I Married a Photographer

On the drive home from work I usually listen to podcasts.  I have become my father, in some ways; craving that brain stimulation rather than listening to talentless goons scream into the microphone.  Not everyone on the radio is talentless, that was meant as one of those I’m getting old and can’t stand teenagers remarks.  None of which is true. . . except, I am getting older -as much as I hate to admit it.  On this particular day, I was listening to a conversation between two fairly well-educated people; the man was explaining a specific mindset.  Picture this: you are talking to a coworker, you have this idea that isn’t debatable, lots of facts back up your claim, your purpose is to relay this information.  You don’t have any interest if s/he agrees with or believes you, but you also think it will help your coworker resolve and issue. You spew out this information, then look at the person in hopes that s/he has understood and listened.  Waiting, you think it is being processed then the reply comes out.  It is like spitting venom.  Not only did you tick-off your coworker but since you laid it out on the line, now this person’s convictions seem much more instinctual -as if there is something to defend.  In fact, you think that maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all and in retrospect knew you couldn’t really help this person.  Help is only wanted when its not needed, for some people.  Some of the time it is seen as a weakness and once offered, the helper gets scolded.

I honestly, don’t know how many of you can relate to this but listening to this podcast, I had to chuckle to myself.  I remember talking with people who believe in strange things, and yes, it’s strange to me; after all, we only have our single, sometimes narrow, point of view.  Though I think I can help, I occasionally choose not to.  Not for fear of retaliation but because of those instinctual behaviors that are so emotional and offer no thought or higher functioning.  Leading up to this, I could think back to many examples in my life that illustrated this scenario.  Then the guy on the podcast said ‘. . . mis-perception is different than simple ignorance.  Its not just that you hold the wrong view but you think you’re right. You have confidence in your belief.”

This is my volitional activity!  Continuation soon. . .

This year has proven to be one of the most trying years I have existed.  Through the personal and professional struggles; we have managed to continue with our small business to help out some new friends while meeting more people in our untapped industry.  Who doesn’t need pictures?  I will be happy to see this year off and welcome new ideas, talents and success with DSP.

I would like to personally mention a few of our new friends and thank them for using our business for their promotion.  First, the Frank Wicher Band they sought out Dean for a promotional idea.  Dean met and maybe exceeded their expectations by mastering a photo composition used all over the area.  We still enjoy walking into venues and seeing our poster, it puts a smile on our faces.  We hope to have future projects with FWB.

Next, Terry from WQSU who has promoted our photography business on her radio show “Home Made Jam”  and “Happy Hour”.  She has been a long time friend of mine and Dean’s and though she runs on a much higher energy level than most people, her zest for new ideas, people and love of the arts; gets us excited to work in conjunction with her!

Next, Michiko Egger and PA Crude.  Personally, I love live music.  I could watch bands play all day.  These are just two pockets talent from this tiny geographical area.  We have been fortunate to work closely with these folks and produce art that may have never been possible; not to mention, attend concerts and speak with them about their musical philosophy. We enjoy being part of the equation when it comes to promotion and helping these bands form their image.

Thank you for being part of our success!  There are many people I didn’t mention but don’t worry, I will.  Happy New Year!  Cheers!

The title is a quote made famous by Timothy Leary who spoke openly about taking LSD and like experiences.  Timothy was almost completely shunned by his colleagues, family and friends for his taboo research on the aforementioned drug and it’s effects on the human body.  Though he was made up by the media to sound like a madman, he lead his life speaking freely of his findings with drugs in regards to religion, life, sex and humanity.  He put no end to his learning about LSD and what he could experience from it.  He died while tripping on acid.

Stagnation can be such a creative linchpin.  It isn’t as simple as boredom or as complex as desire.  Having that creative rut is something every person experiences, a dam in the flow of ideas. Spinning wheels to get out of a mud puddle just gets you more stuck.  Sometimes if you lift your chin and tilt your head ever so slightly, you can see a whole new perspective.

Since the busy month of August came to a close, Dean and I have been re-tooling.  Taking a break from the constant task-oriented ‘Fest mode’ to a more mindful approach to the photography business.  This was something we decided early in the summer.  We knew just how exhausted we would be after the long weekend events and looked forward to having time to approach things with a fresh angle.  So we took a trip to the city; where there is always artistic expression and inspiration.  It really doesn’t matter what corner you turn or how long you stay, there is always something to do and see.  It was a much needed creative break for Dean, it was leisurely with culture to take away.  Since living there, I rarely ever plan anything when we do make the trip because I know that within a 10 minute walk there is something to pique our interests!

If anything to take away from this writing it is this.  Self-exploration and internal reflection are integral to connecting with other humans.  Art is one way we can connect.

Food for thought: ‘I don’t believe in photography as art or a job or anything. I think of photography as a language and I think a language should be used to speak, to say what you have to say. So the only things I have to say about my life and what I know about the world, is the way I see it. So, it’s not about photography… I think people should just use photography to say things and not just photography for the sake of photography… The world is full of talented photographers. The problem is just so many of them just don’t know what to say, they think life is one thing and photography is another but they don’t realise that photography is just a way to reflect what you are.’ ~Antoine d’ Agata

Everyone has a quirky behavior, at least to some degree.  I find a direct correlation between degree of artsy to strange behavior (there are exceptions to every rule).  You don’t need a Psych degree to determine this, hence my next facet along these lines.  Dean and I work in Bloomsburg, driving 45 minutes one way, which can be very draining not to mention boring.  On our route, we listen to NPR in the morning and pick apart their stories some of which I think are entirely fictitious; we try to avoid route 11 because of all the GMC traffic during our commute.  One morning after we had been into a year’s worth of familiar on the same route, I was half asleep yet studying the neighborhoods.  Passing farms, schools, little town churches which probably seconded as schools at some point, I noticed this odd little house.  The structure of the home was a run-of-the-mill 50s ranch type, shaped like a U, with the center portion of the home inset from the two sides.  Outward appearance was within the normal range of living except for this one ‘thing’.   I don’t remember if I mentioned anything to Dean at first but after a week or so I noticed that this ‘thing’ changed, not drastically, just enough to keep me coming back for more.

This is total speculation, from what I gather the residents of this home are either an older married couple or a mother daughter duo, in the last few years of life.  The ‘thing’ that I mention is a mannequin, female, probably about my build.  We’ll refer to her as “pretty woman”.  She sports a different outfit on average every 3 weeks and if it is raining, she’s either using an umbrella or covered with a poncho and mask.  I have only photographic evidence of one wardrobe but  besides the majorette outfit, she has worn a blue Easter/Spring type dress, heavy red cloak with black detail and a patriotic red, white and blue outfit with a flag pring top hat.   Not only do Dean and I bat ideas around about this home and the inner workings thereof but we enjoy glancing over to see what this woman is wearing.

My guess is that the resident used to be a seamstress (how or why else would one have a mannequin?), she’s made these outfits in her hey-day and maybe wore them at some point too.  The effort to dress a large doll, who resides on your porch everyday I think it’s strange for a few reasons yet I kind of get it.  I loved ‘playing Barbies’  at about the age of 12, I realized that I have enough friends and varied intrests that I don’t need the Barbie world for me to make my own choices and enjoy life.  On the other hand maybe she’s a disgrunteled employee who used to work for Mattel!  Once, I saw her taking off pretty woman’s poncho and thought There is the mastermind!

Standing in the lush, green grass on a warm Summer day, I could almost hear it. I looked in front of me and if I thought hard enough I could have seen the hundreds of thousands who gathered there. I would have been there had I been born 10+ years earlier. In my life, I have only been to about 3 places where I really tried to relive the history that took place in those infamous settings. This was one of those experiences; the other two being the corner of Central Park West and 72nd St along with 5th Ave and 57th St both in Manhattan. Though time has changed this place -and every other place on Earth, I tried very hard to throw my mind back to 1969 and really take in what Woodstock meant. I envy people who lived during a time, when the nation, as a whole, cared about what we did and who we dealt with, when everything was not at your fingertips and that human interaction wasn’t just for parties. I missed my generation by a long shot, I made a mark on the world when the 17th most requested pop song was “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit (yes, The Frog), disco was taking a turn for the worst and purple eye-shadow was all the rage! Ugh!

Photographing people and events is really timing and luck. As an artist, you have to emphasize being in the right place at the right time. Thankfully, no two artists are alike which helps in the grand scheme of things -how boring would that be? While at the Woodstock area, we toured the museum. It was CSN’s 2nd appearance as a band, The Grateful Dead played in the wee hours of the night so a lot of participants didn’t even remember them and Jimi Hendrix’s performance was at 0900, Monday morning; I learned a lot! As a Beatle fan, I found that their mark on the musical world was mentioned frequently though they had nothing to do with the event itself. Man, I love the 60s! With all this said, we (Dean, our daughter & me) had such a great time strolling through the museum, piecing the events together, reading, watching footage and taking part in a sliver of life we all longed to be involved in. Dean did take a few photos, some of the Yasgur Farm located adjacent to the concert area. However, much of that area looks so very different, a poorly paved road cut through 3-4 parking lots, beautiful buildings housing oodles of art work, an amphitheater, port-a-potties, event tents in various sizes and a massive wooden gate to keep admirers off that coveted lawn. Which, in all honesty, if we visit again, I am going to take a running start to my longest log roll ever down that historic hill! The town of Bethel, NY seems quaint and sweet. The one major roadway housed several tie-dye experts, and abandoned toll booth building and a couple homes. We stopped to chat with one tie-dye merchandise seller, who was very hippie-esque. A 10’ x 10’ tarp roofed stand, nestled between what I assume was his house and the main road, he donned one of his own creations, helped me search though his products for the perfect T-shirt and gave us a steep discount, followed up by his business card -which also is tie-dyed! If you feel so inclined, please send some business his way by clicking here www.tyedyhippy.com Pics to come.