Impeachment Lite!

Well, they haven't officially voted yet, but just like any WWE wrestling match- The-Fix-Is-In! This whole Impeachment Lite debacle is very reminiscent of the Investigation Lite concocted on behalf of Brett Kavanaugh by the FBI (on order from on high)...

I remember listening intently to a former FBI agent describing in detail how thorough a job an FBI investigation would be, including: intense interviews and background checks of any and everyone even remotely associated with the case wherever they were, paper dating analysis, driving Dr. Christine Blasey Ford around until she found and identified the house where the attempted rape occurred, etc, etc, etc. Oh, that guy is so cooked, I thought! And, of course, thought wrong...

No such investigation occurred- it was a sham, a Whitewash, a set up... The Fix Was In.

And no different here. Nixon couldn't dream this, Cheney couldn't manipulate it- But Cult Trump has; this long time, international criminal from century past has succeeded in undermining our country, our democracy, our very republic. And he has done so by dividing us with an unrelenting onslaught of lies, vitriol and propaganda that would have made any Soviet ministry official more than a little proud.

Chunky!

Took a glance at EXIF data the other day when I saw- "Planar Configuration- Chunky." Cool! Seems it's something to do with how pixels are stored, either separately by color, or all together. Chunky is the latter. Are you... Chunky?

Thoroughly useless info directly signaling the need for time better spent on mind expanding drugs...

When It Comes To HYPOCRISY

Always give credit where credit is due- when it comes to out and out, in your face H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y Writ Large, Republicans are unequivocally irreproachable both in quantity and quality! Just when you think they've broken every last remaining barrier imaginable before descending into the utmost nadir of despicability... they rise, regroup, and plunge ever deeper into depths of unforeseen and shameless delight!

Thus we have none other than Ken Starr, asking how we've arrived at our current Impeachment Madness in these Semi-United States- yes, the very star so critical in the impeachment of a former POTUS over a workaday BJ... a crime so incredibly heinous that it even irked private citizen Donald J. Trump to the extent that he called him out as both... "a lunatic" and "freak."

Eggleston, W.

Many of you have probably already seen this, but in case you haven't... it's actually quite better than I thought it'd be, and does go into the the behind the scenes history of both man and art. Eggleston, of course, was one of a very small handful of people who first popularized color photography in the photo art world. And his "democratic" style of photographing the banal and mundane were met both with massive fanfare, and criticism. I remember someone once described Reggae as "inside out Rock and Roll," and that's the visual equivalent of how Eggleston's work appeared to me at that time, way back Seventies' way- familiar, but different, in an inexplicably original way. Color photography had been around for decades, only... not like this!

Up until Eggleston, most color photography was just B&W with color added, or photos where the color really overpowered everything else (eg- abstractions). Eggleston somehow managed some kind of mystical, magical balance between content, composition and color that made his particular vision sing a different song!

Finally!!!

Not that it's going to do a damn lick of good with the scared shitless Yes Men Republican Senate- but finally, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!!! a DEM who put his heart and soul into a methodical, yet impassioned, step by step take down of a soulless, duplicitous demagogue.

Senate Television via Getty Images

 Thank you, Congressman Schiff! 

Oh- and speaking of... C-L-A-S-S...

Still True Today...

Elliott Erwitt-  "I don't believe that photography can change the world, 
but it can show the world changing."

Yup, as most clearly evidenced... Here!

"Things Happen."

Yup, they happen all the time... Good things, bad things, all kinda things! For instance: when ya don't pay the rent, steal a few items from the grocery or jewelry store, lie to the FBI, kidnap a jury member at your trial-  "things happen!" End of day, ya go home, pop a few beers with those offended, and... it's all good! I'm sure that's the way it works where you live too! No worries...

If the Dems ever gain control again- that's all that should come outta their mouths unto the ears of disapproving Repubs for at least a good year. It's a resounding echo that should cut both ways....

It's Official- THE Guy To Vote For In 2020

Women's March 2020*       Photo: © Stan Banos

In a more "normal" election year, the banner above would just be a nice har-har, nonsensical, throw away joke. Now, it's every bit as much the urgent, tre serious, no nonsense plea for a return to some measure of sanity and normalcy in the US body politic.

Every POTUS is an ego supreme, but even Nixon had a realization of his own limitations. Trump-does-not. I always thought mid America would recognize and call out a Big City Con Man- especially one from NYC. I thought wrong. Give props where due- Donald J. Trump is The Greatest Showman, THE Greatest Con Man of the last half century- bar none. Unfortunately, he is also very much: a criminal, habitual liar, racist, traitor and seriously mentally deranged...

He's been involved with both The Mafia and The Russian Mob since the '70s- why the press did not expound, elaborate and emphasize these life long associations when he became the Republican standard bearer is beyond me. He lied about where his father was born (his grandfather fled German conscription), lied about his bones spurs, even lied about how many floors in Trump Tower- not to mention how Hillary got "millions of votes from illegals" (while insisting he won the popular vote). But when he lied about how he had more people at his inauguration than Obama, then had his henchmen repeat the blatantly disproven inanity ad infintum, that's when the grown ups in the federal government of the US of A should have come to a Full STOP and pressed for a reset. Right there and then was all the warning needed- in Big Red Letters, Sirens Blaring... We are in the hands of an overgrown child with nearly unlimited power, a seriously deranged Fuck Up who clearly Does-Not-Give-A-Flying-Fuck about anyone or anything other than himself, his fame and his ridiculously fragile ego... of which the most cursory glance of his personal history would have clearly revealed for any given year! The man lies even when he doesn't have to- and his hypocrisy... limitless!

The only reason we haven't had a war (yet), is because that would mean more work for The Donald, a war would seriously cut into his much cherished TV "Executive Time." But if he is (s)elected for yet another four years, the insanity thus far experienced is but a prelude- meanwhile, an entire continent burns out of control as our Mighty 5X Deferment Hero urges his cult followers to burn more coal and punch out any who oppose his dictates...

* More in post below...

Women's March 2020

Problems: Local and National                  Photo: © Stan Banos

This Women's March was considerably smaller throughout the country, although their sentiment was very much the same: repeal and replace the Man Child Maniac currently in The White House (when he takes time off from his golf course). The one in San Francisco was about a quarter the original's size (which was Truly HUGE indeed), still large enough to constitute several blocks marching down Market St. Present were a host of supporters for this year's Democratic presidential candidates- who was in the lead? See post above...

Parade's End        Photo: © Stan Banos

The (Not So) Golden Hour, ie- Three Shades Of Gray

 

Photo #1*        Photo: © Stan Banos

There are countless posts and articles on the glories of shooting during... The Golden Hour. Magical, mystical, exhilarating, transformative- just some of the superlatives used to describe the quality of light that photographers all crave to shoot in. And I most certainly ain't here to deny it- I have seen rather ordinarily, even drab vistas and landscapes literally transformed into surreal scenarios of other worldly beauty and wonder at said time. The ability of The Golden Hour to heighten and saturate hues and colors is not to be belittled. However... but... that said...

I haven't seen all that much written on how B+W responds to all this glory and wonder- it's usually considered from the viewpoint of color photography. And while you can no doubt get some incredible images with long, dramatic shadows using B+W, those beautifully golden hues and saturated colors that are intensified during the golden hour, often don't translate so successfully into monochrome. Instead of the long, exquisite and extended tonal values that you may well anticipate, you can end up with frustratingly shortened, truncated shades of black and white that will well leave you scratching your much disappointed head. Instead of infinite shades of enhanced grays layered between silken whites and deep rich blacks, you can end up with what may very well look like three muddy, lumpy shades of gray. You can seek out the technical reasons elsewhere, I'm just interested in the results.

Photo #2*        Photo: © Stan Banos

It shook me the first couple of times it occurred, I thought the mystical, magical properties of Golden Goodness would also somehow transition into and illuminate the more somber world of B+W! And then... I finally realized the reality of the situation. If you're shooting B+W in The Golden Hour- concentrate on those long, dramatic shadows. That's where you'll get your drama. You may even be able to make those shortened tonal values somehow work in your favor, but you're gonna have to anticipate, experiment and devise your own formula for success according to your shooting style and subject matter- but then,  Black and White was always about learning to work with less...

*Photo #1- I shot, reshot and reshot some more, and always with the same result... a massive expanse of uninspiring grey. 

                 Shot it once in color... BOOM!

*Photo #2- Even with the long ass shadow, if it wasn't for that dramatically patterned sky... another flat blob of two tone grey.

PS- Blogger flattens images even moreso...

First Of The Year

At the beginning of every new year, I always get a bit antsy as to when I'll take my first keeper of the year. What if I've lost it; what if that's all she wrote? It's irrational (perhaps), still- always in the back of mind.

This year it came early, and quite unexpectedly- and even then, wasn't quite sure... On my way home the first Friday of the year from the routine beers with my childhood friend, I saw a sight that stopped me in my tracks: the man before you having a special, self made moment- a ritual, a ceremony upon sacred ground the likes and meaning of which we will never be privy to. Of course, most would have simply dismissed and avoided him as yet another crazy, so it goes in  the streets of SOMA.

     Photo: © Stan Banos

I made peace I resigned to taking photos of the homeless whenever I've deemed... 'necessary' for lack of any other meaningful explanation or excuse. And I don't mean to make light of any of it; I've thought, written, rethought and rewritten about this often, and at the end of the day, I guess it's better to have some kind of halfway respectful documentation of anyone and everyone in whatever socio-economic spectrum, cause Lawd only knows- there but for the grace of god...

Anyway's, it's night time (too dark), I got three pints on an empty stomach (it's the alcohol talking- there's nothing there), I might anger the hell outta him or anyone else who notices (definitely not good)- keep walking, stay safe, and get something to eat.

So I yank out the GR, crank up the ISO and, yes, could it be... Am I actually gonna use its built in flash for the first time ever!? And it's done. I go home and... pretty much what I expected- you were drunk, Stan. You have to play Where's Waldo just to find the subject- and when ya do, so what. Shoulda kept walking, now get some sleep.

Next morning I take another peek just to lambaste it in a manner most sober, and... I kinda like it. Composition's neat, sharp enough at 3200, the lighting and color eerily illuminating and minimalist- I'm even liking the fact that you do have to make the effort to look for the subject, even though he is front right and center. And what the hell is going on there anyway? A certain aura of mystery, not my usual thing. All of a sudden, I definitely do like it- a lot! Still do. And you might well say, big shit, Stan- I don't see it and I ain't buying. And that's cool too...

Over A B-B-BILLION Animals Dead!

 

Photo: Supplied

 
This is pretty apocalyptic- and that's not hyperbole! As someone once (rather accurately) stated, "The difference between a Billion and a Million is about... a Billion." That's how badly a Billion dwarfs a mere million.* I could hardly believe it when I heard that something like a million animals had died in the Australian Hellfire- but a... BILLION!  GOD DANG!!!

More info and how you can help...

And, of course, this has nothing to do with climate change- which is a mere hoax. Seriously, aren't there laws which prevent and/or punish people from propagating lies (not to mention imposing policy) that imperil peoples' lives (and that of their children)!? The epic melting of continental glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, the super storms that leveled Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, the mega drought and hellfire of Australia- these are just the first few baby steps of the worldwide climate rampage that will usher in a new world at century's end that most of us reading will be fortunate enough not to live through...

*One million seconds is eleven and a half days- one Billion seconds is 31 and a half years...

Tolerized?

Tolerieted? I gotta tell ya, I just don't care, if these people don't wanna learn how to speak English- they can all go back where they came from... MAGA Baby!

Is What It Is...

Well, I'm holed up here in my SRO for the immediate interim, Translation- I'm sick as a dog with one severe cold deluxe that is kicking my sorry ass butt but good! At least I got food, entertainment, and some cold medicine I purchased just before becoming bed ridden. I was reading the labels on cough medicines at the drug store when I had a coughing fit so severe- I had to vamus the premises, thinking I was gonna upchuck my small intestines all over the cold remedy counter!

Can't really concentrate to read American Witness, which I just started before becoming ill, but I got NPR, Pacifica and lots and lots of You Tube videos (yes, I'm a fail video junkie). Also got a video on Koudelka I'm dying to see- more on that later...

But for now, this video alone has taken me to new heights in this new year of a new decade! Start at 1:02- and make sure, MAKE SURE, you watch till the end (only 40 seconds)...
 

Only Question Now Is...

Where will Iran kill US citizens first- at home or abroad?

Maybe If Women Were In Charge...

 

        Photo: © Stan Banos

To a new decade of hope, promise and human potential coming right at ya! Of course, climate change alone will doom this once beautiful planet, this noble human experiment to cataclysmic conflicts, floods and famines by the end of this century. Of this, there is little doubt- but as I've been saying... I'm trying to stay positive! So...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WELCOME 2020!

Good Advice for the next decade... Photo: © Stan Banos

I was gonna at least attempt the requisite annual retrospective, but then I saw that there were a whole  lottta decade reviews floating around on just about... everything.  So, in the interest of compromise, here's my half decade review- 2015 to 2019 were the absolute worst fuckin' years of my life, saving 'The Best' kick to the head and groin for very last! So, good Fuckin' Riddance 20Teens!!!

But... I'm trying to stay positive! And as trying as those last five have been... they've also been my most productive- photographically. That's hardly Even/Steven, but better than absolute nothin'! And with the passage of time, the acknowledgement that each day, each hour, each minute, is in turn more valuable than the one before it- thus it has always been.

Uncut, Uninterested...

I love movies where people find themselves over their heads, waaay over their heads- flicks like A Simple Plan and American Animals. So I was all up for Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler...

Don't get me wrong- Uncut gems is definitely well made, well acted, and the pacing... the pacing is a New York minute on a speedball laced with Meth! And as if the lunatic freneticism of the film's pacing wasn't enough, the only time people stop screaming in the movie is to inhale enough oxygen to yell and scream louder and faster. That said, I could tolerate all of it, if only I could empathize with main protagonist Howie- a New York City 47st jewelry dealer, hustler and thoroughly deranged gambling addict. And addict he is, not giving a damn about his family, his children or anything else in life save the next BIG bet! 

I avoided and despised self absorbed, self promoting Blowhards like Howie long as I lived in New York- and look upon them none the kinder 20 years and 3,000 miles away today...

ADDENDUM: I was hesitant to include this previously, but I really can't leave it unmentioned- particularly now that I've confirmed one aspect... One can't help but notice Sandler's fake teeth, and one can't help but wonder how that doesn't play into stereotyping the exaggeration of certain physical features and characteristics by which Jews have been historically caricatured. It was also more than a tad unsettling to see Kevin Garnett depicted as the pro Black athlete who after years of practice, training, etc to become a superstar... comes to believe his court Mojo is mysteriously controlled by a 'magical' rock- really?

The Holy Grail of Nepotism

Was the whole Joe Biden/Hunter Biden Brouhaha really a case of crass, wanton nepotism- you bet it was! No-questions-asked. So... while the Repubs are screaming it loud between every breath to anyone forced to listen- why aren't the Dems saying anything about that most unqualified of couples (besides Little Donnie and Melancholia) that occupy the White House? Exactly what are Jared and Ivanka qualified to do on a national/international scale? What exactly are their qualifications again??? Especially when you have Jared placed in charge of... that little quarrel they've seemed to be having in the Middle East for the last thousand or so years...

That alone is very well beyond any known peak of insanity and hypocrisy- and yet, Dems never seem to even mention it... 

IMPEACH The Racist, Fascist, Criminal Bastard!!!

Photo: © Stan Banos

All Seeing Baby Cop

Not too many things make me "happy" these days in San Francisco, there's JR's still ongoing exhibit- and then there's... "Baby with a Handgun." Completed just days ago, it's truly ginormous, and what I love about it most is that it can be interpreted in oh so many ways- while still bringing a smile to your face.

Photo: © Stan Banos (click to embiggen)

Naturally, I wanted to incorporate it into a photo, so I started exploring it from different angles just to get a feel. At first I got as close as possible, while still being able to include surrounding details, but resigned myself to the wisdom that it would probably take months before I got lucky. On my way home the other afternoon however, I decided to check out the perspective a bit further back, noticed some activity going on between the phalanx of cars in the foreground and all seeing baby cop towering in the back. I really couldn't make out what was going on in the tiny view screen of my GR, but lined it up best I could and shot a few rounds, if only for practice and reference. Sometimes ya just get lucky with this camera...

And the GR came through yet again, producing a file crisp and clean enough to draw notice to the small human figures subtly interacting and drawing back and foreground together. A nice surprise after weeks of running on empty... It's also eerily reminiscent of many a perspective controlled land and cityscape carefully shot with a view camera in many a contemporary photobook essay.

I started growing concerned about my aging GR; the new Super Duper GRIII goes for... $900!. No doubt it's plenty fine, but after biding my time, snagged another used original for $320. Seems in very decent condition, and will be testing during week. Upgrading's cool when ya have the dough, but it's always a tad ironic seeing so many videos showcasing masses of wholesale mediocrity produced with the utmost premium equipment... I may not be able to afford the latest and greatest, but at least I'm afforded an excuse when I don't come up with the goods.*

*Or so I'll tell anyone that listens...