Category Archives: Philosophy of Street

Black & White, Color, Dreamcatcher, Garden, Inspired Eye, Off Street, Philosophy of Street, Photography, Street, Street Photography, Street Presets, Streetshooter, Uncategorized

December 5th, 2013 ….. Homage to a Migraine

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12-13-0033My eyes are kinda overloaded. If I watch the Tele or try to read or use the computers, iPhone, bright lights, low lights I get this immediate headache. It’s like my eyes and processing machine in the head need air to function without pain. So I was heading to the VA Hosp again for a treatment and of course I carried a camera. I felt that the XP1 with the 15mm would be good. The weight of this camera will help to steady it if need be.

So I started to walk south on 18th Street to get to the Midtown Diner for some light breakfast. I’ve walked this route a million times thru the years. I was afraid of getting this terrible headache again and didn’t plan on making any photos but needed my camera along as a pacifier. I glanced left and saw a woman behind the blinds. My hand was on the camera, thumb switched it on….I slowed my pace until she got just where she needed to be for the frame…..then as I raised the camera….click!

I realized at that very moment that no matter what I did in my daily routines, making photos was not going to give me a headache.

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December 3rd, 2013 ….. Recovery Mode

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12-13-0012It’s been a rough few days. After doing a few days working with Homeless people and this year, pets are included, then I shot the Parade on Thanksgiving Day, then my body said …ENOUGH! To make a long story short, I am now on limited duty and even the computer is at a limited time. The screen is killing my eyes.

Did you ever have a Migraine Headache…..Well in the Hospital I wished it was just that. The pain was unbearable…. The nurse, a Marine Male told me I had a brain ache, Now I know what a Brain Cloud is, Tom Hanks had that in the volcano movie. A brain ache…..he assured me that if I didn’t slow down, it will get much worse. Of course, being a Marine…he made sure my Russian Wife was present. So that should explain that.

12-13-0005I can’t do much about this but I am heading to the VA Hospital again tomorrow morning. That gives me a chance to work the XP1 and 15mm on the streets…..

Stay tuned and bear with me during this issue….

don

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November 26th, 2013 ….. Lessons From the Archive

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GF GAMB'E GAME-EditIt’s cold and rainy out. I’m stuck in the house. My iPhone crashed while I was talking to Olivier. I reinstalled the backup 4 times and it finally worked. So I decided to Re-Photograph my images. Don’t ask and I won’t explain what that means…..what, oh…sure…but….nah…let’s just do it. I go thru my catalog not to find missing images, well how could they be missing if I know where they are? Yeah, this applies to you…and you over there…yeah, you. Just cause you use Aperture, that ain’t no escape.

I know this sounds crazy and, well it just may be but truth is….we need to do this sometimes. No, not sit here and write like an idiot, re-shoot our photos. So, in LR5 or whatever…open your catalog and just look for photos that turn you on. It’s best not to start with an agenda but it’s almost unavoidable. I usually go back 2-3 years and just check out stuff that turns me on. It doesn’t have to be your best work but it will lead to that in the future.

In LR5 I put the chosen ones into a collection and label it “Picks.”  This does not do anything to the original location, it just copies the photos to the new collection. At this point your not doing anything brilliant…or are you? What your doing is grouping photos that you respond to after capture and putting them together in a collection for study.

After you are satisfied, the work begins. It is easy to see what lens is working and how you use it. Do you get in close or medium or far distances?

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What camera was really working during this period? Was color or black & white the majority of images? What was the subject matter? Hmmmm, I got an idea….let’s group things by these different common denominators. What about time of day and position of the Sun? Light conditions are all important. How about recurring themes. How about collections like series?

This seems like a very anal process and boring. I mean, who wants to sit and really organize? What if the desired results are not met?

What this does is creates a collection of memories and facts that put together by a shooter with an open mind, makes a roadmap for the present and future. How would you like to go out and work and feel like you might be getting somewhere?  No, this doesn’t appeal to you….ok…B&H is having a sale….go buy a camera ya don’t need….

06-11-0240-EditI’m working the Homeless Advocacy Group tomorrow, rain or shine….. Seeya’s soon…..

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November 23rd, 2013 ….. Fuji XP1 & 15mm Heliar on the Streets

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11-13-0523There’s something about the Fuji XP1 & XE1. I love the 15mm on either and never choose a favorite camera. I just let the situation call the shots.

On the XP1 with the 15mm, I get 22.5 mm FOV. Well, the way we do math here in Philly, that means 21mm. I had the 21mm for my M’s but never wanted to use it on a daily basis. I always considered it an extra lens for a suitable need. Now, with the Fuji’s…it’s on one of them at all times. I love the DOF scale and the Focus scale. That’s technical stuff but where it really counts, is seeing.

The Heliar has the unique ability to draw you closer to your subject matter then most other lenses. This turns me on big time. I feel like I can’t get close enough. Of course the subject feels differently.

I was walking on Arch Street near 12th and I saw a familiar doorway that I’ve seen many times. I made a few photos there thru the years but it’s not an easy juxtaposition. The woman who work in this place, well they are not Streetshooter friendly. I had just gotten past the door as my left eye caught a woman move into the doorway on the phone. So I slowly backed up and extended my arm and let the camera see before I could see. I saw the screen and then moved in to release. It’s not the best photo I ever made but it’s a real good one to explain Juxtaposition to my new student.

11-13-0504Another thing I try to explain is how to make photos because you just love making photos. Simply put….how to be free with your process. This is important because once the concept of freedom is grasped, then getting more rigid with ones work is understood. It’s just another form of juxtaposition and or, the Inverse Square Law. So for a spell, I am responsible to make lesson for those that think they can learn from me.

I will be at the Thanksgiving Day Parade again but even there, I am shooting for the City. My stuff will be in a different camera. I need a good shoot on the street with little or no agenda.

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November 21st, 2013 ….. 街道射手 on the Street

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It was cold outside. Not the kind that is coming to us but the kind that lets you know what is going to come. I still remember the warmth in the air but now, it’s just a dream. I had just finished a conversation with Olivier about some things for the website and magazine. The phone rang again and on the other end of the line was the sound of a young Asian woman. She said she was a friend of Suzanne and wanted to talk to me about some photography issues. Well, I agreed and she said she would be where I was in 20 minutes. I was at the Reading Terminal Market at Sang Kee eating dumplings, rice and an egg roll. The is the real street shooters meal.

About 15 minutes later, a young Asian Woman tapped me on my shoulder and introduced herself. She said I should call her Polly. Well, I asked her how she knew it was me she was tapping and she said, the hat…the hat.  Anyway, Polly is a Gynecologist and an avid photographer. She seemed very timid and that could be an issue soon. She explained she was having issues with her camera and wanted help in setting it up and it’s use. So we went to the small park and we sat and I prompted her for the camera. Ok, now we all know what was coming out of her pocketbook. No, not a phone. No, not a compact….of course, your right….

She pulls out a nice M9 with a 35mm Lux on it. She struggled with it for a spell and I with all kindness in heart offered to exchange my XE1 and 18mm lens because it’s so much easier than the M.

Your not funny Mr Don. She got the camera 3 days ago on Suzanne’s suggestion. She didn’t understand why the zoom didn’t work on the Lux. She didn’t understand why the AF box just stays still and will not lock focus. There’s a dozen things she doesn’t get but there’s one thing she gets and will help in many ways. Me. I have taken on another private student. She’s nice and wants to walk the streets and make photos like I do. Cool beans.

I asked for her email address and when she sent it to me, as we sat there….I noticed some Chinese letters. I asked her what it meant. Silly man she said… 街道射手 Street Shooter.

The process of knowledge swapping from brain to brain starts tomorrow.

 

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November 19th, 2013 ….. It’s The Time of the Season … Holiday Antics

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11-13-0455What happens here in Philadelphia at this time of the season is, we tend to lose an f/stop of light. Now ya gotta understand. Philly shooters contend with this phenomenon in different ways. Some choose to gather the light during the year and save it in little boxes until it’s needed. If your not from here, you may call this a flash unit. Here in the land of Brotherly Shooters, we call  this box…the little light box.

I’m going to expose a secret and please don’t repeat this as my sanity could be attacked by shooters outside the Philadelphia Metro Area. Many of us but not all, prefer to use a lens with numbers on it. Yeah, yeah….When the light changes, we shooters change the numbers to match what our mind tells us is correct. Oh yeah, hard core we are. Then what we do is to set our camera to change the ISO, (really ASA but we humor the world by using ISO) …. I know this might sound crazy but when no one is around and you are alone with your camera, try this, it’s so crazy it just might work.

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11-13-0454Here in Philly, the time of the season is to spend money. Of course beings true American Citizens, we Philly dwellers have no money to spend because all the politicians have found it in their heart to keep all the money so that regular citizens don’t have to  worry about what’s happening to their money cause they don’t have any. I thought that was very nice of the politicians and leadership of our country.

So the general smell on the streets here is one of discontent because the cards from all the banks arrived and they even increased the credit limit so that we Philadelphian’s can but things for the holidays and not spend any money. The cool part is, that after the holidays when the credit line is due, we get to sell our cars and houses and little kids so that we can pay the debt. It’s great because you never worry about money. So, just look around at holiday dinner and decide which kid or person is not on your good list and later that’s the person to sell. It’s a crazy system but it works.

11-13-0468You can see how happy and excited this guy is, especially as I put my 15mm Heliar on the XP1 in his face. Oh yeah, I’m about 1 meter away from his but the camera is much closer. As I looked up to him after he pushed me to the ground and I fell…no sweat, Airborne Training teaches ya how to fall, I realized that a shot from down low would have worked. I guess I’ll just wait until the next subject knocks me down on the ground and make that photo then. ………. NOT!!!!!

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People are hustling out there. If your not from Philly, I urge you to come and make some photos. The Streets here re alive and active. Ya know….maybe, just maybe…you can find some streets where you live. I know, I know…it’s a crazy thought but did you expect anything different here?

If ya did…well…your crazier than me….

 

 

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November 15th, 2013 ….. The Ups and Downs of it All

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11-13-0353I gotta tell ya, I’m completely fried. Maybe it’s the time of the year. Holidays often get people into a frenzy of some kind or another. I had the XE1 and the 15 Heliar on. I love this combo. The FOV is around 22.5mm. The camera is fast, comfortable and very efficient. I use the screen most times but every now and then, I use the EVF.

11-13-0339The thing with a camera is that it must make you want to work. Oh’ believe you me, I don’t need much encouragement to make photos, just the opposite. I’m probably a camera totin’ picture hunting making processing presenting philly style fool. I donotcanknow any other way. So Andre’ and I kept walking. What? Oh…sorry, my XE1 is named Andre’. Now here’s the thing…well, it’s a streetshooter thang. If the 15mm is on Andre’ and the 15mm thinks it’s 22.5mm then it stands to reason that the lens should be named Garry. See that Winogrand fella liked the 21mm sometimes. Well, I made an executive decision to name the XE1 Andre’ cause since 1970, I always had one of my cameras named Andre’. Youse all know that already. The XP1 is named Garry because I can name the camera any damned thing I want cause it’s my friend.

We was walking around Market Street looking for some photos that were hiding from us.

11-13-0348Sometimes out there on the street, I’m not the only strange character. Take the guy above….please take him, he needs a friend and I’m not the guy. This is at the Broad & Chestnut Street subway entrance. I walked by and saw this guy standing there. I stood for a minute, 2 minutes then more and this guy didn’t budge. I thought he might be one of those statue people that come to life just when you have no toilet paper with you. They stay perfectly still and then the element of surprise catches you off guard. Well that ain’t this guy.

Ok, so I’m thinking this is one of those guys. Nah, he’s just standing there doing what in his mind seems like a good way to spend time. Click…then I realized that he was put there by the Dept of Photographic Subject Matter. I walked away but he never budged. I’ll be there again just to see if he’s still there.

11-13-0347So the walk continued and I realized I needed to find a …a…male relieving station. So I headed to the Reading Terminal Market. I exit stage left and saw this man sitting there. Now, he lives in Philly and I live in Philly and we have crossed paths many times. He always calls me sir cause I have a POW/MIA hat on, always and I always give him a few bucks cause it’s respect both ways. After I handed him a few bucks, he asked if I could make his photo like I saw him just this minute. Of course I agreed and made the photo. He then gave me his email address and asked me to send it to him. Hmmmmm, email address, he checked out my Flickr from his iPod….dunno, I’m so up and down with things…..

 

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November 6th, 2013 ….. Fuji X-E1 and Heliar 15mm On The Street

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11-13-0170There’s something about using  a lens with a focus scale and  dof  markings. The Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f/4.5 has both and that is a real pleasure to work with. I’m getting my old feelings back. I used to never use a light meter and I always felt the light to set my lens. With the move to digital photography, I kinda let those natural abilities rest not knowing when or if they could be used again.

Here’s what I do. I use Manual exposure always on every camera but>>>>the camera must have Auto ISO. That way I can set the aperture and the shutter speed and the camera will make sure I am right by using the proper ISO so as I can feel like I still have that native talent of feeling the light. The thing is, I like a camera with a controlled sense of humor. If the camera uses Auto ISO but doesn’t limit to some place I want it to….it has a nasty sense of humor. Many have found the way to the bay!

11-13-0163The Fuji X-E1 and X-Pro 1 let me do the M mode thing and also Auto ISO. If I’m in manual mode as I already established…I don’t need the camera to have a setting for lower shutter speed limit. I can do that with the shutter speed. I can also set my high limit on the ISO.

I really loved the Ricoh GR and have nothing bad to say about it. I moved it because at the time I used it, the TAv mode went crazy on me and my ISO would go high, like really high. Then one day I was looking at my notes and when I was admin for Amin at Serious Compacts…. I remembered that I made a promise to myself about never owning a camera I couldn’t clean the sensor or rear element of the lens.

11-13-0169So I moved the GR for a few reasonable reasons. The joy I get cleaning the sensor and lenses, both front and rear can only be realized by others experiencing the same things.

The X-E1 has a real nice feel to it, it’s very feminine but I ain’t never ever naming a camera after my wife again. It’s a delicate feeling camera that handles business in a very orderly fashion. It handles manual lenses very well, almost as good as the Sony Nex 6. On the street with the 15mm, I just set say, f/5.6   1/250. If the light gets brighter, I’ll go to f/8 and if the shadows rule, f/4.5. It takes just a second or two, really to change the f/stop and focus distance.

There’s talk of smearing in the corners but I have tested and I find of course, it’s not as sharp in the corners but certainly way past being acceptable. I’m sure most issues with any camera and legacy lenses is due to the MOUNT! I have plenty and all have some movement to them except…the FUJI M TO X MOUNT ADAPTER. If you use the Fuji cameras and plan on using M mount glass, I strongly suggest you use this adapter. If your anywhere near the Phila region, you can try mine out and see how good it works.

11-13-0173Tomorrow I’m taking the X-Pro 1 out and giving it a good run. I might just take the camera bag with both, lenses…oh’ boy…oh boy!

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November 4th, 2013 ….. Brisk Cold Air and 2 Shots of Single Malt … Streetshooter Day!

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11-13-0096The XE1 with the 15mm Heliar was the way for me to go today. I had the 21mm Skopar with me in a pocket. I moved thru the crowd like I was invisible. I felt that way. Yup…forgot the meds this morning. Ahhhh, the cameras are better for grounding anyway. So, in the near distance I see this person coming towards me and I raised the camera. See, with the Heliar at f/8  and the XE1 at 1/250 I have under 2 1/2′ to my friend  Pete over in the UK in focus. So I never worry about DOF with this combo. I am not anal about sharpness etc. I make photos and if sometimes sharpness has left me cold, so be it. This guy is getting closer and I am starting to feel that he sees thru my invisibility.

Lets keep in mind that with the Heliar, the camera sees as if it’s a 22.5 mm FOV. Well, here in Philly 22.5 mm is equal to 21mm. That means for all intent and purposes, one has to be comfortable getting close on the streets. This guy is less than 3 feet, well 1 Meter from me. I snapped the shutter as fast as I could feel the frame.

Here’s a side note. See, as a 64 year old guy that was a hippie, a soldier, divorced and married a few times, has many friends in the art community and is for all intent and purposes a straight male with straight friends and LGBT friends from all walks of life. Ya know, I believe everyone has the right to love and even marry who they choose. I’m open minded but, well…this guy wasn’t kissin’ me no matter what.  As the shutter clicked, just as the shutter clicked, I found out this guy is French…no offense implied to anyone but what am I, this straight Nam Vet to think?  I mean I know I’m a street shooting stud with very intense sex appeal but fact is and truth be known….. I kiss my wife, I might kiss my cat but that’s that!

11-13-0103Sometimes I see juxtapositions and make photos of them because I can and because I want to. Sometimes they work well and other times, well…..you decide.

11-13-0100Human Beings are really a special species. If you have some near you, I really think you should check them out. No, this is not one of those moments where I show my uh…uh..well…insanity. This is fact! See, all Human Beings are people but not all people are Human Beings. There used to be a term when I was a Hippie, Soul Mates. It meant someone very special that you would feel a kindred spirit with. Well, see…here in Philly and on Montour Street in the NE Section of the city…there lives a guy that use to think a Soul Mate existed. Yeah, he did…I did. What I found out is that Human Beings are Soul Mates. It ain’t about sex either, it’s about living and dying.

It’s about sharing time on the planet with others that appreciate your existence and you appreciate the existence of them. Some may be lovers, friends, enemies, partners and yeah, even wives. You carry the essence of the Souls with you at all times. How do I know this? I’ am blessed in the knowledge that if I do something it will have an effect on the Soul Mates of my life. There exist responsibility and accountability in life.

What does this have to do with photography? To find the answer, look in the mirror, then look at your photo catalog. See, I told ya…..

Your a Human Being Shooter….there ain’t nuttin’ like it on a Cold Brisk Day. Well, 2 shots of Fine Single Malt sure nuff will help!

11-13-0107There is always some watching someones back………!

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November 3rd, 2013 ….. Eye, Heart and Mind … What About The Soul?

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11-13-0056It was 1970 and I had been in Nam for just a few weeks. I hadn’t been in the bush yet but I knew it was coming. I was 11B, what the Gov’t calls Collateral. I made photos of everything, of everyone I saw, everyone I talked to and everyone that needed someone to talk to. My M4 got a real workout but nothing that was ahead of it, or me. I was sitting against a bunker in DaNang cleaning my lenses. All the sudden a very tall guy was standing over me blocking the sun. He introduced himself as Jock. He had a OD camera bag and a Nikon F around his neck with what looked like the 200mm f/4. He asked me who I worked for and I said I was a grunt and was just making photos to record the experience.

The next day I was sent to Chu Lai. Before I left DaNang, Jock told me to look at the shy every sunrise when I wake and if I survive the day, look at the sky at sundown. He told me that if I every get lost or ever feel my humanity slipping away, that sky would should me the way home.

It was Saturday evening November 2nd, 2013. I was in Atlantic City with Tanya visiting my Nam Vet buddy Joe. Joe lost his legs 7 months ago and has been on a watch list that many vets and I keep tabs on. Tanya was a gem cleaning Joes kitchen and helping his wife Mary cope with the new reality.

I took Joe out for a stroll and when we got near the beach, Joe asked me to carry him to the waves of the ocean. So I asked a chair person to watch Joe’s wheelchair. No sweat. Luckily enough 2 of the chair people assisted me getting Joe to the beach. They sat down and smoked a hmmmmm natural smoke. We did not indulge and I did not inhale.

Joe was telling me how he wanted to end the pain he was causing Mary and his friends and family. I told him to stop being an A-Hole and he argued that life isn’t worth living the way it is. I looked Joe in the face and all the sudden, as we both gazed upon the sky the sound of the waves gently moisturizing the sand, the people on the beach, the gulls landing on the sand and every one peering at the most wondrous spectacle that could only force one to realize that no matter where you are, no matter who you are with we are not in power, we are not alone.

Joe had tears in his eyes as I told him the story about how a photographer from Australia who saved my life, NO…saved my soul in DaNang in 1970. I hope in time Joe can find his way home and the inner peace he so well deserves.

I only truly know one thing. In Nam when I gazed upon the sunrise and the sunsets and now in Atlantic City I became acutely aware that I may very well be a troubled soul wandering the earth making photos but in my very ESSENCE and the depths of my SOUL, I know I am not and never will be alone!

This photo is Dedicated to Jock.