Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Holy Land U.S.A.


    Holy Land U.S.A.
    taken with Diana Camera

I took this a few weeks ago on Memorial Day. Was disappointed to see that the park was closed for renovations or something such but then while walking around I found this and it made my day. Sorry for the lack of updating but I have been working hard lately, trying to get my work done and actually have a lot of new images to get to. Hopefully, Gord is Dead may, somewhat ironically, come back to life...

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Toy Camera Print Auction - Katrina Benefit


    Butterfly, 2004
    taken with Diana Camera

Here is the image that I have donated for an Online Katrina Relief Benefit Auction in conjunction with other contributors at toycamera.com and thanks to the efforts of Susan Burnstine. This is an excellent opportunity to collect signature images by internationally reknowned toy camera photographers and do a small something to help others as well.

Go to the Online Auction Page to place your bids!

Many thanks, Susan!

Friday, July 29, 2005

All Roads


    Hand of Constantine
    taken with Diana Camera

Sorry for the lack of updates but I have been on a couple of trips back to back and then haven't been doing much scanning / blogging this summer. The first trip was more of a camping trip with some rockclimbing thrown in and the second was a trip to Italy, kind of short but excellent. So, bear with me as I will probably draw out these images over the next couple of weeks. I did have a toy camera peculiar malady infect one of my Diana cameras. A light leak happened in a camera that previously had been light tight. So, I lost a number of images to a strangely shaped distraction but such is life with plastic cameras I guess. Most of the film was alright actually though as I had a second Diana with me. I am not believing this is terribly interesting but am just rationalizing to myself how I have so few worthy images after visiting such an amazing place.

Which reminds me of another trip, many years back where I shot up a lot of film and the images, while technically okay, were not very lively. I have started to believe that taking pictures as a tourist is a pretty challenging proposition. The severe gravitation of 'postcard' vistas coupled with the shallow comprehension of life's energies in a strange environment, I believe, set up the photographer to make ordinary photos. I would love to go back though without feeling the compulsion to walk ten miles a day to see as much as I could. And there appear to be a few good images from what I can see so far.

So, this image is the one that I actually looked forward to making. I am not sure why but having seen this statue in other pictures - one from Ralph Gibson maybe? - I have always thought Rome would be a truly awesome place with stuff like this strewn about. And it is. This was seen in the Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

The Weather is Here...


    A Boy with his Tiger
    taken with Diana Camera

Staying with the summer drinking theme but reeling it in a little from my recent survey of would be rednecks. Kids + tigers. I call them Kigerds.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Searching for Mr. Write


    This would be my cousin, Sparky, all growed up now.
    taken with Holga Camera

I have been mostly offline for a couple of weeks. The summer is probably going to do that to me a few times. Anyway... after browsing the recent stats to my website, I thought it interesting to note what search word strings that some people have used on search engines to find my site. There have been a lot of people who have used my name or the blog title and this is to be expected I guess. What was unexpected was the strange combinations of words that have been mentioned somewhere on the blog but when combined in a search string, Gord Is Dead is actually one of the popular hits.

Here are a few of the more unlikely searches that have brought people here:

on Yahoo... "nice breasts"
on Yahoo... "lobster boy" + "florida murder"
on Yahoo... "waitress skinned knees"
on Yahoo... "mandolin teacher richmond virginia"
on Yahoo... "bulging breasts"
on Yahoo... "1001 things to do in your life"
on Yahoo... "sexy polyester pants"
on Yahoo... "motorcycle rally pictures"

on Google... "dorothy hammill photo"
on Google... "taking it from behind" + "art photos"
on Google... "mods holga"
on Google... "gibsonton florida circus"
on Google... "holga wideangle"
on Google... "linda connor pop toning"
on Google... "liberty in chains"
on Google... "dead january 2005" + "jazz"
on Google... "bonnaroo scanner"
on Google... "damion rice tour"

So, with these somewhat surprising search strings in mind, I thought if I added some other strategic words and celebrity names to my blog, then I would be sure to lure more quality patrons to my humble establishment so that they, too, might learn so much more about dynamic words such as these. Life is circular and so is my logic.

In no particular order, I give you my searchitifically designed collection of words.

Onomatopoeia, Charo, unscrupulous, splendor, Bourbon Street, chorus, lutenary, cog, Penn & Teller, Engelbert Humperdink, flouride, bang, redly, quark, Judas Priest, Mercury, no fuss, low fuss, fusspot, ablution, ziggurat, fawning, mackerel, yogurt, peppered steak, love handles, cowlick, irritable bowel syndrome + rockclimbing, PFC, ligatures, storied franchise, fatty acids, Okinawa, Cheetos, Paris Hilton + Arch Druid, Three Musketeers, champion of the undeserving, cockerel, repudiate, taste buds, imaginary friend, chlamydia, brown teeth, Venice Beach, lily-livered, leaping lizards, overgrown child, silk stockings, expatriates, Sonny Bono, Sammy Sosa, Big Band Collections, ginsu knives, deus ex machina, torpor, peripatetic, stencils, jewelry heist, forest for the trees, Toon Army, spake as a child, paint huffing, hypnotist collector, Twister + collapsed lung, Rosebud, stilted speech, bum, big bum, Britney Spears photos, Larry Flynt, pow, biff, charred to a crisp, armageddon + milk duds, high colonic, hair weave, good cholesterol, mean streak, Manny Moore, Hoovervilles, girl on girl action, Abba and clam bake.

Feel free to add your own dynamic words by way of a comment. I would be much obliged.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Sisterhood of the Polyester Pants


    taken with Holga Camera

This would be Marge and the Whiz. Cheer up, Margaret. More from last weekend. I have a lot of these photos actually but need to get out and shoot something besides hoedowns. Summer is here though. Swimming pools and Movies Stars. Black gold. Texas tea. Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed. Poor old mountaineer barely kept his family fed. Then one day he was shooting at some food and up from the ground came a bubbling crude...

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Liberty In Chains


    taken with Diana Camera

Another image from the archives. A well-known symbol with a shot of cynicism. Funny but there wasn't even a hint of irony in the actual situation. A roadside stop selling statuary and such. Just simple folk worrying that their Liberty might be stolen. Pretty much like the rest of us really.

Sunday, May 29, 2005

The Very Sexy Clemise


    taken with Holga Camera

This is Elroy's old lady, Clemise, as she wandered her tequila soaked pathway of sexy self-destruction.

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Jarvis & Elroy


    taken with Holga Camera

From a party last weekend. Friends of mine looking very classy. Elroy drove us home which probably says something about how I was doing also.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Random Image from Archives #11


    taken with Rolleiflex TLR

I am running some film later today but felt like I should post up something... this is from a shoot with Bruce Hornsby a couple of years back.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Emmett


    taken with Holga Camera

Here is a portrait of a dog I met a few months ago. Seeing him, the first thought is 'damn.' But he is beautiful. Blind as well. I spent a few hours with him last week and he quietly raised hell in my studio. Dalmations are high strung and energetic generally but take away their eyesight and this guy was nose to the floor checking out everything. Bump and back up and go another direction. Not a great subject for lights and stands and a controlled shoot. But he is handsome. I have a couple more rolls to process but I hope to hang out with him again.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Sunday, May 15, 2005

If You Can Read This


    taken with Diana Camera

From a Motorcycle rally last weekend. Not too many people and the pictures are few as well... but this one is amusing somewhat.

Friday, May 13, 2005

When Hail Freezes Over


    taken with Diana Camera

Here is a just processed image but a few months old. From one of those rolls that was shot some time ago and I wasn't really quite sure what was on it any longer. For a landscape, I kind of like this one.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Random Image from Archives #9


    taken with Rolleiflex TLR

Willie Wisely circa 1999. Excellent jangly pop musician who I believe is out there plying his trade in Los Angeles these days.

Also, thanks for the scanner recommendations. I may contact some of you offline to discuss the Epson 4870 especially. I did have the Minolta D'Image Scan Multi II which was excellent but it is becoming archaeic. Trying to figure if repair is an option.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Random Image from Archives #8


    taken with Rolleiflex TLR

Beginning to shop for new scanners. Any ideas for a solid Medium format scanner out there? It is funny but I realize just how much time I am not in the darkroom since I started scanning negatives a couple of years ago. This might be good for me really but I would like to get something here pretty soon. Any advice is appreciated.

Friday, May 06, 2005

Good Action


    taken with Diana Camera

Feeling better the last couple of days, getting some things done. Life is good, so the archive image du jour is all speed and Spring and skinned knees. Maybe to make a few photos today then. Tomorrow, though, I am heading to a Psychic festival and Bikini Motorcycle wash. So I've got that going for me.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Snakes


    taken with Rolleiflex TLR

Scannerless, Day 6 - Digging deep with this one. From back in the days before I'd begun using toys seriously. From when I lived in San Francisco. Somewhere in North Beach.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Strange Is Going To Do You Good


    taken with Olympus 35mm Camera

I have a head cold / flu thing going. So, this be my avatar for poor health. Remember to drink plenty of fluids.