VICE

VICE is THE BEST movie on politics Hollywood has ever made. It is one of of the best political movies ever made by anyone, anywhere, period. Run, go, see it...

That's pretty much all you need to know. And if you are in any way interested in history, politics, "justice," and power- it is a most definitive must see. Yes, it's entertaining, it's more than two hour length seems to fly right by; yes, it is funny- no small miracle when its protagonist is as unfunny as a human can possibly get. And yes, it does edify one as to what was happening, (more or less) right in front of our eyes. And without whacking one over the head, it doesn't gloss over the consequences of Dick Cheney's legacy- something we most obviously do need since we have yet to learn that lesson... A lesson and legacy that well continues on to this day!

What lesson is that? Well... Republicans at the time were quite fond of saying that "... we create our own reality." And how right they were... In what "reality," where you or I have ever lived does the person, who was carelessly and oh so callously shot in the face with a shotgun, apologize to his shooter?!? In what reality does anyone (over five) actually believe that you're going to build a multi-billion dollar wall, and that another country will pay for it?

'18 Into '19

2018- let me count the ways in how you truly sucked! And 2019 bodes hardly better- if only for the very real fact that we've been scheduled to be irradiated 24/7 Morning, Noon and Night with High Frequency 5G Micro Wave Radiation from an antenna directly across the street from our apartment! That alone is enough to fuck up anyone's upcoming year life, period. And make NO doubt- they are coming to your backyard as well...

Photographically, I really tried to get my work out there this year, and having accomplished pretty much nothing for the effort- I'll just continue to slog on taking a photo here, there, wherever and whenever possible... same-as-always.

So what if anything does my anonymous and soon to be fully irradiated body have to look forward to? Two names, one you're familiar with, and one you will soon be: Robert Mueller and Letitia James!

He should know that we here in New York — and I, in particular — we are not scared of you,” she said. “And as the next attorney general of his home state, I will be shining a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings, and every dealing, demanding truthfulness at every turn.”

Oh, and one more thing...

The Cloak JOKE!

How many of you bought/were gifted one of these major photographic wonders? Think of everything you can now accomplish with the one technological necessity whose absence has held you back from every major photographic aspiration you could possibly imagine- whether you know it, or not!

PS- I can't possibly think of one thing that could get your ass kicked more quickly or thoroughly- the very end result I'm assuming this thing was meant to prevent! In fact, I'm betting this cloak joke of a company closes shop soon after the irate family of the first user who ends up either in the hospital or the morgue ends up suing them Big Time...

Happy Holidays!

ROMA

From the opening credits, one senses they are in the knowing hands of a master story teller, film maker and B&W cinematographer. ROMA slowly unveils both the little moments that consume everyday lives, as well as as the larger ones that alter them altogether. It's told around the life of a Mexican domestic servant named Cleo, the kind prevalent throughout Latin/South American countries that speak to issues of class, culture and inequality. Lives that are lived both together, and apart, parallel existences that share more than those on top are willing to acknowledge or admit. It's... complicated.

The film is based on the director Alfonso Cuarón's own youth and family life in Mexico City, and I found myself strongly connected to many of the scenes, while feeling oddly at distance with others (mostly with the rituals of "the haves," as in real life). And he goes about showing how these lives both vary and intersect with some of the most creative and beautiful usage of B&W cinematography, some of which could stand on its own as panoramic stills.

My favorite scene was when the wife and mother of the household returns home drunk and privately reveals to Cleo that no matter what anyone tells her- women are doomed to be alone in the world throughout their lives. Or as John Lennon once said in song, "Woman is the slave of a slave."

Ghosts In The Night

Photo: © Stan Banos

Evening comes early these days, as I took this photo on my way home from work with the last remaining vestiges of light. A depressing but hardly uncommon sight here in San Francisco. He would slowly crawl, stop and repeat in ritual manner- yet another, homeless, mentally ill, drug addled denizen living off our city's streets. 

And yet, what really shook me that evening was the person I'd meet but two blocks later. A young White female, neatly attired for work and talking endlessly, as many a person her age does on their phone to friends, family, business associates- but as we drew closer about to walk past each other, it became obvious there was no phone, no earphones... no nothin'. She wasn't babbling, in fact, her "conversation" seemed quite incisive and level headed, as she continued to expound her position on the matter at hand- if only someone had been on the receiving end. Standing stationary before me, I considered asking, "Excuse me?" To what end, I wasn't sure. But as I briefly contemplated that interaction, it became evident she was looking right through me, and well beyond me. Walking around her on a narrow neighborhood sidewalk, curiosity eventually prevailed, as I turned to watch her eventually talk her way down the descending street...

Lord, Send Us A Sign... Why Didn't Vivian Make (Exhibition Quality) Prints?

There are those that would have us believe that Vivian Maier did not want her work seen in public in any way, under any circumstances- that's clearly why she didn't make (or have made) any proper, exhibition quality prints during her lifetime. Perhaps.

I think a very strong argument can be made that she didn't want her private life made public, but as for the work itself... I don't think we'll ever really know. But I can say this: The vast majority of photographers make decisions and compromises throughout their lives that revolve around their financial situations. Vivian Maier was far from destitute most her life, although she had obviously fallen on hard times towards the end. She had a Rollieflex, a Leica; at times, she even went on European and Asian vacations. To make that a reality, she lived quite frugally most of her life on a very modest income and equally modest living accommodations (that in turn, did not accommodate space for a darkroom).

I know what that's like, I've lived a comparable life. I have (decent) camera equipment, I've gone on European vacations- outwardly I appear "middle class," despite the fact that I live in a 1BR apt with my wonderful wife, do not own a car (never have) and do not have, could not afford and (fortunately) never wanted children. I'm certainly not in any way poor, neither am I "Middle Class." And although not quite there yet, without a pension or any kind or substantial nest egg, it's certainly not unimaginable that I too could share much the same fate in my final years...

Photo: Vivian Maier (taken in Puerto Rico)

What I'm trying to say is that we all make sacrifices, we all make compromises. When I came into a wee bit o' money a couple of years ago, I could've gone hog wild and bought me a digital M. Instead, I bought an X-T1 at half the price of the then brand new X-T2, a couple of lenses, saved a little for vacation, and... at long last, finally had some prints made- being without a darkroom since 2002, I could count on one hand the number of inkjets I could afford since. Today, I have around thirty beautiful and reasonably priced color prints, a dozen B&W inkjets, and aim to slowly increase those numbers as finances permit.

If your commercial printer* is competent, the quality of your prints now relies on the quality of your digital files. That wasn't the case in the analog days of yore; before I had a temporary darkroom going, I (and other serious photo enthusiasts) would take our negs to Modern Age Gallery in NYC; while they did have a small gallery space- they were primarily a custom printing service. They had three levels of service: a straight print, a "customized" print, and the top of the notch Custom Print. The latter reached three figures even back in the early 70's and was prohibitively expensive, so I would save up my pennies for the medium package- end up disappointed each time, and promptly stopped. While better than drug store prints, they never came close to what you wanted or imagined- and even when able to afford their top of the line just once, it still fell well short of what I could eventually achieve. Point is- ya needed THE BIG BUCKS DELUXE for made to order portfolio prints back then. 

Vivian was eccentric- but hardly stupid; I made the same sacrifice, made the same logical choices and concessions that she did- go for the gusto, and get the images in the can, while-you-can... One doesn't get a second chance at youth! Worry about displaying the evidence of a life well lived later on, in what will hopefully (hopefully) be more abundant and comfortable times to come (one can still dream a future worth living while young). Sometimes, it even works out, sometimes...

Now, how on earth was she able to sharpen her eye and improve her shooting skills without the crucial feedback provided by decent quality prints (particularly in the '50s when she hit her stride)? That is the question well worth asking, and one that rightly adds to the Maier mystique!

BTW- One final thought, could you see dear ol' Vivian making prints in a... communal darkroom? Yeah, neither can I!  

*We literally do not have room for a printer in our apt.

SONY End Of Year Give-Away... Act Now!!!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Too late- Ya snooze, ya lose! SONY No Baloney came though Big Time with the best promo ad campaign imaginable, combining: winning color and set design, imaginative graphics and an ingenious use of social media...

Ever Tell Ya How Much I Hate, Hate, Hate...

Guys standing around photo gallery openings with pristine Leicas hanging off their shoulders and around their necks? We get it- You-are-a-serious-photographer! Serious...

PS- Now that you I mention it, I have never, ever seen a woman doing that!

Gotta Give It To The... French!

Photo: Veronique de Viguerie

When their government fucks up- they hit the streets en masse and let it be known! Right or wrong- none of the sheep like, wait till elections, take it on the chin behavior ya get here...

Kindler, Gentler?!?

How come no fond memories of the racist Willie Horton dog whistle ad when commemorating 41?

Van Gogh (in the 1950's)

Photo: Vivian Maier

Recently, I had a bit of a conversation with another photographer (mostly on his blog after commenting on mine) concerning Vivian Maier. Now, not gonna get into the particulars, but let's just say it was a might spirited, which I quite enjoy and hoped to further, when it suddenly turned... downright awnry and personal- amusing I thought, since, if anyone, I'm the guy that's supposed to fit the stereotypical, hot blooded Latino not quite in control of their emotions. Continuing to play against type, I wished him a happy (holi)day, and went on my merry way...

One of the more pleasant side effects of the whole exchange was that I once again immersed myself in Maier world, not a bad place to be far as I'm concerned since I am absolutely captivated by her photography, particularly from the mid fifties to the early sixties when she seemed at the very peak of her artistry shooting at least a (12 exp) roll a day. It was interesting to learn from Pamela Bannos (what an intriguing... last name) that Maier obtained her Rolleiflex in '51, followed by a dearth of photographs far as '52 was concerned, then... BOOM- from '53 on, she was photographing with the confidence and refined eye of a master!

Then there's the idiot London gallerist who declared that Maier was "a good student," not a true artist, because "she didn't take her photography anyplace new." Her work was... derivative. Well, I hear what he's saying, but ask yourself this- how many photographers other than Frank, and perhaps Klein, were taking photography anyplace "new" in the fifties? Most "masters" of that time (eg- Eugene Smith) were simply busy refining photography as it existed into the language that would be the very basis from what others would then later diversify and diverge from. The early sixties saw the development and refinement of visions that would produce the names of Arbus, Winogrand, Friedlander, etc in... the mid- Sixties. And that said, one can see in the wide variety of her work, many of the themes that anticipated much of what those names proceeded to concentrate on...

Maier continued to photograph (and film) for many years hence, but at least, from what we've seen thus far, her creative zenith seems well entrenched in that mid-fifties/early-sixties stretch. And I for one, will be forever more than a tad grateful that her work was salvaged from oblivion at the eleventh hour...