April 04
4/30/04
11pm- Talked to the new landlords tonight. We're getting the keys tomm. morning and they will buy us the paint we want for the place. We figure moving day will be May 22nd. Since we have this place rented through May we can do this in stages. I'm going to try and get a little printing in on Sunday and post a new picture of the week so check for that.
4/29/04
11pm- I'm sittng here giving my cat some lap time, but not sure what to write about tonight. She(my cat) likes to follow the curser as I move it around the screen. Isn't that fascinating? hmmmm... well, I bought the liquid rubber to try and fix the light leaks in my Fed 2. I may be buying a Yashica Lynx 14 from this guy at work, so i am kind of excited about that. I've been wanting one of these for a while. It has a 40mm 1.4 lens and I think I might be able to get it for $50 or $60. My camera collection seems to be growing, but at these prices why not? I know these older rangefinders have their issues, like light leaks in shutter curtains, or needing new light seals, but these things are repairable if you give it a try. Its kinda fun learning to do these minor repairs yourself. It is for me anyway. Especially since Leicas are out of my reach at the moment. I've been reading about the Voightlander Bessa R lately and may look into one in the future. Nothing against SLRs, in fact I took out my Nikon FM2 the other day to shoot.
Didn't do any packing tonight, maybe tomorrow night. I'm meeting the landlords Sunday to get the keys to the new place, I wish we were in there already. Soon enough.
4/28/04
8pm- Posted a new Photo of the Week. A little late this week, sorry. I'm not sure if I'll keep the photo of the week feature. I've seen this on other websites and liked it, but I think I may want to post more than 1 photo a week, so this could become confusing for viewers. I may just go with a New Photos page instead. The photo a week does provide some motivation as it becomes an obligation to post something at least once a week. I'll have to think about this, any suggestions out there?
Anyway, I like this new photo because of the light! When first looking at this image you may see the shadows on the wall, but I see the light. When out photographing I'm always looking for how the light, whether it's hard sunlight or overcast light, interacts with buildings, reflective surfaces, roads, people, etc. Some say its not good to shoot in harsh noon sunlight. why not?! It produced this image. Of course, its all personal taste in the end. Also, in the actual print of this image the detail and texture are quite something to see. On the left there are 2 nails in the brick wall and you can see the thin shadows they cast. I'm still working on my scanning and saving technique, so this image on the computer loses a little something. If you look closely on the fire escape ladder there is a spot where the sun is reflected on the metal bar and it flares just a little. Its the little things in life.
4/26/04
11:15pm- So I had a suggestion on how to fix my light leaks in the fed, liquid black rubber that is used for tool handles. I think I'll stop at Home Depot tomm. after work and pick some up. It'll just take a tiny little dab to cover each hole which is about the size of a pinhead, if that big. But its enough to cause a bit of havoc on my film. I think its worth fixing because its a fun camera to use, despite the fact that the viewfinder is kinda small.
On the apartment front, I forked over the deposit tonight and got the keys to the place. So we will start moving in stages as well as doing a bit of painting. We've already packed up a bunch of books, so they'll go first. It looks like a yard sale will happen in 2 weeks, so we'll have less to move and make a few bucks to spend on the new place. We should have some good stuff to sell, some furniture included. I've decided that I can't leave the darkroom behind, so I will charge up the old power screwgun and have at it. I Must have spent a good $200-$300 in wood, screws, exhaust fans, etc. building that sucker. So, I figure I can reuse most of that for the new darkroom. There is a large storage area in the basement of the new place that will be perfect to build in.
I did get to shoot a couple rolls of film on Sunday down by the Port of Providence. Hopefully I'll get to do some more printing before the screwgun comes out. Its possible I may not have much time though over the next couple weeks. We'll see, I'll do my best. Oh yeah, found a new friend in Alaska with a cool website and a journal. Check it out.
4/24/04
8:30pm- If there is anyone out there with an idea about how to repair tiny pinhole lightleaks in a shutter curtain, could you let me know? My Fed 2 seems to have a few of these. Not too difficult to detect when held up to a light. This isnt too surprising, since these little gems are about 30-40 years old. Right now Im finishing up washing some prints to send to a friend. Those of you who are familiar with printing on fiber paper(in a darkroom) , you know that the prints need to be washed for an hour or so in a print washer. These are usually made of plexiglass and cost hundreds of dollars which I could not afford(or don't want to afford). Because of my need to use my hard earned money in other ways, I built my own washer for about $40, if that. At some point I plan to post an article about how to build your own print washer.-with photos of course.
4/24/04
5:25pm- Ive been thinking a lot about my photography and why I do this. Why do I enjoy this so much and what am I trying to communicate to others who are seeing my work? Do I care about how people interpret my work? Im happy if someone sees something there that touches them or that they relate to. All our experiences are different, some of us struggle a little more than others, that doesnt mean that our life is any more or less meaningful than another's. I definately feel that some of the issues Ive struggled with in my life show up in my work. That may make some photos more compelling to me than to someone on the outside looking in, but that's partly what motivates me. Lonliness, fear, desperation, hopelessness, inferiority..............We all have dealt these emotions, but can we overcome them and make our lives what we want them to be? What do you struggle with everyday? Do you think about it? Have you tried to overcome these things? It's not easy to do. This photo was taken at a time when I felt most alone and thought I always would be. Now I'm not alone, but this reminds me of those days.
4/23/04
7:25am- I finally got down to the darkroom. Finished prints for my friend as well as a couple new things. Here's one. Didn't get much from my new rolls of film. I definately need to try to shoot more, its just been so busy lately. I was feeling a bit frustrated while printing, but that happens when its been a while since Ive turned on the enlarger.
4/21/04
8:51pm- Its a done deal. Well, I still need to fork over a deposit, but we are taking our ex landlord's place a few blocks from here. We'll have 30 days to move, so we can do a little each day. Not bad. So tomm. night I plan to do some major printing and then post some new images. Also, I owe my friend Matej some prints. I will miss our darkroom that I built from scratch, but the next one will be even better. I think I'm going to put together a for sale page as well as look into selling on ebay. Why not? I don't know if anythng will sell, but I don't know that it won't.
4/21/04
7:10am- So yesterday we went and looked at our ex landlord's apt. that's available, and I think we're close to taking it. Its a big place so we can have a darkoom, office, the animals and do some photo shoots there. It is in this same part of the city as our current place, which may not be the prettiest, but not the worst either. Knowing we have a new place would be a relief, and we could start moving stuff over there May 1, while still living here until June 1. We'll probably have a big tag sale here and use some of the money towards painting and other things we'll need. So if your in the area come on by, we've got some good things to sell. Not sure when it'll be yet.
4/20/04
8:30am- I intended this journal to be more about my photography and such. The only problem is that right now this apartment thing is dominating our lives here. Hopefully when it gets settled that will happen. In the meantime, I'll keep writing about whats going on as I think its kinda therapeutic in a way. We drove by the Federal hill apts. and we're not going to bother going to see the inside. Its amazing that on Federal Hill you drive down the main road where all the restaurants are and the fancy cars and $100 meals and valet parking. Yet go one or two blocks behind all that and all you see are people who are just trying to survive day to day. The search continues.
4/19/04
5:45pm- Just got home from work and did get a few call backs for apartments in Providence. One guy has 3 apts to show on Federal Hill where all the italian restaurants are(and the best pizza in town). Another woman called about a place on the East Side where Brown University is. Probably our first choice for neighborhoods, but may be too pricey for us. And one call back from our previous landlords who sold this house but are terrific to their tenants. They said they will come down in price a bit for us, but we're not sure we like the location. They all seem Ok with the animals, so we'll see.
4/18/04- New photo of the week. I spent the day making phone calls and driving around neighborhoods looking for decent apartments to rent. The key word being decent. I know its just the first day of looking, so Im sure we'll find something.
4/17/04
10:50pm- Film looks Ok. I think I have a few interesting photos to show you. Im going to try and print tomorrow sometime if I can. One thing Ive been noticing though is that many of the images from these rolls tilt down on the right, and they shouldn't be. I can correct this in printing, but I think my Yashica GSN may have an issue. Doesnt seem that it would be too difficult of a repair, but not sure. Maybe I'll try my hand at camera repair if its fairly simple. There is always the Yashica Guy to turn to.
4/17/04
10pm-Tonight I finally got around to developing some film Ive had building up. Nothing too spectacular, but we'll see. I ve never been really patient enough to make contact sheets before diving into printing something new. I may try to start doing this more though because sometimes I feel like I miss some good images. It can be tough to judge and edit just looking at negs. On a different subject, we now need to find a new place to live thanks to our "wonderful" new landlords. They are kicking everyone out of this 3 apt. house to rent to college students and hike up the rents. So tomm. morning we are going to look at an apt. not too far from here. We need enough space for a darkroom, an 85lb black lab named guinness and an 8lb cat named Peggy. Oh yeah and it needs to have enough space for Stacey to do photo shoots. No sweat!
4/15/04
7:15am- We finally finished Staceys new site. Today was the deadline and its up! Why was today the deadline? She is meeting today with a woman who specializes is getting more traffic to your website. So keep your fingers crossed for her that it works. I still have some tweeking to do to a few photos, but all in all I'm pretty proud of what we've accomplished. I can honestly say when I sat down and began this I new NOTHING about making a website. So if you see her site let us know what you think. Oh yeah, if you are getting married, know anyone getting married or would just like some portaits taken? You know the place to call, no?
4/12/04
11:30pm- Believe it or not Stacey's new site will be ready this week. Hopefully by Wednesday night it will be live. Check out the link to her website on my info page by Thursday at the latest to see some new work.
4/9/04
8:50pm-I did some shooting with my Fed 2 recently. Its a fun camera to use but the viewfinder is a little small. I sometimes have a little trouble seeing to whole image unless I really concentrate and there isnt always time to stop and compose a shot for a few minutes. I think for now when shooting people I'll stick with the GSN and use the Fed once in a while for just general shooting. I havent used my new(used) Konica yet, I'll try it this weekend. I still have 3 rolls of film to develop and new prints to make. Maybe I'll set up the darkroom tonight and get up early tomorrow to print. Then I'll have time the rest of the day for Staceys website.
11:30pm- When photographing downtown, I'd often see this man walking around, talking to anyone and everyone who would listen. This day it was my turn.
4/6/04
10pm- I added a guestbook but so far no comments. (actually there was one- thanks dad!) Thats OK though. Its just installed as a trial at this point. I do enjoy hearing what people have to say about what I do, but its not why I do this. I have had some nice emails from relatives and friends and I appreciate that. Anyway, the Red Sox won today so we can all stop panicing. Some things never change. Oh yeah, Go UCONN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My dad's a grad and a huge fan, congrats on winning the title!
4/4/04
11:06am-Just added a new photo of the week. Yesterday I got a lot of work done on Staceys new site. Not done yet though. Still have a couple more wedding portfolios to add as well as an Editorial/Fashion page and info page. Hopefully a couple more weeks should do it. I recently came across an interestng link. Of course we all know about Chernobyl, here are some photos and text about what it looks like now. Very interesting and haunting.
4/3/04
9:25am-I think at some point i'll need to add a separate page for my links, but for now it works. Ive enjoyed contacting and communicating with people from all over. If you want to see some wonderful street photography check out In Public.com. I plan to do some printing tomm. morning, but today is a hard push to get Staceys website done.