27 March 2011
24 March 2011
23 March 2011
Fire @ Colbond: Who Is John Galt?
I just turned down a job as a senior photographer in a portrait studio. Let's keep the details out of this, but suffice to say that I would have been taking the same photos over and over again, every day, with no allowance for vision. Or anything else, really. The cameras are set, and never adjusted. If customers desire a unique portrait, perhaps they can pose with their favorite team's pennant, or lay their baby on a bed of artificial flowers.
And during the busy season, that baby will be one of sixty that will lay on that bed of flowers, or on that fluffy pillow, or in the oversized teacup--every day. The interviewer asked me if I was willing to act ridiculous. "Anything to get that smile," she said. I said that I was willing; in fact, I felt pretty ridiculous at that moment.
When I say I just turned it down, I mean like, two hours ago. And that's enough time to start thinking, "Well, maybe." Everybody thinks it. I'm no different. I am certainly not Ayn Rand's ideal man, John Galt, who never doubts, never questions, and never shows a speck of weakness.
In other news, they are tearing down the enormous Colbond tower in Enka. I have been trying to make a photograph, but management will not let me in the fence, even though I promise to be quick and wear a hard hat. Just one shot, I say. They must have dealt with photographers before. So I shoot from outside.
A pretty good shot. Maybe it would be better with my team pennant on the fence.
The other day I shot a family portrait, and at the end of the shoot, the client spotted the TAGGART TRANSCONTINENTAL sticker on the front bumper of my car. The Fountainhead, he said, had made him who he is today. But I had known before that; the whole family resonated with backbone. I could see it through the lens.
A straight spine is a rare and precious commodity. Reading a book can't give it to you, though it might help you define it. Money won't help, though it might keep the burden lighter for some time. And other people . . . well, they just want you to act ridiculous. Just to get that smile.
And it's okay sometimes, to think: "Well, maybe." But only to think it.
I thought it a lot on the drive home. It sure would be nice to live a more stable life. To be able to plan for some sort of future. To introduce myself without sounding like just another wishful art major, struggling along. To have the clients come to me. "Who is John Galt?" It's a lament, an indictment of the world we live in. But it's also an excuse: "Who is perfect?" No one. So maybe . . .
The National Weather Service had broken through the program I was listening to, warning of tornadoes, and the light was a sly peach color. I got out of the car at a gas station, and in the air I could smell the sharp, delicious scent of a structure fire. At home, my unbelievably gorgeous wife wanted to know about the job, but I said, "Let's talk outside, there's something going on."
Smoke seeped up into the sky, and the sirens began to sing. Hot damn. I was still dressed up from the interview, and I grabbed my gear and my vest, and my DarkTopography.com press pass [wink wink]. We hit the road.
Not an hour after being asked what strengths I could bring to a photography studio, I shot this as the rain began to fall:
Rand got almost everything right, but she forgot to account for the clamoring weakness in us. The hesitance, the wavering, and the agonizing wonder: Did I do the right thing? That question is the worst part of having a backbone. The best part is how it's answered. You see what you're given to see, and all you can do is take pictures. F8 and be grateful.
And during the busy season, that baby will be one of sixty that will lay on that bed of flowers, or on that fluffy pillow, or in the oversized teacup--every day. The interviewer asked me if I was willing to act ridiculous. "Anything to get that smile," she said. I said that I was willing; in fact, I felt pretty ridiculous at that moment.
When I say I just turned it down, I mean like, two hours ago. And that's enough time to start thinking, "Well, maybe." Everybody thinks it. I'm no different. I am certainly not Ayn Rand's ideal man, John Galt, who never doubts, never questions, and never shows a speck of weakness.
In other news, they are tearing down the enormous Colbond tower in Enka. I have been trying to make a photograph, but management will not let me in the fence, even though I promise to be quick and wear a hard hat. Just one shot, I say. They must have dealt with photographers before. So I shoot from outside.
A pretty good shot. Maybe it would be better with my team pennant on the fence.
The other day I shot a family portrait, and at the end of the shoot, the client spotted the TAGGART TRANSCONTINENTAL sticker on the front bumper of my car. The Fountainhead, he said, had made him who he is today. But I had known before that; the whole family resonated with backbone. I could see it through the lens.
A straight spine is a rare and precious commodity. Reading a book can't give it to you, though it might help you define it. Money won't help, though it might keep the burden lighter for some time. And other people . . . well, they just want you to act ridiculous. Just to get that smile.
And it's okay sometimes, to think: "Well, maybe." But only to think it.
I thought it a lot on the drive home. It sure would be nice to live a more stable life. To be able to plan for some sort of future. To introduce myself without sounding like just another wishful art major, struggling along. To have the clients come to me. "Who is John Galt?" It's a lament, an indictment of the world we live in. But it's also an excuse: "Who is perfect?" No one. So maybe . . .
The National Weather Service had broken through the program I was listening to, warning of tornadoes, and the light was a sly peach color. I got out of the car at a gas station, and in the air I could smell the sharp, delicious scent of a structure fire. At home, my unbelievably gorgeous wife wanted to know about the job, but I said, "Let's talk outside, there's something going on."
Smoke seeped up into the sky, and the sirens began to sing. Hot damn. I was still dressed up from the interview, and I grabbed my gear and my vest, and my DarkTopography.com press pass [wink wink]. We hit the road.
Not an hour after being asked what strengths I could bring to a photography studio, I shot this as the rain began to fall:
Rand got almost everything right, but she forgot to account for the clamoring weakness in us. The hesitance, the wavering, and the agonizing wonder: Did I do the right thing? That question is the worst part of having a backbone. The best part is how it's answered. You see what you're given to see, and all you can do is take pictures. F8 and be grateful.
22 March 2011
21 March 2011
17 March 2011
Benefit Concert for Japan @ the Grey Eagle!
Benefit Concert and Silent Auction for Japan
The Grey Eagle
16 April, 2011
All proceeds will be donated to Peace Winds America.
more info on twitter!
I'm torn up over Japan, folks.
There are times when it is good to analyze your response to things. DarkTopo has (sort of) covered two big hairy tragedies, and you can read my thoughts on the role of photographers in those situations. Watching the tsunami overtake houses and cars was the closest I've felt to this since it happened. That post, and the one about the shooting in Knoxville deal with journalism in the face of tragedy, and my limited experience in it. And I'm glad I wrote those posts, and figured some things out.
Now it's time to shut up. There's no amount of analyzing or "dealing with" anything that is going to help the people of Japan. We can question ourselves, we can feel guilt, we can ask why, and none of that will matter. The only question that matters is whether or not you'll do something about it.
Friends of mine are organizing a benefit concert at the Grey Eagle on Saturday, April 16. There will also be a silent auction, and I will be donating a print. If I feel that it will make some money for this cause, I will donate more than one.
It's not much, but it's what I can do. So I'm asking you, who I assume to be fans of my work (and not just morbidly curious), which print you'd like to own. If you were going to show up and buy a Max Cooper original for a good cause, and probably for a killer price, which photo would you want?
Choose anything on the site, and post your answer in the comments. If I don't get a better idea by go-time, I'll choose one of the AshevilleHDR photos, because they've gotten the most interest over the years.
Let me know what you want to see, and what you'd bid on, and maybe you and I can make some small measure of difference.
The Grey Eagle
16 April, 2011
All proceeds will be donated to Peace Winds America.
more info on twitter!
I'm torn up over Japan, folks.
There are times when it is good to analyze your response to things. DarkTopo has (sort of) covered two big hairy tragedies, and you can read my thoughts on the role of photographers in those situations. Watching the tsunami overtake houses and cars was the closest I've felt to this since it happened. That post, and the one about the shooting in Knoxville deal with journalism in the face of tragedy, and my limited experience in it. And I'm glad I wrote those posts, and figured some things out.
Now it's time to shut up. There's no amount of analyzing or "dealing with" anything that is going to help the people of Japan. We can question ourselves, we can feel guilt, we can ask why, and none of that will matter. The only question that matters is whether or not you'll do something about it.
Friends of mine are organizing a benefit concert at the Grey Eagle on Saturday, April 16. There will also be a silent auction, and I will be donating a print. If I feel that it will make some money for this cause, I will donate more than one.
It's not much, but it's what I can do. So I'm asking you, who I assume to be fans of my work (and not just morbidly curious), which print you'd like to own. If you were going to show up and buy a Max Cooper original for a good cause, and probably for a killer price, which photo would you want?
Choose anything on the site, and post your answer in the comments. If I don't get a better idea by go-time, I'll choose one of the AshevilleHDR photos, because they've gotten the most interest over the years.
Let me know what you want to see, and what you'd bid on, and maybe you and I can make some small measure of difference.
16 March 2011
buy viagra said...
So I come back home from a big vacation and find that some dude named Buy Viagra has really taken a liking to my blog. Unfortunately, he's an idiot, so I've deleted most of his comments. But I have to take some pity on him, because, after all, he is struggling through life with the name Buy Viagra. What is that, Slovakian or something?
Anyway, some of his comments were actually pretty hilarious, so I've saved them here for posterity.
On Ektar 100 in 120: The DarkTopo Review!
I've been learning a lot weapon, and I can say I love this, indeed, a true machine gun is essentially a fully automatic rifle, and the boundaries between the two are often blurred. Often, the criterion for a machine gun as opposed to an automatic rifle is considered to be the presence of a quick change , and most of the solders know it.
On Fungus on the lens, fungus on the lens . . .
I don't care about it, but they may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange.
On SAD120: Fight For Your Right, Part I
This man was a lucky man because he put his hand on the ass of that woman, I had made the same thing, I think only am stupid man wouldn't do that.m10m
Anyway, some of his comments were actually pretty hilarious, so I've saved them here for posterity.
On Ektar 100 in 120: The DarkTopo Review!
I've been learning a lot weapon, and I can say I love this, indeed, a true machine gun is essentially a fully automatic rifle, and the boundaries between the two are often blurred. Often, the criterion for a machine gun as opposed to an automatic rifle is considered to be the presence of a quick change , and most of the solders know it.
On Fungus on the lens, fungus on the lens . . .
I don't care about it, but they may become noticeable when fruiting, either as mushrooms or molds. Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange.
On SAD120: Fight For Your Right, Part I
This man was a lucky man because he put his hand on the ass of that woman, I had made the same thing, I think only am stupid man wouldn't do that.m10m
13 March 2011
12 March 2011
10 March 2011
08 March 2011
07 March 2011
05 March 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
