Anthony Hernandez @ SFMOMA

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

I wasn't even familiar with his name until this century, this American master who has been quietly going about his business on the West Coast for decades. I was also particularly intrigued because he was Hispanic, and there ain't too many photographers of his background and stature- world renowned or otherwise!

As I've noticed with many a master, Anthony Hernandez has been getting more and more minimal in his latter work, which is now in color. And as with Paul Graham, my main interest lies in his earlier work.

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

He got his chops as a street photographer, shooting with the standard 35mm uniform, but took it a step further and started using 5X7. Huh? Yeah, fancy that- a large format street photographer!

And it's those photographs that captivate my imagination most since they are so similar to small format street photography, yet different all the same. How could they not? There is none of the action, none of the immediacy, none of the serendipity or in your face confrontation so common in so much of that genre. There's plenty of visual dynamics to be sure, simplistic compositions they're not, but at a very different rate of speed. And it's not just the large format camera that slows things down. Often, people are not rushing about using the street as a means of transportation in Los Angeles, but as a place of respite... between travel. The photos are more contemplative, and the latter landscapes somewhat parallel the work of Shore and Sternfeld, sans color.

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

Mr. Hernandez is currently enjoying a retrospective at SFMOMA, and there's a book to go with it. I'm dying to see the exhibit, but I'm not crazy about spending $25 to do so- that's both a political and practical decision when you make $15 and change an hour. In 2008, SFMOMA received a $10,000,000 grant from AT&T to have free admission First Tuesdays of the month for... perpetuity. Perpetuity lasted... five years. Approx 60 free days cost... $10,000,000!

SFMOMA currently has some free "Family Days," that still doesn't do much for people working for minimum and slightly higher (like moi) who don't have children- why not have a few goddamn hours a month where you can just... donate what you can?

Photo: Anthony Hernandez

100% Pure Luck

Photo: © S. Banos

Good photographs result from: inspiration, preparation, and infinite toil, sweat and tears. Right? Hell, yeah- no doubt! Well... kinda, pretty much, most of the time- huh? What about the luck thing? Luck? You mean, where you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make your own? That kinda "luck?" No, l-u-c-k: chance, happenstance, serendipity- pure unadulterated, accidental... l-u-c-k. The stuff that happens as if it seemingly fell outta the sky! What role does that play? 

A lotta people will say you just weren't trying enough, concentrating enough, paying attention and working it like ya should have. And sometimes, that is most definitely the case. Other times... You can work it all ya want, and if the fish ain't biting, they ain't biting!

I was originally drawn to the landscape above because of its wide open space; born and raised in NYC, one learns to crave the great wide open (yes, even parking lots). But instinct said the composition was a tad too minimal without some extra added something, and the initial exposure confirmed exactly that- nice background, but... And then, straight outta the clear blue sky- pure unadulterated l-u-c-k comes sweeping on down in a frantic surge of energy just released from the adjacent high school!

One minute sooner, five minutes later- a parking lot full of nothing, nada, zip... 

STUFF!

Stuff- the last of the lot! And FWIW, my personal fave of the current three books- probably something to do with being a misanthrope at heart. It's majority "people free" and consists of landscapes, cityscapes, the common and not so common detritus of humanity and western civilization. 

What do I think of the quality of the reproductions on Blurb? Well, once you get over the initial shock that the reproductions on page are not going to exhibit anywhere near the quality say... on your calibrated desktop monitor or quality ink jet print, nowhere near the vibrancy of colors, or the rich subtleties and deep tonalities of monochrome, once you get over that initial hump- you come to accept the reality that all things considered, they're not that bad at all (on their premium paper). As previously stated, it makes for a good bare bones dummy of the book ya really want. And that said, I've seen (and own) many a photo book by many a name photographer where the reproductions are certainly no better.

As for the future, already putting something together concerning my Folsom St. Fair photos, or as a fellow photographer referred to them- my "dick pictures." Then perhaps on to my long neglected panoramas, and few other hundred ...

Denial

Denial has gotten generally positive, albeit mixed reviews. Interestingly, and more than a little ironically, the movie is being criticized for very much the same reason that the protagonist had to navigate in real life. Reviewers criticize the film for not having an emotional center, not being dramatic enough; Holocaust Studies Professor Deborah E. Lipstad was warned by her formidable British legal staff that her case would be won not on its human and moral  merits- but by the cold, indisputable facts of the matter.

And the matter is a grave one indeed- what is being disputed is the very existence of The Holocaust, The Final Solution. And if Lipstad's team can't convince the judge on the merits of the facts and logic presented (not as easy as you may think)- the Holocaust itself will be legally cast into a cloud of arguable, disputable doubt. History by decree- how ya like them apples?

Denial, however, is first and foremost a film about trust. Why on earth would you trust anyone you don't know with the most important thing in your entire life- that which you are, in fact, duly credited as being most knowledgeable about to begin with?

The Donald, True And True...

"In the good ol' days..." #13TH pic.twitter.com/2IzF87ODP6

— 13TH (@13THFilm) October 12, 2016

And there's always the "light-hearted" side... 

Not By Bread Alone...

Photo: © S. Banos

I recently went on a bit of a rant concerning all the bells and whistles often incorporated into today's "with it," art photo books. And, well... I just don't wanna leave the wrong impression. For the record, I have nothing against those kinda books, fact is- I like those books much as anyone else! And I certainly have nothing against anything that enhances and sustains the overall experience... Fun is good; Stan likes fun- let a thousand flowers bloom!

If anything, I'm more than a little jealous of those kinda books- who wouldn't want to make a book with some or as many extra added prizes as possible? Fact is, I can't afford to buy many of those books, let alone actually make 'em! And to those that can't- options are limited, alternatives few. I wasn't ranting against those kinda books, just trying to stir up my own kinda fun, in my own way, when bare bones is all ya got to play...

And when I do go about making me one of them books (soon as I win the lotto- soon as I buy a ticket)- I'll make sure to read this first...

Peopl(e)

What better than Indigenous People's Day to announce my second book in this year's holy trilogy of releases! A lot less hoopla than the previous announcement (guess I can always blame that on the corrupting influence of... color). 

Peopl(e) features 40 B&W images taken from the grand archives, focusing on environmental portraiture. Although the photographs in this volume go back as far as the late '70s, the vast majority were taken much more recently, most in this 21st. of centuries.

Enjoy; and again- best way to see is to tune in to free preview (don't forget to embiggen). See ya'll soon for the upcoming (third) release (Hint: No people).

Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil...

It's Out, It's YUGE- And U Gotta Have It!

They said it could never be done, if you'd told me last October that this time, this year, I'd be putting out a book of color photographs... I woulda told ya, "You're as crazy as that lyin' Crooked Hillary!" But there ya go, after forty years of nothin' but the best in Black and White... here it is- 52 color photographs, and the year ain't even over yet! Least that's what they tell me- and I hire nothing but the best people to tell me. And like all my other products- it's absolutely Tremendous. Trust me!

You can get it hard cover, dust cover, soft cover; you can even get the economical ebook thing.* Better yet, get 'em all. Get 'em for your friends, your family, get 'em for Xmas- put it right next to the Bible, I read 'em both, trust me. And the truth is, I don't make a penny on any of 'em. It all goes to the cost of production- that's right, I don't make a single penny on any of this,** cause I'm the king of debt. I got all the money I need- that's why I can't be bought! That's why people love me; that's why when I call- they kiss my ass!

*Or just look at the free preview (don't forget to embiggen)- Foreword here.
** True.

My instructor at Trump University helped me write the above (if I could only tell ya half of what I learned there). Anyway, after a big row with Steidel over distribution rights (what a loser!), decided to switch publishers and go the independent route. Of course, going indie requires the acquisition of various designers, consultants, etc- and truth be told, that Tim Gunn guy really fell short on the cover and lay out, and Kanye's editing was, well...

So Blurb it was! Naturally, I had to forego utilizing the planned rare earth materials, and the paper stock would not be hand soaked and laminated in the sacred oils of traditional, indigenous tribes. Absent are the recently unearthed maps encrypted within the very images themselves, and the pages no longer fold out into various origami designs. No tickets, no menus, no ancient scrolls or other secret hidden extras so popular in today's most esteemed indie art photo books- just a bunch of pictures I took in the first half of 2016. Enjoy...

PS- In all seriousness, I've always viewed Blurb as the dummy for the book you really want to make. But it also provides... an easy opportunity for the public to view it online. Why is the printed version so ridiculously expensive? Because I picked their best quality paper; I first chose the cheapest variety, and the photographs looked like they were run through a desaturation filter- it really took all the joy out of looking at 'em in the first place! Best bet, get the cheapo online ebook, or better still- just view the damn preview online for absolute spankin' free...

PPS- Soon Come:  And to all those left clamoring- "What's all this color crap!?" Nay, even the ravages of Shingles can't prevent this oft rejected, seldom dejected and overwhelmingly under emerging photographer from presenting the first two volumes of Greatest Black and White Hits from the 40 year archives- well before The Golden Era of Trump. Stay tuned...

More Plastic Than Fish In The Ocean

"... in just 34 years, plastic trash in the ocean will outweigh all the fish in the sea."

And that's to say nothing of all the other tons of crap and debris dumped in our oceans- not to mention the tons of radioactive water still leaking into the water each and every day from Fukushima...