Well, I managed to pump out a few FEST X posts.

The only problem was that the week of the festival was also one stoopid-crazy week
for me, work-wise. All my time and energy went into creating fotos, not consuming
them. So no more gossip/reviews/etc. from the festival. Photographing crack addicts
on the corner is obsessing me, fortunately the commercial part of my life that feeds
that obsession has been going full tilt too.

So…..some stories from the corner.

CRACK/ The Scene

Things are getting intense down on the corner. Not scary-intense, just intense.

The way I’m shooting this year is much more personal than last year’s approach.
As well, we’re making a documentary video about the project and the issues that
surround addiction and photographing crack addicts. This personal approach,
combined with shooting the video has led to much closer relationships with the
addicts I’m photographing.

Here are some scenes from the corner this past Sunday……..

Checking the background, figuring out where to put the subject and the camera

Joanne, Ben (shooting the video) and Alesha

Tracey

Jennifer

Jennifer

And here is the portrait I shot of Jennifer 3 days earlier. She was so strong that day…..

Jennifer, crack addict

CRACK/ The Generator

I use a small Honda generator to power my light when I’m shooting on the corner.
About the size of a sewing machine, weighs 25 pounds.

Last Sunday there were the usual subjects down there, but also a whole bunch of
folks I’d never seen, coming and going. After I’d finished shooting I turned the
genny off and started talking to Jennifer (see above). About 30 seconds later I
looked over and the generator was gone, stolen. Seems like one of the “strangers”
took it.

We had a look around but couldn’t find the perp…..gone in 30 seconds. Man, I
kissed that thousand bucks goodbye.

Before we left we gave our phone numbers to a few addicts we knew, said if
they come across it to give us a call. Get home and about half an hour later
Keith calls up and tells us he’s got the generator. What are the chances of that
happening? When was the last time you heard about crack addicts returning
stolen property?

I didn’t ask Keith any questions about where he found the genny or who had
stolen it. Just thanked him and he walked away before I could give him some
reward money. I ran after him and forced it on him, I’d do the same no matter
who had helped me.

I don’t know for sure but I believe that the genny was returned to me by “my
people” down there because they know I can’t work without it and they don’t
want me to stop photographing them, they support the project. I believe they
tracked down the thief, told him (or her) not to fuck with my stuff, maybe
roughed them up a bit and gave me back my property.

Returned genny

SOCIETY PAGE

And, lets lighten this up a little bit……here’s a thing from the society page of last
Monday’s Ottawa Citizen. A shot of Lorraine Gilbert, David Barbour and me. Shot
at the Fest X Gala Opening Party (or something). We look insane, don’t we?

HEATHER MORTON’S BLOG

Finally this week, a thank you to Heather Morton who published my 10+ list
on her great blog HeatherMortonArtBuyer. Please check it out here.