how big is your big idea?

we had a workshop (Big Idea) with Bob Sacha and it was...awesome!:)
really got us thinking in a different way about our work and the assignments that we choose. his idea basically is to find your Big idea - whatever you feel most interested in or passionate about (it should be as broad or narrow as you want it) and then try and stir all of your work form this moment on in that direction. so that, after, hopefully, many a happy year of being a photographer, all of your individual projects will still be able to be A body of work (we're thinking books, galleries, life-time achievement awards...:)
the idea could be as simple as driving around America (Robert Frank), recording your favorite bar (as Anders Petersen did with Cafe Lehmitz), taking pictures of trees around the world (Stuart Franklin) to as complicated as recording migration (Sebastiao Salgado).

other important lesson: try an go multimedia!
won't get into details but, suffice to say, after coming into class on saturday morning, most of us hard-core multimedia opponents, we left on sunday evening rushing to find a store still open to buy sound recorders. and, I must say, taking pictures has only become more fun since then! how fun it will be once we start editing...well, I'll pull a Scarlett and think about it tomorrow. or, better yet, I'll think about it in december (that scarlett was not the smartest after all...)

anyways, for inspiration, here is an amazing multimedia site:

www.mediastorm.org

and then,on my way home from the workshop:

more waterfront

that day I went to the Far Rockaway
and...well, it's far, they're not lying!

Jewish holiday on the Intrepid

our first picture making (with Nadja Masri and Jonathan Torgovnik) was "NY waterfront"
I know, water, waterfront...it gets repetitive

anyways, the assignment was, in my case, pretty unsuccessfully executed but, I like to believe it wasn't a total waste

for instance, the very first day of shooting, being all frustrated and ready to give up on ICP, life and all that, my then only just acquired friend Akshay (who, btw is also a photographer and an amazing one at that!) took me to the Intrepid aircraft carrier (a US military ship that is parked of the pier on 49th street and has recently been reopened as a museum) to search for funny shots of tourists admiring their country's glory in arms and...well, in arms
anyways, getting there, a treat to famished eyes: it was the Yom Kippur week and Intrepid was just swarming with Hasidic Jewish families. we ended up having a great time taking loads of candid photographs while managing not to upset anyone.





that day I learned two important lessons:
1. a story could be anywhere or in anything - you just have to give a situation a chance
2. with the right attitude you can walk into a 20$ entrance fee place for free...even if that place is a US battle ship!

thank you Akshay!

p.s. by the way, Akshay's work is very much worth checking out so here are the links
http://www.akshayphoto.com/
http://trivialmatters.blogspot.com/

water

our first seminar assignment:
water!

fun ha? it might just as well have been "people", "love" or..."automobiles and automobile landscape" (he just said it so well, I thought it worth repeating:)

well, I ended up going o a dog water therapy place in Downtown Manhattan. Water4Dogs takes care of dogs with various injuries, rehabilitation issues, overenjoyment of dog cookies...or human cookies...chocolate chip ones...freshly baked...with coffee...where was I? ah yes, there's also dogs that are in professional agility sports and are there for conditioning training and then there's those...that just have too much energy (why is that a problem...have you been to Downtown Manhattan?!)

in the words (worlds) of Walker Evans - instead of an introduction

photo: Walker Evans,Havana Cinema

when asked what he chose to turn his camera to, Walker Evans replied:

“People, all classes, surrounded by bunches of the new down-and-out.

Automobiles and the automobile landscape.

Architecture, American urban taste, commerce, small scale, large scale, clubs, the city atmosphere, the street smell, the hateful stuff, women’s clubs, fake culture, bad education, religion in decay.

The movies.

Evidence of what people of the city read, eat, see for amusement, do for relaxation and not get it.

Sex.

Advertising.

A lot else, you see what I mean.”

Walker Evans in G. Dyer, The ongoing Moment


photo:Walker Evans, License Photo Studio, New York, 1934

here we go...(a kind of preface)

so...apparently you're nobody since Google thinks you're somebody...

I know, I know, you're sitting there with a big "duh" on your face.
but, well, I never gave putting myself out there much thought...before I came to actually give anything (u know, life, universe, jobs...the whole 42) much thought and realized: wait, other people can NOT see the photos sitting on my hard drive!aaaaaw, that's why I'm still not working for Nat Geo...oh, good, now it makes sense...
and after realizing this, it took then coming to ICP to learn that we "can't rely on Facebook!" NOT rely on Facebook?! now, who does this guy think he is and why is he talking crazy?!
well, the guy was Nayland Blake, the head of ICP's MFA department so, hard as it was, I had to accept the fact: not only was having photos on your hard drive not enough but, now it was no longer enough even to have them on Facebook for all...of your family to see!
strange world, but that's the way it is...



anyways, this is supposed to be a photo blog (I still think I should have been a professional rambler, I'm so good at it!)and this kind of preface is getting too long and colorless so here's all you need to know (well "need" might be a bit strong, feel free to take it as loose as you wish...or tight...however you prefer...):

the following will be mostly work for assignments I (will) have as a student of Documentary Photography and Photojournalism at ICP, New York.
also, along with my work I will try and keep up with all the amazing works and photographers I keep discovering on a daily basis (this will be very incomplete, I won't even try and fool myself to the contrary but still, I guess something is better than nothing)

I hope you enjoy it and...if it inspires you to send me some money, please don't be embarrassed to do so!

:)