August 3, 2010

Parisian Portrait Photographer

The previous entry was taken and processed by this man. I loved his camera, I loved his attire, I loved his manner but most of all I loved his face. It reminded me of the eerie cartoon faces from Têtes à claques.

If you are unfamiliar with Têtes à claques you should watch this clip. Even if you don't understand French the Québécois is punctuated with so much English that it's not that hard to understand. C'est pas beautiful?

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July 30, 2010

Parisian Street Portrait

We may as well continue the series of portraits.

Back in June I had to travel to Paris for work. I love traveling to Paris: one, I love the city and two, I have good friends there.

My friend Mika lives in the first arrondissement. When I go to visit her it feels more like visiting family than friends. I've shown up sick, been mothered and healed. I've had my face stuffed with pâté, wine & cheese. There are sisters and brothers and children and friends. It's a very lively place. Being a bit of a nomadic hermit, I crave this kind of environment from time to time. I'd come lonely and leave with a warm heart and a new book to read.

Mika's boyfriend C is one of the coolest men on the planet. He's who I want to be when I grow up. He's incredibly kind, handsome, deeply thinking and creative. Children love him. It seems as though he never lost the way children look at the world and yet he developed the full emotional and spiritual maturity of a Zen master. I enjoy spending time with him, hearing his travel stories and trying to see Paris as he sees Paris. He makes me want to improve my French.

There was an arts festival in Paris where artists opened up their apartments to show where their workspaces and art. C and I took in a few of these places. Along the way we ran into a photographer who had constructed his own camera. For ten Euros he would snap your pictures (using his hand as the shutter), develop a negative print, snap a positive print using the same camera, and give you the resulting image. I could n't resist!

The image above was the result of his process. I couldn't be happier with it! It was rainy and humid. I felt like waterlogged cardboard. I look like waterlogged cardboard. This photograph represents a wonderful memory.

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July 29, 2010

Nerd

Over the past several years I've had more and more opportunity with my employer to speak at trade events, conduct training sessions, and give webinars. When I was in New York last weekend I commissioned a photographer for a corporate headshot.

The photographer, Daphne Borowski, did a superb job and turned around the images in just a couple of days. I had over 100 shots to choose from.

I winnowed down the images to five candidate images and enlisted my family for help. I asked them to pick their top two favorite images. My brother took one of the images and replied saying, "I much prefer this."

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March 17, 2010

To Jessie Mae Williams

Recently my job has taken me to Shreveport, Louisiana. The airport is small: a collection of perhaps a dozen terminals connected to a ticketing hall, arrivals area and baggage claim housed under a single airy building glass building with beautifully high ceilings. The first time I arrived I was greeted in the airport bathroom by a squadron of Airforce cadets changing into their formal uniforms; the US National Airforce Command is nearby.

If you don't notice any half-naked wingmen you are likely to notice the colossal American flag hanging on the tall west wall of the baggage claim. The familiar red and white stripes of the flag have been made by a patchwork of hand painted art immediately recognizable as the work of young children.

The flag is immediately adjacent to the Hertz Rent-a-Car kiosk. While I stood in line I took it all in. I attempted to try and devote my attention to each and every one of the panels in turn. Later I had learned that the art was constructed by area elementary school students. They had been asked to paint the answer to a simple question, "what does it mean to be American?"

The minority of patches answer the question directly: "respect for all," "choices," "liberty," and may contain emblematic symbols such as the statue of liberty or an eagle. Others are preachy: "Jesus is Lord," "God Bless America," "ALL RELIGION PREFERENCE RESPECTED" (sic), "down with war." Many give thanks to the armed services: "thanks nat'l guard," "marines thanks," and "come home soon." And still others are plane dada: a truck, a frog, and beautiful rendering of some juicy ripe tomatoes.

Out of the more than 600 patches which comprise the flag, my one true favorite is the girl who took the initiative. The proud. The unique. The individual who wasn't afraid to put her stamp of individuality and stake a claim of ownership of these United States. The girl who wrote her name in big, beautiful red letters: Jessie Mae Williams.

Dear Jessie, you have brilliantly captured what I feel is the true essence of America. To you, Jessie Mae Williams, the spirit of America!

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December 21, 2009

Potrait of Mika and I

My friend Jeremy took this of Mika at the Birchwood Cafe. It was prompted by our mutual noting of our unintentional hipsterism: matching sunglasses and plastic cameras.

"Hey, my glasses look good on you!"

"No, these are mine."

"Get outta town! Wait, you're right! Mine are still in the car."

"We have the same glasses!"

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