back from tintype workshop with John Coffer

So I got back Sunday night from an intense and exceptional photo workshop in Dundee, NY with John Coffer last week. I made tintypes, Ambrotypes, and an albumen print. I loved the area up there in Yates County, except for getting my first speeding ticket EVER on a little country road. Some of the Mennonites go faster in buggys than I was going. Here is a tintype I took of some wheat that John is growing in his garden.

Ol' Glory

This flag is mounted above a condo construction site in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

Brighton Beach from 12 stories up

This is from a project I am working on for a new condo down near Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay. I like it down there - lots of boats, swans, cheap good food and the ocean.

Sarah in Boston

Vote for me: Artist-a-Day!

What a nice birthday present: to be profiled on this website. Check out Artist-A-Day and vote for me.

Single East-Village Lutz by Mala Pata

Erin and I used to do a lot of what we called "East Village Olympics" a few years back. You have a few drinks, you start leaping around.

Three Cups of Tea: highly recommended

I just finished reading this wonderful book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Laura gave it to me to read months ago and it sat around the house staring at me until I finally gave in and I'm very glad I did. Reading about Mr. Mortenson's work in the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan is humbling and extremely inspiring. I have felt a strong need to use my photographs to help people in some way for some time now, but the feeling is like a hammering headache now after reading this story. The work the CAI is doing is far from over, and a worthy cause if I ever saw one.

I love

My dad gave me this when I was very young. I've carried it to the many (many) different places I have lived so far. And now it sits on the window here on South 2nd Street in Williamsburg. I wonder where I will move to next? Hopefully not for a while. I moved 6 times during 2004-2006, including two places in LA. Moving that much is no fun.

Access to Life

Magnum has an interesting project going on, called Access to Life, giving a face to the worldwide aids problem. "In Access to Life, eight Magnum photographers portray people in nine countries around the world before and four months after they began antiretroviral treatment for AIDS."

I like the tone and cohesive feel of the project, however I wish they would have chosen at least one female photographer to be on their team, especially in dealing with such a sensitive subject matter. I always wonder when looking at images of women in such situations - how they felt at having a strange man with a huge camera watching then go through such often painful moments. I think it would be different with a woman.

Empty Subway

summer is for escaping the city

visited with my cousins in New Hampshire this past weekend. I love it there.