Saturday, June 07, 2003

Oops.

Sorry, Poo - Happy belated.

Much luv

Joe


On last nights episode

Fred had the suspicion I dont talk about most things that happen to me.

Of course I dont.
Thats for the books, not the blog.

Really tho, it has more to do with people I meet than the things that happen..

F'rinstance, last night - I figured Id be out of I-net range. And so I was.

Well, lets just say I was graced by the company of all night of an Oakland Bus Driver, as I rode the bus far from the original direction I had intended, after being rousted by UC Berkeley cops for being on school property (they were polite). Long story, wayyyy less dramatic than it sounds.

The driver and the passengers who joined in on our free-ranging conversations were far more interesting.
(Points covered: Why people of color are sooo subdued in Berkeley to the point of invisibility, where the real money and control is in the Bay Area - hint: take a look at why the biggest industries in the bay area is the non-profit arena and construction - , the history of Oakland from the black perspective, why no one actually fits in in the Bay Area and the life of a former college and pro-level basketball player now bus driver who enjoyed 2 years of his playing days in Manila the Philippines, and why he would go back there in a heartbeat.)

Oh yeah, and he bought me a coffee and a donut.

No sleep, but an interesting ride.

Stuff like this happens everyday around here.

Coming up on today's episode...

No idea, but it should be interesting.

-----
Oh yeah.

And the driver felt I will be happy.

Cool. I think he knows of whence he speaks.








Friday, June 06, 2003

Dont look at them, look INTO them

Sometimes I'll
notice things, and then I'll puzzle on how to deal with it, until it all becomes an unconscious reflex.

For this exercise, lets assume we're talkin' photgraphically.

Im still learning and grappling with compressing distance and depth into one shot (zoom), and macros, but after many, many months Ive gotten more familiar with them , so I can noodle around without thinking too much.

Now, its reflective surfaces. Taking pictures of reflections.

Fred calls it an Art Student exercise, emblematic of stereotypical and cliched approaches..

But.

There is something subtle about capturing sights and images in reflections, that.. I dont know.. intrigues me.

The hard, bright light of Cali, as well as the car culture here - with the often gleaming surfaces of their vehicles, is giving my idle eye food for thought.

Something'll often immediately attract my attention, then I have to LOOK, and try not lose it amont the distractions of the foreground.

Then I have to tease it out.

Its as if Im training my eyes to see, from another perspective. Maybe only interesting to me, but a nice noodle to chew on.

Im not even sure what it is exactly Im trying to achieve (or trying to say), but it seems promising.

Its a reflective pursuit.

















































(dont be distracted by the chrome, look at the gas tank..)





















































But Im still not sure what Im looking for....
------
Now, go back and look at them again.