#89

I haven't posted here in months, yet the series continues. April found my job moving from downtown to Times Square. It's funny how the change in location changed the images and slant of the economic series. When I was downtown at the stock exchange almost daily, my photographs documented what went on in and around that area. When in Times Square I grew acutely aware of the media role in all of this. Across the street from the west end of my block on 42nd St. is the Down Jones running news sign. Walking up from 42nd to 48th there are at least five or six more. Over on 6th Ave. is the Fox News ticker as well.

I've put the series as it is up on my site. It is imperfect, but a document from my POV of the economic turmoil in 2008 and 2009.

Photo is ©2009 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved. This image is not royalty free.

Comments (2)

#88

I have a little conflict with taking a picture of sculpture. After all, it's someone else's art. But then the fun I have with a stationary, patient subject always wins out. It has since I started photographing in earnest in high school.

As I wandered down N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago on a self-appointed architecture tour, I cam upon a large 3D version of Grant Wood's American Gothic painting (J. Seward Johnson’s 25-foot tall “God Bless America.") Many tourists were snapping pics of each other posing in front of the suitcase at the base. Oh, but I have a Holga. I loitered for a while, figuring out how to take an atypical shot. As I was standing there about to give up, I noticed - through the woman's legs - a person walking in the distance. I quickly snapped a photo. I wanted another. I stood there for minutes on end in that same spot, other tourists giving me curiouser and curiouser looks. Then I saw two people walking towards the building in the plaza, and I put my Holga up in anticipation. I watched them, I looked through the legs, and at the right moment, snapped the photo. I knew I had what I wanted, and moved on.

As I continued across the Chicago River, a conversation with a former professor echoed in my head. This wasn't a photo professor; he was my drawing teacher in college, he himself a sculptor. I can't even remember the context, I just remember him saying, "...like taking a photograph; waiting on that corner, waiting for the light, for minutes, for hours, for that one instant when it comes together and you snap the shutter... and you wait there for as long as it takes..."

I didn't wait hours for the shot, but I saw the shot in my head; I wanted it, and I would wait until I got it. And I got it. I developed this roll first.

______________
lo tech: Holga, Tri-X 400, developed in D-76 for 7.5 minutes.
All photographs ©2009 Megan Green All Rights Reserved, and are NOT royalty free.

Comments (2)

#87

..and then sometimes you take photographs without an agenda, you take it because it's in front of you, in between the serious stuff, a diversion. It's presenting itself to you and you must. There's simply no other choice! These are those. All taken in Detroit as well.

(The first one actually should be with the previous post.)

OH and PS - I didn't get into Krappy Kamera. Feh. I'm done - I'm not going to waste my $$ anymore.
__________________
©2009 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved.
lo tech: Holga camera, TriX 400 film developed in D-76 for 7.5 minutes.

Comments (1)

#86

The most important thing to do in Detroit was to do what I was being paid to do - get my shots at the auto show that my client requires. However, I had some free time around the auto show events. What stood out to me on my first daytime walk from my hotel to COBO were all of the FOR LEASE signs. I was hoping for protests, but I doubted they would materialize in sub-zero temperatures. It didn't matter anyway - the decision was already made without consciously making it. Almost reflexively, I knew that I was going to photograph office buildings - and the other smaller buildings within 4-5 blocks of my hotel room - that were empty.

I don't pretend to know much about Detroit. This was my first trip there, and because I was there on a job (as well as the Arctic blast), my wanderings were limited to the area near the convention center. And do I have an agenda? Not so much an agenda, but a focus, yes. I'm driven to photograph what is going on in these dismal times. So I photographed what fits into this theme.

Creatively, it was interesting to realize that I've grown, in that the decision wasn't something I agonized over - it was internal, immediate... just *knowing*. Okay, this is what I see, when I have those free couple of hours tomorrow, I'm going to walk around and photograph this. Years ago, I would have wistfully thought, "It would be so cool to photograph that," and not do it. In more recent history, I would have thought, "It would be so cool to photograph that," and then fret about whether or not I should, then shoot a little, but timidly. This time - there was no question. It just WAS. And I went and did it. That's a pretty cool place to be. (And Detroit is a pretty frigid place to be.) Depending on whether or not I'm employed in a few months, I want to go back and photograph more. It's not like the economy is going to bounce back...

More images soon, also from Detroit, that don't fit this theme.
_______________
©2009 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved.
These images are NOT royalty free.

lo tech: Holga, Tri-X 400, D-76 for 7.5 minutes

Comments (6)

#85

This has been quite a trip. My flight was cancelled and I hung around LaGuardia for five hours. I finally arrived at my hotel Thursday to my room not being reserved and news of an airplane in the Hudson. (The hotel said sorry with chocolate covered strawberries. They are so very forgiven.)

And today, after shooting, I had to evacuate my two-week old hotel because of a possible fire. (I'm fine, hotel is fine.)

If there were any demonstrations planned, the cold and the snow kept them away. I still managed to shoot four Holga rolls yesterday. In a city so devastated by current economic events, a photo essay in line with what I've been working on is not a challenge to find, and I managed to shoot all within five blocks of my two-week-old hotel. Downtown Detroit has more vacant office buildings than I've ever seen in my life - quite sobering. Last night I shot a charity event for my client. While the donations weren't huge by corporate terms, they were generous, the recipients gracious - and it was great to see so many people passionately working to better their community in these tough times. This city is full of gorgeous architecture and has a wonderful character, but we were warned by many locals not to be on the street by ourselves at night, and be aware even in the daytime. I would still like to come back when it thaws out a bit.

What I've learned professionally on this trip:
--Take the picture now. Yes, it might be signage that you can get anytime, but take it when the sun is out. Even if it IS ten degrees below zero. Because the next day when it's twenty degrees above, it might be snowing.

--That long lens, while a pain to carry around, comes in handy. Especially when not only the CEOs of the Big 3 are at the ribbon cutting that your awesome client got you a ticket to, but so is the mayor of the city and the governor of the state... wearing a dress for the first time in Michigan resident's memory.

--If you're juggling two dSLRs, people will move out of your way. Even that dude with a press pass that keeps standing in front of you when the governor is speaking.

--Keep your gear together, even in the hotel room. That way when you have to evacuate because of a fire, you only need ten seconds to grab your laptop and coat, scarf and sweater before running down the stairs with the staff (and your MacBook Pro and shots of Big 3 CEOs, mayor, and governor are saved from potential ruin.)

--Never ever forget the power of a smile instead of a snarl.

Here are a few from the ribbon cutting... I'll spare you the picture I took of my hand fist-bumping the Joe Louis sculpture.
___________________________
©2009 Megan Green, all rights reserved. These images are not royalty free.

Comments (6)

#84

There hasn't been much action downtown lately - just a lot of tourists. Back to photographing, instead of recording.

It occurred to me that art, like feelings, doesn't mean a thing if kept hidden.

I've submitted to several shows - I've received positive results from one, and eagerly await results from the other (Krappy Kamera.)

Fortunately, hope is a tenacious little bugger. As it's thoughtlessly stomped out in one place, it pops up in another.

At least I've got my art.

Comments (3)

#83

November 25 is Evacuation Day - commemorating the day in 1783 when British ships finally left New York after the American Revolutionary War. I went to Federal Hall at lunch, which is across the street from the Stock Exchange, and where the statue of George Washington stands vigilant over Broad St. War re-enactors were there in uniform, and there were even some Italians in uniform, playing the fife and other period instruments. It all lightened up the mood a bit down there.

While Wikipedia has a properly scholarly explanation, I rather like this snarky and politically incorrect explanation of Evacuation Day.

I tried to get funny shots of the men in uniform doing modern things... the shot of two officers sitting and chatting with Starbucks cups didn't come out, but I rather like the shot of the two troops going up the steps and the modern-day suited man walking down. I also tried to get a shot of the general in the cape lighting his cigarette, but the rather taciturn fellow didn't seem to want his photo taken.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Shameless self promotion: "The Hand of George" is one of ten photos featured in this online review of the Holga Show at the SAANS Gallery in Salt Lake City.
________________
lo tech: Holga, Tri-X. ©2008 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved, these images are not royalty free.

Comments (2)

#82

Nov. 29, 2008
Glitz, glamour near Staples arena... I didn't see much during the day except for the exhaustive Auto Show, which coincidentally opened the day after executives from the big three (auto manufacturers) took private jets to DC to ask for a bailout. GM and Chrysler were dark for press day, but did activate the first day of the Auto Show. And, like I have since September at the NYSE, I felt compelled to document on that day. More history, and I was going to take the opportunity this time since I could. You could read the tension on the faces of the Chrysler reps. I felt a little bad photographing them, knowing how I felt in September when all media eyes were on the turmoil of Big Corporation. I could also sympathize, and wanted to record this; of course, they didn't know that I knew what they were going through. I was just an annoying person taking pictures while their employer was hanging on by a thread.

...and since I typed the above, I got the contact sheets back and those shots didn't come out. Such is the game of chance photographing with a Holga. The area of L.A. where I was staying - S. Figueroa and 5th St - wasn't a very Holga-genic area. I managed to eke out one roll, and here is what stands out on the contact sheet.

I know, I'm blogging a lot. I've got a backlog... I've got another post or two coming up by the weekend. Next up will most likely be Evacuation Day shots. I go back on the road for some freelance starting in mid-January, and then I'll play catch-up again in February. I just elbowed through busloads of tourists at B&H today for a brick of Tri-X, so the Holgas are locked and loaded.
___________________
©2008 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved, these images are not royalty-free.
lo tech: Holga, Tri-X. Probably developed in D-76; I'm back on the expensive stuff. Gah.

Comments (2)

#81

I remember in a history of fashion course in high school, we discussed how, throughout the ages, when times are good, the clothing is luxurious and uses a lot of fabric. When times are hard and money is scarce, the clothes become closer to the body and more tailored. Is it any wonder that "the kids" are (finally) rejecting oversized, baggy pants and shirts in favor of wearing super-skinny jeans and tight t-shirts?

I was thinking about this today as I mulled my current creative endeavors. This year, I abruptly stopped working on my two creative studio series (one being fairy tales) and dove headfirst into a photo essay documenting the financial district. Akin to fashion designers paring down and making clothing using less fabric, it seems much more important to photograph my reality rather than create an unreality. One (professional) leg planted in investment banking (I do graphics FTR) and the other in the auto industry periphery, it's rather difficult to think about doing anything else creatively. Reality is definitely more pressing.
___________________
Playing a little catch-up here. I happened upon this action taking place on the steps of Federal Hall on November 3, the day before election day. This action was more theatrical and positive than many; the goal being to wash the bad energy from Wall St. while also bringing awareness to toxic places in NYC. More information on this project here.

Images ©2008 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved.
These images are not royalty-free.
lo tech: Holga, Tri-X push-processed in D-76.

Comments (3)

#80

This is the original (photo) of which I have already posted a variation. And here is the story:

(Written October 23, 2008)
At lunch today, as usual, I headed over to the stock exchange to photograph, in hopes of finding a protest or political street theater. None. I walked south on Broad St. and saw a construction site in the middle of the street. The sign, right in the middle, said, "Slow, Rough Road Ahead." However, it was facing the wrong way to get a shot of it and the stock exchange. I took a few shots anyway. After work, I headed over again. Still nothing going on. I head down to the sign, and there's a security guard in front of one building, and the cops with machine guns up the block, casually observing me taking pics. I notice that the sawhorse would be really easy to move, as it's only got yellow "Do Not Cross" tape tied to one side. Hm. I keep walking, head back up to Federal Hall and sit on the steps, watching news crews. And my mind churns... and churns... I. MUST. TAKE. THIS. SHOT. The way I want it. I can ask a construction worker... smile pretty and use my Female Superpowers (TM) for Good! Whatever it takes! So I head down, and there's a maintenance guy from one of the buildings putting the garbage out. I stop him and smile and ask him, "Do you think anyone would be bent out of shape if I moved that sign over there to take a picture?" "Huh? "See that sign? it says 'Rough Road Ahead.'" I want to turn it around, and take a picture of it with the Stock Exchange in the background. Do you think anyone would get bent out of shape?" [he shrugs, smiles wide] "I don't know, that's just for construction, and the construction is done for the day..." "Alrighty! Thank you. Well I'll just have to see for myself." The cops, fortunately, are facing the NYSE with their backs to me and the trucks between us. I walk into the construction site, drag the sawhorse around, take 4 shots - two with flash, two without, turn the sawhorse back, and hightail it out of there incredibly pleased with myself! I should have shot the whole roll but I was actually shaking. I headed home quickly - I felt like I was carrying $10,000 in cash in my pocket - I wanted to get home before something happened to this film.
_________
lo tech: Holga, Tri-X, developed in D-76. Scanned from a print.

©2008 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved. This image is not royalty free.

Comments (5)