At this point, I'm actually starting to think that membership in the Flat Earth Society would be a step up for many an American! That's not a joke, exactly- can it possibly get any crazier than... 4:35!
And that's the kinda of abject ignorance and stupidity that allows this (or is it the other way around)...
But hey, it's just so much easier to blame everything on just another bunch of brown people while sipping a Pina Colada on their beach...
I knew this would be quite informative, but I held off watching it for months, because I knew it would also be incredibly depressing, and hard to watch. It is. And if you eat fish, use plastic, or just plain don't give a shit... you-are-culpable! Point being, dead oceans = dead planet. Translation for Trump supporters- it means you're dead as well: no matter how much you deny, scream "Fake News," try to ridicule, or shoot on full automatic...
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| Drama of Biblical proportions, or pure entertainment- we got 'em both! Photo: © Stan Banos |
Doctor does the right thing and tells Texas, Repubs and Trump's Supreme Court to go fuck themselves...
Forget the thousands of innocent civilians killed- so many of them... children, right till the very last drone strike of the very final day. It's all about the money, honey!
Shadows can be pretty funny critters with all their particular peculiarities, and yet we see and experience them each and every day. Advancements in computer software has certainly helped suss things out these days. And while it's hard enough to make sense of the things we actually can see, that won't stop certain people from pontificating on what they can't- oh, things like... viruses.
Power, Greed, Money, Politics, International Intrigue, Sex... No sex. Huh!? Nope, No Sex- actually, not even a little. Weird, right? But you can easily double down on all the rest. All involving this one little painting originally bought for a few grand and ultimately sold for... $400,000,000! Ladies and Gentlemen: Leo's Salvator Mundi; yeah, that Leo- da VInci. So, who bought it, and... did Leo really paint it? Yup- fun and educational!
Addendum: And can't leave this one out either!
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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
Always been kinda ticked off that we didn't get to see this when down that neck of the woods... But, "it is what is," as the famous philosopher says. At least I got to witness and immortalize the the joint above right here in SF, that somehow managed to give off a similar vibe (least to me) and specializes in these very timely services- which I could properly benefit from! I'm guessing I'm somewhere in the $3000 range...
Wasn't sure at first, thought the baseless parking meter and No Parking signs imposing their way into the shot would serve only to detract; instead, I think they add a bit of nuanced dynamism that serves to emphasize a pretty somber composition! And not that anyone cares (or should for that matter), but after studying the compositional possibilities from across the street, I had about 2.3 seconds to dash into said street, compose, snap and hastily retreat before being run over by a serious phalanx of no nonsense, oncoming traffic on one of San Francisco's busier streets (and pedestrian empty sidewalks).
With all the fixins! Yup, you heard right! What's the catch!?! Nuthin! Just pay the $700 Shipping Fee. Too steep? Remember folks, this here's the updated, modern day Q2, a $5,500 camera Brand Spankin' New! And this one's in Primo Cond- straight from a Seller with Absolute (0) eBay sales in the heart of the Russian Federation. Win-Win, Baby! Get 'em while they're... hot, or before I snatch up each and every one of 'em- three of 'em as of writing, all with similar price points, and they disappear from view (not Sold- disappeared) faster than you can zone focus...
Think of the greatest, bestest portraitists in the history of photography, and I don't think the name John Alinder readily comes to mind. And yet, I don't see how anyone could realistically exclude him!
Perhaps it's the sheer excitement of the novelty speaking, but I may like this guy more than perennial fave, Mr. Sander. The latter's portraits have a more reserved, view at a distance feel (as personality intense as they are); Alinder invites you into his seemingly self made, backyard worlds- a personal meet and greet with the subjects at hand, as if walking into intimate, hand created dioramas. And what a lively cast of local characters from a century ago in the middle of...
The curators* of the exhibit state that there was a certain crudeness to his compositions- hell, I wish I was as confident and competent as Mr. Alinder was in transforming backyard scenarios into such complementary studio backdrops that so endearingly presented his subjects!
Anyway, definitely more to say once I get said book into hand- this is the kind that inspires and resonates for a good lifetime of views...
PS- I almost (almost) bypassed this book on Photo-Eye, Photo Book Daily because of... the cover! Isn't there a saying about that? Either make it more dynamic or more minimalist, I don't particularly care which- but that clinical, perfunctory and overused presentation is a complete betrayal and injustice to the life contained within.
*who also observantly remarked in the video that smaller pictures make one stop, inspect and reflect- as opposed to larger wall size editions that one can simply scan and pass at a distance!
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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
I've always admired photos with written text on the margins, or even on the pictures themselves. There's an incredible book* on Holocaust survivors (whose name sadly escapes me), and of course, there's Jim Golberg's iconic Rich and Poor- amongst others... Again, in the midst of a lull in picture taking in the time of plague, the light bulb finally went off concerning one photo that has always nagged me- a photo of the AT&T building here in SF. While composed as best as I can get it- it's still not a photo that can stand on it's own- there's no real there, there; too much bland, empty space that doesn't accomplish anything. So... text to the rescue!
Now, I ain't claiming it's all that, but... it's better than it was- one can now 'see' behind that uniform, fortress like, metallic exterior without having to ensure the caption somehow, some way accompanies the image itself! Certainly not novel by today's standards (technically or aesthetically), but I'm relatively pleased with my rather primitive** result- and who knows, it may lead to some further project somewhere down the road, particularly one involving unseen history...
BTW, ya shoulda seen my first rendition where I hand wrote (scrawled) said caption- not a pretty sight! But it did remind me that if I had any balls- I would have tagged said building (just 3 blocks from where I now live) with said caption in real life for all to see...
* since donated to Bronx Documentary Center
**would be interesting to see how the text would look running along the lines and receding perspective of the building panels- but don't have the tech chops for that (even though shouldn't be all that difficult)...
