Art in the Now

"He or she who hesitates is lost" - Lemony Snicket

[artinthenow]

I Quit It’s already near the end of the year. Life got the better of me this time. While I shot at least 35 rolls of medium format and have developed and scanned them, I just don’t have it in me to write the rest of the posts.

[artinthenow]

I started the “My Town” project as a way to keep myself interested for the year, but it has turned into a thing for me. I have already documented numerous homes that are no longer there, at first by accident and then, more recently, I’ve been searching for likely candidates. Anyway to speed up the catching up process I’ve grouped these two. Roll 24 is Ektar 100 on the Diana (notice a film trend here?) and Roll 24 is Ektar 100 on the Isolette. These are just typical rotting stuff. The brick building is an example of multilayered multiunit totally nonconforming residential stuff.

This one is an unintentional double exposure that I really like.

And this caught my eye while wandering down an alley. Someone placed a bunch of tiny baubles on a scraggly looking tree.

Roll 26 included these gems

The next pictures show the ongoing transformation of the house two blocks from my old place. It started the year as an abandoned hoarder house. Eventually it was stripped and the contents loaded into several large dumpsters. Now it sits barren waiting for the next step, likely a remodel since it hasn’t been scraped. It’s actually kind of creepier now that it’s been cleaned up, because you can see how it was rotting from the inside.

Finally, here’s the latest in the “soon to be gone” category. Of course the chain link fence is a dead giveaway, but I think I may have taken some shots of this one earlier this year. By now, it has been knocked down except for two walls which were left up so it could be permitted as a “remodel”. Shots of that on a later roll.

  Rolls 24 and 26 More of My Town I started the "My Town" project as a way to keep myself interested for the year, but it has turned into a thing for me.

[artinthenow]

Roll 23 Dog Days

Roll 23 Dog Days

This camera has been one of my medium format favorites. However mine was at the doctor for such a long time I almost forgot about it even after I got it back. This roll dates from mid summer when I decided the only way to shoot this camera was to just take it out and shoot like a 35 mm. I walked to a local “dog festival” called cleverly “Dog Days” and proceeded to snap candids of people and,…

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I didn’t mean for this to turn into a huge project when I started the idea but now I am really getting into documenting all this stuff. Especially since it is disappearing almost faster than I can photograph it. The first of these two was shot on Lomography Color xpro 200, on the Holga. I love this shot because it clearly illustrates what’s going on. The main photo is an older, dumpy house just waiting to rot a bit more before changing hands. In the window (which is barred for no apparent reason since this is not a high crime area) you can see a reflection of the giant twinhomes (attached homes) under construction across the street. These monstrosities occupy most of the lot, and will sell individually for upwards of $1.5 million

Here are some more typical alley scenes. The trailer has been sitting there so long the tire has not only gone flat but sunk completely into the mud over the years.

I love this one because it looks like someone’s ski chalet. By the beach. My older daughter used to be friends with a girl who lived here but I never saw the rear of the house. The front looks like a little Swiss gingerbread house.

This one I took for the colors. If I had a wheelbarrow that color I might actually use it.

Roll 22 was Portra 400 shot on the Holga. Once again, Holga surprised me with her unexpected talents. The first shots were more of my town.

This one was taken in a neighborhood across the freeway where the original homes are somewhat newer (60s and 70s) and many have been remodeled and upgraded, but some have been allowed to run down.

The rest of the roll was shot on a quick trip to LA for a concert at the Disney Concert Hall, always a favorite to photograph. This Frank Gehry designed wonder is always different and beautiful, and I was please at how well Holga rendered it.

The last two were really a surprise. The second was taken at Grand Park, in the next block from the concert hall. The “stop motion” on the fountain looks like I had control of the shutter speed, lol. As does the action shot of the skateboarder which I shot more as a “finish the roll” than thinking it would come out.

  Rolls 21 and 22 Neighborhood explorations continue, and a quick trip to LA I didn't mean for this to turn into a huge project when I started the idea but now I am really getting into documenting all this stuff.

[artinthenow]

Boy oh boy I am sooooo behind. I will make these posts brief in the hope I can catch up without losing too many readers, lol. This roll was shot on a walk around the block in downtown old Encinitas. I left my car to get smogged and walked around the block taking photos while I waited.  It was also shot on the Diana. The film is repackaged Kodak Vision 250 D. This marked the first time I’ve processed film with a remjet. After carefully reading advice on the internet I didn’t find it too hard,  but not that fun either.

A lot of weird packed into one little block. This one I really like. It’s apparently a dance school for little girls, not open when I went by. I took a couple of shots through the glass front door. Somehow it seemed kind of creepy to me.

The last two are the tiny American Legion post. I never see anyone there but it appears to be kept up and the flag always freshly painted.

Roll 20 Catching up and a walk around the block Boy oh boy I am sooooo behind. I will make these posts brief in the hope I can catch up without losing too many readers, lol.

[artinthenow]

I am puzzled by the chronology of this roll and how it fits with the other two, since it contains photos from two bookends in the trip. It’s so hard to keep track of this stuff…..This roll didn’t yield much, for whatever reason. It was Portra 100 shot on the Diana F+. Anyway the first shots are from Sapporo. They were taken in Odori Park in the center of the city.

The other shots I managed to salvage were taken at the cemetery next to the Iseyama Kotai shrine in Yokohama. This was a hidden gem that we found almost by accident. The grounds are large and contain not only this Buddhist cemetery but a whole complex of buildings which are actively used by the Buddhist community and which are very little visited by tourists.

Roll 19 More from Japan I am puzzled by the chronology of this roll and how it fits with the other two, since it contains photos from two bookends in the trip.

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This roll was Reala 100 (which I wish I had more of) shot on the Diana, which I am so glad came along on the trip. After visiting Hokkaido I returned to Tokyo where I met up with my son, who is currently living in Nagoya, and his friend who had come to visit at the same time. After a whirlwind tour of Nara, Osaka, and Kyoto (none of which made it onto medium format so per my self imposed rule can’t be posted here) we returned for a three day stay in Tokyo. One morning we visited the Meiji Shrine which is located in a large forest right in the middle of the bustling Shibuya district. I was amazed throughout the large cities we visited that all of them are dotted with HUGE beautifully maintained parks which are often the home to one or more shrines as well as lots of museums, lakes and other attractions. I am seriously impressed at how the Japanese have managed to maintain a feeling of unspoiled nature in the middle of some of the world’s most densely populated cities.

Unfortunately most of the shots of the Meiji shrine suffered from severe motion blur. I’m not sure why but this happened several times on this trip. Anyway here are a couple that survived, sort of.

The next day we took the train to a different stop and visited the even larger Ueno Park, home to a large lake (where you can rent boats), a zoo, several museums and a number of shrines. The pictures below were taken at Ueno tosho-gu, a beautiful shrine in the center of the park.

There is also a beautiful shrine named Benzaiten temple located right on the lake. I highly recommend this beautiful spot. I hope to return, and visit the zoo.

Roll 18 Ueno Park This roll was Reala 100 (which I wish I had more of) shot on the Diana, which I am so glad came along on the trip.

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Finally I’ve arrived at a few rolls that I shot during my trip to Japan at the end of April/early May. I took three cameras, intending to make the Nikon FE (for which I have a lot of lovely lenses) my primary camera, with the Rollei 35s as a pocket companion and the Diana as a just for fun ride along, since it weighs nothing. As has happened to me twice before on wonderful overseas trips, the Nikon body crapped out on me early on, leaving me with the Rollei, which did yeoman duty, and the Diana which turned out to be a lot of fun.

I spent my first four days in the north, in Hokkaido, traveling by train, and local bus and subway in Sapporo. It was unlike anywhere else I’ve visited except maybe Iceland (colder northern climate, lots of natural hot springs, gorgeous scenery). The shots on this roll were taken in and outside of Sapporo, a very large and beautiful city. The city hosted the 1972 winter Olympics and some remnants can still be seen. Just outside the city mountains rise up suddenly, providing what must have been a spectacular venue for the games. Two ski jump facilities are still maintained and apparently still used for practice. I visited the Okurayama stadium which took a bit of traveling to get to – subway, bus and then a bit of a hike, but totally worth it. There was still some snow on the ground in late April, and it was chilly.

Not only is there a museum and stadium viewing facility, but there is a ski lift you can ride to the top where there is an observation platform with a breathtaking view.

The view from the top convinced that ski jumping requires a stronger heart than I have! There was also a panoramic view of the city below.

In late April, the Sakura (cherry blossom) season is already over in central Japan, with blossoms falling from the trees in Tokyo. In Hokkaido, however, spring was just getting started.

A central focal point in the city is lovely Odori park. It reminded me of similar parks in European cities. It bisects the city from east to west and seemed to be always filled with residents strolling, enjoying a snack or just taking in the view.

Roll 17 Sapporo Finally I've arrived at a few rolls that I shot during my trip to Japan at the end of April/early May.

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You may have noticed that there have been quite a few rolls of cross processed slide film in this series. This is because I have (or did have) at lot of this film in my stash, and circumstances have made it impractical to send film out for processing. So I’ve been processing all my own color and since I only have C41 kits and don’t have time to learn E6 right now this leads to a lot of cross processing. Sometimes this produces nearly “normal” results, sometimes the colors are so wildly off as to completely spoil the images, and sometimes you get a happy in between with saturated colors. This roll was expired Fujichrome 100 shot on the Diana. This particular roll turned out pretty “normal” with good but very saturated colors (which I love).

The below images show a building that is just across the alley behind my new home. In years long past it was the water tower for the town, as it sits on what was the highest point in the town as it existed then. Much later (not sure when) someone converted the disused structure into a home. This was clearly done before anyone was enforcing any permit standards in this part of the world. Anyway, about four years ago the elderly lady that lived there passed away and her son sold the structure and the large parcel of land it sat on.

At first we were pleased that a developer bought it, since that would mean they would have to pave our alley when they built. Over time, as the design and permit process dragged on, the abandoned structure became a magnet first for kids throwing rocks through the windows, then for kids congregating secretively late at night. Finally the developers were forced by the city to put up a fence although this hasn’t completely resolved the issues. Anyway, the developers apparently ran out of money and/or gave up and here it still sits, four years later and much the worse for wear.

These are just more “eccentric” properties around town.

Below are more shots of the apparently abandoned house about a block from where I live now. I’m closely watching to see what happens.

Roll 16 More cross processing You may have noticed that there have been quite a few rolls of cross processed slide film in this series.

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Roll 14 didn’t yield many shots worth sharing. The film was Fujichrome expired in 2000 , shot on the Isolette and cross processed. The results were mostly terrible and the curling of the Fuji film during processing is starting to drive me nuts. This shot represents what I am starting to call informally my “demo list”. Many houses I pass and photograph are obviously abandoned and/or neglected and, in this part of the world, it is only a matter of time before they are demolished to make way for a mansion. I have seen this happen already to nearly a half dozen of the homes showcased in the first part of 2017. The below shot shows one of these.

These shots of are some of the few remaining greenhouses in the area. The town of Encinitas used to be known as the “Poinsettia Capital” and the greenhouse growers down the street (which have all been replaced by houses now) used to drop complimentary poinsettia plants on all the neighbors’ doorsteps every December. Now there are only a handful of these family run businesses left.

      To compensate for the disappointment of Roll 14, and save space, I’m including Roll 15 here. This roll of Fuji Reala 100 is the first (and only, so far this year) roll shot since the miraculous resurrection of my Pentax 67. Sadly, I have had to do most of my shooting on the fly which means grabbing whatever is light and fits in a tote bag. But in reviewing these images I am inspired to get this baby out in the light again.

      Here are some more shots of the mysterious Wizard of Oz sculptures. With this camera I’ve finally captured some decent images.

Finally, here are a few more of houses on the “watch list” for disappearance.

I’m very happy that my Pentax is working again. The quality of this camera and the lenses I have for it is a completely different world from the medium format units I’ve been using. Of course they produce a different kind of aesthetic. But I am so happy to have the ability to produce a more controlled image again! After this current roll, I haven’t taken the Pentax out again until just last weekend (which you won’t see posted for a while…) but when I did, I found it wasn’t that hard to tote around, since it has the lovely wooden handle. And even more interesting, I was at a crowded event and barely anyone even notice the camera. That means I will be using it a lot more, I hope.

Roll 14 (meh) and Roll 15 The Pentax Returns Roll 14 didn't yield many shots worth sharing. The film was Fujichrome expired in 2000 , shot on the Isolette and cross processed.

[artinthenow]

I’m trying diligently to get a bit caught up. I have lots of rolls backlogged but circumstances have conspired to rob me of any time to post here. I’m going to forge ahead while I have a few days. This set were shot on the Isolette, which is the fanciest camera I’ve been using. I’ve really come to love the little plastic ladies. Anyway both this roll and the last were Ektar 100. I am becoming fond of Kodak films. I dearly love Fuji and its wonderful hues but since I have been processing all my own film this year I’ve discovered that Kodak films in general lie down and behave while Fuji films of all sizes and types (but especially any positive film) curl like crazy.

These shots are more of what I’ve come to call the “My Town” series. The first are another visit to the Wizard of Oz grouping. I’m trying all types of film and cameras with these. They are amazing but very hard to photograph because there is a huge jungle of vegetation around and behind them, so they are almost always in shadow.

The only other shots worth posting are these of Rhino Art. It was a small mom and pop art supply shop which had reasonable prices and saved a half hour or more drive to Blick to get paint, printing ink, brushes or whatever. They downsized about two years ago and I guess now the owner has just given up and moved on.

Roll 13 Discovering Favorite Films I'm trying diligently to get a bit caught up. I have lots of rolls backlogged but circumstances have conspired to rob me of any time to post here.

[artinthenow]

This roll was shot on the Diana, which is becoming a favorite despite its primitive nature. I spent a fortune to have my precious Pentax 67 returned to life but just haven’t taken it out. Mostly the opportunities I’ve had to shoot are on quick walks, or dashing out of my double parked car to get a quick image. The Diana is also easy to travel with, as I discovered in later rolls.

The first two images are of a house about a block from where I am now living. It appears to be abandoned, but every once in a while something changes which leads me to believe perhaps someone is watching over it.

The next few were taken in the alley behind this house. All the streets in this part of our town have alleys which are a source of endless fascination.  This is where the illegally converted garages, crazy construction projects and all manner of weird stuff hang out. It never ceases to surprise me that these things are often mere feet away from multi million dollar homes. What a crazy neighborhood.

These homes are a different kind of crazy. They are fairly well known kitsch and can be read about on numerous blogs if you care to. They are in downtown Encinitas. They’re known collectively as the boat houses although they aren’t really boats. They were built as dwelling units that look like boats (who knows why?) by some retired engineer in the 1920s. One of the cool things about them is they were buit from repurposed wood from demolished structures. They are currently owned by the local Preservation Society and being rented as apartments

This is the tiny American Legion post a few blocks away from the boats. As you can see, they had their fancy BBQ set up next to the dumpster.

And this is what passes for dwelling units in these parts where rents are insanely high even for illegal rundown converted garages.

I find myself inserting a lot of social commentary with these images The more I explore my town the more puzzling/disturbing/downright inexpicable things I find.

  Roll 12 Boat Houses and More This roll was shot on the Diana, which is becoming a favorite despite its primitive nature. I spent a fortune to have my precious Pentax 67 returned to life but just haven't taken it out.

[artinthenow]

My first attempt at medium format was several years ago. I bought a Holga, shot and processed one roll, and hated it so much I gave it away. I’ve never been tempted to return to the dark side until this month. Facing a lengthy stay of my Pentax 67 at the rehab facility, I’ve been shooting only with the Isolette and the Diana. To my surprise, I have quite liked the results from the Diana. So I decided to give her less than lovely sister another chance. I bought a new 120N (which allegedly glows in the dark but I haven’t tested that feature) and loaded it with a roll of expired Portra 160, reasoning that even crappy results look better in color. These shots were part of my ongoing documentation of the weird and wonderful in my town. The top one was actually accepted into a gallery show featuring plastic cameras, of all the ironic things. None of my “good” stuff ever gets accepted. *sigh*

The pictured house is just a few blocks from my current home. It’s been gradually deteriorating for years, but there were still signs of life. Even an occasional rare sighting of the grizzled occupant sitting on the porch. But in about early March I spotted a tow truck taking away the pickup that always sat in the driveway. Then a few days later a small UHaul pulled up and took away some boxes. Now the place is completely abandoned but certainly not cleaned up. I wish I were braver I would go in close and peek inside.

The next one  is another example of the constant remodeling or razing of homes throughout my little part of town.

The next photo is an example of why I think I can learn to love this little Holga. Unexpected crazy beautiful.

I may have already posted some photos of the Wizard of Oz sculptures, and you can expect more because they are fascinating. Also hard to photograph because they are in shade most of the day. Sorry for the lousy scans.

Finally, just up the road at the corner of the street these amazing beings are on, I found something that clearly looks like a horror movie going somewhere to happen.

So I am waaaay behind on my postings, and also currently in a photo funk, shooting nothing for over a month. Luckily I have enough backlog to work on that I can shoot some more in the meantime and still make my 52 rolls.

Roll 11 The Return of the Dreaded Holga My first attempt at medium format was several years ago. I bought a Holga, shot and processed one roll, and hated it so much I gave it away.

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I realized I’m very behind on posting. I’m actually pretty current on shooting, but not so much on developing and posting. This roll is more of my exploration of the underbelly of Encinitas, Portra 400 shot on the Isolette. I think the hazy overcast we were having through much of March provided good conditions for the Isolette. It tends to be harder to judge to exposures in bright sunlight, but in these conditions I really like the saturation I’m getting. My favorite is the emphatic No Parking. Really, No Parking. We mean it.

These last two illustrate something very typical of our community which I’ve mentioned in previous posts. There is no real “affordable housing” in this seaside town so by default people do what they have to which can mean massively overcrowding a single family home or in a lot of cases people either living in their own, or renting, a trailer. A quick cruise through some “modest” neighborhoods reveals an excessively high number of homes with an RV or trailer parked on the property. Surely not this many people own such vehicles for recreational purposes. Many of them show signs of being lived in such as utility cords snaking into the house. The two below images are, sadly, typical. There has to be a better way to do this.

Roll 10 More around the town I realized I'm very behind on posting. I'm actually pretty current on shooting, but not so much on developing and posting.

[artinthenow]

Without the Pentax 67 which I had thought would be the centerpiece of my medium format year I’ve been forced to get better acquainted with the little Isolette, as well as the plastic ladies. It’s actually been good for me to loosen up. The Isolette, as I’ve mentioned, has some pretty imprecise shutter speed settings but so far results have been pleasing,. This roll of Ektar 100 continues my larger exploration of my town’s most defining characteristics, and how they’re changing. These first two show a lovely house obviously built by an Egyptophile, with the colors lovingly kept up.

These next few are a house I discovered at the midpoint of a obscure looping street with a fabulous view. The house looked abandoned and I marked it as one that would soon be going. There are so many of these places where elderly owners die and the place is immediately sold and scraped for the profit of both heirs and profiteers. You will see in subsequent posts that I was dead right (sorry) on this one.

The next one was an accidental triple exposure that I’m extremely happy with. If I’d tried to do this it wouldn’t have turned out nearly as well.

The next two are just typical vehicles you see in this part of town. They’re not abandoned. Lots of people in these out of the way spots are very low income despite the fact they are surrounded by multimillion dollar homes. Our “low income” housing is trailer parks (which have been there forever and many would like to get rid of) and six-or-more-adults to a two bedroom house acommodations.

Finally, here’s a sampling of some of the weird and wacky commercial offerings and eateries along one stretch of the coast highway.

  See you next roll with more from the yoga, meditation, vegan and general weirdness capital of the US if not the world.

Roll 9 Isolette explores the town Without the Pentax 67 which I had thought would be the centerpiece of my medium format year I've been forced to get better acquainted with the little Isolette, as well as the plastic ladies.

[artinthenow]

I decided to put these two rolls in one post since they were both shot on the Diana. Since my Pentax 67 which I intended as my primary instrument for exploration of medium format this year has been in the ICU for a month I was left with the Isolette and the Diana. I am still surprised at the images from this piece of plastic. Roll 7 was another roll of the Cinestill 800 alpha run I got from their online campaign. So far I don’t love it but that might be because I haven’t shot it in a “real” camera. I wanted to test the properties of the film in low light so I took this one inside in the late afternoon.

A few weeks ago I went to a local Civil War reenactment with a photo group. I haven’t posted images here because most were 35mm, but here are a few. I really liked the shot of people eating lunch until I realized one person in modern clothing screwed it up. I also loved the “realistic” touches in the field surgeon’s tent. The property where this was held contains all sorts of hobbyist and collector spaces including tons of old steam engines, trucks, tractors. A hoarder’s paradise, but much of it functional. I took the reflection picture in the door of the reconstructed 19th century schoolhouse. There’s also a bunch of barns, a weavers studio, and on and on.

Roll 8 was Portra 400  shot at various spots in my town as part of my bigger project. This house had a big piece of land, a luxury in this part of the world, and looked like something straight out of the Midwest.

Sometimes my eye is caught by unusual and bright colors.

Sometimes it’s the dilapidated and neglected spots that are ripe for financial opportunists.

And I can never resist a good reflection, especially since it’s been unusual for several years to have enough rain to leave puddles standing around.

I’m impressed at the sharpness of many of the images. And this camera seems to have some magical property that makes all the colors super saturated.

Rolls 7 & 8 Delightful Diana I decided to put these two rolls in one post since they were both shot on the Diana.

[artinthenow]

Now that I’ve decided on a theme for this year (which includes not just the work I’m posting here, but instant and 35mm photography) I am having so much fun exploring the place I’ve lived for years and finding amazing stuff. I’m also enjoying getting to know my Diana, which is a much more competent camera than I had thought, being plastic and all. I guess that will teach me not to be so judgey. Roll 5 was Lomochrome Turquoise run through the Diana. I recently found out there is no more of this film, which I loved much more than the Lomochrome Purple. So now I’m hoarding the very few rolls I have left. I do love it for the seaside because of the way it renders blues. It also does some lovely color shifting with yellows.

  Here’s a great example of the color shifting. These flowers were bright yellow.

The trash can was a brilliant royal blue. The trim on that lovely house was a light shade of lavender. That one makes me think of a beach house on the moon (or Mars).

This is my absolute favorite from this roll, and one of my favorites for the entire year so far. These two were sitting on the bench eating lunch at this beach overlook, when the kid suddenly donned a hot pink fright wig. This was the result.

Roll 6 was taken on the Pentax 67 and is the last you will see of this wonderful camera for a while. It is currently in the ICU at the camera repair shop and we don’t yet know if it will survive. Only a few from this roll turned out well. The film was Rollei 200c, cross processed (because I am proudly doing all my own color processing and scanning now). Doing everything at home makes me feel a lot freer to shoot whatever because the cost is so much lower. Also I am a hands on person, which is what drew me to film, and I love processes.

I did notice some of the shots got pretty grainy so I have cut down on the amount of agitation on subsequent rolls and it seems to make a difference.  The last is also one of my very favorites so far. You may see this particular location again. These colors are very true to the actual colors.

Rolls 5 & 6 The project takes shape Now that I've decided on a theme for this year (which includes not just the work I'm posting here, but instant and 35mm photography) I am having so much fun exploring the place I've lived for years and finding amazing stuff.