Now, That's An Audience!

I was twelve and still remember just how rhythmic and radical this sounded next to anything that ever came before it! The same that that rad audience was thinking at song's end...

Serendipity

Recently, I talked about the difficulty I experienced sequencing and editing the photos for my most recent long term project. The day after I received a copy of the finished product, I came upon a post on Conscientious, and lo and behold- advice on how to edit and sequence a photobook so that it has a certain, unique narrative flow. And although we expressed it somewhat differently, and I'm not sure if I can claim success in Mr. Colberg's eyes- it was exactly what I was trying to convey, and exactly how I went about doing it to the best of my admittedly limited ability!

Making Book

Usually when I've made my photobooks and zines, they are 3-4 day affairs (of 3-4 hrs work ea) made during a sustained burst of energy. And they usually accomplish their goal of illustrating their singular, selected topic. This endeavor was different, it encompassed a larger time frame, encompassing a larger range of issues that affected and changed the state of a city from pre thru post Covid. I've done stuff on San Francisco (and Covid) before, and you've probably seen most of these pictures before (although it does contain around a dozen new mages). But this particular project encompasses more diverse, disparate influences, incl: crime, homelessness, addiction, Covid, technology, employment, etc. It's a disturbing if uneven glimpse at a steady deluge of conflicting plagues that beset this once thriving city.

Include too many photos of one particular topic or issue and you can go top heavy on tangents that make it hard to reintegrate, not enough and they can seem like distractions or a greatest hits compilation. Maintaining a sense of balance was a constant consideration; I could have shown more 'depressing' images for sure, but one grows weary of that quickly. So exactly how many photos depicting various aspects, negative and otherwise, does one intersperse to sustain a diversity of interest without betraying the topic at hand, one basically illustrating the downfall of a community at large? 

Editing this book was ironically similar to writing a short story, although the analogy is far from perfect. I wanted some sense of narrative, the photographs being the sentences, and how you display them, the punctuation. You can bend and formulate words, sentences, paragraphs to your liking to better fit your storyline as far as pace, sequencing and emotional narrative. It's harder with a series of set images meant to exist as independent structures- your options are more limited, basically: where and when do you present them (in the storyline and on the page), how large do you present them and how do you present them, solely or in groups? Those are your major story telling options in a book of photographs- besides the actual content within the photos themselves. And no, I'm not getting into captions, since there are none.

Fortunately, by using Blurb's magazine format, one has more options as to how to present one's photos. Two horizontal photos on one page, a slightly larger solo, a full page vertical, and yes- a double truck horizontal spread. And this was my first venture using all the above for maximum impact.

Broken City! is my swan song to a second home that has been hopelessly left reeling by leaders, laws and attitudes comfortable enough to evade their own neglect. The pictures only hint at the world of hurt that plagues it, the colors way too pretty and cheerful- again, who would look otherwise? I myself now opt to take the bus to work rather than dodge the landmines of drug addled zombies, feces and detritus that blocks the way and wears-at-you-daily.* Seventies "Drop Dead, New York" was never in question of coming back, it was literally too big to fail, but a city of less than a million, with a downtown hollowed out to the core is a much more vulnerable, dubious animal.

*That's the very street (see 0:36) I used to walk everyday to work, and now bus, and that ain't no prize either 'cause Crazy also boards the bus (also the street where the photo on p.7 was taken). About 2 of ten passengers actually pay their bus fare; one time while waiting on a red light, an impatient passenger knocked out a window and casually jumped out- when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

Obscene, Yet...

Hilarious all the same. When your insecurity demands you separate yourself from your fellow man by seeing just how high you can stick your nose up your ass!

And uhh, speaking of Penthouses...

Portrait by...

I was immediately intrigued by the portraits that graced this very interesting interview. They seemed uncharacteristically... harsh, and intriguing- more in your face straightforward than your usual portrait of a well respected art icon in their latter years. By the second to last shot, yeah, I was sure- before having the last shot pretty much scream it out loud...

Photo:  ©...

A Future Darkly

Photo: © Stan Banos

One can make the argument that Dems and Repubs are two sides of the same coin- I've often made it myself. But truth is, had Gore won, there would have been no Iraq War- that was a complete, pure and unmitigated W/Cheney concoction of lies, lies and more lies that cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives (not to mention a few of our own)... a trillion dollar plus debacle that is curiously never mentioned when it comes to the financial collapse of the aughts. 

I voted my heart in exactly one presidential election- yeah, I voted Nader in 2000; ya see where this is going. CA went for Gore so I can be 'absolved,' but then there was... Florida, where Gore lost to W by 537 votes, a state that cast almost 100,000 votes for Nader. And this year a Kennedy is running, no one I can get excited about, but together with unenthusiastic Joe's refusal to do the right thing and officially put the brakes on Israel's best imitation of genocide- he's voluntarily giving away the very votes in Michigan that got him in!

All this in a time when we have an outright wannabe Fascist, psycho manchild on the verge of all out dementia gearing up to put an end to our already paper thin semblance of a democracy. And even if good ol' tottering Joe manages to pull one out of a hat, no one is even talking about what to do when The Don calls in his chips and unleashes his minions for his last hurrah...

Recycling Is A... LIE!

I'm gonna assume most some people know the aforementioned is true (I was blissfully oblivious for longer than I care to admit), but it still angers the Bejeesuz out of me... to say the least. Everyday we have countless citizens putting in the extra effort to do what is right, honestly thinking the extra effort is worth the beneficial result and making all our lives (including that of their children) that much better... and it's just another Matrix-sized LIE (at least in the good ol' USA)! Unfortunately, we're all just politely jerking each other off thinking we're actually doing a good deed for our fellow human. And all that's happening is that Big Oil and Company(s) have found yet another way to get rich at our expense, while making us smile- and fucking us in the ass while doing it! Efficiency at its finest.

And truth be told, I still do it! There is now so much plastic encapsulating everything we buy (particularly food) that I don't have room for it all in my garbage container. The plastic bins, containers and packaging that currently envelops our food products alone is simply overwhelming...

Exactly.

PLAIN & SIMPLE...

Yup.

This (difficult as it is) I understand fully.

This I can't even begin to fathom...

Lemons Into...

Yeah, I have seen this 'technique' used before, I just don't recall when the context so overwhelmed. It's unfortunate that its very usage lies in the most profound of tragedies- suffering due to sheer human greed and malice. Fortunately, we have someone with the skills to remind reveal to us the evil being perpetrated half a world away, by presenting it in a way that entices us to look and consider it anew, instead of turning away in apathy and disinterest. And that, of course, is what (great) art can do...

An Even Dozen, Maybe?

I submitted ten photographs this year to the NY Times Portfolio Review, just like I did the previous ten years. And just like those previous ten years, I thought I was submitting an invulnerable group of ten infallible images, each and every one a knockout, sure shot to success. It was only afterwards that I would admit that, well yeah, maybe there were one (or two) that I kinda threw in on a wing and a prayer. So this year I began editing early, carefully, extra carefully- one tight edit right on topic. Surely, they would now set this right, knowing how much this meant to me, realizing how wrong they had been before- no hard feelings, all would be forgiven. Finally, I'd get thrown a slice for 40+ years of image making! This was gonna be it, give it my Best shot, no second guessing, no regrets- full throttle I will not be denied! 

And uhhh... yeah, of course I was- again. 

I was right about one thing though- no regrets this time. This time I did give it my best, and why they couldn't find just one little slot in their list of one hundred fucking sixty- well, that's the one thing I would really like to know. Other than that, I took it pretty well; actually, better than I thought, and just went on with my day. Shit, people are being slaughtered and starved in at least two major conflicts half a world away- what the hell do I have to complain about! Seriously.

Anyway, here are the ten indomitable failures:

All Photos: © Stan Banos            1) Any Adult

2)  Trans Rights

3)  Abort Court

4) Protection

5)  Cap'n America

6)  Help

7)  MLK

8) Neither

9)  7X

10)  Declaration

So... that's it, right, Stan? No sense entering again next year, right? I mean what's the point? Ya gave it your best and...

True, true... but right now, I'm kinda thinking... just hit 'em with my Folsom Leather Street Fair dick pics from here on in, after all, they are my signature best- and who can resist that face:

BEACH BOY! 

Fascist-Socialist-Commie Pig!

"You have people in rural areas saying socialism is destroying their economies. But if you look at why the mom-and-pop shop closed and got replaced by a Dollar General? That's late stage capitalism. That ain't socialism. Right? If you look at why hospital and treatment facilities are closing, it's because rural hospitals don't turn a profit. That's capitalism, pure and simple. The same people who are complaining that socialism and communism are taking over America are watching their communities being decimated by late stage capitalism. And they're pointing fingers at cultural elites in faraway cities." 

'Cause it's just so much easier to blame what ya wanna (and who cares what all 'em big words mean anyway) ...

The Leg Bone's Connected To...

I have the noticeably bad habit of: taking a photo, getting excited, going back home, editing it, and then that night, if I have something to actually say that goes with it, posting it the very next day. The next day, I wake up and... Whoops! I didn't see a certain part of the photo the night before that really needs some attention, so I get about to fixing it, there done! And then the following day... aww shit- how did I miss that other part? And so it goes, as you perfect one problem spot, it demands you make better another...

And so here we are a full week later until I've finally got this down right! It's a backlit shot which always presents additional problems. That next day, I still had to deal with remaining tonal discrepancies in the mid and foreground- finally, good and done after three days. Then I noticed the sky area was good and fucked up, another coupla days trying to even that out- before realizing (and finally admitting) that it was too far gone to salvage... I would have to start all over! SHIT!!! So I did, and finally got it right after a coupla days incorporating what I now knew I had to do. Then I noticed the composition seemed a tad unbalanced- what the... that didn't seem a problem before!? I eventually came to realize I had to make the left hand side a bit darker, and that finally did the trick- one full week after the fact. It's still not the greatest shot, but at least it's properly edited. The End!*

*I f'n hope so.

ADDENDUM: Needed just a tad more work today (3/04).

Stand Off

Photo: © Stan Banos

Fortunately, we've had our fair share of weather this winter- fortunate in light of the years of drought we've had. Doesn't make for a host of picture taking opportunities though, bad enough here on good days with hardly a soul ambling about the streets of San Francisco anymore. One weekend I was fortunate to view two really good flicks in a proper movie theater, but this past Presidents' Day weekend, there was nothing on the menu via entertainment and it rained every day. So I forced myself to do what I had been putting off for some time and started consolidating my digital files for posterity, which included burning them on gold DVD-R discs. Actually, I had done this as recently as 2 yrs ago, but I had gradually reedited so many of my files, I really needed to update since I've continued to improve my editing skills (now in color) with my state of the art Elements 9 Photoshop. Yeah, yeah- I know, I know... I really need to dispense with that toy editing software, man up, put on my big boy pants and buy Lightroom, Capture One or whatever- I get it!. And that's exactly what I plan to do in a year and two thirds when I retire... maybe (I just dread the fact that it'll then take me at least a year and a half to familiarize myself with the subtleties of the program, and a whole 'nother year and a half to 'master' it- and then go back and reedit that last three years work to finally begin to get it right... Lawdy, lawdy!

Anyway, one of the nice things that occurred was finding the discarded image above taken that very first Summer of Covid back in 2020 in NYC. I had dismissed it then as not very much. And while it may still remain and forever be just that, it now seems to so perfectly encapsulate and remind one of that peak period of time when the whole world seemed so very stand-offishly beyond the perimeter.

Only In America!

"We are an institute in a powerful death penalty."         Photo: © Stan Banos

Haven't written much on Herr Trump of late, sometimes I just get tired of repeatedly and voluntarily ramming my head into a Trumpian wall. For years he mixed his plethora of outright lies with a convenient dollop of half truths. Now he just makes it up whole cloth 24/7, no holds barred! And why not? His cult eagerly swallows and follows whatever falls out his donut shaped pie hole unto his accordion playing hands. 

Everyone knows Biden is hovering on senility, but Trump supporters are NEVER exposed to Trump's equally egregious and numerous verbal gaffes, not to mention his habitual slurring. And that said, one particularly tumultuous Biden gaffe in Sept/Oct, one more precipitous tumble down Air Force One's stairs, and kiss the Dems goodbye this Nov! Unlike the Trump maniacs, no one is exactly enthused to- Vote Biden! The Dems are once again setting themselves up, just like they did with the aging Ginsberg; there's still time to get someone out there in front of the public that's near half a century younger, but they never learn...

Meanwhile, while everyone complains about our soaring national debt no one seems to remember cheering its leading cause, just like no one seems to remember the on again off again deficit blame game Repubs pull every Presidential election cycle...

ADDENDUM: Then there's this... no Michigan, no Dem win!

B&W & Color

Mention the masters of color photography, and you always get the usual names: Eggleston, Parr, Shore, Graham, Meyerowitz along with a handful of others. The name Mitch Epstein doesn't usually show up on the A team, and I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps because unlike Eggleston, he undertook a greater variety of subject matter, but then, so did Meyerowitz. And Epstein's quality rivals his productivity as well. So yeah, I dunno...

Paulie B. Hits The Streets

If you haven't seen Paulie B's videos on You Tube, you really should take a gander. And this is from someone who long ago gave up on viewing just about anything bearing what in my mind has become that near kiss of death terminology... "street photography." Countless videos from everyone and their mama telling you and yours about: the right camera, the right lens, the right presets and why you need to do it this way, that way, their way... occasionally accompanied with their own 'original' photos buttressing their sage and proven advice. Like, share and subscribe. 

Paulie B. is refreshingly free of that, someone with a genuine love and respect for the medium that wants to share that enthusiasm with anyone who wants to share the ride. And he does that not by pontificating but by asking, interviewing and seeking whatever bits of wisdom and knowledge he can from the street photographers he accompanies and videos as they do their thing live, traversing various NYC neighborhoods. The photographers are a diverse bunch, of all different skill levels, from novices to recognized image makers. Most of them are young, just starting to figure things out and every bit as enthusiastic as he, and it's interesting to see how they contrast and complement their more seasoned counterparts. For those interested in practicing and learning more about the craft, these videos are head and shoulders above someone lecturing on their computer. Shop talk is discussed, but the focus is on the philosophy, attitude and inspiration that gets one walking the street, camera in hand and taking successful images. Life may have other plans for some of these photographers, others may just become future image masters of their realm.

You'll no doubt like the work and style of some photographers more than others, enjoy some of the topics, approaches and discussions over others. Point is, he brings his infectious enthusiasm and youthful curiosity to all his working, on site interviews; the love of craft, the sincerity in learning, the respect to all involved is real and palpable...

Passing Time- Sage Sohier

Photo: © Sage Sohier

One of the things I enjoy most is 'discovering' a photographer I knew nothing about, a photographer whose work is exemplary, the kind that makes you say "Wow, just... Wow!" It's an unlikely occurrence for sure, exactly why it's such a rare and treasured occasion- like when I first saw Sage Sohier's work.*

I've seen the subject matter portrayed in Passing Time before, very well executed before, photographers such as: Shelby Lee Adams, Mark Steinmetz, Milton Rogovin, Larry Fink, Thomas Roma and several others come to mind. And yet, anyone who's actually tried to photograph these (very) common day, yet surprisingly intimate moments, and make them look as graphically and visually interesting, knows just how hard (and perplexing) that can be. There's even a shade of Martin Parr's Last Resort in Passing Time, that story within a story within each section of the frame, the complexity of which not even he could maintain after that particular body of work. And that's just part of what makes these particular images so intriguing, the other being the myriad of social interactions that help connect, contrast and energize those pictured throughout the composition. If I could take a picture as good as the boom box suitor and the contemplative apple of his eye, I could hang up my camera with the realization that I had indeed put it to some good use. 

*Actually, I had seen her work some time before, and just happened to (most ashamedly) forget her name; fortunately, I was recently reintroduced to her upon first seeing Passing Time on  Lenscratch.

Date With Irony

No humans were harmed in the taking of this photo.                 Photo: © Stan Banos

So I'm headed out to the semiannual Naked Bicycle Ride for a possible photo op. I've been to these before, and unfortunately, it's not a very big affair, a small handful of guys, ummm... mostly around my age. It is what it is. But these days, with downtown San Francisco a ghost town, and photo ops of any kind slim-pickins, off I went. As expected, didn't get a damn thing before they rode off on their merry way, and being such a gorgeous day after weeks of water clogging rain, I was happy to amble on myself.  

A block or so down the line, I encountered my first real opportunity, and camera in hand took three quick exposures as I stealthily made my way past the romantic duo. I doubted I had gotten anything worthwhile cause of all the hair (not unlike my own back in the day) and shadow that blocked any meaningful facial interaction between the two. So I was encouraged to discover that one exposure revealed just enough facial highlight and eye detail to crack the void.

Anyway, I made it down to the end of the wall bordering a public plaza (pictured above to the right) when two Security Guards, looking all the world like they graduated HS a year ago, approached and proclaimed: 

SG: You can't do that!
SB:  Do what?
SG: Go around taking pictures of people.
SB:  Why not?
SG:  It's against the law.
SB:  No, it's not. The law is: if you're on public property and it's in public view-
        you can take a picture. That's the law.
SG:  We don't care about the law- you have to ask permission first.
SB:  (Well, so much for the concern of law.)
SG:  Look how upset you've made them!
SB:  What are you talking about? 

At this point I turn around and the couple who were oblivious when I had passed were now yelling some indiscernible shit in our direction- the two asshats before me had actually gone up to them and told them god knows what about the unspeakable horrors I had visited upon them.

SB: I didn't upset them, they didn't even know I took their picture- you were the ones who went completely outta your way to upset them!

Now this is when the 'conversation' went from thoroughly annoying to something way more bonkers than... a bunch of old guys riding their bicycles completely jaybird naked in public. One of the security guards proceeds to tell me, "Dude, I was only kidding when I told you to take a picture of them!" Wait, wha...??? "I can't believe you actually took the picture!" I then recalled that walking past them, my failing ears had heard the word "picture," not knowing exactly what was being said or even if they were addressing me, someone else or just talking amongst themselves- I just smiled, attentive to the task at hand: checking my exposure, angle of approach, etc. 

So, it turns out that the dumberer part of Dumb and Dumber had actually dared me to take the photo- and were now actively scolding me for doing it? What the!?! Did I really hear that? Did he really say that? I kinda phased out temporarily at the sheer irony lunacy of the situation; meanwhile, they're continuing to admonish me for my sins against humanity. Attempting some basic return to sanity, I desperately attempted an ever so brief history of logic, law and photography which abruptly ends when the bigger one proclaims, "He's crazy." Exasperated (you can't cure stupid), I turn about to leave, notice they're following, stop to take a quick (insurance) exposure of them before I again resume walking and disappear into the crowd. 

Too damn nice a day for them to spoil- and I got the picture. 

PS- An aside to non-photographers: most photographs do not turn out well, even if technically 'perfect' (ie- exposure, focus, etc). There can be problems with composition, distance, angle, lighting, timing, etc. Sometimes I do ask permission of a subject- if I sense there is something there that might be better brought out if I engage the person's active cooperation. But usually, asking permission just utterly destroys the initial spontaneity and composition, the original 'magic' of the totality of the scene that attracted you to the possibility in the first place- and you end up with something highly contrived, unoriginal and unimaginative. People put on their mask, we all do. Sometimes, those asked agree to be photographed (which is no guarantee of success), sometimes they refuse and you wish them a nice day.

A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity.   
 -George Bernard Shaw  

PPS- Below is the letter I sent to management at the SF Ferry Building where these security guards appear to be based...

Dear Sir or Madam,

It would be of service to the general public if you instructed your security guards as to the law(s) concerning photography in a public setting, and as how to deal with the public in general. This is in regard to an incident that occurred outdoors, adjacent to the Ferry Building (check photo enclosed in link for exact location) at approx 12:30pm on Saturday, 2/10/2024. 

I'm assuming this event occurred on public property since there were no discernible private property borders or designations and it happened on a public waterfront on a public walkway bordering the farthest side of a public plaza adjacent to said building. Furthermore, the issue of private property was never raised by the security guards in question. I've included details of said conversation in the link containing my post...

Basically, the law in the US states that anyone on public property can photograph anyone or anything in public view- save for national security concerns, and I think we can both agree that was not a concern here. Nor does anyone have to ask permission of the person(s) being photographed (unless for commercial purposes, which this most assuredly is not); this permission myth is a fallacy which has metastasized throughout the general public. Security guards dealing with tourists, residents and the public at large however should have some perfunctory knowledge of the aforementioned. Common sense itself dictates... just think if you first had to ask permission of any and every recognizable person pictured in any photo taken by any tourist at any tourist destination!

In short, I (as well as two other people) were unnecessarily harassed by two of your security guards for taking a photo in public. The two people photographed had no idea I photographed them, and as an aside, I am a photographer who has been published and exhibited, and have been doing this for a good fifty years. Not only did the security guards in question upset the two individuals pictured by telling them god knows what- but they then proceeded to accuse me of being the person who went out of their way to upset them! They insisted that I had to ask permission first, and when I tried to inform them of what the law actually was, they replied that, "We don't care about the law" and for good measure added, "You're crazy!" Actually, the 'conversation' was considerably more disturbing than I allude to here- read details in post at link...

I don't wish these two individuals ill, they were both quite young and one was at least trying to remain polite, although their dogged aggressiveness and inexperience in an area they knew little about reflects a definite lack of training which needs to be addressed. 

Sincerely,
Stanley Banos

The Promised Land

 

What a joy it was to see this film! Bleak, barren, unforgiving... That is what we must endure throughout the vast majority of this film that depicts a life as unforgiving as the very soil that our protagonist must somehow tame and cultivate. And then there's Mads, the Nordic, thinking man's version of Charles Bronson. 

And, of course, you sit your butt down and wait for him to set things right- and wait, and wait, and wait... But every little particle of hope that is so meagerly vetted out is met with an avalanche of oppression and despair. You begin to doubt a decision making process that seems to yield only more pain and woe. Maybe he's just more stubborn, than wise.  But in the end, he finally does achieve what he originally dreamed- only to throw it all away to regain that which made the journey worthwhile... 

Origin

 

Origin is director Ava Duvernay's riff on Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). It's not quite what I expected as a film, which is a pretty dumb thing to say since I had no idea what to expect going in. The film certainly does touch one emotionally,* but most of all, it challenges you to... think.

Isabel Wilkerson's thesis is that what we take for granted as racism in America is actually a system of caste. Not everyone buys in, but she makes quite the compelling case, and I think it has a lot going for it, even if, the end result is just a rose by any other name. Wow, that was the shortest summation dismissal possible- which is why you really have to read the book/see the movie!

Slavery, systematic racism, critical race theory, segregation, Anti-Semitism, Jim Crow, colorism, caste, class... all the aforementioned have their place in said discussion. But the movie also goes further, or perhaps I should say detours into... the writing process, life itself and how one perseveres through it all- while experiencing the loss of your: spouse, mother and best friend.

Wilkerson closely studies the caste system in India, the Holocaust in Nazi Germany along with racism in the good ol' US of A. And I do love the analogy she uses when confronting those who proclaim, Well I didn't own any slaves! No, you damn well didn't, and no one's saying you did. But it's like growing up in a house that shelters you, protects you, and also comes with its own faults: leaky plumbing, roof that needs mending, etc, etc. You might not even have been around when those problems started showing, but they're your problems now- and you acknowledge the good with the bad, and deal with the problems you may not have created, but nonetheless have to address. Yeah, damn good analogy- what should simply be called common sense, what so many Americans today actively refuse to even contemplate, let alone practice...

*if seeing that human beings have to clean out human refuse by going into pits unprotected and up to their very necks in it for a scant daily living in the very same year that we have assholes walking the streets donning $4,000 computer goggles doesn't affect you...