I'll Walk...

Photos: © Stan Banos

If anyone would have told us this past March that our unexpected but thoroughly welcomed two week vacay would expand to two months and then go on to inhabit two years... one could only imagine the looks. And yet here we are, still amidst a killer of thousands that is only growing stronger, and does so quietly, silently and behind closed doors- killing in such stealth that thousands more refuse to believe that anyone is actually even sick, let alone dying. This so called pandemic is but a hoax, a fraud perpetrated to scare, confuse and defraud us of our wealth, health and liberty!

Now, it's not for me to tell those good people what to believe, they ain't gonna hear it anyway; some actually go to their very death swearing it's anything but Covid- "it must be lung cancer!" And the virus, well... it doesn't give a good goddamn what anyone believes, politically or otherwise (though word is, it's somewhat partial to non believers); it's just gonna do what a virus does- multiply, the less encumbered, the more so. 

Perhaps, perhaps we should do what we did with the good Germans who lived by the camps- make the deniers go to these out of the way places (called hospitals), see for themselves and even lend a hand. And so as not to infringe on their precious liberties, they wouldn't even be required to wear a mask. Alas, unlike those Germans, they would simply call out the dead and dying as... crisis actors!

Of course, these delusional, reality free hordes were created in large part by the seminal, reality free, Great Leader who has been twisting, perverting and torturing truth and reality for the last four years to their great delight. Magically thinking the virus away, he managed to prolong the destruction of both our health and economy (the one he single-handedly took credit for). Soon, very soon, he will leave center stage, certainly well before the virus (that he declared would be history by last Easter), but very much like it- kicking and screaming every step of the way into oblivion. 

The great state of New York has its cross hairs aimed firmly upon his massive butt- in both civil and criminal court. And if there is anything near justice on this mortal coil, his White House ouster is but step one of his long and much overdue appointment with the word "NO." This con man, criminal and traitor writ large who has been awash in Russian money and favor since the eighties is as guilty as he is bald. After decades of listening to Republicans whine and scream about Red traitors, lying Commies and dirty Rushkie sympathizers- it's time to send their own beloved, number one mole to the gulag where he belongs.

Pretty much, almost... not really.

Meanwhile, the rest of us all have enough on our plate. And I'm one of the lucky ones- neither sick, nor unemployed. This whole pandemic mess has been botched most bigly from day one, without any semblance of leadership or support in a time exactly when government is most needed, when citizens are most in danger: physically, economically, morally... Instead, we were left adrift to fend for ourselves as a worldwide, pandemic Katrina flooded our entire nation, and then some.

So here's to us in 2021, hopefully Ol' Joe will be able to right the ship and keep it afloat- not to return to a failed status quo, but to finally address the real problems and promise of the 21st century. 'Cause when the full scourge of climate change does hit- the days of Covid will be but a warm and fuzzy, nostalgic golden oldie from the easy peazy days of yore...

Sloggin' Along...

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

 

Had the feeling this would probably be my last decent shot of the year when I took it 12/02. And thus far, that's held up. The beginning of the year started with a fretful uh-oh... what the hell is gonna happen now with hardly a soul in sight? Most of the inevitable, deserted, end of the world shots ended up flat and boringly empty, instead of dramatically apocalyptic. Gradually, one learned to adapt and adjust- even stitched together my first ever digital panoramics. Fortunately (from a photographic perspective) the Spring/Summer protests did provide some much needed subject matter. An interesting year, to say the least- one that will well spill over unto the next...

 

Addendum: Actually, managed to just squeak in a couple more...

American Ingenuity!

I own a coupla digital cameras now, and I've yet to shoot a video with any of 'em- but the still photograph does have its limitations... as this home security clip makes duly evident!

Billions and Billions and Billions and... Bing!

No dear friends, you can't buy quality entertainment like this, and although the foreplay is worth every penny, the Big Money doesn't come till 5:16- then... BING!

Or look at it this way, we just survived four years of an EGO that even... This Guy (yeah, that guy) says "lives in an alternate reality." Forget BILLIONS- That is RICH!!!

And tempting as it is to laugh his fragile childlike ego away, it is part and parcel of the same monstrous personality that has cost thousands of his own citizens lives and is now in the process of setting free repentless child murderers...

Good News!

Seems like I've finally gotten that AHAA! moment I recently alluded to- that is, it looks like I've found a wonderful, loving home for my book collection! A place where they'll be appreciated and used to teach and inspire young people the way they have me! I'm talking about The Bronx Documentary Center- and why I didn't think of them before... beats me! I'm just glad they came to mind again upon seeing them listed recently while perusing Jay Simple's wonderful Photographer's Green Book. Asked them if they could use a few books, and they said... yes, yes, and yes!

Currently we are in negotiations for said collection- and by "negotiations," I mean exactly what I stated before- how to move approx one dozen 16 x 12 x 12 boxes of books from Pt. A (San Francisco, CA) to Pt. B (The Bronx, NY). Best would be to pack the whole lot* in an appropriately sized vehicle and drive them on their merry way, but we may have to settle on shipping them in dribs and drabs as their finances dictate, since shipping them all would be a minor fortune. Anyway, there's no time limit on this, so I'm looking forward to a successful resolution somehow, someway and making this happen sometime this new year. This really made my day and then some, knowing they'll be ultimately housed and secured for prosperity's sake...

 *I'm gonna (temporarily) keep a nifty fifty- man does not live on bread alone...

Hope I'm Wrong...

Hope I'm dead wrong! But we're talking about a POTUS who has openly incited violence at his rallies, who has openly bragged that he has the unflinching support of "the tough people." And there have already been several acts of brutal violence where the perpetrators have invoked Trump's name in justification before, during or after their crimes of hate filled violence; a POTUS who lovingly speaks of the loyalty of his fan base who would faithfully stand by their man even if he shot someone on Fifth Ave. for no discernible reason. And he is... right!

And it's for those sound reasons alone that I truly fear we will have more than one incident where one or more of his truly crazed, heavily armed, conspiracy toting cultists will shoot and/or bomb their way into hate induced infamy. I fear it now, I fear it on the 20th, I fear it well into next year, and well after, as he continues to spew his vitriol and self serving propaganda from the sidelines. And I hope to god I'm wrong...

Arbitrage...

 Must admit, never heard this one- you decide (0.09)...

Struggle at El Museo Del Barrio

One of the places I was going to approach about possibly donating my photo book collection was El Museo del Barrio, which was originally formed in East Harlem as a source to serve and foster the then mainly Puerto Rican community's art needs, needs not necessarily met by other more privileged institutions in other parts of the city. Actually, I was in a group show there (with En Foco) in the latter '70s before it relocated to its permanent location.  

Recently, El Museo's original mission statement seems to have changed or evolved, some would say... mutated or gentrified. It is now considerably more vested in the competing art world of more well heeled and international art interests, yet another victim of New York's hyper gentrification. Obviously, neither art nor contemporary art institutions can or should remain stick in the mud icons to days past, but there should be some allegiance to its original raison d'etre of community service, while still managing to forge ahead into exploring new territories- why must it always be presented and executed as either/or? 

Bottom line... look elsewhere.

The Embodiment of Callousness

Ashamedly, I haven't been paying as much attention to the whole Stimulus Bill Debacle as I should- just took it for granted the usual stonewalling by Repubs because... because they just can. But it's actually considerably less complicated than that, it's stonewalling by one particular Repub- in particular! Moscow Mitch, that bewitchingly handsome and debonair man amongst men is purposely holding up much needed funding for unemployed, unpaid and on the verge of eviction Americans solely to please... his corporate overlords!

No Such Thing As White Privilege!

Nope, Uh-uh, never was, never will be- NOT in this country... So let's bury this right here and now!

Any Black underage, teenager could walk down the street at night with a military style assault rifle (which he transported across state lines), have the crowd identify him as the shooter who shot two people- and the police would heartily thank him, give him water and let him merrily be on his way... And then later be praised as a national hero by Conservative pundits- happens all the time!

Any Black bar owner could assault a NYC cop with his SUV and be out in hours... w/o having to post bail (and without a scratch on him or having (him and) his windshield obliterated in a hail of bullets)- only to be praised on national Conservative TV. Happens - All - The - Time! 

And yet, and yet, you still have people to this very day who rant and rave about so called...
"White Privilege!"

 

View From The Rear...

Just in stock, and in time to stuff your stockings with the kind of stock that stuffs them best! Hey, I'm reading that straight from the manufacturer... And need I say the perfect stocking stuffer to proclaim your stand on The War on Christmas- and whatever that stand might be, make no doubt- we are winning!

Must admit, I'm kinda partial to this one, but then I'm partial to all my children- this makes nine of 'em running around at the moment; can ya believe it? Of course, no one's understandably gonna buy a self published book from an unknown, when you can get a real book from a real photographer for $50! It's a shame Blurb books aren't a third cheaper, not that I'd make a dime either way, but it might actually make them competitive, particularly now that the quality isn't half bad (pity their annual competition is long gone)...

But do have a look!

A Printer's Tale

One of the reasons, the main reason, I started to photograph in B&W back in the day was simply because it was the only way one could ultimately maintain some semblance of control over what one created- it wasn't necessarily because I thought B&W... superior. If you went to an analog printer with your  negative or transparency you got back a result that vaguely approximated what you wanted (if that). Generally, the more you paid, the closer things got- but you never got what you really wanted unless you were willing to pay absolute top dollar for the dodging, burning, localized contrast, etc that would transform your film into the final print you envisioned. Printing B&W at home could allow that measure of control.

Digital changed that formula- a competent printer could, should give you back a printed equivalent on paper of the digital image on your monitor. That in itself is a massive sea change, it's puts the onus of responsibility on the photographer, the printer needs to merely be technically competent enough to accurately reproduce what they are given. That's not to belittle that formidable expertise, but it does take out their need to interpret, guess and second guess on your behalf. If I have a competent camera, I blame myself if I don't come up with the goods; if I hand over a technically proficient, digital file to a printer, I think ya see where this is going...

So in this day and age when you find a printer that gives you back what you originally give them (at a reasonable rate- $45 for a 16in W print)- you breathe a sigh of relief and rejoice! I had such a lab, but... it took some measure of perseverance to get back those equivalent results. That is, sometimes I would get my prints printed to a random size, or on a paper I did not want or order... frustrating. To his credit, the owner would always make things good, but this pattern continued to our increased mutual frustration. I tried to make things as clear and unproblematic as possible with: concise and uniform instructions, and reassurances that there was never a rush and was always open to questions. Still, 3 out of 4 times, we would still have to do this needless dance of retakes and redos because of their in house miscommunications. 

This time around I ordered seven prints that all came back at least a 1/2 stop overexposed- they had never (ever) missed exposure! At first the owner tried to hem and haw, before finally admitting, that it was a new paper, yada, yada... So I went back to p/u the reprints- the one on top was better and did not bother to inspect the rest since they were all securely taped and packaged and besides, these were the reprints... Get back home and the rest of the prints underneath were the original rejects! Shoot off an email asking what the hell was going on with the Benjamin on top of the wad of singles. He says they gave me the rejects by mistake- no explanation as to the sole reprint on top. And suggested I pick up the remaining reprints- before we both go our separate ways... he wasn't the only one who had finally soured of our trial and error relationship!

Picked them up the following week- they were... better, but not spot on as their final work always was; four are... satisfactory. I'll now have to patronize a new printer (actually someone in my new hood)- and at a considerably higher price range. But the right size, on the right paper, at the right exposure would be a most welcomed relief, even if it means I can afford even fewer prints! To  be continued...

Addendum: I've found a truly excellent printer, Dickerman Prints, "San Francisco's Premier Photo Lab," (they are) about a fifteen minute walk from where I live, gave them two of the most finicky files I have (along with the "close but no cigar" prints from my previous lab) and they banged out totally spot on versions within the week. They charge almost double what I used to pay, so... lets just say I'm very happy, not over the moon, crazy elated, but... HAPPY!

Actually, I'd be happier still, except that those two particular prints actually cost me... almost triple what I used to pay! Huh!?! Seems I assumed that the 16in images I usually get printed with 1/2in white borders on the sides, an inch on top and two on the bottom came with an unforeseen built in penalty! Their paper stock that goes from 13in vertical to 14in sends one to their next tier in size and price! I didn't ask prior, so... at least they gave me a 10% discount, and I now know better for sure. 

The question moving forward: for the uniformity of presentation's sake- do I now cut all my previous color prints an inch from the bottom, in order not to pay an additional $40 bucks for 1 extra inch of white border?  Always something- to get in your eye, stick in your craw, fuck with your life into perpetuity...

When In Doubt...

I didn't think things could get crazier than the week when Crazy Rudy's motor oil sprung a leak between a sex shop and a funeral parlor, but anything's fun and possible when facts don't rule reality. Rudy continued to entertain with bodily emanations, and that Trump uber loyalist lawyer Jenna Ellis making the funny face (when Rudy first leaked, then let go) was actually one in the same who once called Trump an "idiot," and "unholy," amongst other not so nice things. Meanwhile, Herr Trump refuses to admit defeat, while encouraging the Governor of Georgia to break the law on his behalf, all the while Trump fanatic Lin Wood urges Georgians not to vote Republican as Trump goes to Georgia to encourage them to vote, and former National Security Advisor (and convicted felon Michael Flynn) urged Trump to dump the Constitution altogether and retain control of the US of A by decreeing Marshall law!

 No, dear friends- you or I can't make that shit up... but Republicans sure can!!!

The Nose Knows!!!

 I'm not big on tap dance- but this got my attention...

In Between...

I'm sure I'm not the only guy who secretly (and not so secretly) lusts after a Leica Q, QP, Q2, Q Mono- hell, I don't give 2Q's which Q!. It's one of the (very) few gorgeous digital cameras ever produced, and 28mm is my favorite everyday focal length. But I'm a long ways from dealing out even $3k for a nicely used one. Besides my GR and its 18mm equivalent is one heck of an adequate, poor man's substitute!

Fujifilm 16mm f2.8

What really ticks me off most though is that Fujifilm has such a piss poor 18mm- if they had a decent offering to begin with, I wouldn't be indulging in such masturbatory fantasies about any Q! I'm hardly the pixel peeper, I just want the tool to do the job unnoticed. And I do love pancake lenses- but on too many occasions my eye has annoyingly noticed what a shit poor job that 18mm does when it strays off center- from soft... to lard ass soft (not to mention the chromatic abomination)! Ricoh's tiny 18mm kicks its butt- Big time! And I really can't believe that Fujifilm has actually gotten away with such a mediocre (at best) offering, for such a popular focal length, for such a dreadfully long period of time... 

Now, I understand they are finally going to come out with a new and improved 1.4 18mm come next year, but it's not something I would probably be up for; the question being... why the hell not? Because it's going to be: 1) Big, 2) Heavy, 3) Expensive; three of the things I hate most! Wow, a lotta exclamation marks here...

So... I'm starting to think about getting the Fujifilm 16mm 2.8, a 24mm equivalent. It's a small jewel of a lens, with the accompanying cute as a button lens hood (and I hate lotus shaped lens hoods), not too expensive, and has gotten decent optical reviews- but then, anything's better than their 18! Although I'll probably wait till the new 18 comes out anyway- I had a FF 24mm back in the day and it was like using a 28mm that was just a little too short, or a 20 that was just a little too long. Sometimes you got lucky and it just fit, but most of the time it just fell in between and I could never adequately read just how it would render a particular scene. But that 16 is just so awful cute...

PS- I am an avid fan of Fuji's 14mm f2.8- one ugly duckling of a lens with impeccable Primo optics! Which is why I can't for the life of me understand why they did such a miserable job on what is traditionally a considerably easier design.

ADDENDUM: Just pulled the trigger on a used 16mm. We'll see how it performs optically, though without anything to seriously shoot until later next year, it'll be hard to properly assess if it becomes part of the regular lens rotation. At this point it could be: a viable contender, something to be sold to help finance a viable contender (the 18mm 1.4?), something to be sold for beer money, or maybe just a handy-dandy, light and tiny travel lens for the last grand tour of Europe, whenever that occurs...