Last Night @ MOMA

Momma's Man Coming Home (photo on ticket © David Lamb/MOMA)

Last night I finally saw "Momma's Man".
What do I say about this excellent movie that has not yet been said by the The NY Times, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, etc?
The film is exactly what so many reviews said: a loving tribute to the director's parents/family, a tribute to (old skool Bohemian) New York, a movie about adolescence and growth and life, a movie that is funny and wise -- a movie that reminds the viewer what independent film is all about.
Aza's voice is so clear in this movie and I think he hit all the notes he wanted to hit, made all the points he needed to make and captured what needed to be preserved. The movie made me laugh, think and cry. Its execution is soft and subtle but extremely moving and the film is lingering (in a good way!) with me and will do so for some time to come. It is clever and complex, yet streamlined.
THINKFilm has picked up "Momma's Man" for distribution and thus it will be available to a wider audience this summer.

Momma's Man @ Moma

"Momma's Man" will be screening tonight at 6:15 pm at the MOMA.
And also tomorrow at 1 pm at the Walter Reade Theater -- as part of the new directors/new films 2008 series presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
More about Azazel Jacbos's newest film can be found at: mommasman.blogspot.com

Jane Tam Telling It Like It Is

Homogeneity while easy is boring. And should not have a place in Art, but it does.
Unfortunately Photography is a particularly rigid and trend obsessed medium (can you hear me yawning?).

I blogged about Jane Tam before and how I really liked what she was going for in her work. I could see her think in her work -- and I like that.
Well Jane seems to share my frustration with the contemporary photography world.
Read her blog post "A little repetitive" here.

Oh and check out Jane's new online store.


From "Can I Come Home With You?" © Jane Tam

Jhumpa Lahiri Event

One of my favorite books is "The Namesake" and its award winning author Jhumpa Lahiri will be speaking & reading at Barnes & Noble Union Square on the occasion of the release of her new collection of stories "Unaccustomed Earth" -- next Tuesday April 1, 2008.

Old News: I Love Tea

I really do. The New York Times Travel section just highlighted some tea hot spots in New York in their article "Morning or Afternoon, There's a Kettle Brewing" by Seth Kugel.
Nice article, except that I disagree about that tea's main purpose is relaxation. Just as coffee for most people in the western world is integral to the morning routine, so tea can be integral to people's morning routine too.

Ida Pearle Alphabet Cards on Etsy

Forthcoming in September is Ida Pearle's first book for Harcourt Children's Books .
Right now however Ida's beautiful sets of limited edition alphabet cards are available via Etsy. The cards -made from sophisticated collages - are exquisitely printed. This is a great opportunity to own or gift a piece of Ida's work.


One of my favorite images from the Alphabets © Ida Pearle

Seals in Gotham

One of the reasons I love Redhook. Take a look at the video at the bottom of this Gothamist webpage:
gothamist.com/2008/03/15/video_of_the_da_177.php

Back to My Usual Musings: Catherine Servel

Beauty has always been a topic of the arts and something photographers want to capture. I had lunch with my friend Catherine the other day, who just got back from photographing several beautiful editorials.
Take a look:




Like I said, I have a thing about hues & colors ;)
Shot in Brazil & France © Catherine Servel

The Break Up

I started this blog, because I wanted to keep track of things I liked and experienced that relate to art, food, travel , etc. For me the blog is a forum to highlight things I respond to or want share -- like the work of so many of my very talented friends. I leave the serious 'photo-politico-blogging' to others, such as Andrew Hetherington (tx Em) and Robert Wright or Stanley Rowin.
Once in a while I do share more personal things. Like when I wrote about my creative block.
Today it seems time for another one of those posts.


'I am Leaving the Herd' or 'A Sheep no Longer'? ©Nina Buesing

I sell some of my photography through stock agencies. Stock Photography is not high up on the food chain of the photographic world. But I always liked it because it allowed me to sell images that would otherwise just sit in a flat file. When Stock Photography was booming (but let me please say that photography rarely makes you really rich, even if you are doing well, we are not movie stars!) it was a very nice way to earn money very independently -- no need to deal with art directors, editors, politics, or lighting trends. The only judge really was the market. But what is up must come down or something like that.

When stock photography went digital (and I am not just taking about digital capture, but I also mean when agencies made their content available digitally) the business really started to boom. But of course digital always has pros and cons. It is now much harder to protect imagery from illegal use and since the print media is a dying industry (paper, slow turnaround,bla....bla) and the net a booming one (faster, cheaper, bla..bla), the stock photo bubble started to burst.
This is nothing new and all the aspects & contributing factors of what is happening to (commercial) photography have previously been discussed ad nauseam in all sorts of forums.

For whatever reason, I have still been doing somewhat ok, but definitely my stock income has declined (for one because I am still resisting digital). But then today it really hit home -- not just financially but I read about something that I am not sure I can stomach on principal (and I suspect financially this sux too).

Today I read about a new site that gives bloggers free access to professional image libraries. (note: I only use imagery on this blog that I have produced or friends produced or that I bought or otherwise have permission to use - exactly because I do think this is a tricky issue).
And I was shocked -but not surprised- to find out that some of my premium (for those not initiated, there are many different ways to license your imagery) stock imagery somehow had found its way onto that site. And also those of several of my friends. I am not sure yet if this is a mistake or a loophole in my contract(s), but regardless I think it is a sign of the times. And a sign for me to move on. This also coincided with me having just finished a conversation with my accountant which further drove the point home. Depending on how or from which side you look at it, this was fortunate or unfortunate timing. I like to think of it as a "final factor" moment.
So I guess this is a chapter closing in my life. I liked the whole concept of stock photography, but I think it is not working for me anymore. I really wanted it to, but I am breaking up with you, Stock Photography World. It's not you, it's me! Ha!

I'll keep you occasionally posted on what is next. The blog certainly is staying around.

Alexander Gorlizki @ Daniel Weinberg

Yesterday was the reception for Alexander Gorlizki's solo show "Strange You Can Believe In" at Daniel Weinberg Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibit will run through April 19th, 2008. As in his collaboration with Riyaz Uddin, Alexander's solo work is influenced by Surrealism - but in his personal work he explores it in a more abstract way. My two favorites of this exhibit are a color study reminiscent of the work of Robert Delaunay and color & pattern study titled " Close and Personal".


Colour Study, 2007 Pigment on paper © Alexander Gorlizki


Close & Personal, 2007 Gold & Pigment on Paper © Alexander Gorlizki

If you browese through the archives at Daniel Weinberg Gallery, you cam also see some previous works by Alexander, such as "Wig under a cloud" and "Bluering" .