THE SUN POURS DOWN LIKE HONEY....

The whole time I was shooting this model all I could think of was Leonard Cohen’s song “Suzanne.” Her name’s not Suzanne, but for some reason it seems to fit her. Of course these photos don’t really follow the song, but the lyrics still drift through my mind as I view them. Many thanks to Leonard Cohen and this lovely girl for a memorable shoot.

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there

And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone

And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters

And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

HE GOT CAUGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT...

Shooting musicians in concert is no easy task. You are at constant odds with the lighting, microphones, other musicians, strange facial expressions and an endless stream of cords in our wireless society. However, in the interest of trying to be a well rounded photographer I take my camera and my chances. Below are some of the better ones from the last couple of years. Given a second chance I would have done almost everything differently, but when it’s live you just have to live with the results.

Sara Brazil of 90 Minutes

Elana James

Eddie Delahunt

Tom Russell

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Barclay Martin

Sarah Babcock

Mark Lowery

Brent Hoad of the Elders

Steve Phillips of The Elders

Megan Hurt

Darrell Lea

VALENTINE'S CAN'T BUY HER

I recently read an article on songwriting that made the argument that songwriters, when writing about relationships, tend to always write about the same person. It seemed like a nice thought on the eve of Valentine’s Day. We of course have no way of knowing if there’s any truth to it or not though. It did give me the idea for this post however.

Using various photos of a single model as a starting point I poured through the lyrics of Bob Dylan to see what made for a good match. I could have gone in a million directions but in the end I found these suited my vision best.

“Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

“Something there is about you that strikes a match in me Is it the way your body moves, or is it the way your hair blows free? Or is it because you remind me of something that used to be Somethin' that crossed over from another century?”

“And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain.”

“Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky. Your back is straight, your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie. But I don't sense affection, no gratitude or love Your loyalty is not to me, but to the stars above.”

“All I feel is heat and flame and all I see are dark eyes.”

“I march in the parade of liberty, But as long as I love you I'm not free.”

“We grew up together, from the cradle to the grave
We died and were reborn, and then mysteriously saved.”

THE HEART OF SATURDAY NIGHT

Some random views of clubs and bars before the liquor starts flowing for the evening.

YESTERDAY ONCE MORE

In a moment of unexplained insanity my family has entrusted me with their slides and photos. It would appear that they were a typical fifites clan of hunters and gatherers with a keen eye towards autos. Like any good historian I have no idea who any of the people in these photos are. I'm told I'm related to all of them though.

All photos are from the early 1950's. As far as I can tell they were all shot with my father's Argus C3 35Mm camera. All of these images are from slides. They were converted to digital files and I have done next to nothing as far as manipulation or correction. Only scrathes and obvious damage were repaired.

ONE FOR MY BABY...

One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

It's quarter to three,
There's no one in the place 'cept you and me,
So set 'em' up Joe
I got a little story I think you should know

We're drinking my friend, to the end
Of a brief episode,
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

I know the routine
Put another nickel in the machine,
I feel kind of bad
Can't you make the music easy and sad

I could tell you a lot,
but you've got to be true to your code,
Just make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

You'd never know it
but buddy I'm a kind of poet
And I've got a lot of things I'd like to say,
And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me
Till it's talked away

Well, that's how it goes

And Joe I know you're gettin' anxious to close,
So Thanks for the cheer
I hope you didn't mind
My bending your ear

But this torch that I found
It's gotta be drowned
Or it's gonna explode,
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road.

(Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer)

Special thanks to M.E.S.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Some random photos of New York shot one weekend in October, 2006

CONEY ISLAND MOON

A few photos from Coney Island as it heads into its winter slumber. Still, quiet and yet ready for action anytime somone wants to flip the switch. From fall 2006.