It’s been quite a while since I last posted to PhotoGeek. Too, too long for my own liking. Since returning from Japan I’ve gotten back to shooting and trying to get my work out there. I’m still going through those photos from my two weeks abroad and spending a lot of time discussing the idea of moving there full time. I know its kind of half ass but just realized that I hadn’t posted since mid January. If I went a full calendar month without posting something. I’d feel somewhat incomplete. So, stay tuned. There’s plenty more to come.
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Japan Unmasked!!!
As I headed towards baggage claim at Japan’s Narita Airport I began to notice the handful of people going to and fro adorning surgical masks. Though it struck me as strange at the time; With a fourteen hour flight behind me, retrieving my bags and embarking on the final trip to our resting place in Hayama was of the upmost importance.
The next day as we traveled to Asakusa to visit one of the famous Buddhist temples. As we navigated the subway and streets leading to our destination, I noticed more and more of what seemed bizarre to these foreign eyes. Was the air unsafe? Was there an airborne virus I was not made aware of? Perhaps a Michael Jackson flash mob waiting to spring into action? Or was it preparation for the coming Mayan Apocalypse? Whatever it was, it was starting to make me feel unsettled. My wife gave me a number of possibilities that would explain this phenomenon; but it wasn’t until I sat down with her sister Chisato that night until it all came to make sense. I’ll leave this article to better explain things. After reading this you can decide for yourself if their very cautious, crazy or amazingly courteous. For me personally. After living in and around New York City most of my life and experiencing the disgusting habits of many of my fellow citizens, I’d choose the latter. http://boingboing.net/2009/02/13/japanese-surgical-ma.html
Butterflies II
I got to the gallery about a half hour into the show. Traffic was typical during rush hour. Three exits and forty five minutes later I arrived at the gallery. I parked in the lot adjacent to the gallery and could see one of my photos hung with care through the freshly washed front window. As I entered I was greeted by the galleries curator. She mentioned a couple of people had come earlier to see my work. I’ve been to countless openings in my lifetime both as an artist and a spectator. Never have I experienced someone showing up in the first few minutes ans leaving immediately after. I felt bad about missing them but took comfort in the fact that each one lived in town and didn’t travel too far. She then informed me that due to the backing on one of the frames only two of the three pictures made it to the wall. I thought it odd that they tried and tried but just couldn’t hang it but was not really bothered by it.
So I grabbed my complimentary cup of coffee and made my way from one image to another. There was a very eclectic array of images throughout the gallery. Some that made my eyes pop. Others that had me scratching my head. I worked my way from the back of the gallery to the front grabbing a handful of stale crackers on the way. (Yuck, is serving stale crackers and flat soda a tradition at exhibition openings?) As I came to my second image, a somewhat abstract offering; I quickly noticed they had hung it upside down. At first I gasped in embarrassment, then laughed. I ran to the back and explained how I noticed the mistake. “When paint drips or runs; it tends to go down, not up. She quickly ran up front and turned it right side up. We both laughed about it. People see things differently. Mistakes happen and nothing is perfect. Even in a perfect world.
A few moments later I asked if I could get a copy of the bio they had written. Last week as I was about to write one I was contacted by gentlemen there saying that, “they themselves” prepared the bios for shows there. “If I could just send some basic info and a link to my work”, they’d take care of it. I sent them a basic outline and links to my new sites I had recently built with WIX.com . As I was handed the book containing the bios I cringed. The man in charge basically copied the two sentence outline I sent and handwritten a link to, of all things, my Model Mayhem account. I didn’t even send him that link. Suddenly I wanted to rip the bio out from the book, take my pictures from the wall and run like mad. Though I had taken it all with a grain of salt I was beginning to feel a little angry. Soon after I headed out and headed home. I felt bad for anyone that stopped in before I arrived or after I left but the whole thing made uncomfortable and a bit disappointed. It’s not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination but I wish I could have done something to fix things before they got broke.
Butterflies
In just a couple of hours I’ll be headed to Montclair’s Gallery U for the opening of ‘Permanent Images’. This is my first time exhibiting there and my first time displaying at a gallery in over a year. The three images showing at the gallery are a few years old which, for some strange reason, takes away a little of the excitement away from my inclusion. I’ve always been one of those people who’s appreciation for his own work has a sort of expiration date. Shooting work and preparing it for exhibition has always been the exciting part for me. Seeing it on the wall and standing under it with a “Hey baby, wanna see my junk?” look on my face has never given me the satisfaction that capturing the image and hunting down a wall to show it does.The truth is I’m a bit of an oddball. I often feel weird at these things and can’t wait for a friend to stop by to snap me out of my geek spell and say “I hate this kinda stuff.” “Wanna get a beer? Which I’m usually more than happy to do.
By now my nerves are starting to get a little scrambled. I’ve had way too much coffee and even broken into the cola reserve. I’ve peed a half dozen times and the butterflies are turning into tarantulas. This is the uncomfortable part. Knowing that getting there is the hardest part and once I’ve seen a familiar face those butterflies will disappear is comforting; But for me it couldn’t come fast enough.
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Launching New Music Site with Wix
After months of toiling and tweaking I’ve launched a new WIX site that focuses on my music photography. It features live and studio work with numerous bands and musicians. Be sure to stop by and visit. Thanks
http://unitedbyjames.wix.com/damionphotomusic#!home/mainPage
Just When I Thought We Were Done.
Early this Tuesday night I braved the hurricane winds and torrential rains to attend the International Center For Photography’s Open House to look into some classes and have my portfolio reviewed. As I sat nervously with the soft spoken elderly gentleman, he critiqued my work. Noting that my lighting was impressive and that certain areas could use improvement. He suggested some techniques and approved me for some classes.
As I stood up to leave I thanked him, shook his hand and handed him one my business cards. That’s when things got really interesting, animated and a hell of a lot more exciting. The soft spoken gentlemen I had been conversing with for the last thirty minutes arched his back and exhaled “What is this here?” as he pulled his glasses forward for closer investigation. In a cool voice often reserved for Jazz cools you see in old movies, he remarked “Now this is what your portfolio should be based around.” “This is what I like to see.” I had gone to such lengths and examination of fashion and glamour to create a portfolio I felt best represented fashion and what I was seeing in magazines. I may have gotten away from making a portfolio that best represents me as a photographer.
Though I was already more than happy with his critique of my portfolio. (Yes, I was actually very happy to have a professional critique my work and perhaps, take me down a few notches.) But if I would compare the differences in his reaction with a music reference. It was like going from listening to Miles Davis recording to getting a chance to sit in on one of his recording sessions. I showed him my other business cards, all of which have different images and he picked out what he strongly felt were the best. Then he took the paper that included the class level he pre-approved me for crossed it out to qualify me for more advanced courses. From there I went to the office and registered for “The Art of Fashion Portraiture” which is a hands on course starting in December. I’m really looking forward to the class and getting my work out there again.
Someday, We’ll Look Back On This and Laugh.
A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to sit and interview Norwegian singer, songwriter Dyveke as she was finishing up her album at Water Sound recording studios here in Hoboken. Though I had just met her our exchange was very easy and open ended. I learned a lot about her during that hour or so conversation. I learned about her upbringing in Norway. Her music education in Liverpool England and her recording with some very talented and well known artists. I also learned one very important thing. “Sarcasm is not a part of Norwegian culture.” Knowledge that could have served me well if i had remembered days later when we prepared to start our photo session.
As we drove from nearby Jersey City to my place in Hoboken I shared a recent experience I had with a very difficult customer. In telling the story I mentioned that I got to a point where I thought to myself “I could just take that nearby pillow and snuff the life out of her.” Though it was meant purely as a joke and to show just how bad the interaction had spiraled out of control. My new friend and model for the day did not take it as such. As we got out of the car, she revealed that my story had really gotten to her and she no longer felt comfortable going to the studio alone with me. I immediately recalled her explaining to me that sarcasm is something foreign to Norway. At that moment, I felt like a complete and total ass. A cad, a fool and a villain all rolled up into one horses ass. As we walked I tried to ease her fears and tensions with no results. The backgrounds, lights and refreshments were all ready for action but production had been shut down.
I made the best of my foolishness and followed her suggestion to just go with some location shots. As we walked along the Hoboken side of the Hudson, her tensions seemed to ease. I did my best to convince her I wasn’t one to murder old ladies, feed arsnic to children or kidnap Norwegian singer/songwriters. I really felt terrible about my stupidity. As a photographer, the most important thing I can do is make my subject feel comfortable and trust my instincts. Without that, I am a lost soul. That’s when she assured me that everything was okay. That someday, “We’ll both look back on this and laugh.” I certainly hope so. I realize we all make mistakes. We all fail from time to time. So, instead of banging my head against the wall and continually punishing myself for my own stupidity. I hope to learn from my mistakes, learn and move on. Overall, my experience with her was very positive. I learned a lot about a very talented musician. One that came all the way from Norway to record in my mile square town. I met a stranger and learned from her. I even got a story to tell for my little blog.
You Can’t Tame My Monkey Style
Yesterday Jessica stopped by to shoot some edgy fitness and martial arts inspired images. Jessica is an absolute joy to work with. An actress, stunt woman and martial arts expert, she packs a lot of strength and character into her small frame. In the weeks leading up to the shoot I was hoping to include some of my friends custom combat knives into the shoot to add another level of intensity to the shoot. Unfortunately for us he was backed up on orders and had no back stock to send us. Lucky for me, Jess brought enough weaponry to scare the bajeezus out of me. During the session Jessica updated me with what she’s been up to since we last worked together and introduced me to the art of Monkey Kung Fu. Here are some favorites from that part of the session.In the future I’d like to add more fitness work to my portfolio while continuing to expand my body of work. Only time will tell.
An Old Friend Stops By
I’d been wanting to get some of my musician and artist friends to stop by for some laid back studio shots for some time. When I ran into Eric recently at a friends exhibition opening I thought, “now that’s a fucking character I’d love to photograph.” So a few days later I dropped him a line and asked if he’d to stop by and shoot the shit while I cleaned the dust off my studio lights and gear. We talked about music, old friends and our Dad’s. Eric’s a good friend. The kind that would give you the shirt off his back. Upon returning from living in Seatle he gave me a HardCore record I had regrettably sold years ago. Knowing the personal and sentimental value the record held for me. He saw it only fitting that I should have a copy back in my prized collection. As the years go by you don’t see many of your old friends as much as you’d like. Jobs, family, distance and all the responsibilities that life throw at us play their part. Some stay close while others fade from the fabric of your life. It’s always good to have a few of the old guard around when you need someone to relate to or just share a common experience.
Hello Again!
It’s hard to believe I let more than a month pass without posting anything to a blog that has come to mean so much to me. If you read my last post back in April you will have noticed that I was featured on the cover of a local magazine. As I may have indicated in that post. It was a unique opportunity and honor to be a part of such a special issue.
Since then I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to shooting events and working on my other blog “United By Rocket Science” with my good friend Dave. The blog has occupied a lot of my spare time and allowed me to explore one of my other passions as somewhat of a Rock Journalist. Going to shows, doing interviews and reviewing new music is a labor of love that is uniquely rewarding. As much as I thoroughly enjoy music and working on United By…
Photo Geek is still a very important and vital part of who I am as a person and artist. I just upgraded this blog to pro and have a ton of new images, experience and hopefully good news to spread around. I hope you can all check in from time to time and enjoy all the geeky goodness I have to share. See you soon, sooner, soonest. Until then, stay geeky.
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