A few weeks ago, I was in a shopping mall in Albuquerque that only has 3 stores left in it. All the rest of the stores, about 50 or so, have abandoned it for better places. The lighting inside is rather nice and mostly natural, so I tell a friend about it and suggest that we go and photograph inside, sometime. Also, the local news recently ran a story saying it was about to be torn down, so my interest was certainly piqued.
So this afternoon, a buddy of mine says "hey, let's go photograph inside that empty shopping mall thats about to be torn down". I agree.
Well, we go inside and there are about 4 or 5 people walking around. I pull out the tripod and put my hasselblad on it. My buddy was a bit ahead of me and had just started shooting, when after about 10 minutes or so, an older gentleman, in full security guard clothing, appproaches us. Before he says anything to us, I ask if he would like us to leave? He does not answer but instead asks if we are professionals. Before I have a chance to answer, my buddy says we are students (actually my buddy is a graduate photo student).
The guard then goes into a tirade about how we must have missed the class were we need permission to photograph on private property. He goes on to read us the riot act and again ignores me when I ask if he would like us to leave. This "guard" goes on for a few more minutes, telling us how he treats skateboarding teenagers, etc, when I say thanks and start walking out. Keep in mind, I am clean cut and in my late 30's and my buddy is clean cut and in his mid 20's.
The guard continues with the babble and says that we could be banned from the property, blah, blah, blah and follows us to our car. Before he starts to jot down my license plate, he says something like "I suggest you destroy those pictures....".
It was rather hysterical as I am sure we provided him with something to do today. We kept our comments polite and did not treat this guard with any disrespect, but it was hard to keep a straight face.
I will post some pictures tomorrow when they are done. The 40mm Hasselblad lens looked amazing inside that vacant, rotting space.
(photo by sam mc)
I am not talking about my wedding day. I am talking about what happened about 30 minutes ago.
Amelia and I had to run out, and at a major intersection, a huge pick-up truck ran the red light at about 50 mph. He barely missed us and as he went around us, he nearly hit a guy on a motorcycle (with no helmet on) who was crossing the intersection from the other side. The truck then accelerated and sped off down the street. Amelia thinks the motorcyclist would have gotten hit, had I not blown my horn. He also almost fell off the bike trying to get it to stop.
Without a doubt, I would have been seriously injured, if not killed. Six days after my wedding.
Take a moment and tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and how much you love them. Accidents happen.
On Saturday night, Amelia and I got married. It was really nice.
The sun was setting to the West and we were facing north. The light was beautiful. It was about 70 degrees or so with a lovely breeze. It was amazing looking out and seeing all of my family and good friends looking back at me, looking back at us.
Thanks to everyone who travelled out to Santa Fe to see us.
We are both exhausted now. We need a few days to chill. Unfortunately we cannot honeymoon until December, but we have a great honeymoon/vacation planned in Mexico.
I will post some photos when I get them. I took a whole lot of polaroids that just look awesome. My incredibly generous and good friend Shirley did all the "formal" photos. Sam did a lot too. Thanks you guys.
My house is filled with people and it's chaos. My mom, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew are all here. The kids love the house as do the rest.
It's nice to have them here. My cats aren't so happy but I am.
I remember waking up. I kept hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock. I had art class that day and really did not want to go. The first time the alarm clock radio came on, it was music. Same for the second and third time. But when it came on the fourth time, it was Tom Brokaw. I knew something was wrong.
I ran downstairs to turn the TV on. I sat there mesmerized and shocked, terrified and crying. I could not believe what was going on.
I immediately tried calling my friends and family in New York. No luck. All the circuits were busy. I sent emails that would go unanswered for about a day. When they were answered, I realized everyone I knew there was okay.
Luckily, for me that is, I did not know anyone in the towers or in Pennsylvania or at the Pentagon.
So today, I will take sometime to think about that day and to never forget the people I did not know.
Today Sam and I went to the fair. It opened on Friday night and this was my second trip there so far. There was quite a cast of characters including this guy who saw me photographing one of the game tents and he yelled " Hey take my picture".
I said sure and he immediately started posing while his friends were laughing. I was laughing too. The shadow on the bottom right is Sam making this photo.
Things are in order for the weekend. It's going to be very exciting.
From a song that has been stuck in my head...
" Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you
Hate me in ways
Yeah ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you"
I am looking for a certain piece of darkroom equipment. It is not hard to find as it's easily available and in stock at several shops. The retail price is about $150 without shipping. Not something that would break the bank. I just figured I should put the word out and see if I can get it cheaper.
After a couple of days, I finally make contact with a few people who have the item.
The first guy refuses to sell it outside of ebay (it's not even listed yet) and wants $80 for it. I counter-offer with $60 including shipping. It doesn't have the box and shows some signs of wear (nothing major) but is fully functional. He says no and lists it on ebay. The auction ends at $43 plus $12 for shipping. Now he has to take out the paypal and ebay fees, and has waited a week for the money. Oh well.
The second guy says he wants $75 (including shipping) because it is pristine and has hardly been used. I counter-offer with $60 including shipping. A week has gone by with several emails going back and forth saying the same thing. I point out the auction that ended at $43 and he says well look at the auction that is listed at $90. I point out the fact that the auction has NO BIDS. He goes on to say again how nice his item is. I again counter-offer, this time with $65 and as of now he has refused.
The third guy who listed the auction stated above for $90, has refused to budge.
Several people are selling darkroom kits with enlargers and the piece I am looking for. I offer to buy the piece separately and they have all declined, fearing that no one would buy the enlarger without this piece.
The piece I am looking for is a glass negative carrier. I have a glass negative carrier from another manufacturer that works but it is not perfect. I like perfect. I also like systems.
Yes I am being silly. And now you all know about it.
So here is my picture, shot last week. This is 12th and Central in downtown Albuquerque. I shot mine with a Hasselblad and 80mm lens, which is equal to a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera. 
And here is Lee's done some time in 1972. (copyright Lee Friedlander) I am guessing he shot this with a Leica and a 35mm lens, which is slightly wider than a 50mm lens.
My image is from a scanned negative that I will be printing later this week or possibly after the wedding. I have a lot to do in the next few weeks.
I have more to write but I can't remember any of it. I just got home from the late showing of the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" and I walked from downtown to the University. The sights and smells along Central are sometimes overwhelming.
I 'll write more when I remember.
