Above: today’s work (on the 40th floor).
Below: today’s play
Ida Maria at the Hiro Ballroom
Other photos from Prefix Magazine, TONY
Reviews from PopMatters, Baeble Music
Video: I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked
Palomar at Public Assembly
Eula at Public Assembly
Under the Terrace Bridge, Central Park
A perfect Sunday afternoon in Washington Square Park. La Grande Jatte has nothing on Washington Square Park (except being immortalized in a spectacular painting (one I try to see whenever in Chicago)).
There’s even a parasol! And much more stylish headwear!
…featuring Butch Warren on bass. At Columbia Station, Adams-Morgan, DC.
A drink left behind by another patron, with the singer-guitarist in the background. (Also, a fun show (and a 2-hour set)!)
As I said in the last post, I have started to visualize differently, especially inside. Having an f/1.8 lens and photos that look reasonable at ISO 800 (and even ISO 1600) can change the way you look at things.
Other photos of the world of night:
Certain signs indicate that you’re just a beginning guitarist…
Experimentation with light is at a basic level what photography is. The best experimentalists (in my field, at least) occasionally have to just try something because it seems intriguing.
I’m not going to claim such a higher level thought here. But if you always have a camera, you’re more likely to experiment. Even if you’re only semi-coherent while doing the experiment.
Today’s photo was taken at the end of a very long day in the office performing scholarly duties. Afterwards I went out for beer(s) with my collaborator. After consuming enough beer to make me happy that I can walk home, a lot of experimentation ensued (much of it utterly forgettable). But I liked this sequence.
The above and below are of the same subject.
And the original scene of the crime. Note the T on the exit sign. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how to reproduce this effect. But I like the combination of music and dancing photographically (and otherwise), though I suspect this thought’s not general (nor the appeal of this photo).
I was in DC for the inauguration, yet for me the signature scene of the day was the Haitian-American band Djarara Lòt Bò Dlo (buy the CD, highly recommended!) playing in front of the Washington Monument. The festiveness of the 13-person band, and the simplicity of the instruments individually but their complexity in concert, to me, combined with their message (Haiti: first black nation. Barack Obama: first black U.S. president), captured the joy of the day more than any crowd scene that I took.
Additional photos of Djarara Lòt Bò Dlo
Other photos that captured the spirit of the day
People wanted their kids to see the event (in this case, listening to the inaugural address)
Everyone was taking self-photos (and yet I somehow didn’t get a good photo of any of this…alas)
Yes, there were crowds
And self-promotion (both by for-profits and non-profits)
But in the end it was a day for the country
A one-string and three-string cigar-box guitar, along with a standard guitar modified to be a four-string guitar. The instruments of a Delta blues musician (along with a suitcase drum and a two-string guitar), with his work on the one-string guitar the most outstanding.
Technically the above photo was taken on January 15 (i.e. after midnight on January 14). For an image that I consider to be from January 15 (rise to bed of the day), here is the stage from a modern 7-member indie rock band, which I thoroughly enjoyed, in an entirely different way. Including a glockenspiel. Not shown: melodica.
In related news, I wasn’t particularly keen on going outside on another cold cold day.
