the images we
record get tucked away like

files of memory

where i'm at

when you look back at the pictures i have posted over the past 4 days, you wouldn't know it, but they were all taken in a single day within a block of my work. and this simple fact reminds me of 2 things. first, the idea of photography as expressed by alfred stieglitz when he said "in photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality" in that the brief time i took to step outside and record these images, and then alter them slightly, removing them from their original time and place, they became something more. something i saw and then shared, and thus they have been transformed.
secondly, all of this connects to me, and to where i'm at now. stieglitz also marveled at the wonderful simplicity and access to creativity that photography affords us, even today in this digital medium. all any of us need do is step out, and look for these opportunities. they are all around us. and in sharing them, we share little pieces of our selves.

"i have found my subjects within 60 feet of my door"

- alfred stieglitz

click!

small houses 08

location: hwy 49, north of placerville
rolling through the golden chain highway from auburn to placerville and following a 5 dollar guidebook of the finest roads in america some 5+ years ago, i flew past this little structure right off the highway. when i headed back the other way that day i stopped to snap this picture. i never did understand its purpose for being there. there were no nearby signs for public transit or some such indication of its purpose. just one xs home.
and this reminded me today of how my access to it is now so much more removed. i can't just as easily hop on a bike and blast from my home out to hangtown and back on a sunday loop. and the fact that this has changed and all that goes with it continue to feel like a sort of death that i haven't fully processed. the bar across the street from where i work now is a constant hive of what my boss might call "transients". people like driftwood seem to move in and out of the place all day and night long. one of them even knocked my bike over the other day in an act of ignorance and carelessness.
and yet even as i considered the word "transient", isn't it what we all are? moving from one place to another, with and without purpose. whether we carry a 30 year mortgage or a duffel bag, we're just shuffling through this place. and somehow when i spot one of these little come outs from the weather it warms my heart.

my rest

today sort of a grab bag day. woke up late after a long day defending myself against allergy. sneezing and runny nose. i will need to figure out how to manage it better. a day of allergy attack wrecks me into the next day. spent this morning taking it easy and watching everyone decorate the Christmas tree. thumbed through an old u.s. camera book i bought years ago on the streets of berkeley in route to breakfast with my wife.


i was inspired and so went looking for something right outside my door to photograph. our neighborhood is already rich with layers of historic texture, so it didn't take long to find a few willing subjects. back inside now and it is quiet. i need quiet more regularly than i have been getting, and so will look for ways to engage it. there is though, always compromise it seems. life is an unending rhythm, a dance that often makes me feel out of step. then it's time to slow it down, feel the down beat count, and begin again.

friday toy round-up

been away from the game for so long i've forgotten some of its rhythms. like this. i just came across these photos some of my guys had taken before we moved. the illustration of play. an adventure documented. if only digital photography had been available when i was a lad. i leave the back story and conclusion to this tale up to you...

the memory of
the wheel spins in my head now
and over again

small houses 07

location: e14th st, san leandro.
i saw this small house while driving one day five years ago and stopped to capture the image with my old 2mp camera. it sat behind a cyclone fence in this empty lot even as the weeds defied the asphalt. behind it is an even smaller house. i'm not really sure what the purpose of these is. but they looked so lonely and isolated as i drove by and so i wanted to share in their loneliness.

eye a camera
exposed negative image
captured and shutters

technicator

the ranks of the blogosphere are certainly swelling these days. and certainly no one has more time than they did in the past. from waking to sleeping our attention is being bartered with unending sources competing against each other. and yet, i don't know about you, but i really look forward to visiting some of these sites as part of a morning meditation or a break from the madness. a little sabbath in the day if you will.
and in that vein i have added a new cup of tea. my friend kyle, a long time supporter of the toastrobot has launched his own project under the thin guise of his alter ego "technicator". the parameters he has loosely set for himself are to document his daily travels (and mostly what he encounters on the short walk back and forth from work) and then share them with us with some artful tweaking. an example of the result is above. i'm really enjoying these daily offerings and invite you to take a look here and offer some words of encouragement as well.

impossible update

i headed out of the house eagerly the other day, my land camera around my neck, hoping to find success shooting the first roll of my newly acquired film. i had already examined the camera for light leaks, a common problem apparently according to the message boards. i stopped at one of my favorite spots and began experimenting. unfortunately the above was my result.
as disheartening as it is, i realize the enterprise i am engaged in is a much different one than the point and shoot digital world we all have been inhabiting for some time now. this will require time and patience as i try and figure out where to go from here. but though discouraged, i am not yet ready to give up the ghost.
so, now begins the process of learning and re-learning and networking and possibly shelling out more of my hard earned cash to make it right again. ironic, that all this time has passed and will pass still before i am once again able to enjoy the merits of analog "instant" photography.

in the time of land
you may walk out to winter
i swear i'll be there

impossible gift

a package arrived for me the other day. it was a little belated birthday gift from mom. inside, 3 boxes of the newly developed (no pun intended) film stocks from the impossible project. a triple dip for my land cameras in three delicious flavors. sepia to chronicle my anachronistic activities with serious grain, blue for my fits of melancholy and of course the dessert, chocolate. i'm already racking my brain to come up with some serious subject matter.
but even opening that package and looking at and handling the contents. i've really missed that connection to analog instant film. it's nice to have something that you can touch. and then taking a closer look at the package, i discovered they are labeled "paul giambarba edition" which led me through a fantastic voyage of discovery about this creative genius behind the look and feel of all polaroid graphics and design from the time. he had a great quote i read which said "you know how long it takes to do simple? about ten times longer than fast and dirty." have no fear mr. g, i will take my sweet time getting it right.

nature calling

i stepped outside my door yesterday when my son spotted this praying mantis. he had gotten hold of a grasshopper and was slowly eating his insides. we all got down on our knees and stared at the horror. beautiful. we could hear the crunching sounds and watched as the teeth sawed through the hard outer shell of the grasshopper. occasionally a leg would twitch. i was fascinated at the efficiency of the mantis and at how undisturbed it was by our presence. they really seem to be zen like sometimes. their attitude of prayer calling me to meditation.


and then i remembered that i had seen some glorious fall foliage all around the property earlier and went on a little photo expedition to try and record some of this fantastic transitional beauty.

although it is california, and many of these trees are not native, i'm thankful for these transplants that dot my local landscape like little wildfires this time of year.

and it is so great to have all of these reminders so vividly shouting out that the change is coming again.

handmade

my wife recently completed the handmade camera case you see here. it was a real labor of love and i enjoy it so much more than my boring old store bought camera case. the inspiration was taken from another one of the many handcrafters out there that she is connected with. and that whole movement is really gaining influence. clearly, many people out there are just tired of living in a world of mindless design and corporately produced items that neither reflect who we are as individuals or are interesting and fun to interact with. that diy spirit was one of the things that really attracted me to her in the first place. so thanks babe.

bootblacks

i love this picture. i can't remember where it came from, but it's always reminded me of me and my friend jess. maybe i associate it with the period we were roommates. i don't know, but i feel a kinship to it. the two wiley bootblacks making their way by grace and wit. the more i look too, the more i see. the one on the left is clearly wearing oversized shoes compared to his partner and i love that they both have vests. they also remind me a little of characters in upton sinclair's "the jungle"
"It was too bad that the boys should have to sell papers at their age. It was utterly useless to caution them and plead with them; quite without knowing it, they were taking on the tone of their new environment. They were learning to swear in voluble English; they were learning to pick up cigar stumps and smoke them, to pass hours of their time gambling with pennies and dice and cigarette cards; they were learning the location of all the houses of prostitution on the "Levee," and the names of the "madames" who kept them, and the days when they gave their state banquets, which the police captains and the big politicians all attended. If a visiting "country customer" were to ask them, they could show him which was "Hinkydink's" famous saloon, and could even point out to him by name the different gamblers and thugs and "hold-up men" who made the place their headquarters. And worse yet, the boys were getting out of the habit of coming home at night. What was the use, they would ask, of wasting time and energy and a possible carfare riding out to the stockyards every night when the weather was pleasant and they could crawl under a truck or into an empty doorway and sleep exactly as well? So long as they brought home a half dollar for each day, what mattered it when they brought it?"
in that vein i have enjoyed taking a peek through another looking glass recently. shorpy is a wonderful photo site featuring images, many from over 100 years ago. it's a little like a time machine really, and as technology propels us ever further into the future these images have a growing archaic quality which makes me ache just a little bit.

impossible...not

i’ve been keeping my eyes on the impossible project since they first began their journey back in 2008. it is a crazy idea that started after polaroid announced it was ending the production of all instant cameras and film and moving exclusively instead to digital production. even as the transition was taking place to destroy all of their processing equipment and shutter the doors of the netherlands factory, a movement began by former employees and a wild entrepreneur to save both the factory and the process.
now two years later it looks like they are proving that the world still loves and needs polaroid film. they’ve rolled out an entire new line of product to supply the imagination and creativity of a whole new army of instant film users. these new stocks have a much greater artistic design and even come packaged in “flavors” like chocolate. personally i’m thrilled that the old land cameras gathering dust on my shelf at home may soon have new assignments.

rocking horse jesus

while searching for something in the garage yesterday i came across a box of photos, and thought i'd post one today. i remember the horse quite well. the older he got the louder his springs would squeak. he also seemed to bottom out on more aggressive rides as i got bigger too. of course when my little brother came along i give up a lot of time on solo rides.
seeing this makes me think of a story idea i had once about a magical horse from an old carousel carved in wood by hand. in the old times the master carver would sometimes do the outside portion leaving the inside to be completed by the younger less skilled apprentice. the idea being the apprentice had a chance to learn the craft by copying the master in a mirror fashion while mistakes would be less obvious to the viewing public.
in the story the horse along with the other animals on the carousel now sit alone in a warehouse recounting their tales of creation and adventure, but speak as two halves, the outer and the inner, sometimes arguing with themselves. perhaps i'll finish and post it too someday. for now i like the look on this little guy's face because he looks happy. happy to ride under jesus' watchful eye.

trees

so if you take about 9000 pictures, one will occasionally turn out alright. we were up over donner pass last weekend where i snapped this one. i was pleased with the result. it's actually two shots that i stitched vertically. see if you can spot the line...

accidental

this shot was taken recently by my friend jess on a ride up the bodega coast. apparently as he stopped to take a photo, he was assailed by a yellowjacket and as he swatted it, his camera dropped, taking this picture. here's to happy accidents that happen off the road!