Put A Bird On It

Untitled (Roosevelt Island Series, 2012)

When I first got the invitation to exhibit two photos in a group show at the Blu Moon Gallery in Coconut Grove, I intuitively knew which would be the first but wasn't so sure about the second. The show, entitled Put A Bird On It, is themed around birds.  I knew I had to exhibit a photo of birds on power lines as it fit perfectly with the theme. Initially, my choice for the second image was one taken in Martha's Vineyard in 2012 but I discarded the thought as I considered it was too rural an image to pair with the first.  I knew I needed something grittier.  I then turned to my Roosevelt Island series.

Roosevelt Island is situated on the East River between Manhattan and Queens and is mostly accessible by cable cars.  It is a rather small, mostly residential island and really not too attractive at all.  Still, in November 2012 it proved to be one of the last areas of New York I hadn't explored.

I vaguely remembered that I had shot shot some sort of iron structure against a cloudless sky and that there might actually be birds in it somewhere. So I pulled the image and immediately knew I had to include it in this show. It's got just the right amount of grit and just enough birds to qualify for the show. Love it.

Put A Bird On It will run through May, 2014 with an opening reception on May 3, 2014 at the Blu Moon Gallery, 3444 Main Hwy, #7, Coconut Grove, Florida 33133.  The promo and photo of Untitled (Birds on a Wire) is shown below.

Best of 2013

Drive Thru, POTY, 2013

This is my second Best-Of post, the first being from December, 2012.  This year's set contains 15 images, all but one shot in the first half of the year.  As with last year, the number could have been higher or lower, it just happened to be the number I truly liked.  Unlike last year, I won't post all of them, but will only comment on the POTY and the runner up.  The entire set is viewable in my Flickr feed by clicking here.

The POTY, Drive Thru, was shot in Wynwood on my return from my studio at the Bakehouse.  I was stopped at a light and just raised the camera and snapped off a shot.  Composition and tonality are the two things I like most in photography and the reason I shoot predominantly in black & white. This image has it all.  The sign on the extreme right third of the image tells you exactly where you are and acts as a counterpoint to the subjects on the left.  The left-side is lighted nearer the bottom whereas the right-side is lighted from where the left-side leave off all the way to the top.

The people in the image, though, complete the photo.  They are illuminated by the store and almost organically a part of the image.  Because of the tonality, the interplay between light and shadow and the presence of people engaged in ordinary tasks, this photo has always reminded me of an Edward Hopper painting, albeit in black & white.

Coney Island, After Sandy

Danger, Beach Closed

We traveled to New York for Thanksgiving, a little apprehensive given that it was only about three weeks since Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast.  We had heard about the devastation, how the Subway was flooded, and how the Boardwalk had been washed out to sea.  When we got there, we saw that the City had actually weathered the storm fairly well and that the Subway, for the most part, was fine.  We also heard that the Atlantic City Boardwalk had been blown out to sea, but not the one in Coney Island.  Still, we made the trek out to Coney Island to survey the damage.

The damage, it turns out, was pretty extensive.  Famous Nathans, along with many other merchants, was closed and apparently being refitted because of flood damage.  The most impressive sight, though, was the sand: it was everywhere.  As you approach the Boardwalk from the landward side, you see the sand as far away as Stillwell Avenue.  Even more impressive, though, is how high the sand was piled.

The photo above shows the Boardwalk in the foreground and the beach in the background divided in the lower third by a railing curving into the sand.  The railing is actually part of the steps leading down the the beach, which ordinarily is about four feet below the Boardwalk.  The photo clearly shows the sand rising above the Boardwalk.  Although you can't see it from any photo, the gaps between the planks showed sand underneath.  Essentially, the sand had blown completely over and under the Boardwalk.

Selected photos of the series After Sandy will be on display in Studio 10-U at the Bakehouse Art Complex, Friday, January 11, 2013 beginning at 7.00 PM.  Click here to see the series After Sandy in my Flickr feed.

My Best of 2012

POTY: Big Bad Wolf

2012 saw many changes in my artistic life.  The single biggest change, of course, was my admission as a resident artist at the Bakehouse.  Being a resident artist means many things, not the least of which is that I've been vetted by other artists who have found something in my work worthwhile. For someone without the benefit of either a BFA or gallery representation, this is very significant. It has also meant much more exposure as my work has been on exhibit in various parts throughout Miami ever since.  It has also had an unanticipated side-effect: I now shoot much more than I used to.

In 2011 I took about 7,000 photos; in 2012 that number has climbed to over 15,000.  For over ten years now I've always tried to carry a camera wherever I go whenever possible. Only once, though, did I break 10,000 photos in one year.  What's also fascinating is that two-thirds of the photos are in the second half of the year, after I was accepted into the Bakehouse.  The lesson is clear: being in the Bakehouse has meant that I take many more photos because I'm always on the lookout for new material.  At least, well, that's the lesson I've drawn. [read more after the break]

Happy Holidays

Radio City Music Hall decked out for Christmas

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Festivus, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Natal, Joyeux Noel, Good Kwanza, Happy New Year.  Did I leave anyone out?

Seriously, enjoy the holidays (and yes, there are more than just the one), keep your loved ones close, and look to what unites us rather than what divides us.  We are all one people, one race, one species and stewards of one world.

Peace.

Brooklyn Heights in the Rain

Brooklyn Heights in the Rain

Across the East River from Manhattan lies the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, bordered on the river side by the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.  I first encountered it on a rainy June afternoon in 2006, coming back from the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. 

We had been walking in the rain for most of the afternoon, including during all of the Mermaid Parade and were now pretty soaked when finally made it to the Promenade.

The scene shows the Brooklyn Bridge in the background through haze and fog.  The only thing that mars perfection is the trashcan in the foreground, but there really was no other view that would have framed the bridge exactly the same way.  Even with the trashcan, it's still one of my favorite shots.

New York in the Shadows

Walking through New York with my M8 swinging off my side I wondered what would happen if I cranked the aperture all the way up to f/16 and shot into the sun.  The results are fascinating.  Only the surfaces bathed in sunlight are visible, everything else is a shadow.  Of course this would have been different had I shot with the sun at my back but that would have defeated the purpose.  The images reveal a New York of of long shadows and silhouetted figures.

Go to my Flickr page to view the entire gallery New York in the Shadows.

A People's Memorial

Never Forget

Adjacent to Ground Zero, St. Paul's Chapel miraculously survived the blast that leveled the twin towers and forever changed our lives.  After September 11, St. Paul's ministered to the workers at Ground Zero, what they called "The Pile."  During this time thousands of visitors from around the world transformed the wrought iron fence surrounding St. Paul's Chapel into a spontaneous memorial.  They left many different items that held significant personal meaning.  By the time the 9/11 ministry ended at St. Paul's, the items filled 250 boxes.

The items are at once both heartwarming and sad. There is the banner from Oklahoma City professing its support and love for New York.  You can't see that and not be moved.  There are also many, many photos of the fallen and the missing.  Some firefighters, others police officers, still other just civilians like myself, mementos of lives cut short by madmen and by "politics by other means".  You can't look at photos of the dead and the missing without being moved to tears. 

Click here to see the remaining photos on my Flickr page.

West 10th Street, Brooklyn

By the time this post hits my blog, I'll be in New York for Thanksgiving week.  Before leaving, I wanted to publish one last post and thought, in counterpoint to the season, I'd post something from summer.

I took this shot in 2005 on West 10th Street and the Boardwalk on Coney Island in Brooklyn during the Mermaid Parade.  For those who haven't been, the Mermaid Parade is sheer insanity, but in a really decadent and fun way.  Hundreds of people pack both side of Mermaid Avenue to watch the craziness. 

Zen and the City

Zen and the City

I've been going over some old photos, just for chucks and grins I guess.  Nothing in particular, just checking out what I've done in the past, how I've grown as an artist, how my technique has changed and came across this image.  

I remember taking this photo in 2004, walking down the streets of Midtown Manhattan at the height of Christmas week, tourists everywhere, the crowds, the hustle, the bustle, the grit, the rush, I really remember it all for some reason.  What I also remember, is the space passersby gave the six people on the sidewalk.  

If you've ever walked the streets of Midtown in the middle of the day you'll understand the the crowd.  For those who haven't, picture an intense river of people, a river oftentimes possessed of its own power, one that pushes and pulls, ebbs and flows to its own will, irrespective of any one individual's desire.  If you're not careful, you'll be caught up in it and miss your destination.  

This river of people made a wide berth for the six on the sidewalk.  Impressive, I thought.  Impressive I still think. [more after the break]

New York in the Snow

This past December, my daughter and I left for our annual and possibly last (she'll be 18 soon) trip to New York for the New Year's Holiday.  We heard it would snow during our stay; we didn't expect a Snowpocalypse.  

After an hour in a holding pattern, during which the tower decided whether to divert us to Kennedy, we finally landed in La Guardia with the snow already falling.  It turns out we caught one of the last flights into New York just before the snow hit. Soon after we landed, the airlines started canceling flights and stranding passengers.