So I’m off to Argentina today. As you may remember, my father passed away recently and we haven’t seen our family and friends who live there. I’m meeting my mom there and it’s pretty much the final step in the grieving process.
I’ll be gone for the next 4 weeks (through 9/22) and will definitely be working on some personal work while I’m down there. In fact, I went to Adorama today and spent $1K on film! Jesus! Maybe it’s time to go fully digital?? Ha ha.
Jess sent out the travel advisory, but just in case you’re hearing of this trip for the first time, please let me know if you have an assignment for me in Argentina (or nearby). Would love to piggyback an assignment (or five) to this trip.
Of course, between yesterday and today, I’ve gotten THREE (yes, 3!) calls from new clients that I’ve been dying to work with for assignments in the US while I’m gone! Argh! Unfortunately, this trip can’t be moved, so we’ll have to wait. But it does feel good to know you’re on their “list,” especially since I just met with some of them less than 2 months ago!
Here are some images of Argentina from past trips. Enjoy:
A while ago, I was watching the Brian Wilsondocumentary on the Beach Boys’ last album, Smile, that took forty years to finish. In it, there was this clip of him singing Surf’s up and it was addicting. I remember rewinding it on my Tivo over and over and I haven’t stopped listening to it since.
As the summer is coming to an end, here’s a bit of summer melancholy. Brian Wilson - Surf’s Up.
And of course, some of my images to go with it. These are from a 2007 trip to Nicaragua with my oldest friend.
**Update. Gotta love the internets. Here is the video:
Early last year, I photographed Leonard Padilla for Mass Appeal Magazine (RIP, sigh). Leonard was an absolutely gracious host and made every effort to help me get the photos I needed. I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of my preconceptions about bounty hunters were not true and didn’t apply to Leonard.
It seems like Leonard finds himself in a bit of a shit storm by having bailed out Casey Anthony in Florida. Admittedly, I’m a bit late on this news, but it sounds like Leonard isn’t gaining any new friends:
Go Leonard! I’m not going to try to understand why he’s doing what he’s doing, but anyone that pisses off Fox News is ok with me! Plus, shouldn’t Casey Anthony be proven guilty first? Isn’t that how our legal system works? Then we can throw away the key, right? Here’s another video clip of Leonard standing up for the homeless in Sacramento:
Newscaster: “It’s all garbage and feces!” Wow, how about that for objective reporting!
Everyone talks about “helping the homeless” and blah blah blah. But who actually does something about it? I don’t know if perpetuating these people’s homelessness is the right course of action, but at least it’s something.
And here are some of the images I shot of Leonard. Enjoy.
At the Olympics today, Argentina beat Brazil 3-0. I can’t really describe the rivalry between the two countries. Let’s just say I’m happy and there was a lot of screaming at the TV today.
Also, two track cyclists from Argentina won gold medals today. For a country that doesn’t win medals frequently, I can’t imagine the feeling of winning gold. Someone should do a documentary on medal winners from smaller countries that become instant celebrities. It’s a fascinating phenomena.
And to keep the cycling news going, I bought another bike today. I’m like a little kid at christmas! Maybe someone will photograph me on the new bike and I’ll post that on here. Trust me, I won’t look as good as those two guys.
Back again with another Friday Song to get you through the weekend. Here’s one of the jams that got us through our 1500+ miles last week. Put this on next time you’re in the car (or subway for that matter). I gaurantee it will be the perfect soundtrack to a long drive (commute). Chromatics - In the City.
In the interview with Jessica I posted a couple weeks ago, I mentioned a Wired article that had some amazing photographs. Since then, I have been obsessing about those pictures in my head. So I was ecstatic to randomly find the photo essay yesterday while browsing the web. The photographer is Nick Waplington and the entire photo essay is here.
Here are two of my favorite images. The snowy field is where Philo Farnsworth had his Eureka moment for television in 1921 and the grimy NYC building is where Grand Master Flash began turntablism. Amazing.
Life can be very good. Sometimes, a client will pay you to take a trip that is so rewarding, so much fun, and so inspirational that you feel like you should pay THEM. Maybe you can even bring a friend that really just gets it. And maybe you’ll end up somewhere you’ve never been and experience things so simple and so pure that it reminds you what’s really important.
This last road trip was just that. I’ve come back refreshed and in love again with life, photography, and everything else. So many great ideas. So much inspiration to start some projects and possibly re-visit some of the places again. And of course, some dope images for my client. I promise to post those images once I can.
Here is our route.
That’s over 1500 miles in 6 days, if you’re counting! Whoa!
Thank you to my editor for giving me this assignment. It’s an honor when someone trusts your work so much! Thank you Stephen for co-piloting and bringing the magic.
