I’ve been super busy. Not that I’m really complaining about that, but still. I have tons of new ideas and old ones that need to be worked out and I can’t seem to find the time to make it all happen. The last thing I want to do at 7:00pm after sitting in front of a computer for 9 to 10 hours is sit in front of a computer for a couple more. Hooray job…again I’m glad I have one. I’m just saying.
I just got back from the Robert Frank show at the National Gallery of Art. He’s always been one of my heroes. Somehow I managed to go all this time without actually owning the book “The Americans”. I guess I just always had acess to it while in school so I never got around to it. Lucky for me that procrastination has paid off. The NGA has released an expanded version of it in conjunction with this show. It has contact sheets, work prints, examples of alternate sequencing of the images and a bunch of other cool stuff. I especially like seeing the letters to his friends and mentors and the original drafts of Kerouac’s intro and Frank’s application and application letter for the Guggenheim Grant. Pretty sweet. Also the plates of the images look the best out of any edition of the book I have ever seen. Steidl printed it which explains that. I had the pleasure of working with them on the book for the print studio I used to work for. They do REALLY nice work.
I took my Leica down with me. Sort of felt it would be wrong for a photographer to show up at this exhibit with out a camera. Felt good to shoot film especially with that camera. I have like ten rolls that have been sitting on my desk that need to be developed. Hope once I get them processed I can get the dust out of my film scanner and start working on them.
Last week got busy. I didn’t have a chance to update. All my pictures from the Inauguration are up on my site in the Inauguration 2009 gallery. Despite not being able to make my way down to the Mall, I think I got some nice stuff. Obviously the events themselves were amazing, but as an artist the background and atmosphere surrounding it were way more interesting. I did get a glimpse of Obama on Monday afternoon. I was way across the street so my picture wasn’t that good. It was about the only time in my photographic career that I wished I had one of those gigantic telephoto lens. Check it. Read More
Been watchin the news this morning before heading downtown to take more pictures. It’s packed already. Not surprised, but still…the swearing in isn’t until 12:00 and then the parade is at 2:30. I’m eating then heading down myself. No camera bags allowed so it’s film, memory cards and one extra lens in the pockets. Awesome. Pictures from Sunday and yesterday on the site. Check them out. There will be more later today or in the morning. www.emptyandthen.com
I’m on my way downtown to take pictures. Just planning on wandering around and seeing what I can find. It will be good to know what the set up will be so I’ll know what I’m in for on Tuesday. Being a total nerd and taking my D80, Contax and M3. Oh and my Lumix point and shoot. No excuses. My hope is that Penn Camera is open as I only have like four rolls of film. Way to be prepared jackass. I really should have finished making that fake press pass as well. Have to rock it gorilla style.
We went down to the big party at the mall this afternoon. It was pretty intense. They are saying 500,000 were there. I would agree and maybe say that is a conservatine estimate. Kellee and I parked the bikes at 17th and H and walkd down 17th to the mall. I took a couple pictures on the way. It was really awesome that the Corcoran put up the portraits of Obama and Reagan on the outside of the gallery advertising the Avedon show. I really couldn’t resist. We couldn’t get anywhere close enough to see much so we just walked around and people watched for about an hour or so. Long enough to hear James Taylor and Mellencamp play as well as a couple of speeches that we couldn’t make out. Was cool to just have been there and seen it all. Everyone was having a good time and the mood was positive. I read it somewhere and I agree that it’s finally cool to be from America again. I mean it always was, but I don’t have to qualify it with, “I didn’t vote for that guy and actually most everyone else didn’t.” Of course there was, as there always is, those one or two assholes who had to be spreading the hate. Saying things like, “All of you just want your sex, drugs and rock & roll, then to go kill your babies.” There were a few people still trying to say that Obama was born in Kenya as that the certification is illeagal. Wow.
With out question DC is the place to be for the next couple of days. I’m trying very hard to take the amazing circumstances that are bringing everyone here into account, but I still hate tourists. I was at home all day yesterday and from my apartment window looking out onto 16th street NW, I watched countless tour buses roll toward the downtown area. If everyone can remembers a few simple points we will be cool.
1. When using the Metro escalators, stand to the right and walk to the left.
2. Those extra two letters in all caps after the street address are very important as the city is broken up into four quadrants radiating out from the Capitol building.
3. Numbered streets increase as you get farther away from the Capitol in both directions East and West.
4. Letter streets go higher in the alphabet as you get farther away from the Capitol in both directions North and South.
4. State named streets run diagonally.
5. You can go to the top of the Washington Monument , yes I have gone up there.
6. I have not met Marian Berry and no, I did not vote for him as I was a child in another city when he was in office.
7. It is true that DC citizens pay taxes and do not have representation in the Senate or Congress, yes we know that’s fucked up.
8. Those people playing the trash cans a buckets are playing Go Go beats. See here.
9. There is more to DC than the Mall and Georgetown, but for the next couple of days please stay in one of those two areas.
10. People who live in Northern VA & the areas of MD outside the DC city limits do not live in DC.
Thanks kids. Everyone play nice.
Kellee and I are going to try to get down to see the big show at the Lincoln Memorial later today. It’s going to be ridiculously awesome, or maybe just ridiculous. I’m just hoping to catch the Boss. Through a co-worker, I was almost able to get tickets for us to go to the Youth Ball, but they sold out and closed the site you could order tickets from. I’m planning on being downtown all day on Tuesday taking pictures. I’ll be posting them here or on my site so check back.
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