Street Shooting Flashbacks- LaJolla

I snapped these two shots while walking around LaJolla before having an overpriced and rather forgettable meal. I miss street shooting greatly. In another life I was highly immersed in this photographic aesthetic. Capturing rather unique moments in time has always interested me and I guess I am a bit of a voyeur when it comes the the day to day human condition. I really love the first shot here, only I wish I had my trusty rolleiflex TLR rather than the very limited diana. The diana's lack of shutter and aperture settings led to a grossly underexposed image. Nonetheless, I believe it is a worthy photograph.

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cardiff reef..... so good

Here are the last of my color diana shots- i am pleased with the results and plan to shoot more color work- color film really seems to open up photo opts for me. Cardiff was so fun, I miss it so much, although it is not easy to photograph the break with a crappy snap. what a nice little beach though and the wave is insane. I can't wait to return next year.....

Youth Culture

When ever i travel i enjoy tuning into youth culture.. always interesting to see how kids express themselves in different locales. San Diego's north county seems to have quite an active youth culture....

california car culture

I really enjoyed seeing all the cool older cars out in north county SD. this one caught my every morning on my way to check the surf. it sat on top of a hill looking over Oceanside. First day of no surf for me for several weeks. Already jonzin' to get back in; however the doldrums appear to finally be upon us..

Snapshot Aesthetic

The more I shoot these days, the less ambition I have to attempt make a "great photograph", I find that this more casual approach loosens me up a bit and the image come across as more spontaneous and dynamic, and hopefully more interesting. I have been greatly influenced by the work of some of the photographers who have mastered the snapshot aesthetic. I guess the goal for me is somehow integrate a classically composed photograph (ala weston, sudek, strand, steglitz) with the looser more free flowing work of winogrand, goldin et al. I believe the shitty cameras such as the diana, brownie and holga are perfect tools for this impulsive shooting. below is a quick cut and past from wikapedia as it relates to the snapshot aesthetic.

The term snapshot aesthetic refers to a trend within fine art photography in the USA from around 1963. The style typically features apparently banal everyday subject matter and off-centered framing. Subject matter is often presented without apparent link from image-to-image and relying instead on juxtaposition and disjunction between individual photographs. This tendency was promoted by John Szarkowski, who was head of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art from 1962 to 1991, and it became especially fashionable from the late 1970s until the mid 1980s. Notable practitioners include Garry Winogrand, Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tillmans, Martin Parr, William Eggleston, and Terry Richardson. In contrast with photographers like W. Eugene Smith and Gordon Parks, these photographers aimed not "to reform life but to know it." (John Szarkowski, Diane Arbus) Szarkowski brought to prominence the work of Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand in his influential exhibition “New Documents” at the Museum of Modern Art in 1967, in which he identified a new trend in photography: pictures that seemed to have a casual, snapshot-like look and had subject matter that seemed strikingly ordinary.

The term arose from the fascination of artists with the 'classic' black & white vernacular snapshot, the characteristics of which were: 1) they were made with a camera on which the viewfinder could not easily 'see' the edges of the frame, and so the subject had to be centred; and 2) they were made by ordinary people recording the ceremonies of their lives and the places that they lived and visited.

San O and Oceanside Pier

I love the timeless look of the San-O shot. The color film and the vintage Diana provide a little view into what the place must have looked like decades ago. The second shot was off the Oceanside Pier as the sun was setting- I am really happy with the color shifts that occur as a result of the camera poorly constructed lens and limited exposure settings. I have been enjoying this little run of summer swell we have been having here in NY. Saturday and this morning provided some fish friendly little waves. totally diggin' on my new Christenson Quad fish and my Josh Hall Long Fish Simmons. Both boards are true pieces of San Diego craftsmanship in the linage of Mr. Skip Frye

wharf rat

two grab shots- one if from under the san clemente pier and the other as beachside in Ocean Beach. I really appreciated the subtle differences in overall vibe from one town to the next.

Ocean Beach Baby...

Ocean Beach San Diego- home of Pavel's Green Room and some very, exceptionally crunchy people... Good times passing thru- awesome pizza and pale ale. The spot reminded me of the East Village when it mattered combined with beach blanket high jinx..

Sunset at the Oceanside Pier

I grabbed this crappy snap off the Oceanside Pier at Sunset. I love that pier. It was the start of the south swell that started to fill in. I kinda dig the perspective of looking down. also I am digging the effects of color film with the diana.

Oceanside Blvd- Takayama's Shop

While in Oceanside Ca, I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Donald Takayama. I was very impressed with his sense of humor and relaxed manner. I hear he still slides quite well down at the harbor. I also was fortunate enough to get a peak into his shaping bay. The light was pretty low and i was shooting 100asa slide film at the time, so the above shot is the only salvaged photo of the lot. If only I was loaded up with my trusty tmax 400 i could have pushed the film further (800 or 1600 ASA). My other regret of the visit was not having the nerve to ask to photograph him. To have a crappy snap of DT would have been classic.

Donald seems quite into shaping wood surfboards these days and his work is truly artful. I was also diggin on the classic takayama model that he shaped in the 60's for Hap Jacobs. The rails and outline on these boards are so insane. True to the original template. The guys running the shop were awesome, helpful and open to discussing his shapes.

the pod room vintage quiver

The Pod Room in Oceanside is currently selling a bunch of rare vintage boards while waiting for a new shipment of sick sticks. Can't say enough about this shop. check it if your there. if you are with the wife have her get a haircut while you feel up rails. Chip and his wife have set up shop- she has a hair salon in the back and he mans the front while watchin the toddler. the vintage frye fish is not for sale despite the inquiries of half of the japan board collecting population...

keel love mandala

Over the next week, I'll be posting up shots from my stay in so cal. First stop is Oceanside, the place where i spent the majority of my time. What a great vibe in this surf town. While a little more gritty (IMHO a GOOD THING) than other stops in the area, the beach breaks are insane. Everyone I surfed with was totally open to having an "intruder" in the line-up and willing to share waves and local knowledge.

I picked up an insane 6'3 chris christenson quad fish at a totally cool shop (THE POD ROOM). The owner, Chip is a way cool guy who seems really dialed in. He continually smiled and shook his head, as I told him I was headed south to cardiff to check the surf (my translation- stay in Oceanside, its better here). I highly recommend checking the pod room (http://thepodroom.blogspot.com)/ and a neat little eat stop across the way Hill Street Cafe and Gallery, also the california surf museum is a must stop for the historians

Froth giving the new singer a test run..

The photo is compliments of the curator, Mr. D. Anderson(AKANORMAN). Looks like froth likes the way the board turns.
I just got in this morning from the red eye from San Diego- still so stoked on the trip, nice south swell was filling in over my last few days there. Great vibe and I am so thankful to have been able to make the trip. The people in Oceanside and surrounding areas were so great and the vibe was way more friendly than i expected. Don't know how many good shots i got, well see...

packed and ready...

I'll be off for awhile...... hope for waves!!!!

VW Vanagon, Pavel quad fish, and Stringerless Mandala

Here's a shot of Dubstars VW- the guy is so into his VW's. Inside the bus is an insane long pavel quad fish with skip frye fins, and leaning on the bus is a Mandala Stringerless quad fish (I believe 5'5"). Both boards have such insane outlines.

This morning dawn patrol provided an elegant little log wave with an incredible sunrise and sweet light off shores. The water was crystal clear to top it off. So much fun on my cooperfish mal foil II. I traded up an rode a junod 9'6 log for a while. The board was so different from my coop- tons of belly, real narrow and full to the rail with a big old ballbearing 50/50 rail, significantly lighter than the coop. It was fun for awhile, but i'll stick with my coop-thank ya very much!! Still hoping for some sweet southern cal swell next week!!

getting psyched!!

Getting psyched for my first trip to southern california with the family. Spending a week in Oceanside and a couple of days at Disneyland. I don't know who is more excited, me (for the surf) or my daughter (for Disneyland). Leaving Tues afternoon and hoping for some mellow fun surf!! got a sweet quad fish waiting for me and I am bringing the quiver of crappy cams!!

foggy surf and bbq

Another thurs eve at the bbq-fog and rain did not deter the stoked at heart. The Bing Gold Standard in the foreground was on the trading blocks for a while, that is until this night when the transaction was completed. All parties involved are quite pleased.

nothin wrong with the back of this bus

71 vw bus, retro fitted with taps for patron, dark spiced rum, and sound system the merry pranksters would appreciate- good times on thurs evenings!!! Full kitchen services including the very healthy and not so stealth deep fryer!!

a bit of country in the 'burbs...

I snapped this shot just as the sun was peaking over the dunes that were behind us. Kinda funny to be camping in Nassau County. the whole thing reminded me of my childhood when my parents would let me pitch tent in the backyard for the night. where are the waves... i am on vacation!!!!

a couple more from a night at the beach

here are a couple more family snaps.