WPII: Pictures in Public

Contemplation

2011-04-05T15:44:00.000-04:00

Washington Depot, CT

Another Opening

2011-04-04T06:00:00.007-04:00

Washington Depot, CT

It's always good to see little kids brought to artists' openings, especially when they get caught up in the work.

Another From "Invisible New Yorkers" Exhibit

2011-04-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Lakeville, CT

More from "Invisible New Yorkers"

2011-04-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

Lakeville, CT

A few more pictures from the opening of Angel Franco's exhibit at the Tremaine Gallery of The Hotchkiss School. There was a lot of interaction between the viewers and the pictures on the walls.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 10

2011-04-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

FINIS for this year.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 9

2011-03-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 8

2011-03-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

New Haven, CT

Police presence.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 7

2011-03-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

New Haven, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 6

2011-03-28T06:00:00.005-04:00

New Haven, CT

Himself.

Two Photographers

2011-03-27T06:00:00.009-04:00

Lakeville, CT

Bill Eppridge and Angel Franco at the Tremaine Gallery opening of Franco's exhibit "Invisible New Yorkers," 3/26/11.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 5

2011-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

New Haven, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 4

2011-03-25T16:04:00.000-04:00

New Haven, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 3

2011-03-25T06:47:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

Preparing to march, a group from "Midsummer Fantasy Renaissance Faire."

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 2

2011-03-24T16:15:00.005-04:00

New Haven, CT

Last minute practice session.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, New Haven, 1

2011-03-24T06:00:00.012-04:00

New Haven, CT

Sometimes the action behind the scenes, waiting for the parade to begin, is more interesting than the parade itself.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 8

2011-03-23T16:15:00.011-04:00

Hartford, CT

This notion of carrying around a life-size poster may be a one-up or a trend I'm not aware of. Either way I've never seen it before, with or without a parade all around.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 7

2011-03-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

Guest Post: AIPAD Notes

2011-03-22T16:15:00.022-04:00

And now for something completely different. A guest blog post by Lyle Allan:

New York, NY

I agree with your comments posted March 20th. I tend to take the show in small pieces over 3 days. That said, I had the time to find some hidden gems by favorite photographers that I hadn't seen before (Strand at Andy Smith's, and an Adams that I hadn't seen at Greenberg). And then there are the photographers that I always enjoy seeing and feel don't get enough exposure (Gilpin, for example, again at Smith's). And new prints such as Salgado's landscapes (at Fedderman) w/ 35mm - brilliant! Yes, I saw some terrible prints, a "Half Dome" for example. And yet, the gallery I am associated with, Wach Gallery, had a superb display of Adam's master works. I think that the reason we are seeing uneven prints and may I say, 'minor' prints, is that most of the prime work is now in private hands or museums and we are starting to see the secondary things coming to market.

Then I ran into some prints by Drtikol. Yes, a photographer I know, but not in any great depth so these finds are always fun to see. And then there are the 'academic' questions that can be asked. I saw Tice's "Petit's Mobil" in 20x24 platinum (at Alexander) vs. an 8x10 silver at Nichols. How does process affect the image? How does size? [I preferred the silver version of Tice's iconic print (cw)].
Speaking of size, yes BIG is in. And not just digital, I didn't see any new, small platinum/palladium prints. It seems like every pt/pd printer, including myself, presented large prints (16x20 to 30x40) from digital negatives.

I asked about the recessed framing. It seems that mounting large digital prints on aluminum is the preferred method if the prints are going be moved around and displayed in a large crowd (yes, I saw folks actually touching photographs) and the mounting on aluminum in a recessed frame is the easy way to pull this off. [The preferred material appears to be Dibond®—think foam board with the outside paper layers replaced by aluminum, and think of prices upwards from $150 for a 4x8 foot sheet (cw)]. I also happen to like the look! Also talked about was that face mounting to plexi is now starting to go out of style as questions about permanence are being asked.

If your readers have a chance to go to AIPAD next year, I would encourage it. Lots of things to see and think about. Just wear some good shoes, the floors at the Armory are nasty!

(Photographs by CW)

War Anniversary Demonstration

2011-03-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

Litchfield, CT

For years the small town—and county seat—of Litchfield, CT, was the venue for a persistent group of demonstrators staging quiet but determined protests each Sunday beginning with the start of the Iraq war in 2003. After a brief absence from the green, the group announced a resumption of demonstrations this past Sunday, the anniversary of that 2003 invasion. It is also the second day of "Coalition" military action in Libya. About 30 demonstrators showed up, most of them veterans of decades-long protest activity.

I have photographed here before and many of the faces were familiar (and several people recognized me, or maybe my cameras).

When I covered the protests by this group in the past (if you're curious search on "demonstrations" in the label list at this blog and at WP) there usually were counter—pro war—demonstrators present, generally at about one fifth the number of anti, or less. None were there Sunday.

In earlier protests I noticed that they had many positive responses from drivers going by the Town Green, and very little negative response. But this time, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Someone in a Hummer blasted the horn and showed a thumbs-up while his passenger flashed the peace sign. Someone in a Hummer? Farmers and tradesmen, working on Sunday as they do seven days a week, drove by in their diesel pickup trucks and sounded their horns. That didn't happen before. During an hour and a half, I only twice heard a driver yell something incomprehensible, but presumably negative, at the group. Is something changing at the small town, local level, even if nothing changes in DC? Maybe.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 6

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hartford, Connecticut

Some Snaps from AIPAD

2011-03-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

New York, NY

I spent Friday afternoon at the AIPAD photography dealers' show. There's an enormous amount of work on display, something like 77 different dealer booths with anywhere from a few to dozens of pictures in each. I'm not a reviewer but I'll make a couple of observations. As always the work on display was split between vintage and contemporary, with a smaller selection of modern printings of older work. The vintage material tended to be everybody's Greatest Hits, with prints of highly variable quality. A few gems, but others of quite poor quality. I didn't have any, "Wow, I've never seen that Koudelka before," experiences, though someone dedicated enough to spend all four days of the show digging through the bins and looking at every nook and cranny of wall space might well find a few.

Contemporary work leaned heavily to the Conceptual—pictures about the artist's ideas rather than observations of the world. This just seems to be what is "in" at the moment. Big is also in. Really, really BIG is even more IN. Digital prints appear to have nearly universal acceptance and present no impediment to high asking prices.

With notable exceptions, presentations tended toward simplicity. With contemporary prints of all sizes the dominant presentation is a self-bordered (wide or narrow) print in a floating, recessed, frame. Since I happen to like and use this type of presentation for my digital prints at least I'm in style on that, even if out of step with Conceptualist tendencies. Vintage prints are still almost universally presented in wide bevel-edge over-mats and simple frames.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 5

2011-03-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 4

2011-03-18T06:00:00.005-04:00

Hartford, CT

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 3

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

Not all tattoos are real. Maybe it's about being Irish for a day.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 2

2011-03-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hartford, Connecticut

"Protecting Democracy" is what it says on the rear fender of the police cruiser.

SPD (St. Patrick's Day) 2011, Hartford, No. 1

2011-03-15T06:00:00.009-04:00

Hartford, CT

Let's talk on 5/22/11

2011-03-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

New Haven, Connecticut

The combination of St. Patrick's Day parades and some political events have made a change. This blog, recently declared dormant but filled with interesting old stuff, suddenly has lots of new stuff to show. Stay tuned.

detail

Hat

2010-12-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Guess?

2010-12-09T06:00:00.007-05:00

New York, NY

Flag and Cab

2010-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Tagged Truck

2010-12-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

New York, NY

STELLA ARTOIS

2010-12-06T07:26:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Under Covers

2010-12-05T07:22:00.001-05:00

New York, NY

Metro

2010-12-04T13:14:00.002-05:00

New York, NY

Wollman Skating Rink

2010-12-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

There's something about the way the tall buildings loom over the edges of Central Park that never fails to fascinate me. Add in the endlessly varied patterns made by the movement ice skaters and you can't help but find something interesting.

GET LACOSTE

2010-12-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Mezzanine, Time/Warner Building

2010-12-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

New York, NY

Micro Lights in a Micro Park

2010-12-02T17:26:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

This pocket part in midtown is minimal enough to be considered barren, but somehow the minimalist holiday decorations both fit, and improve. Maybe they should leave them up all year round.

Central Park

2010-12-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

SCIENTOLOGY

2010-12-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

FAST RETAILING

2010-12-01T06:00:00.004-05:00

New York, NY

MOMA, The Sculpture Garden...

2010-11-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

...from the sidewalk.

IN

2010-11-30T06:55:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Across the street from The Russian Tea Room.

Picture Takers

2010-11-29T16:15:00.009-05:00

New York, NY

Quality Meats

2010-11-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Is Fur Back in Style?

2010-11-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

New York, NY

Foggy Morning at the Transfer Station

2010-11-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

Woodbury, CT

Stack of Flags

2010-11-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

Naugatuck, Connecticut

Another from Veterans Day.

Train Window Reflections

2010-11-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

Metro North, Westchester County, NY

Dynamite Angel, III

2010-11-17T14:52:00.001-05:00

Marbledale, CT

Dynamite Angel, II

2010-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Marbledale, CT

Dynamite Angel, I

2010-11-15T06:00:00.003-05:00

Marbledale, CT

A new store celebrated its opening Saturday night, offering "pre-loved & dangerously cute" clothing and accessories. The celebrants fit in well with the decor.

Veterans Day, VIII (Hartford again)

2010-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hartford, CT

Veterans Day, VII

2010-11-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

New Milford, CT

Veterans Day, VI

2010-11-12T06:00:00.003-05:00

New Milford, CT

Wednesday evening there were some very different Veterans Day activities on the Village Green of New Milford. The VFW Ladies Auxiliary's Candlelight for a Veteran campaign set out luminaries around the green, each with a veteran's name.

At the same time the Roger Sherman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution staged a ceremony at the newly restored Civil War Memorial on the Green.

Veterans Day, V

2010-11-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hartford, CT

Veterans Day, IV

2010-11-10T06:00:00.033-05:00

Hartford, CT

Often I find more interest in what goes on before the parade, as groups line up, practice, and sometimes put up with interminable waiting. This parade, held last Sunday, was a big one in terms of participants. It took about two and half hours for all the marchers to pass the reviewing stand in downtown Hartford. But the spectator crowds were sparse, more people marching that watching.

Marching bands often go in for splendid, elaborate uniforms, but the group in the next picture had about the lowest tech outfits you could imagine. Black pants, gray sweatshirt, purple beret. What you see on the float behind the band members is a fighter jet engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, a local company.

Veterans Day, III

2010-11-09T06:00:00.005-05:00

Hartford, CT

Veterans Day, II

2010-11-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

Hartford, CT

Veterans Day, I

2010-11-08T07:03:00.000-05:00

Hartford, CT

Punch Bowl

2010-11-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Roxbury, Connectiuct

Can't have an opening without.

Palm Springs

2010-11-06T06:00:00.021-04:00

Waterbury, CT

Years ago, Bill Pierce mentioned to me that he'd always wanted to work up a book project where he'd get his vast array of photographer friends to contribute, "Hey Mister! Take my picture!" shots. Most of these would be of kids, but plenty would show grown ups.

Hooker Day Parade, VII (Finis)

2010-11-05T06:00:00.010-04:00

Hartford, CT

The parade ended, fittingly enough, at The Pour House. A trailer from the Thomas Hooker Brewery brought up the tail of the procession.

Hooker Day Parade, VI

2010-11-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hartford, CT

Hooker Day Parade, V

2010-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

There was a birthday cake for the city's 375th.

Where's the Dragon?

2010-11-02T06:00:00.046-04:00

Hartford, CT

If you've ever been to a Chinese New Year's celebration, or just seen one on TV or in a movie, you will have been impressed by the wonderful optical/experiential illusion of The Dragon Dance. The flimsy, mostly paper, "dragon," wielded by a long line of people weaving and bobbing, can become utterly convincing. You see the dragon, not the people animating it.

Well, Hartford's Hooker Day Parade has its own version of this. If The Dragon Dance is a kind of exercise in perceptual minimalism, HDP has the reductio ad absurdam of that. Two groups danced the one mile parade route with 18-inch wide carpet runners, making all the moves. No dragon head. No lovely paper scales down the length of the serpent's body. Just a couple of ratty carpet remnants. Thing is, it still worked, kinda...

Cemetery Tour, II

2010-11-01T11:00:00.010-04:00

Washington, CT

Cemetery Tour, I

2010-10-31T11:00:00.003-04:00

Washington, Connecticut

We interrupt the Hooker Day Parade for some more current Halloween pictures. Friday evening the Gunn Memorial Museum in Washington, CT, held its third annual tour of the Washington Green Cemetery. Costumed guides led visitors on an hour-long tour, "where the town's departed citizens [are] stationed by their gravestones to tell their tales."

Hooker Day Parade, IV

2010-10-30T12:15:00.022-04:00

Hartford, CT

Remember The Clams? The surfer band that doesn't sing, but is accompanied by Go-Go dancers? We encountered them at Brazen Betties Block Party a while back. I really wasn't surprised to find them out in force at the Hartford parade.

Hooker Day Parade, III

2010-10-29T13:59:00.011-04:00

Hartford, CT

Eclectic might be a good description.

Hooker Day Parade, II

2010-10-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

The Hooker Day Parade bills itself as "zany," but the terms home-made and low-tech might apply equally well. There was one carefully costumed high school band, but the rest of the marchers were a motley, and proud of it.

Hooker Day Parade, I

2010-10-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

No, it's not what you think. The parade is in honor of Thomas Hooker, the leader of the settlers of Hartford, Connecticut's state capital. The parade was first held in 1991, was discontinued in 2001, and then revived in 2008 by a local business association. This year's parade celebrates Hartford's 375th anniversary. That's Hartford's mayor, Pedro Segarra, above, portraying Rev. Hooker. The marchers show a mix of pilgrim/colonial and Halloween themes.

Hartford, CT

Discarded

2010-10-12T14:30:00.005-04:00

Waterbury, CT

FORD

2010-10-11T17:38:00.000-04:00

Woodbury, CT

The series from the "Swamp" rally at the state capital is finished. I think I will post somewhat related, randomly encountered, subjects for a while. Maybe not daily, but probably close.

"Drain the Swamp Rally," VII

2010-10-10T14:30:00.012-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," VI

2010-10-09T14:30:00.010-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," V

2010-10-08T14:30:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," IV

2010-10-07T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," III

2010-10-06T14:30:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," II

2010-10-05T14:30:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

"Drain the Swamp Rally," I

2010-10-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

Last Saturday several hundred people turned up for a rally on the grounds of Connecticut's state capital, in Hartford. The organizers were a number of groups associated with the "Tea Party Movement" and most of the speakers during the two hour event were running for political office. Each speaker was invariably introduced as a True Conservative and Real Patriot. They denounced generally all incumbents, but especially the "communists and socialists" they assert are running Washington, DC. A theme that every speaker seemed to stress was that to fix the dire condition of the state and nation, they wanted to cut government, and cut all non-defense spending. As though economic problems have nothing to do with funding the military industrial complex, or fighting two (going on three) foreign wars.

The audience seemed to have a broader range of concerns, though all expressed from an extremist right wing viewpoint. For the next few days I'll post pictures from the event and let the slogans on the signs and T-shirts speak for themselves.

Brazen Betties, V

2010-04-25T06:00:00.003-04:00

Torrington, CT

The block party continued with an instrumental "surfer band," complete with go-go dancers. The band was called The Clams, because, "we don't sing."

Brazen Betties IV

2010-04-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

Torrington, CT

The local art association, Art Well, participated by making space available for "pinup inspired art" and here's some of it.

Brazen Betties Fashion Show, III

2010-04-23T06:47:00.003-04:00

Torrington, CT

Brazen Betties Fashion Show, II

2010-04-22T06:00:00.003-04:00

Torrington, CT

As always, you can view a larger version of the picture by clicking in the image. Use your browser's back button to return.

Brazen Betties Fashion Show, I

2010-04-21T10:50:00.006-04:00

Torrington, CT

Tax Day Rallies, VIII

2010-04-17T16:15:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

Tax Day Rallies, VII

2010-04-17T12:15:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

Tax Day Rallies, VI

2010-04-17T06:00:00.003-04:00

Hartford, CT

The Capital Police Force estimated the Hartford crowd at 1,200. That seems a bit generous to me. I pegged it at more like 900, but I can't claim any special training in crowd estimation. Most of the speakers for over two hours spent part of their time defending against anticipated criticism of, "the movement," as radical, racist, extremist, or stupid. They dislike all of these categorizations, except perhaps "radical" which some at least seem to be adopting as a badge of honor. But one strong-voiced middle-aged man, waving his hand broadly over the crowd, declared "look at this diversity!"

I was stunned. I'd been looking for non-white faces. I'd seen fewer than a dozen. Three black people including the young man above, twice that many of Asian heritage. The final speaker was a local businessman who told his story of coming from Puerto Rico with nothing, to make a success at the American dream. He emphatically identified himself as not an Hispanic-American, but as an American of Hispanic ancestry.

Tax Day Rallies, V

2010-04-16T16:15:00.002-04:00

Hartford, CT

Tax Day Rallies, IV

2010-04-16T12:15:00.003-04:00

Hartford, CT

Click on any picture for a larger, more legible view. Use your browser's back button to return.

Tax Day Rallies, III

2010-04-16T07:00:00.003-04:00

Hartford, CT

New Milford, CT

Tax Day Rallies, II

2010-04-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

Hartford, CT

Uncivil Discourse

2010-04-15T12:13:00.005-04:00

New Milford, CT

Tax Day rally. Click on the pictures for a closer look.

Paddy's Day 2010, XIII

2010-03-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

New Haven, CT

Paddy's Day 2010, XII

2010-03-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

Paddy's Day 2010, XI

2010-03-21T16:15:00.009-04:00

New Haven, CT

This year's St. Patrick's Day celebration in New Haven was low-key compared to last year. The weather certainly had something to do with the small crowds and subdued mood, but there was another reason. The police had launched a high-profile publicity campaign promising to enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy regarding public drinking. Take a look at my pictures from last year's celebrations in several Connecticut cities, starting here, and you'll understand what a sea-change that represents. The rowdy celebration is such a tradition I wondered if there would be resistance or protest, but saw no sign of it. The bars were all open, but the coolers and cases were gone and almost nobody ventured onto the sidewalk with an alcoholic beverage in hand.

Paddy's Day 2010, X

2010-03-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

Paddy's Day 2010, IX

2010-03-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

New Haven, CT

Paddy's Day 2010, VIII

2010-03-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

New Haven, CT

The rain got worse as the 1:00 PM parade start time came closer.