Beneath A Steel Sky

Just as a disclaimer, Toronto really isn't this creepy/ominous/depressing. It is bloody cold though ...

Boy's Life

Window shopping in New Orleans.

Little Garcon

Street musicians on a sunny day in New Orleans.

Human Detritus

A little slice of creepy from down in New Orleans. I'm sure that kid's shirt just fell off a parent's stroller or something but it still sent my imagination spinning off into some dark corner.

Plaisir d'Amour

While I was down in New Orleans, I visited the National WWII Museum. And apart from the wild celebrity-fueled propaganda of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' "Beyond All Boundaries", I thought they did a pretty decent job of portraying all sides of the conflict.



The photography alone in the museum was staggering in its brutality and sadness. As each room represented a chronological development in the war, the photos were arranged much like a timeline. One Life-published image in particular stuck with me: that of a homefront beauty smiling behind her desk, proudly displaying the Japanese skull that her boyfriend had sent back.

Ain't Got No Lullabies

Two lonely souls in New Orleans.

Spike

This is Spike, my friend's housemate down in New Orleans. He's got a penchant for biting fingers, licking the tap, and waiting for the mail. Somewhere in his head the wires got crossed and he thinks he's a dog. But that's a total plus in my book; I was never much of a cat person.



It probably also helps that he's been de-clawed.

First Breath After Coma

I'm going to interrupt the chronological continuity of my little photographic timeline and post a little something about an opening that I had the pleasure of attending last week in Toronto. The Taxali 300 showcased over 300 illustrations and prints from the collection of artist Gary Taxali (below: getting a hug). A lot of cool stuff that was way out of my price range ($200-700 a pop for a postcard-sized print). But even if I did have that kind of dinero, I'd have been hard pressed to find something that wasn't already sold -- by the time I got there I reckon 70% of the work had been tabbed. Easy six figures for Gary; not bad at all for one night of schmoozing.








Most of the openings I've been to have been strictly small-time or school-related so it was nice to see how the other half lived. At one point someone asked me who I was shooting for, which is exactly one of those times that you wish you could lie faster/better. These things really are great for networking though. I'm sure he has absolutely no recollection of the event but I did get a quick two minutes in with Gary who was kind enough to humour this strange kid with some words of wisdom. That's something I definitely appreciate.

The Happiness Factory

Pretty tacky place but it was still fascinating to wander around the giant warehouse at "Mardi Gras World" where all the parade floats are assembled. Just in terms of how mundane it all is behind the fun; how boring it is to sit in this room full of effigies.



I missed the festivities by a few short weeks but that's okay. One trip down Bourbon St. was plenty and I wouldn't want to be there if the Colts take the Superbowl.

Trucker's Lunch

Stein's Jewish Deli on Magazine Street in New Orleans. At the time I was just trying to burn through the last shots in a roll but I ended up pleasantly surprised with the results.






If I could ever set it up I'd love to do a week-long shoot in a restaurant kitchen. Get all the manic rushes and dead lulls on film. Maybe I've been watching too much "Hell's Kitchen" but I reckon you could fashion a nice little series out of the idea.

Uptown Girl

A lady walks her dog through the ritzy Beacon Hill area of Boston. Not quite sure what the deal is with the police tape but I'm quite happy with how this turned out.

Watching, Waiting

Stalking some strangers in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. I can tell you from experience that the echo of a shutter click in an otherwise silent room produces a very awkward fallout.




On a side note, these photos mark a transition from the 400ISO Ilford XP2 film that I was originally using to a Kodak CW400 stock. I definitely prefer the former (it produces a richer black/white contrast) but couldn't seem to find it anywhere in Boston. Oh well.

Parts Greater Than Their Whole

I'm in New Orleans right now but here are some Boston leftovers. Really liked that town. I stayed there longer than anywhere else on this trip apart from NYC, where I wasn't nearly as photographically active, and as a result, I feel like this is the most well-rounded collection of photos I've shot so far, covering not only the preppy college life in the city but also the more dour and blue collar outskirts.











I've noticed that a lot of my photographs (or at least the ones that I like) tend to have this very front-on linear perspective and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I love the aesthetic it brings and think it comes across really well in these kind of photo-essays. But I'm also worried about the threat of becoming compositionally complacent. What do you reckon? I'd love to get some feedback on this.

Noir

Just looking back at some old photos I took. I snapped this image on a tram in Melbourne. The old folks shot me a dirty look afterward but it was too good to pass up.


I really miss my Nikon F2 and am kicking myself for not bringing it with me (I opted for the D70 because it's more practical ... ugh). There's just something soulless about having a delete button on a camera.