11 Ways To Lose At Street Photography

Well, what did you expect after last year's 10 Ways To Lose At Street Photography? Now, to be clear- the winners at the Lens Culture Street Photography Awards are all deservedly grand- truly le creme de la creme! Seriously, great stuff there- and sorry, no, I do not have an inflated sense of my own self worth. I am not Trump, I do not think myself the be all and end all... "Trust me!" And many have been the times I've written just how utterly embarrassed I am to even be seen camera in hand while in the presence of truly great photography! 

On the other hand... to say that not one of these is even worthy of one of a hundred "Honorable Mentions," dang- yeah, I do have a problem with that. Not one!? One!?!?

Again, I applaud the winners- but all these fuckers ain't exactly rejects...

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

Photo: © S. Banos

 

Photo: © S. Banos

Now, the above ten were grouped together under the general theme of "Taking or Posing for Photos," and I guess it didn't help that one of the winning portfolios was on... people taking photos. And you can jump up and down that that was indeed the better group of photos- and I still won't argue with ya! But even if you chuck all these out baby, bath water and all- c'mon, ya honestly gonna tell me that even this last one (submitted separately as a single) isn't worth an Honorable? Goddamn, really, shit, c'mon...

Photo: © S. Banos

Trent Davis Bailey- The North Fork

Photo: Trent Davis Bailey

Trent Davis Bailey sure knows his light, his photographs revel and rejoice in its very existence and beauty. Whether it's light that penetrates and reveals every wondrous natural detail, or the subdued and nuanced light of partial shadows and reflections. His prints of The North Fork are sensual, luscious presentations.  (currently at The Robert Koch Gallery)

"Eight Rhymes With Great!"

Or why I love Elizabeth Warren...

“You should resign. You should give back the money you took while this scam was going on and you should be criminally investigated.”

Nope, No Questions- Not a One...

                   Well... except for- how does any sane, rational person ignore those 176 blatant warning signs ?

                     

Inexcusable

Photo: © S. Banos

I love this portrait. And it came out fairly well despite two major errors, one more technical which can be filed under the "new camera, new technology excuse," the other under... "I should have known better." 

I'd often forget to focus whenever I tried using a rangefinder, and since the GR doesn't even look or feel like a "real" camera, I sometimes start shooting away and... neglect to reset exposure settings! I could set it to Program, but this doesn't happen that often, and I don't like relinquishing complete control. Shot @ ISO 800 and 1/400 f3.5- I coulda, shoulda had a technically better quality shot at ISO 400, a lower shutter speed and higher aperture. But... I just plain forgot to adjust settings- without that separate shutter speed dial out in plain sight acting as reminder, I'm gonna continue to commit that oversight from time to time...

My second error is inexcusable; I sold this picture short, and I sold my subject short- even as I was in the act of taking it. For some reason (not the greatest light, composition, whatever...), I got it to mind that ultimately, it was just somehow doomed to end up an "almost." Chimping confirmed it... close, but no cigar.

When I opened it at home on the monitor however, I finally got to see her face, really see it, and goddamn, had I ever sold her short! Fortunately (for some blessed reason), she sure didn't do me likewise. She gave everything she had- gave it all up to a complete stranger, and despite my dumb ass attitude and absent minded self sabotage, GR was still competent enough to salvage the day... I didn't capture that serene like display of dignity and humility, defiance and vulnerability- she willed it.

Bottomline: If ya fail, ya fail. But never, ever, sell yourself, your photo, and especially your subject, short- you owe all of them that much.

IMAGINE...

Imagine:  If Congress (as asked) had actually donated a coupla million bucks to build a coupla schools and hospitals, a coupla roads and bridges in Afghanistan after we helped kick out the Rushkies with our Stingers back in the eighties... 

Result:  The Afghans would have told the Taliban to go fuck themselves.

------------------------------------------

Imagine:  If we had heeded Bin Laden's warning to get our troops out of Saudi Arabia...

Result:  The WTC would still be standing (PS- we got them out anyway- after the fact).

-------------------------------------------

Imagine:  If we had prevented a numbskull idiot of a President from invading a country who he himself would later admit had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11...

Result: We'd be a coupla trillions of dollars richer:- able to provide free universal health care, free tuition for higher education, raise the minimum wage, improve and build low and moderate income housing, upgrade our crumbling infrastructure (oh, and hundreds of thousands of completely innocent Iraqi men, women and children would still be alive)... 
Did I mention- there would be no... ISIS?

He would have started another war somewhere else (honestly, what was I thinking)!

Ownin' It!

Photo: © S. Banos

Went through the entire Labor Day weekend without one goddang photo to show for it. And there I was going for coffee on work a day Tuesday- when I spotted her from across the street, ran halfway back down the block, crossed and then positioned myself so we would cross paths. And I must say, my opinion has gone through various levels of consideration since first stopping dead in my tracks (however briefly) upon first viewing...

The United States may be the second highest in obesity rates (I believe Mexico has the highest percentage), but we're still #1 when it comes to sheer mass, size and volume. And our attitude concerning it is completely schizophrenic. On one side we proclaim and emphasize the plethora of life threatening dangers it presents to our health, both long and short term. On the other side... we are actively encouraged to love and be proud of our bodies- no matter how damn big they get! Whatever the TV, radio show or self help book- it seems they all take turns promoting both sides, in equal manner. And no one wants to be seen as bad mouthing either side, since you're made to seem as if you're willingly championing the very shortening of people's lives- or... you're just a plain out and out hater!

I remember as recently as the early seventies, looking at photos of old time circus freaks and wondering how on earth anyone could ever possibly reach that size. And now, on any given day, on any given block in any small town, large city or patch of rural glen in the US of A, you will see obesity the size of which makes those old time record holders of yore look like rank amateur wannabes. It really has been one incredible, whirlwind transformation of sheer size and audacity!

Nevertheless, upon looking at this photo- I can't help but look at her with a certain sense of jealous wonder and admiration. She's well beyond working it, she already owns it- like yesterday! Girl don't give a fuck. In her mind, she's curvaceous, proud and goddamn beautiful as could possibly be... and she don't give a fuck! Like the Republicans under W stated, "We create our own reality." And giving credit where credit is due, from the very tips of her pink finger nails to the bright blue crease of her bikini bottom- she is front, right and center of hers!

Wish I had half the confidence and security. Me, I make sure to wear a shirt if I go to the beach (should I ever go to one).

Colorized

Photo: © S. Banos

So there I was very purposely sitting in this outta the way, dive of a bar minding my own, when this gorgeous woman approaches, sits down besides me, gently leans over and whispers, "So how's all that color coming along?" "Excuse me," I replied. "You're shooting color for the first time in forty years- do you think a thing like that stays a secret around here?"

OK, OK... no woman, no bar, and no one ever asked. Caught a few film noirs recently and... well, ya know. But since ya asked, just thought I'd update- photographically, this year has also been an outlier, but in a good way!  And it's all due to a little GR with a littler 28mm(e) lens that renders all these life like colors and details; who knew? But most of my initial positive impressions have indeed remained. 

Shooting in non SLR mode wouldn't be anything grand in and of itself, except that that has allowed me to get shots that I would have never gotten otherwise. Being smaller, quieter and less ostentatious, the GR has often allowed me to get closer to the subject, as well as allowed a different perspective. Even though it covers less area, I find that the 28mm "opens up" the perspective a bit, allows a viewpoint that is both WA and more "normal" at the same time- it doesn't always scream Extreme Wide Angle as the 20mm does. Do I miss some shots with it? Sure- just like I'd miss some without it. And color with a 20mm can be a little too much, more so than with B&W.

Photo: © S. Banos

So, is this the end of B&W, the end of analog, the end of...  Not really, I still take out the old analogs when needed- but yeah, the everyday go-to position has gone to the GR. You really can't beat the ease (shooting and post), portability- and frankly, after 40 yrs, the whole color thing is kinda cool. And... I already got enough B&W files to last me well past my lifetime.

"Can you see yourself completely digital in the future, color and B&W," she asked. Maybe, in five or so years when they finally make a decent EVF for daylight viewing. But no hurries, I'm pretty happy the way things are (hope the next gen GR has a tilting LCD)- "Wanna 'nother drink?"

It's All In B&W

Not many times I've said, "Look at those gorgeous B&W files!" Truth be told, I haven't seen a helluva lot in print form- how they should be judged in all fairness (or any image in any medium for that matter). But even these by Tomasz Tomaszewski stuck out in all their "miniature" jpg glory- and I guess the fact that they are beautifully composed sure doesn't hurt none. I could look at that picture with the pig every day for the rest of my life, and never cease to wonder in amazement...

Photo: © S. Banos

Anyway... nowhere, anywhere near that strata, this is my first digital B&W conversion that I can look upon with some measure of pride. Fact is, I would have left it well enough alone in color, save for the fact that the guy walking on the far left had a bright, day-glo green colored T-shirt that diverted all eyes from the foreground subject- not good. So I was forced to convert, and... not bad, not bad at all.*

Again, not planning on making a habit of it- this has been the one and only B&W conversion out of close to 100 color keepers thus far this year, but it's just plain interesting to note that sometimes (sometimes), a photo just won't be denied. 

*Blogger muddles contrast.

Lo And Behold!

Going to the flicks is one of the few (semi) affordable means of entertainment that The Wife and I avail ourselves to on a regular basis. And although we usually do not attend the Hollywood blockbusters, it's still not unusual for us to go to a local cinema two, three times a month. That has been a regular pattern for many a year- until this one. First, we blamed it on the usual bland Holiday megabombs, but the winter thawed, Spring came and went, and on came the Summer with the usual explosions, invasions- and no relief in sight. We've seen a grand total of maybe half a dozen movies since The Revenant, none of them particularly memorable. I don't ever remember this bad a movie drought, basically because... it's never been this bad! Why, I don't know...

And I didn't think I would be able to make it through Lo and Behold with Werner Herzog's Teutonic droning about our current state of technology (particularly when I now have trouble staying still in any seat for any length of time with my ongoing Shingles), but I once again sold the master short as he pieced together a very interesting collection of insights, interviews and anecdotes on where technology has been, where it's taken us, and what it may yet have in store- good, bad, and indifferent...

  

PS- During one interview, an entire family is composed as if sitting for a family group photo using a still camera with a wide angle. At one point the camera then shifts to a close up of the mother declaring something to the effect that the internet is... evil incarnate. And considering the circumstances this particular family endured- it's not all hyperbole.

Refresh

Try as I might, I just couldn't get that horrid picture of a nekid ol' Donald J outta my head. The comb over do and fake, spray orange suntan's just a little too much to take in all at once. Had to rejuvenate and reinvigorate the senses with something down home wholesome and au natural- fortunately, I had just the man and the photo to antidote things around...

Photo: © S. Banos

How Trump Dumbs It Down

Most people don't like being talked down to, most people don't appreciate being talked to like they're a bunch of... 4th graders. Most people, except- Trump supporters (breaks it down about 1 minute in)...

Trumped!

 Photo: © Lisa Wood

Curiously, taking the photo on the previous post was a rather rapid fire affair since people were walking up to the statue on a non stop basis, doing their thing for the camera and then

All that was left in NYC...  AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

making way for the next participant. I'm the guy in the pork pie, laughing when the guy crouching next to the statue whipped out a tape measure to place next to Trump's micro penis. Another guy brought a magnifying glass and yet another dressed it up in a Mexican sombrero, with a poncho draped over his shoulder and a burrito on his arm! It was all very casual and in good fun, but yours truly was having considerable problems... More than once, I'd draw my GR up to eye level and hold my F3 at arms' length (talk about awkward), and when I corrected the latter and got the shot off, I'd wonder why the shutter wouldn't go off again (oh yeah, the advance lever). How easy we forget...

Anyway, talk about funny- and downright insane...

TRUMP FOREVER!!!

     All photos: © S. Banos

There's an ongoing meme that Trump is so popular among (certain portions of) the masses simply because they are sick of being lied to by politicians, sick of having their middle class status further and further eroded without any hope of being bettered any time soon- socially or economically. They are voting for Trump because he is the only one who listens, the only one who cares, the only one who's telling it like it is. Trump was and is the one and only alternative... and we have just to give him that opportunity- no matter what he says.

And that is such an outright, obvious and complete crock of shit!

So let's set it straight. There was another alternative. There was someone who was for restoring a vibrant, working middle class; someone who was for a more equitable distribution of wealth; someone who was for keeping and restoring living wage jobs right here in America. His name was Bernie Sanders. And if restoring the middle class to prominence was the real incentive for voting among Trump supporters- they wouldn't be supporting a man who was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, a man who has never dirtied his hands (with actual working dirt) in his entire life, a man who has a long and sordid history of stiffing working stiffs every chance he gets throughout his entire career. This is a guy who looks upon ordinary millionaires as trailer trash, forget the working, middle class.

So yes, let's talk straight, as The Donald so likes to think he does- Trump supporters love him so because he is brazenly, unapologetically and whole-heartedly racist. He is that last, great desperate gasp at sustaining the White Supremacy mind set that has ruled America since its inception. That is his very simple, naked, and... only basis of appeal. He's not scared to talk the White man talk, and blame anything and everything on those who ain't. And when it comes down to it, that's what so much of White America so desperately wants to hear again, over and over again...

Trump, NYC

Yeah, it be nice to have good paying jobs with a more secure future and better all around economic, educational and financial prospects- but that takes a whole lotta work, and cooperation all around. Screw that! It was a whole lot better, easier and less complicated when Whites ruled by simple edict and everyone else knew their place and did as was told. 

That's the promise of Trump- and I for one gotta admit that there's more than a little part of me that wants him to win. Cause if he ever does become President, I want to look straight into the eyes of all the working class slobs who voted for him, as what remains of their world no longer slowly disintegrates, but implodes on the fast track to oblivion- and they finally, finally realize that Trump couldn't have ever possibly cared less about any of their sorry, fair skinned plights. 

And I won't stick around too long to gloat, cause I know who'll still get blamed... no matter what- and it ain't the guy at 56th and 5th.

El Pendejo Trump, San Francisco

WELCOME!

Photo: © S. Banos

Alas, someday, somewhere, somehow, some dedicated, digital forensic archaeologist of the future will rediscover the skeletal remains of Reciprocity Failure and ponder how yet another MacArthur Grant Recipient managed to squander his good fame and fortune. Or something like that. Last year was an all out disaster, this year even worse, and I just couldn't keep keeping on at the "scene of the crime;" hopefully at some point I'll get around to refilling say... my fave 20 posts with the missing photos for posterity's sake. Tried giving this new venue a different look, but that didn't work either- so here we are at the somewhat new, but surprisingly familiar... trying to look forward.

Welcome to those who remain, and those yet to come, and rest assured that all that follows is both irrefutably and undeniably Based On A True Story...

Shingles- It Shouldn't Rhyme With Jingle

First off- who the fuck named it... "Shingles." Certainly, no one (and I mean no one) who ever had it. In Denmark it's called "Hell Fire," and that certainly is way, way closer to the truth. "Shingles" sounds like something you get at the local hardware along with a Phillips Head to do some minor home repair. This stuff is serious- serious fucking pain writ large. I had kidney stones last year (which someone described as the male version of giving birth), that's a cool walk in the park compared to this shit.

Although specifics can vary from individual to individual, it can start with a general discomfort on a certain area of your skin usually covering one side of your torso- no big deal. Then after a week, a rash begins to develop, expand and redden- mine formed one  blood red, happy face from the front of my chest, continuing under my left arm and then up the shoulder on my back. In short, it looked like a Great White chomped me in half. Then came the blisters... and the pain. On a scale of 1 to 10... easily a 15. I got some calamine lotion, and it immediately cooled and soothed somewhat for about half an hour. Then it dried, and contracted and... burst practically every one of those damn blisters. Pain level up to 20... 25 now; we're talking bona fide 3rd degree burn pain on a very significant portion of your body! Let's get this straight- your body actually manifests the actual equivalent of 3rd degree burns... Holy Freakin' Stigmata!

I spent the night tossing, turning and generally making some pretty pitiful sounds till I finally fell asleep from exhaustion around 4AM. The second night was a repeat, and in desperation got myself to the ER around 7AM where they gave me two giant oxycontin, and... nothing. Finally, someone walked in with a needle, I didn't bother looking- but it hurt like a son of a bitch. Then... all was at peace, no pain, no strife, just universal love and happiness; and I just sat there with one serious, shit eatin' grin on my face! I was pain free till 3PM, and haven't been since- that was on July 26.

The rash itself is almost completely healed, but the pain persists and extends well beyond what was the visible rash; it has subsided- the equivalent of a first degree burn during the day, second towards evening. I do take a small dosage of oxycontin ("hillbilly heroine") at night which helps take the edge off the pain and allows me sleep (for some thoroughly evil reason, it hurts even more at night), during the day- off the counter stuff, more placebo than anything else.

Doctors say there is no real pain relief for this kind of nerve damage, and I'm guessing whatever was in that needle's a bit too potent for anyone's long term good. A friend tells me it can well last... six months. I sure hope not- I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy (except for, ya know: Hitler, Trump, the Conservative/Republican trolls on comment threads who use the term "Libtard"). Oh, and it's caused by the Chicken Pox virus that remains dormant in your body for twenty, thirty, forty years... one in three of you will get it.