! Accurate? Hell, that cheap ass piece o'plastic'll give ya a goddamn headache if ya even think of looking through it!

This time round, I'm not particularly looking to make B&W files from digital, and although I've read the GR renders B&W well- when I specifically want B&W, I'll make certain to pack the Tri-X. One thing's for damn sure though, it takes well under a half an hour to process most color files! Having devoted myself to B&W most my life, I'm not at all well versed with color temperature, hues, etc, and am very happy to even go full, all out, auto color correction in Elements (again, see above). That's the other real world of difference, equal if not more so than the actual shooting experience- minutes for color in post vs days for (getting the tonal values just so in) B&W. That is truly miraculous!

So It's Been Said...

Photo: © S. Banos

Where To Invade Next

I was tepid at best about seeing Michael Moore's latest, Where To Invade Next. The previews looked, well... not only lackluster, but silly, seen it before and- no longer funny. But being that we hadn't seen a flick in quite a few, off we went- and I celebrated by taking... my first senior discount ($1.50- Woo Hoo!).

Surprisingly, the movie itself did not disappoint. Unfortunately, at this point, Moore's movies only preach to the choir- it's pissed off Trump Republicans that need to watch and learn. Watch and learn how the US has chucked, forsaken and forgotten what once made this country great- and what we could now undertake to heal, repair and restore. As usual, Conservatives go on and on about how the US is overtaxed, and yet they never mention the crippling amounts we have to pay for: health care, higher education and a whole host of other social/civic services that we either pay top dollar for- or (increasingly likely) learn to do without. Our health, economy and hopes breaking down before our eyes just as the very environment and infrastructure we so desperately depend upon. And as Moore points out, insult to injury- many of the very ideas that could alleviate so much suffering and right so many of our current economic and social ills that other countries so effectively employ... originated right here in the good ol' US of A!

Sadly we have allowed ourselves to become so tone deaf and dumbed down, so marginalized in our own frustration, that we can only now seek to blame others as we mindlessly chant on in ever increasing fervor- USA, USA, USA...

Curing My Digital Impotence- Take II

Thought I was done with the very thought of digital for quite some time when I bought, and then rather quickly sold, my XT-1 last year. An ill fated love affair, I was done, cured, free of digital's ominous curse, and back in the analog arms of my one true love. And then something happened this winter that turned my head in an unforeseen direction...

The picture that started it all (over again)... Photo: Lisa Wood (aka- The Wife)

On my way to get a beer in the kitchen I noticed a small cute footprint on our living room table top. It was a very light and powdered print (probably made by the cat's litter residue), not easily seen. When I pointed it out to my wife she immediately reached for her iphone as I told her to wait until I turned the light on. As I took the two steps to do just that, she had already taken the picture, applied the proper "filter," and was posting it on Instagram.

Here I was, the alleged photographer of the household, and she had taken pretty much the exact picture I had imagined- while all I could do was think how long it would take me to: get the tripod, set up lights, look for close up filters... All to get as good a shot as the one above- now that set me to thinking...

What I really need is not the digital do everything (and more) equivalent of my current analog kit- I need a digital tool that will supply certain options... A camera that will allow me to: extend the winter light, get me the occasional square format photo, the occasional color photo, the occasional shot from the hip, etc. A tool (don't say iphone- just don't) that will help me do what I can't already do- at least not very easily. And on budget (of course), say... under $500!

Now I had several (used) options to consider: a Sony Nex 6, a Lumix GX1, a Nikon Coolpix A, a Ricoh GR (amongst others); all having their pluses and minuses. The Sony is fairly attractive, but the GX1 is a lovely little thing, and at $150 for a VG Cond body, ever the more attractive! You can get get inexpensive quality 28 and 40(e) lenses for it, and even an optional EVF- this started to look the winner. A refurbished Coolpix A (a formerly $1,000 camera) could be gotten for a cool $300, and then there was the GR, despite the cult raves- it doesn't even look the camera, not really. Time to think some more...

The Sony compact kit lens sucks incredibly bad at the wide end where I'd use it most, and their 28mm(e) pancake is no winner either. The price of the Coolpix A was tempting indeed- but no 4:3, 1:1 aspect ratio options! Did Nikon do that strictly out of spite? The GX1 seemed the hands down winner: good looking, interchangeable lenses, versatile- even an optional EVF! And that's when I really got to thinking...

This wasn't about a versatile digital replacement, already been down that road. And already learned that focusing and composing on an EVF is not my cup o' tea; could using an LCD be any worse? Maybe, probably- but this after all is going to be my emergency supplement camera, not my main squeeze. And that's when the Ricoh GR, the camera I had dismissed as some kind of cult freak toy really started to come unto its own as the most viable option. Here was a functional, bring anywhere tool that could fit my emergency needs as well as my pocket (literally and figuratively) quite nicely. When I saw a very minty version for $450, I bit.

Its actual usage remains to be seen, and I'm anxious to find out- but it's supernatural portability seems to guarantee it's longevity (even if the wife says I'll sell it within a month)...

Under Construction

Photo: © S. Banos

I've been restoring my least damaged files at record pace in my spare time (and will continue long as I can). Along with some recent work and a few previously completed, I've completed over 60 hi res files; anxious to self publish and show something for the effort, I was wondering how the hell I would eventually edit an appropriate number into book form since there is no particular theme or set subject matter. The photography world in particular is prone to conniptions when things are not edited into a neatly packaged and uniform viewing platform, and understandably so- to a degree. I've never understood the photographic art world's  complete aversion to viewing images that are not specifically related, particularly since we do it every day without chronic after effect.

So I did a preliminary walk through, and it just so happened that approx 30 contained people, and an equal number didn't. Talk about self presenting solutions... how about a two volume set (never thought I'd utter those three words!), each approx 40 images- one featuring various humans; the other featuring only their signature, tell tale signs of chaos and achievement. Certainly not a tight enough edit for most photography connoisseurs; then again, I'm not operating under any delusions of curators beating a path to my door. This "legacy project" is one of several more to come in securing what I've continued to accrue- and what is left me.

And everyone will most assuredly be welcome to view the results, I'm guessing sometime late next fall- barring any major lifestyle complications...

"Most Of The Global Economy Will Be Dedicated To Keeping The Water Away"

Most of the time when you tell people that climate change will raise the temperature worldwide a few degrees- they either glaze over or... laugh in your face. This brings it on home in no uncertain terms- unchecked global warming (which is what we continue to have despite and because of all the political hot air rhetoric) will be a world wide catastrophe in a hundred years (and even worse a hundred later), with many a major and world renown city abandoned and underwater...

I won't be here- will your children?

"Do You Think We're Crazy"

Asked the commercial airline pilots...

Publication Opportunity...

Andy Adams will be reviewing images for Der Greif Magazine- deadline 1/28, submitting is free! Details, here...

The Analog Seasonal Blues!!!

“One of the things we’re sad about today is that Photographers don’t walk around with a camera all the time and photograph without a project.”          -Richard Benson

Ain't that the truth...

Which brings me to the point, that every year at this time... I flat out freakin' panic! Like many a serious amateur, I'm fairly religious (yes, I'm usually packin', except at night, when I'm happy to say- fuck it!). Consummate weekend warrior, I also try to finagle whatever lunch and break period one can during the live long, work a day week. But November thru February are the pits. Go home from work in the dark, wake up "late" on weekends at 9, have a lazy breakfast on the computer, household chores for a few minutes, and its 2 'oclock- 2 hrs before it's dark, and considerably less should you happen to engage in an errand or two....

This is when I grow desperately jealous of my digital brethren, all they need do is raise their ISO setting- easy peasy! So my analog only will frays and goes fickle, my eyes start to stray and wander as to what it would be like to own a brand spanking new X70, or (considerably more feasible) how about a used GR?!? Just point them things anywhere, anytime- don't even have to look! Every winter solstice I persevere through this, and even after purchasing a top of the line XT1 last summer (and selling it within a month), I still wonder if I could better endure these dark seasonal passages if only I had a little digital something, something- anything to raise my hopes and ISO...

Honestly, not much going in the winter months unless you're into winter sports or snowy scenics. People don dark formless clothing, moving about from one indoor place to another; the photo ops they help create in the casual summer months are noticeably absent- how many all time, memorable photographs can you remember with knee high, pee stained snow banks in the background?

So why sweat it at all? Soon the light returns...

This baby still looks like what a digital 21st century camera (from the future) should look like!

Complete Commercial Sellout!

Photo: © S. Banos

Yes, that be me. Available at your local stationery!

Making America Great Again!

Cowardice
Are you serious?
Apologies for freedom, I can’t handle this.
When freedom rings, answer the call!
On your feet, stand up tall!
Freedom's on our shoulders, USA!
Enemies of freedom face the music, c'mon boys, take them down
President Donald Trump knows how to make America great
Deal from strength or get crushed every time

C'mon!!! Any song that begins with the word cowardice has to, has to be great! And let's not forget The Donald's impeccable war credentials- he got a medal for neatness in military school while racking up his five deferments.

It's Personal...

I'm in absolute love with this camera. Previously, I kinda liked this camera. I like the camera above much more for it's dials and retro styling- it looks like a classic, cool, hands on camera (essentially, they're pretty much the same). The thing is, with either one, I imagine myself surreptitiously walking about effortlessly taking the most incredible street photographs with every step I take! There'd be nothing to stop me, I wouldn't know what to do with all the great photographs I'd take- if only I had one of those damn cameras!

There's only one small problem... the one called reality. Years ago when I lived in NYC, I tried to be that incredible, quintessential street photographer- and pretty much, flat out failed. That's not to say that I didn't succeed in getting the occasional  worthy shot, it's just that I eventually realized that it just wasn't really my thing and had little to do with the camera. And although I continue to photograph on the street to this very day, I don't (as would many a self professed hard core street aficionado) consider myself a true "street" photographer. I think I'm what is now referred to as a "flaneur,'" which sounds very much like some kind of lackadaisical French pervert in a flannel shirt.

But this new digital wonder changes everything! It doesn't matter that I actually held the GR in my hands last year and realized that with my close up vision now comprised by age, that tiny screen was rendered pretty much useless w/o also donning my reading glasses (in addition to being useless in the sun). With this gorgeously compact and totally inspirational X70, it just wouldn't matter that I would either have to compose completely on the fly, through a guesstimate OVF add on, or take five times longer figuring out a way to flip the screen in some magical direction for a shot which had long ago passed... I would just be that much better is all.

Truthfully, either one of those cameras would probably get me the occasional, serendipitous photo here or there from the hip. Would either be worth the money I don't have- most likely not. But a guy can always dream...

PS- What I really would have bought is an X100 with a 28mm(e) and a 21mm(e) converter. That's-no-lie.

The Revenant

Vivid dreamscapes, nature in its raw, natural elements... cold, wet, breathtaking in its beauty and uncompromising in its ferocity. Since the world of movies first burst forth with those audience galvanizing scenes of a moving train and a pointed gun, cinema has never ceased trying to put you in the very scene it has sought to create. The Revenant does just that- the water, wind and snow beneath your feet, against your skin and throughout your senses. 

Wide angle lenses can often look gimmicky on the big screen, here in the great wide open Alejandro G. Iñárritu has used them flawlessly, a major reason why we are seamlessly enmeshed into the environment of his making. We see arrows initiate flight, frenetically approach and whiz harmlessly by our heads, or stop full upon their deadly mark. We hear, feel and for all purposes smell the very breath of those that approach us, friend and foe alike. 3D can't touch this, virtual reality can't come close.

This is experiential movie making at its most vivid and dramatic, where even the dream sequences that occasionally manifest are just further extensions of the present reality. And DiCaprio lives up to the spectacle. There's no way a human body could actually survive the abuse his endures, but you're willing to forgive and forget... because the movie is that damn good. 

Easily one of my All Time Top Twenty, possibly even in the Exalted Top Ten... Must see on the BIG screen!