many of you have seen this book before, but i am sure many of you have not….my first work in print….i publish it again here now only because my friend Masaaki Okada, who was the designer/editor, died on December 21….Masaaki was a tremendous influence on me as a person and as a photographer….my first collaborator…
i met Masaaki my senior year of high school….he barely spoke any English, had few friends, and had come from Japan to help out his uncle who ran a gift shop in Virginia Beach, Va…Masaaki and i ended up as college roommates and close friends…Masaaki was the most talented person i knew at the time …a brilliant man with a sketch pad and painter as well…from Masaaki i learned about Eastern art and about the concept of not making anyone lose face…the single most valuable concept i know….later, i went with Masaaki to Hamamatsu, Japan and met his whole family when i did a story on the Japanese kite fighters….
just after undergrad school, when Masaaki and i did Tell It Like It Is , we were idealists….the $2. contribution was to go to the local church and intended to buy food for the residents of the neighborhood where i did this story… i lived with this family for the better part of a summer….our goal was to save this Norfolk, Va. neighborhood and eliminate poverty with this book…Masaaki and i were both 22…
Bruce Davidson is leaning on me to re-print this book (it pre-dates publication of East 100th Street by 3 yrs)…for only 4 copies of this book exist…..Masaaki and i threw away dozens of copies of Tell It Like It Is, not thinking they were of any real importance at the time…we sold few….after all , we were not important…living in a small Virginia town and not sensing any “place” in the photography world…Masaaki did not think it even appropriate to have my name, or his, on the cover….small type on the back jacket was all he would allow…i agreed…this was not about us, but about the people in the pictures….eastern humility…
a few weeks ago, i stopped by to see Masaaki in Richmond , Va. where he lived, a retired photographer from the Richmond Times-Dispatch…….in recent years i saw him rarely, but we picked up right where we left off….he thanked me for coming and gave me another one of his paintings from the outer banks where i now live…Masaaki was an avid surf fishermen and often painted the land that surrounds me…we talked of him coming down …i knew he would love the house, the space…but, that is not to be….
Masaaki’s paintings will grace my home always…more importantly his influence on me is forever….i did tell him this many times….he always shook his head in disbelief…..i wish i had told him even more…
MY APOLOGIES TO ALL THE BURNIANS …that I forgot to mention…
please don’t hesitate to ADD and CORRECT …the above list…
I am extremely Happy cause I “met” you alllll…and cause the Greek Santa Claus is coming …
Finally …someone will visit Civilian’s house…
VIVA,VIVA,VIVA …hicks
My usual new year exhortation to self and others goes:
Consume less: Media
Capital (of all types)
Love
Create more: Media
Capital (of all types)
Love
…but that’s mostly the burnian way already, I realise…
Taking a flask of mulled wine to watch the fireworks over the Amstel.
Peace x
Would anyone here be able to give me some advice offline vrizzo@valeryrizzo.com on how to pitch a story idea, in my case a travel article, to a magazine. How does one go about pitching it and if I only have the photographs being a photographer do I also have to write the story in order to pitch it? Can I submit it to more than one magazine at the same time? Thanks I thought this might be something someone here has done before.
Best, Valery
David. beautiful story. I met him with Med at the James.
tried to return your call. can’t get you. call back about your friend. xoxo
VALERY …HAPPY NEW YEAR,
BURNIANS…VALERY needs assistance on aisle FACE…!!!
Check your e-mail …someone will respond in the next 24h…
Wish you Luck!!!
I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Happy BLUE moon
dear Burnians……
x0x
Happy New Year, Blazing Ones!
still checking in every day – just oh-so-quietly.
it’s been a rough year.
excessively tough.
but i’m Alive
and i’m learning so much.
and loving so much.
and what the hell else matters?
for you, by Neil gaiman:
“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously,
that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it,
that you will be loved and that you will be liked,
and that you will have people to love and to like in return.
And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness
and wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be,
be wise, and that you will always be kind.”
with love,
katia
.
from NPR…
if you could describe 2009 in ONE word,
what would it be?
**
BURN
LOVE
OVER.
PFART
holly-days…
unholly-nights…
pfcrap
ότι η δέσμη ματιά ενός dodgy λίγο
Wendy:
Oops… Gone…
if it was a silent…let it go…
IMANTS…you …my Greek boy…oime
IMANTS…you …my Greek boy…oime
PANOS …focus…one world
VIVA 2010 …2…0…1…0 or 0…1….0…2 or …1…0…2…0
OIMEEEEEEEEEEEE
IMANTS…you …my Greek boy…oime
PANOS …focus…one word
VIVA 2010 …2…0…1…0 or 0…1….0…2 or …1…0…2…0
OIMEEEEEEEEEEEE
PANOS …focus…one word
VIVA 2010 …2…0…1…0 or 0…1….0…2 or …1…0…2…0
OIMEEEEEEEEEEEE
Imants…
grcolandia is waiting for u..
u can speak but u can also right..
:))))))
for Katharina
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO6HbzZPxvc
biggest hug
do I see triple…??? I better cut on the ouzo..hicks
me no Grik boy ……. but an oldie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSqNx7vJLDE
ahh what the heck a repeat kids can watch too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-MucVWo-Pw
ALL..
well, so much for twitter and so much for off camera light …in my first hours on Copacabana beach New Year’s Eve, i managed to lose my iPhone to the sea and my SB800 strobe to a thief….
i never give tech reports, but my Nikon D700 took a total underwater (salt water) submersion, and came up working!!…at least for 10 frames or so, then went out…then came back!!! my iphone took the same water hit and is gone gone….
all of this happened of course by trying to take a simple picture…ladies in white were coming to the sea with flowers as an offering to Iemanja goddess of the water….in order to take this picture of course any (insane)photographer must have his/her back to the waves and be backing into the sea…well, you get the idea…i was hit by an unseen wave and knocked completely under…twice actually….Susan Welchman, Illustrations Editor for Natgeo, was holding my SB800 for me at a 90degree angle and safe and dry on the beach…while she was holding the strobe high and creating a nice balanced light at dusk, she became oh so vulnerable and sure enough the SB800 strobe was grabbed out of her hand by a running thief…
but, not before we managed to get pictures out of all this!!
i honestly cannot believe the camera is still working…even just checked again now…i mean salt water submersion…several witnesses saw it go all the way under…it was dripping wet when i managed to stand up and shoot my last frames and before the strobe was stolen…thank goodness the thief waited until the light was no longer so good anyway..
day two Rio coming up…
cheers, david
one for Panos (confined to the oven :) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO43p2Wqc08&feature=related
I do hope someone got the picture of you getting the picture. :)
And that is the great photographer’s life, crazy and unpredictable. Your trip going to be interesting.
Oh wow.
Talk about a roller coaster read!
Firstly, David, I’m very sorry to hear about your friend, Masaaki.
I’m glad you had the time you did together and I like that the things he taught you you’re now passing on to others. You were both very lucky to have each other.
I hope you do republish ‘Tell it like it is’, besides anything else it kind of completes the circle.
Also I’m really enjoying the Twitter feed.
I don’t know what it’s like for photographers on assignment or what it’s like for others working on personal projects and to me the process is just as important as the finished piece.
Knowing what people go through to achieve their vision makes it more satisfying and poignant to me, you see more the dedication and humanity of the artist.
Really interesting post about use of lenses (please more of these, they’re like food). I think we all need to try different methods to find out what works for us, and we’re moving on all the time.
David, I’m sorry about your unexpected dip :) and the theft of your flash :( glad the nikon held up, sad about the i-phone though, I’ve heard water is it’s main enemy.
Thanks to you all for sharing your thoughts, it always makes for an interesting read when I manage to catch up (you’re all so fast!) :)
Happy 2010 everyone, it’s a whole new decade, I like that.
x
David, I know the feeling — you may have been knocked down not once but twice, lost your iphone to the sea and your strobe to a thief, but dammit to hell YOU GOT THE SHOT(S)!!! Keep going; you’re on a roll. This adventure is going to result in some amazing work. I just feel it in my bones. As best you can, though, stay safe. And try to get some sleep. You’re going to need it! Tell Susan hi from Patricia. I remember her kind words when I showed her my blurb book in C’ville.
Happy 2010! It’s off to an interesting start…
hugs
Patricia
DAH:
Ahaa, so you didn’t take the m9’s to the beach?
ok katharina one more for u then
:))))))))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiuimDNlyuQ&feature=related
yeahhhhhhhh…DAH is having fun…………….
good times…………..
nikon rocks…
John..:)
clumsy photogs should always leave the m9 at home..
:)))))))))))
Panos…. 小心挨打！ :):):)
hmmm…likes it..2010 sounds so promising already….:)
spank :):):)
…thats what im talking about…:)
ive been a bad boy…i need discipline…;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k
all lets danceeeeeeeeeee
ahhh…San Francisco was so much fun..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7-10JylGZ8&feature=channel
one more classic…
for all my skype friends out there…
plz lets skype…
lets do….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hYtUYiuzkw&feature=channel
welcome everybody to our new years party….our early morning show…
dance with us…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azC3RWGUKKs&feature=related
the REAL thing..click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZG-VvlErJY
the MAN that started hip hop…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp-is6S_b_g&feature=related
(sorry2Pac..kiddin)
Looking at the current essay, I think photographers are talking pretty much to each other with their photos these days. Does anyone else really even notice photography these days, much less whether it is good or bad? Who cares about artistically framed stiffs and cops? After a barrage of cell phone photos of a suicide bombing in Pakistan or Afghanistan, what’s the point of a carefully shot essay of cops and dead guys on the street?
Who cares about artistically framed stiffs and cops? After a barrage of cell phone photos of a suicide bombing in Pakistan or Afghanistan, what’s the point of a carefully shot essay of cops and dead guys on the street?
———————————————————————————————————–
hmmm…jm afraid that thats a good point..
DAH
never a dull moment, eh? sounds as if the camera is recovered, but in case you want to do something further for it or for the iphone if it is still in your possession, standard advice I believe is to pack it in a ziploc back with silicone packets. I had a camera in the ocean incident, and the other successful advice/action was to keep it near the back of a refrigerator (outside, on top) when it wasn’t in use for awhile, to help it dry out, combined warmth and dehumidifier element or something.
the iPhone has water detectors. if they get wet, the phone shuts down.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1382047
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3gvtpjaCwE
David, sad times when a photographer needs a body (and camera) guard to keep his gear from being stolen out of his/her hand. And you still enjoy this crap?