Blog About Photography

This is taking forever.

A little later today I’m getting on a plane to go back to Houston, which is where I’m from. I’m going to be there for 8 days and I’m really excited about it for a couple of reasons. The first is that I haven’t been back there since May and it’s going to be good to sleep in my old room and all that. When I go home, life is easy and action-packed. Mom is always thrilled that I’m back and loves to be a hostess. It’s going to be great to see her and also to eat well. Ha. I’m totally out of money right now. Ex 1,Tonight’s dinner: Mug of instant oatmeal, two cups of apple sauce, Coors. My friends are usually stoked to see me since I stay away for such long stretches and they don’t have time to get sick of me, so it’s a whirlwind of activity. And then there’s this guy.

Going back to Houston is also turning into more and more of a creative endeavor. I have use of a car there, which makes indulging a photographic whim pretty easy. Plus, I have months to think of all the stuff I want to shoot when I’m down there (it’s going to be churches this time), make lists, and then execute them with military efficiency*.

So, the next few posts will either not happen or happen from Houston. It should be a good time for everybody, except for, say, the people who have to clean up after us.

*The use of this idiom hearkens back to a day when the American military was, in fact, efficient. There was a time in this nation’s history that it’s military prowess actually saved freedom and did so in a mere four years. This phrase is quite obviously anachronistic and I apologize for any confusion my use of it may have caused.

I’m sure by now most of you have either seen the preview for or otherwise heard of “Death of a President,” the fake documentary about the fictional assassination of President Bush. The film was controversial for about a milisecond; then it won best film at the Toronto Film Festival, and I think maybe some others. It was supposed to come to theaters, I don’t know if it did or if it didn’t, but it has made its way onto Google Video, and is free for the watching. I also have the torrent for you if you prefer, courtesy of mininova. Man, has the internet gotten great or what?

I want to mention something about the fake news photograph, which is pretty interesting. it really is a fantastically iconic image, instantly recognizable and well done. I imagine that it wasn’t all that easy to coordinate such a shot; it has the spontaneity of a true news photograph, one that would be the go-to image for this would-be violent turning point in a sad period of America’s history. The assassination, however, is staged. So rather than being elevated to icon, this photograph is merely fantastic marketing for a controversial film.

My good friend Molly, who is wonderful and amazing, just sent out this email:

So, the dramatic story goes like this… my decietful landlady illegally rented her apt to us. Now she got kicked out of the co-op,i.e. voted off the island, and she has to sell the unit.

I am looking for a sublet or 6 month lease starting Jan 1-ish. Everything is flexible. The only issue that matters is reasonably cool housemates/roommates.

I’ll tell you what the real tragedy is here. The apartment Molly has to vacate is really fucking cool. But that’s life under a co/op board, I suppose. Please let me know if you are in Washington, DC and you have someplace for her to live. Thanks!

This is something I hope to make kind of regular, since, as it turns out, we’re still having regular elections in this country. No, but seriously. My good friends Katarina Jerinic and Bryan Schutmaat (sometimes) both work in video and they’re really on to something.

I’m not sure how to do this properly quite yet in terms of the feed and all that (email me if you do) so for now, just download the podcast and I guess play it in quicktime or what have you.

UPDATE: I would appreciate any and all feedback on this thing. I got three people’s responses in the past couple of nights, and have incorporated much of what was said into a second cut, which is now what is on view here. So post comments!