I took this photo sometime in late 2000 when I was in grad school. Our class went to NYC with a professor to go on several studio visits at artist’s lofts. I remember it as a really nice cool day so I think it was in the fall semester, but I can’t be sure at this point. As we were heading down the stairs to the next loft in the building, I saw this view from an open window in the stairwell. I thought it was okay when I developed the film and I made a couple of prints in the darkroom. When I remembered I had taken this picture in the fall of 2002, close to a year after the attacks, I pulled out the negative and scanned it. The meaning and importance of it had completely changed.

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Kellee and I went to Colorado for my brother Chris and his lady Michelle’s wedding a couple of weeks ago. I had only been to Winter Park, where they live and got married, in the winter to snowboard. Seeing it in the summer was awesome. The ceremony was on top of the mountain and everyone had to take the chair lift up and back down. Having ridden them many times before I wasn’t really scared, but when there is no snow under you it’s a lot more intimidating. Especially coming down. Kellee did okay even with her fear of heights. I was proud that she didn’t have to use the “Chicken truck” to get up there. I was on family and wedding party duty so I really only shot candid photos all weekend. Even then, not really that many. I wanted to be a part of everything and not have to take pictures of it, even so I got some pretty good ones. They are in a set on my Flickr page. I have more that I shot on film, but I haven’t taken them to the lab yet. Several rolls now to get processed.

Kellee and I went out to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Friday to see Spoon and Arcade Fire. My friend Rob, pictured here, was able to get me a photo pass to shoot up front. I’m so used to working from the side of the stage that I don’t know what to do with myself when I have ideal angles. I also had to work under the “First three songs, no flash” policy that is the standard rule for large venues. I’m not always the best photographer under time constraints so I usually only end up with a couple of photos that I like from these situations. I shot with my D80 and M6. I haven’t had a chance to drop off the film from the M6 so I may have a few more good ones. I’ll post any that I like in my bands section when I edit them all. I also tried out my new iPhone 4 video capabilities during the Arcade fire set.

It’s not that great, mostly due to me and where I was sitting, but for a quick off the cuff recording it’s okay. You can hear the guy in front of me say something like “this song is 5 years ahead of it’s time”. It’s a good song and all, but when I heard that, I thought “this dude clearly has never heard Bruce Springsteen”.

Back in 1995 or 1996 I took a photograph on the corner of Euclid and Pine in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. I used to get my film processed at a lab near there when I still lived in town. I probably took it to finish a roll of film before dropping it off. That picture, or actually a bastardized version of it, was used on the cover of a compilation record called “Don’t Forget to Breathe” put out by Crank Records in 1997. I kind of remember getting an email from their mailing list asking if anyone had pictures of buildings that they could see to possibly be used on a new record they were putting out. I sent several prints and they ended up using this one. I of course was never paid, but did receive free records from them for a couple of years and credit in the liner notes. When I saw the final cover, I was kind of irritated as they added that terrible fake sky and kind of stretched out the photo. The letter pressed 12″ version looked better though. I never got my print back and I have no idea where the negative is.

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I went down to the Mall and Capitol this afternoon to check out the people and situation going on with them impending Health Care Reform bill vote. It was pretty much what I expected. About 500 or so anti-HCR protestors by the steps of the Capitol and several thousand other people doing way more fun and positive things taking up the rest of the Mall. I’m sure there will be figures soon about the numbers of people and I bet the Tea Baggers or whoever the people up by the Capitol were, will exaggerate them. I took a bunch more than what I have posted here with my M6 so I’ll get them up once I process and scan the negatives.

I went to see “Framing the West: The Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O’Sullivan” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum today. He has always been one of my favorite landscape photographers for many of the reasons as most that have been influenced by him. The main one being that for someone making work in the 1860′s and 1870′s his work looks remarkably modern. Most landscape work from that time seems to be straight document and not really have much more to them. O’Sullivan manages to pull off the document and still convey some kind of emotional sense as well. His photographs to me have this great feeling of solitude and vastness. They also seem very bleak, but still beautiful. It was really nice to see that big a group of his work in one place. Inspiring for sure. There is a Flickr stream of a bunch of his photographs that the Library of Congress has here.

It’s time to say goodbye to a good friend. I am selling my beloved Contax G2 kit. I have toiled over this decision for awhile and I finally decided to do it. I’m just not using it that much and it needs a new home where it will be loved and appreciated. This dude stepped in and took over for my Nikon F3 when it was stolen during the last semester of grad school and has served me well for the past 9 years. If you are interested or know someone who may be, check out my eBay auction and help this camera find a good home.