Rockefeller to Exxon - time for change

At least someone is thinking over there...

read here

Printing Big - love it and hate it

I am making some 16x20 prints right now and I love printing large.

But I also hate it. It's damn expensive. Every little screw up costs about $3.00.

I'll post a pic later of what I am doing. It's a print for the big show I am in at the end of the year.

Huge profits for oil companies

I blame the US government for this. It's time for the government to put an end to this.

"BP posted a 63 percent surge in first-quarter net profit to $7.6 billion (4.9 billion euros), while Shell reported a 25 percent rise, to a record $9.08 billion (5.81 billion euros) profit".

I know I keep asking this but at what point will the US government get involved?

Miley's Green Bra

Today she is embarrassed.

What about last week when these hit the internet?

Gimme a break.

Annie makes a statement

She apologizes for the publics interpretation of the image.

Sorry Annie, it's a great photo.

Read more here.

OMFG

Oh my fucking god!!!

Did Vanity Fair just pull the photos of Miley off of their website?

The link is now dead.

"Sorry, we couldn't find the page you were looking for."

WTF?

Miley Cyrus give me a break

You did an interview with an adult magazine.

You did a photo shoot with one of the best celebrity
photographers in the world. Someone who is known
for racy shots.

You had your father and other "handlers" on the set with you.

And now you are embarrassed? Is this after your sponsors got pissed?

Give me a fucking break.

Read here and here...

Ilford and Polaroid - It's a No Go

From Simon Galley:

April 18th, 2008, Mobberley, Cheshire UK and Minnetonka, MN, USA -- HARMAN technology Limited and its monochrome brand, ILFORD Photo and Polaroid Worldwide have been in discussions about ILFORD Photo taking on production of Polaroid's black and white professional instant sheet film. Despite their best efforts, together the prospective partners have determined that they can not find a commercially viable way forward.

HARMAN's Chairman and Managing Director, Phil Harris said. " The processes involved in the manufacture and assembly of professional instant sheet film products are very demanding and it would require substantial investment to re-establish them at HARMAN technology's site in Cheshire, England. When compared with current and projected sales for the products, it was clear that such an investment could not be justified."

Phil Harris continues: " While we had hoped to work together on continuing the production of instant sheet film, it is cost prohibitive to meet the declining demand. As a company, we are saddened that such an inspirational form of expression will disappear, but we will always remain staunchly committed to the long term future of monochrome photography in all its facets and we will continue to do everything we can to support it".

Say goodbye to Polaroid. It's over folks.

More talk about the price of gas.

Yesterday, April 27, gas was $3.45 a gallon for regular unleaded. I have not been out as of yet, but the latest headlines talk again about record prices for oil, over $120 a barrel and that the president of OPEC (over paid energy company) says that $200 a barrel is not unlikely and that the price of gas is now tied to the rise and fall of the US dollar.

So if oil hits $200 a barrel, about a 70% increase, this would make regular gasoline cost about $5.85 a gallon.

If gas were to hit $5.85 a gallon, I think we would see several US airlines go bankrupt, the price of milk would be about $6.50 a gallon and the ExxonMobil would post $100 billion dollar profit.

Thank God my government is sending me some money this week. Speaking of which, you won't be doing the US economy any good by purchasing goods that are manufactured outside the USA.

Who the @#$%^*& is Jackson Pollock?

I just got around to watching this documentary movie and I am glad I did.

The movie doesn't paint (sorry) the art world in a very nice light. A bunch of pompous idiots who just can't believe some old lady who lives in a trailer park owns a real JP.

Oh well, get over it. The paint matches. It's got a fucking JP finger print on it.

Kind of sucks.

what is art....

Sorry to post this here too, as it's all over the web, but it is just too funny

flickr comments

I recently posted some of my Iceland work on flickr. I've gotten some really great comments.

But I just received the following email about the work:

"I had a look at all of your "Iceland" series of photos, great stuff there!

Even though I haven't commented on all of them, I have to say your printing skills are excellent IMHO. You see, I was a custom black and white printer for 30 years...so I feel qualified in saying this. I can appreciate a well printed negative when I see one.

Your exposure and tonal scale in the final print are top notch and show a dedication to detail not seen too often elsewhere. It's comforting to know people such as yourself are still producing fibre prints."

Not only is this really nice, it is nice that the guy took the time to let me know.

More of my Iceland work can be seen here and soon to be on the Fraction Magazine website.

Iceland prints

Finally got around to getting some this scanned.

Found video

Going through my iTunes, I found some great video from my trip with the boys to the Salton Sea. We were goofing off about the "Seligman Diet", which meant, well, never mind. It's gross.

A night of baseball and cheap hot dogs

Tonight was 50 cent hot dogs at the Albuquerque Isotopes Ball Park. They played the Nashville Sounds and kicked their sorry asses. Twelve to six was the final score.

The hot dogs were cheap and cold and the place was packed. It was a great time with the misses, Josh, Andrew and Karie.

The park is a really great place to see a ball game. We normally sit up in the grassy berm. I plan on see many more games this season.

Jen Bekman's 20x200

If you have not heard about Jen Bekman by now, and you are into photographic art, then you should just put down the keyboard and mouse and head out into the woods.

Anyway, she has a thing called 20x200, where she sells prints of emerging artists as well as some very established people. Each week an email goes out with the work of a different artist.

This is the premise of 20x200:
200 - 8.5x11 - $20
20 - 17x22 - $200
2 - 30x40 - $2000

About two weeks ago, she had a print by Doug & Mike Starn. You know, the twins. Well, that print sold out in 7 minutes. By the time I got out of bed to read the email, the print was long gone.

So, I am up early today. Well, not really, but I was sitting here when the email came in. Another Starn print! I immediately jump on it. Click the buy it now button and it says there are still 190 left. Holy Crap!! I make it all the way through the check out and get a receipt and an order number. Hell Yeah!!! It looks like I actually got one of these little prints. It is called Structure of Thought 6a and can be seen here.

After I get the receipt, I go back to see how many are left and find it is already sold out. Wow!

This is the third print I have purchased for the killer price of $20.00 (plus $8.50 for shipping). The other two are a very nice Colin Blakely and a Bert Teunissen. The Blakely print is perfect and exactly as it shows on screen. The Teunissen has a glaring imperfection that I guess is in the original print and probably should have been photoshopped out. No matter, for $28.50 you really can't go wrong.

Well, I should have the print here in a couple of weeks. It will be framed and put in the baby's room. I am very excited.

Happy 420

Yep...today is April 20th, otherwise know as 420.

In some cultures, 420 has something to do with smoking marijuana.

I don't know much about it so I looked it up.

Read here and here.

Where did I put those doritos?

It's warming up in Albuquerque. Got a dollar?

As one might expect, as it warms up here in the Duke City, the panhandling increases. I wrote about this before and got quite a few emails about it. So now I have a few more experiences to write about.

The dollar man as he is affectionately called, the guy in the gray hoodie, is now at it non-stop. He comes up and says "Got an extra dollar? I need a dollar." And then he walks away. He's approached me several times on the same day. I think I am going to offer a dollar to him if he will allow me to take his photograph. Apparently he has been going on to the UNM campus and using the restrooms in the Art building. He stands in front of the sink, washing his hands in the hot water for about half an hour, while freaking everyone out. I know that the Campus Police have been called and the have done nothing because it is a public campus. Great. I'll be the first to write about it when something happens.

Then there is the woman with the tracheotomy. She is in her late 40's, maybe 50, wandering around asking for cigarettes or money. Now that is fucking awesome. You've got a hole in your throat but your asking for a cigarette.

And my new favorite is the guy on the cell phone. About two weeks ago, in front of the UNM bookstore, this guy was walking around, telling his story very loudly into his cell phone and this is how it went: "Yeah I can't find my dad. He has my wallet and my car is out of gas. I have to get gas so I can pick my daughter up from the hospital. She's been very ill." He then puts the phone against his chest to cover the mouth piece, to ask you for money. Well, about two days ago, I heard him tell the same fucking story, the same fucking way, in front of Saggios Pizza. When he asked me for money, I told him I heard that story about two weeks ago and then he yelled "Not from me". As I continued to walk away, I think he called me a dick which makes me even more thrilled that I did nothing for him.

I am just sick of it. Maybe I need to make it a photo project. Want a dollar? Sure. Let me take your picture.

The Credit Crunch Continues

It seems that Citibank, or CitiGroup is the next bank to take a massive loss after betting on consumer credit. Seems people are defaulting on their bank loans? Maybe this is the only way to pay for gas these days because Momma had to have the Chevy Suburban to run her 2.5 kids around. (Don't get me started on the SUV thing.)

Here's the article.

What more can I say? How much do you think the CEO of CitiGroup will get as a bonus?

(I'm in a writing mood so expect more later.)

The price of gas

This past Monday, the closest gas station to my house had a price increase of 8 cents. It went from $3.27 to $3.35.

I just went passed the place a few minutes ago and the price is now $3.45. Another 10 cents.

At what point should the government step in? At what point should the citizens revolt?

Should we wait for the next round of quarterly profit reports? Should we wait until milk and eggs are only for the upper class?

I heard an MSNBC reporter say that some people in government are thinking about revoking the federal gas tax, which is 18 cents per gallon. Great. That puts me back at $3.27 or what the price was 5 days ago. But how about taking away the billions the government (we the people) give to the oil companies in the form of tax breaks, even though they are reporting billions in profits?

Also on the news, the so-called experts are predicting $3.75 by Memorial Day and other experts are saying $4.00.

When is enough, enough?

Have a look at gaspricewatch.com

I am all for capitalism but when it cripples a country, the country and it's government must do something.

20 weeks

Amelia is now 20 weeks pregnant which is about half way there.

She looks great is doing really well. Her baby bump is really starting to show. It's pretty fantastic.

We still do not know that sex of the baby yet but we've decided on a few names.

And we're not telling anyone.

Hell Yeah! Edward Weston photograph sells for $1.6 million

This is very exciting. An Edward Weston photogragh sells for $1.6 million at Sotheby's.

So cool.

read more here.

Nitrous Oxide Haze Part Two

Yesterday was the second trip (of three) to the dentist.

I got there at 8:30am and left around 3 hours later.

He finished the root canal, implanted a titanium post, and then made a temporary mold for my new crown.

I've not had this much dental work in my entire life nor have I had this much nitrous before. I was in and out of sleep. Towards the end, I started to get real anxious. I could barely sit still in the chair. I was tapping the arm rest and pulling my legs up. Then I started to shake. And before leaving, I vomited in the restroom.

Luckily I live about 5 minutes from his office and came home and went straight to bed. It was a very long day for me, feeling like I had a massive hangover. Even today, I am still not feeling quite right. I'm sure I am just tired at this point. A little more couch time should do me right.

I have to go back in two weeks for the final visit where the crown is permanently attached. I am hoping that is a quick trip.

Missing Oaxaca

I was in Oaxaca Mexico for the month of June in 2005 and for some reason it keeps popping up in my head.

I'll write more when I get out of the darkroom.

I am printing some Iceland work.

Ansco Viking Readyset

So even though my darkroom problems continue, I bought another film camera. This is an Ansco Viking Readyset 6x9 folding camera.

It easily fits in a jacket pocket and is a very small travel companion. It uses 120 film and makes a 2.25" x 3.25" negative, just like my Fuji GSW690III.

I got it off of ebay to mess around with. It came with the original box and manual.

It is a very simple camera to use. No meter and simple operation. You select the distant of your subject (5-10 feet or 10 feet to infinity), then select the aperture (bright or haze) and then select the shutter speed (bulb or immediate). Simple.
It measures 6" long by 1.25" wide by 3.5" tall. Nice.

I shot a roll and will develop it in a bit. Should be interesting.

Preparing

Our first bit of baby clothing courtesy of Ellie. I told Josh that I was going to pin this to my ever present black t shirt and meet him for coffee. Should be fun.

Amelia just passed 19 weeks and all is well. I felt the baby kick for the first time on Saturday night. It was very cool. I am so looking forward to this.

Fraction Magazine

Josh and I finally got things moving with a plan of an online magazine.

Fraction Magazine will go live in May with the first issue.

We will feature photographers and their work as well as essays on photography.

The line up so far is looking pretty good with a decent number of New Mexico
artists and writers.

If you have any ideas for the magazine or want to be featured, let me know.

Todd Hido

Todd Hido is one of my favorite color photographers. His work stands apart from others in ways that are sometimes hard to explain.

This video shows him at work as well as Todd discussing what he does. It's about 10 minutes long and worth the time.

His website is here.

Canon's RC-1 Chip - what the ?

A shop in Sydney Australia was doing a repair on a 5D and came across a "chip" not listed in the repair diagrams. When the shop called Canon to find out what it was, they were sent packing. After a bit of digging, an internal memo had been found concerning Canon and this mystery chip.

Apparently it is called the RC1 chip (commonly known as the redundancy chip). DSLR manufactures began to build it into models in late 2005 but it is unclear whether it was fitted into all 5D's and if so, whether it is a Series I or II chip – Canon wont say or make any comment at all.

The Series I is designed to begin noise magnification and to turn off focus assist points when a new version of the model is released but the Series II used a much more aggressive program that turns off all camera functions on the release date of the new model.

Speculation is that Canon did in fact fit the chip into the 5D and that the latest 5D firmware upgrade from Canon has now primed the chip to trigger on the new model release date. On that day we will discover if this is true and just how many 5Ds will turn off and cease to function.

The Credit Crunch

I have, I mean had, two credit cards. Not a lot compared to most Americans.

The other day, I paid one off. It did not have a huge balance and I thought I no longer needed it. It wasn't getting points or any benefits, so I paid it off and then called to cancel it.

Well, it took 15 minutes on the phone with three different customer service reps to close the account, all of whom did not understand why I wanted to do this. They asked why I wanted it canceled and I told them. They offered a lower interest rate. I declined. They offered points. I declined. I just wanted the card canceled.

So the last guy, after asking me several times if I was sure I wanted to close the account, read me a long script about doing just that, closing the account. Blah blah blah. After reading the script, he finally said he would close the account.

Fuck! Just do it man. I want the account closed. It had a zero balance. Just close it.

Well, two weeks later I get a little note in the mail saying that it was finally closed.

The problem with Americans, and probably most of the planet, is that we keep buying shit we cannot afford. Hey, Mr. Average American, you can only afford a $100,000 house but we, The Great American Banking System, are going to give you a mortgage for $250,000, this way you can buy a bigger house. The payments will be low but you can afford it, nudge nudge, wink wink.

Hey, can't afford that new iPod? Fuck it, charge it!!!

Dying to have that new 60 inch flat panel Sony TV for $4000? Charge It!!! Who cares that it will be obsolete in 3 years but just imagine how nice the playstation (which you charged) will look on it.

Want a new car? Awesome!! The new car dealer can help you get out of the upside down loan from the last car you bought and get you into the car of your dreams. Bad credit? No problem. How many fucking times have you heard that?

We need to wake the fuck up. If you can't afford it, don't fucking buy it. Chances are you really don't need it anyway.

(side note: Congress needs to aggressively go after the credit card company executives in the same way these "executives" go after people, like college students, who can't afford their services. Enough with the hidden fees and unrealistic monthly payments. Enough with unrealistic credit.)

Problems with big business

Today, USB announce a $12 billion dollar first quarter loss, with a total loss of $37 billion in the last 9 months.

Then Germany's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank AG, announced a $4 billion dollar first quarter loss.

Read more here

Long live big banking!!!

Also, the Big Oil companies were in front of Congress today, saying there really isn't anything they can do to help the American people, even though they collectively had a $123 billion dollar profit last year. They also said they still need the ridiculous tax breaks for them to help develop new renewable energies.

When asked what Exxon has done to find new resources, they said Exxon has given $100 million to Stanford to study renewables. This is barely a dent in the $40 billion they made last year.

So where is the rest of the $40 billion profit going?

There is so much more to write but I have to figure out how to pay my huge bill from yesterdays visit to the dentist.

Long live capitalism!!