never in a million years would i have ever thought that i would view new york as “home”….and , even now, i see new york as a temporary stop along the way to wherever i decide to finally “settle down”…..but today, new york looks and feels and seems like “home”…..
i have been here less than an hour, and just like i thought, the mail is stacked up, bills, bills and more bills, 2 dead plants, and a long “to do list” that i am in no mood to deal with right now….i am only writing this little note to you in an effort to delay doing all the things i really should be doing after my 4 week european “tour”….and just now as i write, the phone rings and it is my mastercard bank telling me to please pay over the phone a late payment….ok done….i will check my bank balance tomorrow…
yes, yes i am way way behind on posts for this blog….but, that should be easy in the next couple of days…just the luxury of being back at my own desktop is enough to inspire a creative flow into harveyblog…”on the road” blogging is a bit of a nightmare…
my last four days in rainy, sunny, rainy, warm, cold, warm, cold london did not allow me to post …but , then again priorities my friends, priorities….as you may have noted in my previous post, i was in london for “personal reasons”…..gathering material for my next piece on “relationships” and how in the world photographers balance their personal lives with their work…
this has to be the most talked about subject of all….none of us can escape this discussion….in any gathering of photographers, the conversation eventually turns to this…i can “guide” on many things in our craft, our art, our profession, but not on this one….so, you tell me what you know or think or believe and what works and does not work…i await any sage advisements…..
all i know is this…..a ride on the “london eye” in the rain with your girlfriend…priceless….for everything else there is mastercard!!!
Hi David
I think meeting the right person is key: someone who respects who and what you are and doesn’t try to change you… and you must feel likewise…
Perhaps Alex and Rebecca Norris Webb could provide some insight…
Asher
asher…
alex and rebecca norris webb are an example of couples in photography that i use all the time as “a good combo” for making it all work together..
your short sentence says it all…thanks, david
Good for you! My girlfriend refuses to ride the London Eye unless the light is suitable for photography. We all have our own ways of dealing with relationships ;-)
Dave,
I havent dropped in for a while ,how are you dude?
I just got back from a 2 week assignment in East Timor ,Flat battery in the car, less bills than usual though (Must be doing something right for a change) but something that used to be alive floating in the pool…I will get to that tomorrow.
I proposed to my wife on the London Eye -I think the height got the better of her better judgement.
Cheers Mate.
neil….
well, in my half hour london eye “flight”, the light changed about six times!!! so, i am not sure “good light” could ever be totally predicted in london……
but, yes, relationships definitely need to be “customized”…basically, whatever works is a good thing….
thanks for writing…cheers, david
glenn…
happy to have you back from timor in one piece…i thought i lost you man!!!
you are one slick dude….did you propose all the way at the top??? very nice, very nice….
welcome home and i am anxiously awaiting to find out what died in your pool!!!
cheers, david
On bended knee with a conflict free! It was my mum’s ring,so not that slick.
The only thing dangerous about timor at the moment is all the UN people in huge land cruisers that take up the whole road and the Australian army redesigned someones house with a UAV ,other than that things are pretty cool.
I will post some new pics soon.
I caught up with your Hip Hop story in the office of East Timors new President ….I think he subscribes,whens the book comming out?
As for the Pool ,Cane Toads have reached the top end and the local wildlife have been having a hard time of it ,especially the goanna that used to trek through the back yard…found the poor bugger floating arse up when I got home with the toad that done him in stuck in the filter.
Much wild life in New York?
glenn…
things pretty quiet here in new york compared to the action in your back yard!! still scratching my head over that one and think i had better have lunch at the pub and try to figure it out…
hip hop book in the fall….should i send a copy to the new prez of east timor??
time for more coffee….later..
david
David.
You have written in one comment that you could “try to find out for you…” how Paolo Pellegrin adding film grain in his digital photos. I have found many ways, but my grain not looks as good as his. If it is not secret maybe he could help me, and of course if you meet him.
I have nobody to ask.
I wish nice rest after long journey.
Martin
Ps. If you will be in Europe next time you should visit Poland. I have beautiful country!
Hi.
David, I have one – a little strange, but important for me – question. As far as I know, you were long time leica user, I talk about old, “analog” times.
Then, when digital revolution came on, you switch to DSLR, nikon if I remember correctly. But some months ago leica lunched M8, digital rangefinder. And you made a lot of photos with this model. But then you made another switch, again to DSLR nikon…
Tell me if you can: What is wrong with M8? Why don’t you use known (from analog times) type of rangefinder for you daily shooting? Is it something with picture quality or something else? or maybe you prefer AF now?
it’s important for me, couse i have to decide about system change, but have only a few days to play with M8, and I believe, that maybe I don’t catch a something important…
best regards, Peter (long time fan of your work) :)
“I think meeting the right person is key: someone who respects who and what you are and doesn’t try to change you… and you must feel likewise..” Asher
Asher is right.. but it’s so hard to do :-)
People probably should feel free all the time :-) … if you start to feel like in trap, you will always escape :-)
haha.. but i am not right person to talk about it :-) … my love, also photographer lives thousends kilometers away… i hope it will change soon because it’s really hard
…i can lose all
…but i will never lose ..personality
…
for the rest
MASTERCARD
…IN THE WORLD THERE ARE PERSONS OR STARS..
BE A STAR…
…NOTHING ME HACE SEGUIR SONRIENDO…
…EXCETPO..LA FOTOGRAFIA Y LA MUSICA…
Y ESAS PERSONAS QUE SON ESTRELLAS COMO DAVID…
Y LO PUEDE TENER TODO
PERO RODEADO DE AMIGOS…
NO LE FALTA NADA…
LISTEN RIDE ON OF AC/CD
AND YOU UNDERSTAND
THANKS FOR ALL
dear david…
what can i say…these last days in valencia have been crazy work..life and fun that our memories will never forget..but the most important of all..is that you have past your knoledge..love..and energy to a very nice crowd..a few more like you and this could be a better world…thanks so much…
un abrazo!!!
Sorry to be confusing Dave, Cane toads are a feral pestand are toxic to anything that eats them hence the dual fatality….I think the New Prez is more a classical/country sort of guy,but who knows?
As for relationships I stayed single well into my mid 30’s and only married last year but Jude and I sat doen on many occaisions to dicuss the perils and pitfalls of the life of a travelling man but she reminded me of the joys of reunion and the fact that when I am home I am 100% there.
It’s all pretty new now but we are working out a way of life that is ours and not about anyone elses expectations.
Jude has family commitments interstate and with my assignments taking me further from home she flys to Sydney to take care of her Mum so we often overlap on catching up but we both realise that our lives are richer for the other being involved.
Insisting that there are clear lines of communications at all times is important as is the trust factor,we are both pretty unconventional people and our marriage is not the norm in terms of being at home all the time,but she is involved in the admin side of things ( I have to answer to my wife for advance expenses …and man if there are no reciepts theres hell to pay),It’s a partnership.
Technology definitely plays a big part in keeping things humming along Skype,e-mail and sat phones mean that contact is not far away so the daily interation is there just not the presence but when present we make it count.
Having friends all over definitely takes a bit of looking after,again technology helps stay in touch,but when you are together being 100% there is the only way,relationships are the sweet nectar that humans crave and once you realise how special and important the connections are then I really think you start living.
Cheers Glenn
My wife and I have been together for 18 years (a good record on these days)…She’s a creative…I’m a creative…we speak the same language…but at the same time we made a deal 15 years ago…”never work together in the same agency”….I see people everyday in my job trying to convience their partners that they’re really “working” in the agency at 10:30 pm and that “no…you don’t get extra pay for doing that”…We don’t have this situation…and I think that have been the key to stay together.
But David…I have a question for you…maybe a good one for a future theme on this blog….I think that my profession…(agency creative director)is the only job in the world where you become less “valuable” as you get older….What about photography?…is that matter?…or only matters that you’re good….I’ve seen so many people working and respected even when they were older…Avedon…Newton…Parks….Arnold Newman….Bresson… What does ‘age” means in photography (for a magazine…a newspaper??? What’s your opinion?)
un abrazo.
Carlos Rubin
martin…
i will not see paolo until our magnum meeting in june….but, just stay on my case, and i will find out for you….most of us do not have “secrets” so i am sure paolo will not mind giving me this information….but, if for some reason he does object, then i will of course respect paolo’s wish ….
i would love to visit Poland….and do not worry, i will call you first…well, maybe tomas t. first but you right after!!
peace, david
piotr…
in general i do not want to get into tech stuff on this blog….i want to keep this a philosophical discussion….
but, i will just say briefly that i started with an old beat up leica when i was 13….i used that camera all the way up until i was in grad school and got my first job at a newspaper..in school i had worked with med format and even 8×10..then i took what little money i had and bought a nikon f and two lenses….these lasted me until i started working for national geographic when i was 29…..when i started working in color the nikon appealed to me because it had a through the lens meter (fe-2)…
my old leica was a good black & white camera…i thought the nikon better for what i did at natgeo, but i still kept my gear simple and to this day i think the other photogs would agree that i always worked with less stuff than anyone….
when the leica m6 came out it changed my life…my old leica with a through the lens meter!!! i never had a hand light meter…or a tripod……i had just quit the natgeo staff, gotten divorced, and i felt so so free!!!! and, of course, still very heartbroken about the divorce….but creatively i was so loose and so free and this new leica came just at that time!!!
that lasted me up until 2 years ago when i got an ad campaign to shoot the nikon d100…i went down to mexico to shoot in my favorite oaxaca location and had never shot a digital picture in my life!!! i literally learned on the job with my son’s girlfriend assisting me and a guy from the magnum staff along to “teach me”…well, it worked….yes, the ad worked…but i mean i was like honestly “sold”…low light..amazing!!! no changing film in the middle of being in “the zone”….freedom!!! so i went digital with nikon….
then along comes the leica m8!!! leica being very friendly with magnum photographers loaned several of us cameras to try….nikon has done exactly the same for me ever since that first d100 shoot….i have great relations with both companies…
i take no money from either company and happily enjoy testing their cameras for them…and i play with all camera companies new products and would go in a heartbeat to any company that produced a camera that worked well for me….just by the sequence of events i so described have i had a good relationship with both of these particular camera companies and both of them know i use both cameras for my work….
so, that is it in a nutshell…please let us not go too tech on this blog..
but , i think this was a fair question, so i hope i properly put it into “historical” terms ..probably i will never have anything more to say about cameras (unless i switch to something else!!)….many thanks for understanding…..
warmest regards, david
aga….
i am in the same boat!!
cheers, david
hey josh!!!
i know you do not even have a computer, so i am very surprised to find you here!! did i tell you about this blog???
anyway, mi amigo, mi nephew, mi maestro favorito por la guitara…..venga acqui en nuevo york para mi exposicion de mi trabajo “living proof”….hip hop …junio 14….tu puedes vivir conmigo en mi casa…mi loft es tu loft……
i love you dude!!!! high five!! bear hug!!!!
david
hey luis…
you almost made me cry….thank you for your thank you….we were such a great team in madrid and in valencia….great student slide shows coming from lots and lots and lots of work….and then, totally exhausted…out onto the streets of valencia and party until literally the sun comes up!!!! you were such a great great help…a real collaborator…
and great to see your show and to try to explain you to your mom!!! classic!!!
come back to new york soonest mi amigo…..i start laughing just thinking about it!!!
un abrazo grande david
damn glenn…
you almost made me cry too!!!
beautiful words my man, beautiful words….
cheers, david
carlos
we are talking about two subjects at the same time, but then again it is all one big circle…it sounds like you have the relationship “thing” worked out…congratulations to both of you….
one of the things in life so sweet to me is that photographers can be ageless…..i have never ever seen a great photographer “retire”..the great ones all die working!!! publishing books, doing exhibitions, revered at dinners!!!
professional commercial work probably becomes less interesting to the photographer at about the same time that it is time to let the younger photographers in the door anyway…honestly really good timing…towards the end of a career i think serious photographers think more about books and exhibitions than they do about anything else..
interestingly, i have never seen the younger generation in the world of photography ever ever look down on the older generation….the older photographers who have earned their reputations are held high on all counts….
by the way, i am writing this totally identifying myself as being one of the “younger photographers”!!! i ain’t done yet!!!
so the simple answer is: do your work…be happy doing your work….and you can do it forever!!!
Thanks David. One of the most interesting articles about photographers was published a couple of years ago in Vanity Fair.This article was about all these famous photographers reaching (at that time) their 100th birthday!…It was amazing…In the article they said that the combination of the “physical” (carry equipment from here to there) and the “alert” mode 24/7 of a photographer produce “something” that according to a scientific study is what causes the longevity in this profession….well…it was really interesting…I’ll look for the magazine..I still have it and I let you know the correct tittle. (I think it was “Shooting after 80’s)
saludos.
Carlos
carlos…
i did not see that piece…i will find it…
thanks, david
during this meeting in Poland dont forget about me, plz ;-)
aga…
i will not forget…i already have this fantasy image in my head of showing up in Warsaw or something and meeting all of my Polish friends from this blog and going out for dinner and a beer…is that a cultural tradition in Poland??
peace, david
:-) you are very welcome on my website :-)
thank you for nice compliment.. you are right, i should put less pictures there (it’s too much ashura and gypsys, btw gyspys story is not finished).. i will edit it one more time…
i think my edition is not good, it’s really hard for me to look at my pictures and think about them only as pictures (without feelings which they remind me).. it’s the thing i have to learn.. also i noticed i have to much similar compositions, i should have bigger diversity (diffrent framing and compositions)… sometimes i think it’s my bad habit from newspaper where i always had to do single pictures.. i dont really know how to build the story.. today i saw on your journal Casey’s story about pigeons.. i should also learn how to make such nice story… how to use images to tell a story :-)
Also i have better mood since 2 days, because i started work again :-) (i have all the time same problem – i dont earn yet, and my parents are getting nervous, but i feel more happy to do something)…
i started to shoot story about mormons missionary in my city… i am curious why young people are living their home in america and come here for 2 years… and i am interested in religious things so hope i will do it good
we will see :-)
cultural tradition in Poland is to go out to drink a beer… one… two.. threee.. four… or more ;-)
I have to say that in Poland beer is incredible good!
aga…
yes, you make a good point…you must be emotionally involved with your work in one sense, particularly while shooting, and then also be “detached” when editing…this is a hard thing to learn…if you remember how “hard” it was to take the picture or how lucky you were or whatever, it makes the edit difficult…
shoot with passion, edit with a clear mind…it is always nice to have someone you really trust to help you edit..many do this…but, ultimately you must be the judge..
a story on the Mormons in Poland could be really interesting…i always wondered about them too…..i see them, usually looking “out of place” with their dress all over the world…always smiling….
yes, give that a try!!
david
Hi David,
Welcome home! You’re one of the hardest working people I know, but at the same time having fun doing it. Now that’s priceless.
As far as relationships and work go, I’m probably an exception rather than the norm. I rarely stray far from home to do my shooting, work at my own pace, and don’t answer to anybody, except Denise. That’s ok though. She is definitely my better half, and we are a match. I never worked at it. No secret formula. It just happened. We love the life we lead. And she is constantly encouraging my creativeness.
Hey Josh, What a surprise hearing from you. Talk about talent. You’ve got it. Hope you’re doing well and still playing.
By the way, we just discovered a great Polish restaurant in downtown Raleigh, Betski’s.
nostrovia,
Mike
hi mike…
yes, denise and you really “have it” as i have seen over the years….
almost time for a cold beer with both of you on the back deck at sunset…i still fantasize moving down there…..of course, in the time that it has taken me to think about it, the prices have gone off the charts!!!
i look forward to seeing both denise and you soonest….
abrazos, david
Edit with a clear mind! why did’nt any one tell me that? My edits are usually done in a hurry before a deadline and when I go through the pics later down the track I can’t believe what I had missed.
Maybe a bit of Sabbath on the headphones may clear the mind before editing?
Cheers Glenn
I believe, that you can not to write about that kinds of choices in the blog. but maybe in the private mail? I don’t ask you about technical aspects, I want to ask more about choice connected to philosophy of the whole system: rangefinder vs DSLR. from your point of view. Not about leica vs nikon model X or something like that… You know, for mi rangefinders are really very personall, but in work I have to “torture” myself with digital SLR. It was economical choice, you know – thousands of slides vs memory card. And now, M8 appears… and one of the most inspiring photographers whitch used to make photos with M6 pass it, returns to DSLR…
Of course I’m very thankful for your words, it is realy precious for me.
thanks again and sorry about my english.
best regards, Peter
is this the coolest blog on the planet or what?
in just this one thread, you’ve got people from all parts of the globe sharing in the spirit.. and you’ve covered your camera history, connected with a nephew, shared wonderful memories with many, almost cried, covered editing, relationships, and ‘made a date’ with our polish friends to have a beer! does it get much better?
also, it’s great seeing luis’s name here.. in editing for eddie adams, he came to mind when i came across this image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lancerosenfield/492567829/
and aga helped edit my portfolio, too! if all goes well, we will meet at eddie adams in the fall..
way to go dave, you’re bringing us all together… not to mention, on the relationsip side, my girlfriend reads your blog, too.. and to be honest i think she understands me better by doing so.. it’s a great thing.
I dated a Swede for two years. Me living in the US she living in Stockholm. We would see each other every few months. That was extremely hard. But we pushed through it because we wanted to be together. We eventually married in Sweden and she moved back to the US. Well for a 1001 reasons, none of which I ever really accepted, she moved back to Sweden and we eventually got a divorce. Ultimately our communication was terrible. I think it’s because we never laid a strong enough foundation of trust.
Ultimately if you are someone that is honest about what they want and you grant them them the same by being honest with what you want then it’s all good. The question is how many times are we brave enough to be that truly honest. It takes time to build the level of communication.
Ah ..le coeur sacré
piotre…
you asked a fair question…maybe i did not answer it properly….i do use the m8 and love the m8, but i only have one, and it is on loan from leica…to really go on an assignment i need at least two of everything just to be practical…you know, stolen camera, broken camera, camera at the bottom of the lake kinds of things….honestly, i just cannot afford 2 m8’s right now!!! or even one!!
one of the problems with digital is that all of us are scrambling around trying to “land” on one good system that would somehow resemble the systems we had with film…like find one good camera and use it “forever”…it does not seem like that will be the case anytime soon….
i hope i am being more helpful to you this time….
david
sherman…
yes, there are really only three words to make a successful relationship..trust..trust…and trust…
as in loyalty, as in understanding and as in growing together in a respectful way…
and , as you point out, the best way to be trusted is to be honest….and if you and your partner are on this same “page”, then that is what i would call the perfect relationship…
david
David… i just came back from shooting :-) and feel really good :-)… tomorrow i go there again :-) … and it is what i like in this job :-) – it make me happy :-)
Lance… i have all the time my fingers crossed ;-) (I am talking about Eddie Adams workshop)
I wonder why the concept of Mormon missionaries in Poland seems so odd to me; I must not get out and about much anymore…
lance…
well, if i can contribute in any way to your girlfriend understanding you more, then my job is a success!!!
i am pretty sure your girlfriend realizes she has a “good catch” with you…i am sure you show her great respect and friendship because i think you would pick a woman who deserves the best…and i am sure you work very hard to create a good “balance”…i think you are that kind of man…are both of you coming to c’ville??
c’mon man, buy the woman a plane ticket!!!
see you soonest amigo….david
Met someone, left someone, met someone, left someone….
Met someone again…
Loved to ride bicycles, walk in the rain and the sun, watch, observe, stand, peaceful, run after peacocks on an early morning in some land where we were nothing but strangers…
Someone who wrote … someone who enjoyed music and loved photography, had his own mind and ideas, enjoyed freedom and space most of all…
and I realized I had met a “me”… someone whom I could spend my days of boredom (if there were any) with,
someone who was passionate and mad like me…
The right person can be so right,
creativity needs space and freedom…(most of the times this is the only factor that doesnt allow a relationship to get anywhere)
an allowance for madness….
I think I’m fortunate…
lavannya..
wow!! amazing what you wrote!! you said it all….
many thanks, david
well david i may not have much choice now… and i would be very glad if she came along… (i’m sure ben will like that too for our hotel room!) actually she is amazing.. i told her early on that i will need ‘space for my madness’ and she gets that.. in fact i’m finding that she accelerates my growth.. well it’s early yet but so far so good! i just hope i can offer her the same. alright ’nuff about this before someone vomits on their monitor.. namely her!
Akaky… Poland is very (roman) catolic country .. it’s not easy to belive in something diffrent in Poland, and definately is not easy to be a Mormon here :-) + have u ever think that pigeons are good story to take pics? i am sure you don’t ;-)… so go and take a look of pics in “student work” part and you will love them :-), i am sure…
Lance.. you are lucky to have such girl! I wish you a lot of happiness and long life together!
What’s her name? I dont like write “she” :-)… will be nicer to know her name :-)
I dont really undestand – Does your girl also live far away? If yes, it seems we all have same problem ;-) … my love (also photographer) is living in Istanbul… i saw him last time in March and now i am waiting when he will come back from his trip to south Turkey and come to me, to see my country firsth time :-)
This reminds of the “talent versus hard work” discussion we had recently. When you meet someone special and have mutual attraction, that “talent” can sustain a relationship for a long time. But we all know what happens when you don’t nurture that talent.
That’s where the “hard work” comes in. Each person has to make the effort to sustain and grow the relationship. The rewards of that work are so great. Having someone who understands you, who deeply cares about your happiness and who you give that back to is unparalleled.
My fiancee and I have been together since 1998, and we were college sweethearts who graduated in 1991. The long distance on-again, off-again of the 90’s was really hard, but it focused our determination to be together. We use our shared experiences as the foundation for our love and we grow together. She’s my best friend.
Plus she’s become really good at editing my work!
Lance-this is without question the coolest blog in the world.
Andrew
David, I forgot to add, that looks like a pretty sweet Litespeed hanging from the wall in the photo. I used to race mountain bikes, and I always wanted one!
Don’t worry, this won’t become a talk about gear!
Andrew
akaky and aga..
you never know what will make a good essay…mostly, i think, it really just takes the photographer really being “fired up” about the subject or “creating” the subject, as in a “concept story”…
when bruce davidson did “East 100th Street” it was mostly a concept in his head…east 100th street itself was the same the day before and the day after he did his essay and no editor in the world would have said “go do a story on east 100th street”…
bruce “created” a story in his mind, and then made powerful photographs that “became” something just because he did it..of course, race in America was a general topic at the time as now, but there were other “newsy” “storytelling” ways to show it and other photographers were at the same time covering the Martin Luther King marches, riots etc etc…
this was very different than philip jones-griffiths covering Vietnam ..the Vietnam war was a “real story”…a real war, with editors shoving photogs out the door to go cover it…but, even there, philip “conceptualized” and came up with “Vietnam Inc.”…this was his “vision” of what the war was really all about…
so, for me , photographer drive and passion and interest are the key elements in whether or not a story is “good”….i could spend all morning here giving example after example..
the Mormons in Poland may or may not be a “good story”…
it depends totally on aga…how close she feels to it..how close she can get…i do not know aga…but, she said in a comment that she was interested in religion….religion in our troubled times is just interesting…whether you are religious or not…religion has either brought people together and provided sanctity or has separated cultures and caused great conflict, depending on your perspective..
i have never been to Poland and i am not a Mormon…but, i do see a bit of what aga is talking about…i mean, here is this strongly Catholic country having struggled with politics and religion and economy in very real ways since WWII…and now, in the middle of a country where sheer survival has been a mantra are two young men in white shirts and ties and walking around “selling” a “new religion” that started in the U.S..i have seen these same young men, looking totally out of place, in the jungles of Guatamala and the busy markets of Rio…
they are missionaries….but why do they come to Poland? why do they even leave their small territory in Utah at all? do they mix with the Poles in a significant way? how do they live? are they lonely? are they happy? is their “mission accomplished”??
i do not know what the pictures would be like from aga on the Mormons…but, i would not have known what the pictures would have been like either if bruce davidson had sent me an e-mail asking me if i thought the world needed a story on east 100th street…bruce just worked and showed me…he “made” the subject important and visual…
maybe aga will do the same…
peace, david
andrew…
no relationship problems with you!! sounds ideal…
yes, titanium litespeed 19″ totally inappropriate for new york!! built out from the frame by my son bryan with all super lite hubs, crankset etc., who sold it to me after he built his moots…both of my sons, bryan and erin, are terrific mountain bikers..we all end up in colorado at times where they leave me in the dust to wonder what in hell am i doing up here!!!
bike technology has moved way way past my dear litespeed, but i do not care….i can barely make good use of this sweet bike as it is…
by the way, thanks for reminding me…i gotta pump up the tires and get out there…i mean this weather is for biking!!!
no problem with bike tech talk…or kite boarding tech talk or snowboarding tech talk or surfboard tech talk….but, in any case, you should talk to my sons…
i can, however, handle a frisbee pretty well and do have one in my duffel bag at all times for international travel….
david
David,
I always embarrass myself with frisbees. The one throw I can do is the hammer. Weak wrists, I guess.
If you ever want to put yourself and that Litespeed on a Metro-North train to Stamford, Conn. about 35 miles from Brooklyn, I can show you some killer singletrack. It’s not Durango, but it does the trick. And a little farther up the road is a kiteboarding spot in Stratford, Conn., where the guys regularly get 30-40 feet of air. Now that is an incredible sport.
Well, the one relationship problem is that we enjoy each other’s company so much that I sometimes fear I depend on her for more than I should. But I am extremely lucky in love. Didn’t some famous photographer say the best pictures are taken when you’re in love?
Thanks again for this blog. The ideas you’ve generated and the perspective I’ve gained about life, work and myself have been significant.
Andrew
that frisbee comment cracks me up… i’m thinking back to all of your latin island photos and imagining you meeting your subjects via the frisbee on the beach… hmmm.
aga – i am lucky indeed.. i usually find a way to screw relationships up but kelly is worth hanging onto for sure.. i tell her she is beautiful and she tells me my images are beautiful.. so far it’s working! she is here in austin and that is a big bonus.. i’ve done the long-distance thing in the past, and you really have to be equipped to make that work.. in the end i wasn’t.
trust and honesty are fundamental whether you’re in the same city or long-distance.
there is a real-world/heartwrenching video clip out there somewhere chronicling Joel Sartore with his family before he leaves on a long assignment for nat’l geographic.. his wife says a few poignant words.. it’s hard on the family, but they’re supportive. couldn’t find it on youtube.. maybe it’s out there somewhere.. it’s worth watching. but everyone handles these situations differently.
andrew…
i might take you up on that stamford ride…at least, stamford is at sea level!! that over 10,000 feet stuff kills me!!
lance…
that scene where sartore says goodbye to his crying wife and kids is poignant..i must say i never experienced a scene like that…i was fortunate in that the family came with me so many times on assignment, that the segue between my personal life and my professional life was one line rather than two…
David… all you are writing is true about making storys (btw Vietnam Inc is one of my favourites albums!).. i have really hard work to do :-)
-> one pictures from today http://tiny.pl/d6wl everytime I am looking at it I start to laugh :-) Mormon girls went to “second hand” to buy some shirts and long skirts (they came to Poland without light cloths, thought it’s cold in Poland most of the time)… missionary in dressing room (PRZYMIERZALNIA means dressing room).. today they had free day and act as normal girls about 20 years old :-) … as you see on the picture ;-)
Lance… so you have easy work to do – you just have to that Kelly is beautifull :-P … my boyfriend has more difficult – he has to talk that i am beutifull AND i have beautifull pictures ;-)
David: why do they come to Poland?
Aga: They can not choose a country where they want to go, when they decide to go to be a missionaty they accept every place which will be choosen for them. Brother of one of them (also missionary) is in Hong Kong and her boyfriend is in Peru :-)
D: why do they even leave their small territory in Utah at all?
A: They want to propagate their religion all over the world, for all of them is a big honor to be a missionary. It’s the Biggest adventure in their lifes.. the rest of their life they will probably spend in same small city
D: do they mix with the Poles in a significant way?
no… they doesnt have any friends in Poland, they spend 2 months in one city and after 2 months go to another
D:how do they live?
A:They have some savings from USA, they dont earn at all during mission.. they live in small apartments, and dont let anybody to go there (so i can not shoot there.. it’s not allowed
D: are they lonely?
A: They doesnt have time to think about loneless… they are all day busy, from early morning (6.30) until night (10.30 they go to sleep)..missionarys have only one day free (but it’s only day when they can send mails to home or to shooping, clean apartments ect.. so this day is also busy)
D: are they happy?
A: incredible happy all the time.. they belive they do the best thing on the world, and they show a path to God.. they are smiling all the time!
D: is their “mission accomplished”??
I am surpriced but i think they are really good in it… but sometimes they have language problems (they can not speak polish fluently)…
THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS! :-) it helps me a lot! it’s good to realize some things.. if i know what i want to see i can see it :-)
My favourite journalist and writer – Ryszard Kapuscinski used to say that only when you can call a name what you want to see, you can see it.. when you know how weeping willow looks like, you will see weeping wilow.. when you can not name it, you can only see a tree (my translation is probably not correct but i hope you know what i mean)
Aga
Mormons is good subject for great story. It is possible to open wings, and fly far away.
I’m waiting for story like that.
I’m working on art festival in Wroclaw. They need documentary photography (shoot everyone, everywhere, everything!!!) . It is like big wedding (only less pay).
But I’m happy because I’m working.
My only problem is noise in my digital pictures when I taking pictures in dark. Disaster….
I don’t want use flash so I must use photoshop ha ha ha
All good photos I will make will be only for me, because they never use it.
But fun is great!
Martin
Martin… are you Polish?I think so.. but i will write english (we are so many polish people here that we only need David to learn our language ;-) .. Mormons can learn, so he can do it too ;-))
I think i will “cut” a litle bit this story about Mormon’s missionarys in Poland… i will do story only about Mormon’s female missionarys… I can be closer to the subject – i am only 2 years older than these girls :-)
Plus, it’s more interesting for me… they are like normal my age girls but has to do their “mission” here! Interesting thing for me! Their life in USA is so much diffrent than here :-) (there is their big familly and boyfriend, here thery are alone, there is big house, here is small flat in blok of flats, there is a farm and trucks, here is a city, bus and tramway :-).. i see many interesting things :-) .. i hope i can show it on pictures…
Thank you Martin for a nice comment… you motivate me to work harder :-)
I am sorry to write about it so much :-) but maybe we all will learn something during posting.. haha.. I feel like we all have “online worshops” :-)
Aga, I like bird pictures and those in student work are excellent. As for the Mormons, I am sure this will be an excellent story for you, and judging by your website my guess is you will cover it very well indeed, but I find that there is still something very peculiar about the thought of all those earnest American young people wandering the highways and byways of a profoundly Roman Catholic country trying to convert the populace. On the meter measuring cognitive dissonance the concept of Polish Mormons is not as strange as the concept of Polish Rastafarians (another story entirely), but it is certainly odd enough ;-)
aga…i know what you mean!!! ok, now you have done it…you have a whole bunch of us out here waiting for your Mormon pictures!! get to work!! david
Akaky and David…haha.. now i saw your posts… so i have big pressure to do this story ;-)