THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF A PHOTOGRAPHER

Tools of the trade (framing division): a duster and a ruler

Well, AMERICAN STATES came down today. Time to pick it up
and hump it back to my place. I enlisted Camille to help with
the transport and re-framing.

Camille and me, moving AMERICAN STATES

Once we got it home we had to take the American pix out of
the frames and insert USER shots. Tomorrow (Sunday) I drive
USER to Toronto and hang it at PIKTO.

Framing USER

Five hours after we started this is what we end up with: bits
and pieces of three years work……

USER, ready to go

Of course, I don’t begrudge the drudge work at all. I know
from shooting (and, in fact, from life) that for every moment
of joy there seem to be hours of the dull routine of existence.
Life is one long to-do list and most to-do lists are full of shit
we don’t want “to-do”, but if you want to move forward you
do it anyway.

And that seems right. After all, if we just felt one long feeling
of joy, well, we’d get tired of it, wouldn’t we? It’s the contrast
that makes things interesting. (And the imperfections, if we
are to believe the Zen dudes.)

Anyway, speaking of USER in Toronto…….

NOW MAGAZINE & THE NATIONAL POST
PICK USER AS A MUST-SEE SHOW

Well, they actually picked a bunch of shows from the CONTACT
Photo Festival that are “must-see”. USER is one of them.

Here and here and here and here.

But that’s good. Goes to show that there are tons of fotografers
out there shooting stuff that just might be important and/or
interesting.

CONTACT will be in full swing this coming week. Check it out
here if you find yourself in Toronto.

And, further to CONTACT goings-on…..

HEATHER MORTON ART BUYER THROWS A PARTY

Canadian art buyer Heather Morton has a heavyweight blog.
And she’s come up with an idea to combine that and an actual,
face-to-face, press-the-flesh event.

It’s the First Annual HMAb Party.

In this day and age of the virtual it’s always swell to see folks
thinking about the sensual as well. And if a party isn’t sensual,
well, I don’t know what is.

Put it on your calender.

BAGS

Okay, okay, I admit it…..I have a thing for bags.

Way back when, when I first bought my Profoto lights, I also
bought a Lightware 1623 bag to put ‘em in.

Well, after 15 years, it finally gave up the ghost, needed to be
replaced. My bags get thrown in the trunk, in the bellies of
airplanes, get used all over the place, and used hard, too.
Lasting 15 years is great.

So I tromped down to the camera store to get a new one, just
like my old one. When the camera dude told me it was $550 I
almost shit my pants. I remember the one I originally bought,
back in 1995, was expensive, but…….

So I bought a cheaper bag, different design. All my gear fit,
but not very well. It was most inconvenient, difficult to work
out of. Now I had to make a choice: do I save some money and
get frustrated every single time I use the sucker, or do I spring
for the whole enchilada, take the “cheap” bag back and get a
bag that works?

You know the answer…..

Old Lightware bag and new Lightware bag

And then I thought: “My camera/computer bag’s kinda decrepit, and
too small, too”. And I thought: “In for a penny, in for a pound”. Bought
a brand new camera/computer roller while I was at it.

I tell ya, I got a thing for bags.

Old Lowepro bag, new Tenba bag

And now, for a bit of equipment porn….inside views of the new bags:

The Lightware

The Tenba

FINALLY

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention (again) that the big USER
opening at PIKTO is this Friday. That’d be May 7th.

If you’re in Toronto I hope you can make it down. The drinks
are on me.