My Year In Photography (thus far)...

Onwards to NYC...               Photo: © Stan Banos

2025 is almost half over, and so far it's been a mixed bag... Some of the usual photo ops I attend annually have borne no fruit (always disappointing not to nab at least one small something-something), but I have gotten a handful of small but significant surprises during every day, working day encounters- and lord knows one good thing, the only 'good' thing about Trump being POTUS is the increased photo ops via the increased protests.  

Meanwhile, my second GR (that I've already sent in for repair about a half year back- warranty lasts 90 days) has once again developed a serious recurring malady. The screen is once again completely dark upon turning on, the diaphragm completely closed; but then I press the shutter, the camera takes a completely underexposed frame, and Voila- the screen recombobulates and the camera is working normally again... What the? Long and short, turning on the camera is now a lengthier two step process, and I delete the 'preliminary exposure' at a later time! Better than paying yet another coupla hundred for yet another repair- for however long it lasts...

On another front, I'd be getting along with my relatively new cloud subscription PS just fine- if it didn't freeze and/or crash so damn much... FRUSTRATING AS HELL to lose a full hour's work, or more, repeatedly! Sometimes (sometimes) you get your file returned "RECOVERED," but even then, you get it back with the last coupla edits missing! Sometimes, most of the times, you're just flat out... Fucked! Then there are the useless pop up notices instructing to describe the problem so that someone can get back to you to address said situation- and no one ever has, or ever will... Lying PS FUCKS! And my desktop is new, so... 

I try to remember to just save, close and restart after no more than 1/2hr so I don't lose as much as I might otherwise- not exactly the ideal work around! I researched some software modification suggestions on what to do to try and fix; will attempt at some point- if Boomer can manage! You'd think they would answer one of the notices they themselves solicit, regarding a service you pay for... Perhaps it has something to do with the Plethora of F Bombs I liberally deploy when describing said problem in the immediacy of the situation. That said, I've also written several thoroughly G Rated descriptions that received an equivalent (non) response. Looks like another fun project to pursue at year's end when I retire- assuming Social Security still exists and hasn't been obliterated by "Big Balls," Trump and Friends... 

Speaking of PS, I've noticed a distinctive pattern now in my files (should one pixel peep) that was absent when I used PS Elements. Actually, it's a rather pleasing grain-like structure that I first thought might be the infamous Fujifilm "worms," but it's also present in my bayer based GR and Q files. Whatever it is, or causes it- I rather like it!

Don't know what took me so long, but I've finally started to use the tiny flash unit included with Fujifilm cameras for fill in strong sunlight- about time, Stan! Perhaps because one can only go to 1/180 on the X-T1, and 1/250 on the X-T2 which severely restricts usage in sunlight where needed most. I then purchased the ridiculously small Godox iM20 flash for my Q. This ridiculously miniscule min-mite puts out a considerable amount of light for its size. Problem is, it's completely manual, and it's impossible to see the LED power settings in direct sunlight, plus- it can still overexpose even on its lowest setting if you get somewhat close for a portrait. Good for more relaxed studio type settings where one can test and (re)set at leisure, not so good at hectic public events where you don't control the action. Fortunately, there's now a slightly larger TTL version coming out- unfortunately, it will not be available for Leica! Will just opt to use fill on original GR (long as it lasts) for the 28mm perspective...

Anyway, June's here soon, which means the annual trip back home to NYC to visit moms, the Mermaid parade and hopefully, a street shot or two...

So Maybe We Don't Care About...

Photo: © Stan Banos

The hundreds of African babies who are now condemned with AIDS because DOGE cut the funding for the drugs that would have prevented their infection- aid money that (in total) was well below ONE (1) Fucking Percent of the total US budget.

Do we even care about the American deaths that DOGE has caused?!? Or should I even question that American lives are always Paramount in the eyes of the Christian God? How'd that go about... "doing for the least of these?"

With a Hem And A Haw And @#*!!!...

Well, here we are on 5/20/2025, merrily coasting along on a sea of disturbingly adolescent: fantasies, proclamations and narratives- most of them false and purposely malicious or blatantly misleading at best. Designed to overwhelm our meager, fleeting senses to the point of resignation, I must admit the nonstop torrent frequently achieves the desired effect- especially with a complacent press that never challenges to the point of ownership and responsibility.  At least, "That's what I hear, that's what they say!" How many times has our press allowed Great Leader to get away with that exact refrain, and so many countless others? "The election was stolen," I hear ya! "Ukraine started the war," absolutely! Running for a third term? Your 'interpretation' of the US Constitution is as good as any other!

How many times have they pinned his ass to the wall and responded, "No, I haven't heard that at all. Not one single time- Not Ever! Who the fuck is saying such absolute Fucking Bullshit? We'd really like to know, because what many do say is that you make up all this 'people are saying' Bullshit yourself, just like you made up the fantasy publicists called 'John Barron' or 'David Dennison' back in the day- that's what people are really saying. So give us some names, give us some facts, or do everyone a favor and... Shut The Fuck Up for once in your sorry ass lie of a life!!!" 

I remember watching the news a while back in London, the interviewer would not let up until she got a definitive answer from the politician she was interviewing. He hemmed and hawed a bit, but she wasn't about to give up with an evasive non answer. Seems the politicians there knew they'd eventually have to give up the goods, unlike here, where they know journos will ask just long enough to appear they're doing their jobs, before obligingly shutting down. Apparently, the press had their politicians much better trained there; that was over twenty years ago- wonder if still the same today...

Jacques Sonck

Jacques Sonck

I recently ran upon this photographer again somehow, someway- after once posting about him on my previous blog, Reciprocity Failure (where most of the accompanying photographs and illustrations were inadvertently removed). And just like the first time, the sheer directness and unpretentiousness of his portraiture stopped me cold in its simplicity and appeal- the kind of simplicity fraught with mystery. The kind of visual poetry one can return to repeatedly and continue to mine both for insight and pure enjoyment...

San Francisco Mystery Photos!?

This shouldn't be a mystery forever, I mean, should be someone left around town who can identify who took these. Hey, I should be so lucky- the most important thing is that the work lives on....

Social Media

Photo: © Stan Banos

Welcome to the dating scene, 2025:

Ladies, if you feel trapped, unwanted, untouched, unappreciated, find me and tell me what you are missing or how you're feeling. Secret or.... I'll give you everything you need to feel fully satisfied, happy and... as you deserve. No judgement/All women welcome. Whether it's a cuddle a cook, an orgasm, or a master to make you my filthy whore. Also... Believe in me. You are not below men.     -Buster

Coulda Swore He Swore An Oath!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Can one possibly imagine the trials and tribulations, the gnashing of teeth, the utter rending of garments if Obama:

hadn't placed his hand on the Bible during the swearing in; said he was gonna take over (forcibly if necessary) not one but two sovereign nations, said he was running for a third term, posted a picture of himself as the goddamn Pope!?! Jesus H. Christ Almighty, humanity- neigh, reality itself would have been torn asunder!!!

All that said- just do what the lady above states!!! It's what you swore to do...

"And it’s long been a symbol, Alcatraz, of... whatever it is." -DJT

Yeah, exactly! Sometimes, sometimes I'm in just absolute awe of the clarity of mind, the precision of language and attention to detail with which some of our elected officials (one in particular) can so clearly convey the complexity and totality of the subject at hand... whatever it is. 

But wait, there's more: "Well, I guess I was supposed to be a movie maker. We're talking—we started with the movie making and will end. I mean, it—it represents something very strong, very powerful in terms of law and order."
Is there an interpreter in the house?!?

Foto Fun w/AI

 

FWIW...

Many important points are raised here, many of which have been said and heard before- just like the manner of photographs discussed, also equally seen, scorned and praised... for decades. Not to say that this periodic review, or warning, or admonishment is without merit, or that it will attain anything but the usual effect- little if anything. Unfortunately, for all the above to actually evolve, vast economic, social and economic change (for the better) will have to occur... something highly unlikely to occur anytime soon. And that is exactly the reason many continue to take such photos, in a vain, if sincere attempt to alert and hopefully change those injustices that persist- in a manner that persistently proves overwhelmingly futile...

MAGA PROUD!!!

FOUR (4) Yr. Old US Citizen w/Stage FOUR CANCER undergoing treatment deported w/o Medication! Mother and child denied due process- not even a phone call despite custodians willing to take in child in land of birth... USA! USA!! USA!!!

PS- Not the first US child w/cancer that Trump has deported...

A Perfect Typography

Upon first seeing the trailer for Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, can't say I was exactly excited to dash out and see it, but I definitely put it on my rainy/quiet day list of possibilities when in the mood for such 'low key' fare. And since I currently lead a pretty low key life these days, I was soon rewarded with this small gem of a film about a very unassuming and zen like public facility cleaner and sometime philosopher, photographer and music aficionado. Not surprisingly, life happens all around him as he quietly goes about his. 

Of course, one can't help but be... 'inspired' by the style and ingenuity of some of the public lavatories he professionally frequents, and I was soon thinking what a great typography they would make- they would look great in B&W! And my second thought was, gee Stan, do you think no one else had that thought- particularly in the land of cameras. Well, that project does indeed exist! Perhaps in color...

Pete Hegseth Is A DUI Hire

 Best comment I've read all week!

DOGE Is Well Beyond Dodgy

Photo: © Stan Banos

I come from a time when Republicans would literally turn red expressing their supposed hatred of anything... Russia! Ever since someone took over however, all things, all the time seem to somehow, someway lead there. DOGE cut necessary governmental jobs and positions, collected our private, personal and financial  information and opened doors for our foreign adversary to walk on through. Whether you take the long way (18:56) or the short...

Real or Right?

Photos: © Stan Banos

I originally chose to 'edit' (remember when the word meant: to cull, choose or pick?) this photo as B&W (see below) a few years ago because the pedestrian on the far left was wearing a very distracting day-glo green T shirt. At first, I didn't feel comfortable changing the color (ie- reality) simply because it didn't fit my aesthetic 'moral' prerogative- think it a dangerous road.* And I don't think the B&W version came out bad at all- just don't believe it has the drama and presence of the (almost) original color version! 

Sooo... What made me finally submit and undergo this change of mind, this moral 180, this deliberate alteration of reality? Can AI be far behind (or as our current Secretary of Education calls it- "A1")? Well, even though my work is most definitely documentary in nature, I'm definitely not a PJ, so I'm obviously under no obligation to live to those exacting standards. 

But why now? Because I have a yet further confession- an admission I knew I would have to make while in the very process of taking a much more recent picture! See those minimalist, organic looking sculptures in the background of this recently posted, linked photo? Well, the one directly behind the seated man wrapped in the orange plastic sheeting is really colored... you guessed it- orange! And the large one on the far left was a distractingly bright yellow. So, I almost didn't take the photo knowing, at the very least, that I would have to convert to monochrome- and in so doing, lose much of the visual impact that particular color imparts to the subject. And leaving it as it was, resulted in a rather confusing and unsightly orange conglomeration that distorted the subject and competed with the bright yellow anomaly to the left. Ultimately, I determined it was a unique and worthy enough image to salvage the best way I could- altering a small portion of the background which was of considerably less contextual and aesthetic importance (acting mostly as filler) to maintain the visual integrity of the main subject. So, I opted for the unthinkable- corrective surgery! Yes, I altered the image after the fact- is it as 'legitimate' as cropping (which I never do- FWIW), or other commonly used editing tools? Yeah, probably not. Does it somehow lessen it as an image? As far as veracity, yes. But I'd also argue that the edit doesn't serve to inflate the subject matter, as much as to deter the distraction caused by compressing three dimensional complexities into two. That's my story and I'm sticking to it- Capiche? 

*Is it 'OK' to replace entire skies, eliminate people or objects, make them bigger, smaller, slimmer, etc, etc? Again, if not a PJ, anything goes- generally, it's just not a road I'm personally comfortable with, and will only indulge as a last result. And think it important to make note, if and when you do.

Present Times

I've read quite a bit (well, enough) on how fairly democratic governments devolve into autocracies one seemingly small step at a time. And I've never had delusions about the status quo of democracy in the US of A- it has always been a country by the rich, for the rich. The rest of us make money for them, while we in turn are afforded the delusion of self governance. Our political leaders serve those who paid their way, and justice is served mainly to those who can afford it. Occasionally, they let us hold on to the peanut that falls through the cracks, and everyone gets to yell and proclaim... "Freedom and Democracy!"

Photo: © Stan Banos

Our so called system of "Checks and Balances' is now besieged and cracking under the strain of Trump's onslaught. And just like in so many of the scenarios I have read (and countless others have actually lived), people rather acquiesce than step up (no matter how much money they may have)- the poor fear losing whatever hard earned pennies left them (that's understandable), the rich fear being denied the ability to continue enriching themselves into perpetuity. Right now, we have a large faction of people who constantly scream "Constitution," yet have no problem whatsoever with a despot who has loaded the courts and justice system with his personal hatchet men, so he can freely hack away at the very document they so claim to cherish! Right now, we have those who were screaming about the right to "Free Speech," yet ban books, restrict freedom of the press and the teaching of factual history should it offend the official narrative of a proud, blemish free, and semi-fictional past (and present) which should never be questioned. Right now, we have individuals being picked up and sentenced to the most brutal and threatening environments in foreign countries without due process.

Yeah, I know it's happening to them, not us- history is long on how this system works, starting with those unseen, those on the margins, those who are poor and powerless- and then once removed, it simply goes up the ladder till the water starts encroaching upon the necks of those all around you... These actions always seem to occur with self appointed saviors who lack substantive strategies to deal with the problems of the day. Easy answers are oh so refreshing to a beleaguered public who are more than willing to believe, and unknowingly trade the little they have for the promise of salvation anew!

This is a man who repeatedly stated that doctors were killing babies in the US after being born.

A man who repeatedly said that boys were going to school in the morning and returning home in the afternoon as girls.

A man who said that Ukraine started the war with Russia.
And stated he would end said war before he became President.

A man who actually stated that he is going to take over a sovereign country- whether its citizens want it or not!

A man who pardoned overwhelmingly White, violent criminals from 1/06, but stated that five, Black/Brown (then) teenagers, who were exonerated for the brutal Central Park rape/beating, should continue to be incarcerated, regardless that they clearly had nothing to do with it (after first calling for their execution at the time of the crime).

A man who continues to insist the 2020 election was "stolen" despite countless recounts proving otherwise even by his own hand picked election counters (some who found even more votes for Biden in AZ), and not one shred of viable evidence presented in a myriad of courts.  

A man who tallied 30,573 lies in the four years of his first term alone...

This man who would be King has openly defied a Supreme Court ruling to facilitate the return of someone his admin illegally kidnapped and imprisoned in a foreign jail despite any charges or evidence (and then some)- GOODBYE, CHECKS & BALANCES! And, if you still choose to believe you're miles removed from any of this, still refuse to think or believe how easily this can all trickle down to you and me, fellow citizen- think some more...

Don't Ask

Just-Don't-Ask.                  Photo: © Stan Banos

Snapshots On A (Fast!) Downhill Journey

You, me and a coupla million others, chief!

This time I sat on these pictures for a while cause I have the bad habit of releasing photographs unto the world before they're fully cooked. Usually, it's just the excitement of seeing something new, particularly after a long wait between pictures. Sometimes they might also be particularly timely. Unfortunately, it doesn't give me the proper time to actually notice all the unseen imperfections that remain (as opposed to the ones that I don't see at all). And it makes my editing prowess appear even less than the rudimentary level that it is.

All Photos: © Stan Banos

Just a few snapshots in San Francisco of a day in April when millions across the entire country decided to step up and voice their discontent at a cult that that has needlessly launched said country into a completely voluntary disarray of self sabotage and incompetence. I really, truly do not know how any of what Trump and his admin of yes men are doing is going to lead to the betterment of our country. A man who was voted in to fix our economy on the first day of his presidency, has instead chosen a course that most people, more knowledgeable than his "very large- a brain," agree will instead, sink, doom and seal its fate! We find ourselves at the mercy of a master plan concocted by someone with... multiple bankruptcies- a man who was literally forced to sell his name as a way to evade debtor's prison; 'advised' by the likes of a financial genius who is nothing more than an anagram of a fellow flunky and criminal.

What I do know is that I plan on retiring end of this year, and don't know if I'll have to return to the workforce when I'm even older than the seventy I'll soon be. My Social Security is less and less secure with each and every passing day, as MAGA millionaires and billionaires circle the wagons licking their lips, salivating at the chance of pocketing that needless "entitlement." And it's demise might be the one, the only thing, the final straw that finally frees the MAGA minions from the numbing mind meld of a trance they have willingly capitulated to...

3/29/25

Hope so!

"A Brain" That Controls

A bit late with this, but: A) it's such gold and B) sometimes you just have to document things for prosperity's sake- some things, people in the future will simply not believe- that 'adults,' of their own free will, purposely chose to place our country, our world, and in a very real way, our very lives under the control of this man's "very large a Brain."

AHHHHH... The Frenssshh!

The guy was sleepy is all... but a penny for the thoughts of the woman on the left.

Now, those of you not familiar with the finished product of yore... And why I'll always hold a special place for Orson in my heart, as opposed to all who lived... a perfect life!

PS- The latter link recalls to mind the late night Tomorrow tv program hosted by one Tom Snyder, a talk show program of a time when somewhat intelligent questions were asked of somewhat intelligent people- imagine that!

The Perfect Slice!

Photo: © Sean Poremba

Pizza was a way of life in old school NY- 15¢ a slice plus 10¢ for a small coke (mid-sixties)... yeah, you read right (subway an additional 15¢- OW)! Now, I ain't got nuthin' against a good taco, but good (cheap) pizza was what I grew up on, it was the universal lunch or dinner food when ya didn't have much scratch. Practically every neighborhood back in the day had a coupla good (ie- really good) pizza joints- now, it's hard to find good pizza by the slice most anywhere... even in NYC! And with all the miserable pizza chains that have proliferated, most people have no (and I mean no) idea what good pizza even looks like, let alone tastes like! Some of the stuff I've personally seen passed off as "pizza" is simply unconscionable...

So yeah, the last 20+ years have been a bit rough here in SF- at first, I figured I could find a decent slice somewhere in North Beach, the traditional Italian section. No such luck! I once sampled a slice at a new place that opened there a few years back- looked great, took a bite, not bad, took a second, what the... they put spaghetti sauce on pizza!?! Who does such a thing!?!?! 

Most places now a day don't even serve pizza by the slice, gotta get a whole freakin' pie, and granted, the quality at some restaurants can sometimes even rise to... mediocre. But what if you don't want a whole goddamn pie? What if you just want a couple of slices for lunch, ya know, so ya don't pass out on a park bench mid-day somewhere as we old farts tend to do... 

Last year, I did find a place that serves exceptional whole pizzas (Pizza Hacker- yeah, the name does not inspire confidence)- alas, it's on the other side of town. But this year, this year I found... the exception- PIZZA PONTE! Now, it's true I have to jump on the train and go under the bay to the city of Oakland just to imbibe... but this is the real deal- a true blue New York slice at its very finest!!!

Bought a regular cheese slice and it looked picture perfect, garnished with a basil leaf and gently shaved cheese. But screw the adornments, if it don't taste right... I pick it up, fold the center starting from the back and I hear and feel the bottom of the crust crack just so- a heart warmingly good sign! Take my first bite, and then another, and another- everything is in perfect harmony: sauce, cheese, crust... everything working together as it should to form the greater good! And you actually look forward with glee to eating the outer crust! I then order a pepperoni slice- oh, yeah! And I'm left contemplating a third... My friend had a Sicilian slice, which are thicker and rectangular (not to be confused with Chicago deep slice shit), said it was not the least bit heavy or doughy... Next time, a Sicilian and a regular slice it is- and I won't be left wanting (or passing out). Yeah, this is well worth the train ride!!!