The Wonderland

 ... of Jason Eskenazi! A most definitely known photographer- and for good reason.

7X7 Adventures...

Photos: © Stan B.

Retirement, and the long daylight summer hours, continue to allow me the time to explore the nooks and crannies of this 7 square mile plot of land known as San Francisco. I've actually discovered places unknown to this East Coast transplant these past two decades, places like the non presumptuous Turtle Hill, which allows one the most panoramic view in all San Francisco- from the downtown skyline to the entirety of Golden Gate Park (20 acres larger than Central) to the Pacific Ocean itself... a spectacular vista from such an unassuming and unheralded viewpoint! 

One day I zigged instead of zagged in an area I had previously frequented and found myself in the neighborhood of... Sea Cliff, an area tantamount to a drug induced experience- LSD in the morning coffee! Most of San Francisco, no matter what the geographic or economic environment, has a certain rhythm and familiarity to it, particularly in its unique architecture. Sea Cliff left all that far behind, it didn't look like anything, feel like anything even remotely connected to San Francisco! By the mere turn of a corner, I had been somehow, someway rather magically transported to a Riviera seaside resort, a very wealthy seaside resort. I was now in the land of, not the well to do, but the filthy rich- mansion beside mansion beside mansion... with curiously little real estate separating them. A goddamn ghetto of mansions! And I do mean... Mansions! With a beach on either end of this very compact and ultra exclusive neighborhood. 

These photos are from neither of the aforementioned, not much purpose in my book if the photos can't in some small way capture some of what the place actually feels like. If I can't do the place some kind of justice in my small way, well then, I'd rather it live in my mind just how I wish, rather than belittle it with an image that just demeans the entire experience. Fortunately, I do, on occasion, get photos where I never anticipated, expected or contemplated;* these are the neighborhoods I've been exploring, usually working class, mostly residential and on the outskirts of town, far from the hipsters, tourists and tech nerds the city is known for; neighborhoods such as Bayview, Excelsior and Portola. Rounding the corners and traversing the hills and crevices, one will occasionally (very occasionally) be rewarded with the odd, photo worthy streetscape or unique, unforeseen point of view...

Photos: © Stan B.

*I still see young 'street shooters' moping about in the SF downtown area and I wanna yell at them (or at least gently suggest)- why are you wasting your time trying to retake classic street photos... on streets devoid of people?!? Move on, adapt- do something different! Even pre-Covid, when downtown SF streets were bustling, it was good to have a more varied diet of photo resources, now it's 100% crucial! It's why I expanded to also do essays on: pet cemeteries, 'bipping,' graffiti (and painted over graffiti), cars, Oakland Mail Trucks, panoramics, the SF leather Fairs and just about every protest I can attend locally. The latter will culminate in a book entitled 45-46-47 (ie- the Trump years) which will end in (god spare us all!) '28... Point is, ya gotta keep stretching the envelope, testing the waters- or rot on the vine.

Fame And (Mis)Fortune!

I had no idea whatsoever about the torrent of copycat infiltrators Jake Ricker was subjected to at what would mark the forced conclusion of his Golden Gate Bridge project. I can well understand wanting to see him in action, congratulate him, engage in conversation and possibly learn from him- but I just can't even begin to contemplate what was going through these people's minds that they would willingly try to copy his photographs... directly in his presence! How does one even begin to make sense of that- the audacity, ignorance and sheer impudence of such an act? How do their minds (not) work- somehow, someway thinking they can magically glom on to his hard earned work, talent and recognition simply by trying to directly imitate him... right next to him!?! How dishearteningly surreal is that- particularly at such a world famous venue which is both so uniquely public and yet singularly isolated? We're such an utterly flawed species...

Hope he eventually gets his well deserved book deal!

The Joys Of Retirement

Photos: © Stan B.

I still wake up giddy most days, two-thirds of a year in, retirement has certainly not lost its sheen! Don't know if a return to employment will mar the scenery at some inopportune time hence, but for now... 

One of the things I find (that I could in no way foresee) is how in the moment I am now allowed to be, to experience, to feel! No longer consumed by time restraints, one can now truly relax, enjoy the moment- free of schedule or time limit. Weekends, holidays, even vacations are all finite, so that even while enjoying, one is forever aware of the ever present temporal restrictions. Life is forever consumed by the accountings of everyday life, the eternal ticking of the clock, the push to get things done, before...

Being free of that particular anxiety and apprehension is liberating indeed, and can even lead to more thoughtful and contemplative photographs, and perhaps more important, definitely more important- if I don't get the photograph... at least I fully enjoyed the moment itself! Felt it, breathed it, took it in and experienced it! There's always another day, and another picture- up until there isn't, and then... I needn't worry that possible return!

One Man Level of Cool!

Photo: © Stan B.

Having grown up in New York, I've always admired a sense of style. It takes something to possess one, even more to own it; and says something about the person and how they move in the world. Of course, it's ultimately superficial (never judge a book by its cover) but in a world so dominated by the visual- it can carry the day! Some may call it, "Cool-" the look, the manner, the very presence.

There are many things I admire about San Francisco, where I have lived these past 25 years. One thing it clearly does not possess however, is a distinct sense of personal style- it's never recovered completely from the Flower Power days, but its denizens absolutely jump at the chance of getting into costume for whatever generic holiday, event or celebration (they even run their foot races in costume)!

I was on the return journey home from Crissy Field in SF, a simply gorgeous day in a simply gorgeous area around the Golden Gate Bridge, enjoying it for what it was since I knew I was returning home with nothing to show for it, when I happened upon this gentleman who seemed dropped by the hand of god beside that particular signpost. A surreal off site presence, as if he had created his own French New Wave retro movie in which he was clearly starring in the leading role! And star he did!

Before exposure I only dared look at him peripherally, trying desperately not to be noticed- while positioning myself directly in front of him (with no one else beside or around me for cover)! To make things worse, there was a group of tourists directly beside him- I would have to wait, and clearly he would change his position or just wander off while I waited for them to depart and leave us. My previsualizaion was most certainly doomed. Meanwhile, I turned around, checked my exposure and distance- and... prayed. 

As the crowd finally (finally) moved, I turned and quickly took a short series of exposures with very minor alterations from left to right. In my absolute haste to get it in the can, I still didn't get the opportunity to assess the totality of the image (and subject) I was capturing. And he never did look in my direction or acknowledge me (at least not while I was looking), although he certainly had to have sensed my presence. I thought perhaps it was just another street eccentric who temporarily succeeded in  rising to the level of his own imaginings (the most any of us can usually aspire to)- but upon examining the image, it was clear the guy's no simple poseur, this guy's the real deal! Cool? The man defines it!* The suit, that pose, the whole freakin' shebang- goddang, he is a goddamn, one man movie! But is he hero, or villain?!?

*He even balances the phone parallel to the horizon line!

American Fear

7/25/2026                                      Photo: © Stan B.

It's a sad and sorry situation- but true. There's this growing trend of mistrust and fear even among peaceful protestors where some participants are now worried of being photographed, identified and made to face retribution. The result is that they now purposely position their signs in front of their faces in order to dissuade subsequent identification. I've also had some confront me openly with mistrust, even hostility and question who I am, who I'm with, who I represent... This rarely happened before and is becoming considerably more commonplace. And we are not talking "illegals," we're talking White American citizens.

It's sad, and at first made me both confused and a tad ticked off, to be honest. But it is understandable; we live at the behest of a tyrant who has openly made retribution a reality he both flaunts and relishes, and people have undoubtedly suffered due to the retaliatory actions of his fragile, childlike ego- and immense far reaching power. All the more reason to call out, confront and demonstrably defeat this fascist bully- and set precedent for any that follow...

How The CyberTruck Was Designed!

The NYC Landscape

 Photo: © Rob Stephenson

If you're a photographer in NYC, you're a street photographer- unless you got a studio and shoot portraits. What's that... landscape? How many shots of the skyline can one possibly take? 

Obvious questions lead to obvious answers. And deciding what to shoot (and doing it well- the tricky part) is a problem that besets every photographer, especially in an era when anything and everything seems to have been done ad infinitum... But not everyone goes the usual route, assumes the usual role and makes the usual contribution. Brian Rose has presented a more diverse NYC, he has wondered the geographical limits of the five boroughs in search of a more diversified landscape shaped and influenced by its diverse population. Rob Stephenson is also a landscape photographer, defined by the mundane, repetitive and overlooked commonalities that saturate New York's outer boroughs- neighborhoods and communities that don't look anything like Manhattan.

The four boroughs adjacent to Manhattan are anything but scenic (Manhattan itself is hardly... 'beautiful'). NYC is built for expedience and practicality, it sure ain't Paris, not even London, which is at least quaint in parts. Some of it is downright ugly, most of it, just plain forgettable, from the poorest of working class neighborhoods, to its more well to do environs. 

Mr. Stephenson makes the most of these unremarkably ordinary of landscapes with a series of very memorable typologies, memorable for their remarkably diverse feature set within a uniformity of presentation. His Dead End typology features the aforementioned signposts in a variety of industrial, residential and more 'pastoral' settings. The sheer variety and uniqueness of settings is more than I could have possibly imagined. And his Split series is an absolute joy- something I would have never, ever contemplated saying about anything to do twin homes! These banal and usually (intentionally?) overlooked residences pepper the real estate landscape of NY; the very thought of photographing them seems preposterous, laughable at best... who the hell would want to photograph something so overwhelmingly boring and aesthetically dismissible!?

And yet, these home portraits of fraternal, if not identical, twins are absolutely fascinating!  I would have never in my life thought these architectural nonentities could be so endlessly intriguing, so curiously captivating. The not quite mirror images, the minute details that entrance and delight! But that's what good photography and photographers do- reveal the mystery and uniqueness of that which we overlook and undervalue... Can't wait for the book!

 Photo: © Rob Stephenson

101 And Counting

Some things will always lie beyond human comprehension.                                Photos: © Stan B.

The one thing I found myself most wanting to do when I was in Washington, DC this 7/04 was to walk about, megaphone in hand, proclaiming, "Climate Change is a hoax" as we all collectively melted in the 101 degrees of sunlight and heat. But I came armed with a coupla cameras instead, which were useless after an hour and a half. Oh, they worked alright- my brain no longer did. I arrived around noon and there was many an American flag bedecked person and situation to photograph, but after that first ninety minutes of walking about in such utterly diabolical heat, thoughts of shutter speeds, light and composition went quickly out the front door, back door and every window in between- photography was no longer an option, everything focused on survival. 

Fortunately, National Guardsmen along with many a sidewalk merchant were handing out and selling (respectively) bottles of water, and the umbrella I took in case of afternoon thunderstorms became absolutely crucial to my survival in the sun- would not have survived without that goddamn umbrella; it was beyond brutal! Three hours into my six hour stay, I fortunately snuck into an air conditioned hotel that had some mighty comfortable lobby chairs where I managed to nurse myself back to humanity for an hour upon the onset of nausea. 

Meanwhile, someone (some mischievous, malcontent of an idiot) managed to shut down half the goddamn city on our nation's premier 250th anniversary celebration- The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the infamous Reflecting Pool and every other tourist attraction in between were all made completely inaccessible to the public on this most celebratory of occasions of our nation's history! Who even thinks of doing such a thing!?! And this was midday, well before the evening thunderstorms which did indeed come, when shade was very much at a premium, and every tree counted! Instead, some uncaring, unthinking idiot corralled hundreds of thousands of suffering visitors into its hottest of streets, while they desperately sought to find some manner of access to what they all obviously came to see and enjoy... Only to find that every entry way, no matter how far they ventured, or in what direction they veered in the searing heat was guarded, walled off and denied them. That was certainly one helluva way to fill his goddamn, crappy ass, so called 'state fair!' 

Child demonstrates how shade was at a premium- as only a child can!

Why no one complained, or downright revolted was probably due to the debilitating heat and the fact that many of said visitors, probably the vast majority, were of the uber 'patriotic' Trump class. They are not going to find fault with anything this bribe procuring, felon committing, forever lying traitor and pedophile has ever done or ever will do...That was made more than clear to me that day when a small band of demonstrators dared to raise their voice. I had begun to think that there was some small leeway being made of late into the Trumpian mindset that so fervently and fastidiously denied all chance of logic, reason and fact, but sadly- it is im-pen-e-tra-ble.

My train was scheduled to depart at six, arriving approx at 9:30PM in NYC- it was somewhat delayed, finally arriving at 2:30 AM (thank you, Amtrak)! When removing my t-shirt, I noticed it appeared as if tie-dyed, my dried sweat had left decorous, if unsightly rings of dried salt throughout; I drank around six bottles of water that day- and had yet to pee once... 

Photos: © Stan B.

For Better Or...

We do it to remember.                           Photo: © Stan B.

I recently burned my greatest hits unto gold discs for posterity's sake... Yeah, I know, I know- delusions of grandeur. They probably won't survive a succession of dark, damp basements, or being melted in the Goodwill furnace. But this concerns... "the process;" no, not how to burn dvd's- that's simple enough (it really is). 

It's about preparing the files themselves- viewing them as critically as possible and making the necessary edits, a lot of basic stuff and small details that somehow previously escaped: localized contrast and exposure, color balance, etc... issues big and small that were somehow overlooked. 

This is "for the ages," so ya wanna get it right once and for all, like when submitting a file for an exhibition quality print- you want everything as perfect (or near perfect) as you can personally manage. And that's what this exercise forced me to do- and there were, admittedly, a lot more images I had to finesse than I previously imagined. I started in January, thought I'd finish by the end of the following month, and didn't finish dotting the i's and crossing the t's till mid-May (although there was a full month's detour shooting and self publishing a whole new & unexpected project in the interim).

Don't know if they'll last the hundred years advertised, but I'm glad I got it done- if only to have said images at a level of competency I can now show without hesitancy! That alone was worthwhile, and there's always that chance, however slight, that the images will actually endure into their stated longevity to be appreciated in a time they long preceded...

Social Media

We all need to be more civil while using.     Photo: © Stan B.

Red Eyed

Photo: © Frank Fournier

Had the pleasure of stopping by the Leica Gallery in San Francisco this past Saturday just before closing and picking up Frank Fournier's joyous little book- Red Eye, a beautifully small 8x8in. book of visual poetry. Taken in 70's New York, they do contain a certain amount of nostalgia for this expat New Yorker growing up there at the time when the city was supposedly at its worst... Who knew? We were young. 

The book however does not just rely on nostalgia for its existence. The photos are pictorial paeans to a city so desperately alive, despite its decay. They're contemplative, but acutely representative of the details and rhythm of a city that's forever in motion, filled with the people that create it, regardless of how they feel or what it thinks of them. 

PS- The gallery is currently featuring the work of Patrick Corrigan and Hendrik Paul, and the former's print of a ladder against a tree is one of the most beautiful prints I have ever witnessed in my seventy years... can't stress enough- the jpeg depicted merely hints at the experience.

Photo: © Patrick Corrigan

Punk vs. Street (Photography)

So called "street photography" is still going strong after its initial resurgence over a decade ago, in large part fueled by the concurrent analog revival. The ethos about punk music was that it was a return to rock basics and that you didn't even need to know how to play (an instrument) to do it. Technical and aesthetic expertise is not necessarily required in today's "street photography' either, just have a camera (preferably a Leica).

Forget that the genre has long been abandoned by the upper echelon of the photographic art world (do they still matter, do they still exist?)- it just seems to get more and more popular. Popular to the point where you now have various vloggers enthusiastically sharing their street photography journeys, while opining on their favorite techniques and approaches. And it's all good, except when, except when- they really don't have a clue. I learned years ago never to judge a photographer until you see their finished results, and in my latter years, I consider it wiser and more constructive not to go negative. But sometimes, when they do show their results, their 'successes-' and they're sadly anything but, technically and/or- aesthetically; well then, I think the kind thing to do is to uhhh... kinda let them know- constructively...

Recently, I encountered this one vlogger who I could tell was very earnest and enthusiastic about the medium, but honestly didn't-have-a-clue; so I decided to give a bit of advice, technical (concerning light leaks) and aesthetic, concerning the use of wide angles. Creatively, the issue was fairly obvious- they were too shy to get close enough to their subject to take advantage of what wide angles offer. Everything was in the background in so many of their shots.

It's a problem that plagues most wannabe street photographers, including myself; I'm an introvert, having grown up in NYC however, one learns early in life that you either stand up, or get swallowed up. One day I decided (when confronting a must take opportunity I was hesitating on)- was I photographer, or just someone with a camera on his shoulder; I knew what I had to do, and acted accordingly. But to this day, I still have my bouts of hesitancy- but enough about me... So I offered some basic, and (I thought) well needed advice:

Do you have a light proof changing bag to transfer the film from cannister to loader, loader to cassettes, cassette to film tank? Are your cassettes lightproof? Depending on the type, they can leak at the 'joints' where you disassemble them, or where the felt meets the film...

I love 28 and 20mm lenses; but sorry, even with the former- you're gonna have to get much closer to your subject... whatever it is! It's hard to tell because it gets lost with everything else in your photos. WA's are great to accentuate your subject, but to do that you must get closer to emphasize it, otherwise it-just-gets-lost. Right now, everything in your 'composition' is at equal distance (so Everything comes off as of equal importance)- no separation, no drama, no involvement. Your eye is not being led anywhere!?!? If you want the viewer to get involved... then you must do it first when creating your composition and show the way!

Perhaps get a friend or model, someone you're comfortable with, photograph with the 28 and get as close as you want from every conceivable angle- place them in the foreground (Close!) and see how you can separate them from the background in different environments, practice "layering" with separate things in the foreground, mid and background that all contribute to the story you're telling within the photograph. Then compare the shots you took when at ease with the model, to those you do 'on the street.' I'm betting you'll see a considerable difference- if ya don't, you're really gonna have to study the masters more to get a sense of how they do it. Check out how close Mark Cohen got to his subjects- and with a flash no less!

Also, try shooting from the hip, prefocused from right inside the crowds- study the results, you may find some clues and surprises. Right now, your shyness is preventing your success- it's keeping you at arm's length (make that mile's length) from your subject... there's another good practice shoot- don't shoot anyone unless they are within a literal arm's length!!! That pretty good advice for shooting WA on the street- period! You can do it but you're gonna have to conquer your fear, it won't happen overnight- but it won't happen at all unless you seriously resolve to do it!

I didn't get any response, so it was probably not well received. It was only then that I noticed- same said person was offering their very own "street photography" course- for a nominal fee! Yeah.

Addendum: Got a reply and a love today, didn't totally agree with my assessment(s), but agreed there was some validity to what I said... fair enough.

The Lo-Fi Photo Zine King!

Hamburger Eyes- the brand, the slogan, the B&W Photozine King Y'all! If you're down San Francisco way from now till end of summer- make sure to stop by the main public library at Civic Center, make an immediate right at the main entrance, and down ya go to the Jewett Gallery on the lower level where you'll get a taste firsthand of what Mr. Ray Potes has conjured up in the last 25 years... Congrats!

Everything Old Is...

Like everyone, I love looking towards the masters: their work, their wisdom, their legacy. They've been there, done that, shown the way- The Real Deal! And it's always such a joy just to lean back and be humbled and awed; they teach, they enlighten, they inspire!

But sometimes you get to wonderin'- what of the future? Where's the new generation that has the passion, the integrity, the will to put in the work, day in and day out- not just to promote themselves and their goddamn "content," but to contribute to the medium in a way that preserves the best of it, while helping advance it? Watching most photo vlogs by most newbie wannabes is an exercise in self abuse: fledgling salesmen extoling their new equipment choices, revealing 'the secret' to good pictures, or just giving you the low down on anything and everything their year and a half of experience and 'mastery' have bequeathed upon them, and are now willing to share with you... Smash the like button- and buy my presets!

I've already highlighted one such individual (Paulie B.) who breaks the mold with his infectious enthusiasm and love of the medium, and Jared Thomas Tapy is yet another whose love and reverence for the craft, history and art of photography is apparent in every topic he navigates and delves into, whether it's The Decline of Photojournalism (the kid brings receipts!), The Racist History of Photography (doesn't hold back), or Why Film Photography Won't Make You A Better Photographer (lays it out to the letter), one can see he respects the facts, the actual history, and isn't just out to give his personal take- and when he does, it's usually well measured, well researched and well thought out. 

 

Like I said, never tire of the masters- but always great to see a youngblood headed on the good foot...

Zine vs. Zine

I've now published a coupla zines via Blurb, and I'm quite pleased with the quality. The thing I don't like is that they only use "perfect binding" as opposed to also offering "saddle stich," which is what most commercial magazines used- ya know, with the staples. The reason I mention is that saddle stich allows double truck images that are much easier to lay flat, see and enjoy (the entirety of the image over the two pages).

MagCloud allows zines with saddle stich, so even though I don't relish learning yet even more software, if the quality matches Blurb- it may just be worth the bother. Will try later in the year; viewing the occasional double truck image in a zine or book allows yet another valuable way to mix, edit and present your images in print, and it really is compromised in Blurb without saddle stich... 

Anyone have experience with Magcloud?  Some have mentioned that images tend to come out darker... but as opposed to Blurb, or as a result of an uncalibrated monitor? I've generally never had an exposure problem with printing on Blurb via my images straight form the monitor as is.

So True...

All our discoveries and triumphs, struggles and disappointments- gone... All as passingly trivial as a loose snapshot floating in a bin at a second hand store; the love you longed for, the goals you achieved, the losses you persevered and the burning passion that fueled all of it- the cause, the consequence, not even the memory will remain. It is the human experience, renewed and extinguished ad infinitum. 

The camera provides some of us that small confirmation of our own existence. How well we master it, and ourselves, can afford others some passing measure of what intrigued, humored or captivated us. They were our moments, of that which no longer exists, our one step on the uneasy ladder of humanity and existence.

Sound Advice

 

Choose Your Personal Jesus!

Easter's coming up this Sunday, and in anticipation of this year's Hunky Jesus celebration here in San Francisco, thought it would be appropriate to let you choose your number one from years past. Feel free to pick your personal favorite from these previous three Jesus models- just remember, they're all winners!

Photos: © Stan B.

 

13 And Counted ...

Well... entered the NY Times Portfolio Review for the 13th time this year, and got rejected for the 13th time this year. So, it was not quite without expectation... The thing is, these ten pictures are pretty representative of the best I can do in a cohesive grouping,* which reminds me of an old New York saying, "That and a token will get you on the subway." Or to update that- "It is, what it is." That is, I think I finally got the picture. 

Anyway, here are the final, chosen ten that went down with the ship, yet again...

All Photos: © Stan B.

 

All Photos: © Stan B.

*Not counting my leather fair photos which people will always look at, but never seriously consider even though they all rise to the same criteria for which any street photographs are judged (yeah, I've sent them those too)... BTW, will be updating this project later this year now that I've ended it.