But there were a few good things and those are the things I'm holding close. Silver linings reveal a clearing sky.
I decided the many months of mainly shitty things were mostly necessary for my long-term good. Maybe.
During these months I didn't shoot nearly as much as I normally do, or wanted, but I did try new things in terms of subject and format, and I think my photography improved some because of it.
Here are some of them.
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| Walled Compounds are still little boxes... Camera: Mamiya 645 ProTL (this camera was stolen recently) Lens: Mamiya Sekor C 70 mm F 2.8 C Lens (yep, they got the lens as well) Film: Ilford Pan F+ |
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| Elle 02 My first-ever 8x10 photo Model: Elle Long (ellelong.tumblr.com) Homemade 8x10 pinhole camera (f/320) Impossible Project PQ 8x10 film Exposure ~6 seconds |
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| That Time I Visited Van Gogh at the Asylum Camera: Rolleicord III (this camera was stolen, too) Film: Kodak Portra 160 cross processed in D76 B&W chemicals |
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| . Model: Erica Jay (ericajay.tumblr.com) Camera: Rodenstock 127mm lens from a Polaroid Pathfinder 110a that I put onto a Polaroid 360 (yep, another one stolen) Film: Polaroid Polapan expired in 2002 |
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| Lake in the Sand Camera: RealitySoSubtle 141 Film: Ilford PanF+ |
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| How many souls perish in its tumult "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." -- Kate Chopin Camera: Holga 120N (yes, they even grabbed the Holga!) Film: Ilford HP5+ |
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| My First Wetplate Two minute exposure on a small plate in a Holga |
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| Lost, But Only For a Moment Camera: Holga 120N (stolen) Film: Ilford HP5+ |
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| And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street Camera: Polaroid SX-70 Film: Impossible Project beta BW |
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| Light Pollution Camera: Polaroid 680 (Stolen, too) Film: Impossible Project Color Film for 600 |
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| Exit Camera: Mamiya 645 ProTL (stolen) Lens: Mamiya Sekor C 70 mm F 2.8 C Lens (stolen) Film: Kodak T-Max 100, +2 push |
...I started reading this when I found Spiegelman's "Raw" comix mag in the late 80s. They teach it in high school, now, thankfully. It should be required reading for every kid in every country...
...I read this recently and decided it was beautiful but it was also the most depressing book I've ever read. (While I'm at it, honestly, I should include 
, 
, 
, 
...oddly, though, not 
)
...since we're now in the lost generation. I managed to avoid reading this in HS and college...I didn’t read it until I was in my 30s, and I think I appreciated far more than I would have earlier in life.
was recommended by a writing teacher sophomore year of college. I fell in love with his ability to paint horrible images and horrible people so poetically. It’s a big reason why I began writing and went into journalism (because writers don’t make money), so it’s probably the most influential book of my life. It wasn't until I read 
, though, that I realized what a master of writing and reader manipulation McCarthy is...I think he is the best writer I've read.
, I read it as a kid just before Miami Vice began...I felt like I had a much deeper understanding of the show since I understood the term "Columbian necktie." It’s also why I became a cocaine kingpin and ran my own cartel for six hours.
...I read it the first time in high school. I've reread it half a dozen times. It reminds me that the American way, as unfair as it is, is still far better than the unfairness of mid-century Russia (and every other dictatorship that rules through fear).
(and 
I read). I managed to read all of his novels and short story collections before I started college. I was honored to speak with Vonnegut when I interned at Playboy in the late 90s. It was a silly thing, really, but I was tasked with calling him (he had a long-standing relationship with the magazine) to ask who his favorite playmate was. He responded "Janet Pilgrim...I used her name for the main character in 
." I'm still grateful he was so kind to me on the phone. I'm sure I sounded a mess of nerves.
...this childhood gem is my most treasured book. I still read it on occasion.
...this was a collection of Shel Silverstein's adult cartoons. I stumbled across it on a shelf in Davis-Kidd when I was a teen. It was big and expensive ($25, I recall). I really wanted it but didn't have the money. I went back a few weeks later and it was gone. I figured I'd pick it up some other time but they didn't have it again. It was a one-time run. I finally got a copy many years later. It cost considerably more than $25 at Elder Books. Shortly after, there was a 25th anniversary reprint and the prices for the originals dropped dramatically. Still, I'm glad I have it.
