Photo: December 2003 Archives

It approaches the drinky-hour.

12-30-2003, Gabe's Oasis, Iowa City IA. Flashes in smoke-filled rooms suck.

Today (and some of yesterday, too) is sign day. A photographic representation of the written word functioning in public spaces. Or some such shit.

By far the best part of visiting family over the holidays is the fleeing part. This year, we fled Fremont, NE on Highway 30.

When the sun started getting low, we decided that we really ought to stop somewhere and find something interesting to shoot. I'd already failed to shoot much in Council Bluffs or Fremont. So we stopped in fabulous Dow City and whipped out the Holgas.

Now, I wouldn't want to give you the impression that Dow City is nothing but a couple of intersections, a gas station and farm equipment...it also had a very friendly cat playing very close to the highway.

Once we'd exhausted the shit-hole of its charm, it was right back in the car, heading away from the sun.

And finally, I bring you a very important message about addiction: putting anti-smoking literature on top of the cartons in a gas station makes me want to smoke. A lot. Even more than the TV commercials.

Everyone loves the DMV.

I must admit that I love I-80. Of all the interstates, it's my favorite. I've often thought about doing a coast to coast drive on I-80, trying to drive on every single mile of it. I suppose I'm just odd like that. Is that so wrong?

Kitty!

I've had the flu. I haven't had time to clean up and upload much. Plus, The BassTurd appeared on my door step yesterday. So, I present to you the simplicity of a guy getting lubed....if you catch my drift.

I like photographing this shit, ok?

Just making sure.

I show up at work yesterday, positively reeking of flu and there's not a soul around. Which is good and bad. Good because I don't want to deal with people while I'm sick. Bad, because I never found anyone to ask if it was supposed to be like this.

Well, first off, I've really been enjoying the way the Olympus D-450 washes out over exposed areas. An example of this (both the washing out and the obvious enjoyment on my part):

Now, what's hanging there on the left is a piece of original artwork I did many, many years ago. Well, 6 years ago, at the very least. Yes, it is supposed to be grainy as shit. And the eyes are much more blue and glowy. But you get the picture.

This was done when I had access to a one-hour photo processing machine. And a photocopier. And hi-liters. But the one-hour photo machine was the important bit. If you ever have a chance to actually play with one of them, I highly recommend it. I can't imagine being able to convince someone who's running one in a business/lab situation letting you run a negative that's been photocopied on and colored with markers and all manner of other freaky things. Which is why getting free reign over one is key.

Sure, sure, you could do the same things to negatives and then toss them into an enlarger, but there's something satisfying about the entirely mechanized, automated process that makes it so much fun.

I'm surrounded by weakly humorous erotic imagry like a black iron prison. I need to scan all of these sodium pentathol advertisment postcards from the 50's. Pure genius. They're from all over, but the Cuban and South African ones are the best.

The critique of my photo project went really, really well. One of the people the professor brought in to critique us for the final really seemed to dig it. He actually brought up Videodrome and Tetsuo Iron Man during it, which is sheer flattery beyond words, but still. It made me feel good. The title of the project shifted from something like "Nerd Spaces" to "Pornography for Engineers" over the course of the project. For most of the duration, I kept saying "I'll have to branch out and find something else to shoot. I'm going to get bored of wires and ducting and such sometime."

Now, I can't stop myself from taking pictures of wires.

My kitchen table. 10 minutes ago. So close to being done. I hate photo corners.

As I skitter out the door to a final, I leave you with: The Dish.

D-450 in hallway. I've been shooting too much black and white, which makes this picture's novelty value far too high for me.

Before I lose myself entirely in frantically trying to be prepared for finals, I thought I'd share a little something. Without getting into the specifics of why in the hell I've been sorting through someone else's heirloom stamp collection, let's just jump to the point where I find this:

I thought it was really quite interesting. Inside is a typewritten advertisement for various plants. I wondered if the business was still around in some form, so I searched around online. I've yet to definately find anything, but I'm leaning towards the Jonkheer in question hiding Jewish families during WWII and emigrating to the US after the war. Thus, I'm assuming the bulb growing business is not still around. Alas.

Consequently, if you happen to be able to dig up anything on C. Jonkheer & Sons Bulbgrowers in Hillegom around 1915, I'd be interested.

Yes, I'm terribly ghetto and photographed it instead of nicely scanning it.

Olympus D-450 at Thai Spice

So...how much does developing medium format film run, anyway? It came with a roll of color, which I'm not properly kitted out for. It came with a roll of electrical tape, which was a source of much humor.

Right then, I really should be marking up rag board and trying to find linen tape. My photography final is all but done. I just need to get everything matted. And I might spot one of the prints, but the dust on the negative was nice enough to be where there's dust in the picture, so I may well be able to fake it.

I love the snow...except when the sun is out. Then it hurts me deeply.

A wider version, that doesn't show the web effect as well, but I'm still fond of:

D-450 in the rain.

Today is a dumb-art day. I want to make a set of "Learn a Language" CDs. They will be called "Teach Yourself American Sign Language." Allow me to demonstrate:

Narrater:Welcome to Teach Yourself American Sign Language. On this CD, you will learn to speak ASL by example. Amy will demonstrate for us. Let's start with some vocabulary to get you started on the satisfying road to knowing a new mode of communication. First, apple.

faint sounds of rustling fabric

Apple.

faint sounds of rustling fabric

Thank you Amy. Now you try.

Long silence

Very good. Now, I...

And so on. I need a grant.

Olympus D-450, 12-5-2003. Recently I've been accused of having an obsession with photographing wires and conduits and tubing and ducting and piping and such. The phrase "It's like porn...but for engineers, or something" was uttered at one point.

Olympus D-450, 12-05-2003. This would be vastly more humorous if I hadn't taken a computer on the bus before. I don't believe I wrapped it in plastic like some sort of fetish item, though.

12-03-2003, Olympus D-450

Will all the polyglots in the house say "yeah"?

Ok, how about "si"?

?

?

Difficult little bitches, all of you. Suffice it to say, it would please me greatly if people participating in Warren Ellis's current future phone stunt would dust off their linguistic abilities and toss some spice into the whole affair. You do remember how to describe the various sexual practices you're currently engaged in, in Sanskrit, right? You're still able to say "I'm wrist deep in a cow and loving every minute" is German, aren't you? Please tell me you can make lewd imperative statements about performing acts on one's sister's genitalia in Japanese. I beg of you.

12-3-2003, Olympus D-450

12-3-2003, Olympus D-450

Taken 12-3-2003 with Olympus D-450

Taken with Olympus D450 on 11-30-2003

Taken with Olympus D450 on 11-30-2003

Taken with Olympus D450, 11/2003.