Iconic Art, Comedic Heights...

Photo: © S. Banos

Those are the touted benefits we can all look forward to in The Reign of Trump, the best art and comedy supposedly come in times of high political duress and suppression. So what if our rights and liberties are eroded, our environment officially history, media and educational censorship the new norm, racial attacks a common occurrence, and 20 million lose their existing health care? Nothing that a good war or two in a good year or two can't solve!

And if ya can't afford a $25 museum ticket or catch a buzz on $8 beers, you can always stay home and laugh it all away. Still not laughing? Try this on... Sarah Palin- Secretary of the Interior! And that's just for starters, the most evil crazies that we had long thought forever banished from the days of W and beyond are back walking amongst us, along with a host of newly undead...

Photo: © S. Banos

If You're Really Interested In Photography...

Instead of being yet another inane gear head, you should really be pondering (and reacting to) this post (and its related links) on Conscientious ...

Congratulations White America!

Photo: © S. Banos

This year a man ran for President who heard your voice- a man who was attuned to your specific economic needs, your daily suffering, your legitimate gripes and complaints. He offered real solutions to those problems politicians had ignored for decades. He had your back, and not a moment to soon...

And most of you ignored him in droves. Instead of listening to what he actually had to say, the logical, workable solutions he proposed to the very problems that concern us most- you hastily called him a dirty, filthy, Pinko, Commie; and when you discovered he was a Jew- there was the automatic Strike Two and Three, you just knew deep down inside!

As you have, time and time again through the history of this country (as well as others)- you listened to your fear, your deepest, darkest most ingrained fear, and opted for that great, grand charlatan who inflamed it, added more, and then offered the most juvenile, nonsensical excuses to ease your worried brow. As usual, you voted against your own best interest. You voted for a man who has a made a life long career of stiffing every working class person he has ever come into contact with- up to and including his very campaign staffers. As usual, you didn't vote for a man who offered solutions, you voted for the man who fed your fears then offered the usual scapegoats you could easily blame with the least amount of thought, effort or concern. The right choice, the time honored choice- the Whitest guy with the easiest answers!

So what if you're an Evangelical and he's never touched a Bible, so what if you're a mother raising a virtuous daughter, so what if he occasionally enjoys mocking people with disabilities (really, don't we all?)- and who could care less if the self proclaimed "King of Debt" billionaire farms out his jobs to other countries, imports foreign workers (while frantically demonizing them) and pays less taxes than you. You're voting the values and qualities that are gonna Make America Great Again- and we have your wisdom and insight (and that of the KKK) to thank!!! Good job...

Three Must Reads & A Video

"I'm sorry, but as a White man, you don't get to define what racism is, you really don't."

 (don't you just love her smile)

Another very welcomed fashion tip...

One heartfelt letter well worth reading... 

 Let the orgy of hate crimes begin!!!

"He Traveled the World Feeding The Kids (Motherf**ker)!!!"

The man's a bloody saint, he is...

Clown Car Redux

 

Photo: © S. Banos

 
I spent the majority of Tues evening laughing like an idiot at the insanity that was unraveling around me- it was either that or, or...

Now, it's finally beginning to dawn on me that I'm gonna have to listen to that shrill, whining drone for the next four, long fuckin' years! Should I dare look up, a bloated orange face will be snarling down upon me, emitting its oft repeated, 4th gr vocab of vile accusations and innuendo. He's already whining that the spontaneous protests that erupted immediately in response to his election were the work of "professionals incited by the media." And that it was all... "Very Unfair!" I mean, Joe McCarthy would be embarrassed to be seen with the guy... I thought after eight, long, years of unintelligible murmurings from W, we were finally done with voting for the most clueless clown in town. Not only do we now have yet another intellectual incompetent, we now have one who actually physically mocks people with disabilities in the incredulous effort to make himself appear more... Presidential.

At least Governor Perry of Texas effectively elevated himself to the IQ level of a male model when he donned glasses in a futile attempt to rebrand himself a Republican capable of thought.

Photo: © S. Banos

HOLY FUCKING SHIT SUPREME!!!

Photo: © S. Banos

1)  Kiss the environment away- We're not even gonna pay it the customary, BS lip service anymore- we're simply gonna squeeze out every last drop of oil and natural gas even if we have to scorch every last piece of arable land, pollute every last drop of life giving water, melt every last piece of climate cooling ice. When your children's children are fucked to the max because the earth is now defecating on them, just like we shit upon it decade after decade after decade and people all over are killing each other for the few crumbs left... remember TRUMP!

2)  Kiss the economy away- When the American public finally realizes the feel good shit that came out of his mouth was just that, that he had no plan, no vision, no strategy to even fake what he was promising; when they finally realize that they have fewer jobs, less pay and even fewer opportunities; when they finally realize that he doesn't give a good goddamn if he bankrupts the entirety of this country just like he has so many of his businesses- thank Trump!

3)  Kiss civility away- When racial, religious, ethnic, gender and class related hate crimes of the most unwarranted and heinous nature surge to unprecedented rates and levels across the country- thank Trump!

4)  Kiss democracy away- When Americans experience first hand how Trump rules as the fascist demagogue that he is with no respect for, or basic knowledge of, the rights and freedoms of a democracy or the people in it; when they belatedly realize that it's all about Him, and only Him, that they all got taken, fleeced and conned- hook, line and sinker... let them all eat Trump steak!

5) Kiss world relevancy away- One can't begin to predict what Trump means as far as foreign policy because this 5X deferment could only blather endlessly about his toughness. What allies will want to be seen cooperating with this clueless megalomaniac; what needless wars and conflicts will he exacerbate or initiate in each and every hemisphere to our ultimate detriment?  And which of his sons (and daughters) will fight in them? All praise, the hero, Trump!

I previously kidded about voting for Trump to "ensure" his victory, just so I could look in the face of his voters when their magical, self induced reality fractured and burned bright all around them. Naively, I thought they would finally (Finally!) have to admit that all their self righteous delusions and biases were as ludicrous as their man's fake spray tan.

And then I quickly realized that their first action would be simply to grab the first Brown or Black face they see, and beat them senseless- and that face would be mine...

GOD BLESS AMERICA! 

New Day, Same Shit

This is the post I thought would rule the day. But as of midnight, Pacific Coast Time 11/09/16, fate casts a far different reality...

Photo: © S. Banos

But goddamn- did we ever duck a bullet writ large!!! Hillary's hardly a prize- the same ol' warmed over shit in a pantsuit. Hillary will prove that she can be every bit as lame as any male President we ever had- just as Obama proved he could be every bit as lame as any White President.  But, it's better than the absolute MADNESS that awaited us otherwise... 

Trump didn't scare me, the fact that half of his (working class) followers naively endorsed the most obviously spoiled, billionaire con man who never worked a single day in his life, and that the other half didn't care how much he lied, long as he was... The White Man running- that's what scared the Bejesus outta yours truly! Here we are in the 21st century and (one of) the lyingest, most racist SOB's to come outta Queens, NY in a good long while is actually believed and revered by so much of heartland America. Trump's single-handedly rekindled a bridge across the centuries that reinvigorates the kind of simplistic greed, enthusiastic racism and outright stupidity that should have died well back in the sixties. And it's simply disheartening to see how much of this blatant ignorance not only remains- but is now openly celebrated...

PS- I'm writing this on 11/07/2016- I can't fathom a response should that bullet hit home.

The Unexpected...

As in- Completely!

VOTE!

As if our very lives and sanity depend on it...

Heartless AND Disheartening!

Photo: © S. Banos

Oh, the humanity! The depths of evil and depravity that would drive man to such despicable behavior is truly beyond all reckoning. Oh, the humanity...

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...