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Passing Through Still-Flourishing Small Towns
Continue ReadingOut-of-the-way settlements — found in forests and deserts, mountains and agrarian zones — naturally exist beyond interstate highways. In their locations they lack brisk commerce. An above-average number of residents depend on government for income. Driving through some of these towns creates melancholy — the places are so forlorn and drab. Our two photographs provide […]
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An Inhabitant of Cairo Streets
Continue ReadingI took our photograph through the windshield of a taxi on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Our subject is well-groomed considering he spends much of his life cleaning streets with primitive equipment. Off the boulevards he no doubt lives in cramped, poorly-maintained housing, lacking private amenities. In spite of this he has trimmed his beard, […]
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Two From The Vault
Continue ReadingFew of us in our lifetime will achieve the cool aloofness and concentration of this professional musician. And most of us would appear ridiculous (not nearly as hip) wearing a conical, horizontally-striped cap like the one covering our subject’s head. Somehow the keyboardist brings off his unflappable performance with ease and confidence — looking as […]
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Attempting Urban Symbolism
Continue ReadingOne sees fountains (real and simulated) all over Las Vegas, Nevada A constant irony in this arid location where rain falls sporadically. Exhortations to relax and be entertained — to indulge yourself — assail your every conscious moment. Winning is definitely not guaranteed. Here there are probably as many ways to lose your shirt (or […]
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Stopping By Pancho’s Gate
Continue ReadingWhen hunting photographs by automobile my mind numbs over the initial distances, across territory made sterile for me by repeated exposures. In that mode I passed the sign pointing to Pancho’s Place. The oddness of the scene must have triggered unwitting thoughts — taking some time to surface — because gradually over the next half […]
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From the Ghost Collection — A North American Frontiersman
Continue ReadingHe is Pre-American (before nationhood) therefore a stateless subject of the English King. His buckskin — and the improvised uniform lacking insignia — give him away. Beyond the determination evident in the way he holds his mouth, our subject gives us only enigmatical indications of his present state of mind. He has dropped in from […]
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Remembering A Fire-Eating Clown
Continue ReadingFrom early in the 21st Century comes a fire-swallower, an agile young woman shown in our first image standing on the shoulders of a male assistant. She balances then moves like a dancer on a tight-rope, performing with vigor and animation. Her hair (appropriately) is vibrant orange like the flaming torch she puts into her […]
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Exploring A New Genre
Continue ReadingToddler-steps at first, hoping one day to run. What is an urban landscape? In terms of artistic representation, it seems to be the urban equivalent of a naturalistic landscape, with straight lines and hard angles in more abundance, and the added complexity of human beings and their elaborate cultural forms.
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