Monty Gee on the M-I-C from meech.one on Vimeo.

Video spotted on The Fightins.  Parade suggestion from: My Mom!

Monty Gee on the M-I-C raps his support for the Phillies – Big League Stew – MLB – Yahoo! Sports.

This photo made me think of: “A Million Miles Away” – The Plimsouls

This photo made me think of the Plimsouls, even though the song is about distant love, and this pic is about the distance betwen two people right next to each other.  Who is she really thinking of? Hmm.

Play while reading: “Mamma Mia” – Abba

I kill time by browsing craigslist for all the things I can’t get: Jobs, cameras, casual encounters. (Kidding). I’m not looking for those things per se, I’m just feast on distraction. But, it can be risky.

FOR INSTANCE:

I saw a post for a Mamiya 645E. No pics, $200. In Long Beach. Now there are so many things wrong with that. $200 is way too low. Look online and you’ll find people have purchased this medium-format film camera for $400-$1200 dollars. Plus, I’d never in a million go to Long Beach to buy something. I really couldn’t tell you why I replied to the ad. But, I did. I said something like “This is a fantastic price. Why are you selling? And, can I see pics. I’m in L.A. and I rarely get down to Long Beach, but I’m tempted.”

I got a fast reply with some very clear pics and an offer to drop it off in Santa Monica. Wow! They seemed really eager to dump the camera, so I was suspicious. But, I sent the pics to a friend of mine who knows a little something about Mamiya cameras. $200? Is this insane deal too good to be true? And, randomly enough my friend was actually acquainted with the seller! A wholehearted recommendation followed. All the stars aligned, known seller, insane price, delivered right to me.

A day later, it’s a deal that’s done.

So, just like that, I’m the proud owner of a professional medium-format film Mamiya 645E. I’m in over my head on it a little bit. What’s medium-format? It’s film that creates a larger image than 35mm. It’s great for a) vast landscapes, b) creating poster-sized prints with no grain. Great for glossy magazine covers also. c) Wider-than wide angle shots d) it takes a whole different kind of portrait than a 35mm or digital camera, due to how close you can get to the subject and still fit them in the frame. The angles are more more intimate. All these things intrigue me.

And this camera? The 645E?

It’s manual focus. it takes 120 film. It usually uses a tripod, though can be hand-held. It looks strange and badass. It costs more to get the film developed. It’s complex. I don’t have a bag for it.

Ahh! I’m overmatched! But, I’m excited by it.

The Rays want chinbeards? THEY CAN’T HANDLE THE CHINBEARD!

A few Joe Blanton items designed to please his biggest fans:

A great article on Joe & family: Blanton’s exploits thrilled parents, confidants – MLB – Yahoo! Sports.

The sweet homerun (Youtube will pull it soon) :

And after the jump, two bonus photos. One shows his eyes clearly open when he swung. He knew what he was doing.

(more…)

I just dropped off three rolls of black & white film at the shop. (Ilford) My aim in shooting black & white film is to present a photo such that the commenter will ask: “This is nice, but I’d love to see the color version. Could you post that too?” Thus allowing me to reply haughtily, “Ahem! This was black & white film. There is no color version,” aloud, while “You nimrod,” would be a silently implied afterthought.

Not really. I’m just trying to explore different avenues of photography. I’ll get the pics back in three days or so. I wasn’t even metering so I don’t know if anything will be worth sharing.

The above photo was shot in color on a digital camera. I decided afterwards that black & white was better for that portrait. The technical term for that process is “cheating.” I’ll never leave digital behind, but it’s fun to try new old things.

While at the shop, I picked up two rolls of Kodak Tri-X black & white film. A grizzly ASA 400 film with a documentary look. A friend once said that “Tri-X looks like a Marshall amp sounds.” I have heard of people buying Tri-X by the crate. Sounds like fun!

When times are hard, we look for clues. Clues about the escape route, the treasure map, the method to slay the beast. We seek these clues in the usual places. Or, we don’t look for clues at all. Sometimes clues find us. Every morning, I need to imagine a new reason to get out of bed, seek the treasure. Here’s a clue:

As luck would have it, (or, is it habit?), I found myself looking at photographs taken by a stranger. This time around, an empty and whited time like any other, I saw a plaintive photo among hundreds of other photos, a matter-of-fact image of an old grave with an old name;

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

It’s a name that carries some weight, three names actually, signifying Historical Importance of a High Order. Of course, it’s a name not unfamiliar and, of course, most famous to amateur speechwriters everywhere as the source of many inspiring aphorisms that leap off the pages of your favorite catalog of famous quotations.

Emerson sure could turn a phrase. Hell, I unwittingly cited him with my high school yearbook quote, pulled from Bartlett’s, perhaps:

Whoso would be a man, would be a nonconformist.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ta daa! Profound, yeah? Suits me.

And, for years, Emerson was just that; a clever name. A name that when dropped, lends the speaker the gravitas of One Who Has Read. Of course, nobody I know has actually read Emerson.  Somewhere down the line, however, I did the unthinkable. I actually did.

I picked up Emerson’s Essays at a second-hand paperback shop. My copy has the single ugliest most unreadable cover in the history of visual design — something I take a perverse pleasure in owning.

To read Emerson takes some time. You must dive in to the deep end and immerse yourself in an old prosaic style that takes some getting used to. For me, whiskey speeds this process nicely*. When you break through, Emerson can hurt you. He will call out your foibles and failings and show them to you. But, within that you can find pure inspiration. The reason Emerson is in so many quote books is that he inspired so many, who citied him, and thus inspired others, thus trickling down to be mere caricature, a footnote. But, there is real meat to Emerson. I read and I got it. But, it was a long time ago. It feels like another life.

This is what I was reminded of when I saw the photograph of his final resting place.  And, therein is the clue.

Chief among Emerson’s work, for me, is the essay Self-Reliance. You could run off and read it, but keep in mind my admonition that you need to acclimate yourself to his prose. Im fact, just for now, let’s do what so many have done and distill him to a quote. For me, the ultimate quote:

Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none. It is not without preestablished harmony, this sculpture in the memory. The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray.

There it is; a mere handful of words that have kept me going in dark times such as these. You may find it dense, dry, or powerful. In any case, let me dive in and break it down:

Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on him, and another none.

What Emerson is saying here is that when you see something interesting, it means something. Your point of view, your eye, has intrinsic value.

It is not without preestablished harmony, this sculpture in the memory.

He means that it’s all part of a piece. Your take on the world is part of the world. Your ideas are part of what make the world what it is.

The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray.

This line has moved me to tears on not a few occasions. Even as I write about it now, it is with a tight and urgent excitement. (I take a deep breath) Not only is your vision meaningful, it is also unique and necessary. You have to be there to see what you see. And, you have to bear witness, in whatever way you know how; Write, take pictures, tell stores, give hugs, smile, clean houses, fix tacos, till the earth, have children. Testify! Your story, your life is the testament to a the way the heavens have aligned just for you. Only then is the harmony of life complete.

Now, go and read the essay. Understand it, I hope, or don’t. When I feel I can never take another picture, when I feel I can’t rise from my pillow, this is why I can.

* in actuality, may increase the level of difficulty

Outro:”Sound System” – Operation Ivy

Play this: “Get Busy” – The Roots

Thank you Jimmy Rollins for putting the Dodger crowd on their heels a bit — the ones that showed up, I mean. From my field level seats, I could easily see over a dozen seats in my section alone that were no-shows for the entire game. But, the fans that did show were hardcore, and I give them a lot of credit for cheering hard the whole game. What a game! I’m unable to bring my writerly skills to bear on it, except for maybe the title I picked for the photo above:

Dodger Fans Tried To Rally Their Team, But the Clouds Turned Philadelphia Crimson and Foretold the Outcome as the Phillies Were Ultimately Victorious

Late in the game, Andre Ethier hurled a ball at our section from a great distance, and it was headed right directly, so perfectly, into my hand — but the guy in the Garciaparra jersey in front of me stretched out and put his hand right into mine and deflected the ball off to the right. Thanks, Nomah!

Now, here’s some bonus crappy video of the final out.

Play it: “Winners Take All” – Aesop Rock

The MLB Playoffs mean way more photogs assigned to cover each game. I was at the Phillies win on Monday night. Quite a tense experience, I can say. I can’t say it was completely fun. For 7 innings, I was the lone red hat in a sea of blue and my team was losing.  I was alone and dejected. Then, when my team took the lead and won, I was alone and a target! But, I survived.

In the post-game searches I thought these four photos were particularly inspiring.

• Matt Stairs’ homer from behind home plate
• Brad Lidge punchin’ suckas out
• Matt Stairs gettin’ mobbed in the dugout
• Manny’s helmet

Other blogs would just steal the photos. I’ll link to them, because they’re commercial. And, I respect the image.

“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon

I just wanted to make sure nobody at all missed my favorite NFL player’s wondrous miscue. His name is Dan Orlovsky, and he’s a backup QB for the worst team in the league. Greatest player ever!. Ever? Seriously, are all Orlo(v)skys really absent-minded? Is it a genetic thing? This is so brutal.

YouTube – Dan Orlovsky Safety “Dumbest QB Ever!!” Lions vs. Vikings.