BURN is buzzing…..in New York…..now….
wherever i went at the recent New York Photo Festival in the last couple of days, BURN was the talk of the town…now yes of course it would SEEM like that to ME…..but, even factoring out the dah pride thing, BURN was buzzing…..
however, forget that….the important thing right now for all of us is the response you have given us starting within seconds of us putting up the donation button…..as many of you know i was reluctant to put up a donate button…..hard for me to ask…but the response has been humbling to say the least….YOU have saved BURN…well, you have saved BURN for another month or so…but, that might be just about right….we are making the big push for responsible sponsorship, setting up a gallery for your work, continuing as per normal my personal mentoring for some of you, and continuing to put out an online magazine (annual print)where we can share our opinions on a wide variety of styles …. where the integrity and morality of the work is just as important as the aesthetic……
i want us to be on the high ground…as sponsors now view us, each person here is personally responsible for our move into a whole new world of publishing….what you now write is read by many in our craft and in our art…your words are now more than ever IMPORTANT….as you hold me to my responsibilities, i will hold you to yours…..
think before you write and write exactly as you think…
as we move closer to Look3 and the announcement of our EPF grant recipient, our discovery/promotion of the new talent imperative here on BURN will clearly be manifested….you may or may not agree with the finalists and the final jury choice, but i do not want anyone to doubt the integrity of the selection….Anton and i together went through all 1,200 entries…i made the selection of the ten finalists within the context of serious second opinion from Anton….so we alone are responsible for the ten finalists soon to be presented on BURN starting probably on Tuesday….a prestigious eclectic jury of peers will make the final choice for the 2009 recipient….neither Anton nor i will have a vote towards the grant recipient….there will be other, soon to be announced, support for the remaining finalists as well…
our potential sponsors will notice our traffic and the loyalty of our audience….mostly they will notice our audience produced content with the emphasis on authorship……they will definitely notice your volunteered financial support for BURN….i thank you for all three from the bottom of my heart….
part of my plan is to put some respected legends in our craft on commissions specifically for BURN…i want to do the same for some of you……not just the EPF finalists, but for the most talented of you here on BURN….for example, one legend producing original photography for BURN and three emerging photographers on an equal commissions doing original work as well….i can put this together with guaranteed photographer’s publishing rights, better than editorial day rates, and artistic control by the authors….how could i represent anything less??? we are going to rock with this one….
i will count on you to help keep BURN all it can be, and i will do all i can to help you to be all that you are….
…..david alan harvey
HA,HA…Let’s laugh like MR. DAH!
HAVE you ever tried?
Sidney…right :)
I was just asking after all….BTW: It’s a great pleasure to see your thoughtful posts here !
erguotou rotgut on SIDNEY !!
What if we did a fundraiser using iGavel? something like this..
http://auction.igavel.com/ClientInfo.taf?_function=info&id=3049&skip=1
Thaddeus
just wanted to say thanks for the mention of me as a note worthy photographer shooting portraits. Was having sort of an unfortunate morning, and reading that warmed my heart, it was very sweet of you, really. The amount of hours that I spend working on things alone is a bit against my nature and makes it a challenge for me to keep on at full speed always, and in a way that I don’t fully understand it does help to hear that the work does make an impact. The comedic thing is that of late it has become a little bit of a pet peeve of mine to be thought of only as a portrait photographer..I completely understand why I am but in my heart I am just “a photographer”. Hopefully the new project that will be up here on burn at some point will help to illustrate that..but my point is, being called a note worthy portrait photog by you was quite touching.
Dear Erica,
It was my pleasure. I’ve visited your website many times and still find that body of work truly inspiring. I’m really looking forward to seeing your new project here on Burn. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Thaddeus.
DAH –
Email in your inbox – jarediorio [at] gmail [dot] com
BEAUTIFUL NIGHT in EUROPE!!!
THANK YOU all from my CIVILIAN heart …
it seems you came a long way…
even with all my efforts via (ouzo, beer, whiskey…)
you are very “strong” and “civilized”
I am PROUD…
and I see new BLOOD, new BURNIANS coming…
Don’t be afraid…BURN is the place to be…!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU BURN
I will be back…Don’t blink
CIVILIAN…
better apply for a refund before i buy a one way ticket to Fiji…..
OK, BURNIANS blink !!!
Fiji … then Fiji we go !!!
Shall I stop calling the Universe for new “blood”?
Breath, just breath, close your eyes and there you are…
why not Greece ? Anyway…Fiji is ok with me.
You are always welcome here …but for your “state” you have to proceed to aisle 2
TRAUMA CENTER :))
P.S When is the next payment, do we have the option for monthly automated withdrawals…
You are doing fine my man…just take your vitamins, don’t forget to drink WATER,and wash your hands.
AVOID dancing and kissing …weird “bugs” around…
NO REFUNDS FOR CIVILIANS.
no need to reply…FOCUS,my man
FOCUS
FOCUS on YOURSELF this time!
LOVE YOU ALLLLL
OUT of battery t
Civilian
Hey! Katharina has come to Buzz…She knocked on your door and paid you a smile..(spfffttt…i think she deserves a key but i don´t want to tell you what to do with your own little greek cottage) But let me tell you, Civi, she´s the real deal..
gotta go..more work!
kat-
Totally apropos of nothing..WTF is up with (some) teens in NYC? I just spent some time trying to “get in” to a group of boys so i could take a few photographs..it went almost okay on the whole maybe because I called them out on their intimidation tactics and switched the focus to their curiosity about girls, but man they were so foul mouthed and loud and rude and aggressive and from another planet than my teen planet. They were from what you’d assume to be the stereotyped demographic of low income troubled kids, but even if that is true they seem far more lost than I would have expected, it’s as if they have lost their humanity compass altogether. I’m half interested to keep trying and half to not..Short of bringing them to center focus and seriously investing in them and a long term relationship, not sure what would assuage them.
KATIA, I should ask, do you engage kids in these frames of mind? (nasty, disrespectful, aggressive?)
Erica – where in NYC – like right in manhattan or in one of the boroughs? How disrespectful where they? I imagine that it may not be communicable over burn, but I’d like to know as I try to deal with a lot of the youth culture in the Brooklyn area and, by the by, they are decent.
Vasilios..
yes Brooklyn..and I agree, I talk with/ photograph youth here often without issue. They were amped up as earlier there was a fight between two girls, and what seemed to be 100 kids were running through the streets to try to catch it…a lot of the kids lived in the Red Hook projects. Summer fever madness maybe..
“better apply for a refund before i buy a one way ticket to Fiji…..”
You might not get into Fiji now, after the army abolished the constitution and sacked all the judges… Journalists need a special visa, and if you say anything negative about the govt, you’re sent home!!! :-))
Come here to NZ instead, only heavy rain and snow storms to worry about today!!!!
HI ALL – I AM GOING TO POST THIS ON BOTH LINKS…
Anton helped me designs a “bumper sticker” to sell at LOOK3 this year….
What Happens at LOOK3
Stays at LOOK3…
(and ends up on Burn.)
Erica;
I’m shooting a youth project at the moment. Mind you my focus is totally different; it concentrates on kids just getting along with life, but getting stigmatised by the bad actions of a few.
The only problems I’ve had so far are with the “gangsta wannabees” who don’t, in general, take part in the indie music (rock, punk) scene I’m shooting at the moment. I can only think of two incidents of aggresiveness (towards me), and typically, outside on the street away from the indie music kids.
Even in our reasonably affluent small city there is a rising amount of really nasty unprovoked teen violence, but again it is perpetrated by a few. Kids getting jumped (& hospitalised) by 6-10 teens just for their mobile phones etc.
Actually the violence had me questioning my own project, but it firmed up my resolve in the end, because most kids aren’t doing that sort of stuff.
The major difference I’m seeing between now and when I was young (I’m 46) is that if there was a fight between two teenage men when i was young; it was settled right there and then. Now the loser often gets his retaliation with half a dozen of his mates later on in a carpark etc.
Also; kicking someone in the head etc when they were down didn’t happen often, whereas now it is a common occurence. Often by a group of people too. I feel sorry for kids having to worry about that sort of crap happenning; growing up is difficult enough…
Again, this is in a relatively affluent small city in a rural farming province…
Cheers;
Ross
Erica – I was recently in red hook… As commonplace as this is to say there are always bad seeds around. But sometimes flukes occur, pack mentalities develop and then ill behaviors manifest in peoples/group that normally wouldn’t. Summer madness is a good way to put it, and the adrenaline from a blood-y-nose-lust for youngsters can be overwhelming.
I’m done some work in the Bushwick area (i live in betwixt in east williamsburg) and there are definitely rougher spots than others… and of course bed-sty has a stigma all of its own.
I find it interesting to hear others experience in this area. I have yet to experience something too distasteful other than the colorful language that kids engage in to act like adults (and adults engage in to act like children)
Ross – the times have certainly changed from your view – and my own. I hate to say it because its so circumstantial, but it is less safe today than in the past; the culprit? . I think one of the most important thing for photographers delving into these issues is two-fold:
1) giving a non-threatening demeanor and 2) having an uncanny ability to disarm – and now’n'days more than ever.
GINA
and ends up on BuRN…
LOVE IT!!!!
xox
hi katiecakes
would you consider sharing
megadrippinsokolitsyrup pistachio ice cream
in the worlds-widest-waffle cone with me
a high point of your day?
civi,
focusing i am, dont think youre jerry springer.
but yeah as you say,
‘love and take care of each other’
erica–
no youth here has ever been nasty, disrespectful or aggressive with me.
honestly. it just doesn’t happen.
but my situation is different. i’ve been on the streets with them for four years now.
they all know me and respect me and when new kids come through they are introduced to me
immediately, told that i’m the street mom there and it’s understood that that title entails respect.
it excites me to think you are maybe, just maybe going to walk down my path a little..?
it would change your life. and theirs. irrevocably and brilliantly.
and..
personally, i cannot think of a single thing i’d rather see than street youth photos by erica mcdonald.
uffff….. i quiver to think of it…
:))
k.
Gracie
hahaha, yeah, like i could stick my entire face in a waffle cone right about now..and Erica talks about tough kids out on the street? street kids are a piece of cake compared to the low flying UFO´s that come at a person online..so heya, Gracie! wazzup? You got pistachio ice cream you´re giving away? Think i´ll just plunk myself down at your kitchen table and grab a spoon. Guess what? In 21 hours my baby comes home from Madrid!!! i´m so excited i can´t think straight..which should be obvious to anyone reading Burn tonight :))
how are you and your wee poets?
hugZ
kat
how are you and your wee poets?
zzzzzzzzzzz
dont we all forget (when we become fancy
and important, distinguished)
we still eat and breathe, laugh and love
and love to smile
tough kids need love from somewhere someone
tough jobs need breaks
hot heads, tired souls need green ice cream
Gracie our Muse..our lady in blond curls..
truer words have not passed my eyeballs in quite some time..i love pistachio ice cream..i love nuts. i love tough kids, i love being a mom..i love YOU!
what else matters?
AMOR!
bless your blessed family
kat-
Vasilios;
Yes demeanor helps, as does the gift of the gab!!! Also, if someone is under the influence be careful what you say. Even an innocuous statement can be taken the wrong way, as I found out a couple of weeks ago. The person really concerned really kicked off, pissed as a chook and pretty agro. After half an hour of talking, well mostly listening; he calmed down. But this was an isolated incident.
I have been shooting nearly every weekend since New Year’s Eve in this particular indie music bar and have only seen two potentially unfriendly moments, both caused by people who don’t usually go there.
After one punk night I had 6 people come up and thank me for taking photos down there and showing interest. They all said they get blamed for being a bit dodgy because they’re often covered in tats, piercings and wearing black. Yet it is one of the most accepting environments I’ve ever been in.
I think it makes a difference that I’m older too. When I was 18-ish anyone over 30 was ancient, so I often feel that they are surprised that I am interested in them. As one said to me “You never see the newspapers down here”
It’s now got to the stage when the kids come up to say goodbye when they leave. I’ve turned into the resident grandad I think!! :-))
Erica;
I also have a dozen or so printed project overviews in my camera bag that I give to anyone i talk to. It’s justan A4 piece of paper that describes the project and has a link to my photos. It’s amazing how one piece of paper does the rounds. Anyway it’s often too loud to discuss the project when the bands are playing.
Brooklyn, Venice, Miami, Costa Rica,Toronto, China,Paris,Athens…same stories,different names.
To My Erica,
Sometimes I have a feeling that I want to bunch some of their faces…YES,I the CIVILIAN
BUT at the same time I want to take those same faces and SQUEEZE them so hard from love and admiration!
What I want to say is MAYBE they “feel you” that you ARE NOT ONE OF THEM. They can SMELL you…
See, Katia has a unique smell,it goes well with them…
Anyways, BE you and ONLY you, You are AMAZING,and if you SMELL different maybe you will have to disengage.
Maybe your true calling is elsewhere…!!!!!
LOVE YOU ERICA
KATIE,
7 HOURS TO GO…OH,my …I can’t even FOCUS…weird…I need to check in TRAUMA CENTER:))))
JULIETTE WE LOVE YOU !!!!!!!!!!!
KATHARINA HESSE,
KATHARINA AS Hipparchia the Cynic…
You are my role model …I am trying to cut and paste YOUR bio from your website but I have NO luck!
YOUR WEBSITE ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!
KATHARINA if you will read this , your key is ready …
and you are HOT too…hmmm….?
P.S Katie…I knew YOU are MY EYES and my ears !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE ,ALL we need is LOVE…
AND my GRACIE,
I want ice cream too. You are always here for ALL of US…
You are THE ONLY ONE GRACIE !!!!
p.s Who is this J.Springer? Does he BURN ???
LOVE YOU GRACIE,LOVE YOU BURN, LOVE YOU ALL
Civilian,
ha ha. thanks for the key…
Me a role model ? Don’t think so !
Katharina,
you are a BURNIAN , a true BURNIAN, and as a BURNIAN I want a high self esteem.
REPEAT after me:
I AM A BURNIAN AND I DESERVE IT :))))
Hands UP in the air like Herve …again:
I AM A BURNIAN AND I DESERVE IT :))))
VIVA
TO BOB BLACK,
Bob U Rock Now = B U R N
gina martin:
“Anton helped me designs a “bumper sticker” to sell at LOOK3 this year….” you twisted minds :)))
Wendy you are right…:))) they ROCK !!!
Be United Rock Naked = BURN
Burn United Ride Naked = BURN
WTF help me out BURNIANS …
Ross / Vasilios..thanks..it was a weird day..the man who called the police was an instant target, was jumped, these kids were only about 13..it’s as if all fear/respect for elders is gone..i guess that what was I was getting too, until I stayed and stayed, then they warmed..
KATIA yes yes. to see the changes in a couple of the boys faces, the way they were leaning in to hear what I was saying, and shussing the other ones who were still taunting..it was touching, they asked if I was going to come back..I think it will have to be an organic situation if it unfolds, I don’t think I can choose this right now..
erica–
please stay in touch with them, however intermittently, if at all possible.
they ARE “lost” and i feel your presence among them would remind them
what goodness is. a truly caring adult in their midst could mean
the difference between being lost.. and found.
thank you for existing..
k.
KATIA
xo..I may bring a couple of books over to show them..mostly to show how / why their stories are important too..the concern/ assumption is that I’d only want their image to do them harm, and it would be great for them to get that my interest was because they are worthwhile..
and KATIA
not to break your heart, but here is a student essay about the houses a lot of the kids live in:
“The Brooklyn Red Hook Housing Projects are located on a peninsula in New York. It is a public housing project and is a large part of Brooklyn. The people that live here are “cut off from the rest of the world” so to speak. Most of the building complexes are built like middle class apartment buildings. They are usually six floors high, but they are occasionally up to 14 floors high. Considering the building complexes are so close together, they seem like a prison. The buildings are connected together, occupying a space of about 12 blocks.
The Red Hooks were built in 1939 and now contain many different races such as Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and mostly blacks. Many of the children go to shabby schools with a low class of education, but over half of them don’t go to school at all. A big lack of respect from the young people in the projects has become a big issue in the projects. One reason for this is that they are out running all hours of the night with no ambition to do anything but to make or steal enough money to buy drugs or alcohol. Another factor is that people are becoming parents at a younger age than usual. Therefore, none of these people are teaching their kids any respect because they never grew up with any.
The physical conditions of the buildings are poor in the projects. The areas that used to be full of grass are now just fenced in concrete slab. There is always a lot of construction going on. The buildings you live in determine how nice they are going to be. The drug dealers tend to live in the dirtiest of the buildings. Usually all the buildings are graffiti filled. The rooms are all terribly small. You can barely fit a family of four in a two-bedroom apartment.”
erica mcdonald
May 21, 2009 at 7:07 am
“..it was touching, they asked if I was going to come back..I think it will have to be an organic situation if it unfolds, I don’t think I can choose this right now..”
katia roberts
May 21, 2009 at 7:25 am
erica–
please stay in touch with them, however intermittently, if at all possible.
they ARE “lost” and i feel your presence among them would remind them
what goodness is. a truly caring adult in their midst could mean
the difference between being lost.. and found.
THANK YOU for existing …”
ERICA WE BELIEVE IN YOU THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THEM AND THEY BELIEVE IN YOU…
hmmm…PLEASE ENGAGE, please ENGAGE…you might “smell” like them after all??
LOVE what else to ASK for???
WELCOME HOME JULIETTE !!!
“they are worthwhile”,..yes, yes and Yes.
and this i say with conviction, that
underneath their posturing and bravado they are good
and kind and want nothing more than to be loved.
please bring them the books.
a tear slides down my cheek to think of it..
<3
k.
finally,
“a tear slides down my cheek to think of it..”
THANK YOU KATIA ROBERTS
NNTR
“iamkatia
this blog is about my relationship with many of the homeless street youth in seattle.”
I AM KATIA
I AM KATIA
I AM KATIA
What a blog …Me Civilian I am Speechless …
I want to say THANK YOU but I have so many tears…
Civilian
THANK YOU! yes, Juliette´s en-route! i am en-loca!
does Katharina burn? does she burn? oh Civibaby, does she! just listen to this..(insert the word ¨Burn¨ for ¨Bang¨)
KATHARINA this is for you, ggrl!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6HFSM1RDHA
Katia and Erica
thanks for this exachange as well..i have read most attentively..i shoot these kids every week..they are precious children..underneath all the chains and the smirks and the posing and strutting, they are kids. But they also want to be taken seriously, not condescended to..so if you joke with them, smile sincerely, walk easily among them, they´re red seas will part..
it´s a beautiful thing..
the best thing i ever did was to go shooting with a yashicamat tlr..the boys loved it..they all wanted to look through it and i let them take pictures too..they bonded with me instantly over our mutual respect for strange machinery. also, if they´re goths or whatever, admire their clothes, ask them about their culture. they love to talk about it.
also, Latinos..remember always, always, they are extremely traditional at heart. Ask about their moms and their hermanitos..for them it´s allll about family. I don´t see so many black kids so can´t tell you about that culture so much.
Make friends with one who is friendly and accepted..he will be your key to the group. If there´s a weird or dangerous dynamic, don´t show fear. walk as they walk and if you can´t get the chemistry to realx then disengage gradually, naturally. In no time you will be able to walk among them as the unique paerson that you are and nobody will lift an eyebrow. You´ll probably meet their moms and aunts and stuff too..being relaxed is the most important thing..as if you´ve always been there. as if you are one of them even though you clearly are not. they´ll love you for that accepting quality.
hope you don´t think i´m intruding..it´s just that i shoot tough kids all the time. i love them most of all.
hugz to you both
kat-
also, sorry for the typos..sooo many interruptions!
kat
KATIE ,
you are my ears, my eyes and now my VOICE…I am not good with words…’smell’ ,”engage”
You covered me …again…speechless…You have a way with writing !!!
Katharina,
Shy BURNIAN but her website is “cold “like fire !!! Speechless…again…
Easy on Juliette,
breath before you talk…Did you read above…THE NEW GENERATION…
LOVE
Where is Lassal,Asher, Martin B, Abele, Tom Hyde, Paul T, Sofia, Patricia…?
Where is ……., …….,……..,……..,…..,?
WHERE ARE you? I NEED NEW BLOOD , ONE DOWN 999 TO GO !!!!
Laughing …..