"I'm sitting in 31F. Next to me is a little blue eyed bundle. She's about six months old. I'm concerned about her and her two siblings across the way. Way too young and loud as this is a night flight. Blue is calm as her blue serene eyes. She's sucking away on a pacifier. Amazing how white babies are so cute. They are obviously military kids. Mom looks like she carried three kids too quickly and too young. Surely the future of little blue eyes next to me.

A pill, a drink and a snooze and it should be over quickly.

BTW muzak killed Stevie Wonder"

I sent this posting post flight from the HNL airport while sitting on the plane. I didn't know till now by mobile device seems to limit how much I can txt. Go figure.

The art of business in the new economy/recession.

As the recession looms over the public, jobs are getting more and more scares as magazines, companies, and ad/pr agencies are slowly running out of money due to the credit crunch. Our economy is based on credit as businesses don’t have to maintain major cash reserves as they can borrow the dough they need all the while the lenders make fees off the interest they charge on those loans. In many ways, personal credit cards serve as individual micro-loans for the public. I can’t easily cough up $50k to start up my photo business (lights, lenses, and computers are expensive!) so a bank issued credit card helps lubricate the wheels of commerce. B&H Photo and Apple are happy I have credit, as is MasterCard. For that matter, I am happy cause without credit I couldn’t buy the lens I need to shoot golf, food, or whatever comes my way. Americans are notorious for not saving their money so credit is what makes the US economy run.

Nowadays, as Obama and his team nationalize banks and investment/insurance companies, banks are not issuing credit as they once were. Although you’d never think we were in a major recession\depression, the economy is hurting. Banks are not issuing enough credit to the magazines and their budgets get smaller. It is much more complicated as ad revenue is shrinking, yet, media always needs a steady stream of images flowing onto their pages, websites, and whatnot.

Job creation is happening, for sure. For me, I am getting job offers at lower rates. I had an ad agency based in several major cities around the globe offer me a tiny amount of money to shoot a fairly elaborate photo for a international brochure. I mean a tiny amount that wouldn’t have covered expenses at all. I had enough gumption to say “no” although I struggled with that decision. But I realized I can’t issue credit or make someone else rich at my expense. I have bills to pay.

The photo business is notorious for making photographer float expenses on his own credit for a multimillion-dollar magazine or business in the past and will continue to do so. But like any risk/reward scenario, the rewards outweighed the risks. And when work was a constant stream, I could wait or "issue credit" to clients as I had other jobs waiting soon afterwards. But those days are now gone. Jobs are limited and budgets are smaller. And to make matters worse, big name mags and companies do not/are not pay(ing) on time. They have no problem not processing an invoice 30, 60, 90, or even 120 days after publication or usage of your hard work and sweat. Can you imagine McDonalds allowing you to pay for a big mac six months later? I'd hope my work is at least worth a couple of McNuggets.

I am not in the business of credit issuing and floating a corporation x amount to do their jobs. Yet so many of my peers are willing and able to do so to get those jobs, tear sheets, and bylines. I did a job in November where I shot a very well know musician for a cover of a magazine. I still haven’t been paid. I am also out x amount of money as I had to pay a stylist, assistant, and equipment. I am loosing money as I wait as I’ve had to pay interest on credit cards, etc…

If I had known this magazine was going to take so long to pay, might I have done something differently? Did I ask the wrong questions about getting paid? Might my priorities now be when do I get paid or should I completely change my business model and create a cash on delivery business? Wedding photographer do…so why shouldn’t editorial photographers?

Why should I float x company who could easily have a check sent to me directly to pay for expenses? Why shouldn’t I have the power to ask or do so?

I’ve toyed with websites like www.printroom.com where you upload images and clients pay to get them down. Imagine, I shoot a job for x magazine in which I have no relationship. I shoot, process, then upload to this server where an e-commerce transaction takes place via a credit card. I get paid (minus a small service charge) and the client gets their images. No waiting for months for money that may or may not come. I mean once you give up the goods, the company has no purpose to pay you on time or quickly.

Photographers, we need to rethink our business models, take on the current business situation, and push forward with new strategies in order to make it. I am still out of money from this company but this expensive mistake has taught me loads.

68 degrees?

At 8:43 AM the weather is like super windy and roughly 68 degrees.

Its cold!



View east with the Pali Mountains on the horizon. The wind is pouring off those mountains.

Im able to blog and tweet from my bberry!!!

Keeping busy when things are down.

So...things are slow. No emails, no phone calls, no well, not much of anything. Its a recession, no credit, no budgets, no images to create for work. It is not nearly as bad as I had a job on Friday, a job tomorrow and a more stuff soon afterwards. Hence, its mainly moaning about very little.

But to keep the days full of things non photo, we've taken to raising a garden on our lanai...balcony to you mainlanders. I surely don't have a green thumb nor does Yukako but its become a bit of fun to play around with plants, pots, and dirt.

The above little bud that cracked through the soil yesterday is the beginning of a papaya tree. I got the seeds at Walmart of all things in the tourist items section. I am not one to really ever go to Walmart as I do feel its a bit of slumming and really buying goods made by sweatshops, etc...but then again, there isn't much sold in American that isn't made by some slumdog somewhere...yets I also feel I am getting to be slummly at times as the phone isn't ringing like it once was. Damn recession.

Anyway, our little papaya sprout looks good and healthy and I look forward to seeing how much it will grow. I don't suspect I will ever allow it to get big enough to get fresh papayas from it as I do think you need to have a male/female to pollinate the plant as well as they do grow upwards of ten feet and beyond, well beyond our little lanai capabilities. But when you got little to think about, a little sprout as such makes the day a little brighter.



Along with our little sprout, we have a potted palm tree of some sorts, a chili plant, a non fruit bearing banana plant, a couple of herbs, etc., a small cactus growing from seeds as well, a weedy looking hibiscus bearing Hawaiian plant, and a new addition of a Mexican lime tree. The guy at Home Depot (they do get a majority of their plants from local sources) said the tree can grow in partial shade so I am very excited to see things grow and mature. My greening thumb awaits patiently.

So hopefully as things grow, flower, et all, I one day might have limes for a cold Corona on the little jungle garden.

Two Tattoos

Living in a beach culture lets one see lots of skin. Lots of people feel very comfortable wandering around topless showing off abs, tan lines, and flab and sag. Even off the beach, you will sometimes get a large beer gut standing next to you in line holding an 18-pack. Lots of times those guys at the grocery store who are shirtless most likely didn't bother putting on a shirt to cash their welfare checks at the Fast Cash either. Its sometimes fun as you will see great figures but mostly its overweight, oversunned, and over tattooed bodies, stretch marks and all.

As I wandered Waikiki this past weekend, I came across two guys with two different tattoos this past weekend. The first guy was Japanese and barely spoke a word of English. I first though he was a Japanese gangster, yakuza and feared approaching him thinking he'd slash me with a sword hidden in his bathing suit, but realized he was a bit too soft spoken and a real gangsta probably wouldn't be sitting around the beach showing off his affiliation, let alone allow a gaijin to snap his backside. The goofy confused looked he gave also said he wasn't a murder by any chance, although, I didn't check to see if he had all ten fingers.

I asked him how long it took him and he didn't understand so I told him in bad Japanese that he was very cool while pointing at his back. I though he might think I was okama, rather gay in Japanese, as he had an old bewildered look on his face but then realized that he was cool cause he had a massive tat up and down his back and on his shoulders as well. The tattoo was obviously in homage to the yakuza style with short sleeves and the likes. I don't think he was finished with the tattoo as there were patches of the image not colored and his shoulder blades were bare as well. It seemed odd but beautiful none the less. I wish I'd shot in color but it was a black and white day so there is no going back.

I then asked him how long it took to do and he didn't not understand. I then pantomimed the tattoo process while pointing to my watch. Confused, he then proceeded to tell me the time but finally after a few different tries, he said 14...days I am assuming. He smiled, nodded lots, and then bowed to me for showing him an odd sense of respect for his painful body art, perverted as it may. He did tell me itai when I asked him if it hurt, pantomiming of course. Itai means painful in Japanese. I can only imagine it was very itai to let some guy stick you with a bamboo needle for 14 hours, or was it days?

The second guy I saw a bit later at Ala Moana Beach Park. He was I think a Japanese American guy who was local, Ala Moana being a local beach, brah. He was very proud to show off his tattooed back and didn't even wince when I asked if I could snap a shot. He was a young guy in his twenties and said the design was his but lots of collaboration with the artist. His tattoo was not as colorful as you think as the buildings were gray and the globes were not as saturated as I would have thought or liked. If it had been my back, I would have used all the color in the world to make it shine but then again, I don't have the patience or tolerance to let anyone poke me incessantly for days on end, hours for that matter.

Its odd to see these two backs side by side. Two different backsides, two different tattoos, same expressive ideas. I never tattoo myself as I realized at a young age, those things don't come off, never...well there is laser tattoo removal but still...those things are permanent. I'd have a tattoo of Diana across my arm right now. Imagine that...I don't think that would flow to well with my wife. Let alone my mom who would have probably burned it off with a clothing iron one early morning while I was passed out from boozing too much during college. All I'd have now would be a faded "D" with a yellowing triangle over the now burned off "iana".

I recall seeing older men from the WWII/Korea generation with anchors on their aging forearms, USMC marks on their withered biceps. Symbols of death, war, life, and beyond. The pride, the sense of worth those symbols meant to those men who gave something to earn that faded green ink on their now worn bodies. Its odd to compare these young boys who have probably given nothing to anyone (generalization I shouldn't make, but...) as those old men limp into history books.

Japlish

Plenty of websites and photos have popped up all over the net these days of funny English sayings and phrases printed on everything from tee shirts to menus around Asia...yet...its always funny to see something that is obviously WRONG.

I saw this Asian guy, probably Japanese, on Waikiki Beach wearing a shirt that obviously was not right. No Justice, No Peas. Did he mean peace? Or did he really mean peas. I know some people really like peas but I couldn't equate justice and peas, especially since there was no culinary reference on the shirt, front or back. This guy really liked this shirt as the phrase was on both front and back. I couldn't understand.

After looking at the image for a second, I noticed the family also has a bag that says I (symbol of a heart) Hysteric. I don't think that makes much sense either.

I have to say, many Asians should have enough sense to spell simple English words, especially since everyone has the internet these days. Yukako argued the shirt must have a dual meaning referencing something in Japan that the ignorant viewer won't get. She didn't get it, hence she's...well I shouldn't say...as I am as too. She also said that peas phonetically sounds like peace.

Think about all those idiots around town who have tattoos of Chinese characters or Hindi symbols all over their bodies.

Check out http://www.hanzismatter.com/

Its a site about bad Chinese tattoos. The first post from April 4th made me fall off my chair...some chic wanted a tattoo that said Bitch in Chinese but the real translation is cheap whore. Isn't that almost the same?

Either way, I should have told the guy his shirt was wrong...then again he might feel compelled to tell that dumb American with the cheap whore tattoo that she got it all wrong. At least he can throw the shirt away.

Peas out!

Facing a book, twits, and the future.

A few weeks ago, I had a deep discussion with three newspaper guys, one who was lucky to still be employed and the other two who felt the wrath of the recession and had been recently laid off. I am lucky as I can't get fired as I can only fire myself (and believe me, I am always firing myself for one thing or another) but surely to mock the two who were terminated is not my point.

We talked about the future of news, news gathering, magazines, photography and the rest of the lot as we know it. Over a few drinks we came to the conclusion the wrong people were fired.

But first I should summarize all we discussed by stating the new media, the new way of news gathering, and presenting the news is radically changing. No longer do we open the front door to our homes, coffee cup in hand, robe dangerously dangling over our pajamaed bodies (or lack there of), and reach for that damn plastic bag that contained yesterday's news and headlines. CNN changed that with 24 hour news coverage (although I am hard pressed to say Nancy Grace is hard news in as much as she blows news gossip to middle America and beyond.) And what CNN changed, the internet changed much quicker. Now we actually still wear the robe, coffee cup at hand and reach for the on button on our Macs and PC, wait a few minutes for the hard drives to spin alive and and the wireless connection to zoom all of our specific news and custom information straight to our morning blurred vision from a glass eyed glowing beast.

And specific it is. You can read all your pro or con Obama news with a flick of the mouse. You can get your fix of sports, sex, gossip, stocks, weather, and oh yeah, news. And that news can be paired down to exactly what you want, hence, the latter above. (Funny, when you call AP's 800 number, hard news is the fourth selection after sports, entertainment, and business. I guess advertisers realized you really can't sell arch supports with dead Palestinian kids on the same page...Linsay does wonders for that market.)

And what the internet changed, Facebook and Twitter redefined.

Yet, there is something quiet nostalgic and comforting about sitting on the sofa and reading a double paged news spread. Its comforting to look at my fingers a tad bit smeared from ink, that woody smell of paper, and see the off set color press prints of images from far away. And without resorting to crude references, its hard to drag a computer monitor into the private of most private rooms. Know what I mean. Newspaper/magazines just maintain that tangible feeling that an iPhone or Blackberry can't reciprocate.

But aside from those prejudices, newspapers are done. How many are closing and reorganizing into net based entities. News is now being transmitted from a netherworld. A cyber universe created by 1s and 0s by those kids we all thought would end up shooting a president or at least shooting up a post office.

And I am also rambling the nostalgia of a early 70's (now mid thirties) guy who grew up sitting on the shag carpet, Beetle Bailey in one hand, silly putty in the other. The new kids, or those with their fingers twittering their thoughts, and sexting each other mad! are the ones facebooking each other with their thoughts, updating their experiences, and locations. You have to visit my blog to see whats up. If I twittered, you'd have no choice but to know what the hell I was doing. News media and reporting is now learning this might be the way to get things done. Sadly, I feel we might never escape this constant flow of info...imagine, a sultry summer Sunday, a random twit pings your mobile device on how cold the Coca-Cola is at the at McDonalds on 3rd Street next to the Nike Outlet and across the street from Macy's. It won't be long (or does it exist) before this disaster overtakes our silent moments. I think of that silly Tom Cruise movie where the ads were tailored exactly to him. (God--what would mine be? Booze, cameras, and booze.) These ads could be confused for friends or real thoughts from real people but none the less its the white nose we will never escape.

I digress...

The new news model is upon us. What I mean about the firing of the wrong people is Mike and Gene are young. Late to early 20s-30s. The kids who twit, facebook and use all the other apps available to them. They are the future of the new model...not the union protected aging journo who'd feel happier changing the ribbon from their typewriter than the ink from the printer. I don's slag on experience and competence as that counts for lots in this world but the 60 year old exec that couldn't see the world changing in front of them and allowed their news organization to crash around them are the ones who should have been replaced. If the media embraced more new tech, lots may have survived the recession and crash.

Its sad...I mean both Gene and Mike are great guys and knew, know, and will know their stuff for years to come. But maybe its best for them to create their own news world than follow the comfortable comforts of newsprint and silly putty.

As far as this travails for photography, I don't know. I am currently struggling with several personal projects and how I want to record them...whether it be with cellulose or the dreaded 1's and 0's. Should I embrace the new world of digital or stick with the dying option of film before its entirely gone? Its a tough question as I am thinking and acting like those I just bashed. Surely we all wished we still had typewriters when our computers needed rebooting or wish we had rolls of film when our flash cards went down. No one can really complain or hate the brave new world of technology as it is a horde of horsemen killing all in its wake as it tramples forward with progress.



But the old has such magic. The above shot didn't have any actions, blurring, or masking to make what my mind saw. Its all camera and film. Sadly, its Polaroid Type 55 which is absolutely gone. Polaroid is gone. How can such as staple of photography decide to close?

The new is now here...whether to embrace is just a matter of time. I just have to really figure out what the hell twitter really does.