2.27.08

I am so close to the end of this project and I really have had an amazing time. We have two photographs left to create and we are bunkered down here in illustrious* Panama City. The great Jason Hamric has been my assistant and Chatham Hellmers has been my go to girl on style and both have really done a great job doing what they do and making my life much more sane than perhaps it should be.
 
There are so many photos I can’t wait to post but I feel a great need for the final product to run before I post any I feel are major contenders for the final selections. I have photographed people who are helping the world via ecological activism, educational and health mentoring, the arts, the lovely world of animals, and on and on. I’ll post some favorite electric lion shots soon. I can’t wait to get these images up though. I am proud of them.

*illustrious = gross

2.11.08

Here are some favorites from the electric lion project I’ve been working on. Soon I’ll be revamping the layout with illustrations by the gloriously talented Julia Heglund.

what and how i am shooting its pretty obviously all over the board and i actually really like defaulting to variety. i had thought about trying to shoot in a specific way (as in, only one camera, or only black and white, or something limiting like that) but i decided against it and its been a nice “free” factor in such a structured project. forty-two days down, lots to go.

1.19.08

Electric Lion
 
I have started a new blog that is apart from this website that has a simple goal of making me shoot and post every day this year. I tend to go through droughts at times when I am either really busy or really idle during which I pretty much don’t shoot and that seems a) easily fixable and b) kind of inexcusable. My remedy for this is to create this blog that basically gives me similar restrictions as Paleo had on his Song Diary.
 
It will be updated daily (see the rules) and I’ll try to update the images over here every week or so. Also I’ll note that as of this posting the design is still VERY under construction and will get better.
 
Here is the first entry from the electric lion blog.
 

so today i join the uncountable myriad of camera owners who have set forth to post / shoot a photo every day. to try to create a work worthwhile every single day. to follow in the footsteps of giants. to try to do with photographs what emily dickinson did with poems, what suzan-lori parks did with plays, what paleo did for songs. i’m not trying to go out every day and create the world’s greatest photo and i’m certainly not trying to post an image for the sake of doing so. if i can achieve a small part of what david strackany managed over his year long project then i will be beyond elated. i will try to learn from his example, actually. i was lucky enough to witness his journey first hand and get direct insight from him as to how he saw his work and, in a small way, what it meant to him. in short, i will attempt to create something every day and let it stand by itself and not go back an re-edit or have doubts about it later. at the end of the year i hope to have something that ..well..i guess just is SOMETHING. something that has been consistent and hopefully improved over time.
 
to give myself structure, i will be giving myself a loose set of rules in which to operate.
 
1_ i must take a photo on any given day
2_ the photo i post for a given day does not necessarily have to be the one taken that day
3_ if the photo for the day is shot film, i can post a place-holder text entry that gives insight into what should be expected to appear once the film is returned and post-processed.
4_ the goal is to keep making photographs in a classic manner, but new ideas should not be written off. that is, i can experiment, so long as it isn’t some horrid gimmick.
5_ if for some reason i have no access to the internet, i am not excused for a post for that day.
6_ if a day is missed (ie not photo is taken on that day (rule one, most important)) the project is over.
7_ self portraits are kind of a cop-out, but will pass. creative, abstract, or meta-portrait attempts are encouraged, but i guess not 100% required.
8_ enjoy the process, push yourself, don’t be an asshole.
 
so there we go.
 
day one was me on my scooter driving to Bryan’s house. here is bryan and ashley’s kid Noah, whom i call Karl (after Karl Pilkington, as they look the same. long story.)

 
Here is Day 001 (Noah) and several favorites of my first 19 days.
 

12.23.07

The studio has shifted around a bit over the last three years and I thought I’d give a glimpse into the people who are around in my direct area these days. We started quite humbly about three years ago all in one office in my loft downtown and as we’ve grown we have had Bryan move down the hall (seriously like 45 feet away), Jason has added a full-time assistant, and I have moved into a separate office from them and then added my friend Garrett to our place for a little company. Garrett, though not a photographer, does prove to be a wonderful person to have around on a number of levels, so we are very happy to have him around.

So…

Here is Jason “trying to look like” me, which to him apparently means having his hood up on his sweatshirt and looking a bit sour / grizzled.

Alan, who is Jason’s full-time guy, is a super solid shooter himself and an all-around great person to have on hand at any given moment. In fact I just got back from having coffee with him, but that’s sort of unimportant.

And Garrett. Ahhhh Garrett. Day-trader and life guru, he brings a lot of happiness to our 80 square feet of the studio. Come on…look at this guy…

Another new element to my days as late is a recent addition to the neighborhood called Urban Standard. The people there are as warm as the coffee (which, incidentally comes from local roasters Primavera Coffee Roasters)and the food is nothing short of outstanding (note: try the cupcakes) and they have a special extra bonus for me, as well. My friend Luke works there which means not only do I get to see new friends there (everyone who works there kicks ass) but I also get to be graced by his scottish glow.

11.27.07

Speaking of talented musicians in my life, I present Chip Kilpatrick. He shares the stage with Taylor in The Great Book of John and Wild Sweet Orange and remains one of the most skilled, entertaining drummers I know. His wife, Marti, is pregnant and I cannot wait to see what kind of kid they have. I mean that to say, I wonder what the personality and quirks of this child will be. It is sure to be original and weird–but the best kind of weird.

11.23.07

Music can move me like not a lot of other things and I really have been fortunate to have so many outstanding musicians in my immediate circle of friends, one of which is Taylor Shaw. Taylor is in at least two bands but is the front man for one of my favorite bands I have heard (not an exaggeration) that goes by the moniker The Great Book of John, its name taken from the song Angel of Death by good ole Hank Williams. (Incidentally, Hank Williams reminds me, pretty much always, of the film The Shawkshank Redemption)
 
Taylor, Bekah, Alex, and Chip make some seriously good music and have just put two tracks from their forthcoming album on their [previously linked] myspace page. I’ve been working with them in various ways on the album and had a quick session with Taylor this passed Wednesday and came out with this polaroid I’m really excited about. It may actually change the direction we go with for album presentation. Er, they go with. What I know is I’ll be grabbing the other three band mates to complete the series.
 
 
Look for their album in the next couple of months.

11.18.07

Alright so I’ve been working on a few things and haven’t gotten a ton of stuff posted here but hopefully I’ll get that changed up very soon. For now, two things:

First, I got to hang out with Azurae and Danny a few days ago over in Atlanta when Tori Amos played at the Fox. At one point Matt, Jon, and Dan were walking around being harassed a bit by someone who called himself Homeless Joe who was treating them to his personal live-on-location radio show. I like to pretend that they are in a band together with Joe at the helm instead of Tori.
 

 
Secondably*, Whiskerino 2007 started on the first day of November. What this means in short is I have no facial hair. Or, had no facial hair. You see, everyone who participates has to start with a clean shaven face and cannot cut their beard for four months. Given I’ve had my beard more or less since 2001, four months doesn’t really seem like a real challenge. The real challenge came in actually shaving my face. It was weird and awkward and I do not suggest it at all. For serious. Nonetheless, I am 18 days in and the beard is on it’s way back and I am so so so ready for it. Here is me at day 15 (below, taken by Jason). To keep up with my progress, click here. Also, Alan Barton is participating as well and most days we take each other’s photo for the site..
 

*This word is awesome. Do not argue.

11.5.07

So my friends Angie and Felix were in town this weekend so we hung out some and took a few photos for fun. I am really excited to shoot their wedding this coming May in Key West. Heck yeah. Best part–my transportation in Key West is going to be a scooter! They know how to make me feel at home.
 
 
Anyway..they are both seriously hot, so my job should be easy.
 

10.19.07

Preston Lovinggood (with Coltrane) at the home of Eliot Morris.
 

9.26.07

A few more shots from my recent trip to see my sis. 
 
Featuring the one the only Rob Culpepper 

9.24.07

Ahh vacation. I had the pleasure of hanging out with my sister recently and basically just relaxing around New York. I don’t do that well–take a vacation I mean–so it was nice to have Nicole enforce a no-work rule on me. I even got to hang out with Rob who just recently made the move (and will be living in Alphabet City, if I’m not mistaken). Two and a half things of note: 
 

• I finally went to Central Park (I may have been before but I don’t recall it)
• Finally went to Coney Island
• [the .5] I visited the 5th Ave Apple Store (aka Macca)

 
Anyway here are some snaps from the trip (and maybe some words) 
 

 
My sister, Nicole at Coney Island 

 
(You can’t quite tell in the Journal post, but the girl is looking back at me) 

 
Best. Crepe. In years. 
 

 
and this amazing lady 
 

9.17.07

I took a bit of vacation to come up to visit my sister and it has really just been fantastic.  
 
Finally! Weather I approve of. Yesterday’s climate was as custom-designed-for-me as it could get, at least in New York. I have high hopes for autumn, really. 
 
But the point of this post is about David Andrew Strackany once again. That’d be the guy who plays music under the name Paleo. After a few months of setting into the body of work and even posting a huge chunk of images from the tour on the last day thereof, I am finally posting a few of the images in a series. 
 
It took so long mostly because a) it really is a ton of photographs to sort through in tons of places and situations, and b) the goal of the series was to do my best to illustrate such a vast, vast, vast fortune project in a concise visual unit. Really tough.  
 
If you are interested in knowing a bit about what is going on, be sure to check out the Image Notes at the top of the image (where applicable). 
 
For more on Paleo, check out his website or his myspace. 
 
 
View the Series

8.22.07

Yet another photographer friend here in Birmingham, observe Alan Barton, who apparently likes to squint. There was a huge futbol match recently and he came decked out for FCB (Barcelona) and seriously wore the scarf the whole day. The others are from a day recently when several of us went a few blocks down the street where Jason is looking to buy a place to create a new studio / creative workplace for people in a number of professions related to ours.